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Called To Greater | Pastor Kami Palmer | Faith Church · Faith Church Podcast

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Well, this morning, I've had this word brewing
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for a couple of weeks here, and my process in
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approaching a sermon varies depending on the
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type of sermon and what the Holy Spirit is speaking.
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But I had felt this, the Holy Spirit speak a
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specific thing. And sometimes when I specifically
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am feeling the Holy Spirit wanting to bring a
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word, it can be a difficult process getting that
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out of my spirit and onto the paper. It truly
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is kind of a birthing, and sometimes I get really
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frustrated because I can hear what the Holy Spirit
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is wanting to do and say, and conveying that,
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it's not always easy. But this morning, and if
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I were to title this, which I guess I am for
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Nick, who will appreciate it, it is this, Following
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Jesus into the Greater. And I was thinking a
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couple of weeks ago about the issue of obedience.
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And often when we think of obedience, things
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that we are called to obey, we did it this morning,
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we're called to obey in our giving, we're called
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to crucify the flesh, we're called to love our
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neighbor. I don't know, a couple times this week
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I was having trouble feeling neighborly with
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the noise. We're called to forgive. We're called
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to encourage. We're called to prayer. We're called
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to gratitude. We're called to hospitality. We're
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called to honoring parents, and sometimes that's
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hard to do. We're called to submit to authorities,
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and sometimes that's hard to do. I was thinking
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of all of the things when we hear called to obedience,
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and it seems like it's often hard things. And
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I kept feeling this, but Lord, I feel this call
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to obedience into the greater things. It's the
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only way I know how to convey this. And soon
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the question became, is it really a call to obedience
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that I'm hearing, or is it a call to repentance
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that I'm hearing? And he took me to John chapter
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14. Where Jesus is talking and he says, very
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truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will
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do the works I have been doing. And they will
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do even greater things than these. Because I'm
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going to the Father. And I will do whatever you
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ask in my name. So that the Father may be glorified
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in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my
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name and I will do it. That's what Jesus stated.
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And what I didn't want today is an emotionally
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driven, he will do anything if you do it in his
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name. Let's go. I didn't want, what I feel in
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my spirit concerning this message is, In fact,
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I remembered years ago at our previous church
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a specific service. And I remember I was down
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here sitting cross -legged at the altar. And
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somebody brought a word about preparing for battle
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and we're going into battle. And all around me,
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everybody was standing and cheering. I have goosebumps
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thinking of that moment right now. I remember
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in my spirit saying, no. You're not, I received
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that word that was given. I knew it to be true.
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But I did not think our response was the right
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response. It was not a, yeah, let's, I felt there
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is some deep battle coming. And we've got to
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be prepared. If you're a Lord of the Rings fan,
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it's when they're about to go out to battle and
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they are so few in number, they're calling their
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young boys to battle. And they're talking about
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the fear that is in the camp because of the heaviness
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of the battle. And that was what I felt in that
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moment. We should not be cheering. We need to
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get on our faces because we're going into a battle.
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I kind of felt that same kind of response to
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this word that the Holy Spirit put inside of
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me. And earlier, even when Pastor Ben was talking
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about being called to become like Christ and
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to walk like Christ, we think about doing that,
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yes. as becoming in the character of Christ,
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don't we? When we talk about becoming like Christ,
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we're thinking about his character in light of
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the gifts or the fruit of the Holy Spirit, right?
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Because Jesus had self -control. Jesus was kind,
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right? We think of all of those things in becoming
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like Jesus. What I feel Holy Spirit putting inside
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of me is that he is calling us to not just be
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like him in character, but to follow him into
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becoming what he looked like and what he did.
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In the works that he did. In fact, the small
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group that we just finished in practicing the
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way we talk, what we say is that we be with Jesus.
