1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,000 We've all been hurt. We all have scars. And through a relationship with Jesus Christ, 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:14,480 we can all overcome and we can all be healed. Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. 3 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:22,840 Hey everybody, welcome back to this sanctuary. You know, in preparing for this week, I was 4 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:27,960 doing some reflection and I thought of something that really, it's just, it stuck with me over 5 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:33,640 the years. You see, a number of years ago, while I was doing my seminary school, I was 6 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:40,640 doing an internship at a church. And this is a church I served for many years. Now, 7 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:48,240 you all know I am not a fan of prosperity preachers, not at all. However, at this time, 8 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:56,040 the pastor of the church invited Jesse Duplantis to come out and visit. As a matter of fact, 9 00:00:56,040 --> 00:01:02,720 he came out not once, not twice, but a few times. He'd come out once a year for quite 10 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:09,720 a while leading up to COVID. And during one of his visits, he said something that hit 11 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:15,160 me as profound. You know, even though it came out of his mouth, it was the Holy Spirit. 12 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:22,160 The Holy Spirit yelled out, you know, do you have a relationship with Jesus or do you just 13 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:29,160 know about him? Do you have a relationship with God or do you just know about him? There 14 00:01:30,180 --> 00:01:37,180 is a difference. And he'd go on to say that it takes great faith to read Jesus' teaching, 15 00:01:38,460 --> 00:01:45,460 let alone believe it. And this reminds me of something. How do you get to know Jesus? 16 00:01:45,460 --> 00:01:52,460 You know, this is something we talk about all the time. You know, we preach about having 17 00:01:52,460 --> 00:01:59,460 a relationship with him. And it's a constant, you know, any church that you go to. But just 18 00:02:00,460 --> 00:02:04,980 how do you do it? So I'm going to go through a few bullet points today. And the first one 19 00:02:04,980 --> 00:02:11,980 is exactly that. How do you get to know Jesus? So we all need to realize that we don't just 20 00:02:11,980 --> 00:02:16,980 know everything right at the gate. It would, you know, it sure would be nice if we did, 21 00:02:16,980 --> 00:02:22,980 but the fact is we don't. We have to learn. We have to be taught. And that's with anything 22 00:02:22,980 --> 00:02:29,980 in life. God knows this. And he's taught us in various ways. And by us, you know, I mean 23 00:02:29,980 --> 00:02:38,980 humankind, you know, over the centuries. Jesus did the same. Jesus has a great example. He 24 00:02:38,980 --> 00:02:45,980 would use parables. For example, take the prodigal son, right? He would ask a question 25 00:02:45,980 --> 00:02:54,980 and then he would lead listeners toward the answer. For example, in Matthew 16, verse 26 00:02:54,980 --> 00:03:01,980 26, which states, what good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit 27 00:03:01,980 --> 00:03:08,980 their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? You know, questions like this, 28 00:03:09,740 --> 00:03:13,980 it really makes the brain go into overdrive. Just thinking about it, how to, you know, 29 00:03:13,980 --> 00:03:20,460 I'm trying to get to that answer. You know, how about teaching by example? Jesus didn't 30 00:03:20,460 --> 00:03:27,460 just tell us to do as he said. He showed us how. Take for example, if you would turn with 31 00:03:27,460 --> 00:03:34,460 me to John chapter 13. In John chapter 13, verses 3 through 7, the Bible says, Jesus 32 00:03:37,140 --> 00:03:44,140 knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and 33 00:03:44,860 --> 00:03:51,860 was returning to God. So, he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped 34 00:03:51,860 --> 00:03:58,860 a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples 35 00:03:59,860 --> 00:04:06,860 feet, drying