Faith To Stay

0:00:04.960 --> 0:00:06.200 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:06.240 --> 0:00:09.240 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. 0:00:09.440 --> 0:00:11.600 Be sure to subscribe so we can get you these 0:00:11.640 --> 0:00:16.600 new sermons every week. I hope you're blessed today. 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:22.640 We're about to go into week two of our new 0:00:22.680 --> 0:00:31.040 sermons series. Everybody got something for you today. Welcome to 0:00:31.080 --> 0:00:33.959 all of our campuses, Welcome to our epam watching all 0:00:34.000 --> 0:00:36.320 over the world. I want to take a moment and 0:00:36.360 --> 0:00:37.960 greet you to let you know that there is no 0:00:38.040 --> 0:00:41.960 distance in the spirit, that wherever you are, the Lord is, 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:44.839 and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 0:00:45.159 --> 0:00:47.080 So I pray that today you might feel free to 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:51.479 worship God, that you could just have a distraction free environment, 0:00:51.720 --> 0:00:54.240 just to come before Him today and hear from him. 0:00:54.240 --> 0:00:55.960 How many are glad that you made it to the 0:00:56.000 --> 0:00:57.880 House of the Lord another day? 0:00:58.800 --> 0:00:59.400 Raise the Lord. 0:01:03.920 --> 0:01:07.760 So many beautiful faces, so many wonderful stories and testimonies. 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:12.319 Just look around this room for a moment. Just look 0:01:12.319 --> 0:01:16.920 around the room. I said, everybody that you're looking. 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:18.400 At today they had a time in their life where 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:20.800 they didn't think they'd make it, but they did. 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:24.280 Would you just touch your neighbor real quick, Just touch 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:24.679 them real. 0:01:24.640 --> 0:01:26.200 Quick and say I just wanted to see what a 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:27.240 miracle feels like. 0:01:30.560 --> 0:01:32.800 Come on, tell your neighbor you look like a miracle. 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:36.160 Turn to your other. 0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:42.640 Neighbors, say you look like you need a miracle. Tell 0:01:42.680 --> 0:01:44.800 them it's a good thing you're sitting next to me, 0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:49.480 because when I start singing, prison doors fly open. 0:01:50.640 --> 0:01:53.560 When I start phraising, let me test my microphone. 0:01:53.960 --> 0:01:58.000 When I say Holly, you say. When I say God 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:02.720 is good, you say, And all the time when I 0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:08.000 say thank you, you say, Jesus, we came to see 0:02:08.360 --> 0:02:11.680 King Jesus. 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:16.440 Now, your outfit looks beautiful, but I didn't come to 0:02:16.480 --> 0:02:22.480 see your outfit. I came to see King Jesus. Your 0:02:22.480 --> 0:02:24.839 hair is pretty, I can tell you got it cut 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:25.280 in color. 0:02:25.680 --> 0:02:27.280 But I didn't come to see your hair. 0:02:27.680 --> 0:02:31.000 I came to see King Jesus. 0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:34.200 I like your jeans, whether they're baggy or skinny. I 0:02:34.200 --> 0:02:34.960 think you're wearing them. 0:02:35.000 --> 0:02:37.760 Well, I didn't come to see your skinny jeans or 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:43.120 your fat jeans. I came to see King Jesus. So 0:02:43.280 --> 0:02:46.320 let's take a moment and put all the attention on him. 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:49.520 Come on, come on, come on, come on. I came 0:02:49.560 --> 0:02:53.320 to see him high and lift it up and shine 0:02:53.360 --> 0:02:55.960 it in the light of his glory, and the train 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:59.960 of his room filled the temple. I saw the Lord 0:03:00.440 --> 0:03:09.399 set it on a roll see the King. Today, we're 0:03:09.440 --> 0:03:13.040 going to go right back to John chapter one. I've 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:15.400 got a special message to share with you today from 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:19.560 the Lord's heart in John chapter one. It is so 0:03:19.720 --> 0:03:23.200 funny to me how I outline all of my message 0:03:23.240 --> 0:03:27.519 series for nothing. I was going to move to John 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:30.480 chapter two this week, but the Lord directed me to 0:03:30.520 --> 0:03:33.440 stay in chapter one, and I think I know why, 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:37.400 as he has been speaking to me during worship. This 0:03:37.480 --> 0:03:42.040 message will be something you can talk about at home. 0:03:42.080 --> 0:03:42.440 All right. 0:03:43.360 --> 0:03:45.240 I'm going to give you some stuff today that you 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:47.320 will need to unpack with some friends. So if you're 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:49.680 not a part of an e group in the church, 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:51.480 we don't charge for it. 0:03:51.520 --> 0:03:52.640 So what's your excuse? 0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:56.440 What is your excuse for not getting together with these 0:03:56.480 --> 0:03:59.920 wonderful people who'll get together and discuss the Word of God. 0:04:00.560 --> 0:04:02.600 But at the very least, today, I believe the Lord 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:05.200 is going to give you something to meditate on. And 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:07.400 I want to start in verse thirty five. 0:04:08.720 --> 0:04:13.320 A little bit before where I read yesterday, Jesus Christ 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:18.880 is collecting his first five followers, and the Bible says 0:04:19.600 --> 0:04:25.120 the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, 0:04:26.000 --> 0:04:31.400 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, 0:04:31.480 --> 0:04:34.560 behold the Lamb of God. 0:04:34.680 --> 0:04:35.320 I love that. 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:38.880 A lot of people saw Jesus walk by, but John 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:40.359 recognized who he really was. 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:44.760 You know, Jesus is walking up and down these isles. 0:04:44.320 --> 0:04:47.719 Today waiting for somebody to recognize him for who he is. 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:51.479 Jesus is walking up and down these isles today looking 0:04:51.520 --> 0:04:53.720 for somebody to be honest enough to say, I need 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:56.440 your help, Lord, I can't do this on my own. 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:57.880 God, I'm exhausted today. 0:04:58.160 --> 0:05:00.159 Did you know Jesus is looking for a head to 0:05:00.200 --> 0:05:03.599 live today. Jesus is looking for somebody today who will say, 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:05.560 come home with me, Lord, I need you to get 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:07.039 in the car with me. I need you to help 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:09.640 me to deal with this situation in my house. I 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:11.599 got a lot of strife, I got a lot of friction. 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:15.640 I'm not even sure if we can make it. John said, look, 0:05:16.440 --> 0:05:19.440 behold the Lamb of God. 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:19.839 And I watch this. 0:05:20.640 --> 0:05:25.360 The two disciples, his two disciples, John the Baptist two 0:05:25.360 --> 0:05:27.200 disciples heard him. 0:05:27.080 --> 0:05:30.440 Say this, and they followed Jesus. 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:36.080 Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, 0:05:36.920 --> 0:05:40.360 what are you seeking? Like I say to my kids 0:05:40.400 --> 0:05:41.960 when they're being nice to me, What do you want? 0:05:43.520 --> 0:05:45.320 You didn't come in here just to give me a kiss. 0:05:45.360 --> 0:05:46.760 I know better. What do you want? 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:52.960 And they said to him, Rabbi parenthetically, which means teacher, 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:54.760 where are you staying? 0:05:56.400 --> 0:05:57.920 He said to them, come and you will see. 0:05:57.960 --> 0:06:00.800 So they came and saw where he was staying, and 0:06:00.839 --> 0:06:07.039 they stayed with him that day. And they stayed with 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:09.280 him that day, for it. 0:06:09.320 --> 0:06:11.080 Was about the tenth hour. 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:14.080 One of the two who heard John speak and follow 0:06:14.160 --> 0:06:18.880 Jesus was Andrew Simon, Peter's brother. He first found his 0:06:18.960 --> 0:06:22.200 own brother, Simon and said to him, we have found 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:27.040 the Messiah parenthetically, which means Christ. He brought him to Jesus. 0:06:28.120 --> 0:06:31.320 Jesus looked at him. Now, a lot of people looked 0:06:31.320 --> 0:06:34.240 at Simon, but they didn't see him for who he was. 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:37.520 Y'all are slow today, Remember a. 0:06:37.440 --> 0:06:39.640 Lot of people looked at Jesus, didn't see him for 0:06:39.640 --> 0:06:42.720 who he was, a lot of people looked at Simon. 