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We become like Jesus, but it doesn't end in the
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becoming like him. We do what Jesus did. And
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often we end where we be with Jesus, we become
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like Jesus, but we have no expectation of doing
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the works that Jesus did, and even beyond that,
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what Jesus said, the greater works. We have no
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expectation of that in our lives. Oh, maybe the
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pastor or the elders might do that. No. He's
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called for you to be with Jesus, to become like
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Jesus, and to do the things that Jesus did. So
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this morning, my call is more of a call to contend
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for these things that Jesus has said we ought
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to be operating in. We ought to be doing these
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things. We ought to be doing the works he did.
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Well, what did Jesus do? We think of the works
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that he did in hanging out with the sinners.
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Oh yeah, I'll go and hang out with some sinners.
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I'll invite people to my table. We get uncomfortable,
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though, sometimes with the idea that, well, wait
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a minute, he also prayed over blind eyes and
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they were healed. He also cast out demons and
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they were delivered. He also multiplied things
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like wine for the wedding feast in their day
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-to -day lives. And it was last year, I think,
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at some point when we talked about how we should
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live our ordinary life. And see, this was ordinary
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life for Jesus. This was how he did his day -to
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-day. Oh, I'm going to go to a wedding with my
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mom? Well, let's multiply some wine for them.
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They're a little short. He brought into his everyday
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ordinary the greater works. And I believe that
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the Holy Spirit is calling us to this. Why? Why?
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Because it's not enough. the culture that we
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live in, to preach a gospel, there must be accompanying
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it signs and wonders. It's not enough to just
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talk out there. They want the evidence of what
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we're saying to be true. And you're going to
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be hearing more about this, but I talked with
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our leadership team last Tuesday night about
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this. The World Assemblies of God, of which the
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U .S. is part of, and it's all of the nation's
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Assemblies of God, are under the umbrella of
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the World Assemblies of God. They have made a
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hard push into unengaged people groups, of which
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there are 2 ,085. These are not just unreached
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people groups. Unreached are considered... less
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than 2 % of Christians. These are unengaged people
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groups where there has not been any known engagement
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with the gospel whatsoever, 2 ,085 of them. And
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so the World Assemblies of God has said in 2033,
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who knows what 2033 is? Now, see, I asked that
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question at the leadership meeting. They all
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weren't that quick with their answer. It's the
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2 ,000 -year anniversary of the death and resurrection
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and ascension of Jesus. And so what they're saying
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is, we want to bring a gift to Jesus in 2033.
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We want to bring the gift of nations to Jesus.
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And you're going to be hearing more about that.
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But what I'm hearing, why? Why do we need to
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be doing what Jesus did? Because there are 2
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,085 people groups. Do you know what happens
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when every tribe and every tongue and every nation
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has heard of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Come,
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Lord Jesus, come. The end is at hand is what
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it means. And I believe that you and I, I don't
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care if you feel a call to ministry like I do
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or not, you are part of the family of God, which
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means you're on the mission of Jesus. He's the
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head. And so we have to be saying, taking ownership,
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not just of our Jerusalem, but of our Judea and
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our Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world,
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and saying, Lord, we want to take responsibility
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for the 2085. unengaged people groups. How does
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that happen? By doing the greater works that
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Jesus did. I feel the call. I feel as he was
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stirring this in me, the call. It is time. There
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is about to be a Holy Spirit movement happening
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that we've not seen. It is time. For us to engage
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in what Jesus, what his expectation was. And
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what was his expectation? Whoever believes in
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me will do the works I have been doing. This
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is his expectation for us. It's why he ascended.
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It's why he went to the Father, that the Holy
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Spirit could come. And through the power of the
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Holy Spirit. We could do whatever we would ask
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in his name, he would do. And so, as I was reading
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this passage of Jesus, there are three areas
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that I feel that we need to repent and contend
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for. And the first one is in the area of our
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expectation. Jesus expected us to do these things.
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It's our own selves that get in the way of that.
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We don't align our expectation with what Jesus
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expected. In fact, in Luke chapter 6, Jesus said,
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given it will be given to you, a good measure
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pressed down, shaken together, and running over
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will be poured into your lap. For with the measure
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you use, it will be measured to you. Now, we
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often use that at offering time. But can I say
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to you today, the context for this verse is not
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giving. He does talk about giving in this whole
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speech. But within the verses that we find this,
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he's actually talking about judging one another.