them with a towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said 36 00:04:06,900 --> 00:04:13,900 to him, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? Jesus replied, you do not realize now what 37 00:04:13,900 --> 00:04:20,900 I am doing, but later you will understand. How powerful is this example? Jesus, here 38 00:04:22,260 --> 00:04:29,260 he is, he's washing the disciples feet. This is something that by that culture and the 39 00:04:29,260 --> 00:04:36,260 society norms of the day was beneath his status. This is something that a servant should have 40 00:04:36,260 --> 00:04:43,260 been doing. Yet, here he is and he's cleaning the dirt, the mud, the muck, the feces that 41 00:04:43,300 --> 00:04:50,300 covered the common roads and the paths of those times because of all the people who 42 00:04:49,660 --> 00:04:53,660 went through the livestock and all the other signs of life and wealth and everything that 43 00:04:53,660 --> 00:05:00,660 took those paths every day back then. So, he was leading by example. It's like any 44 00:05:00,660 --> 00:05:06,660 other subject that you learn in life, whether it's something in school, your math through 45 00:05:06,660 --> 00:05:12,660 history, language arts, all that stuff, or if it's a skill like riding a bicycle or cooking 46 00:05:12,660 --> 00:05:19,660 or even a trade that will help you, provide you with a job and everything. These are all 47 00:05:19,660 --> 00:05:25,660 things that you have to learn, which is my second bullet point, we learn. How do we learn? 48 00:05:25,660 --> 00:05:32,660 Would you consider yourself a good student just because you read the Bible? After all, 49 00:05:33,660 --> 00:05:39,660 it is the most important thing that you're ever going to read. I'll put it to you like 50 00:05:39,660 --> 00:05:45,660 this. Do you learn everything you need by just reading a textbook? Do you learn everything 51 00:05:45,660 --> 00:05:52,660 you need about driving just by looking at different vehicles? Like, ah, I'm going to 52 00:05:52,660 --> 00:05:59,660 learn everything I need by looking at different vehicles? Like, ah, motorcycle, truck, school 53 00:05:59,660 --> 00:06:06,660 bus, you know? Do you absorb it that way? How about this? Can you perform an operation 54 00:06:07,660 --> 00:06:13,660 on a patient because, say, one of your parents is a medical doctor or are you an expert on 55 00:06:13,660 --> 00:06:20,660 something because you watch the video on YouTube? No, of course not. None of this are. Even 56 00:06:20,660 --> 00:06:25,660 if the Facebook lawyers like to say otherwise, you know, oh, I saw this on Facebook, it must 57 00:06:25,660 --> 00:06:35,660 be true. No. We all have to have instruction. But you have to start to work in applying 58 00:06:35,660 --> 00:06:40,660 the instruction you're given. It doesn't do you a whole lot of good to read something 59 00:06:40,660 --> 00:06:48,660 if you don't apply it. So it starts by reading. When it comes to the Bible, it starts by reading 60 00:06:48,660 --> 00:06:54,660 and hearing the word. So you become familiar with it. And then you have to break it down 61 00:06:54,660 --> 00:06:58,660 even further. Something that you hear me do very often when we go into various books. 62 00:06:58,660 --> 00:07:03,660 You know, who was the writer? Who was the intended audience? You know, what area was 63 00:07:03,660 --> 00:07:09,660 it in? What was happening? You know, or when was it? And how does it apply to me today? 64 00:07:09,660 --> 00:07:17,660 You know, what's the context? Context is so important. And to study the Bible, you have 65 00:07:17,660 --> 00:07:23,660 to get into it. You have to really dig in. You know, when we say study, not just me, 66 00:07:23,660 --> 00:07:27,660 but you know, any anybody, you know, they say study the Bible, they need to study the 67 00:07:27,660 --> 00:07:37,660 Bible. You have to take steps to truly understand what you're looking at. You can't just pick 68 00:07:37,660 --> 00:07:48,660 up a book and fill in answers, you know, with a workbook or whatever. It comes to Bible 69 00:07:48,660 --> 00:07:51,660 studies with various groups. It's one thing I've absolutely hated. They're like, oh, here's 70 00:07:51,660 --> 00:07:55,660 a textbook you're going to pay for. Oh, but don't worry if you miss an answer because 71 00:07:55,660 --> 00:07:58,660 it's all filled in blank. You can find the answer in the back of the book. You can just 72 