WEBVTT 00:00:01.229 --> 00:00:05.549 Scripture declares in 2 Corinthians 4 and 7, 00:00:05.790 --> 00:00:11.289 but we have this treasure in earthen vessels 00:00:11.289 --> 00:00:17.230 that the excellency of the power may be of God 00:00:17.230 --> 00:00:24.649 and not of us. The Lord dropped that verse in 00:00:24.649 --> 00:00:28.949 my spirit as we were worshiping and it reminded 00:00:28.949 --> 00:00:36.179 me that are undeserving. We are unqualified to 00:00:36.179 --> 00:00:44.340 be the vessel, the earthen, flawed, broken, imperfect 00:00:44.340 --> 00:00:51.079 vessel to house, to inhabit the presence of God. 00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:56.200 But yet God would tell all the angels of heaven, 00:00:56.420 --> 00:01:04.579 hallelujah, to hush. At the sound of your praise 00:01:04.579 --> 00:01:09.540 and your worship. Because God chose to dwell 00:01:09.540 --> 00:01:14.680 within us so that he could get all the glory 00:01:14.680 --> 00:01:19.000 and that the power, hallelujah, and the excellency 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:21.659 would be of him. I don't know about you today. 00:01:44.170 --> 00:01:49.209 that it's not us. Hallelujah. It's not us. It's 00:01:49.209 --> 00:01:52.810 not what we can offer so much as what he has 00:01:52.810 --> 00:01:57.329 already given to us. It's not our talent. It's 00:01:57.329 --> 00:02:00.090 not our ability. It's not our skill. It's none 00:02:00.090 --> 00:02:02.909 of those things. It's not our wealth. It's not 00:02:02.909 --> 00:02:07.530 our status, our position, our name in this world. 00:02:07.590 --> 00:02:11.289 None of those things. It's the excellency of 00:02:11.289 --> 00:02:17.740 the power of God. Resting in us. And that's why 00:02:17.740 --> 00:02:22.900 today we can rejoice. Hallelujah. We can thank 00:02:22.900 --> 00:02:25.879 him. We can glorify him. I wonder if there's 00:02:25.879 --> 00:02:29.060 somebody right now, if you would join me in putting 00:02:29.060 --> 00:02:31.719 your hands together for the King of Kings and 00:02:31.719 --> 00:02:54.979 the Lord. Praise him, you may dismiss that. God, 00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:59.719 I feel something. I feel something. God is working 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:13.039 right now. Oh, hallelujah. You see, oh, hallelujah. 00:03:13.780 --> 00:03:16.319 Something is happening. The church is coming. 00:03:22.030 --> 00:03:28.430 than just an average Sunday service. Anybody 00:03:28.430 --> 00:03:35.409 here want more? I said, is anybody here want 00:03:35.409 --> 00:03:41.729 more? I want more. I want more of God. I want 00:03:41.729 --> 00:03:48.370 more of His presence. Oh, Jesus. Get ready, church. 00:03:49.590 --> 00:03:52.340 Get ready, because God... God's about to deposit 00:03:52.340 --> 00:03:56.439 more into our life. But I want you to understand 00:03:56.439 --> 00:04:00.659 that more, when we say more, I want more of God. 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:04.060 I want more. That is an open -ended request. 00:04:05.620 --> 00:04:10.000 And it puts God in a place where he will decide 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:13.479 what more looks like and what we need more of. 00:04:15.479 --> 00:04:18.500 It's not always more glory, more anointing. Sometimes 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:21.439 it's... You know, it's more grace, and sometimes 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:25.800 it's more correction. Sometimes it's more love. 00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:29.639 Sometimes it's more forgiveness. But I want more, 00:04:29.660 --> 00:04:39.480 God. I want more today. Thank you, Jesus. Just 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:41.639 thank God for his presence one more time. I just, 00:04:41.699 --> 00:04:53.769 oh, thank you, Jesus. going to kind of hasten 00:04:53.769 --> 00:04:55.910 the time today I feel something in my spirit 00:04:55.910 --> 00:05:00.350 we're going to progress in our service and move 00:05:00.350 --> 00:05:03.730 beyond our normal routine at this hour because 00:05:03.730 --> 00:05:07.850 God has placed a mission in me today not simply 00:05:07.850 --> 00:05:10.509 to preach a message but to transfer a burden 00:05:10.509 --> 00:05:17.329 to whomever is willing to catch it and I want 00:05:17.329 --> 00:05:20.810 to invite you Open up your hearts to the word 00:05:20.810 --> 00:05:25.410 of the Lord today. Samuel, 1 Samuel chapter 30. 00:05:27.230 --> 00:05:33.329 I feel to just go right into the word right now. 00:05:33.430 --> 00:05:39.930 I just, hallelujah, hallelujah. Samuel, amen. 00:05:41.189 --> 00:05:46.009 1 Samuel chapter 30, amen. We're going to pray 00:05:46.009 --> 00:05:49.670 after I read the scripture again. I want to read 00:05:49.670 --> 00:06:00.029 for you something the Lord has been working in 00:06:00.029 --> 00:06:07.470 my spirit and speaking to me about. Amen. Challenging 00:06:07.470 --> 00:06:12.250 me about. And I want us to read now verse 11. 00:06:13.410 --> 00:06:16.790 Then they found an Egyptian in the field and 00:06:16.790 --> 00:06:21.209 brought him to David. And they gave him bread 00:06:21.209 --> 00:06:27.930 and he ate. And they gave him water to drink. 00:06:29.069 --> 00:06:33.490 They gave him a piece of cake of figs and two 00:06:33.490 --> 00:06:37.990 clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his 00:06:37.990 --> 00:06:46.089 strength came back to him. For he had eaten no 00:06:46.089 --> 00:06:54.079 bread. for three days and three nights. Then 00:06:54.079 --> 00:07:00.680 David said to him, to whom do you belong? And 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:07.100 where are you from? And he said, I am a young 00:07:07.100 --> 00:07:15.519 man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite. And 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:25.699 my master, has left me behind. My master has 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:31.500 left me behind. Because three days ago I fell 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:38.620 sick. Verse 15, then David said to him, can you 00:07:38.620 --> 00:07:45.240 take me down to this troop? Going to, with the 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:49.500 help of the Lord today, Deliver this word into 00:07:49.500 --> 00:07:53.300 your hearts and spirits that I'm entitling, No 00:07:53.300 --> 00:08:03.139 One Left Behind. No one left behind. Let's pray. 00:08:03.220 --> 00:08:06.379 Father, I thank you for your spirit that is here. 00:08:06.420 --> 00:08:12.620 God, we are at an impasse, at a crossroad in 00:08:12.620 --> 00:08:20.970 the spirit today. another Sunday worship service. 