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00:00:00Priscilla, come. Give her a big hand.
00:00:04Thank you, Mr.
00:00:05Thank you, sweetheart.
00:00:12Well, hi, y'all.
00:00:15Jerry and I are so excited to be here
00:00:18all the way from Dallas, Texas, where we live.
00:00:23And it is a privilege to be able to share with you today.
00:00:26You know, Ms. Joyce talks about
00:00:29Andy stealing a little bit of her message.
00:00:33But think about how it feels to be me
00:00:34after the end of a day and a half already
00:00:37of us receiving...
00:00:38They have pretty much taught the whole Bible.
00:00:41They have taught the whole Bible.
00:00:42So I've decided that you're going to turn to the back of your Bible.
00:00:45We're just going to talk from the maps.
00:00:50But you know what? It is my prayer.
00:00:52It's my prayer that what God would do in this moment
00:00:55that you and I are going to spend together
00:00:57is that he would just allow me
00:00:58to be a partner with Ms. Joyce
00:01:00and putting a big old exclamation point
00:01:02on this long sentence God has already been writing
00:01:05throughout the time you and I have been together,
00:01:07that he would seal this word in our heart,
00:01:10that we would know beyond a shadow of a doubt
00:01:13before we leave this place
00:01:14exactly who we are in Christ.
00:01:17And so it is a privilege to be able to
00:01:19stand on this platform
00:01:21and to be able to have an opportunity
00:01:22to share with you.
00:01:24Ms. Joyce and I have several mutual friends
00:01:27and so I have also obviously heard so much about her
00:01:31and the wonderful woman that she is
00:01:32not only on the platform
00:01:34but behind the platform
00:01:36when the lights and the spotlights aren't on.
00:01:38And don't you know that's where it really matters?
00:01:40People of integrity and character.
00:01:42Several of our friends have called her
00:01:45in my hearing they've called her Mama Joyce
00:01:47and I thought to myself
00:01:48well I would just
00:01:48I would never call her Mama Joyce
00:01:50because we're not familiar enough with each other
00:01:52for me to call her Mama anything.
00:01:57But last night
00:01:58when she pulled out Spanx on the stage
00:02:01I knew we would be friends.
00:02:07And I decided after the Spanx
00:02:09I can call her Mama Joyce.
00:02:12And I want to thank you Mama Joyce
00:02:14for your ministry to all of us.
00:02:16Would y'all just say
00:02:17thank you Mama Joyce.
00:02:23Listen I'm excited about God's word today.
00:02:25Excited about what it is
00:02:26he wants to share with us.
00:02:27There has been a simple
00:02:29yet I think
00:02:30pretty profound principle
00:02:32that over the last
00:02:34really year of my life
00:02:35the Lord has just been
00:02:37cementing in my heart
00:02:38and in my mind
00:02:39and in my soul.
00:02:40And I want to share that with you today.
00:02:42Let's pray together.
00:02:43Lord Jesus thank you so much
00:02:44for your word.
00:02:46Thank you Lord
00:02:46that it is living and active
00:02:47and sharper than any two-edged sword.
00:02:50Lord I pray that in these few moments
00:02:51you would do what only you can.
00:02:53That is take one little simple message
00:02:56divide it 20,000 different ways
00:02:59so that every single person
00:03:01under the sound of my voice
00:03:02will know beyond a shadow of a doubt
00:03:04they have heard from God.
00:03:07In Jesus name.
00:03:09Amen.
00:03:09Amen.
00:03:09My brother and I
00:03:13I have actually three siblings
00:03:14I have an older sister
00:03:14and I've got two younger brothers
00:03:16and my baby brother
00:03:17his name is Jonathan
00:03:18we call him John John
00:03:20and my baby brother
00:03:21does what baby brothers do
00:03:23when they come over to your house
00:03:24as an adult
00:03:24he comes over to my house
00:03:25and he immediately goes right
00:03:27to my refrigerator
00:03:28every single time
00:03:29either the pantry
00:03:30or the refrigerator
00:03:31and recently
00:03:32he came over to my house
00:03:33and he went over to the refrigerator
00:03:34and he opened it up
00:03:35and I guess as he was foraging around my refrigerator
00:03:38it reminded him
00:03:39of this story
00:03:40that he began to tell me
00:03:42as he was looking into my refrigerator.
00:03:43Now I've got three boys
00:03:45and my youngest boy
00:03:46his name is Jude
00:03:48so we've got a 10 year old named Jackson
00:03:50and then we have a 9 year old named Jerry Jr.
00:03:53then we've got our little surprise 4 year old
00:03:56his name is Jude
00:03:57we don't actually know where he came from.
00:03:58and we named him Jude
00:04:02because that is as close
00:04:03as I could get to Revelation
00:04:05because it is finished
00:04:06it is done
00:04:07it's complete
00:04:10and so my little Jude
00:04:14is actually the exact same age
00:04:16as my brother's oldest child Kelsey
00:04:18so I've got this niece
00:04:20her name is Kelsey
00:04:21she is a wild little sassy precocious thing
00:04:24all this curly hair on her head
00:04:25I don't know where she got any of that from
00:04:27and he was telling me this story about Kelsey
00:04:31and about how when Kelsey was 2 years old
00:04:33she would go over to the refrigerator in their home
00:04:36when she was hungry
00:04:37and she would point at the big box
00:04:39that had the food in it
00:04:40and say eat
00:04:41so John John said
00:04:42I would go over to Kelsey
00:04:43and I would pick her up
00:04:44I would run her over to the table
00:04:46and sit her down in the booster seat
00:04:48so that I could bring her the food
00:04:49that she was asking for
00:04:50but Kelsey
00:04:51now far removed
00:04:53from what she thought
00:04:54was the place she needed to be
00:04:55to get the food
00:04:56she would throw a temper tantrum
00:04:58and cry a river of tears
00:04:59and she would wiggle her way out of that seat
00:05:02and storm her way back across the kitchen
00:05:05in front of the big box where the food was
00:05:07and she would point at it and say eat
00:05:09he would then grab her
00:05:11and put her back in her booster seat
00:05:13at the kitchen table
00:05:14and she would throw a temper tantrum
00:05:16and cry a river of tears
00:05:17and wiggle her way out of the chair
00:05:19walk back across the kitchen floor
00:05:21stand in front of the big box
00:05:22that had the food in it
00:05:23and say, eat.
00:05:25He would then pick her up and take her back to the booster seat.
00:05:28She would wiggle her way out, walk herself across, and say, eat.
00:05:32He said, Priscilla, we went through this over and over
00:05:35and over and over again.
00:05:36And he laughed as he told me the story.
00:05:38But he said, Priscilla, at the time, it wasn't funny.
00:05:42He said, I had to have so much patience with this girl
00:05:46as I tried to get her to understand that where I was putting her
00:05:50was actually the best place for her to be positioned,
00:05:53to receive what she was asking me for.
00:05:57That even though in her mind,
00:05:58it didn't seem like the best place for her to be
00:06:01to receive what she was requesting,
00:06:03I knew, because I'm her daddy and I love her,
00:06:06that where I was putting her was the best environment for her to be in,
00:06:09for her to receive the requests that she had
00:06:13in her heart and on her mind.
00:06:16And as John John told me this story, I got to tell you,
00:06:18I laughed as I thought about my little curly-headed niece
00:06:21and her little sassy self.
00:06:22I laughed hysterically.
00:06:23And as I was laughing, the Holy Spirit stopped me in my tracks
00:06:27and said, uh-uh, don't laugh too long or too hard,
00:06:29because that would be you, Priscilla.
00:06:33How often is it, Priscilla, that I try to put you in the right place?
00:06:37I try to tell you where to go, what to do,
00:06:40give you that Holy Spirit guidance that Miss Joyce was talking to us about.
00:06:44I try to lead you, and yet you rebel against it or ignore it
00:06:48or refuse to follow the directions that I have for you.
00:06:52Priscilla, more patient than John John has to be with little Kelsey.
00:06:57I have got to be with you.
00:07:01I became, right there in the kitchen listening to this story,
00:07:04so not only convicted and challenged,
00:07:07but appreciative of the patience of God towards me.
00:07:13And I began to think about how grateful I am
00:07:17that I cannot wear God out.
00:07:21How grateful I am that he's got enough patience to handle me
00:07:25and all my drama and you and all your drama.
00:07:27Anybody glad about it?
