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The Irreducible Minimum of Faith · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
Ye gads. I'm usually sitting over here. I didn't realize there's so many of you out there.
0:10
Well, if you don't know, I'm Nathan's dad. And we'll get that out of the way real quick.
0:16
And the best of Nathan is who his mom is, and the worst of who Nathan is, is me.
0:25
And I got up 6.30 this morning, but I didn't look at any emails until about 8.15.
0:35
And lo and behold, Nathan's sick.
0:42
Well, that's not new news for our family. We kind of grew up that way.
0:49
And I remember when I was young, like most of you, you know, I could whip anything.
0:56
I could do anything. I could climb any tree.
1:01
One of my favorites of old is Mr. Muir. Remember Mr. Muir?
1:09
A Sierra Club come out of him.
1:14
And one of his famous antics, he wanted to experience a storm.
1:20
So in the Sierra Nevadas and California, he climbed to the top of the tallest tree he could find.
1:27
And lightning's flashing and thundering.
1:31
And the wind is blowing.
1:34
And he's on the top of this tree.
1:35
And the tree is swaying just to experience a storm.
1:41
Well, that's me growing up.
1:43
And that's who I was.
1:48
Strong, you know, ready to take on anything and anyone.
1:52
Strong, you know, I'm going to take on anything and anyone.
2:22
I'm going to be poached out of Okefenokee Swamp and had a brand new pickup truck.
2:30
Man, I was living.
2:32
I was living.
2:34
But then it began to just kind of crumble around me.
2:39
And for the first time in my life, I really began to notice that I was more fragile than I would have admitted.
2:48
And in fact, as time wore on, not too many years out of college,
2:57
I began to realize that the outside of me and the inside of me were not the same thing.
3:05
I was going through the motions of having a good time and having it together,
3:09
but miserable on the inside.
3:12
And I hated, I couldn't stand to use the word.
3:18
I certainly wasn't going to do it publicly, but I realized I was fragile.
3:24
And as time wore on, I began to see how fragile I was
3:30
and how many things in my life and around me was not in my control like they had been just a few years previously.
3:42
Now, I grew up down on the Mexican border.
3:45
That's a hard thing to grasp hold of, you know, to be a man's man and to be fragile.
3:56
But I wanted desperately for the inside of me and the outside of me to be the same person.
4:05
I didn't want to go through the motions of having a good time,
4:08
pretending, being a pretender all my life.
4:11
I wanted things to be together.
4:15
I wanted to be a whole person.
4:18
And I come to the realization that if it was ever going to happen in my life,
4:22
my job wasn't going to get it done.
4:25
My upbringing wasn't going to get it done.
4:27
And my relationships, because that stunk, it wasn't going to get done.
4:35
And so I was reaching for anything.
4:39
And finally, I come to realize and believe that Jesus Christ was the only way
4:48
to get the inside of me and the outside of me and to begin to handle my frailty.
4:57
But I thought, you know, my strength would be restored.
5:02
No, I just got more and more frail.
5:04
And then one day, Julie and I had been married a little over a year,
5:13
and we had this little thing called Jamie Lee come into our life.
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He gads.
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What an awesome thing.
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Soft, fragile.
5:32
And it was in her frailty that I found more frailty on my own part.
5:39
I discovered more things about myself that I really didn't want to admit to,
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but she had me.
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Now, I've got to tell you,
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even though soft and pliable and innocent as she was,
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she could really stink.
6:03
Holy moly, I didn't know that anything that gentle could stink so bad.
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And yet I'm reminded every day that I'm just a stinky old guy.
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So are you.
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God has unique ways of bringing us back to reality
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and helping us to see again and again and again how frail we are.
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Well, some years ago, a young friend of mine used the term irreducible minimums.
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I've come to realize through all of my studying
6:44
that God has created the universe in circles.
6:49
And as you think you're going out through your life,
6:53
you are only going to understand that it's going to bring you back
6:57
sometime or another to the beginning.
6:59
And that beginning has to do with those irreducible minimums.
7:05
And as fragile as I am,
7:07
I realize I've got to have a good, strong foundation
7:11
under my life in order to live the kind of life
7:16
that would honor God.
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For I didn't get saved in a church.
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I didn't get saved because of a church.
7:24
I was saved in my home out of a home Bible study,
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reading the Word of God and believing what it said.
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So as far as I was concerned, Jesus is it.
7:41
He is the chief cornerstone, our Word tells us,
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and shows us that the church is built on a strong foundation.
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And what constitutes the items of that foundation
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are these irreducible minimums.
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1 Corinthians 13, verse 13 says,
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Now faith, hope, and love.
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These three.
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But the greatest of these is love.
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There's an irreducible minimum in it.
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Faith and hope are irreducible minimums.
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Well, I want to focus today on faith,
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if you don't mind.
8:25
Y'all want to vote for it?
8:28
Because if we choose something else,
8:30
somebody else is going to have to preach it.
8:34
Faith is how we get into this life,
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and faith is how we're to go on with this life.
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Faith is how we get into this life.
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Some folks just get in by faith and say,
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Well, that part's done.
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What's next?
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And so we, like I was pursuing what's next,
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we go from preacher to preacher,
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church to church, you know,
8:59
version of the Bible to version of the Bible.
9:01
We jump all over the place.