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:44.320 And didn't see him for who he was. 0:06:44.440 --> 0:06:47.680 But Jesus looked at Simon and said you are Simon, 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:51.800 the son of John. You shall be called Cephiss, which 0:06:51.880 --> 0:06:55.400 means Peter. I want to talk to you today about 0:06:55.440 --> 0:06:58.840 something very important. The title of this message is Faith 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:05.520 to Stay, Faith to Stay. 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:06.080 Father. 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:07.719 I honor you and I bless you in advance for 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:09.720 the way that your word will speak and the testimonies 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:11.160 I will receive as it goes forth. 0:07:11.160 --> 0:07:12.560 Your word does not return void. 0:07:12.720 --> 0:07:14.760 It accomplishes the purpose which you sent it to do. 0:07:15.240 --> 0:07:18.040 I thank you that not one drop will be wasted today, 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:20.320 that it will water the soil of what you've already 0:07:20.360 --> 0:07:22.960 been doing in this person's life, and that it will 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:25.520 bring forth through it an abundant harvest in your time. 0:07:25.880 --> 0:07:29.080 We thank you, and we trust you in Jesus' name. Amen, 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:30.280 you may be seated. 0:07:31.760 --> 0:07:37.520 Did you enjoy last week's message? Amen? If you missed it, 0:07:37.560 --> 0:07:39.480 go get it online. It's all there. 0:07:39.520 --> 0:07:41.320 I'm not sure if it was the same online. It 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:47.440 was good in the room. It was good in the 0:07:47.520 --> 0:07:51.040 room to where sometimes you got to be there. You know, 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:52.760 you got to be in the room, the room where 0:07:52.800 --> 0:07:56.040 it happens. Good job coming to church today. If you 0:07:56.080 --> 0:07:58.160 didn't make it today because you couldn't that's all right 0:07:58.400 --> 0:07:59.080 if you didn't make it. 0:07:59.080 --> 0:08:00.000 Because you didn't, you need. 0:07:59.920 --> 0:08:04.320 To get here sometime, come and see what the Lord 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:08.000 will do. And I think right here in John chapter 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:12.520 one are two of the most important questions that adorn 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:15.480 the entire Holy writ In other words, some of the 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:17.760 most important things in the Bible get said right here 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:20.760 in John chapter one. I'm gonna break them down for you, 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:21.560 one by one, and. 0:08:21.480 --> 0:08:25.160 Then we'll go get some lunch if you're so inclined. 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:28.760 But the first thing is the thing that Jesus asks, 0:08:28.760 --> 0:08:32.080 and the second thing is the question that these two 0:08:32.160 --> 0:08:37.040 disciples give Jesus in response to his question. I'll pull 0:08:37.080 --> 0:08:39.920 your attention back to the screens for just a moment 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:44.640 where Jesus turned around and asked his disciples, his soon 0:08:44.679 --> 0:08:46.840 to be disciples, who were just following him for the 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:49.360 first time, what are you seeking? 0:08:50.880 --> 0:08:53.200 And then when they asked him back a question, they said, 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:54.120 where are you staying? 0:08:55.800 --> 0:08:59.719 Those two questions will form the skeleton of my sermon today. 0:09:00.240 --> 0:09:02.640 The first one is about the most important question that 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:07.640 you can ever answer correctly, what are you seeking? The 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:10.520 first question that Jesus asked wasn't do you believe in me? 0:09:11.400 --> 0:09:15.040 The first question Jesus asked wasn't will you follow me? 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:19.400 The first question that Jesus asked in John's Gospel is 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:23.800 what are you seeking? And I found out the reason 0:09:23.840 --> 0:09:27.080 that question is so important is that because whatever you 0:09:27.200 --> 0:09:33.480 answer that question with is exactly what you're going to find. 0:09:33.679 --> 0:09:37.480 One of Jesus's most popular teachings goes like this, seek 0:09:38.200 --> 0:09:41.720 and you will find. He was talking about the Kingdom 0:09:41.760 --> 0:09:44.199 of heaven. But did you know that seek and you 0:09:44.280 --> 0:09:46.559 will find is not only true of the kingdom, it's 0:09:46.600 --> 0:09:52.400 also true of complaining. If you seek something to complain about, 0:09:53.720 --> 0:09:57.160 you'll find it. If you seek something wrong with my 0:09:57.240 --> 0:10:01.760 outfit today, you'll find it. I tried to iron it, 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:03.000 I tried to smooth it out. 0:10:03.040 --> 0:10:04.280 I tried to make sure it fit. 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:06.560 But I'm sure for somebody is too tight, for somebody 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:09.760 else's too baggy. If you seek something wrong with what 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:13.040 I'm wearing, you'll find it. If you seek something that 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:15.360 I say today that makes no sense, you'll find it. 0:10:16.320 --> 0:10:18.400 Somebody was recently telling me about a part in my 0:10:18.440 --> 0:10:20.520 sermon that they didn't understand. I said, that's the only 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:22.280 part you didn't understand. I can give you three more. 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:24.040 I didn't understand, and I'm the one who said it. 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:27.080 If you seek something that you don't understand in this sermon, 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:30.360 you'll find it. But if you seek something that you 0:10:30.400 --> 0:10:35.120 do understand, that you don't want to do, but you 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:40.040 understand it almost so well that you focus on something 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:42.160 that you don't understand to avoid having to do something 0:10:42.200 --> 0:10:45.680 that you do understand, you can find something in this 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:46.880 sermon that will point. 0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:50.080 Right to the situation that you're dealing with. What are 0:10:50.080 --> 0:10:50.720 you seeking? 0:10:51.559 --> 0:10:55.199 I've often taught in marriage two of the most important 0:10:55.280 --> 0:11:01.360 tools are the magnifying glass and the mirror. I didn't 0:11:01.360 --> 0:11:03.600 bring a mirror, but I did ask them to get 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:06.880 me a magnifying glass today, and I'm not going to 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:07.600 use it much. 0:11:07.679 --> 0:11:10.160 But just how in marriage, if you. 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:14.240 Look for something to be offended about, you find it. 0:11:15.760 --> 0:11:18.079 If you look for something that your partner doesn't have 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:21.360 that you wish they had, you'll find it. If you 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:24.360 look for something that they didn't reciprocate or something that 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:26.240 they didn't appreciate, you'll find it. 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:28.520 Some of you found a few of them on the 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:28.760 way to. 0:11:28.800 --> 0:11:31.760 Church today, just a few things to be frustrated about. 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:34.600 You know, if Holly wanted to turn this on me. 0:11:34.720 --> 0:11:37.560 I'm so thankful that she doesn't. There's all kinds of 0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:40.160 reasons that she could find not to be on this 0:11:40.240 --> 0:11:40.760 front row. 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:44.280 But when she sits and listens to me preach every. 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:46.440 Week with her notebook open, it's not because she's married 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:49.800 to a perfect man. It's because she's made a decision 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:52.920 to have a perspective that, in spite of all the 0:11:52.960 --> 0:11:56.240 faults she could find in me, she can also see 0:11:56.240 --> 0:11:59.120 something so beautiful that comes through a vessel that she 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:03.800 knows is so flawed. God, can you find something that 0:12:03.920 --> 0:12:07.720 is beautiful in a vessel that is flaw The Bible 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:10.080 says we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that 0:12:10.160 --> 0:12:13.040 the power of the excellency might be of God and 0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:15.800 not of us. It means God puts it in a 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:18.680 cracked clay pot so that what's inside gets more attention 0:12:18.760 --> 0:12:21.800 than what's on the outside. And I wanted to remind 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:25.400 you as we begin this sermon today, to focus a 0:12:25.440 --> 0:12:28.280 little bit more on the favor that is in your 0:12:28.320 --> 0:12:32.640 life than the flaws that are in your life. And 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:34.720 I wanted to remind you of that about this church, 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:37.880 because the favor of God is on this church I said, 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:39.640 the favor of God is on this church. 