WEBVTT - Remove the Grave Clothes 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:02.640 You and your dog are close, like watch each other 0:00:02.680 --> 0:00:04.960 go to the bathroom close, But you could be even 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:08.880 closer with BarkBox. Every month, BarkBox brings dogs and their 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.639 humans together with original toys and delicious treatment. Sign up 0:00:12.640 --> 0:00:14.880 now at BarkBox dot com. Slash iHeart. 0:00:15.400 --> 0:00:18.119 No one likes to talk about money. Am I saving enough? 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:20.239 Can I buy a house? Am I paying too much 0:00:20.280 --> 0:00:22.960 in taxes? Will I be able to retire? What if 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:25.600 you could unlock insights about your finances in less than 0:00:25.600 --> 0:00:28.080 five minutes, with a clear picture of where you stand 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:30.880 today and where your money can work harder. Now you 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:34.000 can visit facet dot com to take the free quiz 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:38.600 and get your financial wellness score today. That's facet dot com. 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:40.720 This ad is sponsored by fast Fast Wealth Incorporated is 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:42.720 an sec registered investment advisor. This is not an offer 0:00:42.760 --> 0:00:44.559 to buy your self securities snoor is it investment, legal 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:45.280 or tax advice. 0:00:46.000 --> 0:00:49.199 You're ready for a comeback, and with Purdue Global you 0:00:49.240 --> 0:00:52.440 can do more than take classes. You can take charge 0:00:52.720 --> 0:00:56.760 of your story, of your career, of your life. Earn 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:58.800 a degree you can be proud of, and get an 0:00:58.920 --> 0:01:00.680 education employeer respect. 0:01:01.160 --> 0:01:02.720 It's time, Your. 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:05.160 Time, not just to go back to school, but to 0:01:05.240 --> 0:01:09.360 come back and move forward with Purdue Global, Purdue's online 0:01:09.440 --> 0:01:15.160 university for working adults. Start your comeback at Purdueglobal dot edu. 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:19.200 Welcome to the Joe lous Deine Podcast. Help us continue 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:21.760 to share the message of hope with those all over 0:01:21.800 --> 0:01:25.880 the world. Visit Joeloustin dot com slash give hope to 0:01:25.959 --> 0:01:28.199 give a gift today. 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:41.960 Well, God bless you. It's a joy to come into 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:44.800 your homes. And if you're ever in our area, please 0:01:44.840 --> 0:01:47.400 stop buying. Be a part of one of our services. 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:49.880 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:52.960 I'd like to start with something funny. And I heard 0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:57.720 about these three people, a Russian, an American, and a blonde. 0:01:58.240 --> 0:02:01.720 They were talking together and the Russian said, proudly, we 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:05.040 were the first ones in space. The American said, well, 0:02:05.200 --> 0:02:08.120 we were the first ones on the moon. The blonde said, 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:10.480 that's nothing. We're going to be the first ones on 0:02:10.560 --> 0:02:14.160 the sun. The American the Russian, they laugh, you can't 0:02:14.160 --> 0:02:16.600 go to the sun. It's too hot, you'd be burned up. 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:19.720 Blonde said, we know that, we're not that dumb. We're 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:23.440 going to go at night. Say it like you mean it. 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:26.799 This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:29.600 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:32.320 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:36.240 taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:39.560 is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be 0:02:39.639 --> 0:02:44.359 the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. I want 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:47.400 to talk to you today about remove the grave clothes. 