00:08:22.430 --> 00:08:27.870 But God, you've appointed this time especially 00:08:27.870 --> 00:08:35.909 to speak, to challenge, to share with us your 00:08:35.909 --> 00:08:38.730 heart. And I pray that that's what would happen, 00:08:38.830 --> 00:08:42.730 God, that every one of our hearts would feel 00:08:42.730 --> 00:08:58.350 what you feel. That what makes you weep would 00:08:58.350 --> 00:09:03.110 make us weep. That what excites you would excite 00:09:03.110 --> 00:09:09.429 us. I pray God for a special unction of the Holy 00:09:09.429 --> 00:09:13.350 Ghost, not just upon my lips, God, but upon every 00:09:13.350 --> 00:09:17.629 ear that has an ear to hear in this place. Lord, 00:09:17.769 --> 00:09:21.690 speak to your church and be glorified, God, at 00:09:21.690 --> 00:09:25.029 this moment. God, and we will not hold back. 00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:28.980 to respond to the word, God. We're going to go 00:09:28.980 --> 00:09:33.500 beyond what we normally do. If you call us to 00:09:33.500 --> 00:09:35.539 an altar, God, we're going to an altar today. 00:09:36.460 --> 00:09:38.679 If you speak to us, God, we're not just going 00:09:38.679 --> 00:09:42.320 to be hearers of the word, but doers also. Father, 00:09:42.460 --> 00:09:47.279 in the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. Somebody 00:09:47.279 --> 00:09:53.000 with faith today, say amen. Clap your hands unto 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:56.679 the Lord one more time. Before you are seated 00:09:56.679 --> 00:10:03.019 in the presence of God. Amen. I feel something 00:10:03.019 --> 00:10:08.460 so profound in my spirit today. I would invite 00:10:08.460 --> 00:10:11.460 you for the moments that we have, church, to 00:10:11.460 --> 00:10:18.419 just allow God to speak directly into your spirit. 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:24.809 There is a deeply held ethos within. military 00:10:24.809 --> 00:10:32.309 culture that says no man left behind. And some 00:10:32.309 --> 00:10:35.710 of you who have in the past or currently serving 00:10:35.710 --> 00:10:39.889 in the armed forces have probably have heard 00:10:39.889 --> 00:10:42.950 this spoken in one way or another. This unofficial 00:10:42.950 --> 00:10:46.610 creed embraced by soldiers and servicemen alike 00:10:46.610 --> 00:10:53.090 means that no member of their unit will be abandoned. 00:10:53.899 --> 00:11:01.460 even if wounded or killed in battle. It's an 00:11:01.460 --> 00:11:05.320 unshakable commitment to bring every comrade 00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:10.480 home, even if it means risking your own life 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:20.029 to do it. I am inspired by that today. I know 00:11:20.029 --> 00:11:23.269 that it is a military ethos, but I also believe 00:11:23.269 --> 00:11:29.250 it's a spiritual ethos as well. In many ways, 00:11:29.250 --> 00:11:34.029 life is its own battlefield. Amen, somebody. 00:11:36.309 --> 00:11:42.309 Everyday souls are fighting battles that we can't 00:11:42.309 --> 00:11:50.220 see. Battles in their minds. in their homes, 00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:58.179 in their hearts. The world that promised happiness 00:11:58.179 --> 00:12:07.279 and pleasure has left them behind to fend for 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:13.320 themselves. So I want to introduce you to what 00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:19.169 I call, respectfully, the left -behinds. The 00:12:19.169 --> 00:12:24.490 left behinds. Someone say the left behinds. The 00:12:24.490 --> 00:12:34.629 lost and unsaved souls who live among us but 00:12:34.629 --> 00:12:40.549 feel unseen. They are the ones that we pass by 00:12:40.549 --> 00:12:49.940 at the grocery store, sit next to at work. Walk 00:12:49.940 --> 00:12:55.399 paths on the street. Sometimes the ones we cut 00:12:55.399 --> 00:13:03.399 off on the freeway. Or even see at family functions. 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:10.360 These are the left -behinds. They are the single 00:13:10.360 --> 00:13:15.240 mom and dad working two jobs to hold their family 00:13:15.240 --> 00:13:21.860 together. whose pain and stress goes undetected 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:26.580 in our casual and brief conversations. Meanwhile, 00:13:26.899 --> 00:13:30.940 they hug their pillow at night, cry themselves 00:13:30.940 --> 00:13:35.159 to sleep, trying to figure out how they're going 00:13:35.159 --> 00:13:39.259 to make ends meet at the end of the month. They 00:13:39.259 --> 00:13:46.950 are the teenager scrolling through a... landmine 00:13:46.950 --> 00:13:51.889 of social media accounts comparing themselves 00:13:51.889 --> 00:13:58.769 to what they see portrayed on their reels. And 00:13:58.769 --> 00:14:03.549 instead of being inspired or motivated, actually 00:14:03.549 --> 00:14:07.990 feel worse about themselves as they compare themselves 00:14:07.990 --> 00:14:13.389 to what they see in front of them. And with nowhere 00:14:13.389 --> 00:14:17.899 to go, No real connection that exists anymore 00:14:17.899 --> 00:14:24.200 in this world. They're left behind. Trying to 00:14:24.200 --> 00:14:27.139 release the pressure of what they said. Now, 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:30.460 you may not see it on the outside, but it's the 00:14:30.460 --> 00:14:34.220 neighbor watering the lawn, walking their dog, 00:14:34.419 --> 00:14:39.059 crossing the street. These are the left behinds. 