9:03
Jesus said to the Pharisees,
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he actually was kind of honoring them.
9:09
He said,
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You diligently search the scriptures,
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but you fail to come to me.
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See, when it all boils down,
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one of those irreducible minimums
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is,
9:28
you with me?
9:32
When it all boils down,
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one of those irreducible minimums,
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is faith.
9:42
Faith is how we get in.
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But do you know what faith is?
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If we all had a moment,
9:52
and we'd go look to find out
9:54
a definition of faith,
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some of us,
9:57
like Sid,
10:00
in his day and age,
10:01
he'd go to a dictionary.
10:02
His dictionary would be
10:03
some hard copy out there,
10:05
a Webster's,
10:06
a New Collegiate,
10:07
somewhere out there,
10:08
he'd go find a dictionary.
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In most of your cases,
10:14
you'd just whip out your iPhone,
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and I was asking Nathan the other day,
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I said,
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Where is there a good dictionary
10:21
that I can get in my iPhone?
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And he said,
10:27
He said,
10:28
Give me your iPhone.
10:30
And he spoke into my iPhone
10:32
a memory thing for me to,
10:39
into my,
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instead of texting it to me,
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he just spoke it in there.
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Dictionary.com.
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I haven't done a thing with it since.
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In fact,
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I'm not sure what I'm supposed
10:50
to do with it next.
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I could point,
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tap something.
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I don't know.
10:56
Today,
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Nathan's,
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again,
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reminds me of how fragile
11:00
life can be.
11:04
I remember when Julie called me
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and told me
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at the office,
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we'd had a vacation,
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we'd gone to Disneyland
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for the first time.
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You know,
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that's not in Florida.
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Disneyland is in California.
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That's,
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this is pre-Disney World
11:20
for some of you.
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There was a time
11:23
before Disney World.
11:26
And we went over there
11:27
and had a great time.
11:28
But he was feeling
11:29
kind of sick.
11:30
We thought he had a,
11:31
maybe a urinary
11:32
and tract infection.
11:35
And no,
11:36
he had diabetes.
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And Julie calls and says,
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You gotta get to the,
11:42
we gotta take him
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to the hospital
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right now.
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I said,
11:46
Whoa,
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whoa,
11:47
whoa,
11:47
whoa,
11:47
whoa,
11:47
whoa,
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whoa,
11:48
whoa.
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Let's don't be in such a hurry.
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I had no clue
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what diabetes meant.
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Nor why we needed
11:56
to get to the hospital
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right now.
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So I went home,
12:00
picked them up,
12:00
took them over to the doctor
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and then had made him
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explain it to me personally.
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And then we went immediately
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to the hospital.
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Gosh,
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I tell you,
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his arm wasn't,
12:12
didn't seem like to me
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any bigger than that finger.
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Sticking needles in there,
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which is what he had to have,
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was hard for me.
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I kept envisioning
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hitting the bone.
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And after a few days
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in the hospital,
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we got,
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you know,
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brought him home.
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And I remember
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that first Saturday,
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you know,
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thinking,
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well,
12:35
let's sleep in.
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Now with diabetes,
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we had to get up,
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we had to eat on time
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and have the shot on time
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and have the finger pokies
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on time.
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And on and on
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and on it went.
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And later on,
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Jamie becomes a diabetic.
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And this is not my family,
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is it?
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Yeah,
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it was.
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I want to say to you,
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young'uns,
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because calamity,
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stress,
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struggle,
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storms come to your life,
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doesn't mean
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that you're doing
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something wrong.
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In fact,
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it may mean
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that you're doing
13:17
something very,
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very right.
13:22
For the Father
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brings these things,
13:25
allows these things
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to come into our lives
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in order to teach us,
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to bring us
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into the fullness
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of who He is.
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Nathan had to get
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through all that
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in order to be able
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to stand up here
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and speak to you.
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There was a time
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in Nathan's life
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when he was very bitter
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towards God.
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Went through a lot
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of high school,
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college,
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bitter,
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because God
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had done this thing
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to him.
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And it was getting
14:04
to know Clay
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that made the difference
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in his life.
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God used Clay
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to help him
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overcome the bitterness
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that he was
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seething with.
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That's what bitterness
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does.
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It causes you to,
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I can't spell
14:24
seethe.
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If there's any one
14:26
rule I'd have
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for us as a congregation
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is don't ever use
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a word you can't spell.
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And everybody's up
14:34
to being challenged.
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I've even been challenged
14:37
as I've been preaching.
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Spell it preacher!
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And I couldn't.
14:44
My vocabulary
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went like this
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and then
14:48
now that I'm a bus driver
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of elementary kids
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it's gone way,
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way,
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way down.
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What is faith?
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And the only place
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for you and I
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to go is to
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the word of God.
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Hebrews 11.1
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is
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the definition
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for faith
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for you and I.
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That is
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the definition.
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Somebody
15:14
read it out loud
15:15
or if you've
15:16
got it memorized
15:17
spout it out for us.
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Hebrews 11.1
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page 1259.
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Somebody,
15:33
anybody.
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Now faith
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is
15:42
the reality
15:43
of what's
15:44
hoped for.
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When is
15:48
is.
15:49
Y'all ever
15:49
think about
15:50
when is
15:50
is?
15:51
I'm an English
15:53
teacher's nightmare
15:53
so.