0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:51.440 There are people God has put in our lives on purpose, 0:02:51.760 --> 0:02:56.080 so we can help restore them. They're off course, they're addicted, 0:02:56.440 --> 0:03:00.160 they're broken. It's easy to judge and think they should 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:03.720 make better decisions. It's their own fault. But if it 0:03:03.800 --> 0:03:06.720 was not for the grace of God, that could be us. 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:11.000 We didn't get to where we are because we're so talented, 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:15.639 so disciplined, so obedient. That may be true on the surface, 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:18.520 but where did you get the talent? Where did you 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:22.840 get the discipline? It came from your heavenly Father. Wasn't 0:03:22.840 --> 0:03:26.640 anything we chose. It's simply the goodness of God. But 0:03:26.680 --> 0:03:29.760 too often we look at others and think, why are 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:33.200 they still making poor choices? Why are they still addicted? 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:36.040 Why do they get in bad relationships? Again and again? 0:03:36.320 --> 0:03:40.000 I wouldn't do that. It's because God has given you 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:43.920 grace in that area. Without his grace, you would be 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:46.880 where they are. And instead of looking down on them 0:03:47.200 --> 0:03:50.600 pointing the finger, you should know better. They don't need 0:03:50.800 --> 0:03:54.920 more condemnation. God didn't put them there so you could 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:58.800 judge them. He put them there so you could love them. 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:04.760 Love He love restores, Love lifts up all around. You 0:04:04.800 --> 0:04:08.920 are hurting people, broken people, people that may not have 0:04:09.000 --> 0:04:12.400 had the advantages that you had. They weren't raised by 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:15.880 parents that invested in them. They've never felt the love 0:04:15.920 --> 0:04:19.600 of the approval that you felt. It's easy to criticize, 0:04:19.839 --> 0:04:22.279 but you don't know where you would be if you 0:04:22.320 --> 0:04:25.760 had walked in their shoes. The longer I live, the 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:30.440 less judgmental I am. I realized everyone didn't get what 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:35.360 I got. It's easy for me to feel secure, valuable, confident, 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:39.960 believe big. I had parents that guided me, family that 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:43.360 supported me. I was born in a great country with 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:48.159 opportunity and resources. Life is not a level playing field. 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:52.680 When you're tempted to be judgmental, you need to remind yourself, 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:56.800 most likely they didn't get everything you got if it 0:04:56.920 --> 0:04:59.359 was not for the mercy of God, you would be 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:03.839 making the same decisions that they're making. God has freely 0:05:04.040 --> 0:05:08.679 given you mercy. Here's my challenge, freely give it to others. 0:05:09.240 --> 0:05:12.560 Don't be stingy with your mercy. God is counting on 0:05:12.720 --> 0:05:16.440 us to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, to 0:05:16.520 --> 0:05:20.560 heal the hurding. There's enough judgment in our world. There's 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:24.920 enough fault finding criticism. Where are the healers? Where are 0:05:24.960 --> 0:05:28.520 the restorers? Where are the people that instead of running 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:32.400 away from the herding, they run to the herding. Instead 0:05:32.400 --> 0:05:37.000 of condemning the broken, they help heal the broken. John 0:05:37.080 --> 0:05:41.320 Chapter eleven, Lazarus was very sick. His two sisters sent 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:44.599 word to Jesus to come pray for him, but Jesus 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:49.200 didn't arrive in time. Lazarus died. Jesus showed up four 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:53.440 days later. He spoke to Lazarus, said, Lazarus, come forth. 