WEBVTT 00:00:01.520 --> 00:00:07.740 Look what he continues to do. Covet your prayers 00:00:07.740 --> 00:00:11.160 this evening. For some strange and unknown reason, 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:15.939 I accepted an invitation to preach a night of 00:00:15.939 --> 00:00:19.440 revival at Brainerd Hills. I was out of my mind 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:21.239 when I don't know what I was doing the day he 00:00:21.239 --> 00:00:27.420 called me to come on a Sunday night. But it'll 00:00:27.420 --> 00:00:31.510 be at Brainerd Hills this evening. Some of our 00:00:31.510 --> 00:00:33.570 music folks are going to help us out and help 00:00:33.570 --> 00:00:36.969 the church out, small church. And we just want 00:00:36.969 --> 00:00:40.450 to be a blessing to them. Amen? And so we'll 00:00:40.450 --> 00:00:44.250 be in prayer for that service this evening. Six 00:00:44.250 --> 00:00:48.429 o 'clock, I think, they start. Braintered heels. 00:00:50.530 --> 00:00:57.710 Luke's Gospel, chapter 19. Beginning at verse 00:00:57.710 --> 00:01:08.390 37. And when he was come nigh, even now at the 00:01:08.390 --> 00:01:12.250 descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude 00:01:12.250 --> 00:01:15.109 of the disciples began to rejoice and praise 00:01:15.109 --> 00:01:19.069 God with a loud voice for all the mighty works 00:01:19.069 --> 00:01:24.650 that they had seen, saying, Blessed be the King 00:01:24.650 --> 00:01:27.909 that cometh in the name of the Lord. Peace in 00:01:27.909 --> 00:01:32.709 heaven and glory in the highest. And some of 00:01:32.709 --> 00:01:35.890 the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto 00:01:35.890 --> 00:01:40.829 him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. There's always 00:01:40.829 --> 00:01:46.030 some of them folk around. Amen. And he answered 00:01:46.030 --> 00:01:50.829 and said unto them, I tell you that if these 00:01:50.829 --> 00:01:55.549 should hold their peace, the stones would immediately 00:01:55.549 --> 00:02:02.290 cry out. And when he was come near, he beheld 00:02:02.290 --> 00:02:08.310 the city and wept over it, saying, If thou hast 00:02:08.310 --> 00:02:14.610 known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the 00:02:14.610 --> 00:02:20.550 things which belong unto thy peace, but now they 00:02:20.550 --> 00:02:24.770 are hid from thine eyes, for the days shall come 00:02:24.770 --> 00:02:28.800 upon thee. That thine enemies shall cast a trench 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:32.620 about thee and compass thee round and keep thee 00:02:32.620 --> 00:02:39.099 in on every side. And shall lay thee even with 00:02:39.099 --> 00:02:44.180 the ground and thy children within thee. And 00:02:44.180 --> 00:02:47.340 they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another. 00:02:48.439 --> 00:02:56.020 Because thou knewest not the time. Of thy visitation. 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:01.439 With the help from the Lord this morning. As 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:05.319 we step back in time again. I want to preach 00:03:05.319 --> 00:03:12.319 on this thought. Don't miss your visit. Don't 00:03:12.319 --> 00:03:17.479 miss your visit. Father I love you. I thank you 00:03:17.479 --> 00:03:20.400 for your goodness and your mercy. Lord the anointing 00:03:20.400 --> 00:03:23.240 that I know is stirring. In this house. I pray 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:25.520 now that you would continue to move. Continue 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:28.860 to bless. Stir our hearts and stir our minds. 00:03:29.979 --> 00:03:35.860 Lord as we glorify thy name. In your house. In 00:03:35.860 --> 00:03:39.680 your presence. Lord hearts have been lifted up. 00:03:39.860 --> 00:03:43.099 Voices have been raised. Worship has extended 00:03:43.099 --> 00:03:47.620 toward the heavens. So even now Lord. Our hearts 00:03:47.620 --> 00:03:52.780 are prepared. Let the spirit move among us. May 00:03:52.780 --> 00:03:54.819 the Holy Ghost speak to the hearts and minds 00:03:54.819 --> 00:03:57.979 of your people. That as we leave here today, 00:03:58.259 --> 00:04:03.900 we leave blessed. And we will give you the praise 00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:07.520 for it all. In Christ's lovely name. The church 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:11.520 said, amen and amen. Tell your neighbor, don't 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:19.519 miss your visit. This passage that I've read 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:26.750 to you. most often is read and preached from 00:04:26.750 --> 00:04:32.110 during the Easter season for Palm Sunday as it 00:04:32.110 --> 00:04:35.110 is the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem 00:04:35.110 --> 00:04:39.029 just prior to his crucifixion and resurrection. 00:04:41.569 --> 00:04:44.170 But that's not what I'm going to preach on today. 00:04:45.829 --> 00:04:50.649 From this text, there is one of the most powerful, 00:04:51.790 --> 00:04:54.670 I think instances of the compassion of Christ 00:04:54.670 --> 00:04:58.750 as he enters Jerusalem, he sees the city of God 00:04:58.750 --> 00:05:04.009 and he just weeps for it. There is the shortest 00:05:04.009 --> 00:05:08.089 scripture in the Bible that we most memorized 00:05:08.089 --> 00:05:14.990 for memory verse, Jesus wept. But I'm not going 00:05:14.990 --> 00:05:16.910 to talk about his weeping and his compassion 00:05:16.910 --> 00:05:22.560 over Jerusalem. We want to focus today our attention 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:29.779 on the lack of vision, perception, and acceptance 00:05:29.779 --> 00:05:53.500 of God's people of His Son. Verse 42 reads, Their 00:05:53.500 --> 00:05:58.939 spiritual Messiah, for the sake of an earthly 00:05:58.939 --> 00:06:01.360 king, they wanted out from under the hand of 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:06.279 Rome more than they did the sin that God could 00:06:06.279 --> 00:06:10.439 deliver them from. They wanted out from under 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:13.120 Rome so they could exercise their own authority 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:15.500 and exercise their own power and be themselves 00:06:15.500 --> 00:06:21.480 more so than to surrender and accept The son 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:27.500 of the living God. Who had multiple proofs of 