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But I know
15:56
this much
15:56
is
15:58
every time you
15:58
see it in the
15:59
English in the
15:59
New Testament
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is is like
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this.
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It's not
16:05
like
16:05
once in a
16:11
while.
16:13
Faith
16:13
now
16:14
right now
16:15
where we're
16:16
at
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where you're
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sitting
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where I'm
16:18
standing
16:19
faith
16:20
right now
16:21
this moment
16:21
is
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and it
16:24
never
16:25
will
16:26
change.
16:27
Praise
16:27
God.
16:28
Get excited
16:29
about that.
16:32
Our
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God doesn't
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change.
16:35
Our
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God made
16:36
up his
16:37
mind in the
16:37
beginning
16:38
and nothing
16:39
has
16:40
changed.
16:42
That's
16:43
worth
16:43
praising him
16:44
for.
16:45
That's not
16:45
that's
16:46
not
16:46
oh
16:47
me.
16:47
That's
16:48
an
16:48
amen.
16:50
Now
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I'll be
16:51
the first
16:52
to admit
16:52
to you
16:52
I've
16:54
been one
16:54
of those
16:55
that if
16:56
I was
16:56
if we
16:57
were asked
16:58
you know
16:59
how many
16:59
of you
16:59
would like
16:59
to change
17:00
have God
17:01
change his
17:02
mind about
17:02
some stuff
17:03
I'd be
17:05
I'd be
17:06
there.
17:07
How many
17:08
of you
17:08
would be
17:08
there?
17:09
A room
17:11
full of
17:11
liars.
17:12
If you
17:17
haven't been
17:17
there yet
17:18
you will
17:18
be.
17:18
I promise
17:19
you.
17:22
Now
17:22
fate is
17:24
the
17:26
assurance
17:27
the reality
17:28
of the
17:28
things you
17:29
hope for.
17:31
It takes
17:32
those things
17:33
that we
17:33
have hopes
17:34
about in
17:35
our future
17:36
and brings
17:37
them into
17:38
reality
17:39
where we're
17:40
at today.
17:42
I see
17:44
things in
17:45
my future
17:46
by my
17:49
faith.
17:52
I had
17:53
a dream
17:55
of being
17:57
the same
17:58
on the
17:58
inside as
17:59
I am on
17:59
the outside
18:00
and faith
18:03
brought it
18:04
into reality
18:05
but before
18:08
I saw it
18:09
in reality
18:10
I saw it
18:11
in reality
18:11
in my
18:12
head
18:12
and my
18:12
heart.
18:14
Faith is
18:15
an incredible
18:16
thing.
18:17
It's what
18:18
brings you
18:18
into this
18:19
life
18:20
but it's
18:20
what you
18:21
need to
18:21
go on
18:23
in this
18:24
life.
18:27
What else
18:28
is it?
18:29
It is the
18:31
conviction.
18:32
What's your
18:32
Bible say?
18:32
proof of
18:37
the things
18:38
look at
18:39
it.
18:40
If you're
18:40
looking at
18:40
me you're
18:41
not looking
18:41
at your
18:41
Bible look
18:41
at it.
18:43
Not
18:44
seen.
18:46
Circle
18:46
that word
18:47
not.
18:48
That's a
18:48
huge word.
18:50
Sooner or
18:51
later you're
18:51
going to
18:51
realize as
18:52
you're growing
18:52
in the
18:53
Lord Jesus
18:53
that the
18:54
little words
18:54
mean sometimes
18:55
more than
18:56
the big
18:56
words do.
18:58
Like when
18:58
is is.
18:59
I mean
19:00
that's
19:01
that's a
19:02
big word.
19:03
Not
19:04
means a
19:05
whole lot
19:05
and you can
19:06
skip over
19:06
that thing
19:07
and not
19:08
get it.
19:09
You cannot
19:10
be a good
19:11
Missourian.
19:13
You know
19:13
what it says
19:14
on the
19:14
Missouri
19:14
license plate?
19:18
Show me
19:19
state.
19:21
A lot
19:21
of us
19:22
say we're
19:24
acting and
19:25
we're living
19:26
out of faith
19:27
but we don't
19:27
really believe
19:28
anything until
19:29
we see it.
19:31
Until it's
19:31
tangible.
19:33
I guess that
19:34
thing isn't
19:34
on is it?
19:36
Could have
19:37
moved it.
19:39
Until it's
19:40
tangible.
19:41
Until you
19:41
can touch it.
19:42
See I say
19:43
well yes I
19:44
have faith but
19:45
here's my
19:47
faith.
19:49
No no.
19:49
The thing's
19:50
not seen.
19:55
I had
19:56
faith that
19:56
God was
19:57
going to
19:58
give me
19:59
give me
19:59
a godly
20:00
family.
20:03
A godly
20:04
wife.
20:05
And godly
20:06
children.
20:08
Did that
20:09
say okay
20:10
well now
20:10
that's done
20:11
I don't
20:11
have to do
20:12
anything about
20:12
that?
20:13
No
20:13
absolutely
20:14
not.
20:15
Every day
20:15
of Jamie's
20:16
life.
20:17
Every day
20:17
of Nathan's
20:19
life.
20:20
Even before
20:21
they were
20:21
born.
20:22
Every day
20:22
of Jan
20:23
Lynn's
20:24
life.
