Lonely Places

0:00:01.960 --> 0:00:05.000 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdik. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, 0:00:05.080 --> 0:00:07.120 and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you 0:00:07.160 --> 0:00:10.440 for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:12.639 builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to see 0:00:12.640 --> 0:00:17.560 God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. Those 0:00:17.560 --> 0:00:19.120 of you who are here in the room, be seated. 0:00:19.200 --> 0:00:23.000 Let's get started. And those of you who are a 0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:27.480 part of our EFAM, our global extended family, or as 0:00:27.520 --> 0:00:31.680 we call it these days, everybody family, because none of 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:34.040 us are really you know, it's kind of been weird. 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:37.800 I always have the worship team come back out here 0:00:37.840 --> 0:00:40.199 and sit with me while I preach. One of my 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:42.720 preacher friends was like, why do you have the worship 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:45.440 team up there? And I was like, it's lonely up here, man. 0:00:46.440 --> 0:00:52.640 And especially it's kind of ominous preaching in an empty 0:00:52.680 --> 0:00:57.720 auditorium because we built this room for, like, I don't 0:00:57.720 --> 0:00:59.279 know one hundred times the amount of people that we're 0:00:59.280 --> 0:01:02.040 allowed to put in here right now, so it's kind 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:05.560 of it's kind of creepy. I mean, I'm not saying 0:01:05.600 --> 0:01:07.280 anything bad about those of y'all who are here, but 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:09.800 it just looks like the rapture happened, and y'all weren't 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:14.640 living right when it did. We all missed it. So 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:16.679 it's kind of lonely up here on preaching. Are y'all 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:20.039 the only ones coming back today? There's more coming? Yeah, 0:01:20.319 --> 0:01:23.160 even since the first week of when we went into quarantine. 0:01:23.200 --> 0:01:25.440 I was like, if y'all could just keep some stools 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:28.199 back there, and when you put your mics down, grab 0:01:28.240 --> 0:01:31.520 a stool and come sit with me, because it'll just 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:34.160 help me to not feel lonely. And you wouldn't think 0:01:34.160 --> 0:01:36.720 the pulpit would be a lonely place, but sometimes it 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:40.919 can be because you're bearing your soul for everybody to see, 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:45.600 and especially some people have these facial expressions when you're preaching. 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:50.280 They look at you with a very I don't want 0:01:50.280 --> 0:01:51.920 to be judgmental in the way I put this, but 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:56.120 they look at you like they never did anything wrong 0:01:56.160 --> 0:01:59.360 in their life, and they look at you like they 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:01.440 might have something better to do. Not not everybody looks 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:04.480 at you that way, but sometimes when you're preaching, it's 0:02:04.520 --> 0:02:06.400 like you're trying to give out a bunch of love, 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:09.240 and sometimes you don't get the same amount of love back. 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:13.240 So in an empty room. It's different or an almost 0:02:13.280 --> 0:02:14.760 empty room. I don't know what you can see, but 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:19.440 all these seats are empty. It's kind of lonely. You know. 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:26.400 It's kind of lonely lately. It's been kind of lonely lately, 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:32.160 hadn't it. It's been kind of lonely. And we used 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:35.000 to get to come to church, and this was one 0:02:35.080 --> 0:02:38.040 place where we could come. You know, whether you were 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:41.400 going to a rock Hill formerly rock Hill now known 0:02:41.440 --> 0:02:44.320 as Riverwalk Campus, or whether you were going to our 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:49.240 Gaston campus or Blakeney Campus or Valentine here where I preach, 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:52.600 or Raleigh Durham or Morrisville or Greenville or Greensboro. We 0:02:52.639 --> 0:02:55.520 had all these campuses, and the idea was where you 0:02:55.560 --> 0:02:58.160 could come out and be with others and to know 0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:02.079 that you're not alone in this thing called faith. You're 0:03:02.120 --> 0:03:05.200 not alone in this battle called life. Somebody say it 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:08.240 in the chat, I'm not alone. I'm not alone, and 0:03:08.320 --> 0:03:11.280 just make eye contact with somebody, if anybody's there, and 0:03:11.280 --> 0:03:14.680 tell them you're not alone, You're not alone, You're not alone. 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:17.240 But right now it's kind of harder for us to 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:20.440 do that because even if you were here, I couldn't 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:23.160 have you touch your neighbor. I used to have people 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:25.480 touching their neighbor all the time during church, and somebody 0:03:25.480 --> 0:03:30.000 would say that's obnoxious and touch my neighbor. I am 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:32.720 touching my neighbor. I don't touch my neighbor. I don't 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:34.359 even know my neighbor's ends have been. I don't know 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:36.640 if my neighbor you high five my neighbor. I'm not 0:03:36.680 --> 0:03:40.920 trying to catch anything. Well, now it's almost illegal to 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:43.920 touch have them touch your neighbor is so it's really 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:49.560 really different. It's kind of been lonely. Do you all 0:03:49.640 --> 0:03:52.400 remember when we recorded the Blessing, the song the Blessing. 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:55.600 I went to watch the video the other day of 0:03:55.680 --> 0:04:00.880 the song the Blessing, and it was amazing to me, how, how, 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:03.880 what was such a joyful moment when we recorded that 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:07.560 song with our church had a little bit of sepia 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:09.560 to it, a little bit of sadness, just a little 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:12.400 bit of melancholy to it because we didn't know that 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:16.920 a couple weeks after we released The Blessing that the 0:04:16.960 --> 0:04:22.760 buildings where we used to gather would sit empty. And 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:25.200 when I watch it back, man, I feel kind of homesick. 0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:28.599 I was telling Holly that the other night, I said, 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:33.520 I feel kind of homesick, I kind of miss some things. 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:37.320 It's kind of lonely, and I want to preach to 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:41.040 you along those lines today. From Mark chapter one, verse 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:44.279 thirty five through forty five. I asked the Lord what 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:46.880 I could give you today that would help you, And 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:51.160 he knows that I don't know what you need right now, 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:53.719 but he's gracious, and so I believe that he gave 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:58.320 me something that is beyond my limitations of human understanding, 0:04:58.320 --> 0:04:59.880 that's going to reach right into your spirit and speak 0:04:59.880 --> 0:05:01.200 to you. I want to encourage you to share this 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:05.280 message with somebody. While we cannot convene physically, It's never 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:07.360 been easier for you to share the Word of God 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:10.840 with somebody in that awesome So right now, you could 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:13.760 click a share button wherever you're watching this, or you 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:16.279 could text a link. You could reach out to somebody 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:19.159 and say there's a message that's going forth right now, 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:20.800 and I want you to be a part of it 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:24.200 with me. Just because we are physically alone doesn't mean 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:27.240 that we have to be spiritually. And that's why we're here, 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.200 and that's why we keep coming out every week, no 0:05:30.200 --> 0:05:33.960 matter how crazy it gets outside. No matter how uncertain 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:37.440 it is in the world, We've got to keep coming together. 