Dr. Hale Akamine [00:00:00]:
Have you guys ever experienced the, man, I I should have. I should have. Like, you know, I'm not talking about that that strong feeling that, man, I shoulda invested in the Chiefs. Oh, man. And son of a I I could've paid for a full tank of gas or or or at least, you know, buy a couple of Chick Fil A sandwiches, man. But I'm not talking about that kinda sense in your gut. Many years ago, my I my, when my pastor, Ray Viliamu, of Makakilo Baptist Church, retired. And the church put together a pastoral team, of which I was chosen to be on it to oversee the church until they hired a new pastor.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:00:58]:
Well, soon after, I get a call oh, at about 4 in the morning, for you know, notify Mead that that a fellow church member that had been in Saint Francis Hospice for a while, had passed away. And, I, you know, I I thank the my friend and for letting me know, and I groggily kinda went back to bed, you know, really committing that I would go and visit them at their home later that morning. Well, I went back to bed, and then this strange, strange feeling just just kept coming in my gut. Go and visit the family. Go visit the family. Like like, why? I mean, I'm I'm I'm planning to to to to see them, and and the family, they they need their quiet time. They they need their private morning time. Just go visit.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:02:03]:
And I go, oh, why? I mean I mean, like, he he's in heaven. Like, I'm a, you know, I'm a Southern Baptist. You know, we we we don't bring people back. You know what I mean? Like, just just you know, I'm I'm not gonna be a member of a Pentecostal church until 10 years from oh, no. No. No. And I wasn't thinking that. But, so, you know, so I just, like, throw the covers over my head.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:02:30]:
And a half far later, I arrived at hospice, and, a large crowd actually had gathered outside of his room, and they were all his construction buddies, these huge guys huge guys. And so I had a lot of difficulty actually getting into the room, and I even if I would say, like, excuse me, they were trying to get in before to to, you know, give their their sympathies before heading off to work. So I finally had to pull rank. Right? I said, hey, guys. I'm the pastor. Right? Kana. Let me go in. And so, like, the the rock split open.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:03:13]:
Right? These huge guys, and and then the wife and mom says, oh, thank you, hail. We were waiting for you. You know? Can can you pray? You know? And they're looking at their son and their husband. I'm thinking, woah. I'm gonna pray for, like I I don't can raise I don't can raise do they think I'm gonna I don't know. Oh. Right? I kinda but I remember that at least outwardly, you I saw on TV, you looked like the priest, and you go, yes. Yes.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:03:49]:
Right? So I said, lord, I have no idea what I'm gonna say right now. I hope I don't say something dumb, because there's a lot of big people. And and so I I just just talked and said, lord, brothers there's it now in your presence, and he finally is free from the pain. But we're here, and it hurts. Comfort mom, the wife, the kids, and all these guys that have come to say goodbye and to say condolences. In Jesus' name. Men. Oh, the mom just hugged my hand, and the wife hugged me.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:04:35]:
And and, I stayed there for about an hour. And as as as I got out, you know, I I it it's about 5 minutes to just get out of the room, and only because, like, I was getting these bone crushing hugs. Right? Right? It's like, thank you, or thank you. And I was like, you know, they thought I was acknowledging. I was just a pain. Right? But but then I said, you know, lord, oh, man. Thank you for letting me me show up. You know? My pastor friend who has since passed on, Tani of, Pro City Baptist Church, describes that stirring in the heart as as the impulse of god.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:05:22]:
That is God is urging through the Holy Spirit asking you to come with him. Number 1, pay attention to the pulse of god. Pay attention to the impulse of god. The the meat of the message today is is really taken from Luke chapter almost all of it from Luke chapter 24. It's it's a great time to break out your Bible as I only had enough room to just add a couple verses in your notes, but it it opens up chapter 24 opens up with the women discovering that the tomb it's empty. And after that, 2 angels tell them that Jesus is alive. And soon after, Peter running to verify if it was true that the tomb it was empty. So later, 2 followers of Christ, one of them names in his name, Cleopas Cleopas.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:06:35]:
They were walking along the road headed to the town of Emmaus, trying to figure out what what just happened. Like, where where did we get it so wrong that that Jesus wasn't wasn't the Messiah that that we were waiting for? And to end, it's insult to injury. They they steal his Ari. And then and then the women started start to see things like, oh, man. And the disciples, for sure, asking each other, where do we go from here? Now that our hopes and our dreams crucified, and then literally out of nowhere, this guy appears to them and asked them what they're talking about. So let me start reading from Luke 24, verse 17. He asked them, what are you discussing together as you walk along? They stood still, their faces this downcast. 1 of them named Cleopas asked him, are you the only one visiting Jerusalem, who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? What things? He asked.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:08:16]:
How about Jesus of Nazareth? They replied. He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people, the chief priest, and our our rulers hand him him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel and and what is more, it is the 3rd day since this all took place. In addition, some of the women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning, but they didn't find his body. They came back and told us they had seen visions of angels who who said he was alive? And some of our companions went to the tomb, and they found it just as the woman had said, but they did not see Jesus. And then this guy proceeds to lecture them. K? Verse 25, he says to them, how foolish you are, how slow to believe all the all that the prophets have spoken.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:09:21]:
Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them, what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself? And and maybe they were just us too deep in shock and grief to reply. You know, if because it's me. If I was with Cleopas, you you know what I would do? I would like, dude. Well, I'm sure you don't know who we are. We were with the guy from the beginning, like, you know, all the way till to the end. Were you coming off talking to us about stuff we you know, what? You think you're god or what? But they didn't say that. It isn't written in the scriptures, but something about this guy was different. Right? K.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:10:23]:
Listener warning. The guy is Jesus, right, and they don't know it yet. Verse 28. And they approached the village to which they were going. Jesus continued on as if Jesus continued on as if he were going farther, but they urged him only stay with us for it is nearly evening. The day is almost over. So he went in to stay with them. Notice the verse says as if.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:11:09]:
Other translations read making like, pretending to. If it was translated from, people from Kauai, it would say he was. Right? He was. Me meaning, Jesus's desire was to be with them. Kinda like if you were kinda walking to Longs, and and you ran into a couple of your friends talking about out the Super Bowl party they were having that afternoon. You you kinda make small talk with them, and and they start thinking, gee, I really don't want wanna watch the Chiefs and the 40 niners play, you know, just by myself watching my 72 inch TV. You know, as you're about to leave, you know, one of them says, hey, Brock. What you doing this afternoon, you, like, come watch, the game with us, and then you say, nah.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:12:17]:
Nah. Nah. Nah. Nah. Nah. And they insisted, hey. Come. Get plenty grinds.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:12:23]:
And again, from no. You wouldn't be here. You'd be at the carnival. But if you graduate from Punahou, it'll be saying, like, we'd like for you to join us. There's gonna be a plethora of hors d'oeuvres. Right? And then I go like, man, man, the SRI. Why? What you gonna do? Or, I could do my devotionals. Do it later.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:12:46]:
Come to our party for real. You pause, and you say like, okay then. Let me go Psy, pick up 1 case, Heineken I mean, Heineken dude lemon. Yeah. Yeah. I'll need to pick up Heineken dude. Yeah. Yeah.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:13:00]:
Go pick up one a case. Right? Christians. Right? So, you know, can I right? Come on. What what do you think Jesus would bring. You know, if actually, if you look at scripture, you know what he would bring probably? Grilled salmon and and fresh aye poky. K? By the way, not not freshly made poky. Okay? He'd bring fresh poky. Respond to the impulse of god, and I will experience him.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:13:38]:
Verse 30, when he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them. Then their eyes opened and recognized him, and he disappeared from their 8, they asked each other, were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us, they got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There, they found the 11 and those with them assembled there. Because they they responded, they experienced the blessing he wanted them to because they responded, then they experienced the blessing he wanted them to. 2 2 weeks ago, I was on Molokai, having a lunch after I had, given a talk similar to what I'm giving. And a woman, you know, says, you know, hell. I don't even question. I don't even question when I feel like like, I have the prompting.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:15:07]:
You know why? Because several months ago, like, I I had this feeling, right, that that came over me. So so, like, what I did was was, I I I I I start to pray, and then and I pick up the phone, and and I just call my call my friend. I ended up rushing to her house and taking her to the ER, because she had a medical emergency. And then right after that, I had some something almost similar, and then the the go visit my friend. Just go visit your friend. So she goes, visit her friend who is just going through some family stuff. Just really difficult stuff. And she led her friend to Christ.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:16:04]:
Right? Sometimes, however, you know, it's not as, you know, nice like that. Right? And sometimes the s things don't occur quickly, and sometimes, there even may be a cost negotiated with it. 1 of my friends shared with me that she had, been taking one of her very, very good friend's preteen sons to to church, because his behavior had just gone wild. You know? And so, she pick them up and just get them dressed and go to church. Well, after one particular service, they decide to just stay for the church baptism. Right? And then the pastor says, k. Anybody anybody else wanna be baptized? And and then she notices that that this kid, whose hand actually she was holding because brother would rot. I'm sure he'd be like rot.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:17:07]:
He just started just crying. He just started to just cry, and and she goes, hey. What? And he goes, I'll, like, be baptized. And she goes, what? Because well, that was wonderful. Like, she knew she she knew she'd get in trouble with the parents. She just said, like, oh, man. And and, actually, the the boy said, I don't think my mom and dad gonna like this too. And not only that, but he was, like, dressed in Sunday's best.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:17:47]:
Right? And so he wasn't ready for baptism. She called the pastor over. They and the pa you know, they they asked him, oh, do you believe in Jesus? Well, actually, he had accepted Christ 6 months prior. Right? And and, do you know and that you know, if you if you get baptized, like, something like, nothing special gonna happen. You know? Right? Like, you're not all of a sudden getting magical powers. And he goes and and and the boys, I know. I know. I know.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:18:15]:
And so the pastor turns to the the the his. And she goes, baptize them. Not Tyson. Well, sure enough, that relationship with her best friend fractured. It just fractured. It just wasn't good. It's better now. Right? 3 months later, the boy is different.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:18:45]:
I mean, he's still the 10 year old, but but he's nowhere close, and he now wants and not hides to go to church. Right? And she even said, hell, hell. I wouldn't do it again, but I'm glad I did it, though. Right? Sometimes it costs. When we respond, we all oh, we'll be blessed. Maybe later, but when we respond, we all will be blessed. Now anybody know I mean, not that you would, but if you do, I promise. Okay.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:19:28]:
If if you know the answer to this, how far is it from Jerusalem where they came from to Emmaus. Anybody know? If you know cold glass of water, fresh. Write down. Right. Right. Right there. Brother Durden will get you. Anybody know? It's 7 miles.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:19:48]:
K. So they had reached Emmaus. Right? So it's it's 7 miles. So, and in which by the way, I measured it, you know, Google Map. It's the same from here, this ministry center, to Ho Quile where we have our Sunday worship. Right? So scripture says that Cleopas and his friend returned at once. Now notice right there. Chuck, figure it out.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:20:13]:
What do you think that means in light of no Uber or Lyft? They returned at runs. How do you think they probably got there. Well, it says, what what did they say at once? They returned at once. So how did they walk. If they did, they kinda walk faster. But I think, you know, you know, short of hiring a donkey or a horse sir, what what I think they just ran. I think they just was running, right, like, running in, and one of them would probably say, like, I'm gonna tell Peter. You you go tell Mary.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:20:50]:
And the other one probably said, no. You go tell you go tell Mary. I go tell Peter in Iran and then probably to get tired. Right? So the guy so 1 of the guys, he's like, oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And as soon as the other guy goes, it's your break. It's your break.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:21:03]:
So I down poop. I'm gonna need you to start going again because you know they wanted to be there. They wanted to tell guys, guess what? I saw Jesus. We saw Jesus. Us. Right? So when they get there, this is what the disciples remember, there were disciples other people there when when they get there, this is what the disciples and his friends when they returned, probably all at once. This is what they they said when they got to Jerusalem. Verse 34.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:21:31]:
And saying, it is true. The and they're they're they're speaking to Cleopas and and Israel. It's true. The lord has risen and has appeared to Simon. And I could imagine these guys like this. Right? Like, wait. And the then the 2 told what happened on the way and how Jesus was recognized by them when they they broke the bread. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, peace be with you because they responded.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:22:17]:
They were blessed. And guess what? That you know, you kinda know when it's God probably when you go like, nah. Oh, wow. Because boom. Guess what happens? Right? Jesus, you know, does a cameo appearance. If you don't know what cameo appearance is, Google it after church. Okay? But he makes a cameo appearance. Right? Now I'm gonna switch subjects almost quite, well, medically.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:22:43]:
I'm a talk about suicide. 75% of the people who die by suicide don't let anyone know, don't leave any note, and don't have a recognized, bulb mental illness. 75%. And there there's have been cases, and I was made aware of 1, recently, right, that when a person either survives a serious suicide attempt or right before they died, they expressed regret for having done so. In 24 percent of the case or its cases, someone makes an actual attempt within 5 minutes of making the decision. 5 minutes. 47%, almost 50% make the decision. Once they'd send their mind, I'm I'm gonna take a life within 1 hour.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:23:46]:
Right? A third of youth faced a crisis within 24 hours of taking their life. It it just appears suddenly, well, to you, if if you're there. Right? It's it's and there are people around that that were within that time period. And I always say, I had no idea. What's going in on inside of the head of those who are seriously contemplating suicide. The most important thing is they feel trapped in their life Weishen, that they feel there's no way out of their life circumstances except to die by suicide. And as believers, we know that's a lie from the devil. John 10/10, the thief comes to lie, to steal, and kill the straw, I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:24:56]:
So so how can we help? How many of you hear that if you knew somebody was about to take his life or her life, would try to talk the person out of it. To everybody. Right? The problem is if if they're serious. Right? They probably won't tell you, you know, contrary to to what you've heard. Right? Unless you insist. Right? And and think about it. Many times when we're struggling, especially if we're feeling embarrassed and ashamed, we'd rather keep it to ourselves. Right? Or or we may be thinking, anyway, if I tell them, like, what are they gonna do anyway? Right? And if and we are.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:25:49]:
Like most people, when we're troubled Mommy. We we generally pose. Although truth be told, we're hurting on the inside. So if your heart if if you're around somebody and if your heart just just sometimes for no apparent reason, but your heart becomes unsettled when you're in a presence of that person, and that person doesn't quite seem like, it's him or herself, or that person keeps coming to mind, don't ignore it. Reach out. I mean, think about it. What what's what's the worst that could happen? Did you show you care? You know? What if he saved a life? And I I know in in in this room, there are many, not just few of you, that that you you didn't ignore the impulse of God. And you went beyond that.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:26:52]:
No no bra. No. No. I'm I'm like, I'm fine. I'm fine. And you pushed, and you discovered that that person's hurt was fresh. You listen to the lord's prompting to care outside your comfort zone. You listen to the lord's prompting to care outside your comfort zone, your comfort zone, and then you understood why.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:27:20]:
You had to respond. Let maybe you're not, you know, kind of that good of a Christian. Maybe you only Daniel fasted, I don't know, for a couple of days it's from Wagyu beef and lobster. I don't know. But but you wanna experience God. You know, let me tell you. You can actually take a lesson from the Old Testament, from Samuel. Right? In 1st Samuel chapter 3, young Samuel was I'd by Eli the priest.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:27:53]:
And in verse 7, it says this. Now Samuel did not yet know the lord. The word of the lord had not yet been revealed to him. Then 1 night, Samuel hears his voice being called. So he goes to Eli and says, yes. Yes. You called. But Eli tells him, like, I didn't call you.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:28:19]:
So it happens 2 more times. And then in verse 8, then Eli realized that the lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, go and lie down. And if he calls, you say, speak, lord, for it is your servant for your servant is listening. So Samuel went and Mill went and laid down in his place. Verse 10, the lord came and stood there calling as at the other times. Samuel. Samuel.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:29:00]:
Then Samuel said, speak for your Dervin is listening, and the lord begins to speak to Samuel. You see, the Holy Spirit wants us to to join him. In fact, he he may be speaking to some of us right now. And and if it's kinda like not you to just be that bold, that's why we have brothers and sisters of the faith in the Lord so they can pray with us, and and and we can borrow their faith for a while so that we can do what we just feel we got it, but we don't have the courage to. K? And, anyway, if you're not that close to God, like, chant some. Right? I tell you, Jesus would probably let you get lucky that you stepped out. By the way, in in regards to suicide, oftentimes, the high risk person appears to be anxious out of sorts and bothered. You can see how easy it is to miss.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:30:15]:
Right? But that could be a a cue for us to to be bold. Some of you know part of this story. But on March 3rd of last year, my dad passed away while he was a long term care facility at Wilcox Hospital on Kauai. You know, I'd had a good visit with him the week prior. We talked. We we laughed. And so when I that word on that day for my loving and overconcerned sisters in the morning, right, that that wasn't doing well. I wasn't overly concerned.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:31:10]:
And, anyway, I I had a party planned that night. And and and Friday I mean, plane flights out outer islands, Friday. And the next morning. Right? Some of you guys know we have LifeGroup. You know? And and most importantly, everyone knew my dad would go to heaven if he went. My so, anyway, my 4 younger siblings, you know, they they they believed that I was kinda like dad's favorite. You know? And and I actually I actually assured them each privately after he passed when the subject a favorites came up. Nah.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:32:09]:
Nah. Dad said, you you were the favorite. Right? Well, I mean, it was kinda true because that's what dad would want me to tell my younger siblings. But dad and I actually had something going. You know? And maybe because I was the oldest. But I I know my dad knew. I thought of him as my hero. You know? And no more apparent what was is this true that in the last year, you know, he he was in bed.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:32:52]:
He he had broken his hip. So he was in this hospital bed the whole time. And so my my siblings and my mom would go and visit him. And my siblings, oftentimes, would, you know, mockingly complain that, you know, we we fly to Oahu. You know, we go visit dad. Like, he just he don't wake up. He no matter recall, he just keeps his eyes closed. But when you come, dad always opens his eyes, and dad talks.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:33:23]:
And, hell, even when mom comes, he doesn't open his eyes. By the way, ask Gail about that. But when you come, he opened his eyes. You know? Well, think about all that. I said, well, you know, I thought about it, and, you know, I had a long discussion with myself, and and, I resolved that I should stay on Oahu. So I had Gil immediately take me to the airport so I could fly to Kauai. And there, dad was in a coma. Omar, his breathing was quite shallow and rapid, and my siblings were were surrounding him.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:34:12]:
And and then I get a call. Like, Gail. Gail's at Debbie. The airport on Kauai. She flew over. And I'm so we're just surrounded just siblings. Right? So, you know, lucky thing, if you don't wear oh, gosh. Hospital.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:34:29]:
This is, like, 5 minutes from the airport. So so I I rush trying to stay within, 20 miles of the speed limit, and I come back. And as the elevator opens and my dad had a corner room, and you could hear crying. And and as Genlai turned to go into a room, my sisters were wailing like, dad's gone. You know? Dad's gone. So Gil and I go up to him, and we touch his still warm arm. And then he takes breaths. And then he likes ice.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:35:19]:
You know? This this is it's kinda like the most amazing thing that I mean, everything seemed right, at least in my mind, and I figured it all out, but but this now my now it was stirred, and and I had to be there when when when I actually followed and listened to the holy spirit. Jesus had something just for Gil and I to experience. When when you show up, Jesus will be there. You know? He wants us to experience all that he has for us. You know, Hebrews, 116 says, without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to him, god, not not us us god, not other people god. But if it comes comes to him. Like, he says that that he's gonna reward us.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:36:39]:
Right? And, yeah, I can think of the great reward in heaven. But you know what I think? When when God is at work in your life, when when you show up. You know what you're gonna say? Because god shows up there, and you're gonna go this, nah. Nah. For real. Nink it. Wow. Because god's into surprises.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:37:02]:
He he wants us and but he's saying to to dude, that we gotta take that that that step. It's only when we take that step we'll see him. You know, he's he's actually he he he's just right next to you, right next to us, and he's saying, come. Come. Come come join me and experience what I have for you. Most of that, we say, god, come join me. But he said, try just come join me, and you will see something that is just gonna rock you. Mommy, mommy.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:37:42]:
Let's pray. Lord, you're you're a good god. You you're a dad that just loves to surprise us. But, lord, if if we don't go and get the present, we're gonna experience it. And and the way you you had it said is that if we trust you, if we believe in you, if we take that step of faith, and and if we attend to the stirring of the Holy Spirit in our heart. Lord, you said that when we step out, we're gonna experience you because you've already gone before us. Lord, you're you're awesome, and you love us so much, but you can't do what we need to do. Lord, encourage us to our brothers and sisters and and keep speaking to us, lord Jesus, that we might take that step and that breath.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:38:36]:
Lord Jesus, that that that and I didn't tell my brothers and sisters, but you know you know what March 3rd it's it's it's my birthday. That, lord, lord, you had it all designed for me that that my dad would see me take one of my 1st breaths in life. And, lord, I got to see him take him take his last breath on earth, and then you got to see him take his 1st breath in eternal life. That's the god you are, and that's the god you have us have for us. You wanna experience all of us. You came that we might have life and have it to the full. Bless my brothers and sisters. Amen.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:39:28]:
Thanks, Hale. That's a great message. You know, I think that sometimes some of us, we don't believe that God can speak to us or we sometimes we don't believe that we can hear God. But like he was saying, I think sometimes we know that God is closer than we think. Like Jacob said on the as he's running away, he says, surely God was in this place, but I I didn't know. I didn't know till I started to sense his presence. And, you know, sometimes we we're busy, and you're you're you're doing all these different things. And sometimes it's because, You know, it's not because you're doing anything bad.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:40:11]:
It's just that you can be overly responsible. As he was sharing his, basically, his kinda closing, you know, it just reminded me when, My dad, he was at the end of a a short but intense A bout with cancer that, it was on a a Tuesday. It was a staff meeting, and I get a text saying, you know, I'm not sure how much longer that has. And I was thinking this because I have, the staff there, and we're kinda going all the things that Or before us, I was thinking, I'll go after I'm done. Too responsible sometime. Then, You know, my friend said, hey. You know what? You should just go now. And I'm so glad I went because, you know, that that time, you never get it back.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:10]:
So I had a chance to say to him, you know, dad, we're we're here. Thank you for fighting the good fight. Don't feel bad that you're gonna leave us behind. You know? Jesus is waiting. And the next minute, he he breathed his last, and he breathed his first. But I sometimes those promptings. God does it to deposit something in you. Sometimes he does it to do it to move through you.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:41]:
And sometimes it's gonna be your you'll be in the word of God, and something will leap off the page. You guys know that time. It's like, man, that is the time that God is really just speaking now to you. Ain't it good to know that God can?

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:41:55]:
Do me a favor.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:41:56]:
Can you just turn your neighbor god can speak to you. Right? And can we just say thanks to Hale for such a great message? Thank you, Hey. We're gonna prepare our hearts. We're gonna take our, a communion together. And if you've never been here before, for for us, communion is not about if you, you've lived a perfect life. It's not about whether you, had a perfect week. It's not about whether you're a member of the church. Communion is for those who are followers of Jesus.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:42:30]:
And if you're a follower of Jesus, whether you're, you know, the first time here or you've been here from the beginning. It doesn't matter. We're part of the family of God. And so he gives us this instruction. And, you know, I love this passage that he'll preach from because the thing is that Jesus met them on their lowest point. And sometimes we have to be reminded that communion isn't that moment that you do because you're strong in faith or you're good enough to take communion. You guys know what I'm saying? Right? And sometimes we feel unqualified. I feel like I I blew it or whatever the case, and so I I'm not worthy.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:14]:
The the reality is none of us are. We don't take communion because we're worthy. We take communion because he's worthy. Right? And so this evening, if you're at home, I I just wanna encourage you. Would you go and get something to to take, for the communion element, something some cracker or bread or whatever it is that you have. If you and if you don't have grape juice, you don't have, like a wine, whatever, if if you struggle with that, please don't use real wine. But, if just whatever it is. Water, use use whatever.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:43:46]:
But here's the thing. It's like, Jesus met them in their point of need, And sometimes the the need that you feel, it's in your greatest failure. It's the greatest failure of your flesh. It's the greatest, thing that you stumbled over. Sometimes it's the greatest thing that you're struggling with. And why does why do we need to bring those things before Jesus when we take communion. Because the Lord draws near to you in your greatest point of weakness, but you know who else draws near to you? The enemy draws near to you. Because if you don't give it to Jesus, you know what? The devil says, I'll take it, and I'll stir it, and I'll make it like a scar in you, and I'll I'll use it to derail you and kinda beat you up and make you think about it over and over till you just kinda do this thing.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:44:32]:
And I think probably most of us, we've been in that route, And then we've been in the route where when we've given it to him, what has he done? He takes it on himself. Right? And so it's to remind you whether it's your greatest struggle or sometimes, to be honest, it's your greatest opportunity. Some of us, we you know, we're in a great season. We're serving God. God's opening doors. There's all these things, But let's not get prideful. We we didn't get that because we were great. We get it because he's great.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:45:08]:
Right? And it's something we can be thankful for the opportunity, but a grace he's given us. So we're gonna invite you to take, some elements in the back. And if you just take some take some time and and present yourself to him. And would you ask him, lord, that if you don't know, you know, what's going on in your heart, would you search my heart? If there's anything between us, I I wanna just lay that at the foot of the cross today. Put the elements of piece of bread, a cup of juice in the back, and, we'll give you some time to reflect, and then we'll take the elements together. You know, Jesus didn't just come to meet you in your greatest felt need, you know, the thing that you're dealing with, the thing that you're struggling with, the thing that you're fearful of, the thing that you're, you know, kind of avoiding. Although he did, he wants to meet us in that that need. But he also came to meet us, communion celebrates, that he made us he wanted to meet us in our greatest real need.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:12]:
And sometimes you didn't you're like me. You probably didn't realize that your greatest need wasn't your felt need. The greatest need wasn't you were alone. The greatest need wasn't that you failed. The greatest need wasn't that you struggled. That's not your greatest. In first Peter, it says this, that Christ suffered for our sins once for all. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to god.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:49:40]:
Some translations will say it like this, the just for the unjust. Right? The righteous for the unrighteous. The the greatest need I had was that the forgiveness of my sin. I never that wasn't always my greatest felt need, but Jesus deals with the real need below the surface.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:50:07]:
He

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:07]:
can deal with the symptoms in our life. He can deal with those things, but we we bring it all before him. He suffered physical death, but was raised to life in the spirit. In the old testament, it says that the animal sacrifice covered over sin. They covered it over for that season. But, you know, as New Testament believers, He says he comes to take it away, to separate us from our sin. He's nailed to the cross, he said. Father, as we stand before you today, we're holding a piece of bread and a cup of juice.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:50:53]:
But, lord, just like Cleopas and, and his, friend, lord, that, Lord, as they met you, it says that when they took the bread, their eyes were opened. God, we're just giving you all of our struggle, Lord, we're giving you all of our hopes. We're giving you all of our dreams. We're bringing it to the cross. Lord, and we're thankful that the blood of Jesus is enough. It's enough for what I'm going through at the moment. It's enough for who I am. It's enough for my greatest heartaches and my greatest aspirations today.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:51:31]:
We're thankful, lord, that you came for us. And, you know, if you've never said yes to Jesus today, you could eat the bread and you could drink the juice, and you'd be eating bread and drinking juice. But if you just surrender to your heart to him today, if you if you confess that you're you're not as righteous as you thought, you confess that you are a sinner and that you need Jesus. This is what you you meet Jesus, the real Jesus, in the taking of the bread In the taking of it. Father, would you visit us, your people? Would you hear our hearts today? We're thankful that your body was broken for the sin of the world, but thank you, lord, that I take the cup because it's for my sin. It's from where I was. Would I remember I've not always been this way, but you loved me at my worst, and you love me at my best. Thank you that you love me despite my weakness, despite my failures.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:52:47]:
Lord, would you take the cup as a reminder? The breaking of your body for me. And, father, we're thankful that you want us to be free. You want us to not be defined by our failure, not to be defined by our sin, not to walk around just wounded till we get to heaven. But, lord, day by day, you want us to be changed and transformed. But, lord, what that means is that you have to mend us and heal us and cleanse us and forgive us. We're thankful That the blood is enough. Lord, that the blood Washes, cleanses, heals. We're thankful, lord.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:53:44]:
We wanna meet you in the midst of this elements that remind us of who you are, of what you've done, and we're thankful. It's enough for me. Would you take the cup as a Lord, we're reminded of your grace. We're thankful for the resurrection power, and that right now, the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in us. That, lord, you no longer see us through our faults and through our failures, you see us, lord, through your righteousness, and you say that we are righteous by our faith in Jesus. Thank you. We're thankful, lord, that you're leading us forward today, that we're different than when we came. Lord, we're being changed from glory to glory.

Pastor Glenn Yamaguchi [00:54:42]:
You said bit by bit and and moment by moment, but we're thankful you're always at work. God, we love you. We bless you. We give you honor, and we receive it today. In Jesus' name, god's people say, amen?