WEBVTT 00:00:00.620 --> 00:00:15.759 Just give me Jesus. Y 'all have to forgive me 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:19.660 this morning if I cough a little bit. And if 00:00:19.660 --> 00:00:22.960 I lose my voice, that's all right too. Because 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:26.359 I'd rather sing my voice out in worship than 00:00:26.359 --> 00:00:28.920 to have it stick around with me a little while. 00:00:33.450 --> 00:00:35.689 I'd rather wear my voice out every single service, 00:00:35.850 --> 00:00:40.149 preaching or not preaching, just worshiping the 00:00:40.149 --> 00:00:42.590 Lord. Give this youth group a hand clap of praise 00:00:42.590 --> 00:00:45.869 because they have truly led us into the presence 00:00:45.869 --> 00:00:49.929 of the Lord this morning. Guys, thank you so 00:00:49.929 --> 00:00:53.530 much. I love you. You know that. I'm so proud 00:00:53.530 --> 00:00:56.609 of you. Thank you so much. Come on, you're not 00:00:56.609 --> 00:00:58.229 done. Give them another hand clap of praise. 00:01:08.150 --> 00:01:10.150 Stand up here and sing in front of y 'all. Y 00:01:10.150 --> 00:01:14.530 'all know that? Not a bad thing. It's just a 00:01:14.530 --> 00:01:17.150 lot of pressure, a lot of stress. One thing I 00:01:17.150 --> 00:01:21.609 can tell you is, number one, you guys can be 00:01:21.609 --> 00:01:23.290 jealous of me because I get worshiped like that 00:01:23.290 --> 00:01:27.670 every Wednesday night. And I am blessed because 00:01:27.670 --> 00:01:31.730 of it. Amen? I'm looking forward to preaching 00:01:31.730 --> 00:01:34.629 to you today, and I'm going to be in Mark chapter 00:01:34.629 --> 00:01:41.129 6. Just two simple verses. Verse 5 and 6. And 00:01:41.129 --> 00:01:42.569 I'm going to try my best not to cough in this 00:01:42.569 --> 00:01:45.590 mic. Because I know y 'all don't want to hear 00:01:45.590 --> 00:01:58.849 that. Just say amen when you got it today. Mark 00:01:58.849 --> 00:02:02.790 chapter 6, verse 5. It says, now he could do 00:02:02.790 --> 00:02:06.109 no mighty work there. except that he lay his 00:02:06.109 --> 00:02:09.409 hands on a few sick people and healed them. And 00:02:09.409 --> 00:02:13.270 he marveled because of their unbelief. Then he 00:02:13.270 --> 00:02:15.169 went about the villages in a circuit teaching. 00:02:16.830 --> 00:02:19.789 I want to preach to you on the thought today, 00:02:19.889 --> 00:02:24.830 simply don't just show up. Don't just show up. 00:02:24.870 --> 00:02:26.930 Father, I love you today. I thank you, God, for 00:02:26.930 --> 00:02:31.409 the wonderful atmosphere that we all feel in 00:02:31.409 --> 00:02:34.800 your house this morning. Father, I don't take 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:36.699 it for granted the opportunity that I have to 00:02:36.699 --> 00:02:39.000 stand behind this sacred desk. So, God, I ask 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:41.759 that you would anoint me in this time. Father, 00:02:41.840 --> 00:02:43.360 as I preach your word, that I feel like you've 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:45.060 burned in my heart. I pray, God, that you would 00:02:45.060 --> 00:02:48.080 make it edifying to the body but ultimately glorifying 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:51.800 to you. And, Jesus, I will praise you and I will 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:54.259 thank you for everything always. In Jesus' name 00:02:54.259 --> 00:03:00.639 I pray. Amen. You can be seated. As I was reflecting 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:04.409 over this past weekend and... Just thinking back 00:03:04.409 --> 00:03:07.310 at all the wonderful things that God has done 00:03:07.310 --> 00:03:09.409 in the student's life and that he'll continue 00:03:09.409 --> 00:03:13.370 to do, I believe, in their life, it made me think 00:03:13.370 --> 00:03:16.629 very specifically about Winterfest in itself, 00:03:17.009 --> 00:03:21.569 right, but versus the normal Sunday and Wednesday 00:03:21.569 --> 00:03:23.710 night services that we typically have all across 00:03:23.710 --> 00:03:27.639 America. And Winterfest, so you know, is one 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:30.479 of the largest, if not the largest, youth gathering 00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:33.439 in our denomination. They happen all across America 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:36.780 in different parts of America. But the Smoky 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:38.639 Mountain Winterfest that happens at the LeCotte 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:43.759 Center is the largest one. Over 11 ,000 students 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:47.759 gathered in that room to be together, to worship 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:52.310 together. They gather to worship with students 00:03:52.310 --> 00:03:55.669 their own age, to hear sermons that ministers 00:03:55.669 --> 00:03:58.509 preach specifically for them and their age group, 00:03:58.629 --> 00:04:01.349 and to be in the presence of the Lord together. 00:04:01.810 --> 00:04:04.169 And again, it's one of the largest gatherings 00:04:04.169 --> 00:04:06.569 in the world, and it gives them an opportunity 00:04:06.569 --> 00:04:09.689 in that setting to really press in and seek God 00:04:09.689 --> 00:04:12.270 for everything that they're needing him to do 00:04:12.270 --> 00:04:14.189 in their life, no matter if it's for them or 00:04:14.189 --> 00:04:16.889 for family or whatever the case may be. It gives 00:04:16.889 --> 00:04:20.329 them that opportunity in that setting. to kind 00:04:20.329 --> 00:04:24.110 of be free and to really press in, to really 00:04:24.110 --> 00:04:27.329 pursue God like they never have before. But then 00:04:27.329 --> 00:04:30.769 I began to think about Sunday mornings. Obviously, 00:04:31.029 --> 00:04:33.649 we have Wednesday nights as well on this campus. 00:04:33.689 --> 00:04:36.529 We have Wednesday night services. I began to 00:04:36.529 --> 00:04:39.350 think about the parallel between the two and 00:04:39.350 --> 00:04:42.170 these youth services, of course. I've always 00:04:42.170 --> 00:04:45.689 wondered why that... So many students go to Winterfest. 