Get Over It (Robert Madu)

0:00:02.040 --> 0:00:04.600 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.880 --> 0:00:07.080 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:10.440 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:12.479 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:12.520 --> 0:00:16.960 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:18.239 --> 0:00:22.920 Are you ready for the Word of God? Now? Me too. 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:25.760 I feel like we're so blessed this morning because we've 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:32.080 got Pastor Robert Madieu in our church bringing us the 0:00:32.080 --> 0:00:34.559 Word of God this morning. He and his wife Taylor 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:37.960 live in Cedar Hill, Texas. He's a part of the 0:00:38.000 --> 0:00:40.880 teaching team at Trinity Church. Most of the time he's 0:00:41.280 --> 0:00:44.280 traveling the world though, preaching the Gospel, sharing the grace 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:47.280 and love and mercy of Jesus. And we're blessed because 0:00:47.320 --> 0:00:49.479 this isn't his first time he's back with us. So 0:00:49.520 --> 0:00:52.680 could you help me welcome Pastor Robert Madeu back to 0:00:52.720 --> 0:01:04.760 the pulpit this morning. Oh, good morning, Elevation Church. Come on, 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:08.200 do you have another praise or Hallelujah on the inside 0:01:08.240 --> 0:01:11.840 of you? Come on? Can we just take ten seconds 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:15.720 across every location? Come on, let's give God the best 0:01:15.720 --> 0:01:21.720 praise that we die hallelujah. Oh come on, this is 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:26.120 the day that the Lord has made. Let's rejoice and 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:31.440 be glad in it. Who are you excited to be 0:01:31.440 --> 0:01:35.039 in God's House today? Oh? I'm telling you I am 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:38.760 expressed so elated to be back at elevation. Can would 0:01:38.800 --> 0:01:40.479 you do me a favor before you take your seat? 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:42.960 Across every location, I want you to look at your neighbor, 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:46.240 whichever one you like the best, and just get in 0:01:46.280 --> 0:01:49.080 their face, get in their personal space, and just say neighbor. 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:51.919 Come on, don't be afraid to talk to your neighbor. 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:56.640 Come on, say neighbor. I waited all week to sit 0:01:56.760 --> 0:02:00.000 next to you. Now, see if they really meant it. 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:02.600 See if they really meant it. Come on, give somebody 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:04.880 a high five, show them some love. You can be seated. 0:02:07.240 --> 0:02:10.200 Oh thank you, worship team. It feels good to be 0:02:10.280 --> 0:02:15.800 in God's House today. Man. I so honored and privileged 0:02:15.840 --> 0:02:19.320 to be here for a couple of reasons. As Chris mentioned, 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:22.600 this is my second time here on the weekend, and 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:25.480 I kind of have a rule. I have a rule 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:27.320 as I've been traveling that when you come to a 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:30.400 church like the first weekend, you're still kind of in 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:32.560 the guest category. You know, people don't know you, but 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:34.600 if you come back a second weekend, then you just 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:36.760 straight up family. Okay, So I hope you know I've 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:40.240 adopted myself into the Elevation family. Y'all are stuck with me. 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:43.600 I'm your cousin from the great country of Texas. So 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:46.200 it's gonna be good today. It's gonna be good, especially 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:49.160 because I just came back from Israel. I was in 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:53.200 Israel two days ago. I felt extra anointing. So I 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:55.480 was in the Holy Land of Israel now on the 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:59.200 Holy Land of Charlotte, and I was walking around Israel. 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:02.480 Is pretty signific to think that what happened on that 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:08.040 little parcel of land through Jesus turned the world upside down. 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:11.040 And then walking in here today just to think that 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:15.320 just thirteen years ago, what God has done through this church, 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:20.200 what started has now reverberated around the world. What God 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:23.919 is doing here in Elevation. And come on, how many 0:03:23.919 --> 0:03:27.600 you know you are blessed, favored, and straight up spoiled 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:29.360 to be a part of this church. Come on, if 0:03:29.360 --> 0:03:31.919 this church has ever blessed your life, you ought to 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:39.360 give God some praise or this is unbelievable. I'm telling 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:42.320 you right now, the grass is not greener anywhere else. Okay, 0:03:42.560 --> 0:03:46.240 if it is, it's astrochurch, it's not real. This right here, 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:49.440 this is real. And God had to have somebody special 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:52.240 to steward this, to lead this. And my wife and 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:55.600 I we so love and appreciate the life and the 0:03:55.680 --> 0:03:59.160 leadership Pastor Stephen and Holly Ferdick. And anytime I got 0:03:59.200 --> 0:04:01.120 the mic at elevation and come on, I'm gonna give 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:03.560 honor to where honors do. Would you help me thank 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:07.200 God for your pastors. Come on for their vision, for 0:04:07.280 --> 0:04:09.720 their hearts to serve. Y'all could do better than that 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:15.720 across every location. Come on, make some noise for your leaders. 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:20.640 Pastor Stephen is undoubtedly one of the greatest preachers you 0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:24.200 will ever hear. And not only does he has really 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:26.839 the relational equity to get anybody behind this pulpit. So 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:29.040 it is my honor to be here today, and I'm 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:32.000 gonna preach. I feel like preaching today. I feel like 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:34.040 preaching from Genesis all the way to the maps in 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:37.039 the back. So it's gonna be good. Would you stand 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:40.719 with me to honor the reading of God's word and 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:42.880 across every location. If you got a Bible, would you 0:04:42.960 --> 0:04:45.000 wave it in the air like you just do? Care, 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:47.880 Come on some of your boble's a glowing thank you 0:04:47.920 --> 0:04:52.000 for charging up your Bible today. I want to look 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:56.880 at Matthew Chapter fifteen. Today, Matthew fifteen. I want to 0:04:56.880 --> 0:05:00.920 look at verses twenty one through twenty eight. Matthew fifteen 0:05:00.960 --> 0:05:02.920 will start at verse number twenty one, and we'll land 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:06.200 at verse number twenty eight. When you're ready to read it, 0:05:06.200 --> 0:05:09.400 why don't you say, yeah, you need some time to 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:12.960 find it. Say hold up, that was a lot. Hold up. 