0:05:53.920 --> 0:05:56.839 Instantly he woke up. He was raised from the dead, 0:05:57.200 --> 0:06:01.800 a great miracle. The problem was Lazarus was wrapped with 0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:07.080 grave clothes. In those days, when someone died, very often, 0:06:07.279 --> 0:06:10.919 they would wrap them up like a mummy. Verse forty 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:16.680 four says Lazarus came out bound in grave clothes Jesus 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:21.039 said to them, unwrap him and let him go. Even 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:24.640 though Lazarus was alive, even though God had done something 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:29.599 amazing on the inside, he was still bound on the outside. 0:06:29.680 --> 0:06:33.320 Somebody had to remove his grave clothes, or he would 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:37.800 have never experienced the fullness of what God had done. 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:40.279 You can imagine when they went to take off the 0:06:40.360 --> 0:06:44.440 grave clothes after being dead for four days, the smell 0:06:44.920 --> 0:06:50.120 was almost unbearable. Every layer they unwrapped, the stench got worse. 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:56.320 It was dirty, messy, smelly. They had to be incredibly dedicated. 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:59.719 They must have loved Lazarus a whole lot to have 0:06:59.760 --> 0:07:03.080 been willing to endure all it took to remove his 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:07.240 grave clothes. This is what God has called us to do. 0:07:07.920 --> 0:07:12.280 There are people around us wearing grave clothes. God has 0:07:12.360 --> 0:07:15.680 done something on the inside. He's breathed life into them, 0:07:16.160 --> 0:07:20.040 given them purpose. But they're still bound on the outside. 0:07:20.600 --> 0:07:24.280 They have addictions, they struggle with their tempers, they're loosing 0:07:24.320 --> 0:07:29.200 their morals. The problem is it's messy. It's tempting to think, 0:07:29.640 --> 0:07:32.920 when they clean themselves up, then I'll help them when 0:07:32.960 --> 0:07:36.280 they get back on course, Joel, when it's not so messy, 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:39.080 when they come back to church, then I'll encourage them. 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:43.120 How can they get free if someone doesn't step up 0:07:43.440 --> 0:07:47.320 to remove their grave clothes. Where are the people that 0:07:47.360 --> 0:07:51.160 are willing to get dirty to help someone else, to 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:54.720 go out on a limb, to befriend someone that others 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:57.320 think are too far down, to reach out to that 0:07:57.480 --> 0:08:01.400 relative that's struggling with an addiction that others have written off. 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:05.080 It would be easy to remove grave clothes if they 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:09.040 were nice and tidy, if people were making good decisions 0:08:09.160 --> 0:08:13.360 on the high road. That's not reality. Grave clothes are dirty. 0:08:14.040 --> 0:08:18.040 Grave clothes are messy. Grave clothes stink, And we think 0:08:18.200 --> 0:08:21.520 when someone still has issues, they still have an addiction, 0:08:21.920 --> 0:08:25.320 they compromise, they're bitter, they're jealous, they have a long 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:29.600 way to go. But just because they're wearing grave clothes, 0:08:30.120 --> 0:08:33.960 just because they're still dirty, doesn't mean they're not clean 0:08:34.120 --> 0:08:38.680 on the inside. Jesus spoke life to Lazarus. He was 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:42.559 free on the inside, but still bound on the outside. 0:08:42.760 --> 0:08:46.440 What am I saying? Don't judge by appearance. The grave 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:50.640 clothes may stink, they may be dirty, but on the inside, 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:54.080 there's a free person, there's a clean person, there's a 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:59.240 forgiven person. There's a victorious person. They're just waiting for 0:08:59.280 --> 0:09:03.280 someone that won't be put off by the outside, someone 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:06.280 that will step up to help remove the grave clothes. 