0:12:40.280 --> 0:12:41.760 I don't know if you feel that way, but I 0:12:41.800 --> 0:12:42.400 feel that way. 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:44.280 The favor of God is on this church. 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:47.960 Not a week goes by hundreds of people getting saved 0:12:48.000 --> 0:12:50.320 every single week. Not a week goes by that at 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:52.520 least one hundred people aren't saved in this church. 0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:54.559 The favor of God is on this church. 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:57.559 When we have a small baptism in this church, it's 0:12:57.600 --> 0:13:02.160 three hundred people getting baptized, little tiny baptism at Elevation Church. 0:13:02.400 --> 0:13:05.760 The favor of God is on this church. The favor 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:07.000 of God is on this church. 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:09.200 You know how I can tell all kinds of different 0:13:09.240 --> 0:13:13.000 people worship God in this church. Millionaires worship God in 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:16.200 this church, right next to people making minimum wage. The 0:13:16.200 --> 0:13:19.199 favor of God is on this church. We worship the 0:13:19.280 --> 0:13:21.840 name of Jesus. We celebrate the name of Jesus. We 0:13:21.880 --> 0:13:24.480 are not the same, but we worship the name that 0:13:24.600 --> 0:13:27.839 makes what we have in common way more important than 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:31.000 what we have. This controversial or divis sit The favor 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:33.280 of God is on this church, and if you want 0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:34.520 to see it, you can find it. 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:35.960 On the other hand, if. 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:37.760 You want to find a reason not to come back 0:13:37.760 --> 0:13:40.959 next Sunday. You could probably find one in the parking lot. 0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:43.880 You could probably find a driver with an elevation sticker 0:13:43.920 --> 0:13:45.880 on their car who looks like they need to go 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:48.640 back to driver's ed and they're forty three years old. 0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:51.160 You could probably find a reason to flip somebody the 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:53.200 bird when you leave here, or you can find a 0:13:53.240 --> 0:13:55.240 reason to lift your hands and say thank you Lord 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:55.760 for the word. 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:58.480 And I don't mind waiting in traffic. I'm just trying 0:13:58.520 --> 0:14:00.960 to say, what are you saying? Seeking is not a 0:14:01.040 --> 0:14:03.520 question to be skipped over. It is so. 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:06.240 Important what you attune your mind to. It is so 0:14:06.320 --> 0:14:08.760 important that you look for Where is God working in 0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:12.120 this situation. I know you're in the hospital. God is 0:14:12.160 --> 0:14:15.120 in the hospital. I know you're in rehab. God is 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:18.439 in rehab. I know you're in trouble. God is in trouble. 0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:21.240 I know you're depressed. God is in the lowly, in 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:24.000 the contrite heart. I know you're going through a divorce. 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:25.840 God is with you while you lay your head on 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:27.760 your pillow alone at night. I know you're in the 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:30.680 middle of a custody battle. God is helping raise your kids. 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:32.840 You're not a single parent at this moment, you are 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:36.280 a parent in co parenting relationship with the creator of 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:37.040 the universe. 0:14:37.280 --> 0:14:38.840 Because if I seek, I can find. 0:14:39.120 --> 0:14:41.000 But if I look for a reason to believe that 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:43.160 God is not with me, I could get one of 0:14:43.200 --> 0:14:46.240 those two. I could collect evidence for either verdict. 0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:47.080 In my life. 0:14:47.200 --> 0:14:49.080 I could either make up my mind that my best 0:14:49.160 --> 0:14:51.600 days are behind me, and I could collect evidence to 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:53.880 prove that my best days are behind me, and I 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:56.120 could point to the stiffness in my joints and the 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:58.760 grayness in my beard and the lack of energy in my. 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:00.520 Life and the people who have left me. 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:02.520 Or I could turn around and look at all the 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:04.400 people who didn't leave me, and all. 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:06.840 The strength I still do have left, and. 0:15:06.880 --> 0:15:08.920 All of the ability that God gave me that did 0:15:09.000 --> 0:15:11.360 not diminish, and all of the wisdom that I have 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:14.280 gained from the valleys that I have traversed through. 0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:17.720 The Lord is with me, Joseph said, The Lord is 0:15:17.800 --> 0:15:19.360 with me. How do you know that? 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:21.920 In the prison? Because I looked for him in the prison. 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:25.400 I got out my magnifying glass. I decided I was 0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:30.200 gonna search in every nook and cranny until I found Jesus. Now, 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:33.600 the good news about Jesus that I told you this 0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:36.760 week is that he doesn't look like something you can 0:15:36.760 --> 0:15:39.560 fit in your pocket. The Bible says in the beginning, 0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:42.120 what's the word? You won't be needing this to look 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:45.560 for Jesus. You just be needing this. You'll only be 0:15:45.680 --> 0:15:49.160 needing this. All you gotta do is say, show me Jesus. 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:52.200 I need to see you in my situation. I need 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:54.360 to see you in my life. I need to see 0:15:54.440 --> 0:15:57.200 don't be offended. I threw Jesus down. He's high and 0:15:57.280 --> 0:15:59.440 lifted up. He ain't going nowhere. 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:01.120 You can't let him down. 0:16:01.520 --> 0:16:03.800 You were never holding him up. I feel like preaching. 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:10.000 I came to see as anybody. 0:16:12.240 --> 0:16:13.840 Ask your neighbor what you're looking for? 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:18.440 Yeah, because if you look for a reason to be miserable, 0:16:18.640 --> 0:16:19.880 I'll help you find five. 0:16:20.160 --> 0:16:23.000 I'll give you some addendums, I'll give you some footnotes. 0:16:23.240 --> 0:16:25.240 If you want a reason to think that the world 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:28.160 is a dumpster fire, I'll give you a reason to think. 0:16:28.000 --> 0:16:29.480 That the world is a dumpster fire. 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:32.320 But if you change your feed, you'll change your focus 0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:35.760 and you will see there is a favor of God. 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:44.120 Look the lamb of God. When John said that the 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:46.960 world was not perfect. When John said that. 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:51.280 Justice was not established for Israel, he was pointing to 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:52.840 the lamb of. 0:16:52.800 --> 0:16:56.240 God and recognizing him as the king of kings. 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:00.000 How many of you really love deep Bible stuff? 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:03.840 I put this point in for you. It takes faith 0:17:03.920 --> 0:17:11.360 to look at a lamb and see a king. It 0:17:11.400 --> 0:17:14.840 takes faith to look at a lamb and see a king, 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:19.119 just like it takes faith to look at a broken 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:24.280 situation and see an open door of opportunity. Just like 0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:26.240 it takes faith to look at your kids when you 0:17:26.320 --> 0:17:28.639 know they're on drugs and declare that they're delivered. It 0:17:28.720 --> 0:17:35.000 takes faith. It's a focus. I don't know if I 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:36.760 can get past this point. Lord, you gave me more 0:17:36.760 --> 0:17:38.200 points than this, But do you want me to stay 0:17:38.280 --> 0:17:46.480 right here? Because I will look the lamb That requires 0:17:46.520 --> 0:17:53.000 a lens? Doesn't it a lens? When day I was 0:17:53.040 --> 0:17:54.840 looking out my window and I had a funny thought. 