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:18.839 I'm gonna give you a moment. Matthew Chapter fifteen, starting 0:05:18.880 --> 0:05:22.040 a verse number twenty one. Look at what it says. 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:26.279 It says. Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:29.599 of Tire and Sidon, and a Canaanite woman from that 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:34.640 vicinity came to him, crying out, Lord, son of David, 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:39.719 have mercy on me. My daughter is demon possessed and 0:05:39.920 --> 0:05:44.359 suffering terribly. Jesus did not answer a word, so as 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:47.559 disciples came to him and urged him send her away, 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:51.800 for she keeps crying out after us, And he answered, 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:55.320 I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. 0:05:56.200 --> 0:06:00.479 The woman came and knelt before him, Lord, help me, 0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:05.440 she said, and he replied, it is not right to 0:06:05.480 --> 0:06:08.479 take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs. 0:06:09.720 --> 0:06:14.080 Yes it is, Lord, she said, Even the dogs eat 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:18.479 the crumbs that fall from their master's table. And Jesus 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:22.040 said to her woman, only Jesus could get away with that. 0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:27.680 By the way, woman, you have great faith. Your request 0:06:27.839 --> 0:06:33.880 is granted. And her daughter was healed six months. I'm 0:06:33.960 --> 0:06:37.440 tripping ron prescription. Let me worry that again. Her daughter 0:06:37.560 --> 0:06:42.760 was healed three days. Oh no, my bad. Her daughter 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:52.839 was healed at that moment. It's almost like what she 0:06:53.080 --> 0:06:58.640 said in verse twenty seven activated the miracle in verse 0:06:58.720 --> 0:07:04.080 twenty eight. At that moment. I want to preach across 0:07:04.120 --> 0:07:06.640 every location today, not long, about six and a half hours. 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:12.520 I'm playing just using this as a title. Get over it. 0:07:13.960 --> 0:07:16.840 Get over it? Would you do me a favorite? Look 0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:19.960 at your neighbor for the last time and just say, neighbor, 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:25.320 I know this message is for you. Get them all 0:07:25.400 --> 0:07:29.480 this prayer. Father, thank you for your word across every location. 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:33.640 Speak to our hearts today. Lord, let us leave different 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:36.400 than the way that we came in in Jesus' name. 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:39.720 Everybody said, man, you may be seated in the presence 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:47.080 of the Lord. Get over it. You know, I really 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:51.880 hate to preach before I preach, but just watch this 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:56.400 real quick. Watch this, hear me. God will often use 0:07:56.480 --> 0:08:00.680 desperation to push you into your purpose. I will offer 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:04.280 use desperation to push you into your destiny. In fact, 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:08.800 watch this. Desperation is the door that breakthrough walks through. 0:08:09.840 --> 0:08:13.760 I'm gonna say that again. Desperation is the door that 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:16.640 breakthrough walks through. Some people wonder how come I han't 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:18.800 got my breakthrough you Sometimes it's because you hadn't got 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:22.680 downright desperate enough for God to do it in your life, 0:08:22.760 --> 0:08:27.080 because desperation will open up doors that complacency will keep shut. 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:30.720 I'm telling you. I'll travel and people often ask me, Robert, 0:08:30.720 --> 0:08:33.360 where's your favorite place to preach? Your favorite place to 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:35.480 preach in To be honest, I struggle to name a 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:37.680 place because I want to articulate to them that the 0:08:37.760 --> 0:08:41.040 effectiveness of preaching and ministry has little to do with 0:08:41.120 --> 0:08:44.840 an address or a destination of a place, but everything 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:47.760 to do with the attitude and the disposition of the 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:51.000 people that are in the place. Come on, I would 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:53.720 rather preach in a basement with three desperate people than 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:56.400 to preach on the Bahamas with thousands of bougies, stuck 0:08:56.480 --> 0:08:58.480 up people who act like they don't need God to 0:08:58.520 --> 0:09:00.560 do anything in their life. But if you give me 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:03.959 some desperate people, miracles will break. For if you'll give 0:09:04.000 --> 0:09:07.480 me desperate people, signs and wonders will suck. If you'll 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:11.640 give me desperate people, the atmosphere will shift and pain 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:24.080 and God will sell himself strong and mighty when you're desperate. Hey, 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:27.960 that's a good sermon clip right there. It's actually a 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:31.320 good sermon. It's a good sermon. At least I thought 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:34.400 it was. I thought it was until after I preached 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:40.280 that message. I did what every confident, secure and emotionally 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:44.520 healthy preacher does after a message, I went online to 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:50.280 read the comment underneath that message. Now, in full disclosure, 0:09:50.679 --> 0:09:53.120 most of the comments ninety percent of them were positive. 