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So you are a judgmental, critical person toward
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other people. Guess what? With whatever measure
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you judge, you will be judged. It's a pretty
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serious thing. And so the context for that is
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our relationships with one another. The grace,
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if you extend grace to one another, guess what?
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You will receive an abundance. Grace, mercy.
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If you're merciful instead of judgmental, you
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will receive mercy. Now, I do believe that this
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is a truth, although he's using this in regards
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to judgment. I believe it to be a foundational
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truth with anything. If it's your giving, wonderful.
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If it's your time, wonderful. If it's how open
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you are with people and giving just of yourself.
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It will be returned to you. The point of this
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verse isn't to get stuck in the weeds of all
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of that. The point of the verse is generosity.
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There should be an expectation that when I give
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out, I don't have to worry about it. It will
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come back in greater measure. And so what we
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expect. When you gave of your offering today,
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what is your expectation for your budget in June?
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Is it that he will throw open the storehouses
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of heaven and pour out upon you? Or is it, man,
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this is going to be a tight month. And even as
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you're putting your offering in, you're declaring,
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man, this is going to be a tight month. You've
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just declared your expectation. And I really
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believe that Holy Spirit is saying, come on,
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raise your expectation. There's so much that
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he wants to do in and through us. And it's not
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that God is the limit. Our expectation is the
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limit. Thomas understood this. And unfortunately,
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he will forever be riddled with the name Doubting
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Thomas, the poor guy. He's probably more like
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all of us than any of the disciples. But in John
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chapter 20, he said, because remember, Jesus
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had appeared to the disciples, but Thomas wasn't
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there. So Thomas got the report, Jesus is alive.
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And what is Thomas' initial response? It wasn't,
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yes, I'm so excited to hear this news. I can't
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wait to see Jesus. No. He had very low expectation.
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He said, unless I see the nail marks in his hands
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and put my finger where the nails were and put
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my hand in his side, I will not believe. He had
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low expectation. And I wonder how often. I'll
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raise my expectation when I see this, this, and
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this. Here's what happened. For a week, Thomas
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sat in that disbelief. Jesus did not immediately
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come to Thomas and alleviate his doubts. A week
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later, they're gathered, and suddenly Jesus is
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in their midst. And immediately he says to Thomas,
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put your finger here. See my hands? Reach out
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your hand and put it in my side. Stop doubting
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and believe is what Jesus said. Stop doubting
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and believe. That whole week, what Jesus wanted
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was for Thomas. to believe. But Thomas didn't
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believe. And immediately Thomas says, my Lord
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and my God. And then Jesus said, because you
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have seen me, you believed. But blessed are those
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who have not seen yet believe. Have not seen
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yet believe. He's not looking for people that
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are waiting to see the evidence that requires
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no faith. He said in John chapter 14 that we
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just read, you may ask me for anything in my
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name. I will do it. He does not qualify that.
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Well, if it's in my will, I'll do it. He doesn't
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qualify it at all. He just says, in his name,
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if you'll do it in his name, that was the only
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qualification, he will do it. If we go over a
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chapter, so when I read verses like that, because
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that is an extreme statement in my mind, ask
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anything and I'll do it. I don't just read that
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verse. I'm like, I need to know what's going
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on around this verse. And so immediately following
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this in the next chapter, John chapter 15, we
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have the passage that talks about abiding in
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Christ. Living out life in his presence. And
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he says in John chapter... verse 7, he says the
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exact same thing again. He says, if you remain
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in me and my words remain in you, ask me whatever
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you wish and it will be done for you. Ask me
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whatever you wish and it will be done for you.
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This is to my Father's glory that you bear much
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fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
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There is an outward evidence of being his disciple.
