WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:05.160 I feel something so strongly in my spirit today, 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:09.359 and God spoke to me this week, and he brought 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:11.660 me back to this passage, and I just want to be 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:13.820 a blessing to somebody today. I want to minister. 00:00:14.839 --> 00:00:18.019 Mark 3, verse 1, it reads this way, and he entered 00:00:18.019 --> 00:00:20.820 the synagogue again, and a man was there who 00:00:20.820 --> 00:00:25.059 had a withered hand. So they watched him closely, 00:00:25.480 --> 00:00:31.100 whether he would heal him. on the Sabbath so 00:00:31.100 --> 00:00:36.619 that they might accuse him. And he said to the 00:00:36.619 --> 00:00:40.460 man who had the withered hand, step forward. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:46.740 Somebody say step forward. And he said to them, 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:49.780 is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to 00:00:49.780 --> 00:00:55.520 do evil, save life or to kill? But they kept 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:59.590 silent. And when he had looked around at them 00:00:59.590 --> 00:01:04.090 with anger, being grieved by the hardness of 00:01:04.090 --> 00:01:09.769 their hearts, he said to the man, stretch out 00:01:09.769 --> 00:01:16.329 your hand. And he stretched it out and his hand 00:01:16.329 --> 00:01:21.489 was restored as whole as the other. Today, I'm 00:01:21.489 --> 00:01:24.530 going to preach with God's help. Stretch out 00:01:24.530 --> 00:01:27.810 your hand. Stretch out your hand. Someone say, 00:01:27.909 --> 00:01:30.829 stretch out your hand. I'm going to invite you. 00:01:30.930 --> 00:01:33.109 I want you to unite with me in prayer right now 00:01:33.109 --> 00:01:36.290 for God to do the impossible in our midst. I'm 00:01:36.290 --> 00:01:37.709 going to invite you to close your eyes. If you 00:01:37.709 --> 00:01:39.530 want to lift your hands, you can do that. If 00:01:39.530 --> 00:01:41.510 you want to extend your hands this way, you can. 00:01:41.670 --> 00:01:44.390 But I want you to, with faith today, I want you 00:01:44.390 --> 00:01:47.609 to unite in prayer and let's believe God to do 00:01:47.609 --> 00:01:49.450 something in our midst. Father, we love you today. 00:01:49.530 --> 00:01:52.069 We thank you for your presence that is abiding 00:01:52.069 --> 00:01:55.409 in this place. You were waiting for us. The moment 00:01:55.409 --> 00:01:57.609 that we stepped in, you were already here, God. 00:01:58.370 --> 00:02:01.409 Father, but we're not just here just to sing 00:02:01.409 --> 00:02:05.129 and have a good time, but to be strengthened, 00:02:05.290 --> 00:02:08.870 changed, convicted, empowered by the word. And 00:02:08.870 --> 00:02:11.849 I pray, God, that you would anoint the ears and 00:02:11.849 --> 00:02:13.990 the hearing of all that are gathered today, God, 00:02:14.129 --> 00:02:15.969 so that this word would fall on good ground. 00:02:16.449 --> 00:02:20.509 Father, right now, I declare healing in this 00:02:20.509 --> 00:02:24.520 place. I declare restoration in this house right 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:28.379 now, God, of the mind, body, his soul, and spirit, 00:02:28.599 --> 00:02:31.840 God. God, from the crown of someone's head to 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:35.400 the soles of their feet, God, I declare emphatically, 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:39.400 Lord, restoration, God, and miracle power in 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:46.159 their life today. Oh, hallelujah, God, I declare 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:50.139 it, God, right now. And I bind, God, every spirit, 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:54.219 God, contrary, every foul, every resistance, 00:02:54.340 --> 00:02:58.780 Lord. In the name of Jesus, God, and I declare, 00:02:58.939 --> 00:03:02.699 God, that your will be done on earth as it is 00:03:02.699 --> 00:03:05.599 in heaven today, God. We live you, Lord. Why 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:08.080 don't we give God some glory right now? Come 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:13.580 on, why don't we praise God in advance? Hallelujah. 00:03:14.780 --> 00:03:18.199 Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, 00:03:18.199 --> 00:03:23.000 God. In Jesus' name, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. 00:03:23.060 --> 00:03:28.900 You may be seated in God's presence. Oh, hallelujah, 00:03:28.939 --> 00:03:33.039 Jesus. Help me today, Holy Ghost. The miracle 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:36.560 that we read in this text is probably familiar 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:40.740 to many of us, and it's certainly not the most 00:03:40.740 --> 00:03:46.659 dramatic miracle or healing that Jesus performed 00:03:46.659 --> 00:03:50.819 in his ministry. Here we have a nameless man 00:03:50.819 --> 00:03:56.840 who is not living with a life -threatening situation. 00:03:58.580 --> 00:04:03.719 There's no sense of urgency. It's not a race 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:07.539 against time like we've seen in other miracles 00:04:07.539 --> 00:04:10.919 that Jesus performed in which time was of the 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:17.300 essence. It was critical, urgent, or perhaps 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:24.980 Death had already come, but in this case, what 00:04:24.980 --> 00:04:28.740 we find is just an individual with a crippling 00:04:28.740 --> 00:04:34.300 dilemma in his life, a physical need that had 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:39.519 affected his entire way of life. But again, it 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:43.560 was one of those things where it wasn't life 00:04:43.560 --> 00:04:48.240 -threatening. He wasn't in ICU. He wasn't on 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:51.360 life support. They hadn't pronounced him dead. 00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:56.060 He just had a crippling problem in his life. 00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:01.180 He just had a withered hand. And he showed up 00:05:01.180 --> 00:05:05.519 that day to the synagogue, which was a place 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:11.480 to come and hear the word of God. It was a religious 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:16.149 place for the Jews to come and be taught. the 00:05:16.149 --> 00:05:18.610 Torah, we taught the law. And so he was there, 00:05:18.709 --> 00:05:23.370 perhaps like he had been every other Sabbath 00:05:23.370 --> 00:05:28.850 prior to that. The text would lead us to believe 00:05:28.850 --> 00:05:33.069 that the man had a habit of being there, that 00:05:33.069 --> 00:05:37.310 he was a regular attender, that he was someone 00:05:37.310 --> 00:05:42.069 who had the practice of being at the synagogue. 