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:41.200 We've got to keep coming together, and it's so important 0:05:41.240 --> 0:05:44.400 that we do, and it's so important that we continue 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:47.039 to come around God's word, which never changes in a 0:05:47.080 --> 0:05:53.000 world that has never been more unstable. So today's message 0:05:53.000 --> 0:05:57.640 comes from Mark, chapter one, verse thirty five through forty five, 0:05:59.320 --> 0:06:02.840 and the Bible says that very early in the morning, 0:06:03.680 --> 0:06:07.640 while it was still dark, Jesus got up, very early 0:06:07.640 --> 0:06:10.920 in the morning, while it was still dark. Jesus got up, 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:14.000 very early in the morning, while it was still dark. 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:16.720 Jesus got up. No, your YouTube is not buffering. I 0:06:16.760 --> 0:06:19.159 read it three times on purpose. I wonder if that's 0:06:19.200 --> 0:06:22.800 foreshadowing something that's going to happen later. In the Gospel 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:25.800 of Mark, very early in the morning, while it was 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:29.960 still dark, Jesus got up. I'm gonna turn my chair 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:32.000 around and preach back here and see if anybody knows 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:34.440 the Bible back here. I just wondered if if Mark 0:06:34.520 --> 0:06:37.280 put that in because he was giving a little bit 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:42.120 of foreshadowing of what would happen later. Very early, while 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:47.599 it was still dark, Jesus got up, and so just 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:50.680 pointing that out to you that God knows how this 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:54.960 thing ends, that he knows how this thing turns out. Oh, 0:06:55.000 --> 0:07:01.560 you're not ready for me, Jean Lacky. Very early in 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:04.280 the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, 0:07:05.000 --> 0:07:07.960 left the house and went off to a solitary place 0:07:08.000 --> 0:07:13.120 where he prayed. Where he prayed, Simon and his companions 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:15.880 went to look for him, and when they found him, 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:18.800 they exclaimed, everyone is looking for you, and Jesus replied, 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:22.880 let us go somewhere else, to the nearby villages, so 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:29.400 I can preach there also. That is why I have come. 0:07:30.360 --> 0:07:34.960 That is why I have come. So he traveled throughout Galilee, 0:07:35.000 --> 0:07:39.920 preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. A man 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:43.480 with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, 0:07:44.840 --> 0:07:50.720 if you're willing, you can make me clean. Jesus was indignant. 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:54.640 He reached out his hand and touched the man. I 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:58.920 am willing, he said, be clean. Immediately the leprosy left 0:07:58.960 --> 0:08:04.040 him and he was cleansed. Jesus sent him away at 0:08:04.040 --> 0:08:08.200 once with a strong warning. See that you don't tell 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:12.760 this to anyone, but go show yourself to the priests 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:17.440 and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:22.920 as a testimony to them. Instead, he went out and 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:27.360 began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:32.080 Jesus could no longer enter a town openly, but stayed 0:08:32.160 --> 0:08:37.520 outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to 0:08:37.600 --> 0:08:43.640 him from everywhere. That's my title today. It says Jesus 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:47.600 could no longer enter a town openly, but stayed outside 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:51.000 in lonely places. I want to talk to you about 0:08:51.000 --> 0:08:57.319 lonely places today. Lonely places. Let's pray. God, you inhabit 0:08:57.360 --> 0:09:01.760 all things. You inhabit the praise of your people. You 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:05.320 inhabit the broken and the contrite heart. Today, Lord, I 0:09:05.400 --> 0:09:08.240 pray that you would fill every kitchen where this word 0:09:08.360 --> 0:09:11.560 is going forth. That you would fill every bedroom where 0:09:11.559 --> 0:09:14.160 this word is going forth, every living room, every condo, 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:18.840 every back deck, every car, every hospital room, every prison 0:09:18.920 --> 0:09:22.560 cell where this word is going forth. And everybody in 0:09:22.640 --> 0:09:24.880 this room is here to agree with me that you 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:29.520 are filling all spaces right now with your glory. And 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:32.360 we thank you that you are here. We thank you 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:35.720 that we are never forsaken, never abandoned. We pray this 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:37.720 and believe this because we have your word on it, 0:09:38.160 --> 0:09:41.240 a guarantee from Heaven that never will you leave us 0:09:41.320 --> 0:09:44.520 or forsake us. And we stand on that promise right 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:50.040 now in Jesus' name. Amen, Amen in the chat. Amen, 0:09:50.120 --> 0:09:57.080 in the chat. Jesus is hiding from his disciples. Jesus 0:09:57.200 --> 0:10:00.400 is hiding from his disciples. Let's make all of a 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:03.160 Catholic church for a minute and have a confession. All right, 0:10:03.280 --> 0:10:05.480 Let's turn this into a confession booth in the chat. 0:10:05.760 --> 0:10:08.480 How many parents have hiding places where you go to 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:13.680 get away from your kids. There's a few hands going 0:10:13.760 --> 0:10:15.760 up in the room. Raise your hand in the chat. 0:10:17.280 --> 0:10:19.360 And I know y'all don't have kids yet. You don't 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:21.440 have kids. You don't have kids, so you're judging this 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:24.120 whole situation right now. Oh, if I had kids, I 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:26.520 would be emotionally available so that they could see the 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:30.359 heart of my good, good Father whose arms are open wide. 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:36.280 But we have this workout, little workout room in my house. 0:10:37.040 --> 0:10:39.000 I'm grateful for it. Sometimes I go in there for 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:45.120 six hours, six hours and do ten bicep curls. It's 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:47.040 really like a second office for me. I go in 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:50.520 there to hide and I go in there, and you know, 0:10:50.559 --> 0:10:52.839 I'd be seven times bigger if I was actually lifting 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:55.400 weights in there. But I go in there just to hide. 