1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:23,640 The 19th century novelist and essayist who wrote Treasure Island and The Strange Case 2 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:35,400 of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson was his name. Stevenson was intrigued 3 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:49,640 as a young boy by the work of lamp lighters, lamp lighters, who before the days of electricity 4 00:00:49,640 --> 00:01:01,640 went about with a ladder and a torch, setting the streets ablaze with light in Edinburgh, 5 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:14,240 Scotland. In his fascination, in his childish, childlike fascination, he ran into the house 6 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:27,000 to exclaim to his parents, there's a man out there punching holes in the darkness. Jesus 7 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:35,520 came into the world and accomplished many great and marvelous wonders, yet his primary 8 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:46,520 purpose was to punch holes in the darkness. John chapter one, verse four and five says, 9 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:58,560 in him was life and the life was the light of men and the light shoneeth in darkness 10 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:06,160 and the darkness comprehended it not. What is clear, brothers and sisters, from the teaching 11 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:19,120 of this text is that true sight is ironically contingent on having true blindness. There 12 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:31,160 is a blindness that is innate to fallen humanity that is necessary for Christian existence. 13 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:42,320 It's blindness to the deception that distorts our human nature. It is blindness to the illusion 14 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:54,440 that we can take care of ourselves. Those who think they can see are actually blind to 15 00:02:54,440 --> 00:03:05,040 their self delusion and this self delusion imposes on them a deep and serious blindness, 16 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:16,800 but there is none so blind as he who will not see. The medieval monastic Christian theologian 17 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:30,600 John Cassian said that we tend to condemn in others what we refuse to see in ourselves. 18 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:40,400 God ought to help me preach here. We refuse brothers and sisters to see our own blindness 19 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:48,000 so we look at the moat that is in our brother's eye and see not the beam that is in our own 20 00:03:48,000 --> 00:04:02,520 eye. Psychologically what is repressed in us is projected under other people. Walk with 21 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:15,160 me around the text. There is in this pericope a sightless man. The man has been blind from 22 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:25,080 the hour of his birth making the miracle even more remarkable. This man has never in his 23 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:35,680 entire life from the womb been able to see. The disciples assume the blindness of the 24 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:46,280 man is the result of sin. That question regarding his congenital blindness is an exploration 25 00:04:46,280 --> 00:04:56,640 between the connection of sin and physical deformity. They are looking backwards to 26 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:07,840 find a possible cause while Jesus would have them to look forward to a divine purpose. 27 00:05:07,840 --> 00:05:16,600 The man's blindness, hear me, the man's blindness is not about personal punishment but about 28 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:31,320 providential permission. Not all suffering is caused by sin but all sin causes suffering. 29 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:41,600 And there are times when God just allows calamity, God allows trials, God allows heartbreak, God 30 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:49,920 allows situations and circumstances in our lives for no reason other than he wants to 31 00:05:49,920 --> 00:06:02,800 get glory. And there is no better witness than somebody who has been through it and 32 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:09,720 come out on the other side of it not knowing why God let it happen, not knowing what God's 33 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:15,040 purpose was, you just gave God's glory in the midst of it and now that you are on the 34 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:24,320 other side of it, come on devil bring it, bring it, bring it. Because what you have 35 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:32,680 to go through next cannot be compared to what you've already been through before. God will 36 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:43,600 make a way. I said God will make a way, God will open a door, God will turn it around 37 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:53,120 for his glory and for your good. That's why you ought not criticize anybody's 38 00:06:53,120 --> 00:07:01,640 shout because you don't know what they went through to holler the way they holler. You 39 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:06,920 don't know what they're going through right now to make them praise God the way they praise 40 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:15,000 God because I believe if you just keep on praising in the midst of your stuff, God will 41 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:21,880 see you through. There ought to be some witnesses in this church this morning that I prayed and 42 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:33,640 shouted and cried and walked the floor but here I am this morning and because I stood 43 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:57,680 the test, I