00:05:42.170 --> 00:05:47.009 And so in many respects, this was just, Any other 00:05:47.009 --> 00:05:50.310 Sabbath for him? Went through his routine and 00:05:50.310 --> 00:05:54.750 got ready, washed up, put on his Sabbath best, 00:05:54.990 --> 00:05:59.470 and went into the synagogue to hear the word. 00:06:00.110 --> 00:06:04.050 Perhaps he sat in his typical seat, did his normal 00:06:04.050 --> 00:06:08.990 routine, greeted people, did the thing that he 00:06:08.990 --> 00:06:12.389 normally does. All the while, he is cradling 00:06:12.389 --> 00:06:19.360 this secret. in his life and doesn't announce 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:24.240 to anybody that he's got a problem. Doesn't come 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:27.920 in, you know, seeking attention. In fact, the 00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:31.920 nature of his problem was one that he could hide 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:36.980 and perhaps mask from others knowing what was 00:06:36.980 --> 00:06:41.339 going on. It wasn't like he was incapacitated. 00:06:42.009 --> 00:06:45.149 It wasn't as if though he was blind and needed 00:06:45.149 --> 00:06:47.230 someone to guide him. There was nothing on the 00:06:47.230 --> 00:06:51.170 surface that would announce to the public or 00:06:51.170 --> 00:06:55.170 others that he had a need in his life. So he 00:06:55.170 --> 00:06:58.050 was able to just, I guess you could say, slip 00:06:58.050 --> 00:07:02.829 under the radar. Just come to the synagogue Sabbath 00:07:02.829 --> 00:07:08.990 after Sabbath and worship and listen and all 00:07:08.990 --> 00:07:13.939 the while. being broken at the same time. And 00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:16.040 if you think about it, it's not so different 00:07:16.040 --> 00:07:20.180 from what happens today, even in the church. 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:27.300 You know, it's possible to go to church Sunday 00:07:27.300 --> 00:07:31.459 after Sunday and still not get what you need 00:07:31.459 --> 00:07:36.379 from God and still be cradling something in your 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:40.540 life that has withered, that is hurting, That 00:07:40.540 --> 00:07:45.300 needs healing. Week after week, same routine 00:07:45.300 --> 00:07:48.480 like this man, and not be completely healed. 00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:56.199 Totally free or whole in your life. And after 00:07:56.199 --> 00:07:58.220 a while, what begins to happen, the longer you 00:07:58.220 --> 00:08:00.699 live with a condition, whether it's physical, 00:08:00.899 --> 00:08:04.620 mental, emotional, the longer you live with a 00:08:04.620 --> 00:08:07.720 condition, the more you begin to accept it, its 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:11.680 place in your life, you accommodate. You make 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:18.100 concessions for it. You excuse its presence in 00:08:18.100 --> 00:08:21.759 your life. You just learn to live with whatever 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:24.120 that is. You learn to live with that problem. 00:08:24.279 --> 00:08:28.620 You learn to live with that dilemma and just 00:08:28.620 --> 00:08:33.000 accept it as normal. This is just the way it 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:36.440 is. Like we say, you know, it is what it is, 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:41.500 right? This is just my lot in life. Maybe this 00:08:41.500 --> 00:08:44.259 is just the thorn that God won't remove, or this 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:47.940 is just my life. This is what I'm going to have 00:08:47.940 --> 00:08:52.379 to deal with. And so you get to a point as time 00:08:52.379 --> 00:08:55.460 goes on where, if we're being honest, you don't 00:08:55.460 --> 00:08:59.830 even expect anything to change anymore. Oh, I'm 00:08:59.830 --> 00:09:02.389 going to need some help today. You don't even 00:09:02.389 --> 00:09:05.789 expect it. You don't even pray for a miracle. 00:09:05.970 --> 00:09:09.789 You just stop asking or you stop believing. Your 00:09:09.789 --> 00:09:13.370 mind just kind of goes somewhere else, even when 00:09:13.370 --> 00:09:15.470 the preacher makes that altar call or even when 00:09:15.470 --> 00:09:20.330 that moment comes in front of you. It's just, 00:09:20.389 --> 00:09:23.909 you know, you learn to just sidestep or dodge. 00:09:24.110 --> 00:09:27.070 You know, that's not for me. That that's not 00:09:27.070 --> 00:09:29.450 my word or that's not because this is just my 00:09:29.450 --> 00:09:32.330 reality. And I'm just going to have to cradle 00:09:32.330 --> 00:09:34.389 this thing. I'm just going to have to deal with 00:09:34.389 --> 00:09:38.149 whatever this is. And so the longer time goes 00:09:38.149 --> 00:09:40.269 on, we just begin to accept those things. And 00:09:40.269 --> 00:09:42.710 I believe that that is probably what this man 00:09:42.710 --> 00:09:46.450 did. You know, not like he was complaining. He 00:09:46.450 --> 00:09:48.450 wasn't even calling out like others did. You 00:09:48.450 --> 00:09:50.789 know, son of David, have mercy on me. He just 00:09:50.789 --> 00:09:53.669 was minding his own business. Going to church, 00:09:53.789 --> 00:09:56.389 being a good, you know, just a good Sabbath attender 00:09:56.389 --> 00:09:59.850 and doing what he's supposed to do and probably 00:09:59.850 --> 00:10:02.429 not bothering anybody, minding his own business, 00:10:02.549 --> 00:10:05.529 you know, checking in, checking out. You know, 00:10:05.529 --> 00:10:08.870 he had his routine, and he was there not expecting 00:10:08.870 --> 00:10:11.710 anything to happen, but little did this man know 00:10:11.710 --> 00:10:15.889 that God had an appointment with him. Little 00:10:15.889 --> 00:10:18.860 did this man know that on that day, And then 00:10:18.860 --> 00:10:20.659 he woke up, brushed his teeth. Well, I don't 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:21.539 know if he brushed his teeth. Hopefully he did. 00:10:21.620 --> 00:10:23.960 Amen. Brushed his teeth. Amen. Combed his hair 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:26.580 with the good hand that he had. Or maybe his 00:10:26.580 --> 00:10:29.419 wife helped him. And we're going to go to church 00:10:29.419 --> 00:10:33.139 today. He just went out of religious duty. This 00:10:33.139 --> 00:10:34.899 is what we're supposed to do. This is what I've 00:10:34.899 --> 00:10:36.919 been taught to do. This is what I've been trained 00:10:36.919 --> 00:10:39.580 to do. So we're going to church. If he had kids, 00:10:39.820 --> 00:10:42.299 we're all going. Even if you don't want to, you're 00:10:42.299 --> 00:10:45.659 going. Get in the car. We're going to church. 