00:06:27.500 --> 00:06:33.000 his existence of being the son of God. The manifestation 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:37.540 of God's power was before their eyes. None other 00:06:37.540 --> 00:06:41.519 had raised the dead. None other had opened blinded 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:45.240 eyes. None other had opened deaf ears. In accordance 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:50.019 to Isaiah 61. Where the prophet then, that eagle 00:06:50.019 --> 00:06:53.439 -eyed prophet 700 plus years before the birth 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:58.259 of Christ would prophesy. The spirit of the Lord 00:06:58.259 --> 00:07:01.399 is upon me for he has anointed me to preach the 00:07:01.399 --> 00:07:06.839 gospel. Right? Heal the bruised. Deliver the 00:07:06.839 --> 00:07:10.620 captive. Set at liberty. Open the blinded eyes. 00:07:11.060 --> 00:07:16.560 But yet they failed to put Christ in the prophecy. 00:07:18.089 --> 00:07:22.730 So now the end is nearing for sure. He's about 00:07:22.730 --> 00:07:29.129 to be the sacrifice for you and I. And so as 00:07:29.129 --> 00:07:32.529 he's approaching the city, he's making this visit. 00:07:33.709 --> 00:07:37.769 You and I, many times, we have visitors at home, 00:07:37.810 --> 00:07:39.829 not as much as it used to be. How many of you 00:07:39.829 --> 00:07:41.990 remember the day of yesteryear when you'd be 00:07:41.990 --> 00:07:45.470 sitting on the porch in the evening without a 00:07:45.470 --> 00:07:52.000 text? Somebody would just pull up in the driveway, 00:07:52.139 --> 00:07:58.319 get out, well, come on the porch. Or here's a 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:00.899 seat, grab a chair under the shade tree because 00:08:00.899 --> 00:08:06.240 we'd be relaxing. And the visit would last who 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:11.779 knows how long. Visits were surprises and they 00:08:11.779 --> 00:08:14.560 were some looked for and some were longing for 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:21.120 them to leave. We know what it is to expect visitors. 00:08:22.379 --> 00:08:25.139 But in the south, if you're new to the south, 00:08:25.259 --> 00:08:27.120 if somebody says, I'll be over after a while, 00:08:27.339 --> 00:08:32.440 don't get in a hurry. You've got a few minutes. 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:38.200 Right? Or if they say, well, we might run by 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:42.779 directly. How many knows what directly is? That's 00:08:42.779 --> 00:08:47.820 after a while. But the caveat there is we might. 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:53.820 But they might not. So you don't know if you're 00:08:53.820 --> 00:08:57.600 going to have company or not. Sometimes you do. 00:08:57.700 --> 00:09:00.419 Sometimes we did. And sometimes they just never 00:09:00.419 --> 00:09:03.679 made it by without a text to say they weren't 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:11.740 coming. And we survived. Amen? We survived. We 00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:13.740 survived the letdown. If they didn't come by, 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:17.360 well, maybe they'll come by tomorrow. And they 00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:23.240 just might. Right? To visit just simply means 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:33.840 to go to or to receive. God has often shown himself 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:38.700 as a visitor in our lives and the lives of many. 00:09:39.340 --> 00:09:43.940 Beginning from creation of humanity. He's always 00:09:43.940 --> 00:09:50.799 visited his creation. God has always visited 00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:55.039 his creation. Why? Because he longs to be with 00:09:55.039 --> 00:09:59.120 his creation. He created humanity so that he 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:03.639 could be with humanity. He created humanity without 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:07.120 sin so that he and his holiness could walk among 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:13.259 and commune with his creation. What a novel idea. 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:17.200 Amen? What a grand and glorious thought that 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:22.769 would be. He always desires to be among his people. 00:10:22.850 --> 00:10:24.669 And the good thing about a visit from God is 00:10:24.669 --> 00:10:27.230 you might not ever know when he's going to show 00:10:27.230 --> 00:10:31.049 up, but he's never late. He's always on time. 00:10:32.330 --> 00:10:34.870 And you never know why God is going to stop by 00:10:34.870 --> 00:10:37.570 your life. You never know what he's going to 00:10:37.570 --> 00:10:41.090 bring into your life. But I know this, any and 00:10:41.090 --> 00:10:45.750 every visit from God leaves the visited one different 00:10:45.750 --> 00:10:49.840 than when he showed up. Hallelujah. And so I 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:53.019 want us not to miss the visit that God has in 00:10:53.019 --> 00:10:56.509 our life. And as the Scripture shows us, that 00:10:56.509 --> 00:10:58.870 God would visit at various times for various 00:10:58.870 --> 00:11:01.669 reasons. In Genesis 3 and 8, as I've already 00:11:01.669 --> 00:11:04.509 declared to you, that God desired to be with 00:11:04.509 --> 00:11:08.190 his creation, they heard the voice of the Lord 00:11:08.190 --> 00:11:11.850 God walking in the garden in the cool of the 00:11:11.850 --> 00:11:14.950 day. And they hid themselves, Adam and his wife 00:11:14.950 --> 00:11:17.509 hid themselves from the presence of the Lord 00:11:17.509 --> 00:11:21.250 God amongst the trees of the garden. I know this 00:11:21.250 --> 00:11:24.330 is the visitation that they did not want to have. 