00:04:45.709 --> 00:04:48.410 Like I said, 11 ,000 just at the LeConte Center, 00:04:48.589 --> 00:04:50.810 not counting the ones that gathered in other 00:04:50.810 --> 00:04:53.089 Winterfests across the country. But I've always 00:04:53.089 --> 00:04:58.550 wondered in myself why Winterfest, all these 00:04:58.550 --> 00:05:02.170 wonderful things happen in students' lives. I 00:05:02.170 --> 00:05:04.170 begin to think about Winterfest compared to Wednesday 00:05:04.170 --> 00:05:06.850 nights. And if I'm speaking on just a youth perspective, 00:05:07.310 --> 00:05:11.170 what is the difference between a Winterfest and 00:05:11.170 --> 00:05:15.430 a Wednesday night service and youth group? And 00:05:15.430 --> 00:05:17.589 then I realized that it's not about Winterfest 00:05:17.589 --> 00:05:22.990 in particular. It's about, it's not about where 00:05:22.990 --> 00:05:25.730 they gather. It's not about the events that take 00:05:25.730 --> 00:05:29.589 place at the gathering. It's not about the famous 00:05:29.589 --> 00:05:32.889 worship bands that come from all over to worship, 00:05:32.949 --> 00:05:34.689 the names that everybody knows. It's not about 00:05:34.689 --> 00:05:37.310 the speakers that they may be familiar with because 00:05:37.310 --> 00:05:40.990 they follow them on social media. It's simply 00:05:40.990 --> 00:05:45.279 that the students go to Winterfest. With a faith 00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:48.980 that God can and an expectation that God will. 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:54.399 So then I began to wonder, do we have that same 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:57.500 faith and expectations on Sunday morning and 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:01.800 Wednesday nights? Because we will gather on Sunday 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:04.639 mornings, won't we? We don't mind getting up 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:07.600 and coming to a gathering. We show up, we like 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:09.740 showing up and seeing people we haven't seen 00:06:09.740 --> 00:06:12.639 all week long and share just stuff that happened 00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:15.709 that week. We might even share sometimes the 00:06:15.709 --> 00:06:18.569 way the enemy's been doing terrible things in 00:06:18.569 --> 00:06:20.250 our lives. We want to share what's going wrong 00:06:20.250 --> 00:06:25.529 sometimes, but we show up for that. Then we walk 00:06:25.529 --> 00:06:28.009 into service like we have here this morning, 00:06:28.029 --> 00:06:30.550 and we show up to hear some good worship music, 00:06:30.730 --> 00:06:33.949 but sometimes we don't ever have any real intention 00:06:33.949 --> 00:06:40.509 of actually worshiping. We may even share. Or 00:06:40.509 --> 00:06:43.069 we may even sit there with our arms crossed while 00:06:43.069 --> 00:06:45.529 the praise team sings about the goodness of God. 00:06:46.029 --> 00:06:49.170 We show up to be encouraged by the preacher because 00:06:49.170 --> 00:06:52.769 of the terrible week we had. We need him to make 00:06:52.769 --> 00:06:55.629 us feel better and to preach an uplifting sermon 00:06:55.629 --> 00:06:58.470 and tell me that God's got me, but he better 00:06:58.470 --> 00:07:01.649 not step on my toes. He better not preach anything 00:07:01.649 --> 00:07:04.670 that's convicting to me, and he better not preach 00:07:04.670 --> 00:07:07.829 to me the uncompromising gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:07:08.910 --> 00:07:12.750 Because you see, I need to be comforted, not 00:07:12.750 --> 00:07:18.670 changed. We show up to church to check a box. 00:07:18.790 --> 00:07:20.970 We show up to church to be seen. And we show 00:07:20.970 --> 00:07:23.149 up to church to feel better about ourselves. 00:07:23.389 --> 00:07:25.269 But I need you to understand today that Jesus 00:07:25.269 --> 00:07:28.629 did not die so you could attend church. Jesus 00:07:28.629 --> 00:07:32.509 died so that we could encounter him. And we gather 00:07:32.509 --> 00:07:35.610 together as a collection of believers to encounter 00:07:35.610 --> 00:07:41.050 the presence. So sometimes I wonder, and this 00:07:41.050 --> 00:07:44.629 morning I wonder, do we gather with a faith -filled 00:07:44.629 --> 00:07:50.629 expectation? Now, in the story in Mark chapter 00:07:50.629 --> 00:07:53.670 6, we see that Jesus returned home to Nazareth, 00:07:53.850 --> 00:08:00.970 his hometown. And what happens there is, well, 00:08:01.029 --> 00:08:04.129 the Bible says in verse 5 that he could do no 00:08:04.129 --> 00:08:08.850 mighty works there. But the tragedy of Nazareth 00:08:08.850 --> 00:08:12.250 wasn't that Jesus didn't show up. The tragedy 00:08:12.250 --> 00:08:14.470 of Nazareth was that they were in the same room 00:08:14.470 --> 00:08:18.329 with Jesus and still missed the miracles. And 00:08:18.329 --> 00:08:20.410 I wonder how many people walk into church every 00:08:20.410 --> 00:08:23.269 week all across America, Jesus in the room, his 00:08:23.269 --> 00:08:26.870 power is present, his spirit is moving, but unbelief 00:08:26.870 --> 00:08:29.430 keeps them sitting in the same seat and leaving 00:08:29.430 --> 00:08:34.169 the very same way. I think time and time again 00:08:34.169 --> 00:08:36.549 that's where we get. We get put in a place where, 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:40.000 We just get comfortable in our sitting. I was 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.460 talking to a friend of mine about the problem 00:08:42.460 --> 00:08:45.019 with sitting too long. And when we sit too long, 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:48.240 we begin to stink. And when we begin to stink, 00:08:48.379 --> 00:08:51.840 nothing good can come out of that. Amen? I don't 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:53.720 want to be stenched, ripped, ridden. I don't 00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:55.820 want to stink. I don't want to sit too long that 00:08:55.820 --> 00:08:59.480 it becomes just something I do. Especially when 00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:01.220 we're talking about getting into the presence 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:05.740 and encountering Jesus. But too many times we 00:09:05.740 --> 00:09:09.120 walk into churches and it's not, I'm not, please 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:11.480 know me, I'm not, my heart is not, I'm not against 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:13.419 you. I'm talking about church in general. All 00:09:13.419 --> 00:09:16.279 across America we gather and we sit and we hear 00:09:16.279 --> 00:09:17.879 a good sermon and we leave there thinking, man, 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:22.440 I feel better. But were you changed? Were you 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:25.639 transformed? Did you grow? Did you step into 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:28.700 something new? And the theme for Winterfest was 00:09:28.700 --> 00:09:31.039 This Is Us. And the whole idea leading up to 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:34.559 Winterfest was how I, the students to let them 00:09:34.559 --> 00:09:37.019 know they were unique, they were specific, they 00:09:37.019 --> 00:09:40.320 were created, handcrafted on purpose the way 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:45.679 they are for a purpose. Amen. And we need to 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:47.740 think that in ourselves today. It's not just 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:50.340 for the students. It's for us too. We need to 00:09:50.340 --> 00:09:52.299 understand that we walk in that door. It was 00:09:52.299 --> 00:09:55.740 by design. It was on purpose. It's not by chance 00:09:55.740 --> 00:09:57.799 when you look around this room and you see those 00:09:57.799 --> 00:09:59.700 sitting to your left and to your right and in 00:09:59.700 --> 00:10:01.820 the balcony. It's not by chance that we're all 00:10:01.820 --> 00:10:04.200 sitting here today because there will never be 00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:06.799 another collection of individuals exactly like 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:09.559 this in this room ever again. So you can't tell 00:10:09.559 --> 00:10:11.500 me that we don't serve a God who has a plan. 