00:10:45.779 --> 00:10:48.519 And so this was his mindset. But little did he 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:51.559 know that on that day, God had pointed him out. 00:10:51.580 --> 00:10:55.240 God had marked him. God had set that day aside. 00:10:55.379 --> 00:10:58.860 That on this day, it would be like no other day 00:10:58.860 --> 00:11:01.700 that had ever occurred in this man's life. Because 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:05.279 on this day, different than all the other days, 00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:09.379 Jesus was going to be in the house. And any time 00:11:09.379 --> 00:11:12.480 Jesus is in the house, my friend, that changes 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:15.700 everything. Oh, I wish I had a witness here today. 00:11:15.820 --> 00:11:19.500 I said that changes everything. When Jesus is 00:11:19.500 --> 00:11:22.480 in the house, let me tell somebody today, anything 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:26.059 can happen. I said anything could happen. Now, 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:28.700 if it's just me in the house, you might be disappointed. 00:11:28.899 --> 00:11:31.220 If it's just your neighbor in the house, that 00:11:31.220 --> 00:11:34.399 might fail you. But if Jesus is in the house, 00:11:34.539 --> 00:11:37.639 I don't care how big, how ugly, how problematic 00:11:37.639 --> 00:11:41.720 your situation is in your life. If Jesus is here, 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:47.909 anything is possible. So Jesus walked into the 00:11:47.909 --> 00:11:50.210 synagogue that day, not just to preach a sermon, 00:11:50.269 --> 00:11:52.809 but to perform a miracle, to heal and restore. 00:11:53.110 --> 00:11:55.230 But I want us to just kind of set the temperature 00:11:55.230 --> 00:11:58.629 for you in that room today, for you to understand 00:11:58.629 --> 00:12:03.360 that while this man's miracle or his need Doesn't 00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:07.139 rise to the level of urgency or importance as 00:12:07.139 --> 00:12:10.039 others that we read in the Gospels. There are 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:13.820 some surrounding circumstances in that synagogue 00:12:13.820 --> 00:12:17.820 on that day that almost counted him out. That 00:12:17.820 --> 00:12:21.940 almost got in the way between him and his restoration. 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:25.480 And so the background to the miracle, there's 00:12:25.480 --> 00:12:28.240 a few things to consider. I want us to consider 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:31.539 the religious background. The religious background. 00:12:32.509 --> 00:12:36.129 Because as we read, you cannot read this short 00:12:36.129 --> 00:12:39.070 passage, and it occurs in all the other Gospels. 00:12:39.090 --> 00:12:43.070 You cannot read this short passage, all the Gospels 00:12:43.070 --> 00:12:45.529 except for John. You cannot read this short passage 00:12:45.529 --> 00:12:48.490 and not, if you really invest in the reading 00:12:48.490 --> 00:12:51.309 of it, feel that there is some tension in the 00:12:51.309 --> 00:12:56.029 room. Almost so thick you can cut it with a knife. 00:12:56.730 --> 00:13:00.059 As Jesus walks into the synagogue. He immediately 00:13:00.059 --> 00:13:02.539 realized not everyone is happy that he's there 00:13:02.539 --> 00:13:06.639 that day. Not everyone is happy that he's there. 00:13:06.759 --> 00:13:09.500 There were some Pharisees that were in the synagogue 00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:13.299 that day, and these Pharisees were up to no good 00:13:13.299 --> 00:13:16.080 in the sense that they were not there to believe. 00:13:16.419 --> 00:13:18.820 They were not there to really learn or change 00:13:18.820 --> 00:13:23.159 or respond to the word. They were there to resist 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:27.909 and to find fault with what was going on. They 00:13:27.909 --> 00:13:32.210 were there as kind of like detectives and policemen 00:13:32.210 --> 00:13:36.070 to watch what was happening. And they were investing 00:13:36.070 --> 00:13:39.070 their time more into inspecting what was happening 00:13:39.070 --> 00:13:42.850 instead of benefiting from what was happening. 00:13:43.129 --> 00:13:46.450 And they wanted to catch Jesus. They wanted to 00:13:46.450 --> 00:13:49.289 catch him in a mistake so that they can accuse 00:13:49.289 --> 00:13:52.990 him of blasphemy. They can accuse him of whatever 00:13:52.990 --> 00:13:57.840 it is that would discredit his ministry. And 00:13:57.840 --> 00:14:02.019 these Pharisees were very religious people, ultra 00:14:02.019 --> 00:14:05.059 -religious, in fact. They were experts in the 00:14:05.059 --> 00:14:08.840 law. They knew it frontwards and backwards. These 00:14:08.840 --> 00:14:12.480 were people who invested their whole life into 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:17.159 studying, practicing, and regulating the laws 00:14:17.159 --> 00:14:20.899 of Moses. And so when Jesus steps into the scene, 00:14:21.470 --> 00:14:24.230 He obviously threatened to upend all of the things 00:14:24.230 --> 00:14:27.710 that these that these men who many of them were 00:14:27.710 --> 00:14:30.669 were hypocritical in their in their life, because, 00:14:30.690 --> 00:14:32.850 you know, while they were like policing others 00:14:32.850 --> 00:14:35.610 and being the you know, the the watchmen of the 00:14:35.610 --> 00:14:38.870 religious community were hiding dead men's bones, 00:14:39.049 --> 00:14:41.009 you know, behind them said they they had issues 00:14:41.009 --> 00:14:43.690 of their own that they were not publicizing. 