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:58.280 Sometimes I have a whole desk right beside my pre 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:02.240 workout is a and then a notebook. Especially in these 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:04.600 last few weeks, I've had how many of you, Yeah, 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:07.160 I see it in the chat from Jessica and Ivy 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:10.120 and Jesse, all the hands raising, and all of you 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:12.560 that are judging me with the captions because your kids 0:11:12.559 --> 0:11:14.760 are only six months old right now, and I just 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:16.559 let this none of them all the time. And I 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:23.360 speak this as a prophetic declaration into your future. If 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:26.360 you watch this message, in five years, you will have 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:30.360 nests within your home. If you parent long enough, you 0:11:30.440 --> 0:11:32.760 will do drive bys on your own house. When you 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:35.080 come home from work. You will go to work to 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:39.000 hide and rest from your children. Praise the Lord. And 0:11:39.040 --> 0:11:41.480 it's interesting because, like I was saying, some of the 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:45.000 places that we used to go to get away are 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:49.000 now places where we can no longer go. And it's 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:52.080 forced us to deal with some of the things in 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:55.640 our own hearts that we used to be able to 0:11:55.720 --> 0:11:59.320 run from. Y'all didn't come to help me preach today. 0:12:00.080 --> 0:12:05.360 It's lonely in this elevation pulpit today. And Jesus, I 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:08.000 don't feel so bad about hiding from my kids every 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:10.240 now and then. And I really am a very very 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:11.720 present dad. I don't want you to get the wrong 0:12:11.760 --> 0:12:15.520 idea every once in a while, like Jesus I got 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:19.920 to get away from Peter. I thought it was so 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:24.000 ironic because we talk about spending time with Jesus. I 0:12:24.000 --> 0:12:26.760 see all on Instagram, with your coffee mug and your 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:30.840 journal and your amplified Bible, study scripture, three different translations, 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:34.000 devotion books talking about spending it, you know, just spending 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:37.160 some time with Jesus. And I thought it was cool 0:12:37.200 --> 0:12:44.280 that even Jesus needed to spend time with Jesus. This 0:12:44.360 --> 0:12:49.400 is really important because if you never spend any time 0:12:50.000 --> 0:12:54.679 disconnected from the external, you will always be driven by 0:12:54.800 --> 0:13:01.080 agendas that come from the outside. The life of Jesus 0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:04.680 models in so many ways the ability to live from within. 0:13:05.679 --> 0:13:08.200 What he's teaching us here is not just the importance 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:11.160 of getting up early. And thank God, because I'm not 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:14.320 a morning person. I think it's hilarious that I have 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:17.240 to preach these messages in the morning, because a lot 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:19.320 of mornings, I don't even feel like a Christian until 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:22.640 about eleven AM. It takes me that long to get 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:25.480 saved again. It takes me a cup of coffee and 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:27.559 a diet coke just to feel the Holy Spirit in 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:31.520 the morning. But Jesus got up early why to pray, 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:35.400 to align himself with his purpose. And it's never been 0:13:35.440 --> 0:13:39.200 more important because Jesus is at the height of his popularity, 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:44.200 and he understood that popularity and purpose don't often work together. 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:48.360 In fact, in fact, can I preach like I did 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:51.440 to the young people? Can I preach like I did 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:55.640 to the young people? I was telling them not to 0:13:55.720 --> 0:14:02.360 confuse fame with fruitfulness, not to confuse being noticed with 0:14:02.480 --> 0:14:05.520 being known. When I came and preached to the young 0:14:05.559 --> 0:14:09.360 people on Friday to close youth X, I was telling 0:14:09.400 --> 0:14:14.360 them how Jesus refused to be controlled by popular opinion 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:19.280 or external agendas. And for this reason, the Bible says 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:25.320 that he snuck away from Peter James, John Andrew Bartholomew 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:31.280 went to a solitary place. The Bible calls it. It's 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:34.280 the same phrase that you would see to mean wilderness 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:39.160 or wasteland or desert. Jesus apparently had a secret spot 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:43.520 that he liked to go and recharge and spend time 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:47.640 with Jesus. Jesus had to go spend some time with 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:51.280 Jesus and with his father, and the Bible calls this 0:14:51.440 --> 0:14:54.400 prayer not just a time for him to read through 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:56.320 his list of things that he'd like God to do 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:58.760 for him, but a place for him to get his 0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:01.200 orders on the inside what God wanted him to do 0:15:01.280 --> 0:15:04.120 that day. Now, if you do not have this place 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:06.440 in your life where you go and you are willing 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:09.000 to be alone for a little while, you will spend 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:13.040 your entire life scrolling through screenshots of everybody else's idea 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:19.880 of purpose. But Jesus understood that it is important to 0:15:19.960 --> 0:15:25.120 get alone sometimes, to get alone sometimes. And I found 0:15:25.160 --> 0:15:28.640 out that we're living in a time where it's never 0:15:28.680 --> 0:15:34.840 been more difficult to really be alone. I mean really alone. 0:15:34.880 --> 0:15:36.920 I don't mean that there's no other human bodies around. 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:40.920 That's pretty easy right now, but I mean to really 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:45.480 just be alone and to really seek God. What do 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:50.080 you want me to do? That's hard to do because 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:54.640 I'm bombarded. It's hard to do because you know, if 0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:56.960 I'm reading my Bible or if i'm watching a sermon 0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:00.480 on the same phone where I have my Bible app, 0:16:01.360 --> 0:16:04.920 there's all these other apps. It's never been harder to 0:16:04.920 --> 0:16:08.239 be alone. Have you noticed this? Even when we're alone, 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:13.360 we are flooded with voices. Even when we are alone, 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:16.480 there is an abundance of noise. And so Jesus had 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:18.520 a spot, and you have to have a spot. And 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:21.280 I wish they made an airplane mode switch on my mind. 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:23.400 You know how they have it on the phone where 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:25.680 you can turn off the connection and just be with 0:16:25.720 --> 0:16:28.320 what's really on the device. I wish there was one 0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:30.640 for my mind, but I can't find it in my mind. 