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:13.860 You can't tell me that we don't serve a God who 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:16.080 has a purpose. You can't tell me we don't serve 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:18.279 a God who has a reason for each and every one 00:10:18.279 --> 00:10:20.480 of you and why you're sitting here in this room 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:22.980 today. It's not because old Pastor Brian's preaching. 00:10:23.179 --> 00:10:25.480 It's because the Spirit of the Lord is in this 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:28.299 place. And we came not only to sit in our seats 00:10:28.299 --> 00:10:30.100 and just raise a hand every once in a while. 00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:34.100 We came to encounter the powerful, miracle -working 00:10:34.100 --> 00:10:37.899 power of Jesus Christ. He is the reason that 00:10:37.899 --> 00:10:40.379 we gather today. He is the reason that we're 00:10:40.379 --> 00:10:44.230 all here seeking him. Because why? things that 00:10:44.230 --> 00:10:47.830 need to be done in our lives and in our family's 00:10:47.830 --> 00:10:51.149 lives. Scott, if you're going to stay up here, 00:10:51.210 --> 00:10:55.389 son, you just turn that thing up. I like it. 00:10:55.929 --> 00:11:03.049 I like a piano back here. We need an organ. I'm 00:11:03.049 --> 00:11:06.669 looking at you, Brent. We need an organ. Amen. 00:11:09.009 --> 00:11:11.679 But why do we come? Do we come expecting, do 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:14.279 we come with a faith that expects God to move? 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:17.620 Or do we come just, we prayed and we hope, and 00:11:17.620 --> 00:11:22.019 we hope he does, but do we expect him to? So 00:11:22.019 --> 00:11:23.740 the first thing I want to talk about today is 00:11:23.740 --> 00:11:28.519 that God moves where he is expected. In our text 00:11:28.519 --> 00:11:30.399 this morning, we see that Jesus has come into 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:33.340 his hometown. He arrived there, and when the 00:11:33.340 --> 00:11:35.500 Sabbath had come, he went into the synagogue 00:11:35.500 --> 00:11:39.450 to teach. The Bible says that many were astonished 00:11:39.450 --> 00:11:42.710 at his teaching. They would even say, where did 00:11:42.710 --> 00:11:45.389 this man get these things? And what wisdom is 00:11:45.389 --> 00:11:47.590 this which is given to him? What such mighty 00:11:47.590 --> 00:11:49.870 works were performed by his hands? They were 00:11:49.870 --> 00:11:54.830 blown away. They couldn't believe that this was 00:11:54.830 --> 00:11:57.129 the carpenter that they knew from his hometown. 00:11:57.750 --> 00:11:59.549 They couldn't believe that this was just the 00:11:59.549 --> 00:12:01.889 simple son of Mary, the brother of James and 00:12:01.889 --> 00:12:04.070 Judas and Simon. They couldn't believe that this 00:12:04.070 --> 00:12:08.610 was the same Jesus. But Nazareth didn't get a 00:12:08.610 --> 00:12:10.850 different Jesus. They had the same Jesus that 00:12:10.850 --> 00:12:13.830 healed the blind, the same Jesus that cast out 00:12:13.830 --> 00:12:16.029 demons, the same Jesus that raised the dead. 00:12:16.110 --> 00:12:18.789 And the Bible says that he could do no mighty 00:12:18.789 --> 00:12:25.570 works there. But not because his power had changed, 00:12:25.730 --> 00:12:31.149 but because their expectation disappeared. They 00:12:31.149 --> 00:12:33.509 looked at him and said, isn't this the carpenter? 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:37.100 We know his family. We were here where he was 00:12:37.100 --> 00:12:41.440 raised, and we watched him grow up. They became 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:45.700 too familiar to believe, and familiarity produces 00:12:45.700 --> 00:12:50.240 unbelief. The truth is that God is drawn to faith 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:52.779 -filled expectation. I need you to hear me this 00:12:52.779 --> 00:12:56.039 morning. Faith -filled expectation sets the atmosphere. 00:12:56.419 --> 00:12:58.860 Too many times we walk into a church, and I've 00:12:58.860 --> 00:13:01.779 heard it talked about, and I'm going to turn 00:13:01.779 --> 00:13:03.740 40 next month, a little telling on me a little 00:13:03.740 --> 00:13:08.620 bit. But I was sharing with another young man 00:13:08.620 --> 00:13:10.820 who's probably too young to know what I was talking 00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:14.480 about, but I was sharing with him about the old 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:16.240 days. Some of you all know what I'm talking about. 00:13:17.419 --> 00:13:19.419 Mom's not here, so I can tell this story. I was 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:21.620 hoping she'd be here, but she'd roll her eyes 00:13:21.620 --> 00:13:24.620 and get mad at me. But I remember as a kid growing 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:27.220 up, walking into these churches, and my sister 00:13:27.220 --> 00:13:29.139 can attest to this. We were little at the time. 