00:14:43.769 --> 00:14:47.409 But but the case being they were there that day. 00:14:47.870 --> 00:14:50.830 And they wanted to catch Jesus in a mistake so 00:14:50.830 --> 00:14:52.730 that they can discredit him and accuse him and 00:14:52.730 --> 00:14:56.090 say, ha, he's not the man you think he is. And 00:14:56.090 --> 00:14:59.879 they were religious. And this was the context, 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:02.460 the religious context. Now, this is an important 00:15:02.460 --> 00:15:04.919 part of the story. We're going to get to some 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:08.620 of the good stuff later and the restoration and 00:15:08.620 --> 00:15:10.779 the miracle, but it's important to understand 00:15:10.779 --> 00:15:15.799 the forces that are at work in this story and 00:15:15.799 --> 00:15:20.179 how they were working against Jesus Christ. Now, 00:15:20.259 --> 00:15:22.620 there's nothing wrong with religion. Even the 00:15:22.620 --> 00:15:24.759 Scripture says that pure religion is undefiled 00:15:24.759 --> 00:15:29.100 before God. Amen. What happens, however, is that 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:33.200 religion can become bad if and when it misses 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:36.700 the higher mission of Christ. When we become 00:15:36.700 --> 00:15:41.360 so religious or so routined or predictable in 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:46.019 our spirituality that we try to put God in a 00:15:46.019 --> 00:15:51.019 box. Help me, whole legos today. We try to limit 00:15:51.019 --> 00:15:55.450 what God can do and how he can do it. Amen. And 00:15:55.450 --> 00:15:57.970 this is where religion can come bad because, 00:15:58.029 --> 00:16:00.289 you know, we can even become religious about 00:16:00.289 --> 00:16:04.529 our religion. We can become religious about, 00:16:04.649 --> 00:16:07.409 well, it's got to be this way and it's got to 00:16:07.409 --> 00:16:09.409 be that way and it's got to be. Now, God's a 00:16:09.409 --> 00:16:12.759 God of order. We understand that. But there comes 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:16.220 a point in time where God is God and he will 00:16:16.220 --> 00:16:19.240 at times move in such a way that doesn't always 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:23.639 line up or doesn't always move according to our 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:27.659 expectations. And so what Jesus did is he challenged 00:16:27.659 --> 00:16:31.000 these people. He said, is it lawful? Because 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:33.240 they had an issue with him working on the Sabbath 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:35.059 because that was supposed to be a day of rest, 00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:38.039 not supposed to do anything. So he asked them, 00:16:38.059 --> 00:16:42.350 is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good? Or to 00:16:42.350 --> 00:16:48.029 do evil. To save life or to kill. And he's posing 00:16:48.029 --> 00:16:51.769 this simple but profound question to them. Like, 00:16:51.769 --> 00:16:55.409 what is more important today? That we be strict, 00:16:55.789 --> 00:16:59.570 ardent followers of, you know, just by the letter 00:16:59.570 --> 00:17:03.289 of the law to the point that someone misses their 00:17:03.289 --> 00:17:07.630 miracle? And look, the Bible says they kept silent. 00:17:08.460 --> 00:17:11.180 They kept silent. Why? Because they knew the 00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:14.519 answer. But they didn't want to confess it. The 00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:18.359 answer was, well, of course it's okay to make 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:20.859 an exception sometimes. Of course it's okay. 00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:24.579 The law is not greater than a life being saved. 00:17:24.660 --> 00:17:27.099 And so they kept quiet. They didn't say nothing. 00:17:27.299 --> 00:17:30.500 No amens, no nothing. Not going to say nothing. 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:35.420 I'm not even going to wink at him. Because they 00:17:35.420 --> 00:17:38.599 knew in their hearts. that they were wrong but 00:17:38.599 --> 00:17:40.599 they couldn't they didn't want to they didn't 00:17:40.599 --> 00:17:42.619 want to project that because they had an image 00:17:42.619 --> 00:17:45.779 to uphold they had a persona they had this idea 00:17:45.779 --> 00:17:48.160 that they wanted that you know we're superior 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:53.299 we're better you see many times god wants to 00:17:53.299 --> 00:17:57.130 operate He wants to heal. He wants to deliver. 00:17:57.329 --> 00:17:59.089 This is where I'm going. I'm going somewhere 00:17:59.089 --> 00:18:01.670 with all of this. He wants to move. Amen, somebody. 00:18:02.009 --> 00:18:05.130 He wants to perform. He wants to move in our 00:18:05.130 --> 00:18:08.170 midst. He wants to deliver. He wants to set free. 00:18:08.650 --> 00:18:13.730 But the religious mindset can become an unbelieving 00:18:13.730 --> 00:18:17.710 mindset and says, well, now is not the right 00:18:17.710 --> 00:18:22.220 time. A religious mindset can become an unbelieving 00:18:22.220 --> 00:18:25.579 mindset that says, well, it's not the right Sunday. 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:32.059 You're not the right preacher. They didn't sing 00:18:32.059 --> 00:18:36.420 the right song. It's not the right temperature. 00:18:37.180 --> 00:18:41.140 It's not a revival weekend. They didn't bring 00:18:41.140 --> 00:18:43.740 the brother, you know, who does this or that. 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:47.039 It's not the right day. I'm not even wearing 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:51.140 the right outfit. Oh, my God. I didn't bring 00:18:51.140 --> 00:18:53.900 my running shoes today. Hallelujah. Well, you 00:18:53.900 --> 00:18:55.599 got to bring them in the car at least. Hallelujah. 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:01.619 You know, and we have all these parameters that 00:19:01.619 --> 00:19:04.900 we put. And what we're doing unknowingly is putting 00:19:04.900 --> 00:19:07.880 God in a box. And say, no, no, no, you can't 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:13.839 move. Not today. I got plans after service. God 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:16.960 can't move like that right now. You know, and 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:19.920 so we've. We've got all these things that could 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:23.900 get in the way of what God wants to do. And this 00:19:23.900 --> 00:19:27.000 is why we ought to, every time we come into the 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:33.220 house of God, have an open agenda. Amen. A blank 00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:37.740 slate for what God can do in our life. Because 00:19:37.740 --> 00:19:40.380 this could be the day. I feel this in the heart. 