WEBVTT 00:00:01.230 --> 00:00:03.950 Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton, 00:00:04.129 --> 00:00:07.269 the official podcast of Cross -Christian Fellowship, 00:00:07.290 --> 00:00:10.769 Route 66, in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 00:00:10.990 --> 00:00:14.150 where Burton is the lead pastor. We're glad you're 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:19.030 here. So last week we got started talking about, 00:00:19.089 --> 00:00:23.489 as we go into the Thanksgiving season, that we 00:00:23.489 --> 00:00:26.109 need to remember to not just be thankful for 00:00:26.109 --> 00:00:29.219 the good stuff, but we also need to be. Thankful 00:00:29.219 --> 00:00:30.719 for the bad. We need to be thankful for those 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:34.899 thorns in our side, right? We're going to dig 00:00:34.899 --> 00:00:38.899 a little bit more into that this week. As we 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:41.880 look, well, this week, we're actually going to 00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:43.859 go into a specific verse that talks about that. 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:48.039 As opposed to how we were last week. So let's 00:00:48.039 --> 00:00:51.259 open our Bibles up to 2 Corinthians chapter 12. 00:00:51.460 --> 00:00:53.399 So your Bibles, your apps, whatever it is that 00:00:53.399 --> 00:00:55.979 you use. So we're going to be looking at 2 Corinthians 00:00:55.979 --> 00:01:08.359 chapter 12 verses 7 through 10. All right. 2 00:01:08.359 --> 00:01:13.780 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 7 through 10. The 00:01:13.780 --> 00:01:40.319 word says, And he said to me, My grace is sufficient 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:43.819 for you. For my strength is made perfect in weakness. 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:48.599 Therefore, most gladly, I would rather boast 00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:52.540 in my infirmities that the power of Christ may 00:01:52.540 --> 00:01:57.420 rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.859 in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in 00:02:01.859 --> 00:02:05.799 distress, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, 00:02:05.980 --> 00:02:11.449 I am strong. Now, of course, when we read this, 00:02:11.469 --> 00:02:16.289 we don't know exactly what this thorn is in Paul's 00:02:16.289 --> 00:02:19.710 side, right? We don't know the exact calamity 00:02:19.710 --> 00:02:22.629 that's going on here. However, based upon what 00:02:22.629 --> 00:02:25.729 we read in the book of Galatians, right, with 00:02:25.729 --> 00:02:28.449 what he had going on, and it's agreed upon by 00:02:28.449 --> 00:02:31.030 many scholars that most likely it was some sort 00:02:31.030 --> 00:02:34.009 of disease, all right? It could have been his 00:02:34.009 --> 00:02:37.310 eyes failing. It could have been malaria. It 00:02:37.310 --> 00:02:40.469 could have been... a number of things, possibly 00:02:40.469 --> 00:02:42.810 even epilepsy. That's also another one that's 00:02:42.810 --> 00:02:45.889 been suggested. We don't know. The thing is, 00:02:45.909 --> 00:02:47.889 it's not important that we know. We don't need 00:02:47.889 --> 00:02:51.129 to know exactly what it was. What we do need 00:02:51.129 --> 00:02:55.110 to know is that it was a chronic issue that impacted 00:02:55.110 --> 00:02:59.610 him constantly and had an impact on his ministry. 00:02:59.689 --> 00:03:03.590 It was a hindrance to him, all right? And so 00:03:03.590 --> 00:03:06.449 because of this, he had to lean into the Lord. 00:03:07.210 --> 00:03:11.469 And like many of us, he prayed for a remedy repeatedly. 00:03:11.969 --> 00:03:14.870 We see it right here. Not once, not twice, three 00:03:14.870 --> 00:03:20.430 times. That's happened to a lot of us, hasn't 00:03:20.430 --> 00:03:22.430 it? We have something going on, something that's 00:03:22.430 --> 00:03:24.969 not going right. Maybe it's an ailment itself. 00:03:25.389 --> 00:03:28.469 And we pray, Lord, take this from me. Lord, heal 00:03:28.469 --> 00:03:33.469 me. We pray and we pray and we pray. And just 00:03:33.469 --> 00:03:39.069 like with Paul, he says, No. Or maybe he says 00:03:39.069 --> 00:03:42.750 not yet. Which for all intents and purposes, 00:03:42.930 --> 00:03:44.349 as far as we're concerned, is just another way 00:03:44.349 --> 00:03:46.789 of saying no. Because it's not happening right 00:03:46.789 --> 00:03:48.810 now. It's not happening in our timetable. But 00:03:48.810 --> 00:03:51.270 that's the way we look at it. You know, I've 00:03:51.270 --> 00:03:54.449 had more than my fair share. I shouldn't say 00:03:54.449 --> 00:03:56.250 more than my fair share. I've had a lot of injuries 00:03:56.250 --> 00:03:59.710 in my life. I've spent a lot of time in ERs. 00:04:00.870 --> 00:04:03.990 I've had a few surgeries, pretty intensive surgeries. 00:04:05.729 --> 00:04:09.569 Not fun. You know, but with all those injuries 00:04:09.569 --> 00:04:11.590 and all the times that things would happen, bones 00:04:11.590 --> 00:04:13.729 would be broken, concussions and all that kind 00:04:13.729 --> 00:04:18.449 of stuff. For me, my Paul moment was when I got 00:04:18.449 --> 00:04:21.050 that final injury that ended my military career. 