0:09:53.240 --> 0:09:56.800 No comments like good word, ooh that blessed me preach bro. 0:09:57.520 --> 0:10:01.720 There are a few fire emoticons, but those aren't the 0:10:01.760 --> 0:10:06.320 comments that I have saved and snapshotted on my phone 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:09.439 that I want to read for you today. Now, remember 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.680 in that snippet. In that snippet that was not the 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:16.160 whole sermon. I said, and I quote, I would rather 0:10:16.240 --> 0:10:19.440 preach in a basement with three people who are desperate 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:22.640 for God than to preach in the Bahamas with thousands 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:25.560 of stuck up, bougie people who act like they don't 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:27.520 need God to do anything in their life. That's what 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:32.000 I said in that clip. That was not the full sermon. Okay, Now, 0:10:32.080 --> 0:10:35.520 what I was clearly stating is that as a preacher 0:10:35.559 --> 0:10:39.560 and a pontificator of the Gospel, that a meager but 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:44.800 eager audience in a basement would be preferred over a large, 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:50.559 apathetic audience in the Bahamas. My juxtaposition of the Bahamas 0:10:50.600 --> 0:10:55.240 in the basement was solely to compare contrasts a magnificent 0:10:55.480 --> 0:11:00.280 environment with the mundane environment. I was in no way, 0:11:00.400 --> 0:11:07.400 shape or form trying to denegrate Behamian people or basement people. 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:10.320 I just needed two words that started with the letter 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:15.800 be But let me read the comments for you. It 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:19.440 says in your message, pastor, you mentioned the Bahamas stating 0:11:19.480 --> 0:11:23.080 that it has stuck up and bougie people. How can 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:26.560 a pastor say those things about a country? Have you 0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:30.800 met everyone in the Bahamas. Very distasteful of you to 0:11:30.840 --> 0:11:34.920 make those statements as a Bahaman. I am offended and 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:40.280 owed an apology. Next comment, Pastor, you have greatly offended 0:11:40.640 --> 0:11:45.359 a large group of Bahamans with your comments about the Bahamas. 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:49.680 Next comment and my favorite, the expression on his face 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:52.880 when he made that comment about my people tells me 0:11:52.960 --> 0:11:57.440 everything I need to know. That was flesh coming through, 0:11:57.960 --> 0:12:02.120 not God. Watch it again and watch his expression closely. 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:11.400 Hashtag apology required urgently. Next comment, Wow, just wow. Sad 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:16.880 that he used this platform to offend hundreds and thousands 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:20.440 of people. Oh that's about one hundred more comments where 0:12:20.440 --> 0:12:24.319 that came from. That's the edited version right there. And 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:26.959 the irony is the irony is is I went there 0:12:27.000 --> 0:12:29.679 was one dude. He tried to cancel my ministry from 0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:31.839 coming to the Bahamas. Start a campaign on Facebook to 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:34.920 cancel my ministry from coming to the Bahamas. And the 0:12:35.000 --> 0:12:38.440 irony is is. I would love to preach in the Bahamas. 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:42.160 I would die to preach in the Bahamas. I'm gonna 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:44.600 keep you one hundred. I would leave y'all right now 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:49.880 to go preach in the Bahamas. I mean, Valentine is beautiful, 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:56.119 but it ain't the Bahamas, and I just found it funny, interesting, 0:12:57.160 --> 0:13:01.600 and to be honest, quite sad. Some people missed the 0:13:01.760 --> 0:13:08.120 transformational truth of an entire message, not because it could 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:14.360 not be comprehended, but because they were offended. Ladies and gentlemen, 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:17.679 brothers and sisters. We are now living in the age, 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:22.800 in the era of offense. Have you noticed that it 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:29.679 seems like everybody everywhere is perpetually offended about everything all 0:13:29.800 --> 0:13:36.160 the time. Everybody is now offended. It is as if 0:13:36.400 --> 0:13:41.320 victimhood has gone viral and being easily offended is no 0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:44.480 longer seen as a weakness in your character, but is 0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:48.560 now your constitutional right to be offended? Oh you got 0:13:48.559 --> 0:13:51.280 a right to be offended. Oh that didn't offend you. 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:57.160 Oh I'm offended for you. Everybody is offended. It's like 0:13:57.200 --> 0:13:59.800 we're no longer living in the USA. We are now 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:04.800 in the USO because everybody is in the United State 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:11.520 of Offense. Everybody's offended. Men are offended, women are offended, 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:17.960 the millennials are offended, the baby boomers are offended, Democrats 0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:24.480 are offended, Republicans are offended, the atheists are offended, the 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:30.200 saints are offended. The new Orleans Saints are still offended. 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:32.400 You know, we're supposed to be in a super Bowl, right, 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:37.480 we were supposed to be everybody is. The vegetarians and 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:41.080 vegans are offended. Oh come, you heard about this, right. 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:44.960 There's a group, there's a contingency of vegans that are offended, right, 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:48.600 and they are now calling for the removal hear me 0:14:48.960 --> 0:14:53.280 of meat based metaphors. They want to ban on phrases 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:57.800 like bring home the bacon. They are rallying for less 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:02.080 offensive and more health conscious frame like bring home the Broccolian. 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:07.120 Animal rights activists have jumped on the same bandwagon, backed 0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:10.040 by PETA. They feel that some of our commonly used 0:15:10.080 --> 0:15:15.360 phrases and idioms are offensive and are actually encouraging animal cruelty. 