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:28.360 This was the one that they, you see them turn 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:30.700 off the driveway if you've got any distance and 00:11:30.700 --> 00:11:32.820 you run to the back of the house so you don't 00:11:32.820 --> 00:11:34.679 hear them knock on the door and you ignore all 00:11:34.679 --> 00:11:37.240 that stuff that you try to do so that you don't 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:40.080 have to have the visit. That's exactly what Adam 00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:43.820 and Eve are doing. They heard the voice of God 00:11:43.820 --> 00:11:47.080 in the cool of the day. Can I tell you, it wasn't 00:11:47.080 --> 00:11:49.440 the first evening that God ever come to walk 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:51.960 with his creation. It lets me know that they 00:11:51.960 --> 00:11:55.210 have had communion with him before on. many different 00:11:55.210 --> 00:11:58.029 occasions, and it was a familiar thing for them. 00:11:58.129 --> 00:12:00.909 It wasn't a strange and odd thing that God show 00:12:00.909 --> 00:12:03.029 up, but it looks to me like it was something 00:12:03.029 --> 00:12:05.509 that maybe God would do about every evening. 00:12:05.649 --> 00:12:08.529 He would come in the cool of the day and stroll 00:12:08.529 --> 00:12:11.830 through the garden and commune with his created 00:12:11.830 --> 00:12:15.210 beings, amen, those whom he had created in his 00:12:15.210 --> 00:12:18.009 own likeness and his own image. Why? So that 00:12:18.009 --> 00:12:20.830 he could be with them and they could be with 00:12:20.830 --> 00:12:23.909 him. And there he is now. He's having to hunt. 00:12:24.110 --> 00:12:26.370 them out. God didn't have to hunt them out. Amen. 00:12:26.429 --> 00:12:29.450 He knew exactly which bush they were hiding behind. 00:12:29.750 --> 00:12:32.190 But don't you just love it when God shows up? 00:12:32.210 --> 00:12:35.529 He's inquiring toward us. He said, Adam, where 00:12:35.529 --> 00:12:39.090 art thou, Adam? Well, Lord, I'm over here. I'm 00:12:39.090 --> 00:12:42.570 hid. Well, why are you hiding? I am naked, God. 00:12:42.809 --> 00:12:45.029 Well, it didn't bother you yesterday evening, 00:12:45.149 --> 00:12:47.490 so why is it bothering you this evening? Who 00:12:47.490 --> 00:12:50.830 told you you were naked? Can I share with you 00:12:50.830 --> 00:12:53.419 sometimes God just wants to come and walk? with 00:12:53.419 --> 00:12:55.620 you. He just wants to come and talk with you. 00:12:55.659 --> 00:12:58.860 If you've never heard this song in the garden, 00:12:58.980 --> 00:13:02.179 go look at it. Go listen to it. Look it up. YouTube 00:13:02.179 --> 00:13:04.879 it. And you'll hear a beautiful rendition of 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:07.220 how I feel like it might have been with Adam 00:13:07.220 --> 00:13:10.100 and Eve in the cool of the day. I come to the 00:13:10.100 --> 00:13:13.820 garden alone. Amen. And that voice I hear falling 00:13:13.820 --> 00:13:16.480 on my ear gently calling. That's what it was. 00:13:16.519 --> 00:13:19.659 God was just simply coming to visit his creation 00:13:19.659 --> 00:13:22.320 just to be with them. I don't know about you, 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:25.080 but There are days I just need God to just show 00:13:25.080 --> 00:13:27.860 up and walk with me and talk with me and tell 00:13:27.860 --> 00:13:31.440 me I am his own. I know there's sin there. I 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:34.200 know sin resides. But through the fount that 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:37.519 flows from Jesus' precious blood, it has cleansed 00:13:37.519 --> 00:13:40.360 me and purified me. And as long as I walk upright, 00:13:40.620 --> 00:13:43.980 then I know that I can expect a visit from God 00:13:43.980 --> 00:13:47.200 on any given day at any given moment of the day. 00:13:47.340 --> 00:13:50.340 Matter of fact, I invite him throughout the course 00:13:50.340 --> 00:13:53.159 of every single day. Lord, I want to walk with 00:13:53.159 --> 00:13:55.899 you. And just to know that he will come and visit 00:13:55.899 --> 00:14:01.720 just for visiting's sake. That's the first way. 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:04.669 You don't want to miss that. You don't want to 00:14:04.669 --> 00:14:06.330 miss that. You don't want God to show up and 00:14:06.330 --> 00:14:08.750 say, hey, first of all, before I can get close 00:14:08.750 --> 00:14:11.490 to you, come out from behind that bush and let's 00:14:11.490 --> 00:14:14.389 get some sin taken care of. Let's deal with it. 00:14:14.429 --> 00:14:18.169 No, I just want God to feel at ease and my life 00:14:18.169 --> 00:14:21.289 to be upright before him through his son that 00:14:21.289 --> 00:14:24.929 he can just come anytime he wants to. Hallelujah. 00:14:25.269 --> 00:14:29.049 Matter of fact, about 345 this morning, he come 00:14:29.049 --> 00:14:32.690 into my bedroom and visited me. Hallelujah. Just 00:14:32.690 --> 00:14:36.379 to let me. and know that I am his own. Don't 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:38.740 miss your visit. I don't want to sleep through 00:14:38.740 --> 00:14:41.340 those moments. I don't want to have sin be the 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:44.840 regard to keep God's company away, but I want 00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:47.940 to be upright before him that my visit can happen 00:14:47.940 --> 00:14:52.639 at any moment. There are many others throughout 00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:54.580 the book of Genesis that God would just visit. 00:14:56.519 --> 00:15:00.659 He appeared unto Abram in the land of Ur of the 00:15:00.659 --> 00:15:04.470 Chaldees, didn't he? He called him out. He visited 00:15:04.470 --> 00:15:07.649 with him there. In that visit, he said, lift 00:15:07.649 --> 00:15:10.289 up your eyes and count the stars that's in the 00:15:10.289 --> 00:15:13.070 heavens. I'm going to make a covenant with you, 00:15:13.210 --> 00:15:16.529 Abram. I'm going to make a promise to you, and 00:15:16.529 --> 00:15:18.710 it's more than a promise. I am the guarantor. 00:15:18.710 --> 00:15:21.809 Hallelujah. I'm the author of it. I'm the originator 00:15:21.809 --> 00:15:24.090 of what I'm about to tell you. If you'll just 00:15:24.090 --> 00:15:26.750 leave everything, forsake everything, and just 00:15:26.750 --> 00:15:29.690 get away from here, wherever your foot shall 00:15:29.690 --> 00:15:33.049 trod, you just lay out the boundary, and that'll 00:15:33.049 --> 00:15:35.710 be the property line, and that'll belong to you, 00:15:35.769 --> 00:15:39.049 and those stars that you cannot count, your descendants 00:15:39.049 --> 00:15:42.370 will flow from you. And not just for him only. 00:15:42.409 --> 00:15:45.240 He visited with his son. Did he not visit Isaac? 