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And it's not just that we're growing in his character,
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it's doing what he did. If you were a rabbi and
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you had followers, they were to be doing what
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the rabbi did. Jesus, if he is our rabbi, we
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are to be doing what he did. Ask whatever you
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wish. Now let's think about this for a few moments.
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If you remain in me, because I'm like, how can
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Jesus ask this? How can he say this? Well, he
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says, if you remain in me. And if you think about
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that word remain, it is. Obviously, to remain
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is to stay, right? To be. But it also has a word
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in there which means endure. Now, endure has
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a couple of meanings, and endure can mean just
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to be in something, to stay in something for
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a length of time. And that is true. We don't
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leave his presence on Sunday morning. We endure
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day by day by day by day. However, If you've
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endured anything, if you've spent a length of
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time, I have endured almost 33 years of marriage.
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Now, see, you're immediately thinking of a negative
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connotation when I say that. But the truth is,
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is that the first meaning just means I have remained
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in my marriage for 33 years. It's a time signifier.
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However, anybody that's been in a marriage any
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length of time knows that in order to remain
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and to have that passage of time means you have
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had to endure ups and downs. We've had really
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great times in marriage, and we've walked through
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very difficult times and have endured together
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in those difficult times. And so when we talk
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about remaining in Christ, And this is what happens
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so often. Well, this way I can't just give Jesus
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a try. The first minute you have to endure hardship,
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you're out the door trying something else. To
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remain and endure in Christ means we withstand
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the ups and the downs, right? That means there's
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going to be seasons, winter seasons, where it
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does not appear like you are becoming like Christ
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or doing anything that he did. It's a hard season.
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And there are seasons we just endure. We keep
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doing what we know to do. like Pastor Ben was
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talking about. We keep praying. We keep reading.
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We keep showing up at church. We keep doing those
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things because we are remaining in Christ. So
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how can Jesus say, whatever you wish, it will
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be done for you? I think he can truly say that
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because he truly believes that if we are remaining
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and enduring with Jesus, whatever I wish, is
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whatever he would wish. Right? Suddenly, your
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desires become the desires of Christ. Suddenly,
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what you want answered is what will bring glory
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to the Father and to the Son. And I think it's
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interesting he says, whatever you wish. All that
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means is whatever you desire, whatever you want.
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And it will be done for you. I'm like, Lord,
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I want my son, right? I want health, right? Whatever
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I wish, Lord. Because I want you to have glory
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and I want to do the things that you've called
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me to do. And so whatever, here's what I want,
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Lord. Here's what I desire. And I'm coming with
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boldness because you said it will be done for
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you. I think that maybe we ought to increase
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the audaciousness of our prayers if this is what
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Jesus said he would do. I think that if Jesus
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had said, ask whatever you wish and it will be
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done for you, and you're remaining, you're not
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trying to do it in yourself and in your flesh,
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but you're remaining in Jesus. I think we ought
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to be asking for more. I bet he's up there just
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saying, come on, son. Come on, daughter. I got
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more I want to do. 2 ,085 unengaged people groups.
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And how many followers of Christ living in the
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United States? Surely we've got 2 ,085 missionaries
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we can raise up. And we're not the only denomination.
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And we're not the only country sending missionaries.
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Surely in all of our churches across the globe,
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we can raise up 2 ,085 missionaries to go to
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an unengaged people group. Can we ask for a little
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more than what we've been asking? Here's where
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we get stuck. And we're spending the other two
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points won't go this slow. But here's where we
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get stuck. We get stuck in the gap. How many
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of you know that in the London underground, when
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you are stepping out, when the doors open and
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you step out, what is the recording that plays?
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Mind the gap. Have you heard that phrase? That's
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where it comes from. Because between the vehicle
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and the platform, there's a gap. And so there's
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a recording that will say, mind the gap. And
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this is where we get that phrase. And so what
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it means is just to be careful and pay attention,
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right? Because we're not always paying attention
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to what we're doing. Pay attention to this difference
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in space, this gap. There is a difference here,
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and we need to mind it so we don't trip up. In
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fact, I did a wedding yesterday. out of town
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in a barn in the country. And so the barn was
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kind of up a hill, so they had a ramp they had
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built that met then the entrance to the barn.