20:25
Even before
20:25
she was
20:26
born I
20:27
prayed for
20:29
them.
20:30
Every single
20:31
day that
20:33
they would
20:33
grow up to
20:34
be men and
20:35
women of
20:35
God and
20:37
marry men
20:38
and women
20:39
of God.
20:43
But I
20:43
saw it in
20:44
the beginning
20:45
what it
20:45
could be
20:46
like.
20:49
And God
20:50
has brought
20:50
it to
20:51
pass.
20:53
I don't
20:54
feel the
20:55
need like
20:55
a lot of
20:55
preachers do
20:56
preaching
20:57
every Sunday.
20:58
I enjoy
20:58
sitting over
20:59
there and
21:00
listening to
21:01
my son
21:02
open the
21:03
word of
21:04
God.
21:05
Joy fills
21:06
my heart
21:07
when I
21:08
hear things
21:09
tumbling out
21:10
of him
21:11
that I
21:12
was in
21:12
my 40s
21:13
and 50s
21:14
before I
21:15
ever got
21:15
it and
21:16
could preach
21:17
it.
21:17
it is
21:20
true
21:20
that your
21:23
children can
21:24
truly stand
21:25
on your
21:26
shoulders
21:27
and get
21:30
to places
21:30
in the
21:31
relationship
21:31
with the
21:32
Lord Jesus
21:33
Christ and
21:34
with the
21:34
body of
21:34
Christ
21:35
that you
21:38
couldn't
21:38
have got
21:38
to until
21:39
you got
21:40
much,
21:41
much older.
21:42
Praise
21:43
God.
21:45
Faith
21:46
does
21:46
remarkable
21:48
things.
21:49
It leads
21:50
us into
21:50
remarkable
21:51
prayer times
21:54
with the
21:54
Father.
21:55
Faith does
21:56
things for
21:57
us that
21:57
we would
21:57
have never
21:58
believed.
21:59
There was
21:59
a time
21:59
in this
22:00
auditorium
22:01
when it
22:03
looked like
22:04
there would
22:04
never be
22:05
a time
22:06
at all
22:06
where every
22:08
chair would
22:09
be filled
22:10
to overflowing.
22:11
thing.
22:14
I remember
22:15
when we
22:16
were a
22:16
little
22:16
circle
22:17
right here
22:17
and in
22:21
those days
22:21
I did
22:22
all the
22:22
talking
22:22
but
22:28
believing
22:29
that one
22:31
day it
22:31
would be
22:32
like this
22:33
and beyond
22:35
and that
22:37
it would
22:37
be about
22:38
family.
22:39
So much
22:39
so that
22:40
in the
22:40
beginning
22:40
we didn't
22:42
even add
22:42
the name
22:43
church.
22:44
Because in
22:45
my opinion
22:45
I've been
22:46
a church
22:47
planner and
22:47
an apostolic
22:48
ministry for
22:49
a long
22:49
time and
22:50
in my
22:50
mind the
22:51
word church
22:52
has almost
22:52
become a
22:53
dirty word
22:53
in our
22:54
culture.
22:56
Almost
22:56
completely
22:57
meaningless.
22:58
people without
23:01
faith think
23:03
terrible things
23:04
when they
23:04
hear the
23:05
word church.
23:08
What is
23:09
church?
23:10
It should
23:10
be family.
23:13
And who
23:14
does it
23:14
belong to?
23:16
Jerry?
23:18
Nathan?
23:20
Elders?
23:22
It belongs
23:23
to Christ
23:23
Jesus.
23:25
It's
23:25
His
23:26
church.
23:27
church.
23:27
This isn't
23:28
mine.
23:29
I don't
23:29
believe in
23:30
ministries.
23:31
There's only
23:31
one ministry
23:32
and it
23:32
belongs to
23:33
the Father.
23:35
And we
23:36
get to be
23:37
part of
23:37
it.
23:38
Praise
23:38
God.
23:40
Can you
23:40
get excited
23:41
about that?
23:42
He's got
23:43
an invitation
23:43
for you to
23:44
come join
23:45
Him in
23:46
your future.
23:49
We don't
23:49
know where
23:50
that's going
23:50
to be.
23:50
When I
23:51
gave my
23:51
heart to
23:51
Jesus I
23:52
said anything
23:53
you want
23:53
God.
23:55
And I
23:56
told friends
23:56
over and
23:57
over again
23:57
if I
23:57
thought that
23:58
meant being
23:58
a Baptist
23:59
preacher
24:00
maybe we
24:02
would have
24:02
negotiated this
24:03
a little bit.
24:06
Because that
24:07
was the
24:08
farthest
24:08
thing from
24:09
my mind.
24:11
I thought
24:11
I was going
24:12
to become
24:12
a rancher.
24:14
Surely
24:14
God wants
24:15
me to be
24:16
happy and
24:16
He would
24:17
agree with
24:17
me about
24:18
that.
24:18
Wouldn't
24:18
He?
24:21
He showed
24:22
me the
24:22
opportunity and
24:23
then He
24:23
went nope
24:24
I'm going
24:25
to send
24:26
you to
24:26
seminary
24:27
instead.
24:29
And He
24:29
expected me
24:30
to be happy
24:31
about that.
24:33
When I
24:34
got out of
24:34
college I
24:35
determined I
24:35
was never
24:36
going back to
24:36
school again
24:37
for any
24:37
reason.