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:48.639 Did he not visit Jacob? Jacob lays his head upon 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:51.200 a pillow, and he thinks he's getting away from 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:54.080 his brother Esau. He's running for his very life. 00:15:54.279 --> 00:15:56.519 He's thought he's escaped, but let me tell somebody 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:58.559 in here today, you may feel like you're trying 00:15:58.559 --> 00:16:01.179 to escape from something that's after you. Esau 00:16:01.179 --> 00:16:04.539 was out to get Jacob, but look, he thought he 00:16:04.539 --> 00:16:06.519 was running away from it, and some of you may 00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:08.659 even feel like you're getting away from something 00:16:08.659 --> 00:16:11.480 that's trying to take over your life and trying 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:13.919 to take and pull you down. But if you'll ever 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:16.019 stop for a minute, you may just have a visitor 00:16:16.019 --> 00:16:19.139 show up in your life. It's in the camp the evening 00:16:19.139 --> 00:16:22.179 at a place called Bethel that he lays his head 00:16:22.179 --> 00:16:24.980 upon a stone pillar. And in that night, he had 00:16:24.980 --> 00:16:27.700 a visitation from God. There's a ladder that's 00:16:27.700 --> 00:16:30.379 extended to the heavens and angels going up and 00:16:30.379 --> 00:16:33.360 down. My God, and there's a reaffirmation of 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:36.559 a covenant that was made to his dad and then 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:39.340 to his granddad. It was also reaffirmed to him. 00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:42.440 Here's what I'm going to do for you, Isaac. going 00:16:42.440 --> 00:16:44.980 to be blessed. He was the son of prophet Abraham. 00:16:45.379 --> 00:16:48.700 Makes that trail and that trek up Mariah's mountain 00:16:48.700 --> 00:16:51.419 for another visit in worship. Can I tell you 00:16:51.419 --> 00:16:53.820 God will show up and visit you in your moment 00:16:53.820 --> 00:16:56.460 of worship if you'll just sacrifice and be willing 00:16:56.460 --> 00:16:59.340 to lay it all. He will visit you in your moment 00:16:59.340 --> 00:17:03.539 of worship and he'll do something great for you. 00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:09.420 You don't have to outrun it. Don't miss your 00:17:09.420 --> 00:17:15.430 visit. Don't become so preoccupied with the trial 00:17:15.430 --> 00:17:22.490 that you miss your visit from God. Moses, Exodus 00:17:22.490 --> 00:17:25.970 3 and 4, we sung about it just a minute ago. 00:17:27.150 --> 00:17:31.089 Moses had a visit in the desert on the backside. 00:17:32.589 --> 00:17:34.509 Oh, how many of you have ever felt like you're 00:17:34.509 --> 00:17:36.849 wandering around on the backside of the desert? 00:17:37.589 --> 00:17:41.279 You're way past the pace. Way past being out 00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:42.920 of sight, out of mind. You're way on the other 00:17:42.920 --> 00:17:46.500 side of that. On the back side of the desert. 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:50.039 And he thought he had escaped everything that 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:52.900 Egypt had to hold for him. But can I tell you, 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:54.920 sometimes you feel like you may be running away, 00:17:55.160 --> 00:17:58.180 but you're running headlong into a visit with 00:17:58.180 --> 00:18:02.579 God. And it was there. Listen to what, when the 00:18:02.579 --> 00:18:06.119 Lord saw that he turned aside to see, we've got 00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:09.880 an old shepherd on the backside. He's not even 00:18:09.880 --> 00:18:11.900 tending his own flock. He's tending the flock 00:18:11.900 --> 00:18:14.160 of his father and everybody else, and he's way 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:16.380 off over there. But can I tell you, sometimes 00:18:16.380 --> 00:18:19.460 God will get you singled out just so he can visit 00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:22.859 with you. My God. God, don't think it's a strange 00:18:22.859 --> 00:18:25.200 thing that's coming against you because it's 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:27.920 just God separating you so that he can show up. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:30.240 He don't need distractions. He don't need anybody 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:32.759 else. What he needs is you all alone. And you 00:18:32.759 --> 00:18:35.599 and I cannot afford to miss our visit. So don't 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:38.200 be hanging your head. Pick your lip up. Get your 00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:40.839 shoe top off of it. Get your head lifted up. 00:18:40.859 --> 00:18:42.960 Lift your eyes to the hills from where your help 00:18:42.960 --> 00:18:44.680 comes from. Your help's coming from the Lord. 00:18:44.740 --> 00:18:47.099 But I'm on the backside of the desert. I'm all 00:18:47.099 --> 00:18:49.440 alone. No, you are not. You are being singled 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:51.660 and separated. so that God could come up and 00:18:51.660 --> 00:18:54.460 visit with you. And when the Lord saw that he 00:18:54.460 --> 00:18:57.099 turned aside to see, Moses would have walked 00:18:57.099 --> 00:18:59.799 right on by. But when he looked and he saw something 00:18:59.799 --> 00:19:02.700 that caught his eye, it was a bush burning, but 00:19:02.700 --> 00:19:05.720 yet not being consumed. And he turned to see. 00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:08.759 And when the Lord saw that, he knew he had him. 