0:09:06.800 --> 0:09:09.720 How do you do this by speaking faith into them, 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:13.400 not telling them what they are, but telling them what 0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:17.640 they can become, by loving them, by taking time to care, 0:09:18.280 --> 0:09:20.680 by going out of your way to be their friend. 0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:25.080 They have enough people pushing them down, pointing out their faults, 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:28.760 complaining about their grave clothes. You can be the one 0:09:28.880 --> 0:09:31.720 to push them up, to see the best in them, 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:35.200 to help them get free. You can be a grave 0:09:35.280 --> 0:09:39.120 clothes remover. For years, my mom prayed for a man 0:09:39.240 --> 0:09:42.040 by the name of Bill Nash. She would see his 0:09:42.160 --> 0:09:46.720 name on marquees around town. Bill was a popular entertainer 0:09:46.920 --> 0:09:50.800 country Western singer. He grew up singing in church as 0:09:50.840 --> 0:09:54.680 a little boy. His parents were missionaries. He was raised 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:58.160 in a strong family of faith. But as a teenager, 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:01.480 Bill got off course, already running with the wrong crowd 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:05.600 and not making good decisions. Instead of singing in churches, 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:09.200 now he was singing in bars and clubs. But the 0:10:09.200 --> 0:10:14.400 scripture says God's calling on your life is irrevocable. That 0:10:14.480 --> 0:10:17.440 means you may run away from God. But God won't 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:20.960 run away from you. His grace will come looking for you. 0:10:22.080 --> 0:10:26.080 Paul wrote about the grace in Romans that God freely 0:10:26.160 --> 0:10:31.240 gives us. One translation of the word freely is promiscuous. 0:10:32.040 --> 0:10:36.920 When someone is promiscuous, they're loose, they're unrestrained. They'll be 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:40.840 with anyone. That's the way God's grace is. You can 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:44.520 be in a bar and Grace will come looking for you. 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:47.400 You can be hound drugs and Grace will come knocking 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:50.480 at your door. You can be in the wrong places, 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:54.040 doing the wrong thing with the wrong people, and when 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:57.480 you least expect it, out of nowhere, you'll hear that 0:10:57.559 --> 0:11:01.320 still small voice saying, come back home. I love you. 0:11:01.559 --> 0:11:06.200 I have something better. God doesn't say if you clean 0:11:06.240 --> 0:11:09.360 yourself up, I'll show you mercy. If you get back 0:11:09.360 --> 0:11:12.160 on course, I'll think about being good to you. God's 0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:17.400 grace is promiscuous. It goes to unlikely places. And every 0:11:17.400 --> 0:11:20.800 time my mom saw Bill's name under her breath, Lord, 0:11:20.840 --> 0:11:23.360 thank you for bringing Bill back home. Thank you that 0:11:23.400 --> 0:11:27.160 he'll fulfill his destiny. She had never met him, had 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:30.920 no connections, but year after year she kept praying for him. 0:11:31.559 --> 0:11:34.880 Didn't look like anything was happening, but you don't know 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:39.440 what God is doing behind the scenes. One day, that 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:43.439 grace convinced Bill to turn his life around. He wanted 0:11:43.480 --> 0:11:46.600 to go to church, but he thought nobody'd want somebody 0:11:46.679 --> 0:11:49.520 like me. I've made a lot of mistakes, lived a 0:11:49.600 --> 0:11:53.000 rough life. I'm known as a partier. He turned on 0:11:53.080 --> 0:11:57.160 the television and saw my father talking about the goodness 0:11:57.200 --> 0:12:02.080 of God. That Sunday, he walked in Lakewood, first time 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:05.199 since he was a teenager. Sat way in the back. 0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:08.679 Someone recognized him and brought him down to see my mom. 