24:39
I dare you
24:40
to tell that
24:41
to God.
24:43
He'll prove
24:43
you wrong
24:44
every time.
24:45
how do
24:49
you get
24:49
faith?
24:51
Well I've
24:52
heard people
24:53
pray for
24:53
faith.
24:54
I've heard
24:54
that people
24:55
do that.
24:56
I remember
24:57
one time
24:58
years ago
24:58
there was
24:59
this TV
24:59
evangelist
25:00
and he
25:01
said if
25:01
you'd send
25:02
me 1995
25:03
he said I've
25:04
got this
25:04
handkerchief
25:05
that I've
25:05
touched
25:06
and you
25:06
just touched
25:07
that handkerchief
25:08
I'll send
25:09
it to you.
25:10
Your faith
25:11
will increase.
25:15
He made a
25:21
great case
25:22
for it but
25:22
it was more
25:23
about the
25:23
1995 than
25:25
it was about
25:26
faith.
25:28
Romans 10
25:29
17
25:30
says faith
25:33
comes by
25:33
hearing and
25:35
hearing by
25:36
the word
25:37
of God.
25:40
You're not
25:40
going to
25:41
increase your
25:42
faith by
25:44
praying for
25:44
it.
25:45
asking God
25:45
for it.
25:46
God's given
25:47
you one way
25:47
and one way
25:48
only for
25:49
your faith
25:49
to be bigger
25:50
tomorrow than
25:51
it is today
25:52
and that's
25:52
by getting
25:53
your nose
25:54
into the
25:54
word of
25:55
God and
25:56
taking your
25:57
eyes and
25:57
setting them
25:58
on him
25:59
the word
25:59
of God
26:00
and letting
26:02
him connect
26:03
those two
26:03
together in
26:04
the relationship
26:04
that you have
26:05
with him
26:06
and then
26:08
allow his
26:10
leadership
26:11
to prevail
26:14
for he's
26:16
not the
26:17
Lord who
26:17
said on
26:18
the mount
26:19
y'all do
26:21
your best
26:22
I'll see
26:23
you later
26:23
our God is
26:27
still at work
26:27
on this
26:28
planet
26:28
and he's
26:30
not left
26:31
us on
26:31
our own
26:32
but instead
26:33
what he's
26:34
doing is
26:34
inviting us
26:36
into his
26:37
activities
26:38
and that's
26:40
what excites
26:41
me when I
26:41
hear about
26:41
some of you
26:43
going to
26:44
literally the
26:45
ends of the
26:46
earth
26:46
but it's
26:49
even most
26:50
important if
26:50
I hear about
26:52
what God's
26:52
doing and
26:54
ministering
26:55
through you
26:55
right here
26:56
in the
26:56
Lamiga
26:57
they're both
26:59
exciting to
26:59
me
27:00
you're my
27:02
joy
27:03
when I see
27:05
your bright
27:06
and smiling
27:06
faces when I
27:07
see the
27:08
fellowship that
27:09
you're having
27:09
with one
27:10
another before
27:11
we start and
27:12
after we
27:12
finish
27:13
God takes
27:17
delight
27:17
in your
27:20
relationships
27:21
with one
27:22
another
27:22
faith comes
27:26
by hearing
27:26
and hearing
27:27
by the
27:29
word of
27:29
God
27:30
you get
27:30
faith
27:31
but here's
27:33
the problem
27:33
Christianity
27:36
today
27:37
has fallen
27:40
back on a
27:40
position that
27:41
says the
27:42
faith I have
27:43
today is
27:44
enough for
27:45
tomorrow
27:46
and the
27:47
day after
27:47
that and
27:48
the day
27:48
after that
27:49
and the
27:50
day after
27:50
that
27:51
well that
27:52
might be
27:53
true if
27:53
if your
27:54
life is
27:55
just going
27:55
to be
27:55
absolutely
27:56
the same
27:57
day in
27:58
and day
27:58
out and
27:58
it's never
27:59
going to
27:59
change
28:00
that could
28:00
be the
28:01
truth
28:01
but I
28:05
guarantee
28:05
you right
28:06
here now
28:06
the old
28:08
guy is
28:08
telling you
28:09
it's going
28:11
to change
28:12
we live
28:13
in a world
28:14
of change
28:15
but even
28:16
if we
28:16
didn't live
28:17
in a world
28:17
of change
28:18
things would
28:19
change
28:19
new things
28:20
would come
28:21
storms will
28:22
happen
28:23
earthquakes
28:23
will happen
28:24
floods
28:25
will happen
28:26
droughts
28:27
will happen
28:28
all kinds
28:29
of things
28:29
good and
28:30
bad will
28:31
come and
28:32
cross the
28:33
path of
28:33
your life
28:35
and you
28:36
cannot
28:37
lean back
28:38
on yesterday's
28:39
fate
28:39
to stand
28:41
up
28:42
and walk
28:43
through
28:43
tomorrow's
28:44
challenges
28:45
you can't
28:47
do it
28:48
the only
28:52
way
28:52
which is
28:54
the position
28:55