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:11.460 He had a visitor that day, my Lord. And when 00:19:11.460 --> 00:19:14.680 he turned to see the Lord, God called unto him 00:19:14.680 --> 00:19:17.420 out of the midst of the bush. And he said, Moses, 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:21.410 Moses. And he said, here. Here am I. Look, you 00:19:21.410 --> 00:19:23.390 can't miss your visit. You've got to recognize 00:19:23.390 --> 00:19:25.730 the voice of your father. And when he begins 00:19:25.730 --> 00:19:28.450 to speak to you, even in your dilemma, even in 00:19:28.450 --> 00:19:31.609 your outcast feeling, you've still got to have 00:19:31.609 --> 00:19:34.589 an ear turned toward the father's voice. And 00:19:34.589 --> 00:19:44.130 when he calls your name, stop. Here I am. As 00:19:44.130 --> 00:19:50.059 you approach him, take your shoes off. You're 00:19:50.059 --> 00:19:53.960 on holy ground. You've come as far as you can 00:19:53.960 --> 00:20:01.859 in what's carrying you here. It wasn't just about 00:20:01.859 --> 00:20:03.920 the shoes. It was about the contact with the 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:14.240 holy. It was about getting the flesh in contact 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:17.220 with the holy. Take your shoes off, son. You're 00:20:17.220 --> 00:20:19.220 on holy ground because you're going to need everything 00:20:19.220 --> 00:20:21.559 that I'm about to give you. You're going to need 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:24.740 all the power that I can pour into you. So just 00:20:24.740 --> 00:20:27.759 come on down. Get a little closer. Come on in 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:30.460 here tight, Moses. I've got a job for you. Can 00:20:30.460 --> 00:20:32.660 I tell you, a lot of times we don't want to hear 00:20:32.660 --> 00:20:35.319 what God's got to say because he may have a job 00:20:35.319 --> 00:20:38.660 for us. He may have a responsibility for us. 00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:41.279 Here's what I need you to do, Moses. I need you 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:44.079 to go back to Egypt and get my people and bring 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:46.950 them out. the one who was brought out of the 00:20:46.950 --> 00:20:49.410 river. You are the one who I have ordained to 00:20:49.410 --> 00:20:52.210 be the deliverer of my people and I will empower 00:20:52.210 --> 00:20:54.769 you. Here's the first thing you don't do. Do 00:20:54.769 --> 00:20:57.829 not start making excuses when God comes to visit 00:20:57.829 --> 00:21:00.609 you. He don't want your excuses. All he wants 00:21:00.609 --> 00:21:05.410 is your surrender. Oh, he began to stutter. He 00:21:05.410 --> 00:21:09.029 didn't have a problem when he was standing beside 00:21:09.029 --> 00:21:12.490 a Pharaoh executing judgment over God's people 00:21:12.490 --> 00:21:15.220 or anybody else. He spoke with a stutter and 00:21:15.220 --> 00:21:17.960 he had authority when he spoke it. Now God didn't 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:20.539 want to hear his excuses. He said, I want you 00:21:20.539 --> 00:21:22.700 to be the mouthpiece. I can't do it. Well, here's 00:21:22.700 --> 00:21:24.380 what, you're not getting out of it that easy. 00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:27.619 I will tell Aaron, you tell him, and he will 00:21:27.619 --> 00:21:29.980 go and speak and be your mouthpiece. But you're 00:21:29.980 --> 00:21:32.019 not getting out. How am I going to take authority? 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:34.220 What do you got in your hand? I've got a rod. 00:21:34.460 --> 00:21:37.299 Well, throw the thing down, Moses. And when he 00:21:37.299 --> 00:21:39.680 threw it down, it turned into a serpent. That's 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:42.259 when I left right there the wilderness. I'd have 00:21:42.259 --> 00:21:44.680 been done. got to come up with something else 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:52.779 other than a serpent. Give me a lizard. Give 00:21:52.779 --> 00:21:55.400 me pound for pound the meanest critter in the 00:21:55.400 --> 00:21:59.200 woods, a coon. I'll take him by the, a tiger, 00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:12.460 but a snake, Lord. He reaches and it turns to 00:22:12.460 --> 00:22:14.160 the rod again. Now, here's what you're going 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:20.109 to do. And he received a mandate from God. You 00:22:20.109 --> 00:22:22.170 never know what your visit may not turn into 00:22:22.170 --> 00:22:25.210 a mandate from God. God hadn't just called you 00:22:25.210 --> 00:22:27.809 just to save and spare you hell. He's called 00:22:27.809 --> 00:22:31.829 and saved you in order to empower you that others 00:22:31.829 --> 00:22:34.769 may be saved from hell, not just you. My God, 00:22:35.069 --> 00:22:37.309 he's empowered you with a purpose and a plan, 00:22:37.430 --> 00:22:40.349 and he's already given us a mandate going to 00:22:40.349 --> 00:22:43.890 all the world and seeking to save those who are... 00:22:44.250 --> 00:22:46.650 Teach them the gospel. Hallelujah. We get so 00:22:46.650 --> 00:22:49.210 caught up in witnessing. It's not our authority. 00:22:49.269 --> 00:22:51.970 It's not our power. When you proclaim the power 00:22:51.970 --> 00:22:54.930 of the gospel, it's a stumbling block to some. 00:22:55.029 --> 00:22:58.490 But it's the power of God unto salvation to others. 00:22:58.589 --> 00:23:01.470 When we understand when God visits with us, we've 00:23:01.470 --> 00:23:12.079 been mandated. You'll visit, will you? Joshua 00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:14.819 5, 13. Don't miss your visit. These fellows, 00:23:14.940 --> 00:23:19.400 they're keeping their visit. It came to pass 00:23:19.400 --> 00:23:24.079 when Joshua was by Jericho, God called unto him 00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:28.059 out of the mist. As he's by Jericho, that he 00:23:28.059 --> 00:23:33.400 lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there 00:23:33.400 --> 00:23:36.039 stood a man over against him with his sword drawn 00:23:36.039 --> 00:23:40.259 in his hand. One of my favorite stories right 00:23:40.259 --> 00:23:47.690 here. Joshua went unto him and he said unto him, 00:23:47.809 --> 00:23:56.730 Art thou for us or for our adversaries? Nay, 00:23:56.809 --> 00:24:03.509 was the old boy's answer. Now they had to puzzle 00:24:03.509 --> 00:24:10.490 young Joshua. What do you mean, nay? You're either 00:24:10.490 --> 00:24:15.599 for us or against us. Now which one is it? Neither. 