00:14:39.059 --> 00:14:45.059 The man sitting alone in his car. With a serious 00:14:45.059 --> 00:14:48.360 medical diagnosis. Doesn't know how he's going 00:14:48.360 --> 00:14:52.279 to tell his family. Doesn't know how he's going 00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:56.120 to face another day. This boss coming down on 00:14:56.120 --> 00:15:01.480 him. His co -workers trying to replace him. Meanwhile, 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:07.700 he's got a hidden diagnosis. Which causes him 00:15:07.700 --> 00:15:09.860 to think, if you only knew what I was going through, 00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:15.379 you might treat me a little different. It's the 00:15:15.379 --> 00:15:20.379 professional with a big salary driving a fancy 00:15:20.379 --> 00:15:26.120 car and got stock options and a growing 401k. 00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:33.960 Company paid trips and whatnot, but sinking deep 00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:40.460 in depression. Secretly addicted to pain meds 00:15:40.460 --> 00:15:43.259 that were given to him or her. to treat an illness, 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:48.039 but now they are using to numb their depression, 00:15:48.379 --> 00:15:55.799 fentanyl, oxycodone, whatever form of pain meds, 00:15:55.879 --> 00:16:03.820 addiction, alcohol, pornography. These are the 00:16:03.820 --> 00:16:07.860 left -behinds, hidden in plain sight. I tell 00:16:07.860 --> 00:16:10.899 you, they're right there. They're the neighbor. 00:16:11.559 --> 00:16:13.759 That looks happy. You know the one I'm talking 00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:17.759 about. The one that waves at you when you drive 00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:21.700 by. Maybe you say, well, my neighbor hasn't waved 00:16:21.700 --> 00:16:26.039 at me in a long time. Well, maybe they did at 00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:33.299 once. That one. That neighbor that looks happy 00:16:33.299 --> 00:16:36.840 on the outside. You think, man, the so -and -sos 00:16:36.840 --> 00:16:40.179 got it all together. Look at how happy they are. 00:16:42.830 --> 00:16:47.470 Behind closed doors, they're talking about divorce. 00:16:48.110 --> 00:16:50.929 Behind closed doors, they can't connect with 00:16:50.929 --> 00:16:53.470 their children, can't find a purpose for life. 00:16:54.049 --> 00:16:58.690 They are lonely, hurting, and forgotten, left 00:16:58.690 --> 00:17:06.109 in the fields of despair. Amen. And they wonder, 00:17:06.190 --> 00:17:12.829 does anybody see me? Does anybody care? And the 00:17:12.829 --> 00:17:18.430 man in our story was like them in that he was 00:17:18.430 --> 00:17:23.609 wrestling with his own questions, his own very 00:17:23.609 --> 00:17:29.630 questions about his left -behind state when just 00:17:29.630 --> 00:17:33.849 when all hope seemed to be gone, hope arrived 00:17:33.849 --> 00:17:38.569 in the form of a victorious and benevolent king. 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:47.740 His name was David. On David's way back to taking 00:17:47.740 --> 00:17:50.559 back what the enemy had stolen from him, you 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:53.160 could, if you'd like, read the context there. 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:58.079 That's a whole other story in of itself. He encountered 00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:01.640 this dying slave who had been left behind by 00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:09.700 his master. The Bible says his critical state. 00:18:10.200 --> 00:18:17.759 He was sick, starving, terrified. And he was 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:22.099 expecting judgment. He served the very people 00:18:22.099 --> 00:18:27.960 that David was hunting. So this man could have 00:18:27.960 --> 00:18:33.160 very much been treated like a means to an end. 00:18:34.900 --> 00:18:40.109 Collateral damage. Just... Somebody that he could 00:18:40.109 --> 00:18:45.250 get information out of and then kill him moments 00:18:45.250 --> 00:18:49.710 after. But instead of condemnation, judgment 00:18:49.710 --> 00:18:56.750 or bloodshed, David extended love. Somebody say 00:18:56.750 --> 00:19:03.750 love. And this story, church, paints for us a 00:19:03.750 --> 00:19:11.440 picture of Christ. The king of kings who stops 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:18.099 for the one. The shepherd who leaves the 99 for 00:19:18.099 --> 00:19:24.140 the one. The God who came for the least of these. 00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:32.220 It represents the heart of God to seek and to 00:19:32.220 --> 00:19:38.539 save that which was lost. Last Sunday, if you 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:42.140 weren't here or if you remember, you could recall 00:19:42.140 --> 00:19:45.079 how I preached about being lost in the house. 00:19:46.380 --> 00:19:50.039 That's one kind of lostness, to be in the house, 00:19:50.059 --> 00:19:52.720 in the family and lost. But today, we're looking 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:58.720 at those on the outside who are lost. The slave. 00:20:00.539 --> 00:20:07.430 I couldn't shake these words from my mind. touched 00:20:07.430 --> 00:20:11.990 me to the core. It messed me up so bad when I 00:20:11.990 --> 00:20:15.349 really not just read it, but when I digested 00:20:15.349 --> 00:20:20.329 it, when I put myself in his place, when I thought 00:20:20.329 --> 00:20:25.470 of how difficult, treacherous it must have been 00:20:25.470 --> 00:20:31.190 for him to say these words, my master has left 00:20:31.190 --> 00:20:36.839 me. I thought about those words. My master has 00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:43.059 left me. In those five words, behind those five 00:20:43.059 --> 00:20:51.220 words are a broken life, a lonely life, a life 00:20:51.220 --> 00:20:54.119 that has been discarded, a life that has been 00:20:54.119 --> 00:20:56.940 overlooked, a life that has fallen to the wayside, 00:20:56.980 --> 00:21:00.980 and it is today, church, the cry of every lost 00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:06.559 and unsaved soul that's been left behind. Say, 00:21:06.599 --> 00:21:09.859 well, I don't hear him saying anything. No, no, 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:12.599 no, no. You may not ever hear it with your natural 00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:16.480 ears. You may not ever hear it by cupping your 00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:19.460 hand behind your ear, and you may not ever hear 00:21:19.460 --> 00:21:23.319 it in conversation, but if you have spiritual 00:21:23.319 --> 00:21:26.039 hearing and discernment, if you're paying attention 00:21:26.039 --> 00:21:30.339 to other things besides your own life and your 00:21:30.339 --> 00:21:32.319 own needs and your own affairs, have you ever 00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:35.750 stopped for a moment to consider? what your neighbor, 00:21:35.930 --> 00:21:39.009 what your loved one, or what that soul might 00:21:39.009 --> 00:21:43.150 be going through, you might just hear a whisper. 