0:17:55.800 --> 0:18:00.200 The trees were dirty, The house that I could see 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:03.120 through the window was dirty. The car that I could 0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:07.520 see in the driveway was dirty. Of course, you understand 0:18:08.400 --> 0:18:10.360 that it wasn't the world that I was looking at 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:11.000 that was dirty. 0:18:11.000 --> 0:18:17.760 It was the window. 0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:23.320 Seek and you'll find, and sometimes you need to clean 0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:32.800 what you're looking through. So for me to see King Jesus, 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:37.320 sometimes I have to change my lens and. 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:39.080 Look at a lamb and see a king. 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:41.639 I haven't given you much background on this passage yet, 0:18:41.680 --> 0:18:47.520 have I. When Jesus says to these two disciples. 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:48.160 Who are you seeking skin? 0:18:48.240 --> 0:18:49.399 Or I don't know if you knew this, and you 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:53.680 know everything about the Bible, one of the disciples is Andrews, 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:57.560 Simon Peter's brother, and it says that. But there's a 0:18:57.600 --> 0:19:00.399 detail in this text that suggests who the other disciple is, 0:19:01.040 --> 0:19:03.640 and it blessed me to recognize it. Today, it can 0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:05.200 be kind of confusing to read the Bible if we're 0:19:05.200 --> 0:19:07.080 just throwing out all these names, because even in this 0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:08.680 passage here, I told you to turn to the Book 0:19:08.680 --> 0:19:10.119 of John, and then I told you that John pointed 0:19:10.160 --> 0:19:10.600 at Jesus. 0:19:10.640 --> 0:19:12.359 But it's not John that wrote the book. As to 0:19:12.440 --> 0:19:13.399 John the Baptist, and. 0:19:13.480 --> 0:19:15.399 John the Baptist, by the way, is not like his 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:18.480 nickname or something like that, like Pete the Presbyterian, Ernie 0:19:18.480 --> 0:19:21.040 the Episcopalian. It's not like John the Baptist that was 0:19:21.080 --> 0:19:22.640 actually what he was out there in Beth, and he's 0:19:22.640 --> 0:19:25.200 doing is baptizing people. He's trying to repent, repent, repent. 0:19:25.240 --> 0:19:26.880 The Kingdom of God is at hand. One is coming 0:19:26.920 --> 0:19:29.040 who is mightier than I, and I'm not worthy to 0:19:29.119 --> 0:19:31.320 untie his sandals. And so he's saying all of this, 0:19:31.440 --> 0:19:35.159 and then he sees what he's been saying. Yeah, and 0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:37.520 he points the attention and he says, look the lamb 0:19:37.560 --> 0:19:40.280 of God, and he gives us a great, a great 0:19:40.320 --> 0:19:43.960 object lesson. In the times where God will require you 0:19:44.040 --> 0:19:48.200 to take a step back by faith, we always talk 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:52.520 about stepping forward in faith, but there are times where 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:56.040 God will strip you of your main character energy and 0:19:56.119 --> 0:19:59.800 tell you to step back in faith, and you'll find 0:19:59.800 --> 0:20:02.440 your saying things like he must become greater, I must 0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:07.240 become less, and in order for somebody to see King Jesus, 0:20:07.320 --> 0:20:08.440 I have to step aside. 0:20:08.560 --> 0:20:08.800 Now. 0:20:08.880 --> 0:20:11.000 For me, at different seasons of my life, sometimes that's 0:20:11.040 --> 0:20:15.520 looked like knowing who I'm not and staying in my lane. 0:20:16.200 --> 0:20:19.119 One of the things that I realized early in my 0:20:19.280 --> 0:20:23.119 ministry is that although I loved worship and love writing 0:20:23.160 --> 0:20:27.360 worship songs, I am usually more effective writing songs than 0:20:27.359 --> 0:20:29.320 I am singing them, and I can sing them too 0:20:29.400 --> 0:20:32.640 if I choose to. But through realizing that God gave 0:20:32.680 --> 0:20:36.360 me a primary gift and God gave me a secondary gift, 0:20:36.400 --> 0:20:39.760 and that my passion isn't always my gift, I've been 0:20:39.800 --> 0:20:41.919 able to be a part of preaching God's word in 0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:44.879 this church and helping to write songs through all of 0:20:44.880 --> 0:20:47.240 the awesome singers that we have here. Don't you believe 0:20:47.240 --> 0:20:55.000 we have awesome singers here? And I'm just using that 0:20:55.040 --> 0:20:57.840 as an example here of a time where God might 0:20:58.480 --> 0:21:02.399 call you to in your lane and to know what 0:21:02.440 --> 0:21:05.679 you're called to do. And so as John is pointing, 0:21:05.760 --> 0:21:09.280 John the Baptist is pointing, there are these two disciples. 0:21:09.320 --> 0:21:12.359 One is Andrew, and I'm going to show you in 0:21:12.400 --> 0:21:14.720 just a moment how I know that the other one 0:21:15.080 --> 0:21:18.240 was John, who wrote the book. Now he doesn't say 0:21:18.240 --> 0:21:20.320 that because John, when he writes his Gospel, he keeps 0:21:20.359 --> 0:21:24.120 calling himself this nickname. He says, the one that he loved. 0:21:25.320 --> 0:21:27.000 It's one thing is think about yourself in the third person. 0:21:27.000 --> 0:21:30.600 But this takes it to an entirely different level of confidence. 0:21:30.640 --> 0:21:35.720 In Swag, when they went to see Jesus, it says, 0:21:35.920 --> 0:21:37.440 I don't know if you noticed this when I read 0:21:37.480 --> 0:21:41.240 the text. It was about the tenth hour. And the 0:21:41.320 --> 0:21:43.480 reason that detail is in the text, why would you 0:21:43.640 --> 0:21:44.720 take the time to say that. 0:21:44.640 --> 0:21:46.200 It's not symbolic or anything. 0:21:46.440 --> 0:21:48.719 It simply means counting from six am, which is when 0:21:48.760 --> 0:21:50.960 the Jewish day started, that it was about four in 0:21:51.000 --> 0:21:53.720 the afternoon. But the reason that it was included in 0:21:53.760 --> 0:21:58.040 the text as a detail is because whoever is writing 0:21:58.040 --> 0:22:01.040 it was there and just hear about it. 0:22:01.880 --> 0:22:05.359 They were there. It is an eye. 0:22:04.720 --> 0:22:09.840 Witness account written by none other than the disciple that 0:22:09.920 --> 0:22:12.000 Jesus loved, at least that's what he called himself. 0:22:12.720 --> 0:22:14.320 I personally think I'm the one he loves. I don't 0:22:14.359 --> 0:22:16.280 know about you, but I'm God's favorite. Kid. 0:22:16.600 --> 0:22:19.000 Would you tell your neighbor real quick, I'm God's favorite. 0:22:20.680 --> 0:22:24.080 Tell him be careful how you treat me because I'm 0:22:24.080 --> 0:22:27.720 his favorite. You cuss me out? You got to talk 0:22:27.760 --> 0:22:30.800 to my dad about it. Because I'm his favorite. He 0:22:30.920 --> 0:22:33.680 really likes me, so you might want You might. 0:22:33.600 --> 0:22:36.600 Want to say nice things to me because I'm his favorite. 0:22:36.720 --> 0:22:40.320 And John, who is in his own mind, the favorite 0:22:40.320 --> 0:22:43.560 of Jesus, is following Jesus. Can we take a moment 0:22:44.640 --> 0:22:48.320 and appreciate watch this the faith that it would take 0:22:49.040 --> 0:22:52.919 to follow someone on the basis of one sentence that 0:22:53.080 --> 0:22:54.720 was said about him. 0:22:55.119 --> 0:22:56.520 I thought that was amazing. 0:22:57.400 --> 0:23:01.439 However long they've been following John the Baptist. All it 0:23:01.480 --> 0:23:05.399 took was one directive and they became the disciples not 0:23:05.520 --> 0:23:09.080 of John, but of the one that John was pointing to. 0:23:09.880 --> 0:23:14.040 How much faith do you have for the unfamiliar? How 0:23:14.119 --> 0:23:16.600 much faith do you have to detach from the way 0:23:16.640 --> 0:23:20.280 you've always defined yourself? Do you always have to go 0:23:20.320 --> 0:23:22.639 to a white church? Do you always have to go 0:23:22.680 --> 0:23:23.600 to a black church? 0:23:24.040 --> 0:23:24.920 Or will you go to the. 0:23:24.920 --> 0:23:28.439 Church that God sends you to regardless of how people 0:23:28.520 --> 0:23:30.960 may define it. Do you always have to go to 0:23:31.000 --> 0:23:33.840 a Pentecostal church? Do you always have to go to 0:23:33.880 --> 0:23:36.720 a quiet church? Or will you go to the church 0:23:36.800 --> 0:23:39.919 that God calls you to? Does it always have to 0:23:40.040 --> 0:23:42.560 look like the lens that you have for you to 0:23:42.600 --> 0:23:44.080 recognize the lamb in it? 0:23:44.600 --> 0:23:46.120 Are you able to adapt? 0:23:46.160 --> 0:23:49.320 And when God says change, change? It takes a lot 0:23:49.320 --> 0:23:52.120 of faith to change. It takes faith to change how 0:23:52.160 --> 0:23:54.840 you parent the kid. It takes faith because you've been 0:23:54.920 --> 0:23:57.560 watching over them when they were little, making sure that 0:23:57.600 --> 0:24:00.160 they didn't get hurt. But you can't keep them when 0:24:00.160 --> 0:24:02.320 they're twenty three from climbing in a tree. 0:24:02.440 --> 0:24:03.640 They might fall down, and. 0:24:03.600 --> 0:24:05.480 The best you can do is help them with the bills. 