00:07:28Sometimes, when we think about how powerful our God is,
00:07:37we think about his demonstrations of power,
00:07:40how in the Old Testament he was able to cause the walls of Jericho
00:07:43to come tumbling down or the Red Sea to divide,
00:07:46or how in the New Testament he made Lazarus raised from the dead.
00:07:50And we think about God's power and how it is overtly demonstrated.
00:07:55But I want you with me for a few moments this morning
00:07:58to think about the flip side of God's power
00:08:01that is equally important and impressive to us.
00:08:04Not only that his power is seen in what he can do,
00:08:08but his power is also seen in what he chooses not to do.
00:08:12His power is not only seen in what he releases,
00:08:15but what he is able to restrain himself
00:08:18when he does not give us what we deserve.
00:08:22That he loves us enough to be long-suffering.
00:08:27That you are important enough to him.
00:08:30Beautiful enough to him.
00:08:32That he's got enough patience to handle your life, your history, your past,
00:08:38your weaknesses, your strengths, your personality, our differences, our uniquenesses.
00:08:44Listen, God doesn't need a good nap before he can handle us.
00:08:47I'm grateful today for the patience of God.
00:08:53Anybody?
00:08:55So for just a few moments today,
00:08:58I want to talk to you about one of the most simple and yet profound characteristics of our
00:09:04great God that really will make a difference in our lives.
00:09:07And let me tell you why.
00:09:09Because I've met some people recently, and I have had seasons in my life,
00:09:12and in my relationship with the Lord, where I have been kind of walking on eggshells in my
00:09:18relationship with him, kind of stepping gingerly, because I just felt like if I make one more
00:09:24mistake, if there's one more mishap, if I head in the wrong direction one more time,
00:09:29it just might be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
00:09:32That God just might be done with me, that he might not be able to use me,
00:09:36that I might not be able to partner with him and his purposes.
00:09:40And so if the enemy can get us to thinking that we might be able to out-sin the grace of God,
00:09:48that in some way we'll be beyond his reach, if he can get us to walk gingerly in our relationship
00:09:54with God, then we'll never experience the abundant life that he's called us to.
00:09:59We'll never be willing to just throw our head and hearts and hands back and say,
00:10:04Lord, anything you want from me, I'm willing to go. And I realize, Lord, that it might not always
00:10:09mean that I'm perfect, I won't be perfect, but thank you that your grace is sufficient for even
00:10:15my mistakes and my mishaps and my wrong choices. And so I think that a revelation of God's patience,
00:10:22listen, y'all, it can literally set you free. A revelation of the fact that God has got enough
00:10:28patience for you and for me can cause you to finally, and me, to finally live the abundant
00:10:34life that we have been called to. Patience, when we think about it, when I think about it,
00:10:41patience is a characteristic in the soul of a human being that really has to be matured over
00:10:45time. It's one of the reasons we need the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit causes us to be
00:10:50able to develop these characteristics. And let me tell you, I need help in the patience department.
00:10:55Anybody need help in the patience department? All right? I am naturally an impatient person.
00:11:00I like for things to be fixed kind of quickly. Whenever there's a problem,
00:11:05I kind of come up with a real quick solution. It might not be the best solution, but I just love
00:11:08the fact there's a solution on the table. Let's just get on with this and get it done. And do you
00:11:13know the way that the Lord helps us to grow in our level of patience is he most of the time will put
00:11:19us in scenarios where we've got to wait? So he causes you to marry somebody. Lord have mercy.
00:11:30He causes you to get married to somebody who takes 24, 48, 72 hours to make a decision. Help me, Jesus.
00:11:41So I'm the type that as soon as there is a problem, man, I have figured out a way we can solve this thing
00:11:45and move on with our lives. My husband, on the other hand, has to think about it, pray about it,
00:11:50fast on it, seek wise counsel regarding it, sleep on it. Help me, Jesus. And do you know,
00:11:57most of the time, most of the time, when he comes up with a solution three or four days later,
00:12:01it is actually the exact same thing that I thought of in the first five minutes that we had a problem.
00:12:05One thing Jay will do though, is he will make good decisions because he's thought it all the way
00:12:19through. So in this relationship, in this scenario, God hones in me patience. The reason why you sit
00:12:28next to that coworker on your job, that one that if she says one more thing to you, you go knock her out,
00:12:33that one. The reason why he puts you in that scenario is because he knows that dynamic is going to hone in
00:12:44you patience. So don't be pointing at your person next to you. So because patience is something you
00:13:01and I need help with, we tend to put that same dynamic on God. And we think that because we get
00:13:08frustrated with our kids when they ask us the same thing three, four, five, 10, 20 times, or with that
00:13:13coworker who we have a low tolerance for, we think that because we get fed up, that God must also get
00:13:20fed up with us just like we do with others. We think that that patience is something he must need to grow
00:13:26in as well in his relationship with us because that's what we need. But you need to understand
00:13:30that patience is not just a characteristic that God has at his disposal. The very essence of all that
00:13:37patience was ever meant to be, God is completely and entirely. He is not growing in his level of
00:13:45patience. He is the all patient one, my friends. He is God fully and completely and he's not applying for
00:13:53the job. He's got it covered. In fact, when you think about all of the things that make up the
00:14:00characteristics of God, his omnipresence, his sovereignty, his omniscience, when you think
00:14:05about all of the links in the chain that make up the character of God, really, his patience is the
00:14:13most central and most important of all the links, when you think about it. Because if it weren't for
00:14:19his patience, we wouldn't exist long enough to get to the grace and the mercy and the omniscience
00:14:24and the omnipresence. It is because he is patient with us. He is slow to anger, Exodus 34. That's the
00:14:34reason why we get to experience the greatness of our God. One scholar put it this way and I love it so
00:14:40much. He said, it is the patience of God that held our sinful hands and led us to the doorstep of his
00:14:47mercy so that we could enter in. It's God's patience that allows us to experience his kindness and
00:14:55his greatness. He is a bottomless pit of patience. It is overflowing and limitless and boundless.
00:15:03You cannot out-sin the grace of God. There is nowhere you've been, there is nothing you've done
00:15:09that causes you to now not be beautiful to our great God. He loves you with an everlasting love.
00:15:18Somebody say everlasting. Everlasting. His patience, it's sufficient for you. You cannot wear God out.
00:15:31There is one place in scripture that I want to direct your attention to today. Not in the maps,
00:15:40there's actually one scripture I found that we have not covered yet throughout the course of our
00:15:45weekend. And it's in the book of First Timothy. If you have your Bible and you want to turn there
00:15:49with me to First Timothy. Paul, the apostle, is writing to this young minister as he's getting
00:15:55started in life and ministry and he wants to tell him some things to help him along the way. And of all of
00:16:01the guidance that Paul wants to give Timothy, he wants to tell him about this patience thing.
00:16:07He knows that Timothy is going to have a long road in front of him. Yes, there are going to be
00:16:11mistakes and mishaps along the way. And so he wants him to know right up front, listen, God's got your
00:16:17back, Tim. You need to know that God's patience is on your side. He is for you. He is not against you.
00:16:23And so he shares with him among the many things that he wants to say to Timothy in First Timothy,
00:16:29he shares with him a message about the patience of God. First Timothy, chapter 1, verse 16.
00:16:36Paul says, and yet for this reason, I found mercy. In order that in me, as the foremost,
00:16:44Jesus Christ might demonstrate, here it is, his perfect patience. What kind of patience is it?
00:16:49His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life. I love this
00:16:56verse so much because Paul wants to be clear. He says, I want you to understand the kind of patience
00:17:01we're talking about here when we're talking about God's patience. It's not a good patience. It's not
00:17:06even a great patience. It is a perfect patience. Meaning even when you go to the furthest extremities
00:17:14of God's ability to be patient with you, there is not one little bit of imperfection, even along those
00:17:22outward edges. He has a perfect level of patience toward you. And Paul says, just in case you're wondering,
00:17:29and just in case you need clarity, on how much patience God must have for those whom he loves so
00:17:35dearly. Just in case you're curious, Paul says, take a look right over here. Because I am a demonstration,
00:17:42he says, of the patience of God. He says, if you've ever wondered how perfect God's patience is and
00:17:47whether he can endure with you and your life and the details of all that has gone on in your existence,
00:17:53he says, you don't have to look much further than me. Paul says, if he can put up with me,
00:17:57I'm telling you, he's got your back. Paul says, I'm a demonstration. He calls himself the foremost
00:18:04of all sinners. He says, you ain't done nothing I haven't already done. You haven't been anywhere I
00:18:09have not been. Your eyes have not seen anything. Your ears haven't heard anything. You have not
00:18:14touched anything. You have not participated in anything. There is no pit deeper that you have
00:18:20been in than the ones I have been in. Paul says, take a look over here. I'm a demonstration of how
00:18:26perfect God's patience must be. He says, you never have to wonder again if you just look at me,
00:18:32how perfect God's patience must be. And he starts that verse with this phrase in the NASB,
00:18:41New American Standard Bible that I'm reading from. He starts it with this phrase,
00:18:44yet for this reason, for this reason. I love that because anytime you see a phrase like that,
00:18:52for this reason in the scripture, it's almost like seeing the word therefore. Anytime you see
00:18:57therefore in scripture, you need to see what is therefore, because it is there for a reason.