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:32.460 Dad always sat on the end, which is where he 00:13:32.460 --> 00:13:35.899 still sits to this day. Then it was Mama. and 00:13:35.899 --> 00:13:37.820 then tucked underneath her arm was usually me 00:13:37.820 --> 00:13:39.559 and Brandon because we got in trouble a lot, 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:43.460 and then my sister was at the end. But when the 00:13:43.460 --> 00:13:45.279 Spirit of the Lord would start moving in these 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:48.779 services, some of you know ladies would... would 00:13:48.779 --> 00:13:51.080 dance about in the Spirit, shaking bobby pins 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:53.879 from their hair, and men would take off off the 00:13:53.879 --> 00:13:55.799 stage, run in the aisles, and who knows, they 00:13:55.799 --> 00:13:58.279 might do a couple laps. We don't know. The Spirit 00:13:58.279 --> 00:14:00.820 of God would move, and people were freely allowing 00:14:00.820 --> 00:14:03.860 the Spirit of God to move. And I remember my 00:14:03.860 --> 00:14:06.159 mom, sometimes she'd stand up, and if the Lord 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:08.340 would move on her, she'd maybe give a message 00:14:08.340 --> 00:14:10.360 in tongue, and then maybe even start dancing 00:14:10.360 --> 00:14:12.240 in the Spirit herself. And I'll never forget 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:14.259 the stone -cold look on her face as she just 00:14:14.259 --> 00:14:17.139 dances in the Spirit. Mom, Dad's got his arm 00:14:17.139 --> 00:14:19.070 up like this. Me and Brandon's got our arm up 00:14:19.070 --> 00:14:21.129 like this because we don't know at any moment 00:14:21.129 --> 00:14:23.470 she might fall out in the spirit and she might 00:14:23.470 --> 00:14:27.139 be in our lap. We don't know. But I remember 00:14:27.139 --> 00:14:29.779 those times of just the powerful move of God, 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:32.019 and I'm hearing way too much even now in the 00:14:32.019 --> 00:14:34.440 day that we're living that that's a rare thing. 00:14:34.539 --> 00:14:37.019 It doesn't happen anymore. And all these things, 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:39.080 what happened to those days? And if you ask in 00:14:39.080 --> 00:14:40.860 my opinion, I'll give you my opinion. That's 00:14:40.860 --> 00:14:43.519 because we as a church have become too dignified 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:46.320 to allow the Spirit of the Lord to move the way 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:49.279 he wants to. Because my Bible says he's the same 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:52.240 yesterday, today, and forever. So if that's true, 00:14:52.379 --> 00:14:54.860 and I believe the Bible is true, then it isn't 00:14:54.860 --> 00:14:57.440 God that's changed. It's us that have changed. 00:14:57.620 --> 00:14:59.720 And I believe that if we walk into his sanctuary 00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:02.519 on Sunday mornings, on Sunday nights, during 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:05.159 revival times, on Wednesday night services, if 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:08.139 we walk into the sanctuary with a faith -filled 00:15:08.139 --> 00:15:11.019 expectation that God is going to move, I have 00:15:11.019 --> 00:15:13.980 no doubt in my mind that he will meet us in the 00:15:13.980 --> 00:15:16.820 expectation and in the middle of the faith to 00:15:16.820 --> 00:15:19.580 perform that miracle and to perform that work 00:15:19.580 --> 00:15:22.500 that you're seeking. You're already seeking the 00:15:22.500 --> 00:15:25.320 move. You're already seeking the healing. He's 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:27.740 seeking the miracle. So why not walk in here 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:30.759 and expect God to be who you know him to be? 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:35.279 And that's an almighty miracle worker, deliverer. 00:15:35.419 --> 00:15:39.980 He's a restorer. Amen. Why not walk in here expecting 00:15:39.980 --> 00:15:45.039 that to happen? We come in seeking. We come in 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:48.259 praying. But do we expect it to happen? No, because 00:15:48.259 --> 00:15:50.139 we've got our feelings hurt when it didn't happen. 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:59.820 That's an interesting place to be. Amen. But 00:15:59.820 --> 00:16:02.600 I encourage you today, come expecting God to 00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:10.100 move. The woman with the issue of blood, she 00:16:10.100 --> 00:16:14.399 expected a healing. She said, if I can just touch 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:19.379 his clothes. As she's pushing through the crowd, 00:16:19.580 --> 00:16:23.370 her determination is, if I can just. Touch his 00:16:23.370 --> 00:16:28.049 clothes. She didn't say I might. She didn't say 00:16:28.049 --> 00:16:32.370 I hope so. The Bible says she said, I shall be 00:16:32.370 --> 00:16:36.649 healed. And we all know what happened. She got 00:16:36.649 --> 00:16:38.570 her healing, and Jesus turns to her and says 00:16:38.570 --> 00:16:43.179 what? Your faith. has made you well. It wasn't 00:16:43.179 --> 00:16:44.899 just the act of her pushing through the crowd. 00:16:45.059 --> 00:16:46.320 The Lord didn't look at her and say, you worked 00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:48.799 hard, so I'm going to bless you. It was her faith 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:51.639 and her understanding and her expectation that 00:16:51.639 --> 00:16:57.139 if I can just touch his clothes, I shall be healed. 00:16:57.240 --> 00:17:02.000 Amen. I was talking to Ken about this morning, 00:17:02.059 --> 00:17:03.980 the four men who let down the paralytic through 00:17:03.980 --> 00:17:07.880 the roof. Everywhere Jesus went, he drew a crowd. 00:17:07.980 --> 00:17:10.640 Did he not? especially once the word got out. 00:17:12.440 --> 00:17:14.819 So here he is in this town, in this house, and 00:17:14.819 --> 00:17:16.859 the Bible says they came from all over and crowded 00:17:16.859 --> 00:17:20.099 the house. In my mind, there's just a crowd of 00:17:20.099 --> 00:17:22.099 people all around it. Windows are open, doors 00:17:22.099 --> 00:17:24.299 are open. They're just trying to hear and grab 00:17:24.299 --> 00:17:26.720 anything they can grab from this man named Jesus. 00:17:27.940 --> 00:17:29.900 And then these four boys show up carrying this 00:17:29.900 --> 00:17:33.339 paralytic. So we got to get him in there, but 00:17:33.339 --> 00:17:35.180 how do we get him in there? We can't even get 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:39.750 near the door. Some old boy said, well, we take 00:17:39.750 --> 00:17:43.589 that roof off, we'll get him in there. And I 00:17:43.589 --> 00:17:47.690 begin to think, what kind of faith does it take 00:17:47.690 --> 00:17:51.450 to say to myself, if I tear that roof off, I 00:17:51.450 --> 00:17:54.269 can get this guy down in there, and he will heal 00:17:54.269 --> 00:17:57.059 him. If I can just get him down there. It wasn't 00:17:57.059 --> 00:17:59.319 just the faith, though. It was the expectation. 00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:02.319 If they didn't expect God to move, if they didn't 00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:04.759 expect Jesus to heal, if they didn't expect him 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:06.519 to do what he did, they would have never even 00:18:06.519 --> 00:18:15.259 tried. But the Bible says that Jesus saw their 00:18:15.259 --> 00:18:20.809 faith. And he said to that paralytic, arise and 00:18:20.809 --> 00:18:22.569 take up your bed and walk. And he was able to 00:18:22.569 --> 00:18:25.890 perform that mighty miracle because of the faith 00:18:25.890 --> 00:18:31.529 that he saw. In all of these stories, and we 00:18:31.529 --> 00:18:35.369 could go on and on, Jesus responds to this faith. 