0:24:05.880 --> 0:24:08.600 It takes faith to let them try new things. It 0:24:08.680 --> 0:24:12.040 takes faith to change the relationship. It takes faith to 0:24:12.119 --> 0:24:14.959 let go of some of the control. It takes faith 0:24:15.080 --> 0:24:17.840 just to completely change. I mean, they pivot on a 0:24:17.880 --> 0:24:22.800 single sentence to a person that they know nothing about 0:24:22.960 --> 0:24:27.159 except that they know that John has called him the 0:24:27.320 --> 0:24:31.879 Lamb of God. And when John said, look the Lamb, 0:24:32.240 --> 0:24:36.840 they followed Jesus. They did not ask permission, They did 0:24:36.840 --> 0:24:40.400 not interview him, they did not submit a questionnaire, they 0:24:40.440 --> 0:24:44.919 did not check yelp. They simply followed Jesus. That's what 0:24:44.960 --> 0:24:48.480 it says in verse thirty seven. They followed Jesus. That 0:24:48.640 --> 0:24:50.080 takes faith to follow Jesus. 0:24:50.119 --> 0:24:51.880 I'm gonna say it again until you get it. 0:24:52.160 --> 0:24:54.840 This is not following Jesus like you and I follow Jesus. 0:24:54.840 --> 0:24:58.439 Our definition of follow is based on Instagram TikTok and 0:24:58.480 --> 0:24:59.240 the artist. 0:24:59.040 --> 0:24:59.960 Formerly known as Twins. 0:25:00.400 --> 0:25:03.960 We follow somebody on x we follow somebody on Instagram. 0:25:04.240 --> 0:25:06.280 It is as simple as hitting a button. 0:25:06.640 --> 0:25:09.880 For them, this required a complete shift in their belief system. 0:25:10.200 --> 0:25:12.479 This was not a button, This was a belief. 0:25:12.520 --> 0:25:15.960 And to transfer all of your belief into someone you've 0:25:16.040 --> 0:25:18.960 never seen, and to follow somewhere you've never. 0:25:18.800 --> 0:25:20.000 Been, that takes faith. 0:25:20.480 --> 0:25:24.480 And so we celebrate the fact that they stepped behind him, 0:25:24.760 --> 0:25:28.160 perhaps quietly. How many steps they took before they were 0:25:28.160 --> 0:25:31.159 addressed by the rabbi? We don't know how long did 0:25:31.280 --> 0:25:34.240 Jesus let them walk before he turned around and acknowledged. 0:25:34.640 --> 0:25:36.560 How long did he check to see that they were 0:25:36.600 --> 0:25:39.679 still coming? How long did Jesus continue to keep his 0:25:39.800 --> 0:25:44.280 stride unbroken because he was on a purpose for a purpose, 0:25:44.640 --> 0:25:48.159 with a purpose, not turning off of his path for anybody, 0:25:48.480 --> 0:25:51.840 until he finally broke the silence silence, turned around and. 0:25:51.800 --> 0:25:53.560 Said what do you seek? 0:25:57.840 --> 0:26:03.000 And the disciples didn't say anything very deep back. In fact, 0:26:03.040 --> 0:26:06.240 they didn't answer him at all. They said, where are 0:26:06.280 --> 0:26:08.360 you staying? 0:26:09.880 --> 0:26:10.960 John is so clever. 0:26:12.119 --> 0:26:15.399 The word staying that he uses here is the same 0:26:15.400 --> 0:26:19.240 word that he uses in John fifteen, where he says 0:26:19.880 --> 0:26:28.360 abide stay in me, and I will abide stay in you. 0:26:28.600 --> 0:26:30.760 It's the same word, not a letter different. 0:26:31.760 --> 0:26:35.399 So what seems on the surface so simple is setting 0:26:35.440 --> 0:26:38.879 us up for a revelation that's so deep. It is 0:26:38.920 --> 0:26:43.040 that they had the faith to take steps with the Savior. 0:26:43.320 --> 0:26:45.399 And boy, don't we love to see somebody take a 0:26:45.440 --> 0:26:48.600 step of faith. Don't we love to see somebody get 0:26:48.680 --> 0:26:52.160 baptized and take a step of faith. Don't we love 0:26:52.200 --> 0:26:54.560 to see somebody raise their hand at the end of 0:26:54.600 --> 0:26:57.080 the service and say, I am giving my life to 0:26:57.200 --> 0:26:58.000 Jesus today. 0:26:58.400 --> 0:27:00.439 And we love it so much we stay the end. 0:27:00.440 --> 0:27:02.160 We don't slip out and get to our car early 0:27:02.280 --> 0:27:04.720 just because we want to get out before everybody else. 0:27:05.080 --> 0:27:08.239 We stay because we care, and we celebrate that they 0:27:08.280 --> 0:27:10.600 are starting their relationship with Jesus. 0:27:12.520 --> 0:27:17.760 I know, I know, I know, we celebrate that. 0:27:18.720 --> 0:27:21.600 We celebrate when somebody goes you know, I'm just gonna 0:27:21.640 --> 0:27:24.520 move there by faith. I'm going to Saint Louis. I'm 0:27:24.640 --> 0:27:28.320 stepping out in faith Saint Louis. I know there's a 0:27:28.359 --> 0:27:30.879 lot of unknowns, there's a lot of uncertainty, but we 0:27:30.960 --> 0:27:35.040 will celebrate somebody who can step into uncertainty because most 0:27:35.080 --> 0:27:37.600 of us are creatures of comfort, and we stay in 0:27:37.640 --> 0:27:40.960 areas of familiarity. And when we watch somebody break free 0:27:41.280 --> 0:27:44.440 and audition for American Idol, or we watch somebody break 0:27:44.480 --> 0:27:47.040 free from the cage and just step out and do 0:27:47.160 --> 0:27:49.879 something completely different. And I'm gonna be a chemist at 0:27:49.920 --> 0:27:52.520 age sixty three. I've never studied chemistry in my life. 0:27:52.640 --> 0:27:54.560 I don't even know how to use Plato. But I'm 0:27:54.560 --> 0:27:57.280 gonna be a chemist at age sixty three. I'm going 0:27:57.320 --> 0:28:00.240 back to school. I'm gonna start this. We celebrate that 0:28:00.400 --> 0:28:05.160 so well. But can I tell you something staying is underrated. 0:28:08.000 --> 0:28:13.080 Staying is underrating because the same way that you think 0:28:13.119 --> 0:28:15.520 it takes faith to step, I think it takes faith 0:28:15.560 --> 0:28:18.840 to stay. And I will prove it to you not 0:28:18.960 --> 0:28:21.439 from my own mind or experience. I will prove it 0:28:21.440 --> 0:28:25.240 to you from this text. When they said where are 0:28:25.240 --> 0:28:27.840 you staying? He said, come and you will see. And 0:28:27.960 --> 0:28:32.480 verse thirty nine is the clearest verse that gets across 0:28:32.600 --> 0:28:36.160 my message today in this entire passage. 0:28:36.440 --> 0:28:38.920 So they came and saw where he was staying. And 0:28:38.960 --> 0:28:40.000 watch what they did next. 0:28:40.360 --> 0:28:43.280 Applaud them for stepping out, Applaud them for following the lamb. 0:28:43.320 --> 0:28:46.320 It takes faith to be led by a lamb. It 0:28:46.400 --> 0:28:48.640 takes faith to look at a lamb when you can't 0:28:48.640 --> 0:28:50.719 see a King. All of that takes faith. To give 0:28:50.800 --> 0:28:52.440 up on your plans, to give up all of that 0:28:52.480 --> 0:28:55.600 takes faith. But I want to celebrate something different today. 0:28:55.920 --> 0:28:58.440 Look at it in verse thirty nine. So they came 0:28:58.520 --> 0:28:59.720 and saw where he was. 0:28:59.680 --> 0:29:04.760 Staying, and they stayed with him that day. 0:29:05.440 --> 0:29:10.960 I celebrate that they had faith to stay, and you 0:29:11.080 --> 0:29:15.640 celebrate that they had faith to step. But I celebrate 0:29:15.760 --> 0:29:19.640 that they had faith to stay. And could it be 0:29:19.800 --> 0:29:23.640 that in this season of your life, with all of 0:29:23.680 --> 0:29:27.080 the turmoil, with all of the trauma, with all of 0:29:27.120 --> 0:29:31.360 the unknowns, with all of the transformations and metamorphosis that 0:29:31.400 --> 0:29:34.480 you're going through, God is calling you to a greater 0:29:34.640 --> 0:29:37.959 level of faith. And this season of faith will not 0:29:38.080 --> 0:29:40.280 be defined by your step. 0:29:40.960 --> 0:29:43.760 It will be defined by your stay. 0:29:44.440 --> 0:29:48.360 And God said today, if I would preach this message 0:29:48.440 --> 0:29:50.960 like he gave it to me, he would put your 0:29:51.040 --> 0:29:54.560 focus in your eyes on Jesus and give you the 0:29:54.680 --> 0:29:58.040 faith to stay. I don't know who this is for, 0:29:58.360 --> 0:29:59.560 but you're where you need to be. 0:30:00.120 --> 0:30:01.160 I don't know who this is. 0:30:01.160 --> 0:30:02.960 For, but don't move a muscle. 0:30:03.240 --> 0:30:05.960 I'll know who this is for, But pillow your head 0:30:06.000 --> 0:30:08.840 on the lion and take a nap. Because God is 0:30:08.880 --> 0:30:12.120 going to be shining through about four hours from now. 0:30:12.640 --> 0:30:13.840 Stay where he puts you. 0:30:14.440 --> 0:30:18.280 Blessed are those who are planted by the streams of water. 0:30:18.680 --> 0:30:21.360 I feel like preaching because if you quit, we'd give 0:30:21.360 --> 0:30:24.200 you a going away party. If you started, we'd give 0:30:24.240 --> 0:30:26.640 you a showing up party. But I want to give 0:30:26.720 --> 0:30:30.320 somebody a stay and put party today. And the fact is, 0:30:30.880 --> 0:30:32.960 it would have been easier for you to leave. 0:30:33.360 --> 0:30:35.520 It would have been easier for you to walk off. 0:30:35.800 --> 0:30:37.520 It would have been easier. 0:30:36.960 --> 0:30:39.440 For you to wring your hands and throw in the 0:30:39.480 --> 0:30:42.239 towel and give up on God. It would have been 0:30:42.280 --> 0:30:45.560 easier for you to switch churches thirteen times in the. 0:30:45.520 --> 0:30:46.719 Past fifteen years. 0:30:47.000 --> 0:30:48.959 It would have been easier for you to say, let 0:30:49.040 --> 0:30:51.600 me find a younger woman. It would have been easier 0:30:51.600 --> 0:30:53.480 for you to say, let me find a richer man. 0:30:53.840 --> 0:30:55.920 You could have tried your chances out there on the 0:30:55.920 --> 0:30:57.160 open market, but. 0:30:57.280 --> 0:30:59.120 Instead you stayed. 