00:19:04So he says, for this reason, which means there are already some reasons he has listed that he wants
00:19:11us to be aware of. There are some things that caused him to come to this conclusion in verse 16
00:19:16about how perfect God's patience must be. So I thought for just a few moments today, you and I
00:19:22could look back just a few verses. We're going to kind of backtrack so that we can see what the
00:19:26reasons are. I want to know what make Paul such a demonstration of the patience of God. Because
00:19:31if you and I look closely at what these reasons are, not only do I think you and I will see that Paul's
00:19:36not the only demonstration of how patient God is. But I think it's also going to free us up,
00:19:41because when we recognize and see his patience already demonstrated in our lives, it will cause
00:19:46us to want to live completely and fully and abundantly. So I want to point out these reasons
00:19:51to you. Is that all right with you this morning? The very first reason is found in verse 15.
00:19:57So we're backtracking up one verse. He says,
00:20:00It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world,
00:20:06here's the reason, to save sinners, among whom I am the foremost of all.
00:20:14Paul writes the very first reason that he wants you and I to know why God's patience is so profound
00:20:21and so boundless and so abundant and so limitless. He says, if you've ever wondered whether or not God's
00:20:27got enough patience for you, would you remember that Christ came into the world to save sinners?
00:20:34He says the very first reason that tells us that God has got enough patience to handle anything that
00:20:39could ever happen in our lives is just this one simple fact. He saved you. He saved you.
00:20:47Y'all, it is a straight up miracle
00:21:01that we're saved. I mean, we should never let the fact that God's spirit lives in us and that we have
00:21:11the gift of spending eternity with God. We should never allow that to roll off our shoulders casually
00:21:19as if it's no big deal. The fact that you and I know Jesus Christ as Lord is a miracle beyond any
00:21:25miracle you will ever experience in your life. The only reason why any of us ever come into relationship
00:21:32with God is not because we were looking so hard for him. It's because the hound of heaven was looking
00:21:38for us. It's because despite our rebellion, despite the fact that we had turned our backs on God,
00:21:46despite the fact that we had chosen our own way, despite the fact that we would refuse him time and
00:21:51time and time again, he caused our hearts to be softened so that when someone came to us and said the
00:21:57name Jesus Christ, we wanted to respond and say yes to him being our savior. That wasn't by chance,
00:22:03my friend. That's a miracle. Do you know that the enemy of this world works over time to blind the eyes
00:22:12of the unbelieving so that they cannot see clearly? He hardens their hearts. You might have somebody
00:22:18like that in your life, that you're a family member or a friend, and you constantly, consistently share
00:22:23the good news of Jesus Christ with them. But it seems like over time, the more hardened they become
00:22:28to it. Anybody? Anybody know what I'm talking about? That's because the enemy is about doing
00:22:33the business of trying to keep as many people as he can from responding to the gospel, which means when
00:22:39you and I evangelize, it can't just be about what we're saying out of our mouths. It also has to be
00:22:44about being down on our knees and praying for the Holy Spirit of God to soften their hearts so that they
00:22:50will respond. It is a move of God that brings people into the kingdom, which means the only
00:22:56reason why anybody in this room, the 1,000 people the other night who gave their hearts to Jesus Christ,
00:23:02you need to know it's because he brought you into this place, the hound of heaven. It's not because
00:23:08your girlfriend bought you a registration fee, my friend. It is because the Holy Spirit
00:23:12had this night on the calendar of your life, this weekend on the calendar of your life.
00:23:20It's because he was looking for you.
00:23:25And so when you and when I respond to the good news of Jesus Christ, when we see the cross of
00:23:31Calvary, and it's not just two pieces of wood put together anymore, but we see our sin that was born
00:23:37by a loving savior who didn't have to pay the wages, but he chose to pay the wages of our sin.
00:23:43And we respond and say, yes, Lord, that's because he is working a miracle in our lives, my friend.
00:23:52Miss Joy said it so well the other night. She said that, you know, even our physical birth is not,
00:23:59there's nothing chance about it. I mean, the fact that you and I live in this day and age and generation,
00:24:05there's nothing chance about it. Y'all, we live in the most blessed day and age and generation,
00:24:13not only for the church of Jesus Christ, but specifically for women. There has never,
00:24:18ever been a time in history where you could call a women's meeting and 20,000 women just show up
00:24:24because they just want to know the things of God. Not by and large like this. There has never been a
00:24:32time when you could just go into a Christian bookstore and find Bible study resources by women,
00:24:37for women, not like this. There has never been a time where you could just walk down your street,
00:24:42at least in Dallas, Texas, and on every corner, there is another church that is proclaiming the
00:24:47good news of Jesus Christ. In our city, we got two Christian radio stations, not just one, one with
00:24:53gospel music, if you like that. Another one with contemporary Christian music, if that's what you like.
00:24:59You can find any Bible in any translation in any language that you would like. Don't ever take
00:25:04for granted that you and I happen to be born in this blessed day and age and generation getting
00:25:10to serve the body of Christ. That's not by chance. Y'all, that's not by chance. He planned it.
00:25:19You and I aren't in this room by chance. He planned this, y'all.
00:25:22I mean, think about it. With the seven billion-plus people that are on the planet,
00:25:28your great-great-grandfather just happened to find the woman that would be your great-great-grandmother.
00:25:33The two of them came together and created your great-grandfather. Then your great-grandfather,
00:25:37with the seven billion-plus people that are on the planet, he just happened to find your great-grandmother,
00:25:42and the two of them came together and created your grandfather. And then your grandfather,
00:25:46with the seven billion-plus people that are on the planet.
00:25:49He just happened to find a person that should be your grandmother,
00:25:53and then the two of them came together and created your father.
00:25:55And then your father,
00:25:56with the seven billion-plus people that are on the planet,
00:26:00he just happened to find the woman that should be your mother,
00:26:02and the two of them came together,
00:26:04and this is a little graphic, but this is a women's conference.
00:26:07The millions of sperm,
00:26:09there was the exact one that met up with the egg
00:26:12at the exact right time to create you.
00:26:17There ain't nothing chance about that.
00:26:22Your physical birth is a miracle, my friend.
00:26:27And if your physical birth and my physical birth is a miracle,
00:26:30then how much more of a miracle is it?
00:26:33Not that we were born, but that we were born again.
00:26:39That's a miracle.
00:26:40Think about the patience of God that was required from the beginning of time
00:26:50to make sure that centuries later,
00:26:54you and I would come into relationship with him.
00:26:56Think about the endurance that he exhibited
00:27:00when he was just waiting for you.
00:27:03When we were on his mind,
00:27:06when he hung on Calvary's tree,
00:27:09the love that was extended toward us even then.
00:27:13Do you know you've been on his mind
00:27:15like since before Genesis 1-1,
00:27:18before time began,
00:27:19you and I were on the mind of God.
00:27:21And there has been a cosmic battle
00:27:23in the heavenlies that have been taking place
00:27:26and has been working itself out throughout history.
00:27:29There has been a battle between God and the enemy
00:27:31for your soul, my friend.
00:27:34I want you to think about it like a giant chessboard
00:27:37and you've got God sitting on one side
00:27:39and you've got the enemy on the other side
00:27:41and they are both vying for your soul.
00:27:44So Genesis 1-1 opens and God makes the first move.
00:27:47He creates Adam and Eve in a perfect scenario
00:27:51with perfect fellowship with him.
00:27:53But then the enemy, not to be outdone,
00:27:56he decides to make a move.