00:04:22.589 --> 00:04:25.889 That was a huge turning point for me. Because 00:04:25.889 --> 00:04:28.189 from the time I was knee high to a turtle, I 00:04:28.189 --> 00:04:30.110 knew I wanted to be one of two things. I wanted 00:04:30.110 --> 00:04:31.810 to be in the military and I wanted to be a cop. 00:04:31.889 --> 00:04:36.879 And guess what? I got blessed with both. But 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:39.800 then I got hurt. It was a hard pill to swallow. 00:04:40.839 --> 00:04:42.620 I can't tell you. I mean, there would be nights, 00:04:42.759 --> 00:04:44.879 you know, I'd get done with medical. I'd go and 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:46.519 I'd do my physical therapy and all that kind 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:48.379 of stuff. And I'd get back to the barracks and 00:04:48.379 --> 00:04:51.339 I'd pray, Lord, heal me. Make a way for this 00:04:51.339 --> 00:04:55.180 not to be true. Help me find a way where I can 00:04:55.180 --> 00:04:59.360 stay. I'm not ready. My time here is not over. 00:05:01.689 --> 00:05:03.269 Basically begging and pleading. There would be 00:05:03.269 --> 00:05:05.230 nights where I'd cry myself to sleep because 00:05:05.230 --> 00:05:08.449 that's all I had ever wanted in my life. I was 00:05:08.449 --> 00:05:12.810 there. I was literally living the dream. For 00:05:12.810 --> 00:05:15.149 better and for worse, I was right exactly where 00:05:15.149 --> 00:05:18.329 I had always wanted to be. Minus a stop or two, 00:05:18.410 --> 00:05:20.629 I could tell you I loved my time in the military. 00:05:21.050 --> 00:05:25.709 There's a stop or two that, you know, well, needless 00:05:25.709 --> 00:05:28.779 to say, they're a little life -changing. But 00:05:28.779 --> 00:05:30.800 we all have those times in our lives, maybe not 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:34.779 as dramatic, right? Some of us, I know people 00:05:34.779 --> 00:05:37.060 that have had injuries, got injured at a young 00:05:37.060 --> 00:05:40.100 age. Those ailments carry through throughout 00:05:40.100 --> 00:05:44.120 their life. Pains, physical pains, mental pains, 00:05:44.339 --> 00:05:52.079 spiritual pains, right? We all have them. You 00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:55.139 know, oftentimes we do the same thing. We go 00:05:55.139 --> 00:05:57.959 to the Lord, we pray, we beg, we plead. Just 00:05:57.959 --> 00:06:03.660 for God to say, no, that's not what's best for 00:06:03.660 --> 00:06:09.220 you. And we get so hung up on it, we miss our 00:06:09.220 --> 00:06:12.319 blessings. We miss them. Because we're focused 00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:16.279 on the wrong thing. So today, I'm going to give 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:20.779 you three reasons why it's good and why you should 00:06:20.779 --> 00:06:23.579 count it as a blessing to have a thorn in your 00:06:23.579 --> 00:06:29.449 side. First off, we take things for granted. 00:06:30.529 --> 00:06:34.350 We take things for granted. We become like the 00:06:34.350 --> 00:06:37.610 Israelites in numbers. I'm not going to go through 00:06:37.610 --> 00:06:39.110 the whole thing. I'm just going to hit a small 00:06:39.110 --> 00:06:42.050 piece of it. But if we go to Numbers chapter 00:06:42.050 --> 00:06:47.649 11, verses 4 through 6. So that's Numbers 11, 00:06:47.829 --> 00:06:56.519 verses 4 through 6. The word says, The rabble 00:06:56.519 --> 00:06:59.579 with them began to crave other food. And again, 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:02.439 the Israelites started wailing and said, if only 00:07:02.439 --> 00:07:06.660 we had meat to eat. We remember the fish we ate 00:07:06.660 --> 00:07:10.579 in Egypt at no cost. Also the cucumbers, melons, 00:07:10.579 --> 00:07:14.980 leeks, onions, and garlic. But now we've lost 00:07:14.980 --> 00:07:18.019 our appetite. We never see anything but this 00:07:18.019 --> 00:07:25.800 manna. Right? The Lord had already blessed them 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:33.120 so greatly, so greatly. But they quickly started 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:34.500 looking the other way and were taking it for 00:07:34.500 --> 00:07:37.980 granted. And you look at it, they'd been protected 00:07:37.980 --> 00:07:44.800 from the plagues. They'd been freed from Egypt. 00:07:44.980 --> 00:07:48.779 They were no longer slaves. They were being guided 00:07:48.779 --> 00:07:55.079 back to the promised land. So much. Matter of 00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:58.800 fact, they're on this journey to go back. And 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:01.600 they're so blessed. They don't even have to worry 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:05.579 about what they're going to eat. The Lord's provided. 