got a testimony. In this day, not only is the man blind but there are no social 44 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:11,920 safety nets such as Medicaid. There's no social security. He does not have or qualify for 45 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:27,440 Obamacare. The man is not only blind but he's reduced to begging for his subsistence. I 46 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:35,480 want to submit to you this morning, Lily Grove, that worse than being physically blind is 47 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:55,240 to have eyes wide shut. That is the condition of five people groups that came in contact 48 00:08:55,240 --> 00:09:05,400 with this blind man as blind as he is from birth. There are five groups of people in 49 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:21,160 the text more blind than him. The first group is the disciples. They suffer from the blindness 50 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:32,040 of spiritual ineptitude. The second group of blind folk is his neighbors. They were 51 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:42,760 blinded by denying that he was the man that was blind. Psychologically, blindness denial 52 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:57,200 is a defense mechanism. A coping tool that we use to reject the truth about ourselves 53 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:08,240 or somebody else. We deny the fact that we need help by pretending like we don't need 54 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:21,800 help. Your blood pressure is 890 over 600. You're going to get a pork chop when you 55 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:32,880 leave here. I know it ain't good for me but I'm going to take authority over it. Greater 56 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:46,640 is he that is in me. Talk back to me if you can. I know I need to lose weight but God 57 00:10:46,640 --> 00:11:00,080 made me. He made me who I am. I know I can't get in these clothes right now but I'm going 58 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:13,160 to get in them sooner or later. Give them away girl. Because as long as you are in denial, 59 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:24,000 you'll never make any progress. The next group are the Pharisees. They suffered from the 60 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:35,680 blindness of righteous indignation. They were offended that Jesus had the temerity to heal 61 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:46,280 on the Sabbath day. Even worse was the blindness of the man's own mother and father. They suffered 62 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:54,440 from the blindness of selfishness. They feared that if they testified he was blind and now 63 00:11:54,440 --> 00:12:03,320 he could see, they would lose their synagogue seats. There are people at this church this 64 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:07,840 morning, there are people listening to me on social media who are so concerned about 65 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:17,720 their self image and their self esteem that they will do anything to make you believe 66 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:24,600 that they are more than they really are. But there are some of us in here this morning 67 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:29,120 who can admit I don't care if you like me, I don't care if you don't like me, I don't 68 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:35,400 care if you're on my side, if you're not on my side. I know I'm tore up from the floor. 69 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:41,200 I know I'm a sinner and a wretch undone. I know that if the Lord took his hand off me 70 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:48,720 right now, I'd be the biggest fool in Houston. I'm crazy with salvation. So imagine what 71 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:57,320 I would be if I was lost. Have I got a witness here? I need some folk here who've seen just 72 00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:06,000 this past week, but you're in church this morning because you need grace and mercy. 73 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:24,400 He looked beyond my fault. The last group was the crowds around him. They suffered from 74 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:35,560 the blindness of rejection. After his eyes were opened, the Bible says they sent him 75 00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:47,200 away. Now here, here, here's what I want you to see, Lili Grove. Sadly, sophomoreically, 76 00:13:47,200 --> 00:14:01,600 no one of these groups that I just mentioned, the disciples, the crowds, the neighbors, 77 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:13,120 his mom and daddy, the Pharisees, not one group of these five acknowledged that a miracle 78 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:30,160 had taken place. No one rejoiced. No one praised God for the man's ability to see. No one asked 79 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:42,720 him what it felt like to be able to see his family, to see a flower, to see a sunrise, 80 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:52,040 to see a sunset for the first time. Get this. They were so concerned about the method of 81 00:14:52,040 --> 00:15:01,360 his healing that they missed the miracle of his healing. They were so concerned about 82 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:09,840 we've never seen that before that they couldn't shout about what they just seen. And many 83 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:20,400 of us are so caught up in tradition and culture that we can't see God moving in a mighty way. 84 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:27,680 And so when God does a new thing, it does not awe us. It does not move us with thanksgiving 85 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:33,720 and praise because we are