00:18:36.369 --> 00:18:38.289 The second thing I want to point out is that 00:18:38.289 --> 00:18:43.069 unbelief restricts what God wants to do. No doubt 00:18:43.069 --> 00:18:46.329 Jesus... Went into Nazareth with the same intentions 00:18:46.329 --> 00:18:49.289 that he had in other places he went. When he 00:18:49.289 --> 00:18:51.509 visited and going into the synagogue on the Sabbath 00:18:51.509 --> 00:18:53.750 day to teach, he had the same idea and the same 00:18:53.750 --> 00:18:56.509 plans of what he was wanting to do. And as they 00:18:56.509 --> 00:18:59.609 were offended at his teaching, not really understanding 00:18:59.609 --> 00:19:02.450 who he was, the scripture says that now he could 00:19:02.450 --> 00:19:04.970 do no mighty works there. I want you to pay attention 00:19:04.970 --> 00:19:08.089 to this phrase because it doesn't say that he 00:19:08.089 --> 00:19:10.410 would not do the mighty work. It said that he 00:19:10.410 --> 00:19:14.160 could not do the mighty work. They unbelief that 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:19.500 they had limited God in that place. So when we 00:19:19.500 --> 00:19:22.799 think about God's being limited in a place, it 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:25.920 makes you think back to me on why God doesn't 00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:27.960 move in churches the way they do, the way that 00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:31.099 he used to. Because we've limited him in the 00:19:31.099 --> 00:19:35.279 places where there's no belief. The tragedy of 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:37.720 unbelief is not just doubt. The tragedy of unbelief 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:40.779 is that it prevents God from doing. what he wants 00:19:40.779 --> 00:19:44.299 to do. Unbelief can cause us to sit in the presence 00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:48.319 of miracles and still leave unchanged. In Numbers 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:51.200 13 through 14, we read about Israel at Kadesh 00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:54.299 Barnea, and God had already promised Israel the 00:19:54.299 --> 00:19:57.059 land. They saw the Red Sea departed. They saw 00:19:57.059 --> 00:19:59.500 manna fall from heaven, but when the spies returned, 00:19:59.859 --> 00:20:03.519 they spread unbelief. They said, we're not able 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:05.079 to go up against these people for they're stronger 00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:08.549 than we. Where was their belief? They had already 00:20:08.549 --> 00:20:11.269 seen works of God. They'd already seen God perform 00:20:11.269 --> 00:20:14.349 miracles in them and in their situation, in their 00:20:14.349 --> 00:20:18.589 journey, but yet they had no belief. In the Gospel 00:20:18.589 --> 00:20:20.829 of Mark, we read about the disciples in a storm 00:20:20.829 --> 00:20:22.990 and Jesus is in the boat with them. I mean, of 00:20:22.990 --> 00:20:25.269 all places to have no belief, you're in the boat 00:20:25.269 --> 00:20:28.470 with the Savior. And they wake him. Y 'all know 00:20:28.470 --> 00:20:31.009 the story. They shake him and stir him and wake 00:20:31.009 --> 00:20:32.710 him. Do you not care that we're going down with 00:20:32.710 --> 00:20:35.890 this shit? And he stands up, rebukes the sea. 00:20:36.759 --> 00:20:39.319 and then he looks at them and says, where's your 00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:43.920 faith? Imagine being in the boat with the Savior 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:47.160 and him looking at you and asking, where's your 00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:51.319 faith? You see, God can do things in our life. 00:20:51.380 --> 00:20:53.460 God wants to do things in our life, what you're 00:20:53.460 --> 00:20:55.460 praying for, what you're seeking for, what you're 00:20:55.460 --> 00:20:57.859 asking deliverance from, what you're on your 00:20:57.859 --> 00:21:00.279 knees and just crying out to him for. God wants 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:03.180 to do those things, but our own unbelief, whether 00:21:03.180 --> 00:21:06.799 it be consciously or subconscious, prevents him 00:21:06.799 --> 00:21:14.420 from performing that work. The storm wasn't the 00:21:14.420 --> 00:21:17.660 problem, their unbelief was. We can go on and 00:21:17.660 --> 00:21:19.500 on in stories throughout the Bible of unbelief. 00:21:19.539 --> 00:21:21.779 Israel missed the promise because of unbelief. 00:21:21.799 --> 00:21:24.779 The disciples panicked because of unbelief. Thomas 00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:27.680 doubted because of unbelief. Nazareth missed 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:31.400 miracles because of unbelief. Trying to tell 00:21:31.400 --> 00:21:34.180 you this morning is, I'm trying to tell you, 00:21:34.200 --> 00:21:36.960 unbelief does not change who God is. It does 00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:39.000 not change who he wants to be in your life. It 00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:41.200 does not change the miracles he wants to perform. 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:44.720 Your unbelief does. You need to understand that 00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:47.299 God is still healer. God is still deliverer. 00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:50.180 God is still restorer. God is still redeemer. 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:52.819 God is still all those things that we know him 00:21:52.819 --> 00:21:56.519 to be. But our unbelief prevents him from doing 00:21:56.519 --> 00:22:02.200 the work in our life. So I need you to understand 00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:04.460 this morning, don't let unbelief talk you out 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:07.319 of your miracle. Don't let unbelief talk you 00:22:07.319 --> 00:22:09.720 out of your breakthrough. Don't let unbelief 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:12.940 talk you out of the promises of God. Because 00:22:12.940 --> 00:22:15.539 the same Jesus that walked into Nazareth is walking 00:22:15.539 --> 00:22:18.299 through this room right now. And I think it's 00:22:18.299 --> 00:22:20.140 a great opportunity to put your hands together 00:22:20.140 --> 00:22:23.099 and give God some praise for just being present 00:22:23.099 --> 00:22:29.460 in our midst this morning. We praise you today, 00:22:29.539 --> 00:22:37.460 God. Mark 9, 23 through 24 says, Jesus said to 00:22:37.460 --> 00:22:41.640 him, if you can believe, all things are possible 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:45.319 to him who believes. Immediately, the father 00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:47.559 of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, 00:22:47.640 --> 00:22:52.839 I believe, but help my unbelief. Sometimes it's 00:22:52.839 --> 00:22:57.170 okay to ask for help for your unbelief. It's 00:22:57.170 --> 00:22:59.490 hard sometimes when you're crying out to God 00:22:59.490 --> 00:23:01.509 for things that you desperately need him to do 00:23:01.509 --> 00:23:03.809 in your life and you feel like no one's listening. 