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:34.600 And I find that even when I'm all alone physically emotionally, 0:16:34.640 --> 0:16:38.480 it's a crowded space. Right now, one of the issues 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:40.400 of our day is going to be that we are 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:43.640 going to become numb to the things that really matter, 0:16:44.040 --> 0:16:47.560 because we are so bombarded and constantly connected to the 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:50.480 things that are peripheral that buy for our attention that 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:56.560 are not really essential. I'm preaching Caroline, I'm preaching Melissa, 0:16:56.840 --> 0:17:02.280 I'm preaching nel Yes, I am. Jesus got alone. He 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:05.080 chose to go get along. Now. It wasn't easy for 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:08.000 him in fact, the Bible says that Peter came looking 0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:11.280 for him. Peter came looking for him. You know all 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:14.199 my kids have started doing now, They started facetiming me 0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:21.800 in my own house. Yes, they have face time in 0:17:21.920 --> 0:17:26.640 me in my own house, looking for me, like I'm 0:17:26.640 --> 0:17:32.600 on their payroll. So Peter tracks Jesus down. And listen 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:34.679 the Greek. You can look this up on a study 0:17:34.720 --> 0:17:36.840 Bible if you want to. The Greek where it says 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:39.520 that he went looking for Jesus. When Jesus went to 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:41.400 his little spot. You know, Jesus had a little spot 0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:43.399 where he could get along, just be alone, hear what 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:45.560 the father says, and get away from all the distractions, 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:47.480 and get away from all the opinions, and get away 0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:50.159 from all the twenty four hour cycle of depression and 0:17:50.240 --> 0:17:53.560 anxiety and craziness that they feed to us. And they 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:55.840 give us our fear in the form of entertainment, and 0:17:55.880 --> 0:17:57.720 we didn't even realize we're hooked on stuff that is 0:17:57.760 --> 0:18:00.159 designed to keep us in a state of needing, the 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:05.679 very thing that is killing us. Jesus got away and 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:10.240 here comes Peter. Here comes Peter. The Greek says he 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:16.320 tracked him down, almost like he was a stalker, almost 0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:19.760 like how the devil will track you down, almost like 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:24.520 how anxiety will track you down, almost how something that 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:26.520 happened two years ago will track you down and try 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:30.720 to keep you from enjoying this present moment. And Peter's 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:38.920 like a rabbi. Everybody's looking for you, as if Jesus 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:46.280 was going to conform to the expectations of others when 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:50.800 he came from God for a purpose that was innate 0:18:50.840 --> 0:18:55.520 to his very nature. They're looking for you. Man. You 0:18:55.600 --> 0:18:59.359 gotta get out there. Do some more of this exorcisms, 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:02.719 these demons casting out. This is playing really well in 0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:05.399 the polls. People say that they'd be more likely to 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:08.200 vote for you if you would do more of these exorcisms. 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:11.640 You know, Jesus is at the height of his popularity, 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:14.359 but he chooses to be alone and watch what he 0:19:14.359 --> 0:19:16.800 does next. And this is what you can do when 0:19:16.840 --> 0:19:20.239 your intention is set from within. Here's what I mean 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:24.520 by that, seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:27.639 Here's what I mean from that, you operate from a 0:19:27.680 --> 0:19:31.119 place of peace, not a place of pressure. Here's what 0:19:31.200 --> 0:19:33.640 I mean by that. You let the world be as 0:19:33.760 --> 0:19:36.959 crazy as it wants to be. But you have something 0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:42.720 that transcends understanding to guard your heart and mind in Christ, Jesus, 0:19:43.119 --> 0:19:46.000 here's what I mean by that. You set up boundaries 0:19:46.040 --> 0:19:48.640 and you say, this is the scope of what I'm 0:19:48.680 --> 0:19:52.000 willing to give my attention to. You set your focus 0:19:52.040 --> 0:19:55.600 and your eyes on what is eternal, not what is temporal, 0:19:56.720 --> 0:20:01.399 and Jesus saying, I'm glad they're looking for me, but 0:20:01.560 --> 0:20:07.600 right now I need to be alone, So let's go. 0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:09.840 This is what he said to Peter, to some of 0:20:09.880 --> 0:20:13.280 the other villages in towns, because this is what I 0:20:13.320 --> 0:20:18.439 came for. This is what I came for. Somebody in 0:20:18.440 --> 0:20:21.800 the chat say, this is what I came for. This 0:20:21.880 --> 0:20:26.000 is what I came for. When you know what goes 0:20:26.080 --> 0:20:28.840 on the other side of that, this is what I 0:20:28.880 --> 0:20:33.919 came for. Like, Okay, to church today, what did you 0:20:33.960 --> 0:20:37.800 come for? What did you come for? What did you 0:20:37.880 --> 0:20:42.240 log on for? What is your purpose in being here? 0:20:43.640 --> 0:20:45.600 My purpose today is to preach the word of God 0:20:45.640 --> 0:20:48.760 to you. I'm not able to change you. I mean, 0:20:49.000 --> 0:20:51.040 I'm just a person, so I'm not even able to 0:20:51.080 --> 0:20:54.080 give you the illumination to the issues that plague humanity 0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:56.480 is to be. But I know what I'm here for 0:20:57.200 --> 0:20:59.600 I am here to speak a word from God, and 0:20:59.680 --> 0:21:02.159 I believe that He has given me a tongue to 0:21:02.280 --> 0:21:05.359 sustain the weary. And the Lord sent me today for 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:09.280 an assignment for somebody who's been in a lonely place. 0:21:10.600 --> 0:21:13.879 I wanted you to notice that Jesus chose to go 0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:17.800 to a lonely place. Jesus chose for a season to 0:21:17.880 --> 0:21:21.919 separate himself from all of the stress. Jesus chose to 0:21:22.000 --> 0:21:25.520 separate himself from all of the drama. Jesus chose to 0:21:25.560 --> 0:21:29.400 separate himself from all of the demands that were surrounding him, 0:21:29.560 --> 0:21:32.199 and he had to save the world. And maybe in 0:21:32.320 --> 0:21:35.400 this season, the reason that some of us have been 0:21:35.520 --> 0:21:39.040 so stressed out is because we don't know why God 0:21:39.080 --> 0:21:42.840 put us here. We have been so busy chasing after 0:21:42.920 --> 0:21:48.639 things like popularity, status, achievement, recognition. We have been so 0:21:48.880 --> 0:21:53.080 busy chasing after those things. But Jesus withdrew to a 0:21:53.119 --> 0:21:56.560 lonely place so he could be reminded of his assignment 0:21:56.640 --> 0:22:05.200 and aligned with the reason that God sent him. He said, 0:22:05.280 --> 0:22:09.360 let's go to some of the other towns. He said, 0:22:09.400 --> 0:22:13.320 I didn't come to impress people. I didn't come just 0:22:13.359 --> 0:22:17.000 to do spectacular things so people would see how great 0:22:17.000 --> 0:22:20.720 I am. I didn't come for that. Let me go 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:24.960 do what I came to do. Everybody in this room, 0:22:25.000 --> 0:22:31.280 do what you came to do today. You shouldn't need 0:22:31.320 --> 0:22:36.680 an instrument. If you came to worship him, then worship him. 0:22:37.080 --> 0:22:39.520 If you came to worship him, I don't want a 0:22:39.560 --> 0:22:45.040 single guitar or a kick drum or an organ. In fact, 0:22:45.320 --> 0:22:48.679 right now in your home, do what you came to do. 0:22:49.720 --> 0:22:53.040 If you logged onto this sermon today just to be entertained, 0:22:53.240 --> 0:22:56.119 then sit there. But if you came to praise the 0:22:56.200 --> 0:22:59.720 Lord and you don't care how it looks or how 0:22:59.720 --> 0:23:05.120 it feels, but you know that real worshipers can worship 0:23:05.200 --> 0:23:10.760 him anywhere, anytime, with anything, then let everything that asks 0:23:10.840 --> 0:23:15.280 for id praise the Lord. Ten seconds to do what 0:23:15.359 --> 0:23:19.119 you came to do. Five seconds to do what you 0:23:19.320 --> 0:23:29.720 came to do. I came to praise you, Lord, I 0:23:29.840 --> 0:23:34.240 came to magnify you. I came into somebody's home today 0:23:34.760 --> 0:23:38.040 on this stream