00:27:57He slithers his way into the garden.
00:27:58He causes sin to enter into the scenario
00:28:01and into the hearts of man.
00:28:02Before you know it, Cain kills Abel
00:28:04and now murder is on the scene
00:28:06and it seems like everything will always be separated now
00:28:09from a holy God.
00:28:10But our God never to be outdone
00:28:12on the other side of that cosmic chessboard,
00:28:14he makes another move.
00:28:17He causes Adam and Eve to come back together
00:28:19and they give birth to a little baby named Enosh.
00:28:22Or Seth, rather.
00:28:23And Seth gives birth to Enosh
00:28:25and Genesis 4 says that when Enosh was born,
00:28:28everybody began to praise God again.
00:28:31But the enemy, not to be outdone
00:28:32on the other side of that cosmic chessboard,
00:28:34he makes a move.
00:28:35He causes rebellion to seep back
00:28:37into the hearts of mankind.
00:28:39It proliferates across the earth
00:28:40so much so that the world has to be destroyed.
00:28:43But our God, never to be outdone,
00:28:45he makes another move.
00:28:47He finds this God named Noah
00:28:48and he says, Noah, go build an ark.
00:28:50Noah says, build a what?
00:28:54He says, I want you to build an ark.
00:28:56And so Noah obediently builds an ark
00:28:59and mankind is preserved as a result of his obedience.
00:29:03But the enemy makes another move
00:29:04and rebellion seeps back into the hearts of mankind,
00:29:07proliferates across the earth,
00:29:08but our God makes another move.
00:29:10And he goes to this little pagan town called Ur
00:29:13and he finds a man named Abram
00:29:15and he raises him up and he says,
00:29:17I'm going to change your name
00:29:18and I'm going to change your destiny.
00:29:20And I'm going to create a brand new nation out of you
00:29:22called the nation of Israel.
00:29:24And these people are going to bear the stamp of my name
00:29:26and my protection and my provision
00:29:28and my favor will always be upon them.
00:29:31The enemy not to be outdone,
00:29:33he made another move.
00:29:35And he calls now the nation of Israel,
00:29:37God's chosen people to go into Egypt.
00:29:40And for 400 years,
00:29:41Pharaoh had them completely bound
00:29:43and it looked like the enemy had won,
00:29:45but our God, never to be outdone,
00:29:47he makes another move.
00:29:49And he finds this little baby boy named Moses
00:29:51and he causes Moses to be raised as the prince of Egypt.
00:29:54And then at the right time,
00:29:56he sends Moses to Pharaoh and he says,
00:29:58you go tell Pharaoh to let my people go.
00:30:01And after 10 miraculous plagues,
00:30:03they are released from captivity.
00:30:04For 40 years, they are in the wilderness,
00:30:06but then they come into the promised land.
00:30:08But the enemy wants to make another move.
00:30:11And he causes now the children of Israel
00:30:14to turn their back on Yahweh, the one true God,
00:30:16and they begin to worship idols.
00:30:18By the time you get to the end of the book of Judges,
00:30:21the last line of the book of Judges says this,
00:30:23everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes.
00:30:27Kind of sounds like America in the year 2013, doesn't it?
00:30:33Sounds like exactly what Dave was teaching us yesterday morning.
00:30:37But our God, never to be outdone.
00:30:42He makes another move and he goes to this little town called Moab
00:30:45and he raises up a woman named Ruth.
00:30:48And Ruth has tragedy in her life.
00:30:50She has chaos in her life.
00:30:51And it looks like no good will come of it
00:30:53until she meets her kinsman redeemer.
00:30:55And she and her kinsman redeemer have a baby called Obed.
00:30:58And Obed gives birth to Jesse.
00:31:00And Jesse gives birth to a baby boy named David.
00:31:03And with that one move, the enemy doesn't even know
00:31:06that the checkmate is already on the way.
00:31:10Doesn't even know.
00:31:12Amen.
00:31:21And as the Old Testament comes to a close, y'all,
00:31:24there are 400 years of silence.
00:31:27And God is on one side of the chessboard,
00:31:30the enemy is on the other,
00:31:31and it is completely silent.
00:31:33And all of history waits to see
00:31:35who's going to make the next move.
00:31:38And then the New Testament opens.
00:31:41And God makes a move that the enemy to this day
00:31:43still has not had a response for.
00:31:46Jesus Christ comes.
00:31:52And he dies on the cross for you and me.
00:31:56And the victory is sealed once and for all.
00:32:00Amen.
00:32:02Praise the Lord.
00:32:08And he did that for you.
00:32:11And he did it for me.
00:32:12And if he had enough patience
00:32:20to have you on his mind
00:32:22and in his heart
00:32:24since the beginning of eternity,
00:32:26I want you to always remember
00:32:28that he's got enough patience
00:32:29to handle you while you're here
00:32:31in time and history.
00:32:33If he had enough patience
00:32:34to handle the last couple millennia,
00:32:36he can take care of the last six weeks
00:32:38of your life, my friend.
00:32:39There is nothing you can do
00:32:42to escape the long-suffering nature
00:32:46of our God.
00:32:49He is not mad at you.
00:32:54He's not mad at you.
00:33:04But y'all, that's just the first reason.
00:33:05Because Paul does have some more reasons.
00:33:13He says, if you've ever wondered
00:33:15about the patience of God,
00:33:17you can't just look at the fact
00:33:18that he saved me, Paul said.
00:33:19But there's another reason.
00:33:20He says in verse 13,
00:33:22even though I was formerly,
00:33:27somebody say formerly.
00:33:29Even though I was formerly
00:33:30a blasphemer and a persecutor
00:33:32and a violent aggressor,
00:33:34yet I was shown mercy.
00:33:39Now when Paul first told us
00:33:41in that verse 16,
00:33:42he first told us
00:33:42that he was the foremost of all sinners,
00:33:44that he was a demonstration
00:33:45of how patient God must actually be.
00:33:48When he first told us
00:33:49that he didn't give us details
00:33:50on his sin resume,
00:33:51like he didn't map out
00:33:52all the things he's ever done.
00:33:54He just said, trust me,
00:33:55I'm the foremost.
00:33:58And you know what?
00:33:58I'm kind of glad
00:33:59he didn't give us details.
00:34:00Because if Paul would have
00:34:02spelled out for us
00:34:03everything on his sin resume,
00:34:05we might have been
00:34:06so distracted by his resume
00:34:08that we forget
00:34:10we got our own resumes.
00:34:12We actually don't have time
00:34:13to look at anybody else's sin resume.
00:34:16Comparing, as Andy Stanley said to us,
00:34:18we don't have time
00:34:18to be comparing ourselves
00:34:19with other people.
00:34:20We are ourselves,
00:34:22our own demonstration
00:34:23of how patient God is.
00:34:25Because listen,
00:34:26if I were to take
00:34:26this little microphone
00:34:27and we just passed it around
00:34:28this whole room
00:34:29with all of us,
00:34:30man, we'd be here
00:34:31into the next year
00:34:32going over all our resumes
00:34:33of how God has rescued
00:34:35and delivered us.
00:34:37But in this verse,
00:34:38verse 13,
00:34:39he does give us three things.
00:34:41He labeled for us
00:34:42three things
00:34:43that are on his sin resume.
00:34:45He says,
00:34:45I was a blasphemer,
00:34:46I was a violent aggressor,
00:34:47I was a persecutor
00:34:48of the church.
00:34:49He says,
00:34:49that's who I was.
00:34:51There were three things.
00:34:52But before I label
00:34:53these three things,
00:34:54Paul says,
00:34:54before I tell you
00:34:55some details
00:34:56about my sin resume,
00:34:58I'm going to put
00:34:58a big old heading
00:34:59right here at the top
00:35:00of the page
00:35:01just so that we're clear
00:35:02before I give you
00:35:03any of these details.
00:35:04I want you to know
00:35:05that these things,
00:35:06they are who I used to be.
00:35:08They are not
00:35:09who I am anymore.
00:35:10I was formerly,
00:35:13somebody say formerly.
00:35:14In other words,
00:35:15Paul says,
00:35:16the reason why
00:35:17I'm a demonstration
00:35:17of the patience of God
00:35:19is not only because
00:35:20he saved me,
00:35:21but because he changed me.
00:35:25Because he didn't leave me
00:35:27in the state I was in.
00:35:28Because he's molding me
00:35:30and changing me
00:35:31and remaking me
00:35:33so that I am
00:35:33a different person today
00:35:35than I was yesterday.