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:11.640 She told how she had been praying for him and 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:15.120 how that was a dream come true. That day was 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:18.520 a turning point in Bill's life. A few months later, 0:12:18.760 --> 0:12:22.800 he gave his first Christian concert at Lakewood, and he's 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:27.800 been using his talents for the Lord ever since. Like Lazarus, 0:12:28.080 --> 0:12:32.200 Bill needed someone to help remove the grave clothes. That's 0:12:32.200 --> 0:12:37.160 what my mother did. She recognized underneath the mess, the partying, 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:41.679 the compromising, there was a free man, a man destined 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:45.000 to do great things. There are a lot of Bills 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:48.960 out there, people that are bound on the outside, but 0:12:49.040 --> 0:12:53.600 they have greatness on the inside. They just need someone 0:12:53.679 --> 0:12:57.160 that won't be afraid to get dirty. Someone that won't 0:12:57.200 --> 0:13:00.160 be judgmental and say he used to be in church, 0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:03.120 he's in the bars, what's wrong with him? Instead of 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:06.840 judging them, why don't you take that same time to 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:10.280 pray for them, to reach out to them, to let 0:13:10.280 --> 0:13:13.199 them know that you believe in them. What if when 0:13:13.320 --> 0:13:17.120 Jesus raised Lazarus, no one was willing to remove the 0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:20.800 grave clothes. Nobody wanted to deal with the stink, Nobody 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:24.440 wanted to get dirty. Lazarus wouldn't have lived that long. 0:13:24.920 --> 0:13:29.040 He was bound, not able to move. Jesus did his part, 0:13:29.360 --> 0:13:33.240 but he was counting on Lazarus's friends and family to 0:13:33.320 --> 0:13:37.160 do their part. Are there people in your life waiting 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:41.400 for you to help remove their grave clothes? Their off course, 0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:46.160 struggling in some area. It's easy to make excuses. They 0:13:46.200 --> 0:13:49.800 brought the trouble on themselves. It's their fault. I'm too busy. 0:13:49.840 --> 0:13:52.640 I've got enough problems of my own. No, take time 0:13:53.040 --> 0:13:56.360 to make a difference. Don't look at them through eyes 0:13:56.400 --> 0:14:00.160 of judgment, look at them through eyes of love. Be 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:03.439 deep down they want to change. Maybe grace has been 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:07.079 knocking at their door, getting stronger and stronger, but they 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:10.120 don't know the next step, a phone call from you, 0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:14.200 a kind word, taking them out to dinner, not to 0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:17.280 try to straighten them out, but just to let them 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:20.960 know that you care. That's what speaks volumes that you're 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:23.880 not there to condemn them, to point out their faults. 0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:28.200 You are there to simply love them. John chapter eight. 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:32.280 These religious leaders brought a woman to Jesus threw her 0:14:32.320 --> 0:14:35.280 down at his feet. She was caught in the act 0:14:35.440 --> 0:14:39.600 of adultery. They said, Jesus, the law says stone her. 0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:43.440 What do you say we should do? Seemed obvious. The 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:47.360 law was clear, the lady was guilty. One thing I 0:14:47.440 --> 0:14:51.760 love about Jesus is he broke religious rules in order 0:14:51.800 --> 0:14:55.360 to be good to people. In the Old Testament, God 0:14:55.400 --> 0:14:59.120 gave them ten commandments, but the people turned them into 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:03.360 over two thousand laws. When Jesus came, he said, in 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:06.800 the fact, I'm getting rid of all these religious rules, 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:10.680 all these heavy demands you put on people that only 0:15:10.720 --> 0:15:14.640 make them guilty and condemned. Instead, I'm going to condense 0:15:14.680 --> 0:15:18.520 them down into two commandments. Love the Lord your God 0:15:18.600 --> 0:15:22.120 with all your heart. And love your neighbor as you 0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:27.280 love yourself. He was saying, people are more important than 0:15:27.360 --> 0:15:31.680 religious rules. Everything is not going to fit perfectly into 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:34.600 ar theology. They have to do this, they have to 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:37.280 do that. They can't do that, they can't go there. 