waiting for God to do what God has always done and God wants 86 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:44,200 to do a new thing to give you a new song to sing. Let me see if I can put it to you this 87 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:53,200 way. You ought not still be shouting over what happened 20 years ago. God should have 88 00:15:53,200 --> 00:16:02,680 done something for you 20 days ago. Now, keep the 20 years in your calling purse just in 89 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:09,480 case you needed when you get down. But now God did something for you yesterday. Well, 90 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:16,000 let me shout. God has done something for me just yesterday. Is there anybody else here 91 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:23,640 who got some this morning shouting you want to do? He woke me up this morning. He put 92 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:32,520 food on my table. He helped me to pay my bills. He made a way out of nowhere. He gave me joy. 93 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:52,680 When somebody walked out of my life. That's that's the that's this man situation. But 94 00:16:52,680 --> 00:17:06,160 I want you to see secondly a sovereign master. Note that the man has not expressed faith. 95 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:17,960 Neither does he ask Jesus to heal him. His role is passive until he washes in the pool 96 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:26,480 of Salon. Listen to me. Jesus healing of the blind man. This I'm trying to hold myself 97 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:33,680 down because because this is a this is the real shouting point. Jesus healing of the 98 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:52,120 blind man is creative rather than restorative. Come on. Ask me why. Ask the man blind from 99 00:17:52,120 --> 00:18:07,480 birth. Never enjoyed sight that needed to be restored. So instead of Jesus giving him 100 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:21,880 something he had that he lost. Jesus creates something that he never had before. And in 101 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:38,600 so doing Jesus reveals himself as God very God because Jesus in this miracle creates 102 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:59,440 ex nihilo. That word ex nihilo is Latin for from nothing. Just like God created from nothing. 103 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:06,200 The man done asked to be healed. We don't know anything about his faith. We don't know 104 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:12,600 what Deacon family ministry he was in. We don't know if he went to church. We don't know anything 105 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:19,200 about his life. We don't know anything about his testimony. Jesus just comes by and feels 106 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:29,800 like blessing somebody. And this morning you might not even have a Bible. You might not 107 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:38,680 even be able to quote in his scriptures. But you in the right place at the right time. 108 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:49,480 And Jesus just might feel like blessing somebody. So why don't you say even me Lord. Let some 109 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:54,480 drops. I wish I had somebody to help me preach it. 110 00:19:54,480 --> 00:20:12,160 Lord I don't know what I came here for. But since I'm here. Let some drops. I need somebody 111 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:24,000 to help me testify. That you can get blessed just sitting in the right pew. Because not 112 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:31,600 everybody came to worship. Not everybody came to give God's glory. Some folk just came to 113 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:37,280 spectate and look around and hook up and see who they could. But listen. There are some 114 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:43,880 of us who come here because we need something. No, no, no, no. It's more than need. We got 115 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:50,920 to have something. And so we come here because we woke up this morning with our minds on 116 00:20:50,920 --> 00:21:01,880 Jesus. And if you sit around them kind of folk. That kind of praise is contagious. 117 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:07,120 You find yourself clapping when you don't even feel like. You find yourself crying and 118 00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:12,320 ain't nothing wrong with you. You find yourself smiling and you ain't got nothing to laugh 119 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:23,760 about. You just around somebody who look like they feel like praise in God. You have my 120 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:36,720 permission. You have my permission. If you're sitting in a dead spot. You got my permission. 121 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:40,440 You're not going to insult me. You're not going to stop me from preaching. Just get 122 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:48,240 up and find you a section that look like they came to give God praise. Just find you a hot 123 00:21:48,240 --> 00:22:00,520 spot. You know, sometimes when you drive it on 288 or 59, your call drops because there 124 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:08,360 are no cell towers and you're in a dead spot. There's some dead spots at the church. Some 125 00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:15,800 people so mean and cantankerous. All they do is grumble and complain and gripe and murmur 126 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:22,720 and they don't like this and they can't stand that. Get out of that section and find somebody 127 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:28,240 who say, I don't care what you look like. I don't care what you got on. If you're going 