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:19.320 Phrases like you're beating a dead horse and you can 0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:23.640 kill two birds with one stone should be removed and 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:27.920 replaced with less offensive ones like you're feeding a fed 0:15:28.080 --> 0:15:31.680 horse and you can feed two birds with one scud. 0:15:32.400 --> 0:15:36.480 That is a for real article. No, I see somebody, 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:40.120 I'll judge it. And you laugh. You're like, oh, come on, vegans, 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:44.520 animal activists, get over it. That's silly. Understand it's silly 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:48.120 to you but it's serious to them, so so serious 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:51.000 that some of these animal activists actually got arrested. They 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:55.120 were arrested because they were going to steakhouses with speakers 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:59.520 and they were playing the sound of slaughtered cows at 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:02.920 these states. And when the managers came out and said, no, 0:16:03.080 --> 0:16:07.840 hold up, y'all, can't do this, y'all gotta move, I 0:16:07.920 --> 0:16:14.400 had to they refused and got sent to jail. They 0:16:14.480 --> 0:16:18.840 got arrested. It was very serious to them. And this 0:16:19.120 --> 0:16:23.360 is the variability of offense that an offense that's silly 0:16:23.440 --> 0:16:27.040 to me might be serious to you, and an offense 0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:30.480 that's serious to you might be silly to me. And 0:16:30.520 --> 0:16:32.800 I don't care who you are under the sound of 0:16:32.880 --> 0:16:37.680 my voice. Every single person has something, some offense, some 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:41.000 touchy subject that if the right person on the wrong 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:45.080 day when you forgot to pray, hit that butty. Oh 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:47.960 you find yourself in a jail cell right next to 0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:54.320 the animal activists. Oh what do we do with our offenses? 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:59.240 Our offenses? You remember that game operation? Yeah, board game. 0:16:59.280 --> 0:17:03.600 This is before Fortnight. They had these board games and 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:05.159 there was a patient on the board game. You had 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:06.560 to get the tweezers, You had to get like his 0:17:06.640 --> 0:17:08.440 heart or his organ. But if you hit the wrong 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:11.800 spot the patient on the board games, his nose would 0:17:11.920 --> 0:17:15.840 light up and turn red. That's you, that's me. All 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:18.719 of us have offenses that if the right person hid it, 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:22.840 your nose would light up like Rudolph. What do we 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:26.600 do in a culture of offense? My Texas in Matthew 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:31.160 chapter fifteen, But in Matthew chapter twenty four, offense comes up. 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:34.600 The disciples privately come to Jesus and say, hey, Jesus, 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:37.720 how can we know the end of the age. How 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:39.879 can we know when you are coming back? You're going 0:17:39.920 --> 0:17:42.720 to return? And Jesus gives them a litany of things. 0:17:42.960 --> 0:17:45.880 He says, let no man deceive you. Many will come 0:17:45.880 --> 0:17:48.320 in my name saying I am Christ, and they will 0:17:48.359 --> 0:17:52.040 deceive many. He said, Nation will rise against nation, and 0:17:52.160 --> 0:17:56.040 kingdom against kingdom. There will be wars and rumors of wars, 0:17:56.040 --> 0:18:00.800 and earthquakes and diverse places and diseases, and Estillan says, 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:02.720 and when you're reading Matthew twenty four, you can get 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:05.679 lost in the suspense of the earthquakes and the diseases 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:10.720 that you'll miss. Matthew twenty four, Verse ten, where Jesus says, oh, 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:15.920 and then many will be offended. In other words, Jesus says, 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:19.760 one of the blues clues from my return is that 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:23.359 you will be in a culture, in a society of offense. 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:28.160 Matthew in Luke seventeen, not Matthew twenty four. Jesus brings 0:18:28.240 --> 0:18:31.200 up this issue of offense, and he calls his disciples 0:18:31.200 --> 0:18:32.800 and he says, to the disciples, let's look at it. 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:35.200 He says to the disciples, he's talking to disciples, any 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:38.240 disciples of Jesus. Okay, not four of you. Good to 0:18:38.280 --> 0:18:41.320 see you. And look what he says to the disciples. 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:45.760 He says, it is impossible. It is impossible. That got 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:47.760 my attention, because you know, when the God of the 0:18:47.800 --> 0:18:51.760 impossible is saying something is impossible, you better pay close attention. 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:54.920 What is impossible, Jesus to heal the sick, to raise 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:58.280 the dead. He's like, oh, that's easy. Now, here's what's impossible, 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:03.359 that no offense should come. In other words, Jesus saying, 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:07.840 I guarantee you offenses are gonna come in your life. 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:11.280 It is a part of being a breathing human. Offenses 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:15.520 are gonna come. He promises you that offenses are coming 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:18.479 he promises you. Your spouse is gonna get on your 0:19:18.520 --> 0:19:22.080 last nerve. He promises you, somebody's gonna send you the 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:25.800 wrong text message. He promises you, somebody's gonna see you 0:19:25.840 --> 0:19:28.240 at Walmart about to pull on a parking spot which 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:31.040 shall signal turn, and they gonna squeeze in there. And 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:35.280 he promises you. Offenses are gonna come. He later says 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:38.200 in the text, now don't let the offenses come through you. Now, 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:40.240 you don't be out there just causing offenses. He says, 0:19:40.280 --> 0:19:42.320 if you do that, it would be better for you 0:19:42.359 --> 0:19:45.600 to put a millstone around your neck and jump in 0:19:45.680 --> 0:19:48.919 the bottom of the sea. A millstone was a stone 0:19:48.960 --> 0:19:51.760 about the signs of a washing machine. He said. Now, 0:19:51.800 --> 0:19:55.400 you don't be the one doing offenses. He said, But offenses, Oh, 0:19:55.560 --> 0:19:58.439 they're gonna come. It is impossible for them not to come. 0:19:59.119 --> 0:20:01.919 But I noticed in the he did not say that 0:20:02.000 --> 0:20:07.240 it is impossible for you to not get offended. Because 0:20:07.280 --> 0:20:12.240 offenses and offended are two separate and distinct things. Oh, 0:20:12.320 --> 0:20:14.920 can I teach in her a little bit today? There's 0:20:14.960 --> 0:20:21.720 a difference between offense and offended. Offense is what happened. 