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And so there was about a four -inch gap where
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the barn met that ramp. And so, you know, it
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had been there all through rehearsal. That gap
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had been there, the wedding party coming in.
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And all of a sudden, as we're all standing around,
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a couple of the groomsmen are pulling these boards
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out from the back wall. And they're sticking
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them in the gap. And you should have heard everybody.
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Oh, we were all enlightened because they had
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filled the gap in. And so up until now, we've
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been tolerating this gap. Those with heels probably
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despising that gap. And all along there have
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been provision for the gap. Listen, the gap spiritually.
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It can trip us up if we're not mindful of the
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gap. And the gap, what it really means is to
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be aware of the difference between two things.
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And so what we have in our expectation that isn't
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that difference is between our expectation and
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the reality we're currently living in. And sometimes
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there's a gap. We know what Jesus has promised
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and called us to, and we know the reality of
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what we're walking in. Can I say to you today,
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mind the gap. The gap can trip you up if you're
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not mindful of it. How you respond in the gap
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will matter. And after 40, how old am I? 41 years
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of being a Christ follower, What I've learned
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is that in these spaces, I have a choice to either
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be despising of it, just trying to endure it,
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just wanting out of it. Now what I've learned
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is to make the most of the gap. What I've learned
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is I feel God calling me to do this. Okay, I'm
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going to, in the space of the gap between the
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expectation of what he's calling me to and where
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I'm at, I am going to align my life to my reality?
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No. I'm going to align my life to the expectation.
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I'm going to ask God to teach me how to do that
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which is expected. I'm going to research areas.
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that I feel him calling me to. I'm going to resist
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the devil who would come in and say, oh, see,
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here's your reality. He didn't really say that
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to you. No, in the gap, I'm going to resist him
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and say, no, flee. In the gap, I'm going to fan
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my flame of faith. In the gap, I'm going to give
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myself to prayer and to asking. How we mind the
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gap is really important. And it will either keep
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your expectation up, but if you don't mind it,
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suddenly, because it's like your body, right?
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Your body quickly begins to just... And one week
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of not exercising, suddenly it's... It's the
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same way spiritually, if we don't mind the gap.
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The second area that I feel him calling us to
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is the area of imagination. And I've talked about
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this before. And we even talked about Ephesians
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chapter 3 before. But as I was praying through
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this, I felt the Holy Spirit speak something
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a little different in regards to Ephesians chapter
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3, verse 20. And in the NIV, It says this, now
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to him who is able to do immeasurably more than
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all we ask or imagine, according to his power
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that is at work within us. And I've often said,
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Lord, I'd just be thrilled if you would do what
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I asked or imagined. Don't even have to go beyond,
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and I would be thrilled. I like how the New King
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James Version phrases this, though. It says,
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now to him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly
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above all that we ask or think. I found this
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phrase interesting, abundantly above. The way
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that word above is, it means beyond. It means
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superior to. It means more than. And so often
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when we read Ephesians 3 .20, we're just thinking
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God is going to do numerically maybe more than
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what I'm asking or imagining. He's going to increase
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it more than that. As I was reading this, I felt
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Holy Spirit say is the beyond that I want to
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do is superior. To what you're asking for. Think
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of it this way. Isaiah 55 says. We know this.
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My thoughts are not your thoughts. Right? My
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ways are not your ways. As the heavens are higher
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than the earth. My ways are higher than your
32:58
ways. And my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
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And so. What I. think we often think is what
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I'm asking or imagining, we understand in terms
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of our own thinking, but we cannot comprehend
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what God is actually wanting to do. It is beyond
33:19
us. And I believe that is the more than that
33:24
he wants. An example of this would be the Jewish
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people, right? On Palm Sunday, oh, we're all
33:30
excited. The king is entering Jerusalem on a
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donkey, no less. That means he's coming to take
33:37
up kingship. He's coming to take up his throne.