00:21:43.309 --> 00:21:47.029 You might just hear in between the lines, this 00:21:47.029 --> 00:21:51.569 cry, my master has left me. They may not articulate 00:21:51.569 --> 00:21:55.470 it that way, may not use that word, but when 00:21:55.470 --> 00:21:58.349 they talk about what's going on in their life 00:21:58.349 --> 00:22:02.619 and they refer or imply. both directly and indirectly, 00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:05.799 what is happening with their kids and among their 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:09.539 family and in their health or at the job or wherever 00:22:09.539 --> 00:22:13.339 life has them. You might hear that cry, my master 00:22:13.339 --> 00:22:16.539 has left. The world, let me tell you, souls are 00:22:16.539 --> 00:22:20.880 crying out, my master has left me. This world 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:25.859 that promised riches and fame and success and 00:22:25.859 --> 00:22:29.079 life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and 00:22:29.079 --> 00:22:32.680 all of those things, world, dangled in front 00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:35.259 of their eyes if they would just give themselves 00:22:35.259 --> 00:22:39.119 over to their lust and their desires and their 00:22:39.119 --> 00:22:42.259 sin and live for whatever they wanted to live, 00:22:42.299 --> 00:22:45.099 that they would ultimately achieve euphoria, 00:22:45.259 --> 00:22:48.440 utopia, or nirvana in their life, that they would 00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:50.680 ultimately, if they were just a good person, 00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:53.579 then good things would happen to them. If they 00:22:53.579 --> 00:22:56.799 were just kind, kind things, they believe in 00:22:56.799 --> 00:23:49.519 karma, they believe that if they're just... This 00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:52.720 is what God wants to do. Can I preach this from 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:55.660 my heart? Amen. Can I do this today? I know you 00:23:55.660 --> 00:23:58.279 didn't come to church just for a religious experience. 00:23:58.789 --> 00:24:00.910 Something in your heart was saying, I need to 00:24:00.910 --> 00:24:03.089 get to the house of the Lord. God needs to speak 00:24:03.089 --> 00:24:05.650 to me today. And this is what the Lord told me 00:24:05.650 --> 00:24:08.329 to tell you today. That the church must be a 00:24:08.329 --> 00:24:12.150 place where left behind can be loved back to 00:24:12.150 --> 00:24:15.569 life. Where those whose society, culture, and 00:24:15.569 --> 00:24:19.289 the world has left behind. That there is a church 00:24:19.289 --> 00:24:22.150 in Mountain View, California. That there is a 00:24:22.150 --> 00:24:25.269 church on 1425 North Spring Road, South Spring 00:24:25.269 --> 00:24:27.950 Road. That there is a church, there is an apostasy. 00:24:27.980 --> 00:24:31.259 calling one God, one God, one faith, and one 00:24:31.259 --> 00:24:35.000 baptism church. There is a loving church. There 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:39.140 is a kind church. There is a church that's been 00:24:39.140 --> 00:24:43.039 planted here for 12 years now where somebody 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:46.779 who has been left behind can discover that there 00:24:46.779 --> 00:24:51.140 is a love. My point today, number one, is love 00:24:51.140 --> 00:24:58.789 heals what the world hurts. Someone say love 00:24:58.789 --> 00:25:06.150 heals. It's love. The slave was from Egypt, a 00:25:06.150 --> 00:25:08.730 place that represents bondage, sin, and the world 00:25:08.730 --> 00:25:12.849 system. It represents everything opposite to 00:25:12.849 --> 00:25:17.589 what the kingdom of God represents. It's where 00:25:17.589 --> 00:25:20.430 everything is backwards. How many of you know 00:25:20.430 --> 00:25:26.150 that this world's got it all backwards? The system 00:25:26.150 --> 00:25:32.460 is backwards. And though he had left Egypt physically, 00:25:32.599 --> 00:25:35.839 he still carried Egypt in his mind and in his 00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:40.140 spirit. He was still, even at this point, living 00:25:40.140 --> 00:25:44.539 under the shadow of oppression. Still trying 00:25:44.539 --> 00:25:48.599 to escape the ghost of his past. Still trying 00:25:48.599 --> 00:25:53.299 to find meaning to his life. Still trying to 00:25:53.299 --> 00:25:57.819 make it for himself. We don't know all the back 00:25:57.819 --> 00:26:01.670 story. But we know enough that he was from Egypt. 00:26:02.009 --> 00:26:05.809 And that's what the world, what spiritual Egypt 00:26:05.809 --> 00:26:09.269 does to people, friend and church, hallelujah. 00:26:09.890 --> 00:26:14.829 It doesn't want to let them go very easily. You 00:26:14.829 --> 00:26:18.230 may recall how when God delivered his people 00:26:18.230 --> 00:26:22.170 from Egyptian slavery, how even after Pharaoh 00:26:22.170 --> 00:26:27.150 let them go, he regretted it, did he not? Did 00:26:27.150 --> 00:26:30.210 he not gather his horsemen and his chariots and 00:26:30.210 --> 00:26:33.910 go, I'll second thought. I think I'd rather have 00:26:33.910 --> 00:26:38.750 you guys back. Because the devil and the world 00:26:38.750 --> 00:26:44.930 doesn't let go that easy. It's not willing to 00:26:44.930 --> 00:26:48.329 just give up that easily. It plays for keeps. 