0:30:59.440 --> 0:31:03.920 And I elebrate the stayers today because it is since 0:31:03.960 --> 0:31:11.960 staying that you see you're telling me not to take 0:31:12.000 --> 0:31:12.440 the job. 0:31:12.560 --> 0:31:15.160 I don't know what's the job you. 0:31:15.160 --> 0:31:17.600 Might should take it, but I'll tell you one thing 0:31:17.640 --> 0:31:18.080 about the. 0:31:18.080 --> 0:31:18.960 Job that you take. 0:31:19.840 --> 0:31:21.880 You are going to be going to work at that 0:31:22.000 --> 0:31:26.560 company with you. So make sure that before you go 0:31:26.640 --> 0:31:30.280 to work to somebody else, you let work for somebody else, 0:31:30.680 --> 0:31:33.600 You let God work on you enough that you like 0:31:33.680 --> 0:31:35.440 the person that you go to work with when you 0:31:35.480 --> 0:31:37.200 go to work. Because if you go to work and 0:31:37.240 --> 0:31:39.240 you don't like who you work with, I'm talking about you. 0:31:39.680 --> 0:31:41.120 If you don't like who you. 0:31:41.080 --> 0:31:43.960 Show up with, you can turn a vacation into a hell. 0:31:44.320 --> 0:31:46.880 You can turn a mansion into a ghetto, you can 0:31:46.920 --> 0:31:52.400 turn anything. Oh God, if you don't learn to stay, 0:31:52.800 --> 0:32:02.040 you will never seem king. Jesus, can we stay with 0:32:02.080 --> 0:32:06.320 you for a day? Jesus said, all right, you can 0:32:06.400 --> 0:32:09.240 say you can stay. 0:32:10.000 --> 0:32:10.720 Come stay with me. 0:32:12.320 --> 0:32:15.640 I thought that was so cool that the first thing 0:32:15.720 --> 0:32:19.280 we see about Jesus in the scripture is through staying. 0:32:20.920 --> 0:32:24.560 And I'm all for steps of faith, right, but. 0:32:24.560 --> 0:32:26.400 I think that today that the majority of us in 0:32:26.440 --> 0:32:29.240 the church aren't being called so much to a step 0:32:30.360 --> 0:32:34.080 as a stay. I'll break it down more. I know 0:32:34.120 --> 0:32:38.320 it's kind of confusion. Where are you going to go 0:32:38.360 --> 0:32:42.560 to college when you graduate high school? I don't care 0:32:42.800 --> 0:32:46.200 so much where you go to college as the fact 0:32:46.240 --> 0:32:49.680 that you stay close to God when you get there. 0:32:52.640 --> 0:32:57.240 So so go to the one that you can afford, 0:32:57.280 --> 0:32:59.120 go to the one that you make sense to. You, 0:32:59.200 --> 0:33:01.360 go to the one that you have an offer for you. See, 0:33:01.400 --> 0:33:04.920 I'm talking to you because it's more important that you 0:33:04.960 --> 0:33:09.920 stay pure when you get there than it is that 0:33:09.960 --> 0:33:11.920 you select. 0:33:11.560 --> 0:33:13.440 Correctly where you're going to go. 0:33:14.640 --> 0:33:17.920 And so much of our agony in life is about 0:33:18.240 --> 0:33:19.720 going and getting it right. 0:33:19.920 --> 0:33:21.760 And oh Jesus, am I following you? Right? 0:33:21.800 --> 0:33:21.920 Am? 0:33:21.960 --> 0:33:22.720 I doing the right thing? 0:33:22.800 --> 0:33:27.520 And we get so paralyzed by that when they saw Jesus, 0:33:27.560 --> 0:33:31.640 because they stayed. I told you you're going to talk 0:33:31.640 --> 0:33:33.760 about this message at home, and what I thought was, 0:33:33.800 --> 0:33:36.440 you'll probably use this message against each other, you know. 0:33:37.160 --> 0:33:39.000 See, I told you we weren't supposed to move. See 0:33:39.040 --> 0:33:40.840 I told you we weren't supposed to sell the house. 0:33:40.920 --> 0:33:41.640 God said stay. 0:33:41.640 --> 0:33:43.520 Well, that's not what he meant that. No, that's not 0:33:43.560 --> 0:33:44.080 what I mean. 0:33:45.000 --> 0:33:50.320 I am talking about the faith to stay even when 0:33:50.360 --> 0:33:53.160 everything inside of you is telling you to. 0:33:53.160 --> 0:33:53.880 Rebel and run. 0:33:54.360 --> 0:33:57.520 Yeah, many of you will not be here in this 0:33:57.600 --> 0:34:00.520 church this time next year. And if that's because God 0:34:00.520 --> 0:34:02.960 has moved you somewhere else and you're being fed there, 0:34:03.000 --> 0:34:06.360 then I celebrate. But if it's because you found it 0:34:06.400 --> 0:34:10.919 hard to follow Jesus and you thought that stepping out 0:34:11.239 --> 0:34:13.920 was what it meant to have faith, then I did 0:34:13.960 --> 0:34:19.200 not correctly teach you that it takes faith to stay. 0:34:20.800 --> 0:34:23.279 It doesn't take faith for you to be into the 0:34:23.320 --> 0:34:25.799 Bible one month, and then into New Age crystals the 0:34:25.840 --> 0:34:28.400 next month, and then into self help and motivational teaching 0:34:28.440 --> 0:34:30.560 the third month, and by the fourth month, we can't 0:34:30.560 --> 0:34:33.040 even keep up with your location anymore. And we've got 0:34:33.120 --> 0:34:34.880 you on life three sixty, but we don't know what 0:34:35.000 --> 0:34:37.239 weird part of the map you've gone to because you 0:34:37.320 --> 0:34:40.040 won't stay anywhere, and you won't build anything. 0:34:40.360 --> 0:34:41.759 And the first time you hit a. 0:34:41.800 --> 0:34:44.080 Question in the scripture and the first time you hit 0:34:44.120 --> 0:34:46.799 something you don't understand about God, you think you got 0:34:46.800 --> 0:34:48.440 to run from God. But what if the thing you 0:34:48.440 --> 0:34:50.920 don't understand about God is just the reinforcement that. 0:34:50.880 --> 0:34:51.439 You're not him. 0:34:51.719 --> 0:34:53.720 What if the thing that you don't understand about Jesus 0:34:53.760 --> 0:34:56.520 as the invitation to come deeper into him. Do you 0:34:56.600 --> 0:34:59.320 really think that when you found Jesus you were finished. 0:34:59.600 --> 0:35:01.319 You weren't finished when you found him. 0:35:01.440 --> 0:35:04.160 In fact, you didn't even really find him He found you, 0:35:04.400 --> 0:35:06.520 and he found you a mess, and he cleans you 0:35:06.640 --> 0:35:08.880 up and he welcomed you home. And you've got to 0:35:08.960 --> 0:35:12.120 learn to stay this time. You cannot keep running to 0:35:12.200 --> 0:35:14.840 the hog pen every time it gets hard. You cannot 0:35:14.920 --> 0:35:17.680 keep running to escape mechanisms that leave you a slave 0:35:17.760 --> 0:35:20.640 every time it gets hard. You've got to stay somewhere. 0:35:20.920 --> 0:35:24.680 You've got to stay positive surrounded by problems. You've got 0:35:24.680 --> 0:35:27.399 to stay looking for the lamb of God. You've got 0:35:27.400 --> 0:35:30.120 to stay looking for redemption. You've got to find a 0:35:30.239 --> 0:35:32.600 reason to forgive, a strength to forgive. 0:35:32.800 --> 0:35:34.399 You've got to find something. 0:35:34.040 --> 0:35:36.520 To say to yourself to get yourself up in the morning. 0:35:36.840 --> 0:35:37.600 You've got to. 0:35:37.640 --> 0:35:39.920 Stay in faith when everything inside of. 0:35:39.880 --> 0:35:40.920 You is screaming fear. 0:35:41.719 --> 0:35:44.280 I'm gonna tell you how I get my messages from God. 0:35:44.680 --> 0:35:46.680 I stay in the chair till he speaks. 0:35:47.000 --> 0:35:48.120 If he doesn't speak. 0:35:47.880 --> 0:35:50.320 In the chair, I get on my face on the floor, 0:35:50.560 --> 0:35:52.840 and I stay on my face still he speaks. 0:35:53.120 --> 0:35:54.000 If he doesn't speak. 0:35:54.000 --> 0:35:56.320 When I'm on my face on the floor, I pace 0:35:56.400 --> 0:35:59.400 around the house and I stay pacing. But even if 0:35:59.480 --> 0:36:03.120 I'm moving and I'm staying, I might have to change locations. 0:36:03.239 --> 0:36:06.200 But I'm staying. I might have to change clothes, but 0:36:06.320 --> 0:36:09.520 I'm staying. I might have to downsize some of my life, 0:36:09.640 --> 0:36:10.480 but I'm staying. 0:36:10.719 --> 0:36:11.879 I might have to change some. 0:36:11.880 --> 0:36:15.720 Affiliations, but I'm staying because you keep saying that faith 0:36:15.760 --> 0:36:16.680 will bring you out. 0:36:16.920 --> 0:36:18.680 But I believe God can give you the. 0:36:18.680 --> 0:36:24.680 Faith to stay rooted, planted, more fruit, much route, abounding 0:36:24.719 --> 0:36:32.200 fruit if you abide it. And they stayed with him 0:36:32.960 --> 0:36:36.759 that day. Oh that's an important detail. Don't miss that 0:36:37.000 --> 0:36:40.279 they stayed that day. God doesn't call you to have 0:36:40.320 --> 0:36:43.799 the faith to stay for ten years, just that day, 0:36:44.760 --> 0:36:48.759 just that day. You can follow Jesus the whole way. 0:36:48.840 --> 0:36:49.640 That way. 0:36:50.360 --> 0:36:53.080 I talked to somebody who was sober one time. They've 0:36:53.080 --> 0:36:54.600 been sober seven years. 0:36:54.920 --> 0:36:58.640 I met him just this past the Elevation Night's tour. 0:36:58.880 --> 0:37:02.240 They said, I've been sober seven years. I said seven years. 0:37:02.239 --> 0:37:05.320 How they said, No, I didn't stay sober seven years. 0:37:05.560 --> 0:37:07.040 I stayed sober. 0:37:07.200 --> 0:37:14.960 One day and another day, and another day, and another day. 0:37:15.840 --> 0:37:16.720 You see what I'm saying. 0:37:16.880 --> 0:37:21.040 I stayed another day, I stayed another day. That's how 0:37:21.080 --> 0:37:23.280 you do it. You stay another day, Tell your neighbors 0:37:23.280 --> 0:37:25.879 stay another day, stay another day. That's all you got 0:37:25.880 --> 0:37:28.000 to do. You have to forecast out into the future. 0:37:28.160 --> 0:37:31.319 You are losing your strength because you are projecting too 0:37:31.440 --> 0:37:35.640 far into your future. Stay another day, stay another breath, 0:37:35.960 --> 0:37:38.279 stay another moment, Stay another day. 0:37:38.320 --> 0:37:40.040 That's all I've got to do. 0:37:40.800 --> 0:37:44.840 Is stay another day. And that day they stayed with Jesus. 0:37:45.520 --> 0:37:49.359 And the Bible does us so dirty? All John didn 0:37:49.400 --> 0:37:53.000 as dirty. He just completely cuts to the next scene. 0:37:54.960 --> 0:37:59.200 And they stayed with him that day. And they ran 0:37:59.280 --> 0:38:02.040 to Peter and said, we have found the Christ. I 0:38:02.080 --> 0:38:06.600 want to know what happened in that house? What did 0:38:06.600 --> 0:38:09.839 he say? What did he do? We know he didn't 0:38:09.880 --> 0:38:12.120 do a miracle, because the first miracle isn't until John 0:38:12.160 --> 0:38:15.320 chapter two. It says in John chapter two, this was 0:38:15.360 --> 0:38:17.319 the first of the signs that Jesus performed in Cana, 0:38:17.360 --> 0:38:19.239 which is where Nathaniel was from, who we preached about 0:38:19.320 --> 0:38:21.600 last week, who Jesus told, you'll see greater things than these. 0:38:21.640 --> 0:38:23.560 And then the next thing he saw was a miracle 0:38:23.600 --> 0:38:27.360 of water becoming wine in his own hometown at a wedding. 