128 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:35,480 to sit by me, it's going to be some racket. It's going to be some noise. So you might 129 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:41,320 want to go sit somewhere else because I'm asking God to do something for me. I need a 130 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:55,520 miracle. I need a breakthrough and when God brings me out, you think I'm after the food 131 00:22:55,520 --> 00:23:05,400 this morning. Wait till God hears my prayer. Wait until God delivers my child. Wait until 132 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:30,520 God hears my Bible. He's a way maker. Hey. Hey. Don't wait till the battle is over. Go 133 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:53,000 ahead. Shout. Now, I'm trying to hurry here. Jesus performs, write this down if you think 134 00:23:53,000 --> 00:24:03,240 you're going to forget it. Jesus performs a double miracle. In this particular instance, 135 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:26,520 he performs a double miracle because listen, not only is the man's eyes open, he can see 136 00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:46,720 because it's very possible to have your eyes open and not see. The British professor of 137 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:56,600 neurology, Dr. Oliver Sacks says one must die as a blind person to be born again as a 138 00:24:56,600 --> 00:25:08,200 seeing person. This man's eyes came open and I want you to get this. Neurologically, his 139 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:19,160 brain could not have been able to absorb all the information flooding into his visual cortex 140 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:26,600 from seeing for the first time. How could he know what a flower looked like if he never 141 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:36,520 saw one? How could he know that that was his mama if he'd never seen her face? But when 142 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:45,840 his eyes came open, everything he needed to know, he knew because his eyes were open 143 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:57,360 and he could see. Ask the Lord this morning, not just to open your eyes, but to let you 144 00:25:57,360 --> 00:26:13,280 see. Brothers and sisters, Jesus spit on the ground, made some mud, put it on his eyes 145 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:25,880 and said, go wash, not in meekum fountain over there on Main Street. Go wash, not in 146 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:36,520 the reflecting pool in Washington, DC. Go wash, not in that shimmering pool at the 147 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:47,520 post-soak of Houston. But go where I tell you to go because your healing is tied to 148 00:26:47,520 --> 00:27:05,120 your obedience. He went to the pool of salon because the pool of salon, the waters that's 149 00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:17,920 in that pool come down from the temple and collect in a pool that Isaiah calls salon, 150 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:34,240 which means sent one. Jesus said, go wash in the pool that the sent one sent you to. 151 00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:47,320 Now can you imagine? He's never seen before. He's got some spit mud on his eyes. It's 500 152 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:54,640 yards from the temple to the pool of salon. Can you imagine how many people laughed at 153 00:27:54,640 --> 00:28:04,240 him from the temple to the pool? And when God gets ready to bless your life, he tells 154 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:10,280 you to do something that the other people don't make sense. And you know how many people 155 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:17,600 laughed at you from your divorce to your deliverance? You know how many people talked 156 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:24,600 about you from your job to the job God really wanted you to have? You know how many people 157 00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:29,840 criticized you from when you were broke to now when you are able to pay everything you 158 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:35,800 need to pay? If you had paid attention to those people, you never would have made it 159 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:45,200 to the pool. But thank God you put blinders on, stop your ears up and say whatever God 160 00:28:45,200 --> 00:29:03,920 tells me to do. I don't care what you say. Here he is at the pool of salon mud pies on 161 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:17,040 his eyes. He washes them off and he comes back seeing. And then I'm trying, I'm through 162 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:21,240 and finally I'm through. I can't say that but five times if I'm a Baptist preacher. 163 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:28,320 I'm reading through this time. I want you to see this supernatural miracle. When he 164 00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:45,160 receives his sight, the neighbors say is that old blind Terry? Hide your purse because he 165 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:52,880 is going to start begging. Look straight ahead act like you don't see him because he's on 166 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:59,400 the side of the road acting like he ain't blind no more but he's still begging. Look 167 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:07,960 far. You know how you do when you get to Scott and 610? And the people on the side of the 168 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:13,520 road begging and you put your shades on? Or you start acting like you're looking for 169 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:22,840 something in your glove compartment? I wish I had a crook in here like me. You start pretending 170 00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:33,560 that you don't see. And