00:23:04.730 --> 00:23:07.529 You feel like your prayer goes in one ear and 00:23:07.529 --> 00:23:11.230 out the other, so to speak, of God. You feel, 00:23:11.269 --> 00:23:13.150 you look at your situation and you think, God, 00:23:13.150 --> 00:23:15.650 you ain't moved yet. What's happening? Am I not 00:23:15.650 --> 00:23:17.849 getting through? And sometimes we have a habit 00:23:17.849 --> 00:23:22.369 or a response. We want to respond to that by 00:23:22.369 --> 00:23:25.210 pushing even harder. Or pushing deeper. Or maybe 00:23:25.210 --> 00:23:31.109 we just ask why. Maybe we're confused and we 00:23:31.109 --> 00:23:33.509 don't see God working because he's working behind 00:23:33.509 --> 00:23:36.470 the scenes. But we start questioning him and 00:23:36.470 --> 00:23:39.490 we start asking him why. And we start not understanding, 00:23:39.569 --> 00:23:41.130 well, this can't be true because he hasn't done 00:23:41.130 --> 00:23:44.630 it for me. It's even worse when you see him do 00:23:44.630 --> 00:23:46.089 it in somebody else's life. And you're thinking, 00:23:46.150 --> 00:23:52.980 where's mine, Lord? Where's mine? Help my unbelief 00:23:52.980 --> 00:24:01.460 today. Help my unbelief today. Third thing I 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:05.059 want to talk about is how faith -filled expectation 00:24:05.059 --> 00:24:10.099 prepares the ground for miracles. Even Jesus 00:24:10.099 --> 00:24:12.440 was amazed in our text. The Bible says that Jesus 00:24:12.440 --> 00:24:14.740 marveled at their unbelief. And there's only 00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:17.819 a few times in Scripture, there's only a few 00:24:17.819 --> 00:24:21.529 things that amazes Jesus. One being great faith 00:24:21.529 --> 00:24:25.970 and the other being unbelief. Imagine that, the 00:24:25.970 --> 00:24:30.490 creator of the universe stood in that town, in 00:24:30.490 --> 00:24:33.509 his hometown where he's from, and their unbelief 00:24:33.509 --> 00:24:37.089 shocked him. They were so close to a miracle, 00:24:37.170 --> 00:24:40.960 but their expectations were so low. Faith is 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:44.200 more than belief. It is an expectation. Expectation 00:24:44.200 --> 00:24:46.720 prepares the heart the way soil is prepared for 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:49.619 the seed. You must prepare your heart before 00:24:49.619 --> 00:24:52.599 you get there and ready to receive. You have 00:24:52.599 --> 00:24:54.559 to make up your mind when you get up on Sunday 00:24:54.559 --> 00:24:56.539 morning what you're going into the house of God 00:24:56.539 --> 00:24:59.319 expecting to receive. I told the students before 00:24:59.319 --> 00:25:01.240 we left the Wednesday night, before we left to 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:03.000 go to Winterfest, I said, I want you to go home 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:05.240 tonight. I want you to say your prayers and I 00:25:05.240 --> 00:25:08.480 want you to ask God and seek him because I want 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:11.579 you to show up. ready to go, and I want you to 00:25:11.579 --> 00:25:18.200 make your mind up before you get there. We can't 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:20.619 just walk into Sunday morning church on a Sunday 00:25:20.619 --> 00:25:23.579 morning and hope God's going to move. Like it's 00:25:23.579 --> 00:25:26.420 an afterthought, like it's secondhand. We have 00:25:26.420 --> 00:25:29.440 to show up with an expectation. But make your 00:25:29.440 --> 00:25:31.259 mind up before you walk through those doors. 00:25:31.440 --> 00:25:34.539 In my mind, those doors are the entrance into 00:25:34.539 --> 00:25:37.759 the sanctuary. That's the entrance into the holy 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:40.920 place. That's the entrance into the reverent. 00:25:41.069 --> 00:25:43.670 place where we come to encounter an almighty, 00:25:43.809 --> 00:25:46.289 powerful spirit of the Lord. And I want to do 00:25:46.289 --> 00:25:49.569 everything I can to be as prepared as I can to 00:25:49.569 --> 00:25:52.329 enter into his presence. It's that important 00:25:52.329 --> 00:25:54.089 to me. And I don't know about you, but I need 00:25:54.089 --> 00:25:57.150 him to move in my life. I need him to hear me 00:25:57.150 --> 00:25:59.970 when I pray. I need him to deliver me when I 00:25:59.970 --> 00:26:02.349 need to be delivered. I need him to restore when 00:26:02.349 --> 00:26:09.839 I need to be restored. But most people wait until 00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:13.440 they feel something. But can I tell you, miracles 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:16.839 don't start with feelings. They start with a 00:26:16.839 --> 00:26:19.880 faith -filled expectation. Expectation changes 00:26:19.880 --> 00:26:22.240 the atmosphere. When people walk into the house 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:24.740 of God expecting nothing, guess what? You'll 00:26:24.740 --> 00:26:29.039 usually receive nothing. But when people walk 00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:32.240 in believing God is about to move, you better 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:35.950 believe God is about to move. to move. Imagine 00:26:35.950 --> 00:26:38.670 if we had all 200 of you sitting in this room 00:26:38.670 --> 00:26:40.930 today, that when you walk through those doors, 00:26:40.990 --> 00:26:43.410 you walked in with the mindset of God is about 00:26:43.410 --> 00:26:46.930 to move. I'm excited. I'm pumped up. I'm ready 00:26:46.930 --> 00:26:49.450 to go. I want to get into his presence because 00:26:49.450 --> 00:26:52.569 God is about to move. I need him to move in my 00:26:52.569 --> 00:26:55.690 life and God is about to move. I need him to 00:26:55.690 --> 00:26:58.549 perform miracles in my life and God is about 00:26:58.549 --> 00:27:01.250 to move. Imagine if we walked into his church 00:27:01.250 --> 00:27:05.000 with an understanding of God. is about to move. 00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:07.819 We'd be excited like Ken is on Sunday morning. 