to remind them that you are with 0:23:38.119 --> 0:23:40.640 them in the lonely place, that you are with them 0:23:40.640 --> 0:23:43.880 in the dark place, that you are rising right now 0:23:43.960 --> 0:23:48.560 in the spirit of everyone who will set their intention 0:23:48.680 --> 0:23:51.399 in the direction of their destiny and not the distraction 0:23:52.640 --> 0:23:57.159 of this moment. Jesus said, let's go do what I 0:23:57.200 --> 0:24:01.480 came to do. So let's see what he came to do. 0:24:02.280 --> 0:24:04.920 I know what I came to do. Come on, tell 0:24:04.960 --> 0:24:06.480 somebody next to you. I don't know what you came 0:24:06.520 --> 0:24:12.880 to do, but I came to glorify God. I don't 0:24:12.920 --> 0:24:16.840 know what you think your life is about, but God 0:24:16.840 --> 0:24:19.240 put me here so the world could have a picture 0:24:19.280 --> 0:24:21.960 of him. I am made in the image of God. 0:24:22.320 --> 0:24:28.320 I have a purpose from Almighty God. He said, let's 0:24:28.320 --> 0:24:30.119 go do what I came to do, not what others 0:24:30.160 --> 0:24:32.880 expect me to do, but what I came to do. 0:24:34.440 --> 0:24:39.520 And then the Bible says that in verse forty, a 0:24:39.600 --> 0:24:46.399 man with leprosy came to Jesus. He said, let's go 0:24:46.440 --> 0:24:49.400 do what I came to do. And then a man 0:24:51.359 --> 0:24:57.439 with leprosy came to Jesus. Did the man come to 0:24:57.520 --> 0:25:05.160 Jesus or did Jesus come to the man? Jesus said, 0:25:05.240 --> 0:25:08.800 let me show you what I came to do. And 0:25:08.840 --> 0:25:14.000 a man with leprosy came to him and begged him 0:25:14.680 --> 0:25:20.080 on his knees. A man in a desperate situation, a 0:25:20.160 --> 0:25:23.240 man who had a skin condition that the dermatologists couldn't fix, 0:25:25.720 --> 0:25:32.360 a man who had been quarantined outside the camp. See 0:25:32.400 --> 0:25:33.720 a lot of things we can go through. We think 0:25:33.720 --> 0:25:37.600 they're new. So most of us just found out about 0:25:37.640 --> 0:25:44.680 social distancing a few months ago. Social distancing is in 0:25:44.720 --> 0:25:51.960 Mark chapter one and Leviticus thirteen. The challenges we face 0:25:52.000 --> 0:25:56.600 are nothing new to God. They're new to us. The 0:25:56.640 --> 0:25:58.840 thing you're dealing with right now is nothing new to God. 0:26:00.040 --> 0:26:03.639 What you think you have some some struggle or some 0:26:03.800 --> 0:26:09.040 sin that's just so innovative. You think you're like that 0:26:09.160 --> 0:26:11.280 creative of a sinner, that God has never seen your 0:26:11.280 --> 0:26:20.600 sin before. Man, we often forget that He came for 0:26:20.640 --> 0:26:25.280 the things that we try to hide. That's why I came. 0:26:26.800 --> 0:26:28.600 He said, let me do what I came to do. Jesus, 0:26:28.680 --> 0:26:31.919 everybody's looking for you. You got a book signing it one. 0:26:32.560 --> 0:26:36.360 Joe Rogan's got you on the podcast today. This is big, Jesus. 0:26:36.400 --> 0:26:39.800 This could be a big moment for your ministry. And 0:26:39.880 --> 0:26:44.240 a leper came to Jesus. A leper came to Jesus. 0:26:45.760 --> 0:26:48.520 Before we gloss over the power of that sentence, I 0:26:48.520 --> 0:26:52.240 want you to understand that Jesus had the legal right 0:26:52.920 --> 0:26:55.879 to pick up the first stone that he saw and 0:26:56.000 --> 0:27:00.840 throw it at the leper, because according to vitical law, 0:27:01.640 --> 0:27:05.080 if a leper gets within fifty paces of someone who 0:27:05.160 --> 0:27:08.600 has been deemed clean, the clean has the right to 0:27:08.680 --> 0:27:13.160 throw at the unclean a stone. So when it says 0:27:13.200 --> 0:27:16.760 a leper came to Jesus, I want you to pause 0:27:16.800 --> 0:27:20.679 and think about the tremendous risk that was represented in 0:27:20.760 --> 0:27:25.160 this man's decision. He had a way that he could 0:27:25.240 --> 0:27:29.320 live with leprosy, and we are given no detail to 0:27:29.600 --> 0:27:36.240 how the condition appeared or when it spread. It's kind 0:27:36.240 --> 0:27:39.720 of interesting that we don't even know this man's name, 0:27:41.040 --> 0:27:47.240 just his issue. We don't know his hopes, his dreams, 0:27:49.160 --> 0:27:55.199 just this issue. We don't know his children's names, or 0:27:55.200 --> 0:27:57.080 how long it may have been since he got to 0:27:57.119 --> 0:28:02.320 hold his daughter in his arms, just as issues. We 0:28:02.359 --> 0:28:04.080 don't get to know all the people that he had 0:28:04.080 --> 0:28:06.600 helped at one point in his life that would no 0:28:06.720 --> 0:28:09.680 longer come near him anymore, because to do so would 0:28:09.680 --> 0:28:13.080 to be exposed himself to a disease that was deemed 0:28:13.160 --> 0:28:17.960 very contagious at this time. We just know him by 0:28:18.000 --> 0:28:23.520 his issue. Isn't it awful to be defined by your issues? 0:28:25.440 --> 0:28:27.600 Isn't it terrible when something takes over your life to 0:28:27.640 --> 0:28:30.480 the point where it seems to overshadow all the good 0:28:30.560 --> 0:28:32.560 things about you, and now all you're known by is 0:28:32.560 --> 0:28:37.040 your issues. Isn't it a horrible thing when you go 0:28:37.119 --> 0:28:39.520 to try to think about something good, but all of 0:28:39.560 --> 0:28:43.360 the issues of everything that is wrong clouds out all 0:28:43.360 --> 0:28:46.800 the things that are right. It's a horrible thing to 0:28:46.800 --> 0:28:51.800 be known by your issues. And some people will define 0:28:51.840 --> 0:28:56.280 you by your issues to hide the fact that they 0:28:56.280 --> 0:29:03.960 don't have issues. They have a whole subscription. Love Dad 0:29:04.040 --> 0:29:06.880 jokes in my sermon, just to lighten the mood. It's 0:29:06.920 --> 0:29:12.040 a horrible thing to be known by your issues and 0:29:12.080 --> 0:29:14.560 to have your issue come into the room before you do. 0:29:16.600 --> 0:29:20.000 That's what it was like to be a leper. If 0:29:20.040 --> 0:29:22.400 you were a leper, you were required by law to 0:29:22.520 --> 0:29:26.520 walk into a space where you were intending to get 0:29:26.240 --> 0:29:29.520 in the distance or vicinity of anyone who was not 0:29:29.560 --> 0:29:31.440 a leper. You could live in a leper colony. You 0:29:31.480 --> 0:29:33.680 could live with other people who had the same skin 0:29:33.760 --> 0:29:36.480 condition as you, but you were confined to that place. 0:29:36.600 --> 0:29:38.680 If you wanted to come out of that place, you 0:29:38.680 --> 0:29:43.000 had to say this at least two times. Unclean, unclean. 0:29:44.880 --> 0:29:47.600 You don't get to announce yourself by your name. You 0:29:47.640 --> 0:29:49.520 don't get to announce yourself by the fact that you 0:29:49.560 --> 0:29:53.560 have a good heart. How lonely would it be if 0:29:53.600 --> 0:29:56.320 you were only known by your issue and nobody really 0:29:56.360 --> 0:30:00.360 ever saw the real you. Now there's a there's a 0:30:00.400 --> 0:30:05.040 contrast here. Jesus was becoming known by his gift. The 0:30:05.160 --> 0:30:09.000 man was known by his issue. I've met a lot 0:30:09.040 --> 0:30:13.560 of famous people who are known by their gift, but 0:30:13.680 --> 0:30:17.800 they are never accepted for their personhood. So they are 0:30:17.960 --> 0:30:20.960 lonely because they are only known for what they do, 0:30:21.480 --> 0:30:25.760 not who they are. Jesus resisted that, But here comes 0:30:25.760 --> 0:30:29.680 a man who's willing to say, I got oppressed past 0:30:29.840 --> 0:30:33.360 my issue. I want to be touch, I want to 0:30:33.400 --> 0:30:36.680 be known. I want to feel again. I don't want 0:30:36.720 --> 0:30:39.840 to live like this on the outside. I don't want 0:30:39.840 --> 0:30:41.880 to have to scream every time I walk in a 0:30:41.960 --> 0:30:51.080 room unclean, unclean, unclean, unclean. What if you had to 0:30:51.160 --> 0:30:53.760 announce in the chap what you struggle with to keep 0:30:53.920 --> 0:30:59.400 streaming this sermon? Would you say? What if y'all had 0:30:59.440 --> 0:31:01.440 to come in here to and before they let you 0:31:01.480 --> 0:31:06.720 in to record this worship. They didn't just take your 0:31:06.720 --> 0:31:10.760 temperature with that little gun they put in tested your temperature? 0:31:12.080 --> 0:31:16.000 What did they put a little thermometer to see? What 0:31:16.040 --> 0:31:18.240 was your biggest temptation that you gave into last week? 0:31:18.600 --> 0:31:23.000 Would you come in if they could scan you for that? 0:31:24.200 --> 0:31:26.360 Would you come in? Elijah was asking me the other 0:31:26.440 --> 0:31:28.280 day if every thought that you had went on the 0:31:28.320 --> 0:31:31.720 screen during worship, like the lyrics to the song, would 0:31:31.760 --> 0:31:34.640 you still have a job. I said, nope. I wouldn't 0:31:34.680 --> 0:31:36.600 have any friends. I wouldn't have a job, I wouldn't 0:31:36.640 --> 0:31:39.080 have anything. I said, how about you, would you have 0:31:39.120 --> 0:31:40.920 any friends? Would you put it on the screen? He 0:31:40.920 --> 0:31:45.040 said nope. He said, I said what would what would 0:31:45.040 --> 0:31:46.480 come on the screen if we could see your thoughts? 0:31:46.480 --> 0:31:48.120 He said, I'm not telling you. I'm gonna telling you either. 