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And immediately they're rejoicing and excited.
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Why? Was it because Jesus was coming? No. It
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was because finally somebody is going to come
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and get rid of this Roman rule and set up a new
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kingdom. And Jesus is going to be the head of
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it. See, they've been asking for it. They've
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been imagining what it looked like. And God did
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it above and beyond, but it did not look like
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what they were envisioning. And even later, after
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he had died and resurrected, they're asking Jesus
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the question, okay, Jesus, now are you going
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to do it? Now are you going to set up your kingdom?
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Again, they're still thinking. They're still
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asking and imagining based upon earthly kingdoms.
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All along, Jesus, they were thinking outward
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kingdom, and Jesus, what was he thinking? Inward.
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There's a kingdom of God that they were not able
34:47
to perceive. Their ways were not God's ways,
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and their thoughts were not God's thoughts. And
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there are things that God has promised to you
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and you have perceived them in your own understanding.
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And that above and beyond that God wants to do
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is because it's beyond what you can think or
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imagine. And I believe that God wants us, I think
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he wants us to ask and imagine because it keeps
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us believing. But we need to be open in that
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to saying, Come and make it happen the way God
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you know to make it happen. The way you believe
35:27
it should look like. And so he's given you a
35:30
promise in life. Maybe it's you've been perceiving
35:36
it and believing for it. And God's saying, your
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way is not my ways. Your thoughts aren't my thoughts.
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You're not perceiving it the way I'm perceiving
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it. And he wants to restore that. And then the
35:51
third area is the area of expansion. He said,
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whoever believes in me will do the works I have
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been doing and do greater things. In 2 Corinthians
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9, verse 8, it says, God is able to bless you
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abundantly so that in all things, At all times,
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having all that you need, you will abound in
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every good work. And so Jesus said, you're going
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to do the works that I have done, but you're
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going to do it greater. And here we see in Corinthians
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that God is the one that supplies, that having
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all things at all times, everything we need.
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we will abound in those good works. As I was
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praying through this one, I couldn't help but
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be drawn back to Jabez. And we had to be careful
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because there was the whole season of the prayer
37:05
of Jabez, and sometimes we quit seeing things
37:08
then. And the prayer of Jabez is interesting
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in 1 Chronicles 4. It's just a lineage being
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laid out. This is why even in the lineages, we
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keep reading through all those names, we come
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to some treasure points. And this is one of them.
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This is now Jabez was more honorable than his
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brothers. And his mother called his name Jabez,
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saying, because I bore him in pain. And Jabez
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called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that
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you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory,
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that your hand would be with me, and that you
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would keep me from evil, that I may not cause
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pain. So God granted him what he requested. This
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is all we see here. Now, we do know there is
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another city named Jabez. that was probably named
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after him. Based on a lot of our ancient Jewish
38:15
writings and storytelling, we do learn a few
38:18
things that Jabez was a learned doctorate of
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the law, and he probably had started a school
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of scribes. He became so well known that scribes
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were coming to Jabez, and he began to train and
38:33
establish a school. He would be considered a
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rabbi in that. And so he truly had a place of
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influence. And I find it so significant because
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Jabez was born with a name that defined him as
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painful. And I'm imagining this mom, because
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as an adult, it obviously had been something
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that truly had identified him. Because what is
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his prayer? That I may not cause pain. There
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was something in him that said, I don't want
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to be a causer of pain. I have been a causer
39:16
of pain. I'm imagining that mom as he's a little
39:20
kid getting in trouble being like, Jabez, I brought
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you into this world and you caused me a lot of
39:30
pain. You better whip it up into shape. I just
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imagine this mom saying things like that to him.
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That he would become an adult with such an awareness
39:40
of how he touched people's lives. That he was
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so worried about causing pain that it became
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his prayer. And this man that had been a causer
39:56
of pain prayed a prayer of audacity. He prayed
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a prayer of, Lord, bless me. Lord, enlarge my
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territory. And I don't know, I think we think
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it's so holy to not ask for things of influence.