00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:10.579 Every day, they wake up to this miracle of manna 00:08:10.579 --> 00:08:14.120 on the ground before them. They just had to scoop 00:08:14.120 --> 00:08:18.699 it up, prepare it, and enjoy it. Manna burgers, 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:22.639 manna tacos, manna enchiladas. Right? Man of 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:24.920 popsicles. Okay, they probably didn't have popsicles 00:08:24.920 --> 00:08:27.920 back then. But you get the point. Right? I'll 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:29.899 have a grilled man sandwich, please. You know? 00:08:31.540 --> 00:08:35.059 Every day. And it was there for them every single 00:08:35.059 --> 00:08:40.519 day. A miracle. And they took it for granted. 00:08:41.059 --> 00:08:43.399 Why? Because it became just a part of the daily. 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:49.629 It was mundane. Right? Who in here has a food 00:08:49.629 --> 00:08:52.509 that they want to eat every single day without 00:08:52.509 --> 00:08:58.350 changing it? Darren. Got one in. What's that? 00:09:00.049 --> 00:09:04.950 Blake's Lotter Burger. Oh, man. We got to improve 00:09:04.950 --> 00:09:12.429 your taste, brother. Okay. What's up? What's 00:09:12.429 --> 00:09:16.389 that? Lumpia? Oh, Lumpia. That's a good one. 00:09:16.970 --> 00:09:20.529 That is a good one, yes. Now, let me ask you 00:09:20.529 --> 00:09:25.669 this. What kind of lumpia? What's that? Well, 00:09:25.710 --> 00:09:27.429 are we talking pork? Are we talking chicken? 00:09:29.629 --> 00:09:33.269 All right. If you had to pick one, pork. All 00:09:33.269 --> 00:09:36.289 right. So for days and days on end, months and 00:09:36.289 --> 00:09:37.909 months on end, that's the only thing you get 00:09:37.909 --> 00:09:42.289 to eat is pork lumpia. You know what? For the 00:09:42.289 --> 00:09:43.629 Israelites, that's how it started too, though. 00:09:44.429 --> 00:10:03.269 That's how it started too. You've known him for 00:10:03.269 --> 00:10:05.909 a minute, yes. A little bit longer than Darren. 00:10:15.039 --> 00:10:16.759 But you don't get to change what you eat. Like, 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:19.320 so I said one thing every day without changing 00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:24.120 it. Ah, aha. So that's why he went with Olympia. 00:10:26.139 --> 00:10:27.700 You don't get to choose from the whole menu, 00:10:27.740 --> 00:10:30.360 brother. Sorry. That's what God said too. You 00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:44.409 get one thing and you're getting a manna. So 00:10:44.409 --> 00:10:46.289 for those of you who aren't familiar with lumpia, 00:10:46.389 --> 00:10:49.990 I'm very intimately familiar with lumpia. We've 00:10:49.990 --> 00:10:52.509 had it here at the church a few times. It is 00:10:52.509 --> 00:10:54.269 a wonderful dish. If you haven't tried it, I 00:10:54.269 --> 00:10:57.350 highly encourage it. Matter of fact, you know 00:10:57.350 --> 00:10:59.570 what? I might talk to the family. We might bring 00:10:59.570 --> 00:11:02.110 some for the potluck. I'll tell you what. I'm 00:11:02.110 --> 00:11:05.470 thinking about it now. Let's get back on track, 00:11:05.549 --> 00:11:07.370 though. But think about that one thing, though. 00:11:07.649 --> 00:11:08.950 It's like when I was a teenager, I just said 00:11:08.950 --> 00:11:11.110 pizza, right? I thought I was a ninja turtle. 00:11:12.259 --> 00:11:14.299 What kind of pizza? Well, back in that time, 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:17.379 I was very simple. Pepperoni, that's it. That's 00:11:17.379 --> 00:11:20.940 all I need. You know, if I was feeling froggy, 00:11:20.940 --> 00:11:24.059 I'd say throw some pineapple on there. But, you 00:11:24.059 --> 00:11:29.259 know, just a plain pepperoni pizza, though. Eventually, 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:32.279 though, that day caught up. I still love pizza. 00:11:33.179 --> 00:11:35.299 But you know what? There's other foods out there. 00:11:35.740 --> 00:11:38.210 I know for my wife, it's spaghetti. She loves 00:11:38.210 --> 00:11:40.529 spaghetti. She goes out to a restaurant. She 00:11:40.529 --> 00:11:42.190 sits down and she tries her spaghetti. If it's 00:11:42.190 --> 00:11:44.429 not up to par, I'll tell you what, you hear it. 00:11:47.129 --> 00:11:51.990 She is a spaghetti connoisseur. But that's the 00:11:51.990 --> 00:11:53.710 thing, though. As we get blessed, we have certain 00:11:53.710 --> 00:11:55.990 things in our lives that we have been blessed 00:11:55.990 --> 00:11:59.490 with, all right? And at a certain point, they 00:11:59.490 --> 00:12:02.970 do. They become mundane. Right? It's like you 00:12:02.970 --> 00:12:06.110 have that car that you wanted forever and ever 00:12:06.110 --> 00:12:07.830 and ever, right? You're like, oh, I'm going to 00:12:07.830 --> 00:12:09.230 work toward it. I'm going to save up. I'm going 00:12:09.230 --> 00:12:11.570 to get my down payment. I'm going to get this 00:12:11.570 --> 00:12:13.909 car. I know, even Twinkie's getting excited. 00:12:15.330 --> 00:12:18.389 But you finally go out. You walk into the dealership. 