00:35:36I love so much
00:35:37when Miss Joyce
00:35:38had the mannequins
00:35:40up here on the stage
00:35:41because she pointed out
00:35:42so clearly
00:35:43that God comes
00:35:44and indwells us.
00:35:46We are made brand new
00:35:47on the inside.
00:35:48You remember the spirit
00:35:49over here.
00:35:50We are brand new
00:35:51on the inside.
00:35:52But then,
00:35:52listen to this,
00:35:53we don't have to do
00:35:54the hard work
00:35:55of changing ourselves.
00:35:58Because the Holy Spirit,
00:35:59one of his jobs,
00:36:00he's got many jobs
00:36:01on the inside of us.
00:36:02He guides us.
00:36:03He comforts us.
00:36:04He encourages us.
00:36:05But 2 Thessalonians 2.13 says,
00:36:09he also sanctifies us.
00:36:12Sanctification is the process
00:36:14by which we are made
00:36:16into the image
00:36:16of Christ Jesus.
00:36:18It means when this part of us
00:36:20begins to spill over
00:36:21into the mind,
00:36:23will,
00:36:23and emotions part of us
00:36:24and causes us
00:36:26to not want stuff
00:36:27we thought we would
00:36:27always want.
00:36:29Causes us to want stuff
00:36:30we thought we would
00:36:31never want.
00:36:32He causes our likes
00:36:34and our dislikes
00:36:35to completely change
00:36:36so that we are,
00:36:37when we look in the mirror,
00:36:39not the same person
00:36:40that we used to be.
00:36:41I'm so glad
00:36:42for the sanctifying power
00:36:44of the Holy Spirit.
00:36:46Y'all,
00:36:46I'm so glad
00:36:47that when I look
00:36:48in the mirror today,
00:36:50I don't see the same person
00:36:52that I saw five years ago.
00:36:53I'm so glad
00:36:56that the thoughts I had,
00:36:58I don't have anymore.
00:37:00I'm so glad
00:37:00that the ambitions
00:37:01I had are not
00:37:03the ambitions
00:37:04I have anymore.
00:37:05I'm so grateful
00:37:06that God
00:37:07can take anybody
00:37:08and make them
00:37:09a brand new person.
00:37:10I wonder
00:37:11if there's anybody
00:37:12discouraged today
00:37:13because you're wondering
00:37:14if you can ever change.
00:37:16Listen to me,
00:37:17the Holy Spirit's work
00:37:18in you,
00:37:19His delight in you,
00:37:21is to be patient with you
00:37:23as you change.
00:37:25You're a demonstration
00:37:26of the patience of God,
00:37:27Paul says,
00:37:28not only because
00:37:28He saved you,
00:37:29that's your justification,
00:37:30but because He's changing you,
00:37:32that's your sanctification.
00:37:44Sanctification,
00:37:44where He chips away
00:37:45at everything
00:37:46that doesn't look like Jesus.
00:37:49A sculptor
00:37:50was once asked
00:37:51as he stood in front
00:37:52of this huge stallion
00:37:53that he had carved
00:37:54out of rock
00:37:55and an admirer
00:37:56was standing near
00:37:57and they were looking
00:37:57at this stallion
00:37:59that had been carved
00:37:59out of this huge block
00:38:01of rock
00:38:01that was sitting over here
00:38:02and the admirer
00:38:03just asked the guy,
00:38:04the artist,
00:38:05how in the world
00:38:06do you do this?
00:38:06How in the world
00:38:07do you take a big piece
00:38:08of rock like that
00:38:08and make it look
00:38:09like a stallion?
00:38:10And the artist
00:38:11stood there for a moment
00:38:12with his chisel in hand
00:38:13and he just thought
00:38:14about answering that question
00:38:15and finally he responded
00:38:16and said,
00:38:17well, actually,
00:38:18it's pretty simple.
00:38:19I just chip away
00:38:20at everything
00:38:21that doesn't look
00:38:22like a stallion.
00:38:26This is what
00:38:27the Holy Spirit
00:38:28does with you
00:38:28and with me.
00:38:33Chips away
00:38:34at everything
00:38:35that doesn't look
00:38:36like Jesus.
00:38:38And then He causes us
00:38:40to be conformed
00:38:42to the image
00:38:43of Christ.
00:38:44takes patience
00:38:46for that.
00:38:48But He's committed
00:38:49to walking with you
00:38:50every step
00:38:51of the way.
00:38:52He doesn't abandon us
00:38:54during the transformation
00:38:56process.
00:38:58He hangs with us.
00:39:00Walks with us.
00:39:01The reason why
00:39:01He hangs with us,
00:39:02listen to me,
00:39:03is because He's the one
00:39:04doing the work.
00:39:05Listen,
00:39:06if you try
00:39:07and I try
00:39:07to change ourselves,
00:39:09we will be tired.
00:39:10I mean straight up
00:39:13exhausted, y'all.
00:39:14I'm telling you,
00:39:15there is nothing
00:39:16you or I could do
00:39:17to change ourselves.
00:39:18But listen,
00:39:19we're beautiful enough
00:39:20to Him.
00:39:21We are His masterpiece.
00:39:24We are His workmanship.
00:39:27It is His goal
00:39:28as the artist
00:39:29to hang with us
00:39:30long enough
00:39:31till we look
00:39:32just like Jesus.
00:39:32It is His work
00:39:34in us.
00:39:35His best work,
00:39:36His finest work
00:39:37is you.
00:39:39It's you.
00:39:41His patience,
00:39:43His long-suffering nature
00:39:44endures with us forever.
00:39:46You cannot wear God out.
00:39:49Have you ever wondered
00:39:50how popcorn pops?
00:39:51Somebody say yes.
00:39:52Yes.
00:39:52I'm so glad
00:39:53you want to know.
00:39:56So when you
00:39:57have a kernel
00:39:58of popcorn,
00:39:59that hard little
00:40:00shelled kernel of corn,
00:40:01inside,
00:40:02every kernel,
00:40:03there is a microscopic
00:40:03drop of water.
00:40:07And so when you put
00:40:07a bag of microwave popcorn
00:40:09into the microwave,
00:40:11what the heat
00:40:12in the microwave
00:40:12is doing
00:40:13is not actually
00:40:13heating up the shell.
00:40:15It's heating up
00:40:15that microscopic
00:40:16dot of water
00:40:17that is inside the shell.
00:40:19So that microscopic
00:40:20dot of water
00:40:21begins to create steam
00:40:22and the steam
00:40:23begins to press
00:40:24against the shell.
00:40:25And as it continues
00:40:26to heat up,
00:40:26it presses more
00:40:27and more powerfully
00:40:28until finally
00:40:29it just,
00:40:30it pops.
00:40:32So the outside
00:40:33looks completely
00:40:34different from the inside.
00:40:35Not because the outside
00:40:36was heated up,
00:40:37but because what was
00:40:38in the inside
00:40:39was heated up.
00:40:41So this is what happens.
00:40:43The Holy Spirit
00:40:44is on the inside of you.
00:40:46And if you try
00:40:47to heat yourself up
00:40:48from the outside in,
00:40:49you're working
00:40:50against the dynamic
00:40:51of what the Holy Spirit
00:40:52was designed to do.
00:40:54But as you cooperate
00:40:55with the Holy Spirit
00:40:56on the inside of you
00:40:57by renewing your mind
00:40:59with the Word of God,
00:41:00fellowshipping with believers
00:41:01in Christ,
00:41:02being obedient
00:41:03to the conviction
00:41:04of the Holy Spirit,
00:41:05remaining filled
00:41:06by His Spirit
00:41:07every single day.
00:41:08As you do that,
00:41:10you heat up the power
00:41:11of the Holy Spirit
00:41:12on the inside of you.
00:41:13And He begins
00:41:14to press and press
00:41:15against the shell
00:41:17of your body
00:41:18so much so
00:41:19till eventually
00:41:19you just,
00:41:21you pop
00:41:22and you look
00:41:22completely different
00:41:23than you used to look.
00:41:29So then you come home
00:41:30from the conference
00:41:30and your family goes,
00:41:31who's that?
00:41:32Who's that?
00:41:33Who is that?
00:41:36But not only
00:41:37do you look
00:41:37completely different,
00:41:38but I don't know
00:41:38about y'all,
00:41:39movie popcorn
00:41:40is my favorite snack
00:41:41of all time.