00:07:58,660 --> 00:08:05,660 scribble it in. No, that's not studying. That's just waiting and looking for keywords. You 73 00:08:05,660 --> 00:08:12,660 can't just show up to a group. You have to participate. You need to write things down. 74 00:08:12,660 --> 00:08:18,660 You need to keep a journal. Or if you like charting, try charting. You could chart out 75 00:08:18,660 --> 00:08:23,660 to who, what, when, where, when, you know, and not only that, if you were, for those 76 00:08:23,660 --> 00:08:28,660 of you who like graphing and charts and all that kind of stuff, this gives you a great 77 00:08:28,660 --> 00:08:37,660 visual to reflect back on later on. You know, even, you know, meditation. And by meditate, 78 00:08:37,660 --> 00:08:42,660 I don't mean that empty your mind, Eastern philosophy stuff. I mean, yeah, you need to 79 00:08:42,660 --> 00:08:47,660 clear your mind out, get all the world and everything out of there. However, once you've 80 00:08:47,660 --> 00:08:54,660 done that, you need to fill it back up. You open it up and you fill it with God. So it's 81 00:08:54,660 --> 00:09:00,660 not just this empty just doot doot doot, oh, or any of that other stuff, you know, your 82 00:09:00,660 --> 00:09:05,660 mind's actually quite busy reflecting and thinking on all these different things. So 83 00:09:05,660 --> 00:09:14,660 when the Bible talks about meditation, it is not talking about just sitting there and 84 00:09:14,660 --> 00:09:22,660 thinking about nothing. It is talking about reflecting on His word, you know, to give 85 00:09:22,660 --> 00:09:31,660 diligent and meaningful thought to the scripture. And here's the thing. While what's written 86 00:09:31,660 --> 00:09:44,660 is the same every time, what we get from it changes depending on where we are and what 87 00:09:44,660 --> 00:09:54,660 we need in our lives. So you can read a passage hundreds of times, come back to it time and 88 00:09:54,660 --> 00:10:03,660 time again. But then one day, it just grabs you. That light goes off. And you're like, 89 00:10:03,660 --> 00:10:12,660 Whoa, I never noticed this before. It speaks to you. That, that is the Holy Spirit talking 90 00:10:12,660 --> 00:10:18,660 to us. When you hear that, that's the Spirit talking to you. You also have to pray on these 91 00:10:18,660 --> 00:10:26,660 things. Ask for wisdom to understand the knowledge that you've been given. Because it is one 92 00:10:26,660 --> 00:10:33,660 thing to have knowledge. After all, we can all read a how-to manual, but it's another 93 00:10:33,660 --> 00:10:39,660 thing to fully understand it and apply it properly. You know, I've said it in the past, 94 00:10:39,660 --> 00:10:44,660 the difference between book smarts and street smarts. There's the book smarts, but then 95 00:10:44,660 --> 00:10:54,660 how do you apply it? Right? Keep in mind, this, this is the Word of God. This is how 96 00:10:54,660 --> 00:11:01,660 we get to know Him, what He's about, what His character is, what He wants from us, how 97 00:11:01,660 --> 00:11:08,660 we should serve Him. You can't expect to have a relationship with someone just because 98 00:11:08,660 --> 00:11:16,660 you greeted them at the door. You think about it. You have to open that door up, let that 99 00:11:16,660 --> 00:11:24,660 person in, and have conversations with them. Notice I said conversations with an S, not 100 00:11:24,660 --> 00:11:34,660 a conversation. Your relationship with God is exactly the same. So how do you do that? 101 00:11:34,660 --> 00:11:42,660 You pray. You don't need special words or meter or rhyme. Prayer is just taking the 102 00:11:42,660 --> 00:11:49,660 time to talk to them. Talk to God like you would anyone else. Matthew chapter 6 verse 103 00:11:49,660 --> 00:11:58,660 7, so Matthew 6, 7, the Bible says, and when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, 104 00:11:58,660 --> 00:12:05,660 for they think they will be heard because of their many words. So you don't need to 105 00:12:05,660 --> 00:12:13,660 use a hundred fathers, father God, God, Lord, Thou's or these or any of the rest of that 106 00:12:13,660 --> 00:12:19,660 stuff. You just, you know, when you hear that, when people are praying and that's what they're 107 00:12:19,660 --> 00:12:21,660 filling space, they're trying to figure out what to say and they're thinking, oh, this 108 00:12:21,660 --> 00:12:26,660 is the way to do it because this is the proper, oh, guys, we don't speak