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You know, I read, I'm reading a book right now,
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and they read a statistic of denominations. And
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of all, you know, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist,
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Pentecostal. In the economic sense, in the economic...
40:34
facts that they collected. The wealthiest economic
40:39
status were those like the Presbyterians, the
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Lutherans, the bottom 10 % Baptists and Pentecostals.
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And I believe it's because we think it's spiritual.
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We think it's unspiritual to ask, Lord, bless
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me, enlarge my territory. And can I say that
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is just, I think, I think that the enemy has
41:06
used that to keep us in a lower economic situation
41:11
because it takes resources to expand the gospel.
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And I think we should resist that kind of, I
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think that the devil whispers that to keep us
41:24
in places of bondage. I'm like, I don't know.
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I'd rather have us all be at that top economically
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with hearts to enlarge our territory that the
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Father would receive the glory of every tribe,
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every tongue, and every nation. Missionaries
41:42
can't just, you know, fly for free. And so I
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think we should change that statistic and be
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like Jabez, unafraid to pray bold prayers. God,
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would you bless me? Would you enlarge my territory?
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Not out of a prosperity doctrine, but out of
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a desire that the Father would be glorified in
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the earth. And we would be a part of sending
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that forward. Enlarge my territory. And so this
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morning, this morning the team is going to come
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and in these three areas, in the area of your
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expectation, of your imagination, of your expansion,
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I want us to be honest before the Lord. of where
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we have been at in that. Maybe we have not minded
42:49
our expectation well. We've not been a good steward
42:54
of the gap. And he's kept us in the gap so long
42:58
because he's just waiting for us to steward it
43:01
well, to maybe learn something, to grow deeper
43:05
roots in those places. Maybe he's calling for
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you to maybe get a little bolder in your prayers
43:16
for your family. To expand your expectation for
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the one that feels like might never come to Christ.
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I think that can be the most radical testimony
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of what God does in your family. And I will believe
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for no less. Some of you, God wants to expand
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you. In Jabez's day, that was marked by territory
43:49
and herds. But listen, he wants you to expand
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your territory in your workplace, in your family.
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He wants to expand your influence in your neighborhood.
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Can we just pray that, God, expand my territory.
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I want to see the gospel of Jesus Christ flow
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out of me. We just came off of Pentecost Sunday
44:18
last week. And at the end, which we grabbed these,
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poor Darren had so much happening last week that
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he didn't really get to this. But last week and
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this morning, you should have received this four
44:38
more card. We are a Pentecostal people that believes
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that the Holy Spirit has been given that we would
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have power to be a witness in Jerusalem, in Judea,
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in Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth.
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And I am believing for the uttermost parts of
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the earth. But there is a pathway to that and
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it is through Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria.
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We are so blessed. We have a couple coming to
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our Petersburg campus and originally from Illinois,
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but spent 40 years in Tennessee and moved back
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to Illinois so that she could pray for Illinois.