of much
28:56
of Christianity
28:56
today the
28:57
only way
28:58
that people
28:58
attempt to
28:59
escape it
29:00
is by
29:01
doing
29:02
nothing
29:03
there's
29:07
nothing that
29:07
breaks the
29:08
heart of
29:08
God more
29:09
in my
29:09
opinion
29:10
than a
29:11
believer
29:12
who will
29:13
not
29:13
stand up
29:15
and walk
29:16
by faith
29:17
but merely
29:20
spends their
29:21
life sitting
29:22
in a pew
29:22
listening to
29:23
sermons
29:24
and going
29:25
out and
29:25
saying well
29:26
I got that
29:27
part of my
29:27
life done
29:28
for the week
29:28
now what's
29:30
next
29:31
there can't
29:34
be a more
29:34
miserable
29:35
person we
29:36
think the
29:36
person without
29:37
Jesus in
29:38
their life is
29:38
the most
29:39
miserable person
29:40
on the face
29:40
of the planet
29:41
but I don't
29:42
think it is
29:42
I think it's
29:43
the person
29:43
that has
29:44
Jesus in
29:45
their life
29:45
has Christ
29:47
as their
29:47
savior
29:48
has a
29:49
Lord to
29:50
give them
29:50
leadership
29:51
and everything
29:51
and just
29:53
ignores it
29:53
now that's
29:55
got to be
29:56
misery
29:56
in my
29:59
humble
30:00
opinion
30:00
for you've
30:03
by now
30:04
decided I'm
30:05
not God
30:05
and so I
30:07
have no
30:08
God almighty
30:09
statements to
30:09
make to you
30:10
except to
30:12
offer to
30:13
you
30:13
40 some
30:16
odd years
30:17
of walking
30:18
with the
30:18
Lord Jesus
30:19
so we
30:23
get faith
30:23
but how
30:25
do you put
30:26
your faith
30:27
into motion
30:27
here's a
30:29
good example
30:30
I like
30:32
this one
30:32
Mark
30:34
chapter 5
30:35
see I
30:38
got you
30:38
back to
30:38
Mark
30:39
so if
30:42
Nathan
30:43
asks and
30:43
I'm not
30:44
here for
30:44
any reason
30:44
you can
30:45
say yeah
30:45
we were
30:45
in Mark
30:46
Jesus is
30:50
healing
30:50
Jesus is
30:51
talking in
30:53
parables
30:53
he's
30:55
gone across
30:56
the sea of
30:57
Galilee
30:57
once again
30:58
to get
30:58
away from
30:59
this huge
31:00
crowd
31:00
following him
31:01
yet to
31:03
just discover
31:04
another huge
31:04
crowd on
31:05
the other
31:05
side of
31:05
the bank
31:08
and a
31:11
leader of
31:11
the synagogue
31:12
comes up to
31:13
him
31:13
Jairus
31:13
and says
31:14
my daughter
31:14
is sick
31:15
will you
31:15
come
31:16
and in
31:17
Mark
31:18
5
31:19
there
31:19
he starts
31:21
going
31:22
and there's
31:23
all these
31:23
people around
31:24
him
31:25
all these
31:26
people following
31:27
along with
31:28
him
31:28
look what it
31:29
says there
31:29
in verse
31:30
25
31:31
Mark
31:31
5
31:32
25
31:32
page
31:33
1032
31:34
and he
31:39
went off
31:39
with him
31:40
a great
31:41
multitude
31:41
following
31:42
him
31:42
pressing
31:42
in on
31:43
him
31:43
and a
31:43
woman
31:43
who had
31:44
had a
31:44
hemorrhage
31:44
for 12
31:45
years
31:46
and endured
31:47
much at the
31:47
hands of many
31:48
physicians
31:48
and had spent
31:49
all that she
31:50
had and was
31:51
not helped at
31:52
all but rather
31:53
had grown worse
31:54
after hearing
31:55
about Jesus
31:55
came up in the
31:56
crowd behind
31:57
him and
31:58
touched his
31:59
cloak for
32:00
she thought
32:00
if I just
32:01
touch his
32:02
garments
32:03
I shall get
32:04
well
32:05
and immediately
32:07
the flow of
32:08
her blood
32:09
was dried up
32:09
and she felt
32:10
in her body
32:11
that she
32:12
was healed
32:13
of her
32:13
affliction
32:13
and immediately
32:14
Jesus perceiving
32:15
in himself
32:16
that the power
32:17
proceeding from
32:17
him had gone
32:18
forth
32:18
turned around
32:20
in the crowd
32:20
and said
32:21
who touched
32:22
my garments
32:24
I can just
32:27
imagine
32:27
the disciples
32:29
at this
32:30
time
32:30
they're still
32:31
babies
32:31
I can
32:33
just imagine
32:34
them saying
32:34
what are you
32:35
talking about
32:36
are you
32:37
nuts
32:38
everybody's
32:40
touching you
32:41
everybody's
32:42
pushing in
32:43
on you
32:44
we're in a
32:45
crowd
32:45
don't you
32:46
see the
32:46
crowd
32:47
we're
32:47
we're
32:47
trying to
32:48
get to
32:48