in the King James 109 00:12:26,660 --> 00:12:34,660 anymore. All right. All you need is an honest, from the heart conversation with God. Okay. 110 00:12:34,660 --> 00:12:39,660 And that's it. That's what prayer is. It is a conversation with God. When you talk to 111 00:12:39,660 --> 00:12:44,660 other people, do you sit there and go, hey, Joe, did you know, Joe, that we do this, Joe, 112 00:12:44,660 --> 00:12:49,660 you know, no, nobody talks like that. See, you know, you watch certain TV shows or you're 113 00:12:49,660 --> 00:12:53,660 like, why, man, why do they keep saying their name? I said, we know who they're talking 114 00:12:53,660 --> 00:13:01,660 to. They know who they're talking to back off, you know? And so moving along here. So 115 00:13:01,660 --> 00:13:07,660 remember earlier, I, you know, when I started this today, I said, it takes great faith to 116 00:13:07,660 --> 00:13:14,660 read Jesus's teaching, let alone believe. It does. It takes faith, which is my third 117 00:13:14,660 --> 00:13:21,660 point. Let me introduce you to another way of looking how a relationship works. You know, 118 00:13:21,660 --> 00:13:29,660 you can depend on someone when you can think them in advance. For example, think of a parent 119 00:13:29,660 --> 00:13:36,660 for this. I'm just going to use that. Hey, dad, I need five bucks. Thanks. All right. 120 00:13:36,660 --> 00:13:41,660 As opposed to when you don't have a relationship with someone. Hey, can I borrow that pen? 121 00:13:41,660 --> 00:13:46,660 May I have it? May I have a sheet of paper? Can I, you know, just to hold on to that paper 122 00:13:46,660 --> 00:13:52,660 for a little bit, please? It's a different, the phrase is different because you don't 123 00:13:52,660 --> 00:13:59,660 know if you're going to get that or not, as opposed to, you know, hey, dad, or hey, mom, 124 00:13:59,660 --> 00:14:05,660 you know, it's a different, it's different question because the outcome is different. 125 00:14:05,660 --> 00:14:10,660 So let's take a look at how this replies to a relationship with God. Well, I'll break 126 00:14:10,660 --> 00:14:19,660 that down for you. Giving thanks for a blessing, or in other words, after the blessing, is 127 00:14:19,660 --> 00:14:28,660 gratitude. That is gratitude. Giving thanks before a blessing, before it's even happened, 128 00:14:28,660 --> 00:14:35,660 is faith. Just like that question I said, hey, can I have five bucks to add thanks? 129 00:14:35,660 --> 00:14:45,660 You already know it's coming. Gratitude means that it's after the deed is done. But faith, 130 00:14:45,660 --> 00:14:54,660 faith, that comes before the deed, before you've gotten anything. You trust that it 131 00:14:54,660 --> 00:15:03,660 will happen. It's not a matter of if. Instead, it's a matter of when. And of course, that 132 00:15:03,660 --> 00:15:10,660 when is always in the Lord's time. You see, that's the problem with a lot of people today. 133 00:15:10,660 --> 00:15:16,660 They go to a church, or I should say a church service, thinking that they found this great 134 00:15:16,660 --> 00:15:22,660 fix-all because the way somebody described it to them, you know, they've been sold. 135 00:15:22,660 --> 00:15:28,660 So they think they found this great fix-all, but they don't have faith. They want the cure, 136 00:15:28,660 --> 00:15:37,660 but they don't want to treat the affliction. They know of God, but they don't know God. 137 00:15:37,660 --> 00:15:44,660 There is a difference. See, people want the quick fix that's going to get them through. 138 00:15:44,660 --> 00:15:49,660 And that's why many, many of the lost, when they look at the Bible, they hear about the 139 00:15:49,660 --> 00:15:57,660 Bible, they think of it as just another book. The faith isn't there. Faith comes from hearing. 