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I was like, yeah, God. All these people moving
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to Tennessee. When Illinois needs Jesus. We have
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our Jerusalems. You have a Jerusalem that I don't
45:40
reach. You need to change your expectation for
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your Jerusalem. You need to begin to imagine
45:51
and believe over your Jerusalem. You need to
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pray for expansion in your Jerusalem. Nobody
46:03
else is going to reach it. And we need to pray
46:07
that for our region, for our state, for our nation,
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and to the ends of the earth. To believe in expectation,
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to begin to imagine what could happen, to believe
46:24
for expansion. And so if you received this card,
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I want you, you're going to have this card for
46:33
a year. And I want you to put four people on
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this card that you are going to have expectation
46:40
for, that you're going to imagine over, and that
46:44
you're going to believe for expansion into their
46:47
lives of the gospel. And then you're going to
46:52
tear it off and turn in the bottom because we
46:54
want to pray over your names as a church. And
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so if you took one home last week, I'm going
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to ask that you would fill that out this week
47:04
and bring it back next week so we can pray over
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your people. If you just got one today, you can
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do that this morning and you can just turn this
47:16
into the offering box in the back. And we have
47:21
a fried chicken with friends that's coming here
47:23
in a couple of weeks. And I want you to begin
47:26
to just pray. Jesus called us to do the things
47:33
that he did. And I don't want to be a Pentecostal
47:39
church in here experiencing wonderful things
47:42
and having goosebumps and Holy Ghost parties,
47:45
which I love. In fact, I'm driving over to Radiant
47:48
tonight. They're having a worship night, revival
47:51
night. So I'm going to go hang out and have myself
47:55
a little revival night. I believe in that. It's
47:58
our locker room where you get encouraged and
48:01
filled up ready to leave. But the Holy Ghost
48:06
was given so that you would leave and go do what
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Jesus did. Jesus left this earth so that you
48:16
could receive the power of the Holy Spirit and
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go do what he did. And go do it in a greater
48:24
way than what he did. And I feel great heaviness
48:28
that we, it's not a, well, that's great for those
48:35
that are evangelists. There is a heavy responsibility
48:38
I feel in this. There is a cost to it in the
48:43
life of Christ. And we've been put on this earth
48:47
for such a time. You're here for such a time
48:52
on this earth. to do what Jesus did and beyond.
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Amen? That should be an amen. So let it be. So
49:06
let it be. And so this morning I'm going to ask
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if you will stand. I love testimonies of what
49:16
Holy Spirit does in here, but I love it more
49:18
when you guys come and say, here's what happened
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this week. at school, at work. And I hear how
49:27
Holy Spirit has used you to flow in the gifts,
49:30
used you to pray for somebody and they've been
49:33
healed. My favorite, I love Tabitha back there.
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She's online for her work. She's constantly ministering
49:42
to the people she talks with online, on the phone,
49:46
at her workplace. I love her testimonies. What
49:50
is she doing? She's believing. She's believing
49:53
that she can do what Jesus did and do even greater
49:57
works than that in the lives of those people.
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And so this morning, Jesus, in just a quietness,
50:08
in just a sincerity of heart, Lord, we're asking
50:21
As we abide in Christ, as we abide in you, as
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we seek to live and dwell and move and have our
50:33
being in you, that the good works that you have
50:39
established for us to do would come into fruition.
50:43
God, we're saying we're not going to settle any
50:46
longer for just becoming like you, Christ. No,
50:52
we're not settling any longer. But we're saying,
50:56
Christ, we want to do the things that you did.
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The hungry and the thirsty in our lives. That
51:06
we would be pitchers of living water being poured
51:11
out. That we would be bread distributors giving
51:15
of the living bread of Christ. we're asking not
51:22
that we would be a Pentecostal people in these
51:24
four walls, but we're asking that we would be
51:27
a Pentecostal people outside these walls. We're
51:31
asking that where our feet step, that we would
51:34
take that ground, that wherever we are walking
51:39
and talking and being, that we would evidence
51:42
the character of Christ and do the things of
51:46
Christ. And Lord, we in this moment, as one body
51:50
we just take a moment to say God we're sorry
51:54
for having such low standards of being Christ
51:58
followers forgive us for our low standards our
52:05
low expectations and teach us Jesus what it is
52:11
to do the things that you did teach us Jesus
52:16
how to lay hands and to pray over people. Teach
52:19
us, Jesus, how to release people from the bondage
52:24
of sin through the gospel. Teach us how to hear
52:28
when the Holy Spirit quickens us. Teach us, Jesus,
52:32
to do the things that you did in our places of
52:37
businesses. Jesus, you excel in the hardest places.
52:48
You excel in the most sin -bound places. Your
52:53
power is greater than any dark place. There's
52:59
just no place that's too big for you, Jesus.
53:02
So we repent for our low standards. And we raise
53:08
our expectations to all that you would have us
53:14
Do and be. Jesus.