00:12:18.389 --> 00:12:20.789 You slap down your down payment. You sign the 00:12:20.789 --> 00:12:22.970 paperwork and everything, and you drive it home. 00:12:24.990 --> 00:12:28.100 After about a year, what happens? They're already 00:12:28.100 --> 00:12:30.500 looking to trade in and get that next glorious 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:35.240 model, right? Happens. To the Israelites, it 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:43.919 was no different. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:48.960 if the stars come out only once a year, everybody 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:53.759 would stay up all night to behold them. How often 00:12:53.759 --> 00:12:56.399 do we look at them now, though? They're there 00:12:56.399 --> 00:13:00.279 for us every day. I should say every night. But 00:13:00.279 --> 00:13:04.120 how often do we actually take time to look up 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:07.480 in the heavens and enjoy this nightly artwork 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:10.659 that the Lord's provided for us? I think back 00:13:10.659 --> 00:13:15.360 to when I was a kid. I loved astronomy. You go 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:18.899 out and you learn the constellations and everything. 00:13:19.080 --> 00:13:21.440 It's like, you know, here's the hunter. You know, 00:13:21.480 --> 00:13:24.379 here's Ursa Major, Ursa Minor. Oh, when you look 00:13:24.379 --> 00:13:25.720 at the hunter, you look at the shoulder, and 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:30.460 now that's Beetlejuice, right? All these things. 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:34.559 And then sometimes it gets a little bit more 00:13:34.559 --> 00:13:36.580 exciting because then you'd have the stories, 00:13:36.700 --> 00:13:39.879 right, that would coincide with this constellation 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:42.139 from the old myths and everything, right? Like 00:13:42.139 --> 00:13:45.940 Draco, right? The dragon, right? They kind of 00:13:45.940 --> 00:13:48.740 joked around a little bit about it in a movie 00:13:48.740 --> 00:13:53.269 back in the 90s. Oh, what was it? Dennis Quaid. 00:13:53.610 --> 00:13:55.450 Sean Connery was the voice of Dragon. I can't 00:13:55.450 --> 00:13:58.490 even think of the name of it now. But it's a 00:13:58.490 --> 00:14:00.210 pretty good movie. But they talk about it. And 00:14:00.210 --> 00:14:02.450 it's funny because if you watch Shrek, right, 00:14:02.529 --> 00:14:05.850 he sits down at night with Donkey after Fiona's 00:14:05.850 --> 00:14:07.649 gone in the cave and boarded it up, right, to 00:14:07.649 --> 00:14:09.789 hide. And he's sitting there talking. It's like, 00:14:09.850 --> 00:14:12.590 oh, yeah, look, there's so -and -so, the annoying. 00:14:14.490 --> 00:14:18.129 Right? And, you know, same thing. They're sitting 00:14:18.129 --> 00:14:22.129 there. And there's a certain point, though, where 00:14:22.129 --> 00:14:24.029 like everybody else, I stopped looking up at 00:14:24.029 --> 00:14:27.330 the stars. Sure, once in a while, I'll go out 00:14:27.330 --> 00:14:29.269 and I'll say, hey, cool. Hey, look, there's the 00:14:29.269 --> 00:14:32.769 hunter right there. Right? Gets exciting for 00:14:32.769 --> 00:14:34.830 a moment. But then after a while, it's like, 00:14:34.870 --> 00:14:36.649 okay, I've had my fill. I'm going to go back 00:14:36.649 --> 00:14:39.990 in. You know? But it's not like back in the days 00:14:39.990 --> 00:14:41.629 where it's like you could, you knew it's like, 00:14:41.669 --> 00:14:44.769 hey. We're going into a new season, so that constellation 00:14:44.769 --> 00:14:46.269 is not going to be here. It's going to be over 00:14:46.269 --> 00:14:47.590 there, and I'm not going to be able to see it 00:14:47.590 --> 00:14:49.590 until this time of day when I'm in the bed already, 00:14:49.769 --> 00:14:51.169 but I'm going to get to see this one, which I 00:14:51.169 --> 00:14:54.190 haven't got to see in a month. We take these 00:14:54.190 --> 00:14:59.690 things for granted. The Israelites took these 00:14:59.690 --> 00:15:07.409 things for granted. It happens to us all. We'll 00:15:07.409 --> 00:15:09.090 all take time. We'll look out the window. We'll 00:15:09.090 --> 00:15:14.059 see the stars. But it doesn't have the beauty 00:15:14.059 --> 00:15:17.559 that it once did, right? For me, I'm using stars. 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:20.700 It's not like that for everybody. Everybody has 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:25.600 something else. Sunsets, right? Sunrises. All 00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:27.639 that kind of stuff, right? And it brings me to 00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:34.779 the next point. We become complacent. We become 00:15:34.779 --> 00:15:38.419 complacent. Several years ago, there was a Frenchman 00:15:38.419 --> 00:15:42.620 who... Captured the world. He was all over the 00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:49.200 news. Walking a tightrope between the World Trade 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:51.679 Center, the buildings of the World Trade Center, 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:57.279 years and years ago. Pretty high up there. It's 00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:01.620 about 1 ,350 feet high. Well over 1 ,000 feet. 