0:20:22.680 --> 0:20:30.400 Offended is a reaction. Offense says, you did it, offended 0:20:30.480 --> 0:20:35.840 says I'll never forgive it. Offense Pastor Stephens says, is 0:20:35.880 --> 0:20:41.159 an event. Offended is a decision. The power of what 0:20:41.280 --> 0:20:44.720 Jesus is saying in this text is that offenses, Oh, 0:20:44.760 --> 0:20:50.040 those are inevitable, but offended, now that's optional. So if 0:20:50.080 --> 0:20:55.359 offenses are inevitable, but offended is optional, that means it 0:20:55.440 --> 0:20:59.080 is possible and plausible for you to live your life. 0:21:02.800 --> 0:21:07.399 Jesus says, I got a power and a grace that 0:21:07.560 --> 0:21:11.080 not many believers tap into. But it is possible for 0:21:11.160 --> 0:21:16.000 you to live your life unoffended. Oh, So the question 0:21:16.040 --> 0:21:18.719 I've been waiting all week to ask you At every location, 0:21:18.840 --> 0:21:20.600 I'm gonna drink the water before I ask it. Hold 0:21:20.600 --> 0:21:25.000 on one second, ready, this is the question I'm been 0:21:25.000 --> 0:21:28.520 waiting all week to ask you? What is your current 0:21:28.680 --> 0:21:33.880 level of offendability? I know offendibility is not a dictionary, 0:21:33.920 --> 0:21:37.040 but you know what I mean? How much does it 0:21:37.119 --> 0:21:41.600 take for you to get offended? And the only reason 0:21:41.640 --> 0:21:44.080 I'm asking you is because in my own life, in 0:21:44.119 --> 0:21:46.480 my own life, as I was seeking God, he spoke 0:21:46.520 --> 0:21:49.600 to me so clearly and said, Robert, your level of 0:21:49.600 --> 0:21:54.440 offendability is too high. He said, I got big things 0:21:54.440 --> 0:21:58.119 in store for you, massive things in store for you, 0:21:58.400 --> 0:22:01.679 things that your eyes have not said and your ears 0:22:01.760 --> 0:22:04.720 have not heard. Neither has it entered into the heart 0:22:04.760 --> 0:22:07.960 of men. The big things I've already prepared for you. 0:22:08.440 --> 0:22:11.040 But he said, you'll never be able to handle the 0:22:11.080 --> 0:22:14.560 big thing as long as it keeps taking the smallest 0:22:14.600 --> 0:22:20.439 thing for you to get offended. He said to me 0:22:21.840 --> 0:22:27.479 that your level of offendability is actually an indicator of 0:22:27.560 --> 0:22:31.880 the level of your spiritual maturity. So what God will 0:22:31.920 --> 0:22:36.360 often do is put your miracle on the other side 0:22:36.480 --> 0:22:39.399 of an offense, so that you will be faced with 0:22:39.480 --> 0:22:43.560 a decision to stay small where you are, or to 0:22:43.720 --> 0:22:47.600 grow up and get over it. Oh I'm preaching it 0:22:47.680 --> 0:22:50.560 here today. I might not get a lot of amen's, 0:22:50.640 --> 0:22:55.240 but this is for somebody. What do we do with 0:22:55.480 --> 0:22:59.080 our offenses? And when God spoke that to me, I 0:22:59.119 --> 0:23:02.800 didn't shout, I didn't clap, I didn't do the Holy 0:23:02.840 --> 0:23:07.040 Ghost two step. I got offended. I say, God, what 0:23:07.080 --> 0:23:09.920 do you mean my current level of offendability is too 0:23:10.240 --> 0:23:13.280 I don't get offended easily. Oh, I was so man. 0:23:13.320 --> 0:23:15.960 I didn't talk to Jesus for like two weeks. No 0:23:16.040 --> 0:23:17.920 I'm for real, because you do know that God knows 0:23:17.920 --> 0:23:21.280 how to offend you. Oh, come on, can't nobody offends 0:23:21.280 --> 0:23:25.880 you like Jesus. Jesus knows how to offend you. He 0:23:25.920 --> 0:23:29.240 can't help but offend you. It's who he is. Come on, 0:23:29.359 --> 0:23:33.480 he is the way, the Oh there, it is the 0:23:33.560 --> 0:23:37.639 truth and the life and the truth. By nature it offends. 0:23:37.960 --> 0:23:40.800 Sometimes Jesus will tick you off with the truth. Before 0:23:40.800 --> 0:23:45.080 that truth can transform you, he will offend you. I'm 0:23:45.119 --> 0:23:51.520 telling Jesus is like spandex toddlers and drunk people. He 0:23:51.600 --> 0:23:54.080 gonna give you the truth, whether you will like it 0:23:54.200 --> 0:23:59.480 or not. Somebody get that tomorrow. I'm telling you, Jesus 0:24:00.520 --> 0:24:07.680 he of every relationship you have. Every relationship you have 0:24:07.800 --> 0:24:11.439 runs the risk of offense. Come on, relationship is the 0:24:11.520 --> 0:24:15.399 context of offense. You don't get offended in isolation. Come on, 0:24:15.440 --> 0:24:17.000 you don't look in the mirror talking about I can't 0:24:17.040 --> 0:24:19.800 stand what you did to me, at least not all 0:24:19.840 --> 0:24:23.480 of us. Come on, it's in the context of relationship. 0:24:23.480 --> 0:24:26.640 I submit to you that if Jesus has never offended you, 0:24:26.640 --> 0:24:30.560 you might not have relationship with Jesus. Had all, he 0:24:30.720 --> 0:24:33.200 will offend you, So all I'm saying is that sometimes 0:24:33.280 --> 0:24:37.160 Jesus is offending you, and sometimes people are offending you, 0:24:37.720 --> 0:24:40.679 and sometimes it's both at the same time. And that 0:24:40.760 --> 0:24:43.119 is exactly what is happening in our text today. In 0:24:43.160 --> 0:24:48.159 the Gospel of Matthew fifteen, the Bible says, a Canaanite woman, 0:24:49.040 --> 0:24:53.960 a Canaanite woman, She is a pagan to the Israelites. 0:24:54.040 --> 0:24:59.600 A Canaanite woman. This is years of strife, years of offense, 0:25:00.200 --> 0:25:03.800 years of arguing between the Canaanites and the Israelites. Do 0:25:03.880 --> 0:25:05.879 you know how much courage it took for that woman 0:25:06.160 --> 0:25:09.000 to roll up on this Jewish man named Jesus and 0:25:09.040 --> 0:25:13.199 his Jewish homeboys, after the years of a fence between 0:25:13.200 --> 0:25:15.280 the Canaanites and the israel Do you know how much 0:25:15.400 --> 0:25:17.320 courage it took for her to walk up to him 0:25:17.359 --> 0:25:19.440 that day? Come on, have you ever had to walk 0:25:19.480 --> 0:25:21.600 into a room that you knew the people in the 0:25:21.680 --> 0:25:24.520 room hated you, but you had to walk in anyway 0:25:24.960 --> 0:25:31.680 because your check was in there or whatever. I mean, 0:25:31.720 --> 0:25:34.600 you know how much courage it took for this woman 0:25:34.720 --> 0:25:38.320 to walk into this room. What would make a Canaanite 0:25:38.359 --> 0:25:41.840 woman walk into a room in an atmosphere with the 0:25:42.040 --> 0:25:45.280 Jewish Messiah and his disciples. I'll tell you what made 0:25:45.280 --> 0:25:48.679 her do it. The devil was messing with her daughter. 0:25:49.400 --> 0:25:52.800 And come on, when the devil is messing with your child, Oh, 0:25:52.840 --> 0:25:55.840 come on where the parents had. When the devil is 0:25:56.000 --> 0:25:59.840 messing with your child, all stuff will come out of 0:25:59.880 --> 0:26:02.560 you that you didn't even know what's there. When the 0:26:02.560 --> 0:26:05.280 devil is messing with your child, Oh you'll find a 0:26:05.400 --> 0:26:08.000 prayer room you're like, don't play that music. Come on, 0:26:08.080 --> 0:26:12.399 play on some elevation. Ha laylu You'll get costco oil 0:26:12.640 --> 0:26:16.080 and just start throwing it all over the world. Oh, 0:26:16.119 --> 0:26:18.520 come on, I didn't know this till I had kids myself, 0:26:18.560 --> 0:26:21.199 my wife and I I did not know this that 0:26:21.280 --> 0:26:23.720 It's one thing for the devil to mess with your job. 0:26:24.160 --> 0:26:26.400 It's one thing for him to mess with your Honda accord. 0:26:26.760 --> 0:26:29.959 It's a whole other thing when he starts messing with 0:26:30.000 --> 0:26:33.520 your child. Come on, have you noticed other people can 0:26:33.560 --> 0:26:36.640 say the same thing about your child that if you said, 0:26:36.680 --> 0:26:40.040 but they say it, it's a problem. Come on, you 0:26:40.119 --> 0:26:41.920 know your child will make you call on the word 0:26:42.040 --> 0:26:44.240 late and say I'm gonna be late today. Walk right 0:26:44.280 --> 0:26:46.960 into the teacher's classroom and said, what did you say 0:26:47.040 --> 0:26:50.240 about my child on this note? No, no, he's creative. 0:26:50.480 --> 0:26:54.639 You can't teach. That's the real problem. So mess with 0:26:54.680 --> 0:26:58.800 people's children. I'm telling you, Oh, your child will make 0:26:58.800 --> 0:27:01.040 you low kick A eighth grade on the playground said, 0:27:01.040 --> 0:27:06.280 I wish you would bully my kid again. Also, this woman, 0:27:06.480 --> 0:27:10.120 she walks right into that room. She said, I don't 0:27:10.119 --> 0:27:13.200 care if you're rolling your eyes, Peter, suck your teeth 0:27:13.200 --> 0:27:16.520 all you want, Judas, I don't care. I don't care. 0:27:16.880 --> 0:27:19.600 I don't care what y'all think about me. This is serious. 