00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:22.119 Well, who are you? Well, I am the captain of 00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:24.180 the host of the Lord's army. That's who I'll 00:24:24.180 --> 00:24:31.259 be. I can just, in my mind, I read between the 00:24:31.259 --> 00:24:39.359 lines a lot. I can see this sword -drawn captain 00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:45.490 talking to Joshua. If you're on my side, I'm 00:24:45.490 --> 00:24:50.670 for you. If you're not, I'm against you. I'm 00:24:50.670 --> 00:24:53.869 here as captain of the host of the Lord's army. 00:24:54.829 --> 00:24:59.650 Now, if you're with us, we're good. But if you're 00:24:59.650 --> 00:25:01.410 with them, it's not going to turn out so good. 00:25:04.730 --> 00:25:10.410 And he falls to his face. But what I love about 00:25:10.410 --> 00:25:17.279 this visit. Is that Joshua was prepared to confront 00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:23.599 the man before he found out who he was. When 00:25:23.599 --> 00:25:25.740 he saw him over there, he didn't run, he didn't 00:25:25.740 --> 00:25:30.380 try to hide. He was on a mission, remember? He 00:25:30.380 --> 00:25:33.660 done heard from God, Moses, my servant's dead, 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:35.940 you're in charge. What a visit that would be. 00:25:36.700 --> 00:25:40.900 Huh? What a visit that would be. God shows up 00:25:40.900 --> 00:25:45.670 and says, hey. He tells you, James, on Friday, 00:25:45.950 --> 00:25:49.970 Pastor Cliff's dead. I buried him. They don't 00:25:49.970 --> 00:25:51.329 even know where he's at, but you're preaching 00:25:51.329 --> 00:25:57.230 Sunday. Yeah, see? Same thing. It's the same 00:25:57.230 --> 00:26:02.849 thing with Joshua. Huh? I'm doing what? Well, 00:26:02.869 --> 00:26:06.309 I can't. We start right there. I can't do that. 00:26:07.170 --> 00:26:11.369 You're right. You can, but he can through you. 00:26:13.220 --> 00:26:21.380 He approaches the soldier ready for battle without 00:26:21.380 --> 00:26:23.440 fear. Why? Because he had already had a visit. 00:26:23.619 --> 00:26:27.019 God, you've done had a visit. You don't have 00:26:27.019 --> 00:26:30.220 to run. You don't have to hide. It doesn't matter 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:32.380 if they're for you or for them. Get on up there 00:26:32.380 --> 00:26:35.720 and find out. You never know. It may be God saying, 00:26:35.839 --> 00:26:39.980 I am on the side of the Lord. And if you're on 00:26:39.980 --> 00:26:42.940 his side, we're about to take a mighty victory. 00:26:43.059 --> 00:26:46.000 We are about to conquer because the promise that 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:48.859 he has made to you in that visit is going to 00:26:48.859 --> 00:26:51.180 come to pass. As I was with Moses, so shall I 00:26:51.180 --> 00:26:54.779 be with you. No man will stand in front of you. 00:26:54.799 --> 00:27:00.160 Let's go take Jericho. What a visit. You can 00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:07.299 take the devil. Well, like that you won't. You 00:27:07.299 --> 00:27:13.140 won't. There should be, at some point, there 00:27:13.140 --> 00:27:16.200 should be a stirring in the depth of your soul. 00:27:17.119 --> 00:27:19.799 I know we want to be passive as much as we can, 00:27:19.859 --> 00:27:23.440 but you can't be passive with the devil. You 00:27:23.440 --> 00:27:26.619 can't be dismissive with the devil. You've got 00:27:26.619 --> 00:27:31.200 to be violent with the devil. Oh, you're promoting 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:36.579 violence with the devil. Yes, I am. Oh, yeah, 00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:39.259 a proponent of it. If I weren't a proponent of 00:27:39.259 --> 00:27:41.339 it, then why have I got all this armor to do 00:27:41.339 --> 00:27:44.740 it with? If God wasn't for it and not against 00:27:44.740 --> 00:27:46.720 it, why did he give me all of this to do it with? 00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:50.039 Why do I have the sword of his word? Why do I 00:27:50.039 --> 00:27:53.559 have the security of his salvation firmly ingripped 00:27:53.559 --> 00:27:57.220 on my mind? Why do I go forth with righteousness 00:27:57.220 --> 00:28:00.680 in front of me? Why do I walk in the shed preparation 00:28:00.680 --> 00:28:04.599 of the gospel of truth? Why do I have truth wrapped 00:28:04.599 --> 00:28:08.019 around? Why do I have a shield of faith if I 00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:10.539 don't need it? I'm here to tell you my shield's 00:28:10.539 --> 00:28:14.259 dented up, but my blade isn't. It may be chipped. 00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:17.559 It may be a little rusty because I'm on the battlefield 00:28:17.559 --> 00:28:20.019 and I'm in the weather and I'm in the trench. 00:28:20.180 --> 00:28:23.380 But I tell you one thing, it is sharp and ready 00:28:23.380 --> 00:28:29.240 to do damage. Don't be afraid of the enemy. Confront 00:28:29.240 --> 00:28:45.029 him. This is no place. I almost said this is 00:28:45.029 --> 00:28:46.829 no place for the limp -wristed and the liver 00:28:46.829 --> 00:28:52.529 -livered. Lily -livered. You've heard that. Some 00:28:52.529 --> 00:28:55.769 of you have, old enough to know. What's that 00:28:55.769 --> 00:29:00.769 mean? Don't be scared. Don't be weak. Don't be 00:29:00.769 --> 00:29:04.369 frightened. Why? The devil's big. Greater is, 00:29:04.470 --> 00:29:06.410 come on now. Are you going to make me preach? 00:29:07.470 --> 00:29:11.170 Greater is he that is in you than he that is 00:29:11.170 --> 00:29:16.750 in this world. Christ has conquered. Christ has 00:29:16.750 --> 00:29:20.269 conquered. It's Christ who is in us who reveals 00:29:20.269 --> 00:29:23.230 the hope of eternal glory. It's Christ in us. 00:29:26.349 --> 00:29:31.769 Don't miss your visit. What if Joshua would have 00:29:31.769 --> 00:29:37.970 ran? I'm glad he didn't. Who else had a visit? 00:29:38.049 --> 00:29:42.970 1 Kings 19, 11 through 13. Go forth and stand 00:29:42.970 --> 00:29:48.130 upon the mount before the Lord. And behold, the 00:29:48.130 --> 00:29:52.250 Lord passed by in a great wind and an earthquake 00:29:52.250 --> 00:30:01.450 and fire. And then a still, small voice. Elijah 00:30:01.450 --> 00:30:08.569 almost missed his visit. What a travesty that 00:30:08.569 --> 00:30:13.930 would have been. Now we're talking about a man 00:30:13.930 --> 00:30:18.549 of God who just prior had been on top of the 00:30:18.549 --> 00:30:25.069 same mountain. Prayed a little old simple prayer 00:30:25.069 --> 00:30:30.450 after he had poked fun at the devil's prophets. 00:30:32.609 --> 00:30:38.789 Cut yourself some more, boys. Shout a little 00:30:38.789 --> 00:30:42.829 louder, he may be asleep. Oh, he was wearing 00:30:42.829 --> 00:30:44.289 them out. You're talking about trash talking. 