00:41:41Put some butter
00:41:42and some salt on that,
00:41:43I'm just happy.
00:41:44I'm just happy.
00:41:45Thank you, Jesus.
00:41:47Put a Coke with it,
00:41:49ooh, girl.
00:41:53So when you come home,
00:41:54not only do you
00:41:55look different,
00:41:56but then we are fed
00:41:57to a lost and dying world
00:41:59that needs to see
00:42:00our God as
00:42:00mm-mm, good.
00:42:06So He changes us
00:42:07and He's patient
00:42:09enough for that.
00:42:10He's going to hang
00:42:11with you
00:42:11through your
00:42:11transformation process
00:42:13as you are delivered
00:42:14and set free
00:42:15and grab hold
00:42:17of all that you've
00:42:17been taught this weekend
00:42:18and spend the next
00:42:20days and weeks
00:42:21and months
00:42:21going over the notes
00:42:22that God has given us
00:42:23as we've listened
00:42:24to this teaching
00:42:25and praying it
00:42:26and praying over it
00:42:27and stewing over it
00:42:28and talking about it
00:42:29with our friends
00:42:29who are here.
00:42:31As we grow,
00:42:33listen,
00:42:33your friends might
00:42:34not hang with you,
00:42:35but God will hang
00:42:36with you.
00:42:37Your mama,
00:42:39she might not have
00:42:39hung with you,
00:42:40but God will hang
00:42:40with you.
00:42:41Somebody's spouse,
00:42:42they couldn't hang
00:42:43with you till you changed.
00:42:44There is a God
00:42:45who will never leave you
00:42:46nor forsake you.
00:42:50He's with you
00:42:51through the change,
00:42:52my friend.
00:42:53He's got enough
00:42:53patience for that.
00:42:55Paul says,
00:42:55if you're wondering
00:42:56about whether or not
00:42:57you can count
00:42:57on the patience of God,
00:42:59would you always remember
00:43:00that if He was patient
00:43:01enough to save you,
00:43:02justification,
00:43:03and patient enough
00:43:04to change you,
00:43:05sanctification,
00:43:06He's got your back
00:43:07every single day
00:43:08for the rest of your life.
00:43:10But that's not
00:43:11the only reason.
00:43:12Paul says,
00:43:14it's not just
00:43:14that you're saved
00:43:15and it's not just
00:43:16that you're changed,
00:43:17but there is another reason
00:43:18and the next reason
00:43:19is found in verse 12.
00:43:20So we're still
00:43:20backtracking up
00:43:21through these verses.
00:43:24He says,
00:43:24I thank Jesus Christ
00:43:25our Lord
00:43:26who has strengthened me
00:43:27because He considered
00:43:28me faithful,
00:43:29here's the reason,
00:43:30putting me into service.
00:43:33Putting me into service.
00:43:36Paul says,
00:43:37now this one
00:43:37I can't believe.
00:43:39It was a miracle
00:43:40enough that He saved me.
00:43:42And it's a miracle
00:43:43enough that He'd hang
00:43:44with me long enough
00:43:45to actually change me.
00:43:46But I cannot believe,
00:43:48Paul says,
00:43:49that He would actually
00:43:50use me for His glory.
00:43:52I cannot believe,
00:43:53not only that I've been
00:43:55justified
00:43:55and that I've been
00:43:56sanctified,
00:43:57I can't believe
00:43:57there's been justification,
00:43:59I can't believe
00:44:00there's been sanctification,
00:44:01but now God is patient
00:44:03enough to put me
00:44:04in a specific location
00:44:06to be used
00:44:07for His glory.
00:44:09Paul says,
00:44:09He's put me
00:44:10into service.
00:44:12And Paul cannot
00:44:13stinkin' believe it.
00:44:16I mean,
00:44:17after his history,
00:44:18his past,
00:44:19where he's come from,
00:44:20what he's done,
00:44:22he cannot believe.
00:44:26Neither should you
00:44:27or I.
00:44:29I'm going to tell you
00:44:30that I cannot believe
00:44:34God would use me
00:44:36to accomplish anything
00:44:37for His purposes.
00:44:38I cannot believe it.
00:44:39And when I say that,
00:44:41let me tell you
00:44:41that I don't necessarily
00:44:42just mean on this platform,
00:44:44this is a privilege
00:44:45and an honor,
00:44:46but when I say
00:44:48I can't believe
00:44:48God would use me
00:44:49for His purposes,
00:44:50I mostly mean
00:44:51in the smaller spheres
00:44:53of influence
00:44:53that God has placed me.
00:44:55I'm talking about
00:44:56like being a wife
00:44:57to my husband.
00:44:58my goal
00:45:01is that when Jerry
00:45:03sees Jesus
00:45:04face to face,
00:45:06Jesus looks at him
00:45:07and says,
00:45:08well done, Jerry.
00:45:11And God has entrusted me
00:45:13to support
00:45:14and encourage
00:45:15this guy enough
00:45:16so that when he sees God,
00:45:18he gets the applause
00:45:19of heaven.
00:45:19I can't believe God
00:45:21would entrust me
00:45:22with that.
00:45:23then I look
00:45:25at these three
00:45:26little humans
00:45:27God has given me.
00:45:30Have you ever
00:45:30left the hospital
00:45:31and gone,
00:45:31I'm sorry,
00:45:32are there instructions?
00:45:33Excuse me.
00:45:34What?
00:45:36Anybody know
00:45:37what I'm talking about?
00:45:40So I look
00:45:41at these little boys
00:45:42who will grow up
00:45:43and be warriors
00:45:44for Christ
00:45:44or I will spank them.
00:45:46Oh!
00:45:53But y'all,
00:45:57I look
00:45:57at these little boys
00:45:58and I can't believe
00:46:01God would entrust
00:46:02that he would
00:46:04allow me
00:46:05to partner
00:46:05with him
00:46:06in the shaping
00:46:07of these little souls.
00:46:10And y'all,
00:46:11here's what I found.
00:46:12What I found
00:46:13is that what the enemy
00:46:14is doing
00:46:14is trying to get
00:46:15you and I,
00:46:16all of us,
00:46:17to discount
00:46:18the significance
00:46:19of the locations
00:46:20where he has placed us.
00:46:23He's trying to get
00:46:23all of us
00:46:24to think
00:46:24that the location
00:46:25we're in,
00:46:26the small spheres
00:46:27of influence
00:46:27to which God
00:46:28has called us
00:46:29aren't important.
00:46:31So what the church,
00:46:32unfortunately,
00:46:33Capital C Church,
00:46:35what the church
00:46:35has done
00:46:36is applaud
00:46:37and admire
00:46:37the gifts
00:46:38that require
00:46:39a microphone
00:46:39and a platform
00:46:40while at the same time
00:46:42demeaning those
00:46:43that are behind
00:46:44closed doors
00:46:44that nobody ever sees.
00:46:46And yet the best,
00:46:48most impactful ministry.
00:46:50Y'all,
00:46:50it's not only
00:46:51what is happening
00:46:51from this platform.
00:46:52It's the person
00:46:53that loves the Lord
00:46:54enough to be
00:46:55one-on-one
00:46:56in discipleship
00:46:57across a table
00:46:57at Starbucks
00:46:58faithfully and weekly
00:47:00with that person
00:47:01who needs to grow
00:47:01in their relationship
00:47:02with God.
00:47:03It's the mama
00:47:04that recognizes
00:47:05that being around
00:47:06that dinner table
00:47:06with her family
00:47:07and sharing
00:47:08just a simple verse
00:47:09of scripture
00:47:10with her children
00:47:10isn't insignificant
00:47:12that she's raising
00:47:13up the next generation
00:47:15of those
00:47:15who will be
00:47:16Christ followers.
00:47:16it's the single woman
00:47:24who sees this season
00:47:26of her life
00:47:26as an opportunity
00:47:27to just be gung-ho
00:47:29for God
00:47:29going every which way
00:47:30she can
00:47:31taking every opportunity
00:47:32she can
00:47:33to serve the Lord.
00:47:36It's the pastor's wife
00:47:38who sees these same
00:47:3940 or 50 people
00:47:40that they're serving
00:47:41week in
00:47:42and week out
00:47:43who is becoming
00:47:43discouraged
00:47:44because she thought
00:47:45it would just look
00:47:46different than this
00:47:46when she decided
00:47:47to marry this guy.