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:41.880 If you convince people to follow all your religious rules, 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:45.840 but you don't have love, the scripture says, we're like 0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:49.680 a loud, clinging symbol. I don't want to be known 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:52.840 for what I'm against. I want to be known for 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:57.040 what I'm for. I'm for people. I'm for second chances. 0:15:57.200 --> 0:16:00.600 I'm for mercy. I'm not into condemning thisiness. I'm in 0:16:00.640 --> 0:16:03.840 the loving business. I'm in the healing business. I'm in 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:07.080 the lifting business. I want to be known as a 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:11.520 grave clothes remover, as someone that saw the best in people, 0:16:11.960 --> 0:16:15.440 that helped push them into their destiny, as someone that 0:16:15.640 --> 0:16:19.440 was willing to get dirty, to go after messy people, 0:16:19.720 --> 0:16:23.800 broken people, people that society has written off. But let 0:16:23.800 --> 0:16:26.440 me warn you, when you love people who are messy, 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:30.680 you may be criticized, you may be talked about. One time, 0:16:30.840 --> 0:16:35.320 Jesus was walking through a crowded town, thousands of people around. 0:16:35.600 --> 0:16:39.880 He looked up and saw zach kias the chief tax collector. 0:16:40.320 --> 0:16:43.280 He was known as one of the most dishonest people. 0:16:43.720 --> 0:16:46.960 He lied, he cheated, he didn't keep his word. Yet 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:50.720 Jesus said, I want to go to dinner with you today. 0:16:51.800 --> 0:16:55.920 Of all the people there that day, there were priests, rabbis, 0:16:56.400 --> 0:17:01.320 elders in the synagogue. But Grace goes to unlikely places. 0:17:02.160 --> 0:17:07.480 Jesus didn't see just what Zacheus was. He saw what 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:11.480 he could become. He was bound on the outside by 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:15.080 grave clothes, but he knew on the inside was a 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:19.199 man of integrity, a man of honor. Jesus went to 0:17:19.280 --> 0:17:25.040 dinner with Zacheus, someone that people considered dirty, messy, broken. 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:29.080 In fact, the scripture says the religious leaders complained that 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:32.760 he went to dinner with a notorious sinner. When you 0:17:32.880 --> 0:17:37.680 go after the broken, the hurting, the addicted, people may criticize, 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:40.720 they may talk about you, but you're in good company. 0:17:41.080 --> 0:17:44.080 You are never more like God than when you go 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:49.800 after messy people. This lady was on the ground in 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:55.840 front of Jesus, surrounded by all these men. She was afraid, embarrassed, 0:17:56.280 --> 0:17:59.840 expecting the worst. Jesus knelt down and wrote in the 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:04.800 He said to them, whoever is without sin, throw the 0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:08.720 first stone. They all put their heads down. They were convicted. 0:18:09.640 --> 0:18:13.040 When you're tempted to be judgmental, ask yourself, have I 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:16.680 ever done wrong? Am I qualified to throw the first stone? 