00:30:47.029 --> 00:30:51.349 Elijah was a trash talker. Oh, he goaded them 00:30:51.349 --> 00:30:55.710 all day long until it got about the time for 00:30:55.710 --> 00:31:01.390 the evening sacrifice. He said, it's about time 00:31:01.390 --> 00:31:06.000 for my visit. Get out of the way, put me up some 00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:08.680 new stones, build me a new altar. Dig a ditch 00:31:08.680 --> 00:31:11.619 around that thing. What do we need a ditch for, 00:31:11.720 --> 00:31:14.079 Elijah? We're going to pour barrels of water 00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:17.220 in. We're going to do what? Don't you know we're 00:31:17.220 --> 00:31:19.559 in a drought? Yes, I know. I'm the one who spoke 00:31:19.559 --> 00:31:22.559 it a little over three years ago, and I know 00:31:22.559 --> 00:31:27.059 we're in a drought. Dig the ditch and pour the 00:31:27.059 --> 00:31:29.799 water in. Saturate the altar. Saturate the wood. 00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:37.599 Saturate. Let it be a soggy sacrifice. And then 00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:40.680 he just simply prays. Can I tell you, you don't 00:31:40.680 --> 00:31:46.539 have to go on a 19 -page expose to get God to 00:31:46.539 --> 00:31:49.299 hear you. It can be as simple. God, you watch 00:31:49.299 --> 00:31:56.109 these idiots down here all day. You've seen this 00:31:56.109 --> 00:31:59.089 fiasco that's gone on. This would be the way 00:31:59.089 --> 00:32:02.529 I'd pray. Elijah didn't pray this way. You've 00:32:02.529 --> 00:32:06.329 watched it. You told me it wouldn't rain until 00:32:06.329 --> 00:32:09.990 I said it was going to rain. But to prove to 00:32:09.990 --> 00:32:12.569 this bunch of nod heads that you are God, today's 00:32:12.569 --> 00:32:15.869 the showdown. It's the Mount Carmel showdown. 00:32:15.950 --> 00:32:19.630 Just to prove to them. I know, God, you don't 00:32:19.630 --> 00:32:26.259 have to prove a thing to me. But to them. And 00:32:26.259 --> 00:32:29.140 it's been laid down that the God that answers 00:32:29.140 --> 00:32:32.940 by fire, let him be God. So let me back up a 00:32:32.940 --> 00:32:37.420 little. I'm about to move. I can see him saying, 00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:39.279 where are you going? I'm getting out of the way. 00:32:39.359 --> 00:32:43.680 Why? Because fire is about to fall. And not just 00:32:43.680 --> 00:32:47.099 a spark, but there's an ember from glory about 00:32:47.099 --> 00:32:53.920 to hit this place. And it did. More than the 00:32:53.920 --> 00:32:58.940 sacrifice went up in smoke, the stones went up 00:32:58.940 --> 00:33:01.259 in smoke. Matter of fact, it was as steamy as 00:33:01.259 --> 00:33:10.079 a sauna because all those barrels of water were 00:33:10.079 --> 00:33:18.420 evaporating. And then the man of God goes over 00:33:18.420 --> 00:33:21.720 to the cliffside so he could... pray out toward 00:33:21.720 --> 00:33:23.640 the Mediterranean. I've been up there. It was 00:33:23.640 --> 00:33:28.920 probably, I want to say that was probably one 00:33:28.920 --> 00:33:32.119 of my most memorable moments of being in the 00:33:32.119 --> 00:33:36.559 Holy Land. Because there's an unquestionable, 00:33:36.680 --> 00:33:41.180 there's only one Mount Carmel, right? And it 00:33:41.180 --> 00:33:45.279 ain't that big once you get up there. And standing 00:33:45.279 --> 00:33:47.720 out there looking toward the Mediterranean Sea, 00:33:47.779 --> 00:33:51.700 my Lord, I had. It just come up my spine. I thought, 00:33:51.720 --> 00:33:56.140 boy, right here. Right here is where the fire 00:33:56.140 --> 00:34:02.839 fell. Right here. Right in here somewhere is 00:34:02.839 --> 00:34:06.059 where the finger of God ignited a sacrifice. 00:34:07.799 --> 00:34:12.119 I began to get excited thinking about that because 00:34:12.119 --> 00:34:16.219 I know the rest of the story. As he's over on 00:34:16.219 --> 00:34:18.780 the cliff's edge looking and he sends his servant, 00:34:18.900 --> 00:34:22.360 what do you see? Nothing. Can I tell you, you 00:34:22.360 --> 00:34:26.480 may have to go more than once. To get your visit, 00:34:26.539 --> 00:34:31.360 you may have to show up more than twice. It may 00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:35.360 take more three, four, five times. You may have 00:34:35.360 --> 00:34:39.300 to show up a dozen times, but don't stop short 00:34:39.300 --> 00:34:43.619 of your visit. On the seventh trip comes back, 00:34:43.639 --> 00:34:46.880 the servant says, Master, all I see is a little 00:34:46.880 --> 00:34:50.099 old bitty cloud way out over the sea about the 00:34:50.099 --> 00:34:53.789 size of my hand. My Lord, it hadn't even been 00:34:53.789 --> 00:34:57.590 that cloudy in three years. And oh, the prophet 00:34:57.590 --> 00:35:00.710 knew they were about to have a divine visitation. 00:35:00.829 --> 00:35:04.170 He leaps to his feet. He takes his old robe and 00:35:04.170 --> 00:35:06.869 he girds it up and he ties it around his waist 00:35:06.869 --> 00:35:09.650 and he gets ready to run. And as he's going by, 00:35:09.809 --> 00:35:12.409 he tells old King Ahab, you better get off the 00:35:12.409 --> 00:35:16.269 mountain because I hear the sound of the abundance 00:35:16.269 --> 00:35:19.949 of rain and the power of God hit the man of God 00:35:19.949 --> 00:35:23.610 and he ran out. Ran the chariots of Ahab and 00:35:23.610 --> 00:35:26.630 he made it all the way. My God, he outran them. 00:35:26.670 --> 00:35:32.550 But you can't outrun your trouble. But your visit 00:35:32.550 --> 00:35:38.670 prepares you to conquer your trouble. He stops 00:35:38.670 --> 00:35:42.829 when he hears the report. Jezebel's mad. Well, 00:35:43.030 --> 00:35:53.750 good. I almost had a comment about Jezebels, 00:35:53.829 --> 00:35:55.469 but I'm going to leave that alone. It has nothing 00:35:55.469 --> 00:35:59.690 to do with a visit from God. Other than to say, 00:35:59.829 --> 00:36:09.030 that spirit still exists. As he runs from the 00:36:09.030 --> 00:36:11.750 report, your head will be off of your shoulders 00:36:11.750 --> 00:36:16.429 as soon as I can find you. Despair strikes the 00:36:16.429 --> 00:36:23.260 man of God who just outran chariots. Fire fell, 00:36:23.460 --> 00:36:27.840 consumes, and it's already starting to sprinkle. 