00:19:40.500 --> 00:19:43.599 This could be the day right now. Could be the 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:47.220 moment that God blesses you in such a way that 00:19:47.220 --> 00:19:50.759 erratically transforms the rest of your life. 00:19:50.920 --> 00:19:53.880 I wish I had a believer here this afternoon. 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:58.859 Clap your hands and give God some praise today. 00:20:03.079 --> 00:20:07.640 And so Jesus didn't fit into their paradigm, 00:20:08.059 --> 00:20:10.779 their box. And so that's why they rejected it. 00:20:11.309 --> 00:20:13.369 And there are other times Jesus could not perform 00:20:13.369 --> 00:20:15.950 many miracles in certain places because of the 00:20:15.950 --> 00:20:18.970 unbelief. And the same thing can happen today. 00:20:19.069 --> 00:20:21.190 So this is the background, the religious background 00:20:21.190 --> 00:20:24.289 that Jesus is in the middle. But even that cannot 00:20:24.289 --> 00:20:28.589 stop a move of God. I mean, he did get angry. 00:20:28.670 --> 00:20:30.109 You read it. Jesus got angry. He was grieved 00:20:30.109 --> 00:20:31.809 by the hardness of these people's hearts. He 00:20:31.809 --> 00:20:34.269 said, man, why are you resisting so much? And 00:20:34.269 --> 00:20:35.690 he got grieved. But he said, you know, I'm going 00:20:35.690 --> 00:20:38.250 to show you something anyhow. I'm going to show 00:20:38.250 --> 00:20:42.150 you I'm God. And so today, we're taking the limits 00:20:42.150 --> 00:20:45.470 off of God. Hallelujah. We're saying, God, our 00:20:45.470 --> 00:20:49.210 prayer needs to be, God, have your way. Do what 00:20:49.210 --> 00:20:51.809 you want to do, Lord, in my life. And then there 00:20:51.809 --> 00:20:55.809 are the personal things, personal background 00:20:55.809 --> 00:20:58.869 that this man is dealing with. And I told you 00:20:58.869 --> 00:21:04.710 that his need was not urgent or life -threatening, 00:21:04.769 --> 00:21:09.150 but it was still life -crippling. And for him, 00:21:10.380 --> 00:21:13.880 It was everything. This is the man who learned 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:16.640 how to function with a withered hand. Luke's 00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:19.779 gospel tells us it was his right hand. And he 00:21:19.779 --> 00:21:22.759 had accepted this condition, learned to live 00:21:22.759 --> 00:21:26.539 essentially with one hand tied behind his back. 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:31.259 And this hampered his life in several ways. I 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:34.400 want to point out a few of them for you today. 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:38.019 I could go kind of deep into each one, but I'll 00:21:38.019 --> 00:21:40.779 just sort of highlight them for you. to see how, 00:21:40.940 --> 00:21:44.680 regardless of how insignificant it seems on the 00:21:44.680 --> 00:21:50.839 surface, this man's life was affected. Missed 00:21:50.839 --> 00:21:54.539 opportunities. Missed opportunity. His calling 00:21:54.539 --> 00:22:00.140 and career, both secularly and religiously or 00:22:00.140 --> 00:22:03.960 spiritually, were crippled by his unused potential. 00:22:04.579 --> 00:22:07.880 You realize, just like today, many of the tools 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:11.089 are made. with a right -handed person in mind. 00:22:13.369 --> 00:22:15.809 I don't know how many left -handers I have out 00:22:15.809 --> 00:22:17.829 there. I know my son is one. We've got another 00:22:17.829 --> 00:22:21.069 over here. There's some stores where you can 00:22:21.069 --> 00:22:24.130 go and buy left -handed scissors. If you're a 00:22:24.130 --> 00:22:25.490 right -handed, you don't even think about that. 00:22:26.650 --> 00:22:29.970 Most scissors are made for right hands. You've 00:22:29.970 --> 00:22:31.910 got to buy left -handed scissors to do that. 00:22:34.190 --> 00:22:37.430 And back then, everything was made for the right 00:22:37.430 --> 00:22:41.500 hand. So, unless he had custom -made tools and 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:44.460 all that, which I doubt he did, he was limited. 00:22:45.220 --> 00:22:48.460 Made it impossible for him to fulfill his potential 00:22:48.460 --> 00:22:52.180 and his calling, even if he can think it, dream 00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:56.039 it, imagine it. He couldn't materialize it in 00:22:56.039 --> 00:22:58.819 his life because he had one hand tied behind 00:22:58.819 --> 00:23:01.539 his back. Some of you today are dealing with 00:23:01.539 --> 00:23:03.799 something that's withering your sense of purpose 00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:07.420 and your potential. You say, ah. Now, pastor, 00:23:07.539 --> 00:23:11.140 it's nothing but, is it? Because are you living 00:23:11.140 --> 00:23:14.259 life with one spiritual hand tied behind your 00:23:14.259 --> 00:23:18.660 back? Oh, my God. Unable to reach your potential 00:23:18.660 --> 00:23:22.299 in the Lord. Secondly is his relationships were 00:23:22.299 --> 00:23:26.460 affected. The right hand, just like it is today 00:23:26.460 --> 00:23:29.380 in many cases, is the hand that we extend to 00:23:29.380 --> 00:23:35.359 greet, to shake someone's hand, to offer a hand. 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:39.839 And without that hand, it limited his ability 00:23:39.839 --> 00:23:43.500 in social situations. Imagine every time somebody 00:23:43.500 --> 00:23:47.339 put out their hand to greet him. Hey, God bless 00:23:47.339 --> 00:23:50.519 you, brother so -and -so. And he's like, oh, 00:23:50.619 --> 00:23:53.079 you know, he doesn't know about my other hand. 00:23:54.039 --> 00:23:57.259 Imagine the awkwardness. So what does someone 00:23:57.259 --> 00:24:00.759 like that begin to do? Avoid situations where 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:05.339 they have to shake people's hands. So he's probably 00:24:05.339 --> 00:24:09.440 the... First one to leave. Why? To avoid having 00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:14.900 to talk about, explain the hand. Then I got to 00:24:14.900 --> 00:24:17.880 go into the whole story of how it happened. I'd 00:24:17.880 --> 00:24:20.769 rather not even get into it. I'd rather just, 00:24:20.829 --> 