00:26:50.849 --> 00:26:53.730 And this is what the enemy does. The thief cometh 00:26:53.730 --> 00:26:59.960 but to steal. To kill and to destroy. I'm reminded 00:26:59.960 --> 00:27:04.119 of the man in Jesus' parable traveling down from 00:27:04.119 --> 00:27:09.220 Jerusalem to Jericho and how that he had been 00:27:09.220 --> 00:27:13.680 robbed, taken advantage of, stripped of his clothes, 00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:19.259 beaten beyond recognition, left behind to die. 00:27:20.920 --> 00:27:26.569 You know the story. The priest. Came and said, 00:27:26.690 --> 00:27:31.369 ooh, that's too dirty for me. I need to keep 00:27:31.369 --> 00:27:34.890 going about my business. I've got real religious 00:27:34.890 --> 00:27:41.569 work to do. The Levite did the same. Well, if 00:27:41.569 --> 00:27:46.650 I touch him, that makes me impure. And so I'm 00:27:46.650 --> 00:27:51.549 going to just love him from a distance. I'm going 00:27:51.549 --> 00:27:53.960 to just send my prayers. Maybe I'll send him 00:27:53.960 --> 00:27:57.700 an offering one day. But I can't get my hands 00:27:57.700 --> 00:28:03.259 dirty. But then Jesus told of a Samaritan, the 00:28:03.259 --> 00:28:06.500 least qualified, the ones who were considered 00:28:06.500 --> 00:28:12.259 among the Jews a half -breed, lower class, unspiritual, 00:28:12.599 --> 00:28:16.920 unreligious. It was he, not the religious, not 00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:19.039 the knowledgeable, not the wise in their own 00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:21.619 eyes, but it was the least qualified that says, 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:26.000 wants to stop, roll up their sleeves and get 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:28.579 their hands dirty in the life of a sinner and 00:28:28.579 --> 00:28:31.319 a broken person, well, I will be the one to do 00:28:31.319 --> 00:28:36.759 it. And so he goes and he nurses and nurtures 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:41.640 this man back to life and provides what he needs 00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:48.640 to get back on his feet. Now if that stings our 00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:50.859 hearts, imagine what it did to the Pharisees 00:28:50.859 --> 00:28:53.859 who thought that. They had the corner market 00:28:53.859 --> 00:28:56.200 on the religious system who thought that they 00:28:56.200 --> 00:28:58.740 were above reproach. Oh, imagine what that would 00:28:58.740 --> 00:29:01.799 have done to them when they heard that. But if 00:29:01.799 --> 00:29:04.240 we are honest with ourselves, how often have 00:29:04.240 --> 00:29:07.940 we been like the priests and the Levite? I wonder 00:29:07.940 --> 00:29:11.380 how many other people when they saw this. David 00:29:11.380 --> 00:29:13.380 couldn't have been the first one to see this 00:29:13.380 --> 00:29:16.819 Egyptian slave hurting, broken. But somebody 00:29:16.819 --> 00:29:19.000 else may have saw him. I'm speculating here. 00:29:19.690 --> 00:29:21.789 It's quite possible that somebody else saw him 00:29:21.789 --> 00:29:25.869 and said, well, what can I do? I mean, it's just 00:29:25.869 --> 00:29:29.410 me. I don't have very much to offer. I don't 00:29:29.410 --> 00:29:33.529 have a lot to give, you know. I just hope that 00:29:33.529 --> 00:29:37.789 he has a peaceful ending. I hope he doesn't go 00:29:37.789 --> 00:29:40.410 out in pain. I hope he closes his, I hope he 00:29:40.410 --> 00:29:43.809 dies in his sleep, you know. And they think maybe 00:29:43.809 --> 00:29:46.609 that was compassion. But that's not really what 00:29:46.609 --> 00:29:50.079 compassion and love is. Love. wants to heal what 00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:53.680 the world has hurt. And this is not something 00:29:53.680 --> 00:29:56.859 that can be done from a distance. You can't just 00:29:56.859 --> 00:29:59.619 send thoughts and prayers or send money and just 00:29:59.619 --> 00:30:02.960 hope to fix a problem. This is not why God has 00:30:02.960 --> 00:30:06.420 it where he has it in our context. What does 00:30:06.420 --> 00:30:09.019 your context look like? In your world, among 00:30:09.019 --> 00:30:12.220 your friends and among your counterparts and 00:30:12.220 --> 00:30:15.279 among people that God has placed in your life, 00:30:15.380 --> 00:30:17.339 those that you know and those that you don't 00:30:17.339 --> 00:30:20.019 know, but regardless, God has placed people around 00:30:20.019 --> 00:30:23.680 all of us who are crying like this man, my master 00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:29.819 has left me. My master has left me. And is there 00:30:29.819 --> 00:31:03.740 somebody in the kingdom? Let me just show you 00:31:03.740 --> 00:31:05.619 very briefly what David gave him. I'm not going 00:31:05.619 --> 00:31:08.000 to expound on this very much, but I just want 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:11.640 to give you a picture. If you want to capture 00:31:11.640 --> 00:31:14.059 it, if you want to make a note of it, please 00:31:14.059 --> 00:31:15.759 do. But I'm not going to dwell on it very long. 00:31:15.839 --> 00:31:17.799 I just want to show you what David gave him. 00:31:17.900 --> 00:31:20.720 The Bible says he gave him bread, water, figs, 00:31:20.720 --> 00:31:25.220 and raisins. Now, every one of these sources 00:31:25.220 --> 00:31:27.940 of nourishment represents something in the spirit. 00:31:28.579 --> 00:31:31.500 The bread. It's the word of God that feeds the 00:31:31.500 --> 00:31:33.480 soul. Man shall not live by bread alone, but 00:31:33.480 --> 00:31:35.720 by every word that proceeds out of the mouth 00:31:35.720 --> 00:31:38.769 of God. God. The water is of the spirit of God. 00:31:39.049 --> 00:31:41.609 Refreshes the soul. If you believe upon me as 00:31:41.609 --> 00:31:43.789 the scripture has said, out of your belly will 00:31:43.789 --> 00:31:46.750 flow rivers of living water. The figs represent 00:31:46.750 --> 00:31:50.269 the blessings of God. When Israel prospered, 00:31:50.269 --> 00:31:52.710 the Bible says that every man sat under his own 00:31:52.710 --> 00:31:55.910 fig tree. So figs represent prosperity. It represents 00:31:55.910 --> 00:31:59.150 sweetness and stability. The blessings of God. 00:31:59.309 --> 00:32:02.329 And then the raisins. Raisins are but dried grapes. 