0:18:16.680 --> 0:18:19.639 None of us are? The men walked out, from the 0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:23.239 oldest to the youngest. He said to her, where are 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:27.800 your accusers? Hasn't anyone condemned you? She said no. Man, Lord, 0:18:28.359 --> 0:18:32.040 he said, neither do I now go and sin no more. 0:18:33.000 --> 0:18:37.640 Our religious minds go tilt, tilt, tilt. Grace for somebody 0:18:37.680 --> 0:18:41.280 that committed adultery, Grace for a man that's known for 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:45.000 being dishonest, Grace for a guy that's singing in clubs. 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:49.560 God's grace is promiscuous. Why don't you go after someone 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:54.399 that doesn't deserve it, someone that's made mistakes, someone that's hurting. 0:18:55.000 --> 0:18:57.800 You can be the one that helps put them back 0:18:57.880 --> 0:19:02.080 on their feet. Nobody's too are gone, nobody's made too 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:06.600 many mistakes. All some people need is one person to 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:09.760 believe in them, one person to say, hey, I'm praying 0:19:09.800 --> 0:19:13.040 for you, one person to breathe new life back into 0:19:13.040 --> 0:19:16.760 their spirit. Years ago, there was a minister that was 0:19:16.840 --> 0:19:21.000 touching the world, doing great things, but someone accused him 0:19:21.080 --> 0:19:25.200 of having a lack of integrity. Rumors started to spread. 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:27.639 They took on a life of their own, and he 0:19:27.680 --> 0:19:30.920 had made mistakes, but it was blown way out of proportion. 0:19:31.760 --> 0:19:34.639 He was so devastated he got out of the ministry 0:19:35.040 --> 0:19:38.240 for months. You didn't hear anything from him. I didn't 0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:40.959 know him. Well, it's much older than I am. But 0:19:41.080 --> 0:19:43.760 I felt like I was supposed to reach out to him, 0:19:44.160 --> 0:19:47.320 but my mind came up with all these excuses. Joe, 0:19:47.440 --> 0:19:50.160 he's not going to listen to you. If people find 0:19:50.200 --> 0:19:53.240 out you're talking, you're going to be drug into this mess. 0:19:53.760 --> 0:19:57.280 You better leave him alone. He doesn't have a good reputation, 0:19:57.600 --> 0:20:03.040 he's tainted, he's messing. But I found God loves messy people. 0:20:03.640 --> 0:20:07.320 God loves broken people. He loves people that are at 0:20:07.320 --> 0:20:11.880 a disadvantage, not just people that have had bad breaks, 0:20:12.080 --> 0:20:15.199 but he even loves people that have brought the trouble 0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:19.400 on themselves. And this is where human nature says, they're 0:20:19.400 --> 0:20:23.480 getting what they deserve. Let them deal with it. They're guilty, 0:20:23.520 --> 0:20:27.800 but only the guilty need mercy. Where are the healers? 0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:31.120 Where are the restoreres, the people that are not too 0:20:31.240 --> 0:20:35.119 self righteous to get down? Where someone is hurting with 0:20:35.280 --> 0:20:38.679 the broken to help heal the wounds. I didn't know 0:20:38.720 --> 0:20:41.840 if he'd take my call, but I felt strongly about it. 0:20:42.240 --> 0:20:45.880 He answered the phone. I could barely hear him speak. 0:20:46.400 --> 0:20:49.800 He said, Joel, I don't have any more fight left 0:20:49.800 --> 0:20:53.359 in me. I'm done. I didn't talk long, but for 0:20:53.400 --> 0:20:56.639 the next three minutes I spoke faith into him. I 0:20:56.680 --> 0:21:00.600 spoke restoration. I told him that we needed him, that 0:21:00.680 --> 0:21:04.040 the nations were waiting on him, that God's mercy is 0:21:04.080 --> 0:21:07.840 bigger than our mistakes, that his best days were not behind, 0:21:08.080 --> 0:21:10.720 they were still out in front. He said, in a 0:21:10.760 --> 0:21:14.760 real soft voice, thank you, and hung up. Didn't seem 0:21:14.840 --> 0:21:18.120 like it did any good. But six months later he 0:21:18.160 --> 0:21:22.000 called back and sounded like a different person. He had 0:21:22.040 --> 0:21:26.200 his fireback, his passion back. He was about to go overseas. 