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:05.220 He was up there walking this tightrope. It was 00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:09.759 just a few months later. nowhere near as high. 00:16:09.820 --> 00:16:12.419 He was about 30 feet off the ground. He was at 00:16:12.419 --> 00:16:15.919 home in Florida and he was practicing his tightrope, 00:16:16.019 --> 00:16:18.220 right? He's out there walking, maybe he has a 00:16:18.220 --> 00:16:25.740 stick, whatever, right? And he fell, got hurt 00:16:25.740 --> 00:16:30.659 really bad. And as he laid there waiting for 00:16:30.659 --> 00:16:32.320 help and he had other people that were there 00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:34.639 with him waiting for the ambulance and all that 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:39.129 to show up, he tells them, I can't, Believe it. 00:16:40.129 --> 00:16:47.789 I never fall. See, he'd become complacent. We 00:16:47.789 --> 00:16:51.629 become complacent in the same way. We take things 00:16:51.629 --> 00:16:56.570 for granted and we become complacent. Turning 00:16:56.570 --> 00:17:02.330 to Zephaniah 1, verse 12. Zephaniah 1, verse 00:17:02.330 --> 00:17:11.390 12. The word says, and it shall come to pass 00:17:11.390 --> 00:17:16.670 that at that time that I will search Jerusalem 00:17:16.670 --> 00:17:20.670 with lamps and punish the men who are settled 00:17:20.670 --> 00:17:24.970 in complacency, who say in their heart, the Lord 00:17:24.970 --> 00:17:31.210 will not do good, nor will he do evil. So what's 00:17:31.210 --> 00:17:34.670 complacency? It's a feeling of satisfaction. 00:17:36.269 --> 00:17:40.809 Possibly even security and things just as they 00:17:40.809 --> 00:17:45.849 are. Without any regard or any kind of danger 00:17:45.849 --> 00:17:51.670 that's around or could come. That's what it is. 00:17:51.769 --> 00:17:55.390 It's basically a very smug level of comfort. 00:17:56.250 --> 00:17:59.869 The type of arrogance, if you will. And here's 00:17:59.869 --> 00:18:02.490 the thing about complacency. Complacency kills. 00:18:03.819 --> 00:18:06.700 You shouldn't be okay with complacency. The Lord 00:18:06.700 --> 00:18:08.420 certainly isn't. The Lord hates it. You look 00:18:08.420 --> 00:18:15.480 at what he's saying here. Right? It's laziness. 00:18:18.339 --> 00:18:20.980 And it's the type of laziness that not only puts 00:18:20.980 --> 00:18:25.440 people in danger here on earth, spiritually. 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:30.819 Because it's this type of laziness that leads 00:18:30.819 --> 00:18:37.000 to people becoming lukewarm. for the Lord. Ever 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:41.980 thought of that? Lukewarm for the Lord. And the 00:18:41.980 --> 00:18:43.640 word tells us it's better to be hot or cold than 00:18:43.640 --> 00:18:45.740 to be lukewarm. Being lukewarm is still a choice. 00:18:50.380 --> 00:18:53.779 It's one of those ways that we look to justify 00:18:53.779 --> 00:18:59.960 and excuse our sins. Basically, We sweep it under 00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:02.480 the rug. Oh, it's not that big of a deal. It's 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:05.019 okay. It's not going to hurt anybody. Right? 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:09.099 We look the other way, like that hole in the 00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:11.119 wall, and put a picture up over it to cover it 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:15.380 like the hole's not there. You laugh. It happens. 00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:24.579 You know? You see nothing. It's a Jedi mind trick, 00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:29.329 right? But that's what it is. You know? And that's 00:19:29.329 --> 00:19:30.549 literally the thought that we have. It's like, 00:19:30.549 --> 00:19:32.910 it's all right. It's not going to hurt anyone. 00:19:34.430 --> 00:19:36.869 And that's the mentality that we have. But guess 00:19:36.869 --> 00:19:41.690 what? It does hurt. And contrary to the belief 00:19:41.690 --> 00:19:45.670 of many, when you do this, you cannot excuse 00:19:45.670 --> 00:19:50.109 and you cannot justify your sin. You cannot hide 00:19:50.109 --> 00:19:56.099 your sin from the Lord. Our Lord knows it all. 00:19:56.180 --> 00:19:59.019 He's seen it all. He saw it before it even happened. 00:20:00.339 --> 00:20:05.200 He knows it's there. So you certainly can't sweep 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:08.460 it under the rug and forget about it. And there's 00:20:08.460 --> 00:20:13.220 no excuse that you can tell the Lord, and there's 00:20:13.220 --> 00:20:18.460 nowhere you can hide from his sight. Absolutely 00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:21.940 nowhere. He knows it all, which is why it's all 00:20:21.940 --> 00:20:24.769 the more important. That we search ourselves. 