0:38:27.800 --> 0:38:29.719 But he wasn't turning water into wine in that house, 0:38:29.719 --> 0:38:32.319 said day he did that. In John chapter two, they 0:38:32.320 --> 0:38:35.000 weren't drinking wine in the house. What was he saying 0:38:35.040 --> 0:38:39.520 in that house that day? And we don't know except 0:38:39.520 --> 0:38:44.759 that they stayed. And sometimes I can't explain it to you, 0:38:44.840 --> 0:38:45.319 but just. 0:38:45.239 --> 0:38:51.560 By staying, you get to see it. And that true. Chris. 0:38:53.280 --> 0:38:54.000 Where's Chris? 0:38:55.960 --> 0:39:00.520 He'd always in here, been my worship leader for eighteen years. 0:39:10.960 --> 0:39:25.520 He's won two Grammys, had a bunch of babies, you like, 0:39:25.560 --> 0:39:28.720 I said, he had them. 0:39:29.080 --> 0:39:31.600 Bet is right by his side. 0:39:33.560 --> 0:39:38.200 He told me, he told me, he told me, he 0:39:38.280 --> 0:39:40.359 told me about seventeen years ago. I don't care if 0:39:40.400 --> 0:39:43.520 I ever win a Grammy, he said. I don't care 0:39:43.520 --> 0:39:47.040 if I ever get to go on Good Morning America. 0:39:47.440 --> 0:39:50.600 And he's done that too. 0:39:51.040 --> 0:39:53.000 I don't care if I ever have a platinum record, 0:39:53.080 --> 0:39:56.040 gold record, he says. If this so perful, he said, 0:39:56.040 --> 0:39:57.359 I want to see what my life can be if 0:39:57.360 --> 0:39:59.040 I planned it in one place and serve God. 0:40:08.600 --> 0:40:11.040 I'm gonna stop again because my heart is not. 0:40:11.440 --> 0:40:14.680 The heart of just a speaker, but a pastor. I 0:40:14.719 --> 0:40:17.520 am not saying that you were wrong to change jobs. 0:40:18.160 --> 0:40:20.399 I'm not saying that you would be wrong to break 0:40:20.480 --> 0:40:23.799 up with your boyfriend. In fact, some of you need 0:40:23.840 --> 0:40:29.600 to end it with him so you could. 0:40:29.440 --> 0:40:30.040 Stay with him. 0:40:33.520 --> 0:40:40.800 Okay, that'd probably be real confusing if you were listening 0:40:40.840 --> 0:40:42.040 to this and not watching the video. 0:40:42.080 --> 0:40:42.520 Wouldn't it. 0:40:44.080 --> 0:40:48.840 Stay with God? And I thought it was interesting that 0:40:50.400 --> 0:40:54.719 fruit that Chris didn't even care about came to him 0:40:54.760 --> 0:40:56.800 because he stayed planted in what God cares. 0:40:56.600 --> 0:41:02.120 About that day. 0:41:03.320 --> 0:41:06.000 It's almost like there's foreshadowing in this text. They stayed 0:41:06.000 --> 0:41:08.000 with him that day, But what happened the next day, Well, 0:41:09.080 --> 0:41:11.480 the next day he decided to leave for Galilee. They 0:41:11.480 --> 0:41:16.520 found Philip and said follow me, and then they found 0:41:16.600 --> 0:41:18.600 Nathaniel and then they took off and went to the 0:41:18.600 --> 0:41:19.440 wedding and all of that. 0:41:21.239 --> 0:41:22.440 Do you know that more would. 0:41:22.200 --> 0:41:27.520 Be revealed to these disciples through where Jesus stayed then 0:41:27.560 --> 0:41:28.320 where he stepped. 0:41:30.200 --> 0:41:33.080 I was thinking about this because we're in a series 0:41:33.120 --> 0:41:37.960 called Sea King Jesus, right, and these disciples were so 0:41:38.080 --> 0:41:42.000 surprised to see Jesus at a wedding turning water into wine, like, hey, Jesus, 0:41:42.040 --> 0:41:43.560 we got to get out of here. The wine's gone, 0:41:43.600 --> 0:41:45.560 And Jesus is like, now, this is what we came for. 0:41:46.760 --> 0:41:48.880 We showed up to stay after the wine is gone, 0:41:48.920 --> 0:41:51.600 so that after everything seems to be over, we could 0:41:51.600 --> 0:41:55.560 turn what seems to be nothing into something. But then 0:41:55.600 --> 0:41:57.879 their next stop was at the temple where Jesus made 0:41:57.880 --> 0:41:59.879 a whip and started driving out the people who were 0:42:00.080 --> 0:42:02.600 charging the people for an exchange rate and charging them 0:42:02.600 --> 0:42:05.080 for sacrifices and lying the people in the house of God. 0:42:05.320 --> 0:42:07.720 And he said, you're robbing the people instead of praying. 0:42:09.239 --> 0:42:12.160 So now notice this all. In John chapter two, they 0:42:12.200 --> 0:42:16.880 go from wine to whips, And it's the same Jesus 0:42:16.880 --> 0:42:22.080 doing both. And one represents provision and one represents correction. 0:42:23.400 --> 0:42:25.160 And it's the same Jesus doing both. 0:42:26.280 --> 0:42:29.520 And sometimes we'll stay with him through the provision, but 0:42:29.640 --> 0:42:33.279 we won't stay with him through the correction. But it's 0:42:33.320 --> 0:42:36.880 the same shepherd of the stars who orders both. And 0:42:36.960 --> 0:42:39.720 sometimes we will follow God because he's. 0:42:39.640 --> 0:42:42.160 Ordering our steps. Yes, Lord, let me make the right decision. 0:42:42.239 --> 0:42:44.319 Yes Lord, let me make the right investments. Yes Lord, 0:42:44.440 --> 0:42:46.320 let me meet the right people. 0:42:46.560 --> 0:42:49.400 Yes, God, bring the right opportunities, the right scholarships. And 0:42:49.480 --> 0:42:51.680 as long as he's ordering our steps, we're good. But 0:42:51.719 --> 0:42:56.080 what about when he orders your stay? For example, in 0:42:56.200 --> 0:42:59.960 John chapter four, Jesus shows up to a place called Samaria, 0:43:00.800 --> 0:43:04.240 which is a place where the Jews wanted to go around, 0:43:04.680 --> 0:43:07.400 but Jesus went through it. And not only did he 0:43:07.480 --> 0:43:11.279 go directly through Samaria, which was a place of great political, economic, 0:43:11.360 --> 0:43:14.359 and social tension. But the Bible says in John chapter four, 0:43:14.440 --> 0:43:16.440 verse six, that when he got there, his disciples went 0:43:16.480 --> 0:43:19.080 to get lunch, and he sat down on a well 0:43:19.920 --> 0:43:21.000 and stayed. 0:43:21.400 --> 0:43:22.359 In the heat of the day. 0:43:23.040 --> 0:43:25.160 The Bible says at noon or the sixth hour, the 0:43:25.200 --> 0:43:29.640 way they counted, he stayed in the sun waiting for 0:43:29.719 --> 0:43:32.359 a woman who had become an evangelist to. 0:43:32.320 --> 0:43:34.440 The area see it. 0:43:34.800 --> 0:43:37.440 They saw something of him as he walked, but they 0:43:37.480 --> 0:43:40.359 saw even more when he stayed. 0:43:42.520 --> 0:43:43.480 On his way to the temple. 0:43:43.480 --> 0:43:46.360 In John chapter five, he stopped by the pool of Bethesda, 0:43:47.000 --> 0:43:48.680 and there was a man there who had been stuck 0:43:48.719 --> 0:43:52.120 there for thirty eight years. And Jesus, who had more 0:43:52.160 --> 0:43:54.400 important things to do, and more important people to see it, 0:43:54.440 --> 0:43:57.520 more important places to go, he stayed by this man 0:43:58.400 --> 0:44:01.640 until this man was able to walk. You can see 0:44:01.640 --> 0:44:04.760 a lot about the Savior by when he chooses to stay. 0:44:04.960 --> 0:44:07.480 In John chapter six, the multitudes have come. 0:44:07.320 --> 0:44:09.200 To hear him preach, and he taught so long they 0:44:09.200 --> 0:44:11.719 got hungry, and the disciples said they gotta go they 0:44:11.760 --> 0:44:13.759 gotta leave. We gotta get out of here. Man, there's 0:44:13.800 --> 0:44:16.320 not enough food. And Jesus said, no, they can stay. 0:44:17.480 --> 0:44:21.279 They can stay. You don't have to feed him, but 0:44:21.360 --> 0:44:24.600 I'm going to They can stay. You can see a 0:44:24.680 --> 0:44:27.360 lot about a savior who won't turn a hungry soul away. 0:44:28.080 --> 0:44:30.200 You can see a lot about a savior who says, no, 0:44:30.400 --> 0:44:32.920 she can stay. He could stay. I know they made 0:44:32.960 --> 0:44:35.399 some mistakes, but they can stay. I know you didn't 0:44:35.440 --> 0:44:37.799 plan for it, but they can stay. You can see 0:44:37.800 --> 0:44:40.040 a lot about the Savior from where he stays. In 0:44:40.120 --> 0:44:42.839 John chapter seven, when his brothers were like, you gotta 0:44:42.880 --> 0:44:44.920 go up and prove yourself, got to go to one 0:44:44.920 --> 0:44:47.520 of the feast, and Jesus said, no, I'm good in Galilee, 0:44:47.560 --> 0:44:49.879 y'all go, I'm gonna stay. You can tell a lot 0:44:50.000 --> 0:44:53.440 by the Savior from where he stays. In John chapter eight, 0:44:53.520 --> 0:44:55.520 there was a woman who came to him who was 0:44:55.600 --> 0:44:58.560 caught in the act of adult tree, and Jesus, who 0:44:58.600 --> 0:45:01.120 had the right to throw a rock at her and 0:45:01.160 --> 0:45:03.880 punish her by penalty of the law of Moses for 0:45:03.920 --> 0:45:06.799 adulterree got down in the ground. You could tell a 0:45:06.800 --> 0:45:11.040 lot by a savior who stoops and stays in the 0:45:11.120 --> 0:45:12.799 dirt while others. 0:45:12.480 --> 0:45:13.680 Are casting stones. 0:45:13.719 --> 0:45:16.120 You can tell a lot by a savior by where 0:45:16.120 --> 0:45:18.919 he stays. In John chapter nine, there was a man 0:45:18.960 --> 0:45:22.239 who was born blind. He was blind from birth, and 0:45:22.360 --> 0:45:25.080 Jesus said, it's a sabbath, but I'm gonna heal you anyway, 0:45:25.280 --> 0:45:28.000 because I'm going to stay and heal you, even if 0:45:28.000 --> 0:45:31.000 it cost me controversy. You could tell a lot by 0:45:31.040 --> 0:45:34.680 a savior who stays. In John chapter eleven brings us 0:45:34.680 --> 0:45:37.880 to the pinnacle of this message, the faith to stay, 0:45:38.320 --> 0:45:41.239 because the Bible says in John chapter eleven, verse one, 0:45:41.360 --> 0:45:45.759 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethaning, 0:45:46.239 --> 0:45:46.960 the village of. 0:45:46.960 --> 0:45:49.080 Mary and her sister Martha. 0:45:49.880 --> 0:45:53.480 This Mary, whose brother Lazareth now lay sick, was the 0:45:53.520 --> 0:45:56.880 same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped 0:45:56.920 --> 0:46:01.600 his feet with her hair. So send word to Jesus, Lord, 0:46:01.640 --> 0:46:05.399 the one you love is sick. And when he heard this, 0:46:05.520 --> 0:46:08.759 Jesus said, this sickness will not end in death. No, 0:46:08.920 --> 0:46:12.759 it is for God's glory, so that God's son may 0:46:12.800 --> 0:46:14.719 be glorified through it. 0:46:15.560 --> 0:46:17.560 Now Jesus loved Martha. 