0:31:48.160 --> 0:31:52.240 And we just kept kept moving right along. But Jesus, 0:31:52.800 --> 0:31:55.160 when the man came to him, y'all think this is 0:31:55.440 --> 0:31:59.760 dangerous because we're supposed to be social distancing, punishable by death. 0:32:01.600 --> 0:32:05.400 Here comes this man who all of his life has 0:32:05.480 --> 0:32:09.600 had to walk around identified by his issue. Or maybe 0:32:09.600 --> 0:32:12.400 it wasn't all his life, Maybe it's more recent nobody 0:32:12.440 --> 0:32:14.640 really knows. When you got to spoil on your skin 0:32:14.640 --> 0:32:17.600 as a leopard, you had to come to the priests, 0:32:17.680 --> 0:32:19.720 the sons of Aran, and you had to show them 0:32:20.120 --> 0:32:23.000 the spot that was developing on your skin. And when 0:32:23.000 --> 0:32:26.760 you show them the spot that was developing on your skin, 0:32:27.120 --> 0:32:29.240 if it was if it was just on the skin, 0:32:29.560 --> 0:32:32.080 that was a scab. And if it was just a scab, 0:32:32.360 --> 0:32:35.920 then you could stay integrated into society. But if it 0:32:35.960 --> 0:32:39.920 had gotten into the skin, or if the coloration continued 0:32:39.960 --> 0:32:43.400 to spread all across your skin, then they would confine 0:32:43.440 --> 0:32:46.719 you for seven days and check you out again. So 0:32:46.960 --> 0:32:49.880 when this man first saw a spot, maybe it was 0:32:50.320 --> 0:32:53.160 something he could cover up for a little while, because 0:32:53.200 --> 0:32:55.800 you know how it is when when something first starts 0:32:56.000 --> 0:32:58.120 in your life, you could cover it up for a 0:32:58.120 --> 0:33:01.600 little while and transfer something and checking in savings and 0:33:01.640 --> 0:33:04.000 Peter and Paul and all of that and not really 0:33:04.040 --> 0:33:06.520 have to identify it. But the thing about it is, 0:33:06.720 --> 0:33:09.200 eventually it had spread to the point where the man 0:33:09.360 --> 0:33:12.080 could no longer cover it and live normally because it 0:33:12.120 --> 0:33:14.680 began to cover more and more of his skin, until 0:33:14.680 --> 0:33:17.600 the point where it had spread so far on his 0:33:17.720 --> 0:33:20.720 skin that it had pushed him out of the spaces 0:33:20.880 --> 0:33:23.480 where people tended to live. And I thought that this 0:33:23.600 --> 0:33:33.000 might be for some of us, how shame operates for 0:33:33.080 --> 0:33:35.240 a lot of us. What keeps us isolated is and 0:33:35.360 --> 0:33:43.600 something on our skin, it's something in our souls. When 0:33:43.640 --> 0:33:48.200 I was reading about the lepre coming to Jesus, I 0:33:48.240 --> 0:33:53.600 started to see myself. See, my spots aren't on my skin. 0:33:55.920 --> 0:34:00.520 My spots aren't visible to you. It be better if 0:34:00.520 --> 0:34:07.000 they were, because usually we address what others can see. 0:34:08.239 --> 0:34:11.839 So we get really good at fixing stuff. Whether it's 0:34:11.880 --> 0:34:15.960 a hairline, you know, whether it's a whether it's an 0:34:16.000 --> 0:34:21.040 external cosmetic sequence of events that are designed to restore 0:34:21.080 --> 0:34:23.600 your youth, or whether it's a way that you dress 0:34:23.680 --> 0:34:26.759 to impress people. We're usually pretty good at covering up 0:34:26.920 --> 0:34:29.200 the outside stuff. But what do you do when the 0:34:29.239 --> 0:34:33.600 spots aren't on your skin, rather they're on your soul. 0:34:36.239 --> 0:34:44.239 This man broke through shame, This man broke through excuses. 0:34:45.280 --> 0:34:49.239 This man broke through tradition and came all the way 0:34:49.280 --> 0:34:55.040 to Jesus and fell down at his feet and said, 0:34:55.120 --> 0:35:01.799 if you are willing, you can heal me. Now, a 0:35:01.880 --> 0:35:04.799 surface reading of this text, let me teach you I'll 0:35:04.840 --> 0:35:06.359 make me feel like I got to close right now, 0:35:06.480 --> 0:35:09.440 and I don't want to close. In this text, we 0:35:09.600 --> 0:35:14.600 know too much. We know that Jesus ends up healing 0:35:14.640 --> 0:35:16.560 the man and goes on to have a great ministry. 0:35:17.680 --> 0:35:21.440 But if you put yourself in the original context, this 0:35:21.520 --> 0:35:23.560 is not only a risky move for the leper, it's 0:35:23.560 --> 0:35:26.319 a risky move for Jesus. And I want to make 0:35:26.320 --> 0:35:29.400 sure we understand why, because this is really going to 0:35:29.440 --> 0:35:32.760 help somebody. The levitical law prescribed that not only should 0:35:32.760 --> 0:35:35.560 the leper stay away, but if a priest touch something 0:35:35.560 --> 0:35:42.680 that is deemed unclean, then the clean becomes unclean. Essentially, 0:35:42.760 --> 0:35:46.960 the leper is saying to Jesus, if you are willing 0:35:47.719 --> 0:35:52.239 to be dirty by association with me, it's going to 0:35:52.400 --> 0:35:56.040 cost you. But if you are willing, see, he's not 0:35:56.160 --> 0:35:58.319 just moving this man out of the way to get 0:35:58.360 --> 0:36:02.080 to something more important. Remember what he just said, Let's 0:36:02.200 --> 0:36:05.759 do what we came to do. So this is not 0:36:05.840 --> 0:36:11.320 an interruption. This is the assignment. This is not an interruption. 0:36:12.160 --> 0:36:16.160 This is the assignment. Sometimes we get confused and we 0:36:16.239 --> 0:36:18.879 start pushing away the very thing that God brought to 0:36:18.960 --> 0:36:21.000 us that we could do, the thing that we came 0:36:21.040 --> 0:36:23.879 to do. So we're pushing to the side the very 0:36:23.920 --> 0:36:26.040 thing that is our purpose. But you said, this is 0:36:26.080 --> 0:36:30.360 what I came for. I am willing be clean. I 0:36:30.560 --> 0:36:35.600 speak that over every shameful heart today, be clean. I 0:36:35.760 --> 0:36:40.800 speak that over every sorrowful past. Today, be clean, be healed, 0:36:41.080 --> 0:36:44.600 be washed, be sprinkled with the water of this word, 0:36:44.719 --> 0:36:50.520 be clean. But Jesus didn't just speak it. See, he 0:36:50.520 --> 0:36:54.239 could have healed him just with a word. He did 0:36:54.280 --> 0:36:57.239 it for the official son. He sent his word and 0:36:57.400 --> 0:37:00.520 healed him. Jesus didn't even have to be in the 0:37:00.560 --> 0:37:05.440 same neighborhood to healing. He could have spoken to the leprosy. 0:37:06.400 --> 0:37:08.280 But he didn't just want to speak it. He wanted 0:37:08.280 --> 0:37:14.400 to show it. And he did something so dramatic. He 0:37:14.440 --> 0:37:20.040 did something so costly, He did something so dangerous. Hear 0:37:20.080 --> 0:37:21.640 me today, I don't know who this is for. You've 0:37:21.680 --> 0:37:28.799 been in a lonely place. It's a lonely place, not 0:37:28.960 --> 0:37:34.720 just a little bored a lonely place, A lonely place. 0:37:36.719 --> 0:37:39.200 You think this message is just for single people. It's not. 0:37:41.760 --> 0:37:43.680 I think it's the loneliest thing in the world to 0:37:43.680 --> 0:37:45.960 have people around you. But you can't really touch them 0:37:46.000 --> 0:37:50.000 and connect with them for who you really are, because 0:37:50.040 --> 0:37:51.600 you just keep trying to give them who you think 0:37:51.600 --> 0:37:57.640 you're supposed to be. That's a lonely place. You think 0:37:57.680 --> 0:38:00.080 I'm talking about people who don't have followers on in, 0:38:00.560 --> 0:38:07.440 I'm not. I think we all have spots. I think 0:38:07.480 --> 0:38:10.359 we all have spots. I used to not think that. 0:38:12.320 --> 0:38:16.160 I used to think certain people didn't. I used to 0:38:16.200 --> 0:38:19.600 be embarrassed because I thought I was the weird one. 0:38:21.280 --> 0:38:24.839 But I think we all have spots. I think we 0:38:24.880 --> 0:38:28.719 all have insecurities. We don't wear them on the outside, 0:38:28.760 --> 0:38:31.920 so the priests can't see them. We don't wear them 0:38:31.920 --> 0:38:34.080 on the outside, so sometimes even the people who love 0:38:34.160 --> 0:38:37.520 us can't see what we really wrestle with. We all 0:38:37.560 --> 0:38:41.640 have spots. And now here you are in a pandemic 0:38:42.680 --> 0:38:44.719 and you can't even come to church like you used to. 0:38:46.320 --> 0:38:49.279 That used to be the one time every week where 0:38:49.320 --> 0:38:51.359 you could get around other people and sing and let 0:38:51.360 --> 0:38:55.040 somebody's fathe carry you. And now you're even having to 0:38:55.120 --> 0:39:01.160 have church in your lonely place. But God gave me 0:39:02.640 --> 0:39:07.040 a word for you today in the lonely place. He said, 0:39:07.040 --> 0:39:15.080 I will, I will, And then he did. He didn't 0:39:15.120 --> 0:39:19.640 just speak it. He didn't just say it, He demonstrated it. 0:39:20.760 --> 0:39:24.200 Be clean and put the verse on the screen if 0:39:24.239 --> 0:39:29.440 you can, and he touched the man. Remember what I 0:39:29.480 --> 0:39:34.799 told you if the clean touches the unclean, what did 0:39:34.800 --> 0:39:39.080 I say? That the clean becomes unclean? But this is 0:39:39.120 --> 0:39:45.680 not just any priest. We don't come to a high 0:39:45.680 --> 0:39:48.080 priest who is unable to be touched by the feeling 0:39:48.120 --> 0:39:51.720 of our infirmity. One of the first things that leprosy 0:39:51.760 --> 0:39:54.840 would attack was your ability to feel. One of the 0:39:54.840 --> 0:39:58.600 first indications that you had leprosy wasn't on your skin. 0:39:58.960 --> 0:40:01.880 It was the fact that you lost the ability to feel. 0:40:01.920 --> 0:40:05.719 It's a bacterial infection that touches the nerve system. So 0:40:05.760 --> 0:40:08.640 now this man who is unable to feel is being 0:40:08.680 --> 0:40:12.360 touched by a priest who is feeling for him. Splug 0:40:12.400 --> 0:40:15.399 needs some eidh. The Bible says, Jesus felt for him. 0:40:15.600 --> 0:40:19.800 He feels for you. He sympathizes with you, He sits 0:40:19.880 --> 0:40:22.600 with you, he lives with you, he weeps with you, 0:40:22.840 --> 0:40:26.560 he walks with you, he gets angry with you. He 0:40:26.640 --> 0:40:30.239 feels what you feel. He said, I will, and he 0:40:30.480 --> 0:40:34.040 touched the man. Now here's the interesting thing about the text. 0:40:34.320 --> 0:40:38.920 We expect now that Jesus the Great High Priest, becomes 0:40:39.040 --> 0:40:44.000 unclean and is disqualified because he touched something that was defiled. 