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:10.640 I got here early. Ken was already in the sanctuary 00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:14.180 praying. Imagine if we all got to the house of 00:27:14.180 --> 00:27:16.579 God with that expectation on our heart. God, 00:27:16.680 --> 00:27:18.220 you're going to move. I know you're going to 00:27:18.220 --> 00:27:22.099 move. You're going to do it. Today is your day. 00:27:22.200 --> 00:27:25.200 God, perform the work and move all across this 00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:28.259 room. Father, we love you today and I thank you. 00:27:32.839 --> 00:27:35.259 When we enter in with an idea and the thought 00:27:35.259 --> 00:27:37.400 already made up our mind, God is about to move, 00:27:37.539 --> 00:27:42.440 something begins to shift in the room. Because 00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:45.279 faith -filled expectation prepares the atmosphere 00:27:45.279 --> 00:27:51.240 for miracles. Blind Bartimaeus on the roadside, 00:27:51.259 --> 00:27:55.940 when he heard Jesus was passing by, he cried 00:27:55.940 --> 00:28:02.309 out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. And 00:28:02.309 --> 00:28:05.190 the immediate response was hush, hush. What'd 00:28:05.190 --> 00:28:07.150 they do? They tried to hush him. They tried to 00:28:07.150 --> 00:28:10.670 tell him be quiet. That outcry don't belong here. 00:28:14.549 --> 00:28:17.650 But he had already made up in his mind, I expect. 00:28:18.539 --> 00:28:22.200 a deliverance. I expect a healing. So the Bible 00:28:22.200 --> 00:28:26.000 says he cried out even more, Jesus, son of David, 00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:29.059 have mercy on me. And Jesus said, I hear your 00:28:29.059 --> 00:28:32.200 faith. Call him unto me. He walks unto Jesus 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:34.480 and Jesus says, what could I have to do for you? 00:28:34.579 --> 00:28:37.220 And he said that I would receive my sight. And 00:28:37.220 --> 00:28:40.619 Jesus gave him back his sight and his deliverance 00:28:40.619 --> 00:28:43.720 was made. His healing took place and it happened 00:28:43.720 --> 00:28:46.380 immediately. Ken, that's the difference in a 00:28:46.380 --> 00:28:49.119 miracle and a healing. Healing takes time, but 00:28:49.119 --> 00:28:52.140 miracles are instantaneous. I don't know about 00:28:52.140 --> 00:28:55.000 you, but I need some miracles in my life. I need 00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:58.519 God to move right now. I need God to move right 00:28:58.519 --> 00:29:02.140 now. I need God to move right now. It's not a 00:29:02.140 --> 00:29:06.220 healing. It's an expectation of a miracle in 00:29:06.220 --> 00:29:09.319 this place and in our lives. All giving praise. 00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:15.240 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh, we praise you all 00:29:15.240 --> 00:29:17.920 across this room today, God. You are a miracle 00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:20.700 working God. You are the healer. You are the 00:29:20.700 --> 00:29:24.059 deliverer. You are the redeemer. And God, we 00:29:24.059 --> 00:29:29.720 came expecting that today. In Jesus' name. In 00:29:29.720 --> 00:29:43.710 Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. expectation had 00:29:43.710 --> 00:29:46.309 risen in his heart, and he would not take no 00:29:46.309 --> 00:29:53.710 for an answer. Expectation is like the difference 00:29:53.710 --> 00:29:59.150 in a waiting room and an emergency room. In a 00:29:59.150 --> 00:30:01.769 waiting room, we all sit quietly and patiently. 00:30:02.589 --> 00:30:05.349 We're on our phones, scrolling. Maybe we just 00:30:05.349 --> 00:30:09.809 talk to family, but we're waiting our turn. But 00:30:09.809 --> 00:30:12.940 when the emergency doors come flying open, You 00:30:12.940 --> 00:30:16.500 see everybody spring into action. There's doctors 00:30:16.500 --> 00:30:18.720 flying here, there are nurses flying here, there 00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:22.140 are stretchers are rolled all across the hospital 00:30:22.140 --> 00:30:30.960 and things come alive. Why? Because urgency changes 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:34.980 the atmosphere. And when expectation arises in 00:30:34.980 --> 00:30:37.720 a church service, the atmosphere changes. People 00:30:37.720 --> 00:30:40.000 don't sit back like spectators anymore. They 00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:42.220 begin to worship like they believe God's listening. 00:30:42.380 --> 00:30:45.119 They begin to pray like they believe heaven is 00:30:45.119 --> 00:30:47.779 responding. They begin to lean in like they believe 00:30:47.779 --> 00:30:51.240 this could. be the moment that God moves. Miracles 00:30:51.240 --> 00:30:54.380 rarely happen in rooms full of spectators, but 00:30:54.380 --> 00:30:57.059 they happen in rooms filled with people who expect 00:30:57.059 --> 00:31:00.640 God to move. The same service can have two different 00:31:00.640 --> 00:31:03.740 outcomes. One person sits there thinking it's 00:31:03.740 --> 00:31:06.000 just another church service. The other person 00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:09.279 sits there thinking today could be my day for 00:31:09.279 --> 00:31:12.700 my miracle. And I came to tell you today, I need 00:31:12.700 --> 00:31:15.980 you to be the type that says today could be my 00:31:15.980 --> 00:31:19.829 day for the miracle. Amen. Because why? Because 00:31:19.829 --> 00:31:22.690 God still heals today. He still saves today. 00:31:22.990 --> 00:31:25.730 He still restores today. He still breaks chains 00:31:25.730 --> 00:31:28.029 today. You can have your breakthrough today. 00:31:28.309 --> 00:31:31.069 He brings families back together today. He can 00:31:31.069 --> 00:31:35.420 do all these things today. And when a church 00:31:35.420 --> 00:31:38.180 begins to expect God to move, the atmosphere 00:31:38.180 --> 00:31:41.940 shifts from routine into revival. And I don't 00:31:41.940 --> 00:31:44.900 know about you, but I want to see a revival in 00:31:44.900 --> 00:31:47.960 our church today. Young men and women, it's going 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:50.500 to be through you. Can I just tell you today, 00:31:50.740 --> 00:31:53.160 it's going to be through you. It's not going 00:31:53.160 --> 00:31:55.279 to be because of things happened in the past. 00:31:55.380 --> 00:31:58.200 It's going to be something new and fresh and 00:31:58.200 --> 00:32:07.019 on fire with an expectation. Hallelujah. In the 00:32:07.019 --> 00:32:09.299 Gospel of John 5, the Bible tells us about a 00:32:09.299 --> 00:32:12.640 man at the pool of Bethesda. The man had been 00:32:12.640 --> 00:32:18.480 crippled for 38 years. 