0:46:18.160 --> 0:46:24.319 He loved her sister, and he loved Lazarus, so when 0:46:24.360 --> 0:46:31.359 he heard Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two 0:46:31.400 --> 0:46:34.520 more days. You could tell a lot about the Savior 0:46:34.560 --> 0:46:37.360 from where he goes. You could tell a lot about 0:46:37.400 --> 0:46:40.560 the Savior from what he says, But you can tell 0:46:40.600 --> 0:46:44.839 even more about the Savior from where he stays. And 0:46:44.920 --> 0:46:48.839 now we are confused, and we are forgiven for being confused. 0:46:48.760 --> 0:46:50.799 Because why would verse six say? 0:46:51.160 --> 0:46:54.960 He loved them and they needed him, so he stayed 0:46:55.360 --> 0:46:58.920 two more days. Imagine the confusion of John and Andrew. 0:46:59.239 --> 0:47:03.040 Didn't you hear Jesus he's sick? Why are we staying 0:47:03.280 --> 0:47:07.080 when he's sick? And perhaps Jesus pulled John aside, you know, 0:47:07.320 --> 0:47:10.080 because John is the one he loved the most. John 0:47:10.160 --> 0:47:13.200 is the teacher's pet. And maybe he explained to John 0:47:13.520 --> 0:47:16.920 off the record. See if I go while he's sick, 0:47:17.239 --> 0:47:18.600 they will know me as healer. 0:47:18.920 --> 0:47:20.800 But they already know me as healer. 0:47:21.280 --> 0:47:24.000 And there is something I want to show about my 0:47:24.200 --> 0:47:28.080 nature that I can only trust to someone that I love, 0:47:29.080 --> 0:47:32.160 and I know they love me. And since I know 0:47:32.280 --> 0:47:37.279 they love me enough, I can stay here because they 0:47:37.320 --> 0:47:39.399 will love me even if I'm late. 0:47:40.160 --> 0:47:41.000 Abide in me. 0:47:41.800 --> 0:47:45.839 Abide in me, and you will bear much fruit. Abide 0:47:45.840 --> 0:47:50.799 in me through anxiety. Abide in me though friends forsake you. 0:47:51.200 --> 0:47:55.239 Abide in me with sickness in your body. Abide in 0:47:55.280 --> 0:48:01.840 me when the worst things happen. So he's stayed because 0:48:01.880 --> 0:48:05.400 he had faith get ready for this. He had faith 0:48:05.480 --> 0:48:09.200 to know that I can stay two more days. And 0:48:09.239 --> 0:48:12.880 when I show up Jesus, the Son of God, Jesus 0:48:12.920 --> 0:48:16.759 the Lamb of God, Jesus who is the Resurrection new. 0:48:17.239 --> 0:48:20.360 When I get there, I'm going to speak the word. 0:48:20.719 --> 0:48:23.640 And there is enough power in my word that when 0:48:23.640 --> 0:48:25.800 I say Lazarus, get. 0:48:25.719 --> 0:48:29.640 Up, he can't stay. So I have faith to stay 0:48:29.719 --> 0:48:30.560 right where I. 0:48:30.480 --> 0:48:34.120 Am, because when I say his name, he's coming. 0:48:33.920 --> 0:48:46.439 Out off the grain. We could have had church right there, 0:48:46.440 --> 0:48:47.279 but you missed your Q. 0:48:49.040 --> 0:48:52.080 God is not staying away. 0:48:51.800 --> 0:48:55.080 In your situation because he forgot about you. 0:48:55.960 --> 0:48:57.239 God did not. 0:48:57.360 --> 0:49:01.319 Get lost on the way to Bethany. Jesus did not 0:49:01.560 --> 0:49:06.640 have bad cell signal and and unfortunately not get your message. 0:49:07.080 --> 0:49:10.520 There are times in your life that God shows his 0:49:10.760 --> 0:49:13.640 love for you by the fact that he trusts you 0:49:13.800 --> 0:49:19.040 enough to stay. He knows you will stay, He knows 0:49:19.120 --> 0:49:23.000 you are like job. They will not curse God no 0:49:23.080 --> 0:49:26.440 matter what afflicts their life. They will not walk away 0:49:26.480 --> 0:49:29.560 from Me, no matter who walks away from them. And 0:49:29.760 --> 0:49:38.160 God knows those who have faith to stay. 0:49:42.280 --> 0:49:55.959 So God, God faith to stay, because Jesus have faith. 0:49:57.480 --> 0:50:02.239 To stay on the cross Us when he could have 0:50:02.280 --> 0:50:08.759 called legions of angels, and Peter said, don't you have 0:50:08.920 --> 0:50:12.160 enough fight faith to fight back Jesus? And Jesus said, 0:50:12.160 --> 0:50:17.080 don't you have enough faith to stay? Don't you have 0:50:17.200 --> 0:50:23.560 enough faith to trust me in this situation? And I 0:50:23.800 --> 0:50:28.120 believe that the greatest faith in this room today is 0:50:28.160 --> 0:50:31.000 in the faith that somebody asked. 0:50:31.760 --> 0:50:36.120 To stay, to stay abide. 0:50:37.560 --> 0:50:42.080 They stayed with him that day. By the way, when 0:50:42.160 --> 0:50:46.719 Jesus went to the cross, only one stayed. His name 0:50:46.800 --> 0:50:50.600 was John, the one who wrote it had the. 0:50:50.520 --> 0:50:52.000 Faith to stay. 0:50:52.360 --> 0:50:55.080 You celebrate Peter who got out the walk on the water. Great. 0:50:56.080 --> 0:50:58.239 I celebrate John who had the faith to stay at 0:50:58.239 --> 0:51:08.560 the foot of the cross. Want everyone's standing, heads bowed 0:51:08.560 --> 0:51:14.359 and eyes closed. Father God, we receive your word today. 0:51:15.200 --> 0:51:20.799 You are an amazing God. You are an incredible God. 0:51:20.840 --> 0:51:23.360 You are a wonder working God that never changes. 0:51:25.280 --> 0:51:29.560 I bless you today, God, because you stayed. 0:51:29.320 --> 0:51:34.239 By my side so many seasons where others left, and 0:51:34.280 --> 0:51:39.240 you stay. My prayer today is for someone whose branches 0:51:39.280 --> 0:51:44.160 are being shaken by the storm of their life, someone 0:51:44.160 --> 0:51:47.280 who may have moved to that John chapter eleven. 0:51:47.320 --> 0:51:47.640 Moment. 0:51:49.320 --> 0:51:54.200 I pray that you would give them the faith to stay. 0:51:55.120 --> 0:51:57.319 I thank you that you called Peter the Rock long 0:51:57.360 --> 0:52:00.720 before he ever was, because you knew that your purpose 0:52:00.760 --> 0:52:06.200 for him would stay. Lord, I thank you today that 0:52:06.280 --> 0:52:10.520 there is a name that when that name is mentioned, 0:52:11.680 --> 0:52:21.759 dead things come alive. So Lord, we want to take 0:52:21.880 --> 0:52:26.240 just a moment and look at the lamb of God, 0:52:27.640 --> 0:52:31.600 the one who is worthy of all praise, the one 0:52:31.600 --> 0:52:34.239 who is worthy of all worship, the one whose name 0:52:35.000 --> 0:52:39.920 never fails, the one who went to the grave on Friday, 0:52:40.719 --> 0:52:42.160 stayed on Saturday, and. 0:52:42.080 --> 0:52:45.720 Got up on Sunday. God give us that Saturday faith 0:52:45.800 --> 0:52:46.760 to stay. Today. 0:52:47.800 --> 0:52:50.440 We want to see King Jesus high and lift it up. 0:52:51.360 --> 0:52:52.960 We want to see King Jesus. 0:52:53.000 --> 0:52:58.000 But we're looking at the lamb of God today, heads bowed, 0:52:58.040 --> 0:52:59.000 eyes closed all. 0:52:58.920 --> 0:52:59.640 Over this room. 0:53:00.120 --> 0:53:03.200 I believe there is someone today who God is giving 0:53:03.239 --> 0:53:04.960 you the opportunity to become. 0:53:04.760 --> 0:53:06.440 A follower of Jesus Christ. 0:53:07.160 --> 0:53:08.920 And I want to invite you right now, by the 0:53:08.920 --> 0:53:11.760 power of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus, 0:53:12.280 --> 0:53:14.720 on the authority of the Word of God, to place 0:53:14.840 --> 0:53:17.480 your faith in Jesus, to make that. 0:53:17.480 --> 0:53:20.480 First step of faith, to become a follower of Christ. 0:53:20.800 --> 0:53:21.759 And you know when you. 0:53:21.800 --> 0:53:24.600 Make that step of faith, you're not stepping out on 0:53:24.640 --> 0:53:27.239 your own. The Spirit of God comes in to be 0:53:27.320 --> 0:53:30.520 your helper. The spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. 0:53:31.080 --> 0:53:34.399 The blood of Jesus Christ that pardons all sin, will 0:53:34.400 --> 0:53:37.600 come and wash your soul and make you a new creation. 0:53:38.040 --> 0:53:39.480 Has bowed eyes closed. 0:53:39.520 --> 0:53:42.279 You say that's me today, Pastor Stephen. I believe the 0:53:42.280 --> 0:53:45.040 Lord is calling me to this moment to follow him. 0:53:45.280 --> 0:53:47.680 Or maybe I have fallen away. There was a time 0:53:47.719 --> 0:53:51.120 I was following Christ. But today I'm coming back. If 0:53:51.120 --> 0:53:53.560 that's you, we're going to pray a prayer right now. 0:53:53.760 --> 0:53:56.799 We're praying it out loud as a church family for 0:53:56.920 --> 0:53:59.520 the benefit of those who are coming to God. Are 0:53:59.520 --> 0:54:02.720 coming back to God. Repeat after me, Church, Heavenly Father, 0:54:03.920 --> 0:54:09.920 today is my day of salvation. I am a sinner 0:54:10.760 --> 0:54:15.160 in need of a savior, and I believe that Jesus 0:54:15.280 --> 0:54:19.480 Christ is the Son of God and the savior of 0:54:19.520 --> 0:54:20.279 the world. 0:54:20.920 --> 0:54:26.120 And today I make Jesus the Lord of my life. 0:54:26.200 --> 0:54:30.120 I believe he died that I would be forgiven and 0:54:30.239 --> 0:54:36.040 rose again to give me life. I receive this new life. 0:54:36.880 --> 0:54:42.520 This is my new beginning. I am a child of God. 0:54:43.200 --> 0:54:45.239 On the count of three shoots your hand in the ear. 0:54:45.280 --> 0:54:51.120 If you prayed that one, two, three celebrates you right now. 0:54:51.040 --> 0:54:51.840 Praise the Lord. 0:54:53.480 --> 0:54:54.280 Praise the Lord. 0:54:54.320 --> 0:54:56.400 Everybody. 0:54:58.320 --> 0:55:00.920 Hey, I hope you enjoyed the podcast, and if you did, 0:55:01.440 --> 0:55:04.040 make sure to share it and subscribe so we can 0:55:04.080 --> 0:55:06.680 get you all of these new messages as soon as 0:55:06.680 --> 0:55:09.480 they're available. I also want to take a moment and 0:55:09.560 --> 0:55:11.360 thank all of you who are a part of Elevation. 0:55:11.880 --> 0:55:15.200 Whether you support us financially, or serve with us, or 0:55:15.600 --> 0:55:18.319 just share these messages, it's because of you that we're 0:55:18.320 --> 0:55:21.279 able to reach people all around the world. And if 0:55:21.280 --> 0:55:23.799 you want more information on how to be a part 0:55:23.800 --> 0:55:27.719 of Elevation, click the link in the description. Thanks again 0:55:27.760 --> 0:55:30.719 for listening. Make sure to leave a review, share the message, 0:55:30.760 --> 0:55:31.600 and subscribe. 0:55:31.880 --> 0:55:41.240 God bless you.