140 00:15:57,660 --> 00:16:05,660 See, and ignorance is not an excuse either. Much like the law of man, just because you 141 00:16:05,660 --> 00:16:12,660 didn't know doesn't mean that you're going to escape punishment. In fact, it's just the 142 00:16:12,660 --> 00:16:20,660 opposite. Just like the law of man, you will be punished. Just because you didn't know 143 00:16:20,660 --> 00:16:32,660 or knew or didn't know doesn't matter. Leviticus chapter 5 verse 17. So Leviticus 5, 17 states, 144 00:16:32,660 --> 00:16:35,660 I know usually I say the Bible says, but right here I'm going to say states because it's 145 00:16:35,660 --> 00:16:43,660 very specific. If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, 146 00:16:43,660 --> 00:16:53,660 even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible. So it's 147 00:16:53,660 --> 00:16:59,660 important. That's why we read our Bible. Faith comes by hearing. Right? How do we hear? By 148 00:16:59,660 --> 00:17:07,660 reading. So what do we expect? So we're going into my fourth bullet point here. What to 149 00:17:07,660 --> 00:17:14,660 expect? Now, I'm going to huge, sorry, I'm going to hit a huge one right out the gate 150 00:17:14,660 --> 00:17:22,660 here. I'm going to hit a big shiny red button. And it is a hot topic in the Christian world. 151 00:17:22,660 --> 00:17:28,660 It really is. And it is one that's commonly mistaken. And I'm going to go into some very 152 00:17:28,660 --> 00:17:32,660 specifics here and I'm going to back it up with a scripture here. So hold on because 153 00:17:32,660 --> 00:17:39,660 I'm going to be speaking about tongues. Now, I am not talking about that gibberish that 154 00:17:39,660 --> 00:17:47,660 many people try to pass off as tongues here. Let's break it down. Acts 2, verse 4. So 155 00:17:47,660 --> 00:17:53,660 Acts 2, verse 4. The Bible says, all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began 156 00:17:53,660 --> 00:17:59,660 to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. So right here, what Luke is talking 157 00:17:59,660 --> 00:18:04,660 about is people suddenly being able to speak in a foreign language because of the Holy 158 00:18:04,660 --> 00:18:11,660 Spirit. Not some gibberish, but an actual language. Languages that they didn't know 159 00:18:11,660 --> 00:18:17,660 miraculously came out like they'd known this language their entire life. It's like if I 160 00:18:17,660 --> 00:18:22,660 went to Finland, started to speak to someone and all of a sudden I started speaking in 161 00:18:22,660 --> 00:18:31,660 Finnish even though I'd never spoken it or studied it a day in my life. Alright. 1 Corinthians, 162 00:18:31,660 --> 00:18:38,660 chapter 14. So 1 Corinthians, chapter 14, verses 21 and 22. So 1 Corinthians 14, verses 163 00:18:38,660 --> 00:18:44,660 21 and 22. The Bible says, in the law it is written, with other tongues and through the 164 00:18:44,660 --> 00:18:52,660 lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, 165 00:18:52,660 --> 00:19:03,660 says the Lord. So tongues then are a sign not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy 166 00:19:03,660 --> 00:19:13,660 however is not for unbelievers, but for believers. Quite a bit there, right? Now this right here, 167 00:19:13,660 --> 00:19:18,660 this is the missing element. This is what people either don't know or they forget about 168 00:19:18,660 --> 00:19:28,660 when they bring up talking in tongues. Tongues, it's not for believers. It is for the non-believers, 169 00:19:28,660 --> 00:19:31,660 right? Because faith comes from hearing. You need to be able to hear something. You need 170 00:19:31,660 --> 00:19:34,660 to be able to understand something. If you don't know what someone's saying, you don't 171 00:19:34,660 --> 00:19:38,660 understand the words, it needs to come to you in a way that you will hear it. So while 172 00:19:38,660 --> 00:19:44,660 these people are focused on trying to hear quote unquote tongues, they're missing the 173 00:19:44,660 --> 00:19:50,660 prophecy and words. They're like, oh I got this nailed down, but they don't because they're 174 00:19:50,660 --> 00:19:56,660 focused on the wrong thing. I'd like to share a story. This came from a pastor friend of 175 00:19:56,660 --> 00:20:04,660 mine. We're just going to call him Tex. So when Tex was growing up, his parents would 176 00:20:04,660 --> 00:20:11,660 send him to this summer church group every year. On one particular year, there were a 177 00:20:11,660 --> 00:20:16,660 couple of new brothers who went out and their grandpa would come with them. As it got to 178 00:20:16,660 --> 00:20:22,660 the end of everything and it was closing down, this is that time when if you ever went to 179 00:20:22,660 --> 00:20:26,660 these camps, especially back in the day, they'd start praying over everybody. People would 180 00:20:26,660 --> 00:20:33,660 sit there and they'd pray for hours, right? The boys, they would pray and then they'd 181 00:20:33,660 --> 00:20:37,660 wrap it up and they'd go to their grandpa and grandpa would tell them, hey, go back 182 00:20:37,660 --> 