00:20:25.230 --> 00:20:27.750 So we talk about this at communion, right? You 00:20:27.750 --> 00:20:30.269 need to search yourself. What are your sins? 00:20:30.549 --> 00:20:32.789 What are you misstepping? You need to ask Lord, 00:20:32.930 --> 00:20:35.269 what have I done that I haven't seen or don't 00:20:35.269 --> 00:20:39.789 recognize as a sin? Right? And because of that, 00:20:39.910 --> 00:20:42.549 you're able to evaluate exactly where you are 00:20:42.549 --> 00:20:46.390 in your walk with Jesus. Am I hot? Am I cold? 00:20:46.529 --> 00:20:56.289 Am I lukewarm? Because while you might be able 00:20:56.289 --> 00:20:59.269 to lie to other people about things, you might 00:20:59.269 --> 00:21:03.849 be able to lie to yourself, you cannot lie to 00:21:03.849 --> 00:21:09.910 Jesus Christ. You can try, but it won't fly. 00:21:14.230 --> 00:21:17.589 You cannot afford to become complacent. You're 00:21:17.589 --> 00:21:19.269 either in it to win it or you're not, which brings 00:21:19.269 --> 00:21:24.009 us to my third point today. God has something 00:21:24.009 --> 00:21:27.410 better for all of us. Each and every single one 00:21:27.410 --> 00:21:30.670 of us. Which is going to bring us back to where 00:21:30.670 --> 00:21:37.470 we started in 2 Corinthians 12. Specifically 00:21:37.470 --> 00:21:42.250 looking at verses 9 through 10. Paul writes, 00:21:42.509 --> 00:21:47.789 And he said to me, My grace is sufficient for 00:21:47.789 --> 00:21:52.480 you from my strength. is made perfect in weakness. 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:57.519 Therefore, most gladly, I will rather boast in 00:21:57.519 --> 00:21:59.640 my infirmities that the power of Christ rest 00:21:59.640 --> 00:22:05.039 upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities 00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:08.599 and reproaches and needs and persecutions and 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:12.579 distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, 00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:18.200 I am strong. Here's the thing, folks. When we're 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:20.920 left to our own devices and our own strength, 00:22:21.119 --> 00:22:28.599 we will mess things up and fail constantly. When 00:22:28.599 --> 00:22:30.839 you look to people to do things for you in the 00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:35.859 same strength, they will fail you over and over 00:22:35.859 --> 00:22:41.500 and over again. Because we're human. We're not 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:47.170 perfect. We get caught up. We start... feeling 00:22:47.170 --> 00:22:49.269 strong in our own abilities. We start feeling 00:22:49.269 --> 00:22:51.930 strong with the resources that we have around 00:22:51.930 --> 00:22:57.269 us. Right? We start getting a little bit of a 00:22:57.269 --> 00:22:59.009 chip out of our shoulder because of the things 00:22:59.009 --> 00:23:06.809 that we feel we've accomplished. God put that 00:23:06.809 --> 00:23:13.190 thorn in Paul's side for a good reason. He didn't 00:23:13.190 --> 00:23:15.170 want him to take things for granted. He didn't 00:23:15.170 --> 00:23:19.109 want him to become And he certainly didn't want 00:23:19.109 --> 00:23:21.769 him to go about ministry and try to do things 00:23:21.769 --> 00:23:24.970 in his own strength. The way that we go through 00:23:24.970 --> 00:23:27.849 life is usually in our own strength. When we 00:23:27.849 --> 00:23:30.450 go to work, it's usually in our own strength, 00:23:30.589 --> 00:23:38.410 right? No, he gave it to him for good reason. 00:23:38.430 --> 00:23:41.109 It was a reminder, a reminder that he needed 00:23:41.109 --> 00:23:47.700 to keep God at the forefront. That Jesus needed 00:23:47.700 --> 00:23:52.619 to be at the forefront of everything. Greg Kokel, 00:23:52.660 --> 00:23:55.259 he has this statement that he says in a lot of 00:23:55.259 --> 00:23:59.019 his teaching. These guys will know exactly, Darren 00:23:59.019 --> 00:24:01.119 already knows what I'm going to say. He likes 00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:02.740 to say he likes to take a rock and put it in 00:24:02.740 --> 00:24:07.119 people's shoe. How comfortable is a rock in your 00:24:07.119 --> 00:24:10.559 shoe? You're walking along and all of a sudden 00:24:10.559 --> 00:24:12.440 you're like, ooh! Right? And what do most of 00:24:12.440 --> 00:24:14.700 us do? We stop right there. We take off that 00:24:14.700 --> 00:24:17.259 shoe. We shake out that rock or whatever's in 00:24:17.259 --> 00:24:18.839 there. Like, no, we don't want that in there. 00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:26.660 That hurts. Uh -uh. And what Greg means when 00:24:26.660 --> 00:24:29.640 he says this, like I said, he brings it fairly 00:24:29.640 --> 00:24:31.019 often, if you've ever listened to any of his 00:24:31.019 --> 00:24:34.759 teachings. When he says he likes to put a rock 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:36.880 in people's shoe, it's because what he's doing 00:24:36.880 --> 00:24:41.339 is he likes... To give people something to think 00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:44.039 about. He wants to give people something to think 00:24:44.039 --> 00:24:47.319 about. And when the Lord allowed for this thorn 00:24:47.319 --> 00:24:51.119 to go into Paul's side and torment him daily, 00:24:51.339 --> 00:24:55.079 that's what it was. Paul didn't