0:27:19.920 --> 0:27:23.399 I'm tired of the devil torment in my baby girl. 0:27:23.720 --> 0:27:26.720 I'm tired of being up all night with her. I'm 0:27:26.800 --> 0:27:30.000 tired of this. And I heard that this Jesus has 0:27:30.040 --> 0:27:33.680 the power to heal the sin and raise the tam. 0:27:34.160 --> 0:27:38.760 I heard the demon shrimble and just the mention of 0:27:38.960 --> 0:27:43.400 his matchless name. So, Jesus, if you're steal in the 0:27:43.440 --> 0:27:48.080 demon passing out business, please I feel I preach you 0:27:48.160 --> 0:27:53.920 now have mus see. Oh don't care what y'all think 0:27:53.960 --> 0:27:59.200 about me. This is my baby girl, said Lord, please, 0:27:59.440 --> 0:28:02.639 Son of David, she's a pagan talking about Son of David. 0:28:03.280 --> 0:28:05.399 I'm telling her some trouble that hits your life that'll 0:28:05.400 --> 0:28:09.320 make you say whooh, Father, God, Jaho, Vagirah, all your names. 0:28:09.400 --> 0:28:15.359 I need you, please help my baby girl. She cries 0:28:15.400 --> 0:28:19.199 out to him, and Jesus hears her. He hears her 0:28:19.200 --> 0:28:23.560 loud and clear. But after she cries out, son of David, 0:28:23.640 --> 0:28:36.200 have mercy, Jesus pulls out his phone. She just goes, Lord, 0:28:37.280 --> 0:28:47.760 son of David, have mercy my baby girl. And Jesus, oh, 0:28:47.760 --> 0:28:50.800 you don't believe it. It's in the text verse twenty three. 0:28:51.640 --> 0:28:58.520 Jesus did not answer a word. He didn't say, and 0:28:58.560 --> 0:29:03.600 she pours out her heart and he completely ignores her. 0:29:04.760 --> 0:29:07.800 Have you ever had to deal with the offense of 0:29:07.840 --> 0:29:16.640 being ignored? The offense of being ignored? Where did that 0:29:16.680 --> 0:29:20.520 come from? See, I'm so glad you brought that out there, 0:29:20.560 --> 0:29:23.760 because this is how life works. An offense is actually 0:29:23.760 --> 0:29:26.360 a stumbling block. It's a stumbling block. You're just going 0:29:26.400 --> 0:29:28.400 through your life and all of a sudden, just out 0:29:28.400 --> 0:29:31.720 of the plu you got an offense. Have you ever 0:29:31.800 --> 0:29:34.840 had to deal with the offense of being ignored? Where 0:29:34.880 --> 0:29:37.920 you cried out to Jesus he didn't say, Yes, he 0:29:37.960 --> 0:29:42.680 didn't say no, he didn't say maybe nothing at all. 0:29:43.480 --> 0:29:47.160 All the pain of the offense of being ignored is 0:29:47.320 --> 0:29:50.440 so frustrating. I can relate. I can relate to this 0:29:50.480 --> 0:29:54.080 woman because I have a father, a Nigerian father, and 0:29:54.320 --> 0:29:56.120 I remember being a kid and I would I would 0:29:56.120 --> 0:29:57.880 ask my dad like my teens and I would ask 0:29:57.920 --> 0:30:00.880 my Nigerian father. I'd be like sixteen, and I asked 0:30:00.920 --> 0:30:02.600 him a simple question. I can see it like it 0:30:02.640 --> 0:30:04.800 was yesterday. He'd be at the kitchen table reading the paper. 0:30:05.280 --> 0:30:08.760 A simple question like, Dad, I'm sixteen, I'm grown, and uh, 0:30:09.840 --> 0:30:12.680 there's a party going on this Friday at a house 0:30:12.760 --> 0:30:15.280 you don't know, with people you don't know. And I'm 0:30:15.280 --> 0:30:18.200 gonna be back probably about two am. Is it cool 0:30:18.320 --> 0:30:21.400 for me to go this party? And my Nigerian father 0:30:22.400 --> 0:30:29.320 would put down the paper and look at me. I 0:30:29.320 --> 0:30:33.160 asked the question. He would not say anything, but just 0:30:33.200 --> 0:30:37.720 give me a look like you haven't lost your mind, 0:30:40.280 --> 0:30:42.640 And I say a word, and then just go right 0:30:42.680 --> 0:30:45.760 back to reading them. And it wouldn't make me so 0:30:46.040 --> 0:30:50.880 mad because it just ignored me. All the offense of 0:30:51.080 --> 0:30:55.040 being ignored, I think being ignored is worse than being 0:30:55.080 --> 0:30:59.240 rejected because when I'm rejected. At least I know where 0:30:59.240 --> 0:31:02.560 we stand. You don't like me, cool, thank you. Next, 0:31:02.600 --> 0:31:05.480 it's fine. I know you don't like me. But when 0:31:05.520 --> 0:31:08.760 you ignore me and you don't say anything. When I 0:31:08.920 --> 0:31:12.800 send you a text message and you don't respond at 0:31:12.840 --> 0:31:15.320 all to the text and you're one of the crazy 0:31:15.360 --> 0:31:22.800 ones that got the notification where it says you let 0:31:22.880 --> 0:31:29.640 me know you saw it, didn't say anything. Ever dealt 0:31:29.680 --> 0:31:34.960 with the offense of being ignored. Wonder does anybody say, God, 0:31:35.000 --> 0:31:38.400 do you send me to other people see me? I 0:31:38.520 --> 0:31:42.080 think about David who wasn't even invited to the party 0:31:42.120 --> 0:31:47.000 when they were looking for a king. He was completely ignored. 0:31:47.120 --> 0:31:50.760 The offense of being ignored. It's so pervasive in our 0:31:50.760 --> 0:31:53.360 culture today because we live in a society where everybody 0:31:53.440 --> 0:31:56.920 has this incessant need to be noticed. Have you noticed, 0:31:58.280 --> 0:32:01.200 like don't you see me? And it can be difficult 0:32:01.240 --> 0:32:03.240 to deal with the offense of being ignored. He said, 0:32:03.320 --> 0:32:06.560 not a word if that was me. Oh, and I 0:32:06.600 --> 0:32:09.280 came to Jesus and said, my baby girl is being 0:32:09.280 --> 0:32:13.120 demon possessed and he ignored me. Oh that's it, I'm 0:32:13.120 --> 0:32:15.960 over it. Oh that's cool. Oh no, that's cool. I said, 0:32:15.960 --> 0:32:18.760 you didn't ignore blind Bartimaeus, you didn't annoy the one 0:32:18.800 --> 0:32:21.480 with the issue of blood. Yeah, they posted all they miracles, 0:32:21.520 --> 0:32:23.960 but you ain't got time for me. Now it's fine, 0:32:24.080 --> 0:32:26.400 Now it's cool. You a good, good father. Yeah right, 0:32:26.440 --> 0:32:31.760 you're a jerk. I'm over it. Not this woman, she 0:32:31.920 --> 0:32:36.000 kept asking, please, please, please. You know how crazy you 0:32:36.040 --> 0:32:39.280 look to be persistent when he didn't even say anything. 0:32:39.720 --> 0:32:42.520 But I'm telling you sometimes there's power in your persistence. 0:32:42.920 --> 0:32:44.480 I don't know who this is for, but you gave 0:32:44.560 --> 0:32:50.360 up too soon. Don't stop. Keep pushing, keep pressing. She said, please, 0:32:50.560 --> 0:32:57.320 I ain't leaving. Please. She was persistent. She didn't get 0:32:57.320 --> 0:33:00.920 a response out of Jesus. She got a response out 0:33:00.960 --> 0:33:05.400 of his disciples. This woman kept going to disciples, get annoyed. 0:33:05.760 --> 0:33:10.960 They're like, this girl, Felicia is not gonna leave. Obviously, 0:33:12.480 --> 0:33:15.920 don't worry, Jesus, we got you, Jesus. I want to 0:33:15.960 --> 0:33:18.479 see what disciples say. They said, Jesus, here's what we 0:33:18.480 --> 0:33:22.520 should do. Send her away for she keeps crying out 0:33:23.480 --> 0:33:31.400 after us. Somebody called it, send her away. She keeps 0:33:31.480 --> 0:33:38.640 crying out after us. Really, Disciples, where in the text 0:33:38.920 --> 0:33:43.440 did she cry out after you? You You can't do anything. 0:33:43.480 --> 0:33:47.880 Didn't nobody say your name that they didn't want you. See, 0:33:47.880 --> 0:33:50.240 this is the problem with some people to hang around Jesus. 