00:47:48She thought life
00:47:49would look completely different.
00:47:51It's the person
00:47:51that sees the significance
00:47:53of those 40 or 50.
00:47:55It's the Bible study leader
00:47:57that's holding
00:47:57that Bible study
00:47:58in her home
00:47:59and she's got
00:47:59those five people
00:48:00that have been
00:48:01coming faithfully
00:48:02for five years
00:48:03but she thought
00:48:03by now there might be more.
00:48:05That would be a part
00:48:06of this ministry.
00:48:07It's the person
00:48:08who does not discount
00:48:09the sphere of influence
00:48:10that they are in.
00:48:11What the enemy
00:48:12wants you to do
00:48:13is think that
00:48:13the place you are
00:48:15is insignificant
00:48:16to the plan of God.
00:48:18So then
00:48:18like Andy Standy told us
00:48:20he causes us
00:48:20to look elsewhere
00:48:21and go
00:48:22but if I only had that.
00:48:24If I was only
00:48:25in her location.
00:48:27If I was only able
00:48:28to do what she
00:48:30is able to do
00:48:31and all the while
00:48:32that we are looking
00:48:32outside
00:48:33of our own sphere
00:48:34of influence
00:48:35we are simultaneously
00:48:37downgrading the value
00:48:38of where God
00:48:39has placed us.
00:48:42And listen y'all
00:48:43on the stage
00:48:43of life
00:48:44there is a role
00:48:46you have been
00:48:47given to play
00:48:48and if you and I
00:48:48are trying to play
00:48:49somebody else's role
00:48:50who in the world
00:48:50is going to play you?
00:48:54Who's going to play you?
00:48:58There is a girl
00:48:58in my church
00:48:59her name is
00:49:01Rashida.
00:49:03Rashida is 35 years old
00:49:04and Rashida
00:49:06really sensed
00:49:07that God was calling her
00:49:08away from her job.
00:49:09this was two years ago
00:49:11good job
00:49:12benefits
00:49:13and you know
00:49:14a regular salary
00:49:15and she was on the
00:49:16upward scale
00:49:17in her company
00:49:18and so she just
00:49:20was excited about it
00:49:21but she just
00:49:22over a period of time
00:49:23really sensed conviction
00:49:24that she needed
00:49:25to leave that job.
00:49:26So out of obedience
00:49:27after some time
00:49:28she did
00:49:28and she just expected
00:49:30that what that would mean
00:49:32is that God
00:49:33had something
00:49:33kind of you know
00:49:33bigger, better
00:49:34for her
00:49:35and that she was
00:49:36just waiting on that
00:49:37to materialize
00:49:38and so
00:49:38she just took some jobs
00:49:41as a babysitter
00:49:42along the way.
00:49:44That's really
00:49:44how I know her.
00:49:46I don't know her
00:49:46as much from church
00:49:47as I do
00:49:48from babysitting.
00:49:50My sister has
00:49:51five children
00:49:51my cousin has
00:49:52four children
00:49:53we all live
00:49:53within a 10 mile
00:49:54radius of each other
00:49:55so Rashida would help
00:49:56babysit Crystal's kids
00:49:57and then my cousin
00:49:58Winter's kids
00:49:59and I knew her
00:50:00mostly from that
00:50:01because I'd go over
00:50:01with my kids
00:50:02so that all the cousins
00:50:03could play
00:50:03and me and Rashida
00:50:04would talk all the time
00:50:05and that's how I knew her.
00:50:08And she expressed
00:50:09the fact that she
00:50:10was really battling
00:50:12with this whole
00:50:13babysitting thing
00:50:14because she loved it
00:50:15she actually loves kids
00:50:16and loves doing it
00:50:17but after a year went by
00:50:18and then a year and a half
00:50:19went by
00:50:20she was really discouraged
00:50:21because she just felt like
00:50:22you know I thought
00:50:24the next thing
00:50:25would have materialized
00:50:26by now.
00:50:28So she said
00:50:28Priscilla
00:50:29you know I'm discouraged
00:50:30and she said
00:50:31honestly over time
00:50:32I have really felt like
00:50:33I've been cheated
00:50:35by God
00:50:36somehow.
00:50:37I mean I obeyed
00:50:38and did what he said
00:50:39but here I am
00:50:39just hopping around
00:50:40to different families
00:50:41I love it
00:50:42but I'm still doing it
00:50:43it's been a year and a half
00:50:44I feel a little bit cheated
00:50:45and if the truth be told
00:50:46there are many of us
00:50:47in this room
00:50:47that feel cheated too
00:50:48because we've obeyed
00:50:50to the best of our knowledge
00:50:51we have done
00:50:52what God has asked us to do
00:50:53and yet it hasn't turned out
00:50:55the way we thought
00:50:56that it would
00:50:56and if we're honest
00:50:57like Rashida was
00:50:58we feel just a little bit
00:50:59cheated by God
00:51:00and she said
00:51:01so Priscilla
00:51:02I prayed a lot about this
00:51:04I said Lord
00:51:04I need you to show me
00:51:06what's up here
00:51:07I've done
00:51:08what you've asked me to do
00:51:09and yet I feel
00:51:09kind of cheated by you
00:51:11I need you to give me clarity
00:51:12and she said Priscilla
00:51:13I kid you not
00:51:13after I was praying about that
00:51:15I went over to a family's house
00:51:16to babysit
00:51:17as I normally do
00:51:18she said I had a casserole
00:51:19in my hands
00:51:20that I had baked
00:51:20up for that family
00:51:22that night
00:51:22and she said
00:51:23when I walked up
00:51:24to the front door
00:51:24before I rang the doorbell
00:51:26I realized
00:51:27something was really
00:51:28different this time
00:51:29it's almost like
00:51:31the Lord was giving me
00:51:32spiritual vision
00:51:33so that I could see
00:51:34everything that was
00:51:35happening that night
00:51:36not from my perspective
00:51:37but from his perspective
00:51:38she said I rang the doorbell
00:51:40the kids all ran up
00:51:42to the door
00:51:42and answered the door
00:51:43and when I walked in
00:51:44the smiles
00:51:45and the look
00:51:45on those kids faces
00:51:46weren't just
00:51:47I'm happy to see you
00:51:48Miss Rashida
00:51:49kind of smiles
00:51:49it was like an invitation
00:51:51from God
00:51:52to invest in the lives
00:51:53of these little people
00:51:54and she said
00:51:55it wasn't only that
00:51:56when I handed the casserole
00:51:58to the mom
00:51:58she had had a crazy
00:52:00frazzled day
00:52:00and the look of relief
00:52:02on that mom's face
00:52:04showed me that I was
00:52:05being such a blessing
00:52:07to this woman's life
00:52:09and then she said
00:52:11the kids started
00:52:11spouting out
00:52:12these Bible verses
00:52:13to me
00:52:13they were the Bible verses
00:52:14I had taught them
00:52:15the last time
00:52:15I babysat them
00:52:16and they were all eager
00:52:17asking me
00:52:18what's the next
00:52:19Bible study lesson
00:52:20you have for us today
00:52:21Miss Rashida
00:52:22they could not wait
00:52:23to sit down
00:52:24and get the Bible study
00:52:25from her
00:52:25so she realized
00:52:27that she wouldn't
00:52:27just tell them stories
00:52:28that she was literally
00:52:29investing in the lives
00:52:31of what would later
00:52:32be spiritual giants
00:52:33then she said
00:52:39the husband and wife
00:52:40they went out for a date
00:52:41they hadn't had a date
00:52:42in a long time
00:52:43they went out for a date
00:52:44and it occurred to me
00:52:45that night
00:52:45it had never occurred
00:52:46to me before
00:52:46but it occurred to me
00:52:48that night
00:52:48that I was literally
00:52:49helping to build
00:52:51a strong marriage
00:52:52she said
00:52:55Priscilla
00:52:55that night
00:52:56I realized
00:52:57that I hadn't been cheated
00:52:59but that I'd been chosen
00:53:01chosen by God
00:53:06for this
00:53:07I want to tell somebody today
00:53:12you haven't been cheated
00:53:14my friend
00:53:15he has not cheated you
00:53:18he has chosen you
00:53:20for the location
00:53:21you are in
00:53:22he has specifically
00:53:24designed the dynamics
00:53:25of that location