have a shoe. 00:24:56.380 --> 00:25:00.319 He had sandals. He kind of had boots. But they 00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:02.039 were pretty open. It wasn't enclosed like our 00:25:02.039 --> 00:25:05.650 footwear is today, right? Even when you look 00:25:05.650 --> 00:25:07.829 at armored stuff, they still had holes and gaps 00:25:07.829 --> 00:25:10.490 and stuff in there they had for mobility. None 00:25:10.490 --> 00:25:13.130 of them were truly enclosed, unlike what Hollywood 00:25:13.130 --> 00:25:17.230 would lead you to believe today, right? Paul 00:25:17.230 --> 00:25:18.970 doesn't need you to have shoes for a rock to 00:25:18.970 --> 00:25:23.470 get stuck in there. He has other ways. So he 00:25:23.470 --> 00:25:26.390 left this torment with Paul to do the same thing. 00:25:31.710 --> 00:25:35.069 Such as our many blessings. The strength that 00:25:35.069 --> 00:25:37.349 he gives you, the guidance that God gives you. 00:25:40.109 --> 00:25:41.750 We don't want to get caught up. We don't want 00:25:41.750 --> 00:25:44.049 to become so conceited that we're thinking we're 00:25:44.049 --> 00:25:47.750 doing it all on our own, which is why when Paul 00:25:47.750 --> 00:25:52.549 wrote this, when he was saying when we're weak, 00:25:52.650 --> 00:25:57.069 we're actually strong because it's not your strength 00:25:57.069 --> 00:25:59.069 that you really rely on when things get hard. 00:26:01.990 --> 00:26:04.730 It's the strength of, The Holy Spirit, right? 00:26:05.869 --> 00:26:07.890 Because greater is He who is in you than he who 00:26:07.890 --> 00:26:13.230 is in the world, right? When Jesus died and He 00:26:13.230 --> 00:26:15.329 sent the apostles out for the Great Commission, 00:26:15.549 --> 00:26:18.869 right? He said, when I go, I will send a gift 00:26:18.869 --> 00:26:23.609 and He will be with you, the Holy Spirit. The 00:26:23.609 --> 00:26:25.970 Holy Spirit inside. It's a reminder. Things are 00:26:25.970 --> 00:26:29.910 going to happen. Life is going to be hard. Things 00:26:29.910 --> 00:26:33.940 are going to get in the way. But we need to look 00:26:33.940 --> 00:26:39.579 to Him. We need to talk to Him. And the best 00:26:39.579 --> 00:26:41.059 way for things to get done is for us to have 00:26:41.059 --> 00:26:45.579 that relationship. Not be like Jelly Roll in 00:26:45.579 --> 00:26:47.200 his song, you know, says, I only go to Him when 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:50.799 I need something. We need to go to Him with everything. 00:26:51.319 --> 00:26:54.299 You should be the first thing that you start 00:26:54.299 --> 00:26:55.779 the day with and the last thing that you end 00:26:55.779 --> 00:26:58.660 it with. You should wake up in prayer. You should 00:26:58.660 --> 00:27:02.660 go to bed in prayer. And all the little stops 00:27:02.660 --> 00:27:05.299 along the way as you go through your day, you 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:08.180 should be stopping to pray and praise the Lord 00:27:08.180 --> 00:27:12.720 and thank him for what he's done for you. For 00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:14.920 what he's done for you, what he's doing for you, 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:17.440 and knowing that because of his promises, what 00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:26.700 he is going to do for you. He's hard at work. 00:27:29.099 --> 00:27:30.819 It's important for us to remember he's hard at 00:27:30.819 --> 00:27:36.700 work. And in our weakness, this is a perfect 00:27:36.700 --> 00:27:39.299 time for the Lord to go to work because he's 00:27:39.299 --> 00:27:43.900 molding you. He's shaping you. He's working on 00:27:43.900 --> 00:27:47.660 your character. He's changing you from being 00:27:47.660 --> 00:27:51.660 worldly into being more Christ -like because 00:27:51.660 --> 00:27:56.839 we are all called to be more Christ -like. He 00:27:56.839 --> 00:27:59.920 is softening your heart. and teaching you to 00:27:59.920 --> 00:28:10.960 be more loving. In the process of doing that, 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:13.819 you start talking to him, and he's working through 00:28:13.819 --> 00:28:19.559 you. You form a relationship. You form a trust. 00:28:19.619 --> 00:28:23.500 You form a bond. And before you know it, you're 00:28:23.500 --> 00:28:25.460 going to him with certain things automatically. 00:28:26.579 --> 00:28:31.490 You're not even having to think about it. Whether 00:28:31.490 --> 00:28:33.150 it's the best of times or the worst of times, 00:28:33.210 --> 00:28:35.369 it's just already there. Like, hold on a second, 00:28:35.390 --> 00:28:47.569 let us pray. Lord, thank you. Thank you. We only 00:28:47.569 --> 00:28:50.950 have to do a couple of things. Confess our sins 00:28:50.950 --> 00:28:54.569 and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. It's 00:28:54.569 --> 00:28:59.009 a very, very small ask for a very, very big give. 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:05.859 In return, we're adopted back into the family. 