00:32:02.569 --> 00:32:04.809 And when Joshua and Caleb came back from the 00:32:04.809 --> 00:32:07.160 land of promise. What did they have with them 00:32:07.160 --> 00:32:09.299 as a symbol of God's goodness in the promise? 00:32:09.500 --> 00:32:12.299 They had clusters of grapes. And so what are 00:32:12.299 --> 00:32:16.359 we to feed a hungry, dying, broken, sick world? 00:32:16.579 --> 00:32:19.099 We are not to feed them vain philosophy from 00:32:19.099 --> 00:32:21.740 man. We are not to feed them religion. We are 00:32:21.740 --> 00:32:24.279 not to feed them what we think they need. They 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:27.920 need a steady diet of the things of God. What 00:32:27.920 --> 00:32:30.500 they need is the word. Come on, somebody. What 00:32:30.500 --> 00:32:33.759 they need is the water. And so every time we 00:32:33.759 --> 00:32:36.880 gather together, in the house of God, every time 00:32:36.880 --> 00:32:39.940 we gather in our city groups, every time we gather 00:32:39.940 --> 00:32:42.400 for fellowship, every time we gather with our 00:32:42.400 --> 00:32:44.880 families, every time we invite a soul, we're 00:32:44.880 --> 00:32:48.299 reaching an unsaved, a lost person. Every time 00:32:48.299 --> 00:32:50.680 we're reaching these people, we can't just give 00:32:50.680 --> 00:32:53.700 them ourselves. We can't just give them the latest 00:32:53.700 --> 00:32:57.859 pop psychology information out there. We got 00:32:57.859 --> 00:33:00.599 to give them the bread and the water and then 00:33:00.599 --> 00:33:03.099 share with them the blessings of Almighty God. 00:33:04.579 --> 00:33:07.359 God has blessed us. How many of you, do you know 00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:10.400 how many has God blessed you today? Amen. Say 00:33:10.400 --> 00:33:13.839 amen if God has blessed you. Come on, say amen 00:33:13.839 --> 00:33:17.940 if God has blessed you. God has blessed us so 00:33:17.940 --> 00:33:21.799 that we can be a blessing. Hallelujah. And the 00:33:21.799 --> 00:33:24.220 promises of God have been given to us to give 00:33:24.220 --> 00:33:26.839 to others. Now let me move on because David asked 00:33:26.839 --> 00:33:29.539 a very important question. Upon hearing this 00:33:29.539 --> 00:33:35.859 man's state, he said, to whom? To whom do you 00:33:35.859 --> 00:33:44.319 belong? My gosh. Beneath that question, brother 00:33:44.319 --> 00:33:47.339 and sister, beneath that question lies the deepest 00:33:47.339 --> 00:33:53.059 human need. It reveals the deepest human need, 00:33:53.099 --> 00:33:57.839 which is the need to belong. Someone say belong. 00:34:02.380 --> 00:34:06.380 For 12 years, this church has had the motto of 00:34:06.380 --> 00:34:09.900 belong, believe, and become. And more than ever, 00:34:09.980 --> 00:34:14.579 church, we need to reclaim. We need to pray and 00:34:14.579 --> 00:34:17.300 let it saturate and grain every aspect of who 00:34:17.300 --> 00:34:20.099 we are, that we are a place and we are a people, 00:34:20.179 --> 00:34:23.380 and I am a believer of belonging. The next thing 00:34:23.380 --> 00:34:28.340 love does is that love gives the gift of belonging. 00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:35.989 Everyone. Everyone needs somewhere to belong. 00:34:37.429 --> 00:34:41.650 Amen, somebody. I said amen. Everybody needs 00:34:41.650 --> 00:34:46.110 somewhere to belong. But this man had no one. 00:34:46.949 --> 00:34:51.969 His master had abandoned him. He was cut off. 00:34:53.130 --> 00:34:58.670 Cut from the payroll. Cut from the group that 00:34:58.670 --> 00:35:02.360 he was a part of. His own people had forsaken 00:35:02.360 --> 00:35:06.880 him. He was a man without a home, without a name, 00:35:06.920 --> 00:35:12.579 and without a place, without a people. But in 00:35:12.579 --> 00:35:18.880 David, he found belonging again. And if there 00:35:18.880 --> 00:35:24.579 is one thing that people are desperate for, it's 00:35:24.579 --> 00:35:34.210 a place to belong. They want to know that regardless 00:35:34.210 --> 00:35:38.349 of what's going on in their life, regardless 00:35:38.349 --> 00:35:41.449 of what they've gotten themselves into, regardless 00:35:41.449 --> 00:35:48.409 of what, that they are accepted as they are. 00:35:50.510 --> 00:35:56.550 Accepted as I am. That I am welcomed. That I 00:35:56.550 --> 00:36:05.559 am included. Jesus. Loneliness. Some of us may 00:36:05.559 --> 00:36:09.219 wink at that or, well, I don't know. That sounds 00:36:09.219 --> 00:36:12.039 like a fairy tale thing to me. No, loneliness 00:36:12.039 --> 00:36:15.119 is real. And it's an epidemic. And it's not just 00:36:15.119 --> 00:36:21.519 emotional. It's spiritual. It's spiritual. It's 00:36:21.519 --> 00:36:25.699 at the core of who we are. Even before the fall 00:36:25.699 --> 00:36:29.000 of man, you might remember how God said, it is 00:36:29.000 --> 00:36:36.280 not good. for man to be alone. God said that 00:36:36.280 --> 00:36:42.719 before sin entered the world. How much more after 00:36:42.719 --> 00:36:46.940 sin has entered the world? In other words, church, 00:36:47.260 --> 00:36:51.320 Bible student, in a perfect, sinless, unbroken 00:36:51.320 --> 00:36:53.320 world, God said, you know, it's not good for 00:36:53.320 --> 00:36:57.440 you to be by yourself. How much more when sin 00:36:57.440 --> 00:37:01.900 hurt? brokenness and pain and sickness has entered. 00:37:02.039 --> 00:37:06.800 That much more do we need belonging. Recent studies 00:37:06.800 --> 00:37:11.139 show that one in six American adults say they 00:37:11.139 --> 00:37:14.019 feel lonely or isolated from those around them 00:37:14.019 --> 00:37:19.099 all or most of the time. You say, well, one in 00:37:19.099 --> 00:37:20.440 six? That doesn't sound like a lot. That's a 00:37:20.440 --> 00:37:25.400 lot. Across the landscape. Among adults under 00:37:25.400 --> 00:37:33.099 50, so younger, that number rises to 22%. So 00:37:33.099 --> 00:37:37.300 what social scientists and experts have found 00:37:37.300 --> 00:37:40.960 is that among young people under 50 years old, 00:37:41.079 --> 00:37:45.760 rates of depression and loneliness have skyrocketed. 