Jairus'
32:49
house
32:49
but look
32:50
at everybody
32:51
they're in
32:51
our way
32:52
they're touching
32:52
you and
32:53
they're touching
32:53
you and
32:54
what do you
32:56
mean who
32:56
touched me
32:57
if you don't
33:00
remember another
33:00
thing I say
33:01
you remember
33:02
what I'm
33:02
saying right
33:02
now
33:03
Jesus
33:06
always
33:07
always
33:08
always
33:09
knows the
33:11
difference
33:12
between a
33:12
touch of
33:13
sincerity
33:14
and a
33:16
touch of
33:16
insincerity
33:17
the crowd
33:19
was wanting
33:20
wanting
33:20
wanting
33:21
wanting
33:21
wanting
33:21
wanting
33:21
gimme gimme
33:22
gimme gimme
33:23
gimme
33:23
gimme
33:23
I'm hungry
33:25
feed me
33:25
feed me
33:25
feed me
33:26
but this
33:28
woman
33:28
when she
33:31
touched him
33:31
it was
33:33
saying to
33:33
him
33:34
something
33:34
much
33:35
different
33:37
this
33:38
woman
33:39
had
33:39
fate
33:40
and by
33:41
this time
33:42
in her
33:42
life
33:42
that's
33:43
about
33:43
all
33:43
she
33:43
had
33:44
a lot
33:45
of the
33:45
women
33:46
who've
33:46
come
33:46
to us
33:46
and set
33:47
free
33:47
were just
33:48
like
33:48
this
33:48
woman
33:48
I
33:49
remember
33:50
Linda
33:50
coming
33:51
Linda
33:51
was so
33:51
weak
33:52
she could
33:53
no longer
33:54
push
33:54
the
33:55
cart
33:57
with her
33:57
stuff in
33:58
it
33:58
the
33:58
typical
33:59
bag lady
34:00
thing
34:01
that we
34:01
think
34:01
about
34:02
she was
34:03
curled up
34:03
in a ball
34:04
in a
34:04
dark alley
34:06
in Atlanta
34:07
and a
34:08
couple of
34:09
our guys
34:09
found her
34:10
in that
34:10
alley
34:10
and she
34:11
couldn't
34:11
walk
34:12
her
34:13
dress
34:14
was so
34:15
thin
34:15
that you
34:16
just hardly
34:16
touch it
34:17
and it
34:17
wanted to
34:18
fall off
34:18
of her
34:19
she had
34:20
been
34:20
abused
34:21
she
34:23
probably
34:23
weighed
34:23
no more
34:24
than
34:24
I don't
34:26
know
34:26
she weighed
34:27
85 pounds
34:28
time they
34:31
got her
34:31
to Gainesville
34:32
and called
34:32
me I'd
34:33
come to
34:33
get her
34:34
to take
34:34
her
34:34
to our
34:35
women's
34:36
house
34:36
and set
34:36
free
34:37
and all
34:38
she could
34:39
do
34:39
they carried
34:40
her out
34:40
she got
34:41
in the
34:41
front seat
34:42
of my
34:42
pickup truck
34:43
and curled
34:43
up in a
34:44
ball
34:44
and never
34:45
moved
34:46
she stunk
34:47
so bad
34:48
that I
34:49
had to run
34:50
for days
34:50
with the
34:51
windows down
34:51
in my
34:52
truck
34:52
just to
34:53
get the
34:53
smell of
34:54
her off
34:55
those seats
34:55
and when
34:58
she got to
34:58
the women's
34:59
house
34:59
they carefully
35:00
picked her
35:00
up
35:01
and these
35:02
women who
35:03
picked her
35:03
up were
35:04
women who
35:04
just a couple
35:05
months earlier
35:06
had been in
35:06
the same
35:07
position
35:07
and they
35:10
carried her
35:11
in
35:11
and they
35:13
told me her
35:14
clothes just
35:15
fell off of
35:16
her and they
35:16
hand bathed
35:17
her very
35:18
very carefully
35:18
fearing she
35:20
would die
35:21
on them
35:21
I guess
35:23
we would have
35:24
been smarter
35:24
if we had
35:25
taken her
35:25
to a
35:25
hospital
35:26
but I've
35:28
never been
35:28
known for
35:29
intelligence
35:30
unlike my
35:32
children
35:33
today Linda
35:37
probably weighs
35:38
200 pounds
35:39
got the
35:40
prettiest
35:41
smile of
35:41
any woman
35:42
I've ever
35:42
seen
35:43
who's come
35:44
through set
35:45
free or
35:45
otherwise
35:46
how her
35:46
teeth got so
35:47
pearly
35:47
they were
36:00
pearly
36:00
and she
36:02
married a
36:03
fine Christian
36:03
man
36:04
and she's
36:06
in a
36:06
vivacious
36:07
Bible
36:10
believing
36:10
Jesus
36:11
loving
36:12
church
36:13
in
36:13
Gainesville
36:14
where a
36:15
group of
36:16
women just
36:17
got around
36:17
her
36:18
and loved
36:20
her and
36:20
loved her
36:21
and loved
36:21
her
36:22
become the
36:23
woman that
36:25
God always
36:25
wanted her
36:26
to be
36:26
starts with
36:28
a dream
36:29
this lady
36:30
here had a
36:31
dream
36:31
she spent all