0:40:44.440 --> 0:40:50.120 But since this isn't just any priest, since this priest 0:40:50.200 --> 0:40:53.920 does not originate from men, since this priest did not 0:40:54.120 --> 0:40:57.960 come from earth, since this priest is without sin, the 0:40:58.320 --> 0:41:02.560 thoughtless lamb of God, since this is not just any priest. 0:41:03.120 --> 0:41:06.840 When the unclean touches the clean, the clean does not 0:41:07.000 --> 0:41:13.120 become unclean. The unclean becomes clean. And immediately that man 0:41:13.200 --> 0:41:17.680 slept forcy fell off, And immediately shame is broken off 0:41:17.719 --> 0:41:22.480 your life. And immediately what used to hold you doesn't 0:41:22.480 --> 0:41:31.719 hold you anymore. Give God praise if you know Touch 0:41:31.760 --> 0:41:37.120 them God, Touch them. God, They've been a lonely place. God. 0:41:37.760 --> 0:41:40.800 They don't even like themselves anymore. But touch them God. 0:41:41.320 --> 0:41:44.200 They're so sick of this God. But touch them. They're 0:41:44.239 --> 0:41:47.040 wondering how much longer? God, Well, my kids ever go 0:41:47.160 --> 0:41:49.360 back to school? Will I ever be able to go 0:41:49.400 --> 0:41:52.319 out again? Touch them like you touch that man, Touch 0:41:52.360 --> 0:41:56.279 them beyond the issues that they face, and remind them 0:41:56.320 --> 0:42:01.120 that you came to touch what others would push away. 0:42:01.920 --> 0:42:06.759 And you are not intimidated by our spots. Oh God, 0:42:08.120 --> 0:42:13.640 whatever has been keeping them at a distance, I prayed 0:42:13.680 --> 0:42:15.480 that they would have the courage to come close to 0:42:15.520 --> 0:42:22.080 you today. You've been in a lonely place because we 0:42:22.120 --> 0:42:28.080 all got spots. We all got spots. We've all got insecure, 0:42:28.400 --> 0:42:37.480 insecure places, inadequate places. We've all got spots. When he 0:42:37.560 --> 0:42:41.400 touched that man, this is so beautiful. When I was 0:42:41.400 --> 0:42:45.040 texting my friend about it, I started to cry. I 0:42:45.120 --> 0:42:49.320 was just texting the idea, how when this passage started, 0:42:49.360 --> 0:42:53.920 the leper was in a lonely place. I'm going to 0:42:53.920 --> 0:42:56.000 imagine thousands of people who are living in a lonely 0:42:56.040 --> 0:43:02.880 place today, and maybe nobody even knows that you. You know, 0:43:04.200 --> 0:43:07.960 in the Bible, the lepers had to stay outside in 0:43:08.040 --> 0:43:15.359 the camps. Leviticus thirteen forty five says that anyone who 0:43:15.480 --> 0:43:19.480 has this defiling disease on their skin has to wear 0:43:19.560 --> 0:43:24.600 torn clothes. We do that by choice. Now for fashion, 0:43:26.040 --> 0:43:28.800 all these little worship leaders with their skinny jeans and 0:43:28.840 --> 0:43:32.000 the holes. But when you dressed in these clothes, it 0:43:32.080 --> 0:43:34.520 was to identify you from a distance as somebody who 0:43:34.520 --> 0:43:40.040 couldn't come close. You identify yourself as someone who can't 0:43:40.040 --> 0:43:42.000 get close. Some of You can't get close to others, 0:43:42.000 --> 0:43:44.080 you can't get close to God. You can't really pray 0:43:44.080 --> 0:43:46.080 because you're not even praying about the real things. You're 0:43:46.120 --> 0:43:48.480 pretending to be somebody in God's presence that you're not. 0:43:48.600 --> 0:43:55.600 And he can't touch that. He can't touch that. But 0:43:55.640 --> 0:43:58.600 these lepers, see, they were identifiable from a distance because 0:43:58.640 --> 0:44:01.279 their clothes were torn, and the Bible says that they 0:44:01.320 --> 0:44:05.000 had to have unkempt hair. I was like, dang, this 0:44:05.160 --> 0:44:08.439 is like it was written in twenty twenty. You see, 0:44:08.600 --> 0:44:13.239 you see it. All the barbershops were closed, and the 0:44:13.239 --> 0:44:15.840 Bible says that these lepers. This gives us a picture 0:44:15.880 --> 0:44:20.000 of what the man had to live like. Unkempt hair, 0:44:20.200 --> 0:44:23.200 torn clothes, and they had to cover the lower part 0:44:23.200 --> 0:44:33.440 of their face. The Bible's not relevant, is it? The Bible? 0:44:34.520 --> 0:44:38.840 The Bible is very relevant to the moment where you 0:44:38.920 --> 0:44:41.000 got to cover your face and cry out with your 0:44:41.040 --> 0:44:45.920 mouth unclean, unclean, and as long as they have the disease, 0:44:46.000 --> 0:44:54.960 they remain unclean. They must live alone. When this passage started, 0:44:55.880 --> 0:45:00.480 the leper was in a very lonely place, identify by 0:45:00.480 --> 0:45:03.560 his issues. And that's where some of you have been. 0:45:05.560 --> 0:45:08.680 What brought a tear to my eye. Is how the 0:45:08.719 --> 0:45:14.000 passage ended. Because the Bible said that when Jesus healed 0:45:14.040 --> 0:45:17.880 the man, he told him, don't tell anyone what I 0:45:17.920 --> 0:45:20.959 did for you. That's the opposite of what we teach 0:45:21.000 --> 0:45:24.279 you in church. We tell you click share and if 0:45:24.320 --> 0:45:26.520 you have a testimony, and praise the Lord and what 0:45:26.560 --> 0:45:29.960 has he done for you. But Jesus was governed by purpose, 0:45:31.200 --> 0:45:33.759 and he knew that if people started coming to him 0:45:33.840 --> 0:45:37.960 just to perform external miracles, it would miss the intention 0:45:38.160 --> 0:45:41.080 for which he came. When he told the man not 0:45:41.200 --> 0:45:43.520 to tell anyone, the Bible says he gave him a 0:45:43.560 --> 0:45:47.680 strong warning. And the Hebrew image here is that his 0:45:47.960 --> 0:45:52.360 nostrils flared. Y'all ever heard a savage Jesus? How about 0:45:52.400 --> 0:45:56.480 snorting Jesus. I know y'all saw sweet Jesus, sweet little 0:45:56.480 --> 0:45:59.920 baby two six d eight pounds six ounds Jesus. You know, 0:46:00.160 --> 0:46:03.680 superstitious Jesus, Little stitious Jesus. I know you've seen all 0:46:03.719 --> 0:46:07.640 of those Jesuses. But this is snorting Jesus. And he 0:46:07.760 --> 0:46:11.200 gave the man a warning. He said, don't tell anybody 0:46:11.200 --> 0:46:15.200 what I did. The first thing the man did after 0:46:15.239 --> 0:46:18.759 he got healed, was go tell everyone, And I thought, well, now, 0:46:18.800 --> 0:46:21.560 come on, Jesus, you know the future. You knew the 0:46:21.560 --> 0:46:24.040 man was gonna go tell everybody, and it was gonna 0:46:24.080 --> 0:46:25.680 cause you to have to go out, and it was 0:46:25.680 --> 0:46:27.400 going to cause you to have to move on. And 0:46:28.480 --> 0:46:30.239 he went and did exactly what you told him not 0:46:30.280 --> 0:46:32.439 to do. You knew he was going to be disobedient. 0:46:32.640 --> 0:46:35.360 Why did you heal him? And he said, I wanted 0:46:35.360 --> 0:46:40.279 to let you know. I'll do it anyway. Come on, now, 0:46:40.320 --> 0:46:43.000 I need you to know this. You think when God 0:46:43.120 --> 0:46:45.680 saved you, he didn't know what you were still going 0:46:45.760 --> 0:46:48.799 to struggle with. But I got news for somebody in 0:46:48.880 --> 0:46:52.799 this chat today. He did it anyway. If you know 0:46:52.920 --> 0:46:56.240 that God saved you and you still struggle with some things, 0:46:56.520 --> 0:46:59.520 but you can still come close to him and depend 0:46:59.600 --> 0:47:02.600 on how just put this in the chap right now. 0:47:02.920 --> 0:47:07.480 He did it anyway. He called my name, he gave 0:47:07.560 --> 0:47:11.200 me grace, He filled me with his spirit. He did 0:47:11.239 --> 0:47:15.239 it anyway. He didn't have to. I couldn't buy it, 0:47:15.560 --> 0:47:19.000 I couldn't earn it. I don't deserve it. But he 0:47:19.200 --> 0:47:25.640 did it anyway. Come on, let's give him anyway grace. 0:47:26.840 --> 0:47:37.160 He did it anyway, anyway, anyway, anyway, anyway, come on, 0:47:37.200 --> 0:47:40.319 This is a message for the levers. This is a 0:47:40.360 --> 0:47:44.680 message for the levers. How do you get to Jesus? Anyway? 