00:37:46.699 --> 00:37:50.019 It's worse among them. And there's other factors 00:37:50.019 --> 00:37:53.920 as to why that might be. Culture that we live 00:37:53.920 --> 00:37:58.570 in, the ways in which technology Drives people 00:37:58.570 --> 00:38:01.610 apart. There's a lot to consider there. But of 00:38:01.610 --> 00:38:05.789 course, there's a spiritual dark reality there 00:38:05.789 --> 00:38:10.309 that the enemy is working. Among men, it gets 00:38:10.309 --> 00:38:14.769 worse. Ages 15 to 34, nearly one in four admit 00:38:14.769 --> 00:38:20.090 to feeling lonely. Now or at some point. And 00:38:20.090 --> 00:38:22.289 you can do your own search and discover many 00:38:22.289 --> 00:38:24.989 other staggering statistics about the state. 00:38:25.840 --> 00:38:29.079 Of this epidemic of loneliness in our world. 00:38:29.159 --> 00:38:32.820 And there are all sorts of remedies that are 00:38:32.820 --> 00:38:36.760 being cooked up. In labs. In medicine to fix. 00:38:36.920 --> 00:38:39.860 And what it does most times is just make matters 00:38:39.860 --> 00:38:44.800 worse. But I want you to understand something 00:38:44.800 --> 00:38:49.000 today church. That these statistics are not about 00:38:49.000 --> 00:38:50.980 people who are on the other side of the world. 00:38:52.340 --> 00:38:54.869 They're about the left behind. That are living 00:38:54.869 --> 00:39:03.789 among us. That's who it's about. It's a mistake 00:39:03.789 --> 00:39:08.449 to think that just loners are lonely. You see 00:39:08.449 --> 00:39:10.750 a lonely person. Man, that person must be lonely. 00:39:10.949 --> 00:39:16.550 Sometimes they're not. Sometimes it's those that 00:39:16.550 --> 00:39:20.269 are the most outgoing. Successful. Surrounded 00:39:20.269 --> 00:39:23.329 by people who are suffering from loneliness. 00:39:24.139 --> 00:39:29.880 Amen. These are our neighbors, our coworkers, 00:39:30.179 --> 00:39:33.059 our classmates, our subjects, those that are 00:39:33.059 --> 00:39:37.260 working beneath us or above us, our family members 00:39:37.260 --> 00:39:45.800 even. And we live in a world that provides false 00:39:45.800 --> 00:39:50.519 belonging through social media, through disposable 00:39:50.519 --> 00:39:53.340 relationships. Where people really don't know 00:39:53.340 --> 00:39:56.880 who they can trust. Who is really a friend. We 00:39:56.880 --> 00:40:00.920 live in a world where someone can have 500 or 00:40:00.920 --> 00:40:04.880 even 1 ,000 followers on Instagram. But not have 00:40:04.880 --> 00:40:10.900 any real friends. Hello somebody. Have people 00:40:10.900 --> 00:40:15.019 all around them. Be the center of attention even. 00:40:15.300 --> 00:40:19.460 And have no one beside them. I'm talking about 00:40:19.460 --> 00:40:25.730 lost. Left behinds who are waiting for somebody 00:40:25.730 --> 00:40:30.550 to hear that cry. My master has left me. And 00:40:30.550 --> 00:40:32.690 I want you to know today that the Holy Ghost. 00:41:02.190 --> 00:41:05.789 The church is the antidote. I said the church 00:41:05.789 --> 00:41:09.789 is the antidote. Paul said that God in 2 Corinthians 00:41:09.789 --> 00:41:17.469 5 .18 has given us, amen, the ministry of reconciliation. 00:41:17.590 --> 00:41:22.590 Every one of you is a reconciler. You don't even, 00:41:22.730 --> 00:41:27.550 I don't know what my ministry is. Nothing against 00:41:27.550 --> 00:41:31.230 taking a course or there's things that you can 00:41:31.230 --> 00:41:35.730 do. I don't know what my calling is. Friend, 00:41:35.809 --> 00:41:39.909 you can take a 20 -page survey with assessments 00:41:39.909 --> 00:41:42.050 and questions and everything that spits out the 00:41:42.050 --> 00:41:45.809 result of that. This is what you are. You can 00:41:45.809 --> 00:41:49.409 do that, but let also you hear this. Your ministry 00:41:49.409 --> 00:41:51.650 has been spelled out for you right here in the 00:41:51.650 --> 00:41:57.510 Word of God. Reconciliation. To reconcile. To 00:41:57.510 --> 00:42:02.250 mediate. To be the go -between. The gap filler 00:42:02.250 --> 00:42:06.010 for somebody and say, I know where the answer 00:42:06.010 --> 00:42:10.730 is. Hallelujah. Let me, through works of grace, 00:42:10.989 --> 00:42:15.969 love, compassion, mercy, through inconveniencing 00:42:15.969 --> 00:42:18.849 my own time, priorities, schedules, and whatnot, 00:42:19.190 --> 00:42:23.190 and be a blessing to you to encourage you to 00:42:23.190 --> 00:42:25.789 sit with us at our family dinner. Hallelujah. 00:42:26.960 --> 00:42:28.460 I shook somebody to the core when I said that. 00:42:28.480 --> 00:42:31.880 Or invite them out for coffee. Or extend love 00:42:31.880 --> 00:42:35.119 and grace to them and be a blessing to them. 00:42:35.199 --> 00:42:37.360 He said, well, can I just write? No, don't just 00:42:37.360 --> 00:42:40.840 write them a check. Take them and bring them 00:42:40.840 --> 00:42:44.940 to where you are and be like Jesus who sat where 00:42:44.940 --> 00:42:51.079 they sat. He ate with sinners. And he was criticized 00:42:51.079 --> 00:42:54.460 for it. But he ate with tax collectors and prostitutes 00:42:54.460 --> 00:42:58.130 and sinners. breakers of the law, and he ate 00:42:58.130 --> 00:43:00.130 with them and he dined with them and he feasted 00:43:00.130 --> 00:43:02.809 with them. Let me tell you what the world is 00:43:02.809 --> 00:43:41.650 hungry for. I'm going to be just a few more moments. 00:43:41.730 --> 00:43:44.469 But this is not just like a regular three -point 00:43:44.469 --> 00:43:46.190 mess, even though I got three points. You know 00:43:46.190 --> 00:43:50.530 I'm going to have them. But God's trying to transfer 00:43:50.530 --> 00:43:55.369 something into our spirits today. So what am 00:43:55.369 --> 00:44:00.130 I doing? What am I doing with what I know, with 00:44:00.130 --> 00:44:05.309 what I have? So many times we look, well, what's 00:44:05.309 --> 00:44:08.070 the church going to do? Hello, you are the church. 