00:29:10.359 --> 00:29:15.619 Forgiven. Like it never happened. Scottish minister, 00:29:15.900 --> 00:29:19.299 Alex White, he was known for uplifting prayers 00:29:19.299 --> 00:29:24.660 in the pulpit. Bless you. So he was known for 00:29:24.660 --> 00:29:26.579 uplifting prayers in the pulpit all the time. 00:29:27.539 --> 00:29:32.519 Always had something motivational. Right? It 00:29:32.519 --> 00:29:36.299 was something that he was grateful for. There 00:29:36.299 --> 00:29:38.539 was one Sunday morning, the weather was particularly 00:29:38.539 --> 00:29:43.420 gloomy, and there was a member there in the congregation 00:29:43.420 --> 00:29:45.619 who was looking at the weather, and it's just 00:29:45.619 --> 00:29:50.059 this gloomy kind of day, right? We all know what 00:29:50.059 --> 00:29:53.119 that's like. We all know that feeling. He's like, 00:29:53.220 --> 00:29:56.819 ah, today's the day. There's absolutely no way 00:29:56.819 --> 00:29:59.799 he's going to have something uplifting to pray 00:29:59.799 --> 00:30:05.420 today. He can't have anything motivational. There's 00:30:05.420 --> 00:30:07.380 nothing he's going to have that's going to be 00:30:07.380 --> 00:30:14.500 good. And much to his surprise, when White began 00:30:14.500 --> 00:30:20.119 praying, this is what he prayed. We thank thee, 00:30:20.140 --> 00:30:26.279 O God, that it's not always like this. He still 00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:30.059 had something positive, didn't he? Man, if only 00:30:30.059 --> 00:30:37.539 we could always be so joy -hearted. That thorn 00:30:37.539 --> 00:30:39.980 in your side is a firm reminder for all that 00:30:39.980 --> 00:30:41.779 he's done, is doing, and is going to do in your 00:30:41.779 --> 00:30:47.460 life. We turn to our last verse, James 1, verse 00:30:47.460 --> 00:30:53.400 17. It's a firm reminder, and I know we've all 00:30:53.400 --> 00:30:57.480 heard this before, that every good... and every 00:30:57.480 --> 00:31:00.779 perfect gift is from above and comes down from 00:31:00.779 --> 00:31:03.079 the Father of lights with whom there is no variation 00:31:03.079 --> 00:31:08.859 or shadow of turning. I like to put the whole 00:31:08.859 --> 00:31:11.220 thing there. We like to say every good and perfect 00:31:11.220 --> 00:31:15.579 gift is from above. Yes. But you know what? That 00:31:15.579 --> 00:31:18.299 focuses on just the gift. Yes, every good and 00:31:18.299 --> 00:31:22.960 perfect gift is from above. And we need to acknowledge 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:27.869 the Father as it says right here. who is good 00:31:27.869 --> 00:31:35.210 yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Correct? Always. 00:31:37.750 --> 00:31:42.930 God is good. So when you leave here today, I 00:31:42.930 --> 00:31:46.450 encourage you, be thankful for the thorn that's 00:31:46.450 --> 00:31:49.069 in your side, for that rock that's in your shoe, 00:31:49.190 --> 00:31:53.240 and let it be a firm reminder. of just how much 00:31:53.240 --> 00:31:56.039 you need to look to Jesus in your life and in 00:31:56.039 --> 00:31:59.220 your walk as you go forward. Let it be that reminder 00:31:59.220 --> 00:32:02.500 that you need to minister to people as you find 00:32:02.500 --> 00:32:05.339 them. Not where you want them to be, but where 00:32:05.339 --> 00:32:10.180 you find them. And take that light that points 00:32:10.180 --> 00:32:17.140 the way to the Lord and give glory to him. Finally, 00:32:17.160 --> 00:32:19.960 remember, that thorn won't be there forever. 00:32:21.099 --> 00:32:23.339 The day will come when you're reunited with the 00:32:23.339 --> 00:32:27.000 Father and it's taken from you. On that note, 00:32:27.099 --> 00:32:32.619 let us pray. Father, we thank you for reminding 00:32:32.619 --> 00:32:35.359 us that things are just, they're never as bad 00:32:35.359 --> 00:32:39.500 as we think they are. We thank you for the reminders 00:32:39.500 --> 00:32:45.019 of just how badly we need you. Please, we ask 00:32:45.019 --> 00:32:48.980 that you help us to understand why we have the 00:32:48.980 --> 00:32:52.049 thorns that we do. and why we have to carry them 00:32:52.049 --> 00:32:56.670 in the ways that we do. We ask you to continue 00:32:56.670 --> 00:32:58.549 to teach us and remind us to be thankful for 00:32:58.549 --> 00:33:03.029 them and to recognize them, not as punishment 00:33:03.029 --> 00:33:05.329 or as torments, but as the reminders that we 00:33:05.329 --> 00:33:09.849 need in our lives to keep focused with you on 00:33:09.849 --> 00:33:15.329 our daily walks, our daily conversations, and 00:33:15.329 --> 00:33:18.250 use it as part of that testimony to proclaim 00:33:18.250 --> 00:33:22.450 you to the world. And all his people said, amen 00:33:22.450 --> 00:33:24.369 and amen. Remember, as you leave here today, 00:33:24.569 --> 00:33:27.269 you are loved and you are blessed. So go and 00:33:27.269 --> 00:33:33.230 be the church. Thank you for joining us at Healing 00:33:33.230 --> 00:33:36.369 Scars with Pastor Burton. If this message spoke 00:33:36.369 --> 00:33:38.470 to you, or if you would like to help us reach 00:33:38.470 --> 00:33:42.009 more people, please like, review, and share our 00:33:42.009 --> 00:33:44.869 podcast. You can learn more about our ministry 00:33:44.869 --> 00:33:53.160 or how you can support us at www. Until next 00:33:53.160 --> 00:33:55.539 time, take care and God bless.