0:33:50.560 --> 0:33:54.080 Sometimes they get it twisted. You think people want you. No, 0:33:54.520 --> 0:33:57.760 I want Jesus. He's the only one that's got the 0:33:57.920 --> 0:34:01.360 power to change the situal way. If you move out 0:34:01.400 --> 0:34:09.719 the way I could get to them. The disciples represent 0:34:09.960 --> 0:34:19.719 the offense of the institution the church. Disciples clearly demonstrate 0:34:19.840 --> 0:34:24.920 for us that sometimes the greatest offenses we occur are 0:34:24.920 --> 0:34:29.359 not necessarily from Jesus, but from the people who bear 0:34:29.480 --> 0:34:34.600 his name, the people who represent them. Have you ever 0:34:34.760 --> 0:34:39.080 dealt when an offense in the church the disciples come 0:34:39.120 --> 0:34:42.520 on the disciples, you're the very ones who are rejects 0:34:42.560 --> 0:34:47.200 an outcasts. Then Jesus reached out to you, and now 0:34:47.280 --> 0:34:51.959 you're rejecting people because you've been around Jesus a while. 0:34:52.080 --> 0:34:56.160 Your Instagram followers are blowing up. Now you thinking that 0:34:56.400 --> 0:34:59.640 what do you do with the offense? When you've been 0:34:59.719 --> 0:35:04.040 heard the institution of the church or people in the church, 0:35:04.719 --> 0:35:06.319 and you be shocked at the people who are not 0:35:06.920 --> 0:35:10.000 in any of the locations today and some of the 0:35:10.040 --> 0:35:13.120 people who are in them who are still wrestling with 0:35:13.160 --> 0:35:18.879 the hurt of the offense that came from somebody who 0:35:18.920 --> 0:35:22.920 bared his name. And if I could just speak to you, 0:35:23.080 --> 0:35:26.080 just for a moment, can I tell you this. I'm 0:35:26.080 --> 0:35:29.160 not saying what they did was right. I'm not saying 0:35:29.160 --> 0:35:31.279 what they did was okay. But can I tell you this, 0:35:32.440 --> 0:35:37.400 Never project the nature of man onto the character of God. 0:35:39.120 --> 0:35:44.040 Never project the nature of man onto the character of God. 0:35:44.160 --> 0:35:47.440 Just because they forsook you. He's not gonna forsake you. 0:35:47.920 --> 0:35:51.280 Just because they were wrong. It doesn't mean God is wrong. 0:35:52.280 --> 0:35:55.359 Can I also say that God has this uncanny way 0:35:56.280 --> 0:36:01.719 of also using the church to heal your church. So 0:36:01.880 --> 0:36:07.120 don't leave. Stay planted. And this woman, she didn't leave. 0:36:07.920 --> 0:36:11.920 She said, I'm gonst stay. And because she stayed, God spoke. 0:36:12.560 --> 0:36:15.040 I don't know who that's for today, but God told 0:36:15.040 --> 0:36:18.280 me to tell you. If you'll stay, he'll speak. Don't 0:36:18.280 --> 0:36:22.920 walk away. If you stay, he will speak. But you 0:36:23.000 --> 0:36:26.200 might not like what he says, because look at what 0:36:26.200 --> 0:36:29.400 he says to her. He says, I was sent only 0:36:30.400 --> 0:36:34.120 to the lost sheep of Israel. Let me translate it 0:36:34.160 --> 0:36:39.040 for you, girl. I am here for you. You are 0:36:39.080 --> 0:36:43.960 an outsider. I am here first for the children of Israel. 0:36:44.280 --> 0:36:47.520 I'm on a mission. I'm on an assignment. This is 0:36:47.560 --> 0:36:53.520 the offense of insignificance. Can you imagine how she felt? 0:36:54.640 --> 0:36:57.200 He said, I am not here for you. You're not 0:36:57.280 --> 0:37:01.399 my focus right now. My focus is actual on the 0:37:01.520 --> 0:37:07.120 lost sheep of Israel, the offense of insignificance. And let 0:37:07.160 --> 0:37:10.200 me teach you just for a moment, y'all good? Because 0:37:10.400 --> 0:37:16.240 offenses are like lenses. Okay, anytime you have an offense 0:37:16.280 --> 0:37:18.759 with somebody, it's like a lens. Would you come up here, 0:37:18.760 --> 0:37:22.719 what's your name, Litho, Litho? Would you take off your 0:37:22.719 --> 0:37:25.279 glasses real quickly. See, let's say I got into it 0:37:25.320 --> 0:37:29.759 with Letho, like you, bro, we had an offense, we 0:37:29.800 --> 0:37:35.160 had a falling out. The moment the offense occurs, put 0:37:35.239 --> 0:37:40.279 them back on lenses. Offenses are lenses. I see it 0:37:40.280 --> 0:37:43.839 a certain way, you see it a certain way. You 0:37:43.880 --> 0:37:46.319 always see the offense from your vantage point. That's why 0:37:46.320 --> 0:37:49.680 when you tell the story, they're always the villain and 0:37:49.760 --> 0:37:53.759 you're the victim. Can you believe they did that? That's 0:37:53.800 --> 0:37:56.960 why I always asked, did they really say that? Or 0:37:57.040 --> 0:38:01.319 is that how you see it? Because if we just 0:38:01.440 --> 0:38:07.920 traded glasses, offenses or lenses. And if I put my 0:38:08.160 --> 0:38:13.239 goodness linto is blind, No wonder you saw it like that? 0:38:16.000 --> 0:38:19.359 Say yes, your issue and he's got mine on talking 0:38:19.400 --> 0:38:22.040 about man, how has he even reading the time clock? 0:38:22.120 --> 0:38:29.920 No wonder he going over? Because offenses are lenses. So 0:38:29.960 --> 0:38:32.000 when the fence comes, you gotta say, Lord, help me 0:38:32.840 --> 0:38:36.759 to see this the right way. Or even better, it 0:38:36.880 --> 0:38:39.920 gets somebody else in the situation that don't got glasses 0:38:40.120 --> 0:38:42.520 and say, both of y'all blind, both of y'all jacked up. 0:38:42.640 --> 0:38:46.920 Let me tell you what's going on. Fences or lenses. 0:38:46.960 --> 0:38:51.160 So watch this from her vantage point, I'm here only 0:38:51.160 --> 0:38:55.239 for the lost sheep of Israel. I'm insignificant, but from 0:38:55.400 --> 0:38:59.879 Jesus vantage point, it is not insignificance. It is precedents. 0:39:01.239 --> 0:39:05.440 I'm not saying you're insignificant, but I'm saying the children 0:39:05.440 --> 0:39:09.319 of Israel take precedence. And just because they take precedence 0:39:09.600 --> 0:39:12.880 doesn't mean you're insignificant. Okay, I lost some of you. 0:39:13.160 --> 0:39:16.960 This is the equivalent of you springing your ankle and 0:39:17.000 --> 0:39:19.480 going to the hospital for them to see about your ankle, 0:39:19.920 --> 0:39:21.920 and as they're rolling you in to take care of 0:39:21.960 --> 0:39:25.640 your ankle, All of a sudden, a gunshot wound victim 0:39:25.880 --> 0:39:28.399 comes in the room, so they put you to the side, 0:39:28.480 --> 0:39:31.480 throw you a bag of ice, and they cream the 0:39:31.560 --> 0:39:34.600 gunshot victim wound in and they start treating him. How 0:39:34.719 --> 0:39:38.200 crazy would you look? So? Oh, really, are you just 0:39:38.239 --> 0:39:40.440 gonna take care of him? Oh? No, it's cool. I 0:39:40.480 --> 0:39:43.879 guess I'm insignificant. Now take your ice. I'm good Now. 0:39:43.960 --> 0:39:50.800 This hospital don't love people. I'm five nahaboo boo. But 0:39:50.960 --> 0:39:55.520 now saying you're insignificant, it's just that this victim takes precedence. 0:39:56.320 --> 0:40:01.480 But in the culture where everybody is a narcissist, he 0:40:01.640 --> 0:40:07.480 focus is on you. You'll look at insignificance and go, man, 0:40:08.320 --> 0:40:11.920 I guess he doesn't care about me at all. If 0:40:11.960 --> 0:40:15.800 that was me, if that was most of us, these 0:40:15.880 --> 0:40:19.080 three what already made us be over it and be going. 0:40:19.160 --> 0:40:22.000 How many people do you know who felt like they've 0:40:22.040 --> 0:40:25.319 been ignored by God and people and the church has 0:40:25.400 --> 0:40:27.759 hurt them, and they've been made to feel insignificant so 0:40:27.880 --> 0:40:33.120 they walk away. But not this woman, Oh, this woman, 0:40:33.280 --> 0:40:37.840 watch this. She gets down on her knees, she changes 0:40:37.880 --> 0:40:43.719 her posture. She says, Jesus, please Lord, please help me 0:40:44.160 --> 0:40:46.400 she said, no, I know it's a lot of offenses, 0:40:46.719 --> 0:40:50.000 but I'm not gonna walk away. I'm just gonna worship you. 0:40:50.640 --> 0:40:52.680 Come on, you know you are on the edge of 0:40:52.719 --> 0:40:56.160 your breakthrough. When you could have walked away, you had 0:40:56.239 --> 0:40:59.520 every reason to quit, to walk away and throw on 0:40:59.600 --> 0:41:02.120 the t but thiss Dad, I just said, no, I'm 0:41:02.160 --> 0:41:06.120 gonna worship you. I'm gonna give you a glory and honor. 