00:44:09.429 --> 00:44:12.150 Someone say, I'm the church. Come on, say it 00:44:12.150 --> 00:44:18.989 like you mean it. Say, I'm the church. Never 00:44:18.989 --> 00:44:20.670 ask the church to write a check for something 00:44:20.670 --> 00:44:26.030 you're not willing to go do yourself. You say, 00:44:26.050 --> 00:44:29.110 well, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Away with 00:44:29.110 --> 00:44:34.349 all that. It's my personal responsibility. You 00:44:34.349 --> 00:44:37.449 take someone out for coffee. It cost you five 00:44:37.449 --> 00:44:39.369 bucks. Don't send in a reimbursement request 00:44:39.369 --> 00:44:43.369 to the church. You say, Pastor, that's messed 00:44:43.369 --> 00:44:45.329 up. Why would you do that? Because when is it 00:44:45.329 --> 00:44:51.349 going to cost you something? I know I hurt somebody's 00:44:51.349 --> 00:44:54.690 feelings when I said that. I'm sorry. You can 00:44:54.690 --> 00:44:58.150 start an anonymous profile on Instagram and criticize 00:44:58.150 --> 00:45:04.309 me if you want. They don't want religion. They 00:45:04.309 --> 00:45:08.039 want relationship. They want to know that when 00:45:08.039 --> 00:45:10.880 I come, someone's already set the table. Somebody 00:45:10.880 --> 00:45:13.820 is there. Somebody is welcoming. Do they need 00:45:13.820 --> 00:45:16.079 forgiveness of their sins? Yes, they do. They 00:45:16.079 --> 00:45:19.320 need the blood. of Jesus to wash away their sins. 00:45:19.480 --> 00:45:22.300 But they also need a family that's going to welcome 00:45:22.300 --> 00:45:24.840 them in and say, hey, I know you look different 00:45:24.840 --> 00:45:27.000 than us. I know that you walk different. You 00:45:27.000 --> 00:45:29.760 talk different. But you're one of us. I know 00:45:29.760 --> 00:45:31.820 you've got, you know, and I'm going to say this 00:45:31.820 --> 00:45:33.460 respectfully because, you know, you don't quite 00:45:33.460 --> 00:45:35.880 look apostolic, you know. You've got all those 00:45:35.880 --> 00:45:37.579 things on your body and your life you don't quite 00:45:37.579 --> 00:45:39.539 look. But you're going to be one of us. We're 00:45:39.539 --> 00:45:42.159 going to love you like you're one of us. I know 00:45:42.159 --> 00:45:44.420 you don't quite have it all. figuring out you 00:45:44.420 --> 00:45:47.019 don't know the lyrics of the song. Hello, they 00:45:47.019 --> 00:45:50.119 don't listen to K -Love and Air One, and they 00:45:50.119 --> 00:45:52.119 don't know all that stuff yet. But we're going 00:45:52.119 --> 00:45:55.320 to welcome them in anyways, and we want to love 00:45:55.320 --> 00:45:58.239 them. Come on, am I talking to somebody? And 00:45:58.239 --> 00:46:01.059 I need to remind you as a piano player gets ready 00:46:01.059 --> 00:46:05.800 that such were some of us when God extended mercy 00:46:05.800 --> 00:46:14.590 to our lives. Oh, come on, why don't we just 00:46:14.590 --> 00:46:17.250 worship the Lord for a moment right now. Thank 00:46:17.250 --> 00:46:24.409 you, Jesus. God, I praise you, Lord. Is it not 00:46:24.409 --> 00:46:28.110 what God did for us? As I bring this to a close, 00:46:28.190 --> 00:46:31.369 there's something I want to share with you that 00:46:31.369 --> 00:46:38.809 touched my heart. And something that I believe 00:46:38.809 --> 00:46:43.800 is a key, a key. It's a burden. It's a burden. 00:46:44.500 --> 00:46:50.239 It's a burden. You know, someone once said that 00:46:50.239 --> 00:46:53.460 when it comes to the truth, that some things 00:46:53.460 --> 00:47:00.980 are taught and some things are caught. You know, 00:47:01.000 --> 00:47:03.199 I could teach these things till I'm blue in the 00:47:03.199 --> 00:47:22.380 face. But if you don't catch it. The problem 00:47:22.380 --> 00:47:24.099 is, and I'm not going to dwell on this, but the 00:47:24.099 --> 00:47:26.579 problem is some of us, the reason why we're struggling, 00:47:26.659 --> 00:47:28.699 because we're struggling with our own yes being 00:47:28.699 --> 00:47:33.900 yes. We haven't yet decided. Some of you, you 00:47:33.900 --> 00:47:35.880 haven't even decided if you want to be in this 00:47:35.880 --> 00:47:39.900 church. How are you going to save, how are you 00:47:39.900 --> 00:47:43.840 going to bring somebody to the hospital when 00:47:43.840 --> 00:47:54.690 you yourself are not part of the nursing? Some 00:47:54.690 --> 00:47:57.650 of us, God, is dealing with us, you know, we 00:47:57.650 --> 00:48:00.070 want to love these people. We need to get our 00:48:00.070 --> 00:48:03.369 hearts right. We need to make sure that we're 00:48:03.369 --> 00:48:11.969 all in. God, I want to reach for these people, 00:48:12.050 --> 00:48:18.059 God. But I need also, Lord, to get my... To get 00:48:18.059 --> 00:48:20.559 myself in order, God, I need to. I say this in 00:48:20.559 --> 00:48:25.739 the Holy Ghost. God, I need. I need to. It's 00:48:25.739 --> 00:48:28.719 not going to work any other way. It's not going 00:48:28.719 --> 00:48:34.840 to work. There was a story that touched me some 00:48:34.840 --> 00:48:37.480 time ago. I know I'm going over time. That's 00:48:37.480 --> 00:48:39.440 okay. But listen, there's a story that touched 00:48:39.440 --> 00:48:45.199 me. True story. During World War II, there was 00:48:45.199 --> 00:48:49.599 a. A young army medic named Desmond Doss who 00:48:49.599 --> 00:48:57.699 served in the battle, the infamous battle of 00:48:57.699 --> 00:49:11.820 Okinawa. And he refused. Go back to there. There 00:49:11.820 --> 00:49:17.210 he is. He refused. to carry a weapon because 00:49:17.210 --> 00:49:19.650 of his faith. So he was what they call a conscientious 00:49:19.650 --> 00:49:25.849 objector. But he still, he went. And he ran straight 00:49:25.849 --> 00:49:31.909 into enemy fire to rescue the wounded. While 00:49:31.909 --> 00:49:36.869 others took cover, Doss stayed on the battlefield. 00:49:37.809 --> 00:49:43.989 Alone, unarmed, and under relentless attack. 00:49:46.059 --> 00:49:50.619 One by one, he carried his fallen comrades to 00:49:50.619 --> 00:49:57.280 safety. By lowering them down this cliff right 00:49:57.280 --> 00:50:07.320 here, with a rope, with his bare hands, he was 00:50:07.320 --> 00:50:18.300 lowering them down to safety. whispered over 00:50:18.300 --> 00:50:24.820 and over in his mind these words. Now the next 00:50:24.820 --> 00:50:28.019 slide shows that he prayed. He said this. He 00:50:28.019 --> 00:50:43.840 said, Lord, help me get just one more. Help me 00:50:43.840 --> 00:50:49.820 get just one more. And by the time this...