0:47:44.800 --> 0:47:49.600 You can whatever it takes. I'm going forward. I'm not 0:47:49.760 --> 0:47:54.120 backing up. I'm not dying alone. I'm not going down. 0:47:54.640 --> 0:48:05.560 I'm coming alive anyway. Anyway. I know I'm not supposed 0:48:05.600 --> 0:48:09.000 to touch you, but I'm gonna touch you anyway. I 0:48:09.040 --> 0:48:11.279 know i'm not supposed to use you, but I'm gonna 0:48:11.360 --> 0:48:14.319 use you anyway. I'm gonna do it anyway. I hear 0:48:14.400 --> 0:48:17.360 God saying about twenty twenty. I know it's been a 0:48:17.440 --> 0:48:20.600 live in hell, but I'm gonna grow your faith anyway. 0:48:21.040 --> 0:48:25.000 I'm gonna raise you up anyway. I'm gonna get disgustbel 0:48:25.040 --> 0:48:35.640 out anyway anyway, WHOA. I know it's only forty people 0:48:35.640 --> 0:48:42.759 in the room, but I'm about to preach anyway. He 0:48:42.800 --> 0:48:47.799 did it anyway. I'm not perfect, buddy. He likes me anyway. 0:48:48.320 --> 0:48:52.760 Now I've got some obnoxious parts of my personality. Buddy, Buddy, 0:48:53.000 --> 0:48:57.480 he likes he likes me with rough edges. He's a carpenter. 0:48:57.880 --> 0:49:01.799 He's gonna do it. You missed it, you missed it. 0:49:01.960 --> 0:49:05.600 He's a carpenter. He needs something to work on. He 0:49:05.680 --> 0:49:09.920 needs an object lesson. He needs something that looks so unclean. 0:49:10.440 --> 0:49:14.640 He needs somebody so messy, he needs a six awation 0:49:15.400 --> 0:49:20.560 so desperate that he can say, this is what I 0:49:20.800 --> 0:49:24.359 came to do, This is what I came to do. 0:49:39.880 --> 0:49:44.080 When the Passage started, the leper was in a lonely place. 0:49:47.760 --> 0:49:51.600 This man runs around, running his mouth telling everybody about Jesus, 0:49:53.560 --> 0:49:57.200 and now everybody wants to go see it. But Jesus 0:49:57.200 --> 0:50:03.960 didn't come for that. He came for something deeper. He 0:50:04.040 --> 0:50:09.840 didn't come just to fix what's on the surface level. 0:50:11.239 --> 0:50:17.640 So he look at verse forty five. He could no 0:50:17.719 --> 0:50:24.160 longer enter a town openly, but stayed outside in lonely 0:50:24.200 --> 0:50:33.319 places when the passage started. Josh, this is what got me. 0:50:35.360 --> 0:50:37.920 When the passage started, the leper was in a lonely place. 0:50:41.480 --> 0:50:51.239 But when the passage was over, Jesus was in a 0:50:51.280 --> 0:51:00.720 lonely place. It's not just that he touched that man, 0:51:03.719 --> 0:51:11.640 is that he traded places with him. You've been in 0:51:11.680 --> 0:51:15.319 a lonely place. I know you have. God showed it 0:51:15.360 --> 0:51:19.480 to me in the spirit. He didn't have to show 0:51:19.840 --> 0:51:25.920 me your lonely place, because I know mine. Preachers get lonely. 0:51:26.000 --> 0:51:31.000 Pastors get lonely, parents get lonely, kids get lonely. Married 0:51:31.000 --> 0:51:38.320 people get lonely. Jesus chose his loneliness. The leopard didn't 0:51:38.360 --> 0:51:43.960 choose his, And so some of you are sitting in 0:51:44.000 --> 0:51:48.120 a loneliness that was not chosen in this season of 0:51:48.160 --> 0:51:53.279 your life. The Lord wanted me to tell you. Give 0:51:53.360 --> 0:51:55.680 them the scripture again from verse forty five. This is 0:51:55.760 --> 0:52:03.080 my message today. He stayed in lonely places, yet the 0:52:03.120 --> 0:52:08.520 people still came to him from everywhere. God said to 0:52:08.560 --> 0:52:12.160 tell you He'll meet you in your lonely place. Lift 0:52:12.200 --> 0:52:17.560 your hands, he said, you don't have to hide that 0:52:17.719 --> 0:52:24.520 from me. I'm willing to touch you. You don't have 0:52:24.560 --> 0:52:26.840 to stay away from me. You might be having to 0:52:27.280 --> 0:52:29.399 distance from people right now, but you can just come 0:52:29.400 --> 0:52:34.600 closer to me. He's near to the broken heart. He 0:52:37.360 --> 0:52:39.759 gave us a gospel lesson that he went outside the 0:52:39.800 --> 0:52:43.399 camp so we could come in. That he became sin, 0:52:43.400 --> 0:52:45.640 who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness 0:52:45.680 --> 0:52:50.960 of God. So he said, he wants to meet you 0:52:52.360 --> 0:52:58.239 in your lonely place. You know that place. You know 0:52:58.320 --> 0:53:02.840 that spot. You know that thing you keep trying to 0:53:02.840 --> 0:53:05.600 fix and you can't. He is how I'll meet you 0:53:07.520 --> 0:53:13.760 in your lonely place, God of all comfort, Spirit of grace. 0:53:15.000 --> 0:53:16.640 I thank you for what you showed us in the 0:53:16.640 --> 0:53:22.600 text today, that Jesus traded places with the leper who 0:53:22.719 --> 0:53:26.080 was lonely, and God, I thank you right now that 0:53:26.120 --> 0:53:28.439 you invite us into your presence so that we never 0:53:28.480 --> 0:53:33.560 have to be alone. This building right now has a 0:53:33.560 --> 0:53:38.800 lot of empty seats in it, and it's good because 0:53:38.840 --> 0:53:42.960 now it forces us to put this message into the 0:53:43.000 --> 0:53:49.719 lonely places, the lonely places as they lift their hands God, 0:53:49.760 --> 0:53:52.719 whether they're one of the few in this room or 0:53:54.239 --> 0:53:56.440 one of the hundreds of thousands all over the world 0:53:56.600 --> 0:54:01.040 who are receiving this message today. I asked that you 0:54:01.080 --> 0:54:07.600 would fill every lonely place, and that we would have 0:54:07.640 --> 0:54:12.240 the courage to come close to you, real self, true self, 0:54:13.000 --> 0:54:16.840 honest self, let you into our emotions and let you 0:54:16.960 --> 0:54:22.120 into our situation. That the clean would touch the unclean, 0:54:24.480 --> 0:54:26.920 and that just like that man's leprosy fell off of 0:54:27.040 --> 0:54:29.920 his skin, I pray that shame would fall off of 0:54:29.960 --> 0:54:34.480 your sons and daughters right now, in the name of Jesus, 0:54:34.560 --> 0:54:37.680 I break the power of shame off of the life 0:54:37.960 --> 0:54:41.480 of everyone who is lonely in the shadows, hair, unkempt, 0:54:42.160 --> 0:54:45.520 dressed in torn clothes, known by their issue. Speak to 0:54:45.560 --> 0:54:50.120 that identity that is not sullied by shame, with no 0:54:50.239 --> 0:54:52.960 layers of pretension. We come before you in your presence, 0:54:53.000 --> 0:54:56.600 God is fullness of joy. Help us to be here 0:54:59.200 --> 0:55:01.920 and just write in that space, right into that home, 0:55:02.400 --> 0:55:04.719 if they're the only one there, if they're surrounded by 0:55:04.760 --> 0:55:10.600 people and they're feeling lonely. God fill the lonely places. 0:55:12.960 --> 0:55:22.400 Let's we worship you now. Cheez geez, oh, geez cheez 0:55:23.040 --> 0:55:27.520 its would you mean to here? It came to them 0:55:27.520 --> 0:55:30.719 in a lonely place. You meet me here. Now you 0:55:30.760 --> 0:55:35.719 could come to them in a lonely place with your 0:55:35.719 --> 0:55:44.600 clothes torn. Unless you come, Will you meet me? He said, 0:55:44.680 --> 0:55:47.719 will you? If you're willing, you can make it. You 0:55:47.719 --> 0:55:50.680 can make it stop. You can stop the spread, because 0:55:54.480 --> 0:56:04.480 is all you. Will you meet me? Okay, So you 0:56:04.640 --> 0:56:16.600 are naughty unless you come. You need me here, okay, 0:56:18.680 --> 0:56:23.320 he said. I took your place, I took your shall want. 0:56:23.880 --> 0:56:28.759 This is what I came for. He's all you Come on, 0:56:28.840 --> 0:56:31.000 bring it all into my presence. This is what I 0:56:31.040 --> 0:56:36.440 came here. Okay, this is what I came for. That 0:56:36.600 --> 0:56:38.400 part of you, this is what I came for it. 0:56:40.200 --> 0:56:46.520 Thank you Lord. Unless you come where you meet me here, 0:56:56.000 --> 0:57:02.120 he's really I hope that it hit home for you too, 0:57:02.280 --> 0:57:04.879 just to know that Jesus is with you in your 0:57:04.920 --> 0:57:08.680 lonely place, that God is able to be accessed anywhere, 0:57:09.160 --> 0:57:11.440 and there's no part of you that is too shameful 0:57:11.480 --> 0:57:15.000 to bring into His presence. You're not alone. And I 0:57:15.000 --> 0:57:16.800 hope you know that our ministry is here for you. 0:57:17.600 --> 0:57:20.520 It's been a lot different, not gonna lie. We never 0:57:20.560 --> 0:57:23.680 really imagined that we would be ministering in such a 0:57:23.760 --> 0:57:26.880 unique time, but God knew, and I believe He placed 0:57:26.880 --> 0:57:29.840 this ministry here for you and for others and also 0:57:30.200 --> 0:57:33.000 share the message. Subscribe, you know, so you can get 0:57:33.000 --> 0:57:35.880 these messages every week. We need to keep God's word coming, 0:57:36.000 --> 0:57:38.440 not just once in a while. But you know, we 0:57:38.480 --> 0:57:40.600 can't live off bread alone. We got to live off 0:57:40.600 --> 0:57:42.560 everywhere that comes from the mouth of God. So make 0:57:42.560 --> 0:57:45.200 sure you subscribe so that we can continue to remind 0:57:45.240 --> 0:57:47.880 you of the truths that God has spoken over your life. 0:57:48.400 --> 0:57:50.680 I'm going to leave you for now, but thank you forgiving. 0:57:50.760 --> 0:57:53.200 Thank you for praying for me and Holly and Elijah 0:57:53.200 --> 0:57:54.760 and Graham and Abbey in our family. We pray for 0:57:54.800 --> 0:57:57.240 your family as well, that God would show up in 0:57:57.520 --> 0:58:01.440 amazing ways in your life this week. For supporting this ministry, 0:58:01.800 --> 0:58:02.400 I see Sue