0:21:26.720 --> 0:21:30.359 He said something I'll never forget. He said, Joel, it 0:21:30.400 --> 0:21:35.760 all turned around that day. You called something reignited in 0:21:35.880 --> 0:21:39.879 my spirit. Something came alive on the inside. When you 0:21:40.000 --> 0:21:44.680 go after the hurting, the broken, the discourage, the anointing 0:21:44.800 --> 0:21:48.320 on your life will break yokes that are holding them back. 0:21:49.000 --> 0:21:52.720 You may not feel it, they may not respond right away, 0:21:53.240 --> 0:21:57.480 but when you speak faith, change or breaking, when you 0:21:57.600 --> 0:22:03.320 show Love's strongholds for coming down. When you're merciful, compassionate forgiving, 0:22:03.840 --> 0:22:07.080 you'll pour an oil on the wounds. You'll being a healer, 0:22:07.480 --> 0:22:11.639 a restorer, a lifter. There was a young prophet in 0:22:11.680 --> 0:22:15.160 the Old Testament named Hoseah. He lived at a time 0:22:15.280 --> 0:22:19.160 when the Israelites were worshiping idols and not honoring God. 0:22:19.760 --> 0:22:23.960 Hooseah was well respected. People came from all over to 0:22:24.000 --> 0:22:27.520 get his advice. He was a single man and looked 0:22:27.560 --> 0:22:30.359 forward to the day he would get married. He knew 0:22:30.440 --> 0:22:33.199 God would bring him a wife, but it wasn't what 0:22:33.359 --> 0:22:37.720 he thought. God told him to marry a lady named Gomer. 0:22:38.400 --> 0:22:43.440 Gomer was a former prostitute. She didn't have a good reputation. 0:22:44.200 --> 0:22:47.399 Can imagine Hoseah thought, God, do you know who this 0:22:47.560 --> 0:22:50.520 lady is. I'm a prophet, I'm a man of God. 0:22:50.680 --> 0:22:53.280 What are people going to think? He could have talked 0:22:53.320 --> 0:22:56.320 himself out of it, but he knew to obey and 0:22:56.400 --> 0:22:59.560 things started off good. They were in love. They had 0:22:59.560 --> 0:23:04.240 a son, but then things went downhill. Hoseiah would go 0:23:04.320 --> 0:23:08.240 out to minister, but Gomer didn't understand the calling on 0:23:08.320 --> 0:23:12.480 his life. She had two more sons, but not by Joseah. 0:23:13.320 --> 0:23:17.480 She slipped back into her old ways. Hoseiah was heartbroken. 0:23:17.960 --> 0:23:21.399 He knew she was being unfaithful, but he loved his wife. 0:23:22.080 --> 0:23:24.760 He pleaded with her again and again to change, and 0:23:24.960 --> 0:23:27.280 it would last for a little while, then she'd go 0:23:27.400 --> 0:23:32.720 right back to make matters worse. Everyone knew about Gomer's affairs. 0:23:33.040 --> 0:23:36.600 She was the talk of the town. One morning, Joseah 0:23:36.640 --> 0:23:40.840 woke up and Gomer was gone. She'd abandon him and 0:23:40.920 --> 0:23:45.119 the three children. Maybe she left a note saying I'm sorry, 0:23:45.160 --> 0:23:48.280 but I've done I found another man to love. Going 0:23:48.400 --> 0:23:52.120 with your life. I can hear Hoseah's friends saying, it's 0:23:52.160 --> 0:23:55.640 about time that lady has brought you nothing but heartache 0:23:55.680 --> 0:23:58.960 and pain. You deserve much better. That sounded good on 0:23:59.000 --> 0:24:04.440 the outside, but Hooseiah still loved Gomer. He grieved greatly 0:24:04.560 --> 0:24:09.080 over this loss. Years later, he overheard from the town 0:24:09.200 --> 0:24:13.160 gossip that Gomer was still alive. She had been deserted 0:24:13.200 --> 0:24:15.640 by all the men that said they loved her. Now 0:24:15.800 --> 0:24:18.280 she had hit rock bottom. She was about to be 0:24:18.520 --> 0:24:22.760 sold as a slave. The scripture says the Lord said 0:24:22.760 --> 0:24:26.680 to Joseiah, go get your wife again and bring her 0:24:26.720 --> 0:24:30.720 back home. After all the pain she had caused. After 0:24:30.800 --> 0:24:35.000 all the rejection abandonment, you would think Joseiah would say 0:24:35.280 --> 0:24:38.480 I am done with this lady, I am over with her, 0:24:38.760 --> 0:24:43.000 But Josea had this undying love. He went back to 0:24:43.040 --> 0:24:46.359 the city and found her in the red light district 0:24:46.720 --> 0:24:50.199 on the auction block, about to be sold. She was 0:24:50.280 --> 0:24:55.720 beaten down, dirty hair, disheveled, closed, torn her head down 0:24:55.960 --> 0:25:00.320 in shame. He got up close and whispered Gomer. She 0:25:00.440 --> 0:25:03.480 looked up and couldn't believe it. He smiled and said, 0:25:03.480 --> 0:25:05.720 don't worry. I'm going to get you out of here. 0:25:06.400 --> 0:25:11.240 What was that promiscuous grace? It goes to unusual places. 0:25:12.119 --> 0:25:14.440 He went to the man in charge and said, that's 0:25:14.480 --> 0:25:17.920 my wife. I'm taking her with me. He said, you're 0:25:17.920 --> 0:25:22.359 not taking her anywhere. She belongs to me. She's for sale. 0:25:22.400 --> 0:25:25.280 You'll have to buy her. He took out his wallet 0:25:25.680 --> 0:25:30.200 and paid fifteen shekels and five barley loaves. He bought 0:25:30.320 --> 0:25:35.239 back what should have been already his Hoseiah is a 0:25:35.240 --> 0:25:40.240 picture of God. Gomer represents you and me. We've all 0:25:40.280 --> 0:25:44.040 been unfaithful. We went our own way, did our own thing. 0:25:44.480 --> 0:25:48.119