00:53:26in your home
00:53:28in that high school
00:53:29in that university
00:53:30on that job
00:53:31he has specifically
00:53:32created that dynamic
00:53:34and then set you down
00:53:35inside of it
00:53:36to be his representation
00:53:38in the midst
00:53:39of that circle
00:53:40my friend
00:53:40don't let the enemy
00:53:42cause you to discount
00:53:44the location
00:53:45where God will use you
00:53:46Paul says
00:53:55God is patient
00:53:56because he saved me
00:53:57because he changed me
00:53:59because he's using me
00:54:01and finally
00:54:02verse 12
00:54:03I thank Christ Jesus
00:54:06our Lord
00:54:06because he has
00:54:08strengthened me
00:54:09you know what
00:54:13the good news is
00:54:14about this whole weekend
00:54:15y'all
00:54:16is that when
00:54:18Miss Joyce goes home
00:54:19and Mr. Dave
00:54:20go home
00:54:21and I fly back
00:54:21to Dallas
00:54:22and Annalie Stanley
00:54:24flies back
00:54:24to his home
00:54:25when we all
00:54:26leave
00:54:27each other
00:54:28that God
00:54:30doesn't just go
00:54:30with one of us
00:54:31and he's not enough
00:54:32for all of us
00:54:33that he is
00:54:35omnipresent
00:54:36that he is
00:54:37as much with you
00:54:39as he is with me
00:54:40that the Holy Spirit
00:54:42of God
00:54:42is with us
00:54:43listen
00:54:43to strengthen you
00:54:45that in the location
00:54:48God has planted you
00:54:49he's not just gonna
00:54:50set you in that location
00:54:51and then back off
00:54:52and say
00:54:52well I hope you do
00:54:53alright over there
00:54:53the Holy Spirit
00:54:55actually walks with you
00:54:57do you think
00:54:57he loved you enough
00:54:59to die for you
00:54:59but then doesn't love you
00:55:00enough to walk with you
00:55:01do you think
00:55:03he loved you enough
00:55:04to ransom
00:55:05his own son
00:55:06on your behalf
00:55:07but then doesn't have
00:55:08enough love for you
00:55:09to continue to strengthen
00:55:10you every day
00:55:11of your life
00:55:11you do not leave
00:55:13this place
00:55:13in just a few hours
00:55:14you don't leave
00:55:15this place alone
00:55:16my friend
00:55:16you are strengthened
00:55:18by our great God
00:55:19it is his patience
00:55:21that caused you
00:55:22to be saved
00:55:23and causes you
00:55:24to be changed
00:55:24causes you to be used
00:55:26for the glory of God
00:55:27and it causes you
00:55:28to continually
00:55:29be strengthened
00:55:30every single day
00:55:32of your life
00:55:33God's spirit
00:55:34in you
00:55:35strengthens you
00:55:36to steady you
00:55:39for anything
00:55:40that might come
00:55:41your way
00:55:41Miss Joyce
00:55:42has said it again
00:55:43and I said it before
00:55:44and I'm going to say
00:55:44it again to you
00:55:45he does not call you
00:55:47to do anything
00:55:48for which he does not
00:55:49simultaneously
00:55:50give you the anointing
00:55:53and the strength
00:55:53to handle the task
00:55:54he does not call you
00:56:02to do anything
00:56:04that he does not
00:56:06at the exact same time
00:56:08infuse you
00:56:10with the grace
00:56:11to handle it
00:56:13he does not ever
00:56:20call you or I
00:56:23to participate
00:56:24in any task
00:56:25in any location
00:56:27to do anything
00:56:28to put our hands
00:56:29to any plow
00:56:30that he does not
00:56:31at the exact same time
00:56:33give us the anointing
00:56:34and the power
00:56:35and the strength
00:56:36and the grace
00:56:37and the wisdom
00:56:38and the discernment
00:56:39to handle the task
00:56:41that is at hand
00:56:42the joy of the Lord
00:56:48is your strength
00:56:49my friend
00:56:50I'll tell you this
00:56:53in closing
00:56:54when one of my boys
00:56:55my oldest son
00:56:56when he
00:56:57lost his first teeth
00:56:59I'll never forget it
00:57:00he was turning five
00:57:01and he had been waiting
00:57:02on those suckers
00:57:03to fall out
00:57:03I mean he had just
00:57:04been wiggling that thing
00:57:06trying to get it loose
00:57:06because he could not wait
00:57:07because we had told him
00:57:08that when this tooth
00:57:09falls out
00:57:10there will be a tooth fairy
00:57:11that will come
00:57:12in the middle of the night
00:57:13she will exchange
00:57:14that tooth for a treasure
00:57:15so he could not wait
00:57:17and on the day
00:57:17that it fell out
00:57:18he was so unbelievably excited
00:57:20I have never seen that boy
00:57:22go to bed fast
00:57:22ever in his life
00:57:23still to this day
00:57:25but he ran to his bed
00:57:26and he went to sleep
00:57:27and he tried to go to sleep
00:57:28every 60 seconds
00:57:30he would look under the pillow
00:57:31to see if anything had happened
00:57:32finally he fell asleep
00:57:38and about 3 o'clock
00:57:39in the morning
00:57:40no no
00:57:41he fell asleep earlier
00:57:42but about 3 o'clock
00:57:43in the morning
00:57:43the 250 pound
00:57:466 foot 3 tooth fairy
00:57:47that I sleep next to
00:57:48every night
00:57:48he got up
00:57:52went upstairs
00:57:53and exchanged the tooth
00:57:54for a treasure
00:57:55I knew exactly
00:57:57when Jackson got up
00:57:58in the morning
00:57:58I knew it
00:57:58because I just heard
00:57:59chaos upstairs
00:58:00he was so excited
00:58:01because there was
00:58:02something under his pillow
00:58:03he bounded down the stairs
00:58:05and he ran into our room
00:58:06and he had his two fists
00:58:08clenched closed
00:58:09he said mom
00:58:10the tooth fairy came
00:58:12and he opened up
00:58:13his first hand
00:58:13and it was a package
00:58:14of gummy bears
00:58:15he was so excited
00:58:16then he opened up
00:58:18the other hand
00:58:18and it was 5 dollars
00:58:20exactly
00:58:22what happened
00:58:28to dimes
00:58:29and nickels
00:58:30so my husband
00:58:36could see
00:58:36the stunned expression
00:58:37on my face
00:58:38because you know
00:58:45when mama ain't happy
00:58:46so after Jackson ran off
00:58:56my husband said
00:58:57babe don't worry
00:58:58he said do you remember
00:58:59last month was Jackson's
00:59:005th birthday
00:59:00I said yeah
00:59:01he said remember
00:59:02we always have our family
00:59:03over on the kids birthdays
00:59:04and last month
00:59:05when they all came
00:59:05they all brought cards
00:59:06with them
00:59:06and in those cards
00:59:07were 5 dollar bills
00:59:08for his 5th birthday
00:59:09he said do you remember
00:59:10we took all those 5 dollar bills
00:59:11we put them in the
00:59:12birthday drawer
00:59:13well this morning
00:59:15at 3 a.m.
00:59:15I went right over
00:59:16to that birthday drawer
00:59:16got one of those
00:59:175 dollar bills out
00:59:18and put it inside
00:59:18his pillow
00:59:19that's good financial
00:59:27stewardship right there
00:59:28is what that is
00:59:28but here's the thing
00:59:32I watched my boy
00:59:34get so excited
00:59:35about treasure
00:59:36that he really
00:59:38already had
00:59:39y'all know
00:59:42what this weekend
00:59:43has been about
00:59:43about reminding you
00:59:45about treasure
00:59:46you already have
00:59:47the responsibility
00:59:49you and I have now
00:59:50is to go home
00:59:51from this place
00:59:52open up the drawer
00:59:53of God's strengthening
00:59:54spirit on the inside
00:59:55of us
00:59:55and live like the
00:59:57beautiful
00:59:58treasured women
00:59:59that we are
01:00:00you don't have
01:00:01anything new
01:00:01my friend
01:00:02it's just
01:00:02you're gonna release
01:00:03what God
01:00:04has already given you
01:00:05the moment you came
01:00:06to know him as Savior
01:00:07amen
01:00:07amen
01:00:08amen
01:00:09amen
01:00:10thank you for
01:00:12good job
01:00:14amen
01:00:17you
01:00:24you
01:00:24you
01:00:25you
01:00:25you
01:00:25you
01:00:26you
01:00:26you
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