they say that that looked like a broke John. Another neighbor 171 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:37,680 said that that ain't that ain't him because the last time I saw him he was blind. He was 172 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:43,600 begging. He was nothing. He was nobody. It looked like him but it ain't no, no, no, it 173 00:30:43,600 --> 00:31:00,960 can't be. And they said how did you come about seeing? He said a man named Jesus. Told 174 00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:14,360 me to go wash and I came back. See it. The Pharisees called him in and said we don't 175 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:23,200 believe this. Now he's obviously a man can see but that they are in denial because a 176 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:30,880 whole lot of folk don't want you seeing because when your eyes are open you see them 177 00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:44,640 for who they really are. I wish I had time to stay right there. So somebody said go 178 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:54,120 call his mom and dad. His mother and father come in the temple and they say tell us is 179 00:31:54,120 --> 00:32:04,680 this your boy? They say yes he is. How is he seeing? And the parents who don't want 180 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:19,440 to lose their position in church because the mama leaves the songs in the choir and the 181 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:26,440 dad is chairman of trustees and they don't want to lose their vaulted position and they 182 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:30,040 don't want people talking about him behind their back and they don't want them causing 183 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:37,360 no ruckus. They don't want us stick out like a sore thumb. So they say ask him. He's of 184 00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:48,680 age. Let him speak for himself and they bring the boy in one more time. They said come here. 185 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:59,200 When you woke up this morning you were blind. Now you're walking around here seeing. Tell 186 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:13,000 us who gave you your sight. He said a man named Jesus. They said don't give him any 187 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:23,000 praise. Don't brag on him. Don't shout about him. Don't glorify him. Glorify God. This 188 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:36,000 man is a sinner and the blind man who would not go along with their scheme because you 189 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:42,960 got to have enough nerve to stand by yourself. You got to have the courage of your conviction 190 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:51,920 that if nobody else wants to agree with you, agree with yourself. Don't give him any credit. 191 00:33:51,920 --> 00:34:04,240 Don't give him any glory. Give God the glory. This man is a sinner and that blind man said 192 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:12,360 I ain't disputing that. I ain't tripping over that. I'm not even going to argue with you 193 00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:31,840 about that. He might be a sinner. He might be everything you say he is. All I know 194 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:43,600 is when I got up this morning I was blind. But right now I can see. Have I got a witness 195 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:54,440 here? And when the Lord blesses your life, don't let anybody smother your hallelujah. 196 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:59,640 Don't let anybody tell you not to give God any praise. Don't you let that Negro sit next 197 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:06,280 to you talking about it. Don't take all of that. It don't take all that for you. You 198 00:35:06,280 --> 00:35:12,680 speak for yourself. You don't know how many tears I've cried. You don't know how many 199 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:18,120 burdens I've had to bear. You don't know how many storms I've been through. You don't 200 00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:24,800 know how heavy a load I've had to carry. And God brought me out and you think I'm going 201 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:37,120 to let you make me be quiet? I need somebody here who used to be blind. I said I need somebody 202 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:44,160 here who used to be blind. But God opened your eyes. I'm not talking about physical 203 00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:52,840 blindness now. You are blind in the darkness of sin. You are blind in your own hysteria. 204 00:35:52,840 --> 00:36:00,200 You are blind in your own depression. You are blind in your own sinful lostness. But 205 00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:07,960 God came along and opened your eyes. And now that your eyes are open, you can see things 206 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:14,280 more clearly right now. It don't bother you anymore. What used to bother you doesn't concern 207 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:22,240 you anymore because you got clear vision right now. You can see what God is doing in your 208 00:36:22,240 --> 00:36:30,320 life. You can see the doors. God is opening for you. You can see the ways God is making 209 00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:38,160 for you. You can see the hope that God is bringing the bars in your life. And now that 210 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:44,960 you can see what God is up to, you don't even have to wait for Sunday to start giving God 211 00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:52,020 praise. You don't have to wait until you add a little grove to start giving God praise. 212 00:36:52,020 --> 00:37:02,120 When you look around and see what the Lord has done, you start giving God your best hallelujah. 