00:20:44,660 and pray some more. This happened a few times. Finally, it got to a point where one of them 183 00:20:44,660 --> 00:20:49,660 asked grandpa, hey, why do we need to keep praying like this? It's been hours. And their 184 00:20:49,660 --> 00:20:56,660 grandpa told them they weren't leaving until he saw undeniable evidence that they had been 185 00:20:56,660 --> 00:21:04,660 filled with the Holy Spirit. Ouch, right? So they went back to praying. A few minutes 186 00:21:04,660 --> 00:21:13,660 passed and suddenly and loud enough for everyone to hear, they're speaking in tongues. Their 187 00:21:13,660 --> 00:21:19,660 grandpa was so happy. We're talking cloud nine here, okay? So he picks his boys up, 188 00:21:19,660 --> 00:21:22,660 says, that's it. That's what we're waiting for. Let's go home. Takes them home to their 189 00:21:22,660 --> 00:21:29,660 parents. Well, a few days go by, nobody's seen these boys. Text finally sees them at 190 00:21:29,660 --> 00:21:35,660 church, like, hey, where have you been? What happened? Well, it turns out they'd been 191 00:21:35,660 --> 00:21:42,660 grounded. They're stuck doing chores and stuff around the house. Grandpa was so excited that 192 00:21:42,660 --> 00:21:49,660 he rushed them home and then right away told their dad what had happened. Now, their dad, 193 00:21:49,660 --> 00:21:55,660 who was already suspicious, asked what they had said in tongues. Their grandpa was able 194 00:21:55,660 --> 00:22:00,660 to repeat part of it. You know, he didn't quite understand what they were saying. It 195 00:22:00,660 --> 00:22:06,660 was very rough, but he repeated what he could. That right there was all their dad needed 196 00:22:06,660 --> 00:22:14,660 to hear and it sealed the deal. Ruh-roh. What had happened was the boys and their parents 197 00:22:14,660 --> 00:22:21,660 had just moved back to the U.S. from their dad's previous duty station in Japan. And 198 00:22:21,660 --> 00:22:27,660 what grandpa heard them speaking was a dirty joke in Japanese that they had learned in 199 00:22:27,660 --> 00:22:34,660 a couple years that they were living in Japan. So keep in mind, even though you hear something 200 00:22:34,660 --> 00:22:40,660 that sounds legit, you still need to be mindful. Especially if you don't know exactly what 201 00:22:40,660 --> 00:22:47,660 somebody's saying. Well, A, it's probably not for you to hear. But, two, it could just 202 00:22:47,660 --> 00:22:58,660 be part of the show. Focus on yourself here, okay? When people say, hey, you need to be 203 00:22:58,660 --> 00:23:04,660 speaking in tongues, that's the irrefutable. Everybody, nope. Guess what? Wrong again. 204 00:23:04,660 --> 00:23:12,660 Romans 12, verses 6 through 8. So Romans 12, verses 6 through 8. The Bible says, we have 205 00:23:12,660 --> 00:23:20,660 different gifts according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, 206 00:23:20,660 --> 00:23:28,660 then prophesy in accordance with your faith. If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, 207 00:23:28,660 --> 00:23:36,660 then teach. If it is to encourage, then give encouragement. If it is giving, then give 208 00:23:36,660 --> 00:23:46,660 generously. If it is to lead, do it diligently. If it is to show mercy, then do it cheerfully. 209 00:23:46,660 --> 00:23:53,660 Now you'll notice here, the Bible says right out the gate here that we have different gifts. 210 00:23:53,660 --> 00:24:00,660 It's not the same gift given to everyone. So don't be fooled when someone comes around 211 00:24:00,660 --> 00:24:06,660 and says, you have to have a gift of tongues if you're saved because that's not biblical. 212 00:24:06,660 --> 00:24:11,660 You just saw it right here in Romans 12, 6 through 8. Matter of fact, you could even 213 00:24:11,660 --> 00:24:21,660 guide them to this. We all have different gifts. I play bass. Not everybody plays bass. 214 00:24:21,660 --> 00:24:33,660 I ride a motorcycle. Not everybody can ride a motorcycle. Some people are pilots. I can't 215 00:24:33,660 --> 00:24:43,660 do that. Some people speak several languages. I speak pretty bad American English. You know, 216 00:24:43,660 --> 00:24:53,660 we all have different gifts. Nurses, doctors, policemen, taxi drivers, janitors, we all 217 00:24:53,660 --> 00:24:57,660 have different vocations. Those are all gifts themselves. We all have different things that 218 00:24:57,660 --> 00:25:05,660 we can and cannot do. We all have different