0:41:06.520 --> 0:41:10.240 I don't understand this. I don't know why this is happening, 0:41:10.600 --> 0:41:14.520 but I know that you're still worthy, you still deserve 0:41:14.719 --> 0:41:24.040 my worship. Please, please, please. She just worship him. Oh, 0:41:24.160 --> 0:41:27.000 they said it in the testimony video. She said, I 0:41:27.080 --> 0:41:32.319 started to seek the healer more than the healing. She 0:41:32.640 --> 0:41:37.360 just worshiped. She didn't walk away, and I would have 0:41:37.400 --> 0:41:44.320 thought that the worship would have got God's attention. Jesus 0:41:44.480 --> 0:41:51.400 turns up the heat even more, brings the hardest offense. 0:41:52.680 --> 0:41:58.480 He looks at her and says, you're worshiping, but you 0:41:58.480 --> 0:42:02.560 know it's not right to take the children's bread and 0:42:02.680 --> 0:42:12.719 toss it to the dogs. Jesus, the compassionate Savior, the 0:42:12.800 --> 0:42:18.960 loving Father full of grace, caused this woman a dog. 0:42:20.480 --> 0:42:23.839 Now there are some cultural differences that we don't understand 0:42:24.719 --> 0:42:28.239 because in that culture, if you were outside of the 0:42:28.320 --> 0:42:32.480 covenant with Abraham, you were an outsider. You were a dog. 0:42:32.600 --> 0:42:36.200 Dogs were outside. So it was very common for Jews 0:42:36.200 --> 0:42:40.960 to call gentiles dogs. Jesus were just keep him with 0:42:41.000 --> 0:42:44.640 the culture called her a dog. But if you study 0:42:44.640 --> 0:42:46.160 this text, one of the things you will find is 0:42:46.160 --> 0:42:50.040 that he doesn't use the common Greek word for dog, 0:42:50.560 --> 0:42:53.360 which was a wild dog. That's what they called him. 0:42:53.719 --> 0:42:59.160 He uses pet dog, pet dog. And if you study this, 0:42:59.200 --> 0:43:02.440 you'll see all these comentators and scholars defending Jesus like now, 0:43:02.440 --> 0:43:04.600 hold up, now, hold on now. He did call her 0:43:04.600 --> 0:43:06.920 a dog, but it was a pet dog, Okay, not 0:43:07.000 --> 0:43:09.520 a wild dog. He used a different term. It was 0:43:09.560 --> 0:43:12.960 a pet under defending Jesus, and I'm reading it going, uh, 0:43:13.080 --> 0:43:17.040 either way you look at it, it's bad. Pet dog, 0:43:17.239 --> 0:43:19.640 wild dog. He called her a dog. This is the 0:43:19.680 --> 0:43:26.000 offense of being insulted. Have you ever felt like, be honest, 0:43:26.800 --> 0:43:32.120 your situation was insulting. How can you help others people's 0:43:32.200 --> 0:43:36.719 children and your child is on drugs? How can you 0:43:36.760 --> 0:43:40.080 help so many other marriages? Your marriages is falling apart? 0:43:41.000 --> 0:43:45.359 Have you ever felt insulted. He called her a dolt. Yes, 0:43:45.400 --> 0:43:50.359 a pet dog, but it's still a dog. Oh if 0:43:50.400 --> 0:43:55.640 that was me, let's be honest, if that was most 0:43:55.719 --> 0:44:05.839 of us, we've been ignored, were made to feel insignificant, insulted. Oh, 0:44:07.280 --> 0:44:10.560 I'm over it, and I think this woman, for a 0:44:10.680 --> 0:44:15.560 moment was over it. It's like I tried everything I know. 0:44:17.000 --> 0:44:20.319 He keeps bringing a fence after a fence, and to 0:44:20.440 --> 0:44:26.120 add it, Oh, you call me a dog. Whatever, Jesus, 0:44:26.120 --> 0:44:29.759 I'm over it, but I think somewhere it hit her. 0:44:30.760 --> 0:44:34.480 You should be. Wait a minute, you call me a dog. 0:44:36.800 --> 0:44:43.800 You call me a pet dog. All the other Jewish 0:44:43.800 --> 0:44:50.680 people say wild dog, you said pet dog. Wait a minute. 0:44:52.000 --> 0:44:55.600 There's a difference between a wild dog and a pet dog. 0:44:57.440 --> 0:45:01.719 A wild dog doesn't have a place. A pet dog 0:45:01.800 --> 0:45:06.400 has a place. A pet dog can find shelter. A 0:45:06.440 --> 0:45:09.160 pet dog can be protected when it's raining, when it's 0:45:09.200 --> 0:45:12.000 cold down. So you call me a pet dog. Wait 0:45:12.040 --> 0:45:14.960 a minute. Wait a minute. What wild dogs have to 0:45:15.080 --> 0:45:18.440 scrap for food and go through trash cans and get 0:45:18.480 --> 0:45:21.719 whatever bones and leftovers they find on the street, but 0:45:22.360 --> 0:45:26.360 not a pet dog. Pet dogs get to eat whatever 0:45:26.480 --> 0:45:31.040 their master is eating. Oh, if the master's eating steak, 0:45:31.400 --> 0:45:35.799 the pet dog is eating steak. If the master's eating lobster, 0:45:36.239 --> 0:45:40.560 the pet dog is eating lips. Wait a minute, maybe 0:45:40.600 --> 0:45:43.440 it has nothing to do with the dog, but just 0:45:43.520 --> 0:45:48.560 showing me that life is predicated upon who your master is. 0:45:49.200 --> 0:45:51.960 So guess what, Jesus, I don't care if you call 0:45:52.080 --> 0:45:56.000 me a dog, a cow, or a cat. I'm not 0:45:56.160 --> 0:46:01.560 walking away just because of these offenses, the even stumbling blocks, 0:46:02.000 --> 0:46:07.200 these are actually stepping stones. So I'm the gins over it. 0:46:07.880 --> 0:46:12.759 I'm over being ignored. I'm over the church herds. I'm 0:46:12.960 --> 0:46:18.720 over being made to feel insignificancewer I'm over being insulted. 0:46:19.440 --> 0:46:24.080 Was not our sager insulted? And he hung on the cross. 0:46:24.440 --> 0:46:28.600 And that is that Father forgets them, for they know 0:46:28.840 --> 0:46:33.520 not one thing. Do I got to dip over this 0:46:34.800 --> 0:46:38.239 or somebody want to give got the best praise that 0:46:38.360 --> 0:46:48.640 you can't it over it? And at that moment, at 0:46:48.800 --> 0:47:06.640 that moment in the midical pain, at that moment, which 0:47:06.760 --> 0:47:14.239 moment the moment you get over it? Before I came 0:47:14.280 --> 0:47:17.239 in the service today, I told him they said, when 0:47:17.320 --> 0:47:22.640 do we bring the miracle out? I said, bring out 0:47:22.680 --> 0:47:29.400 the miracle the moment I get over that last offense. 0:47:30.520 --> 0:47:34.200 But the miracle was back there the whole time. I 0:47:34.320 --> 0:47:38.520 came to tell somebody to take God's got your miracle. 0:47:39.360 --> 0:47:47.359 You just gotta take a stop, get over it, Get 0:47:47.440 --> 0:47:53.799 over it ease here in my heart today I know 0:47:53.920 --> 0:47:58.279 we use it over it casually to dismiss and say 0:47:58.320 --> 0:48:01.160 that the offense wasn't not a deal. I'm telling you 0:48:01.719 --> 0:48:04.520 it could have been a big deal. I'm not saying 0:48:04.560 --> 0:48:10.360 they're right. I'm just saying you have a decision. You 0:48:10.400 --> 0:48:13.960 can stay stuck where you are. You can say I 0:48:14.040 --> 0:48:23.360 want my miracle more than any offense that comes my way. 0:48:25.800 --> 0:48:32.960 Offense is an event. Offended is a decision, and God 0:48:33.000 --> 0:48:37.759 wants to give somebody the grace today to get over it. 0:48:39.680 --> 0:48:44.640 She would have never gotten her miracle she walked away 0:48:45.640 --> 0:48:49.719 at any one of those offenses. No wonder. Jesus looks 0:48:49.760 --> 0:48:54.640 at her and says, woman, you have great faith. She 0:48:54.800 --> 0:48:57.440 is one of the only two people in the entire 0:48:57.680 --> 0:49:04.640 New Testament that Jesus commended their faith. Why does she 0:49:04.680 --> 0:49:08.000 have great faith? She said, I'm not gonna let any 0:49:08.040 --> 0:49:13.359 offense stop. Ma'am want the grace to get over it. 0:49:15.080 --> 0:49:17.640 Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of 0:49:17.680 --> 0:49:20.680 you who give generously to this ministry is because of 0:49:20.680 --> 0:49:23.640 you that this ministry is possible. You can click the 0:49:23.640 --> 0:49:27.400 link in the description to give now, or visit Elevationchurch 0:49:27.560 --> 0:49:30.800 dot org slash podcast for more information and if you 0:49:30.880 --> 0:49:34.120 enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it 0:49:34.160 --> 0:49:36.440 with your friends. You can click the share button, take 0:49:36.480 --> 0:49:38.840 a screenshot and share it on your social stories and 0:49:38.880 --> 0:49:41.759 tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God 0:49:41.760 --> 0:49:47.160 bless you.