00:24:23.910 you know, avoid it. And so imagine his relationships 00:24:23.910 --> 00:24:26.470 were strained because of that hand. Ah, now we're 00:24:26.470 --> 00:24:28.670 starting to see how this could have isolated 00:24:28.670 --> 00:24:31.849 him in some ways and kept him guarded and lonely 00:24:31.849 --> 00:24:35.450 and afraid to be, you know, misunderstood or 00:24:35.450 --> 00:24:39.130 judged or shamed because of that hand. And maybe 00:24:39.130 --> 00:24:41.569 there is somebody today that because of the crippling 00:24:41.569 --> 00:24:44.009 problem in your life, physically, spiritually, 00:24:44.230 --> 00:24:47.549 mentally, it has limited your ability to connect 00:24:47.549 --> 00:24:50.190 in fellowship and relationship. and connection 00:24:50.190 --> 00:24:53.289 with other people, with the body of Christ, with 00:24:53.289 --> 00:24:55.130 your loved ones, with your spouse, with your 00:24:55.130 --> 00:24:57.730 family, with your children. But let me tell you, 00:24:57.750 --> 00:25:00.630 when God restores that area of your life, it'll 00:25:00.630 --> 00:25:04.750 restore everything else in your life. Your relationships 00:25:04.750 --> 00:25:08.349 will get restored. Your marriage can be restored. 00:25:08.769 --> 00:25:15.529 Hallelujah. Even his worship is affected by it. 00:25:16.369 --> 00:25:23.660 Think of it. He couldn't lift both hands. We 00:25:23.660 --> 00:25:26.940 take that for granted, don't we? The worship 00:25:26.940 --> 00:25:29.240 leader said, lift your hands. And our hands go 00:25:29.240 --> 00:25:33.519 up. Imagine when they said lift your hands. You 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:35.319 see the scriptures all throughout the Psalms. 00:25:35.319 --> 00:25:38.859 There were Psalms and there was times of rejoicing, 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:40.960 lifting up of the hands. And when it's time to 00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:45.259 lift the hands, well, he's only got one. And 00:25:45.259 --> 00:25:48.180 I think God accepted that one hand. I don't think 00:25:48.180 --> 00:25:51.859 God rejected his worship because he only had 00:25:51.859 --> 00:25:54.779 one hand to lift, but this is more about how 00:25:54.779 --> 00:25:57.980 the man felt about it. The fact that, man, I 00:25:57.980 --> 00:26:01.220 really wish I could give God more of my worship. 00:26:01.359 --> 00:26:04.160 I envy the way that brother lifts up both hands, 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:07.319 holy hands in the synagogue. I envy the way that 00:26:07.319 --> 00:26:10.160 family holds hands. Oh, you see, the husband's 00:26:10.160 --> 00:26:12.500 got one hand in the air, and then he holds his 00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:15.400 wife with the other hand. Oh, I wish I could 00:26:15.400 --> 00:26:17.480 do that. But he couldn't do any of those things. 00:26:17.559 --> 00:26:20.259 Why? Because he had a withered hand and it affected 00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:23.000 his ability to worship God the way that he really 00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:25.259 wanted you. And I said, maybe somebody today 00:26:25.259 --> 00:26:28.019 feels spiritually stuck like you're giving God 00:26:28.019 --> 00:26:30.819 incomplete worship. I really were. I can really 00:26:30.819 --> 00:26:33.880 worship the way that I want to. I wish I can 00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:36.920 really give God more of my praise and more of 00:26:36.920 --> 00:26:39.420 my worship. But this problem, this crippling 00:26:39.420 --> 00:26:42.400 thing in my heart, in my life, in my spirit is 00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:45.529 not allowing me to give. the real worship that 00:26:45.529 --> 00:26:49.029 I want to give him. Oh, but today you can lift 00:26:49.029 --> 00:26:52.730 up whatever worship you've got. You can give 00:26:52.730 --> 00:26:55.869 God even in the midst of your pain, even in the 00:26:55.869 --> 00:26:59.450 midst of your problem, and you'll watch how God 00:26:59.450 --> 00:27:02.329 will begin to move in the other areas of your 00:27:02.329 --> 00:27:07.500 life. But when God restores you... When God heals 00:27:07.500 --> 00:27:09.680 that withered place in your life and in your 00:27:09.680 --> 00:27:11.900 heart and in your car, when God heals it, he's 00:27:11.900 --> 00:27:13.960 going to restore your ability to worship him 00:27:13.960 --> 00:27:16.339 in a whole new dimension. Worship him. Can you 00:27:16.339 --> 00:27:19.019 imagine the next Sabbath he went to church? Can 00:27:19.019 --> 00:27:21.220 you imagine? He was probably like this, jazz 00:27:21.220 --> 00:27:23.680 hands, right? He's like, I'm back. Can you imagine 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:26.839 his hands? Who's that brother back there? I don't 00:27:26.839 --> 00:27:28.839 know who he is. He kind of looked like brother 00:27:28.839 --> 00:27:31.099 so -and -so from last week. He said, yeah, but 00:27:31.099 --> 00:27:33.279 he's got both hands lifted, and he won't stop 00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:36.349 shaking them. Hey, when God. heals your life, 00:27:36.430 --> 00:27:39.329 when he heals your heart, you worship him in 00:27:39.329 --> 00:27:44.930 no other way. Somebody bless him right now. Somebody 00:27:44.930 --> 00:27:50.359 lift up the name of Jesus today. Just give me 00:27:50.359 --> 00:27:52.680 a few more moments of your time. Hallelujah. 00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:56.319 Broken blessings. I'll try to go a little quicker 00:27:56.319 --> 00:27:58.180 through these ones. The right hand was the hand 00:27:58.180 --> 00:28:00.339 used to transfer blessings throughout the Old 00:28:00.339 --> 00:28:03.039 Testament. This was the Hebrew custom that fathers 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:05.180 would bless and would transfer wealth and all 00:28:05.180 --> 00:28:07.839 sorts of things. Even financial transactions 00:28:07.839 --> 00:28:10.819 were done with the right hand. Signatures with 00:28:10.819 --> 00:28:13.119 the right hand. And so without his right hand, 00:28:13.200 --> 00:28:17.539 he is limited in his ability to give, to impart, 00:28:18.019 --> 00:28:21.259 and to bless. And maybe perhaps you feel that 00:28:21.259 --> 00:28:23.779 way today. Oh, but God wants to restore your 00:28:23.779 --> 00:28:26.420 ability to bless again. He wants to restore your 00:28:26.420 --> 00:28:29.779 ability. Hallelujah. When he heals you, the door 00:28:29.779 --> 00:28:31.920 to being a blessing is going to be reopened in 00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:35.180 your life. Oh, hallelujah. And let's get to the 00:28:35.180 --> 00:28:38.839 last one, which was strength. He had a loss of 00:28:38.839 --> 00:28:41.720 strength. In the Bible, the right hand was symbolic 00:28:41.720 --> 00:28:45.660 of power and authority. Oh, the right hand. The 00:28:45.660 --> 00:28:48.400 Bible says Jesus sitting at the right hand of 00:28:48.400 --> 00:28:51.289 God. There's something about the right hand that 00:28:51.289 --> 00:28:54.910 represents salvation and power and authority. 