213 00:37:02,120 --> 00:37:09,880 If God has opened your eyes, now's a good time to tell Him thank you. If God has made 214 00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:18,000 a way in your life, now's a good time to give Him the glory. If God had helped you to see 215 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:25,360 some things that you couldn't see just a few years ago, now would be a good opportunity 216 00:37:25,360 --> 00:37:32,800 to tell God thank you. The Bible says they put Him out of their company and didn't want 217 00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:39,480 anything else to do with Him. Nobody wanted to be with Him. The disciples didn't want 218 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:45,160 to be with Him. His neighbors didn't want to be with Him. The Pharisees didn't want 219 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:50,920 to be with Him. His parents didn't want to be with Him. The crowds didn't want to be 220 00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:57,640 with Him. All of them left Him by Himself. And the Bible says, read it when you get 221 00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:08,640 home. Jesus found Him. Jesus came to where He was and told Him, wherever you go, let 222 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:17,320 somebody know what the Lord has done. And the Bible says He went everywhere telling 223 00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:30,600 everybody, I was blind but now I see. I was lost but now I'm found. I need a witness this 224 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:43,640 morning who don't mind testifying. It was nobody but Jesus. Nobody but Jesus. That's 225 00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:50,760 why I'm raising my hands. You wondering why I'm hollering so much. You wonder why I praise 226 00:38:50,760 --> 00:39:00,080 with such excitement. You wonder why I worship with such enthusiasm. It was nobody but Jesus 227 00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:05,440 and you can act like you don't know who I'm talking about. You can sit down and act like 228 00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:11,320 He didn't do anything for you. But for those of us who got a testimony, come on and help 229 00:39:11,320 --> 00:39:19,280 me call that name. He's a rock in a weary land. He's a shelter in a time of storm. 230 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:26,280 He's a friend when you're friendless. Bread when you're hungry. Y'all know Him, don't you? 231 00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:34,280 He's water when he first did. He's Adam's redeemer. He's Abel's vindicator. He's Abraham's 232 00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:42,840 sacrifice. He's Noah's ark. He's Moses bush on fire. Y'all know Him, don't you? He's 233 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:51,440 Joshua's battle axe. He's Gideon's fleece. He's Samson's power. He's David's music. 234 00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:57,680 He's Solomon's wisdom. He's distinctive in supernatural capacity. He's superlative in 235 00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:05,800 sovereign majesty. He's exclusive in spiritual beauty. He's radiant in eternal splendor. 236 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:13,080 He's matchless in supernal deity. He's a God of gods. He's a prince of princes. He's 237 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:20,720 a pharise of ten thousand. He's a bridge over troubled water. He's a doctor in a sick room. 238 00:40:20,720 --> 00:40:28,400 He's a lawyer in a courtroom. He's money when you're broke. Joy when you're sad. Peace 239 00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:38,480 when you're confused. Is there anybody here who knows my Jesus? If you know Him to be 240 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:48,040 a mother for you. If you know Him to be company for you. If you know Him to be a doctor for 241 00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:57,680 you. Come on, help me give Him glory. Help me tell God thank you. I was blind, but now 242 00:40:57,680 --> 00:41:13,360 I see amazing grace. How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but 243 00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:23,040 now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see. You can help me say this next part, can't you? 244 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:35,280 Through many, through many, through many, through many, through many danger, tolls and 245 00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:58,880 pain. I have already come. It was grace that brought me. Save the spa. Did He bring you? 246 00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:10,920 Why don't you grab somebody? Tell Him He brought me. He brought me. He kept me. He never left 247 00:42:10,920 --> 00:42:20,440 me. He made a way. He's been good to me. He's been a father for me. He's been a lawyer 248 00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:47,720 for me. He's been a doctor for me. I know He's alright. I know He's alright. I know He's 249 00:42:47,720 --> 00:43:12,200 alright. 250 00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:29,520 You can't make me doubt Him because I know too much about Him. I know what God can do. 251 00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:55,040 I know what God can do. I've seen the lightning flashing. I've heard the thunder roll. I've 252 00:43:55,040 --> 00:44:06,920 felt sin's breakers dash. Trying to conquer my soul. But I heard the voice of Jesus. Be 253 00:44:06,920 --> 00:44:26,400 it in the still, fight on. He promised. Yes, He did. He promised never to leave me. Never 254 00:44:26,400 --> 00:44:34,400 to leave me alone. The mother and father are gone, but Jesus is still there. I've got some 255 00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:40,000 friends who walked away, but Jesus is still there. I've got some brothers who are in that 256 00:44:40,000 --> 00:45:05,320 grave, but Jesus is still there.