understandings of things. All right? So turn 219 00:25:05,660 --> 00:25:13,660 with me now to John chapter 14. So in John chapter 14 verses 16 through 21, the Bible 220 00:25:13,660 --> 00:25:20,660 says, and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and 221 00:25:20,660 --> 00:25:27,660 be with you forever, the spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither 222 00:25:27,660 --> 00:25:35,660 sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 223 00:25:35,660 --> 00:25:41,660 I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see 224 00:25:41,660 --> 00:25:49,660 me anymore, but you will see me, because I live, you also will live. On that day, you 225 00:25:49,660 --> 00:25:56,660 will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my 226 00:25:56,660 --> 00:26:03,660 commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by 227 00:26:03,660 --> 00:26:11,660 my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. The Bible is teaching us that 228 00:26:11,660 --> 00:26:19,660 when the spirit is within us, we know he's there, because he convicts us of our sins. 229 00:26:19,660 --> 00:26:26,660 Now, this in itself can be very sobering, very sobering moment, but on the flip side 230 00:26:26,660 --> 00:26:32,660 of that, because we are able to speak to him when we are attacked by Satan and his lies 231 00:26:32,660 --> 00:26:40,660 and troubles that we have in life, he's able to bring us great comfort. Those sudden 232 00:26:40,660 --> 00:26:46,660 convictions or comforts are the same reason you see some people break down crying in a 233 00:26:46,660 --> 00:26:50,660 church service, or while they are praying, or while someone is praying over them. It's 234 00:26:50,660 --> 00:26:56,660 because the Holy Spirit is speaking to them. If you've never felt it, I can tell you from 235 00:26:56,660 --> 00:27:03,660 my own experience that this comfort is real. At a time when I was surrounded by chaos, 236 00:27:03,660 --> 00:27:11,660 scared, confused, that comfort that is beyond our understanding, that was how I knew the 237 00:27:11,660 --> 00:27:16,660 Holy Spirit was with me. A time when I should have been falling apart, but instead I felt 238 00:27:16,660 --> 00:27:23,660 this comforting warmth, and I knew things were going to work out. I knew things were 239 00:27:23,660 --> 00:27:28,660 going to be alright, and that God was there with me and looking out for me. You see, I 240 00:27:28,660 --> 00:27:39,660 knew this, and so can you. So can you. Philippians chapter 4, verses 6 through 7. So, 241 00:27:39,660 --> 00:27:44,660 Philippians 4, verses 6 through 7. The Bible says, Do not be anxious about anything, but 242 00:27:44,660 --> 00:27:51,660 in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to 243 00:27:51,660 --> 00:27:59,660 God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts 244 00:27:59,660 --> 00:28:07,660 and your minds in Christ Jesus. You see, it's one of God's many promises, and you find it 245 00:28:07,660 --> 00:28:14,660 when you're in relationship with Him, through faith and through prayer. So start working 246 00:28:14,660 --> 00:28:21,660 on that relationship today. And if you already have a relationship with Him, then keep working 247 00:28:21,660 --> 00:28:31,660 on it. That's the difference. Remember, do you have a relationship, or do you just know 248 00:28:31,660 --> 00:28:40,660 of Him? Work on that relationship today. As always, if you have questions, you have concerns, 249 00:28:40,660 --> 00:28:46,660 send me a message, let me know. And if there's something else that you'd like to hear us 250 00:28:46,660 --> 00:28:50,660 speak about, or if there's something I can go into more detail on, reach out with that 251 00:28:50,660 --> 00:28:59,660 as well. Of course, you can reach out on Facebook at Be The Light Sanctuary, or you can go to 252 00:28:59,660 --> 00:29:07,660 our website as well, at BeTheLightSanctuary.org. Take care, catch y'all next time. God bless. 253 00:29:07,660 --> 00:29:13,660 Thank you for tuning in to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. If you would like to know more 254 00:29:13,660 --> 00:29:19,660 about our ministry, or how you can support us, you can find us on Facebook at Be The Light 255 00:29:19,660 --> 00:29:26,660 Sanctuary, or you can go to our website at BeTheLightSanctuary.org. Thanks again for 256 00:29:26,660 --> 00:29:30,660 tuning in, and we'll catch you next time. God bless.