00:28:55.470 --> 00:28:58.569 And when that hand was withered in his life, 00:28:58.769 --> 00:29:02.430 it represented a withering of strength and power 00:29:02.430 --> 00:29:06.190 in his life. This man felt powerless. He felt 00:29:06.190 --> 00:29:10.809 enabled in his life and in his home. But the 00:29:10.809 --> 00:29:14.109 moment that God began to restore him on that 00:29:14.109 --> 00:29:17.910 day, all of a sudden his power came back. of 00:29:17.910 --> 00:29:20.170 a sudden, he's got a renewed sense of strength 00:29:20.170 --> 00:29:23.970 in his life. All of a sudden, he believes, I'm 00:29:23.970 --> 00:29:26.849 not just going to barely hang on anymore. I'm 00:29:26.849 --> 00:29:29.309 not just going to barely make it anymore. I'm 00:29:29.309 --> 00:29:31.289 not just going to be hanging on by a spiritual 00:29:31.289 --> 00:29:34.809 thread anymore. I'm going to rise up. Hallelujah. 00:29:35.170 --> 00:29:38.890 He shall renew my strength. I'm going to walk 00:29:38.890 --> 00:29:42.369 and not be weary. I'm going to run and not faint. 00:29:42.890 --> 00:29:46.079 That's my God. He shall give me the strength 00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:49.519 of eagles wings. And these are the things that 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:52.559 would come back to his life in these moments 00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:57.700 that God was there in. in the synagogue to deliver 00:29:57.700 --> 00:30:01.680 him, to restore him. Oh, there is so much we 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:05.420 can look at these things, so many things that 00:30:05.420 --> 00:30:08.740 we can relate to our own life, but the keys to 00:30:08.740 --> 00:30:13.319 receiving our miracle today, the key, number 00:30:13.319 --> 00:30:17.259 one, is you got to step out. Somebody say, step 00:30:17.259 --> 00:30:22.339 out. Come on, shout, step out. The Bible says 00:30:22.339 --> 00:30:25.119 that he said to the man who had a withered hand, 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:29.400 step forward. In other words, if you want what 00:30:29.400 --> 00:30:32.339 I want to give to you, if you want to be restored 00:30:32.339 --> 00:30:35.259 in your hand, if you want to be restored in your 00:30:35.259 --> 00:30:37.660 life, then you're going to have to step out from 00:30:37.660 --> 00:30:39.900 where you are. You're going to have to step out 00:30:39.900 --> 00:30:41.799 of the place where you've been. You're going 00:30:41.799 --> 00:30:45.440 to have to step out of your predictable routine 00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:47.920 that you've been used to. You're going to have 00:30:47.920 --> 00:30:50.720 to step out of the same seat and the same room. 00:30:50.920 --> 00:30:53.079 and the same people that you've been around. 00:30:53.299 --> 00:30:55.259 You're going to have to step out of the familiar 00:30:55.259 --> 00:30:58.099 ritual, step out of your predictable behavior. 00:30:58.539 --> 00:31:00.740 In other words, you're going to have to do something 00:31:00.740 --> 00:31:03.500 different that you're not accustomed to doing. 00:31:03.619 --> 00:31:06.440 You see, so many times we want God to bless us 00:31:06.440 --> 00:31:09.839 and move upon our lives, but we want him to do 00:31:09.839 --> 00:31:13.019 it on our terms. We want him to do it in a way 00:31:13.019 --> 00:31:16.420 that brings minimal disruption and minimal convenience 00:31:16.420 --> 00:31:19.799 to our lives. But God said, if you're going to 00:31:19.799 --> 00:31:22.500 be here, If your mind and your spirit and your 00:31:22.500 --> 00:31:25.420 body is going to be set free today, then you've 00:31:25.420 --> 00:31:27.920 got to be willing to step forward. You've got 00:31:27.920 --> 00:31:30.440 to be willing to put it all on the line. You've 00:31:30.440 --> 00:31:33.099 got to be willing to say, God, I'm willing for 00:31:33.099 --> 00:31:38.920 you to bless me today. So many times we miss 00:31:38.920 --> 00:31:41.660 what God's wanting to do, not because he's unwilling, 00:31:41.980 --> 00:31:46.079 but because we're unwilling to be obedient. When 00:31:46.079 --> 00:31:49.180 God says step out, you've got to step out. Oh, 00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:51.740 hallelujah. Can't tell you how many times I've 00:31:51.740 --> 00:31:55.200 seen people miss divine moments with God, miss 00:31:55.200 --> 00:31:59.059 holy moments, sacred moments of healing and deliverance 00:31:59.059 --> 00:32:01.059 simply because they don't want to do anything 00:32:01.059 --> 00:32:03.900 different than what they normally do. You say, 00:32:03.940 --> 00:32:06.039 well, why can't God just bless me where I am? 00:32:06.140 --> 00:32:08.380 Can I preach like I want? here today, somebody 00:32:08.380 --> 00:32:11.440 say, go ahead. Why can't God just bless me where 00:32:11.440 --> 00:32:15.599 I am? That's just not how God works. You got 00:32:15.599 --> 00:32:18.599 to talk to Naaman. And Naaman, if you want to 00:32:18.599 --> 00:32:21.519 ask Naaman, how do you get rid of your leprosy, 00:32:21.519 --> 00:32:23.720 Naaman? He said, well, you're going to have to 00:32:23.720 --> 00:32:27.059 step into the river, my friend. You're going 00:32:27.059 --> 00:32:29.619 to have to put down your prestige. You're going 00:32:29.619 --> 00:32:32.079 to have to lower your power. You're going to 00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:35.200 have to remove all your garments and step into 00:32:35.200 --> 00:32:37.839 the river and do something a little different 00:32:37.839 --> 00:32:41.460 when God says to do it. Bartimaeus, do you want 00:32:41.460 --> 00:32:44.599 to see again? You betcha. I want my sight back. 00:32:44.799 --> 00:32:47.319 Well, you're going to have to throw aside your 00:32:47.319 --> 00:32:50.960 garment if you want to get your sight back. Bartimaeus, 00:32:50.960 --> 00:32:54.519 lame man at the pool. Jesus said, do you want 00:32:54.519 --> 00:32:58.640 to be made? And he said, yes, I do. He said, 00:32:58.700 --> 00:33:05.119 arise, pick up your bed and walk. The Holy Ghost 00:33:05.119 --> 00:33:07.420 is calling somebody out today. I wish you would 00:33:07.420 --> 00:33:09.720 pray in the spirit. He's calling somebody out 00:33:09.720 --> 00:33:12.180 today. He's calling you out of your conformity. 