36:33
of her money
36:34
trying to see
36:34
that dream
36:35
come true
36:35
she was doing
36:37
everything
36:38
and had
36:39
given up on
36:40
physicians
36:41
and everything
36:42
else
36:43
nobody
36:44
nobody
36:44
was in
36:45
her life
36:45
any
36:45
longer
36:46
she's
36:47
standing
36:48
there on
36:48
the side
36:49
of the
36:49
road
36:49
in a
36:50
weakened
36:50
state
36:51
and yet
36:52
one more
36:54
ray of
36:54
hope
36:55
comes to
36:55
her
36:55
if I
36:56
just
36:56
touch
36:57
the
36:58
hem
36:58
of his
37:00
garment
37:00
that'll make
37:02
me well
37:02
she not only
37:05
dreamed it
37:05
but she
37:06
said it
37:07
she said
37:09
it
37:09
she confessed
37:11
with her
37:11
mouth
37:11
what she
37:12
was beginning
37:13
to believe
37:14
in her
37:14
heart
37:15
and odds
37:18
against odds
37:19
with this
37:19
crowd all
37:20
wanting Jesus
37:21
attention
37:22
she worked
37:23
her way
37:23
into that
37:24
crowd
37:25
I mean
37:27
she could
37:28
have been
37:29
the person
37:29
who got
37:30
knocked down
37:31
in that
37:32
crowd
37:32
and trampled
37:33
under their
37:33
feet
37:34
to only
37:34
die there
37:36
she was
37:38
risking her
37:38
very life
37:40
to do
37:41
what she
37:42
said she
37:42
would do
37:43
to do
37:43
and carry
37:44
out what
37:45
she was
37:45
dreaming
37:46
would happen
37:46
I just
37:47
touch the
37:48
hem of
37:49
his
37:49
garment
37:50
most
37:55
preachers
37:55
at this
37:56
point would
37:56
tell you
37:57
tons and
37:58
tons about
37:58
the hem
37:59
of his
37:59
garment
37:59
and it
38:00
makes
38:00
absolutely
38:01
no
38:01
difference
38:02
what his
38:04
hem
38:04
was
38:05
or where
38:06
it was
38:07
but she
38:08
got to
38:08
it
38:09
and
38:11
immediately
38:12
Jesus
38:13
knew
38:13
here
38:14
is
38:15
someone
38:16
something
38:17
different
38:18
and he
38:20
turns around
38:21
and he
38:23
says
38:23
who
38:24
touched
38:25
my
38:26
garment
38:27
here goes
38:27
the
38:27
disciples
38:28
again
38:29
what do
38:30
you mean
38:30
everybody's
38:31
touching
38:31
you
38:31
and he
38:33
could have
38:34
said
38:34
no
38:34
no
38:34
no
38:35
no
38:35
this is
38:37
a different
38:38
touch
38:38
this is
38:39
a real
38:39
touch
38:40
this is
38:41
a touch
38:41
birthed
38:42
out of
38:42
out of
38:43
hopelessness
38:44
with one
38:46
just ray
38:47
of hope
38:47
left in
38:48
their lives
38:48
this is
38:49
a touch
38:49
of
38:50
faith
38:50
and he
38:54
required
38:54
her
38:54
to tell
38:55
it
38:55
she
38:56
had
38:56
a
38:56
dream
38:56
she
38:58
confessed
38:59
it
38:59
she
39:00
said
39:00
it
39:00
she
39:01
did
39:02
it
39:02
and he
39:04
required
39:04
her
39:04
to
39:04
tell
39:05
it
39:05
see
39:07
I
39:07
don't
39:07
think
39:07
your
39:08
faith
39:08
and
39:08
mine
39:08
are
39:08
whole
39:09
until
39:11
we
39:11
tell
39:11
it
39:11
because
39:13
a lot
39:13
of
39:14
times
39:14
what
39:14
we
39:14
want
39:14
to
39:14
do
39:14
is
39:15
we
39:15
want
39:15
to
39:15
take
39:16
this
39:16
act
39:16
of
39:16
God
39:16
and
39:17
keep
39:17
it
39:17
quiet
39:17
because
39:18
what
39:18
it
39:18
will
39:18
do
39:19
remember
39:21
the
39:21
circle
39:21
it
39:23
will
39:23
reveal
39:24
how
39:24
frail
39:25
we
39:26
have
39:26
been
39:26
how
39:28
in
39:29
need
39:29
we
39:30
really
39:30
are
39:31
of
39:32
someone
39:32
bigger
39:33
than
39:33
we
39:33
are
39:34
a
39:35
godly
39:37
daddy
39:37
who
39:38
will
39:38
take
39:39
us
39:39
in
39:39
his
39:40
arms
39:40
and
39:42
pick
39:42
us
39:43
up
39:43
get
39:44
us
39:44
through
39:44
the
39:45
crowd
39:45
let
39:46
us
39:46
touch
39:47
that
39:47
garment
39:47
and
39:48
allow
39:49
us
39:49
to
39:49
be
39:49
whole
39:50
in
39:52
our
39:52
lives
39:53
that's
39:55
my
39:55
hope
39:55
and
39:55
prayer
39:55
for
39:56
you
39:56
is
39:58
that
39:59
you'll
39:59
see
39:59
faith
40:00
as
40:01
a
40:01
dynamic
40:02
activity
40:03
in
40:03
your
40:03
life
40:04
something
40:06
to
40:06
attain
40:06
to
40:07
daily
40:07
something
40:08
to
40:08
work
40:09
for
40:09
forever
40:10
I
40:14
pray
40:14
for
40:15
you
40:16
now
40:17
a