00:36:29.860 --> 00:36:34.460 And he's sitting under a juniper tree. Oh, I 00:36:34.460 --> 00:36:37.159 just wish I was like my fathers before me, just 00:36:37.159 --> 00:36:45.320 dead. Woe is me. Oh, despair. If it wasn't for 00:36:45.320 --> 00:36:50.489 bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. As he's sitting 00:36:50.489 --> 00:36:54.550 there sipping on juniper berry juice. Probably 00:36:54.550 --> 00:36:58.829 as bitter as persimmons squeezed early. Draw 00:36:58.829 --> 00:37:03.030 you up like alum. That's the way he's looking. 00:37:04.389 --> 00:37:08.869 Don't take that picture. She's sneaky with his 00:37:08.869 --> 00:37:12.349 phone. That would have been the one that would 00:37:12.349 --> 00:37:18.460 have made it. He's sitting there. Having his 00:37:18.460 --> 00:37:21.719 own pity party. I'm all by myself. And he has 00:37:21.719 --> 00:37:26.559 a visit. Look, boy, would you hush? Water's parallel. 00:37:27.039 --> 00:37:34.760 Paraphrase. Nowhere near divine. You like that, 00:37:34.800 --> 00:37:42.420 baby? Would you shut up? Would you get up from 00:37:42.420 --> 00:37:46.420 here? I'm not finished with you yet, man of God. 00:37:47.530 --> 00:37:50.170 I didn't do all that just to let her take your 00:37:50.170 --> 00:37:58.389 life. That's not, can I tell somebody, he hasn't 00:37:58.389 --> 00:38:00.909 done everything he's done in your life just to 00:38:00.909 --> 00:38:03.989 get you to this point and forsake you. Pour your 00:38:03.989 --> 00:38:08.730 juniper juice out. Come on. Straighten this up. 00:38:08.809 --> 00:38:12.079 Get a little joy in your soul. And get ready 00:38:12.079 --> 00:38:15.059 for your divine visit from God. Because he's 00:38:15.059 --> 00:38:16.840 going to tell you, here's what I'm going to do. 00:38:16.880 --> 00:38:22.079 I'm going to send you some groceries, son. So 00:38:22.079 --> 00:38:24.480 he was fed by the ravens. I don't know why the 00:38:24.480 --> 00:38:26.500 Lord liked to use ravens, but he did, didn't 00:38:26.500 --> 00:38:31.440 he? And so there he is. He said, now get up and 00:38:31.440 --> 00:38:35.440 go till I tell you to stop. And he went 40 days 00:38:35.440 --> 00:38:40.139 in that good lunch. And he finds himself. In 00:38:40.139 --> 00:38:49.239 our text. In a cave. And then he hears his visitor. 00:38:53.619 --> 00:39:01.119 What you doing here, Lodge? But you know what's 00:39:01.119 --> 00:39:06.119 so good about it when God shows up? He doesn't 00:39:06.119 --> 00:39:15.090 rehearse your failures. He didn't go over Elijah's 00:39:15.090 --> 00:39:17.130 failures and what brought him to where he was 00:39:17.130 --> 00:39:19.670 at. He just simply gave him his next man. Go 00:39:19.670 --> 00:39:27.750 out here and stand, and I'll be right back. I 00:39:27.750 --> 00:39:32.150 want you to watch what all is happening. The 00:39:32.150 --> 00:39:35.449 earth is shaking, rocks falling, winds howling 00:39:35.449 --> 00:39:38.590 and blowing. Fire comes through, and God was 00:39:38.590 --> 00:39:45.130 in none of it. But then he said, Elijah, anoint 00:39:45.130 --> 00:39:50.250 Jehu, anoint Elisha in your stead, and get on 00:39:50.250 --> 00:39:54.429 about our business. Not a word about what had 00:39:54.429 --> 00:39:58.230 just happened. He's not worried about the past. 00:40:03.530 --> 00:40:10.250 He's not worried about your failure. You make 00:40:10.250 --> 00:40:14.530 it right with him, it's right with him. He's 00:40:14.530 --> 00:40:16.570 not worried about what got you to where you are. 00:40:16.650 --> 00:40:18.449 He's just worried about getting you to the next 00:40:18.449 --> 00:40:24.150 assignment. What a visit. Stand with me. I'm 00:40:24.150 --> 00:40:26.829 just going to rush through these last few. You 00:40:26.829 --> 00:40:28.289 don't want me to take all this kind of time. 00:40:30.190 --> 00:40:34.630 Luke 1, Mary has a visit. An angel came in unto 00:40:34.630 --> 00:40:36.449 her and said to her, Hail thou that are highly 00:40:36.449 --> 00:40:39.239 favored. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou 00:40:39.239 --> 00:40:43.960 among women. Shepherds have a visit. Angelic 00:40:43.960 --> 00:40:48.019 beings in heaven. For unto you this day a Savior 00:40:48.019 --> 00:40:54.860 is born in the city of David. Go see him. Right? 00:40:55.619 --> 00:41:00.739 Visit the Lord. 19 and 5. Earlier in our text 00:41:00.739 --> 00:41:03.599 when Jesus came to the place he looked up and 00:41:03.599 --> 00:41:08.070 he saw him. and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make 00:41:08.070 --> 00:41:12.949 haste, for I'm going to your house today. Wow. 00:41:17.489 --> 00:41:21.670 Zacchaeus, the tax collector, as Brother Randy 00:41:21.670 --> 00:41:23.610 pointed out so beautifully that evening, not 00:41:23.610 --> 00:41:27.170 just any old tax collector, but he was on up 00:41:27.170 --> 00:41:35.480 the chain, a chief tax collector. And he stops 00:41:35.480 --> 00:41:41.940 not by coincidence. You need to make a note of 00:41:41.940 --> 00:41:45.900 this in your mind. If he comes to where you are, 00:41:46.039 --> 00:41:51.559 it's not a coincidence. It's not an accident. 00:41:53.179 --> 00:41:59.900 He's there on purpose. Zacchaeus, son, get down 00:41:59.900 --> 00:42:05.039 here. Get on toward the house. I'll be there 00:42:05.039 --> 00:42:14.179 directly. And he did. He showed up. Zacchaeus 00:42:14.179 --> 00:42:18.480 begins to tell him, Lord, this visit has changed 00:42:18.480 --> 00:42:23.579 my life. You stopping, addressing me has changed 00:42:23.579 --> 00:42:28.619 my life. If I have taken anything unjustly from 00:42:28.619 --> 00:42:34.570 any man, I'll restore it unto him fourfold. Now, 00:42:34.570 --> 00:42:38.710 can I tell you, if you get a greedy tax collector, 00:42:38.969 --> 00:42:48.289 first of all, to admit that they extorted, you've 00:42:48.289 --> 00:42:52.469 accomplished something. But then to go one step 00:42:52.469 --> 00:42:57.070 further and proclaim restoration, you've got 00:42:57.070 --> 00:43:03.480 transformation. That's what's happened to those 00:43:03.480 --> 00:43:08.800 who, when he come by. You do realize that we 00:43:08.800 --> 00:43:14.300 can't get saved when we want to. We receive salvation 00:43:14.300 --> 00:43:24.099 when the Spirit draws as Jesus. So the invitation 00:43:24.099 --> 00:43:32.909 is given. And we accept. What a visit. How many 00:43:32.909 --> 00:43:38.389 remember your salvation visit? My Lord, I let 00:43:38.389 --> 00:43:41.329 my mind go to that several times just so I'm 00:43:41.329 --> 00:43:46.349 refreshed. And so when the enemy comes by to 00:43:46.349 --> 00:43:50.969 tell me that I'm not saved, it's ready in my 00:43:50.969 --> 00:43:54.989 mind and I just go right there and say, be gone.