00:33:12.279 --> 00:33:14.859 He's calling you out of your comfort. He's calling 00:33:14.859 --> 00:33:18.039 you out of your boundaries. God is saying, if 00:33:18.039 --> 00:33:20.220 you want a different outcome, then you've got 00:33:20.220 --> 00:33:23.660 to do something different. Don't be so predictable. 00:33:23.700 --> 00:33:26.279 Come on, hallelujah. Don't just sit back and 00:33:26.279 --> 00:33:29.000 wait for something to happen. Your God is in 00:33:29.000 --> 00:33:32.180 this place, and he's saying, step out! From among 00:33:32.180 --> 00:33:35.759 them. Come on, can we pray just for a moment? 00:33:35.980 --> 00:33:38.660 As the keyboard comes and gets ready. Come on, 00:33:38.660 --> 00:33:41.119 can we worship the Lord for a moment right now? 00:33:41.180 --> 00:33:42.559 I'm going to invite somebody right now. Come 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:45.119 on. Why don't you begin to entertain his presence 00:33:45.119 --> 00:33:47.480 right now? Come on, hallelujah. Come on, God's 00:33:47.480 --> 00:33:49.460 talking to you. Why don't you begin to worship 00:33:49.460 --> 00:33:51.980 him right now? Why don't somebody in this house 00:33:51.980 --> 00:33:54.559 begin to heed? Come on. Why don't you begin to 00:33:54.559 --> 00:33:57.400 heed the word of the Lord and begin to respond 00:33:57.400 --> 00:34:03.230 in stepping out? your son. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 00:34:03.309 --> 00:34:08.010 Come on. God is working right now. I know it's 00:34:08.010 --> 00:34:11.190 hard in here. I know it's not this and it's not 00:34:11.190 --> 00:34:17.349 that. But God is working right now. Come on. 00:34:17.369 --> 00:34:19.750 Come on. I need somebody to go there in the spirit 00:34:19.750 --> 00:34:29.429 right now. Oh, my God. My God. My God. Somebody 00:34:29.429 --> 00:34:35.849 right now. God's calling you to step out. I don't 00:34:35.849 --> 00:34:38.150 know what it is, brother or sister, but you've 00:34:38.150 --> 00:34:40.329 got to step out of that mindset that you've been 00:34:40.329 --> 00:34:42.769 in. Some of you have been in a spiritual funk. 00:34:42.889 --> 00:34:45.530 You need to step out of that funk today. You 00:34:45.530 --> 00:34:47.349 need to say, I'm not going to let another Sunday 00:34:47.349 --> 00:34:52.010 go by and not get my miracle. I'm not going to 00:34:52.010 --> 00:34:54.869 let another Sunday go by and me not get healed 00:34:54.869 --> 00:34:59.260 in my mind or in my body. my God, I've got to 00:34:59.260 --> 00:35:01.940 step out. I'm not willing for this moment to 00:35:01.940 --> 00:35:08.340 pass me by. You said, brother, why is it so important, 00:35:08.460 --> 00:35:10.679 brother Jacob? I'll tell you why. It's about 00:35:10.679 --> 00:35:13.420 obedience, brother. It's about obedience, sister. 00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:16.139 Imagine if the man had just sat there and said, 00:35:16.179 --> 00:35:19.199 well, I heard what the preacher said, but I'm 00:35:19.199 --> 00:35:22.579 not going to get up because why should I anyways? 00:35:23.340 --> 00:35:30.110 I'm comfortable right where I am. Oh, when Jesus 00:35:30.110 --> 00:35:33.889 says, Sammy, this man said, whoa, I've got to 00:35:33.889 --> 00:35:36.710 step out. I can't be I can't be joking around 00:35:36.710 --> 00:35:39.090 with God. I can't be playing games with God. 00:35:39.230 --> 00:35:41.690 I can't be, you know, you know, playing hard 00:35:41.690 --> 00:35:44.869 to get with God. And so he steps up. And then 00:35:44.869 --> 00:35:47.590 the second key is this. Not only must you step 00:35:47.590 --> 00:35:50.449 out today, brother or sister, who shot. How many 00:35:50.449 --> 00:35:52.429 of you feel the Holy Ghost right now? Come on. 00:35:52.449 --> 00:35:53.969 Come on. Hallelujah. Do I got a real witness? 00:35:54.230 --> 00:35:57.380 You feel the Holy Ghost today? Not only do you 00:35:57.380 --> 00:35:59.780 got to step out, you also got to stretch out. 00:35:59.820 --> 00:36:06.719 Someone say stretch out. Jesus said, all right, 00:36:06.800 --> 00:36:09.920 now that you've stepped out, now that you've 00:36:09.920 --> 00:36:13.019 stepped forward, you've put yourself in a position 00:36:13.019 --> 00:36:23.579 to receive. Now you've got to take that withered 00:36:23.579 --> 00:36:28.599 hand. Take that thing, brother or sister, that 00:36:28.599 --> 00:36:32.900 you've been hiding. Take that problem, that crippling 00:36:32.900 --> 00:36:44.880 problem. You got to stretch it out. I'm sorry. 00:36:46.139 --> 00:36:48.920 But you're going to have to become vulnerable. 00:36:50.780 --> 00:36:53.280 I killed it for somebody right there when I said 00:36:53.280 --> 00:36:56.139 that. Pastor, you had me until you said that. 00:36:56.539 --> 00:37:03.019 But you got to become vulnerable. Imagine what 00:37:03.019 --> 00:37:08.900 this man was feeling. Like, Jesus, can you just, 00:37:08.900 --> 00:37:12.420 like, heal me undercover? You want me to do what? 00:37:12.980 --> 00:37:15.820 You want me to put my business out there for 00:37:15.820 --> 00:37:20.599 everybody? You want to put my hand, my withered 00:37:20.599 --> 00:37:27.230 hand, my weakness, my struggle, my pain? My condition. 00:37:29.130 --> 00:37:33.010 Lord, I'm the one who prays for people I don't 00:37:33.010 --> 00:37:38.889 get prayed for. And that's the problem. Sometimes 00:37:38.889 --> 00:37:45.849 we need God to touch us. So he extends his hand 00:37:45.849 --> 00:37:51.050 and watch as he extends his hand. Jesus didn't 00:37:51.050 --> 00:37:53.719 have to pray again. Jesus said, okay, church, 00:37:53.820 --> 00:37:55.280 now I want everybody to hold hands and we're 00:37:55.280 --> 00:37:57.280 going to shout real loud. You know how we do 00:37:57.280 --> 00:37:59.199 it in Pentecostals, right? He didn't do none 00:37:59.199 --> 00:38:02.960 of that. As the hand went out, the dude was like, 00:38:03.099 --> 00:38:11.099 oh, OMG. My hand is as whole as the other. Would 00:38:11.099 --> 00:38:14.820 you stand on your feet today? Can I tell you 00:38:14.820 --> 00:38:18.300 this afternoon that if you'll just step out in 00:38:18.300 --> 00:38:32.820 faith today, God says, show me. that sick show 00:38:32.820 --> 00:38:42.000 me the part of your life that needs to be healed 00:38:42.000 --> 00:38:45.480 that needs to be restored that needs to be revived 00:38:45.480 --> 00:38:50.099 that needs to be whole again show me stretch 00:38:50.099 --> 00:38:50.780 it out