38 years of pain, 38 years 00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:21.400 of limitation, 38 years of watching over people 00:32:21.400 --> 00:32:28.920 get their miracle. The Bible says there was belief 00:32:28.920 --> 00:32:31.839 that when the waters were stirred, the first 00:32:31.839 --> 00:32:37.269 person in would be healed. So every day, people 00:32:37.269 --> 00:32:40.849 gathered around the pool waiting, watching, and 00:32:40.849 --> 00:32:44.869 hoping. But see, this man had a problem. He had 00:32:44.869 --> 00:32:49.630 an expectation, but it was misplaced. Jesus asked 00:32:49.630 --> 00:32:51.990 him, wilt thou be made whole? And the man didn't 00:32:51.990 --> 00:32:56.029 say yes. Instead, he said, sir, I have no man. 00:32:56.130 --> 00:32:58.789 When the water is troubled, to put me into the 00:32:58.789 --> 00:33:01.569 pool. You need to notice what happened. The miracle 00:33:01.569 --> 00:33:04.130 was standing right in front of him, but he was 00:33:04.130 --> 00:33:07.150 still looking at the water. The expectation was 00:33:07.150 --> 00:33:10.390 tied to the method instead of the Messiah. And 00:33:10.390 --> 00:33:13.349 people need to do the same thing today. It's 00:33:13.349 --> 00:33:15.589 not if the song is right. It's not if the preacher 00:33:15.589 --> 00:33:17.609 is right. It's not if the atmosphere is right. 00:33:18.190 --> 00:33:20.569 The truth is the miracle is not in the water. 00:33:20.609 --> 00:33:24.809 The miracle is in Jesus. Hallelujah. Give him 00:33:24.809 --> 00:33:30.660 praise all across this room today. So you need 00:33:30.660 --> 00:33:32.859 to stop waiting on the water to be stirred. You 00:33:32.859 --> 00:33:34.859 need to stop waiting on someone else's help. 00:33:34.940 --> 00:33:36.980 You need to stop sitting here waiting on the 00:33:36.980 --> 00:33:39.380 water to be right and start looking to Jesus 00:33:39.380 --> 00:33:42.700 who is standing right there with you. Why? Because 00:33:42.700 --> 00:33:45.539 the expectation shifts our focus from systems 00:33:45.539 --> 00:33:49.640 to the Savior. And that is where miracles happen. 00:33:49.839 --> 00:33:56.759 Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Y 'all can stand. 00:33:56.839 --> 00:34:04.170 I'm going to close. Oh, hallelujah. Thank you, 00:34:04.170 --> 00:34:10.070 Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. I came in today with 00:34:10.070 --> 00:34:16.409 expectation. I walk into this church every morning, 00:34:16.469 --> 00:34:21.050 and I don't say it just to say it. I say it because 00:34:21.050 --> 00:34:24.110 I mean it. I'm excited to get to come into this 00:34:24.110 --> 00:34:29.400 church every Sunday and every Wednesday. Lately, 00:34:29.420 --> 00:34:32.760 Monday through Friday, Saturday, it don't matter. 00:34:34.480 --> 00:34:40.639 I get excited to come in the house of God. But 00:34:40.639 --> 00:34:42.760 it's one thing to be excited about the Sunday. 00:34:43.300 --> 00:34:46.760 It's one thing to be excited to be in the God's 00:34:46.760 --> 00:34:48.900 house and to be in his presence, but it's a whole 00:34:48.900 --> 00:34:52.340 nother to have to come with an expectation that 00:34:52.340 --> 00:34:57.420 God is going to move. And I pray right now that 00:34:57.420 --> 00:35:00.900 we... We get our desire back and our expectation 00:35:00.900 --> 00:35:07.199 to want God to move. In our text it says Jesus 00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:11.559 marveled at their unbelief. Not because he lacked 00:35:11.559 --> 00:35:15.739 power. Not because he didn't want to move. But 00:35:15.739 --> 00:35:17.960 because the people who were closest to him were 00:35:17.960 --> 00:35:24.059 the ones who expected the least from him. And 00:35:24.059 --> 00:35:26.199 I wonder this morning how many people are sitting 00:35:26.199 --> 00:35:31.199 in this room. With the same Jesus present. The 00:35:31.199 --> 00:35:34.280 same Jesus who heals. The same Jesus who saves. 00:35:34.519 --> 00:35:39.199 And the same Jesus who restores lives. But unbelief 00:35:39.199 --> 00:35:42.400 has whispered in your ear so long that you've 00:35:42.400 --> 00:35:47.420 stopped expecting anything from him. Maybe life's 00:35:47.420 --> 00:35:50.159 been hard. Maybe prayers have gone unanswered. 00:35:50.159 --> 00:35:53.519 Maybe you've been disappointed before. And slowly 00:35:53.519 --> 00:35:56.099 your faith didn't disappear, but your expectation 00:35:56.099 --> 00:36:00.909 did. You still believe God can, you're just not 00:36:00.909 --> 00:36:05.210 sure if he will. But I came to tell you something 00:36:05.210 --> 00:36:09.650 this morning, that God has not changed. It sounds 00:36:09.650 --> 00:36:12.269 cliche to say, but there's no more truth than 00:36:12.269 --> 00:36:19.070 that. God has not changed. His power has not 00:36:19.070 --> 00:36:22.210 changed. His promises have not changed. The same 00:36:22.210 --> 00:36:24.789 Jesus who walked through Nazareth is walking 00:36:24.789 --> 00:36:26.750 through this room right now. And the difference 00:36:26.750 --> 00:36:29.210 between those who leave the same and those who 00:36:29.210 --> 00:36:32.030 leave changed is often one or two things, faith 00:36:32.030 --> 00:36:38.849 and expectation. We have to believe today could 00:36:38.849 --> 00:36:42.420 be the day. Today could be the day that chains 00:36:42.420 --> 00:36:44.960 break. Today could be the day that healing comes. 00:36:45.059 --> 00:36:47.960 And today could be the day that God restores 00:36:47.960 --> 00:36:52.780 what the enemy tried to destroy. And I want anyone 00:36:52.780 --> 00:36:55.449 who... who wants those things to happen in their 00:36:55.449 --> 00:36:57.449 life to make your way to this altar right now. 00:36:57.630 --> 00:37:00.389 Not because the altar is special. I want you 00:37:00.389 --> 00:37:02.349 to come with your faith, and I want you to come 00:37:02.349 --> 00:37:05.309 with an expectation. Because I believe that in 00:37:05.309 --> 00:37:08.030 this day and time right now, in this place right 00:37:08.030 --> 00:37:10.829 now, God is ready and willing to move in your 00:37:10.829 --> 00:37:13.309 lives and our lives like he never has before. 00:37:13.610 --> 00:37:15.429 The things that we've been seeking, the things 00:37:15.429 --> 00:37:16.909 that we've been praying for, the things that 00:37:16.909 --> 00:37:19.489 we've been asking God to do, he's waiting on 00:37:19.489 --> 00:37:22.090 someone to say, I have the faith, and I came 00:37:22.090 --> 00:37:25.469 to receive. I have the faith, I have the expectation, 00:37:25.789 --> 00:37:28.650 and I've came to receive. Father, I thank you 00:37:28.650 --> 00:37:31.170 today. I praise you all across this church today, 00:37:31.329 --> 00:37:33.590 Lord, for your spirit and the power and your 00:37:33.590 --> 00:37:36.110 Holy Ghost that's moved in this room. God, I 00:37:36.110 --> 00:37:38.150 thank you for your presence, and I ask, God, 00:37:38.170 --> 00:37:40.610 that you would draw hearts near to you today. 00:37:40.869 --> 00:37:43.570 Father, I ask that you would draw us unto you 00:37:43.570 --> 00:37:46.210 and change us, Lord. Help us to walk down to 00:37:46.210 --> 00:37:48.769 this altar with the faith that we can stand firm 00:37:48.769 --> 00:37:50.630 and with the expectation that you're going to 00:37:50.630 --> 00:37:52.639 move. God, we know who you are. You are and we 00:37:52.639 --> 00:37:55.800 believe who you are. And we thank you today in 00:37:55.800 --> 00:37:58.820 Jesus' name. Amen and amen.