1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,800 He is glorious. 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:13,680 Behold the one who has come to us. 3 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:15,680 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. 4 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:17,680 To get connected or to give online, 5 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,480 you can go to connect.hcv.church 6 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:23,600 or give.hcv.church. 7 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:25,600 If at any time during this message 8 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,240 you feel called to make a change in your life, 9 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:33,040 text changeme to 970-00. 10 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,040 Thank you and enjoy the message. 11 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,040 I want to start off by saying 12 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,640 what an honor it is to have you with us here this evening 13 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,840 for our Good Friday worship experience. 14 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:45,840 Every year here at the Hub City Vineyard, 15 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,040 we set aside time to worship 16 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,240 and reflect on the incredible sacrifice 17 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,440 that Jesus made on our behalf. 18 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,640 The Son of God put on skin and flesh 19 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:01,440 and He came down to this earth 20 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:04,240 to heal and restore what was broken 21 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:07,840 and to bring His kingdom on earth here 22 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,640 as it is in heaven. 23 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:12,640 And we remember 24 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:14,640 that late into the night 25 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,840 in the early morning hours of Good Friday, 26 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,840 Jesus was betrayed by a brother. 27 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:26,240 He was sold out for a few pieces of silver, 28 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,240 taken into custody 29 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,240 where He was unfairly accused and unjustly tried. 30 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,240 Though He was innocent, 31 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:38,640 He was condemned to die on a criminal's cross. 32 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:44,640 He was beaten, whipped, cursed at, 33 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:48,240 made to carry that cross to the top of the hill 34 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,440 where the perfect Lamb of God died. 35 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,840 And that is the Good Friday narrative, 36 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,440 or at least part of it. 37 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:00,240 At the very beginning of this year, 38 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,040 Chris gave an incredibly impactful message 39 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:06,440 where he challenged us to go deeper 40 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,840 and to brace a mindset of new year, new narrative, 41 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,040 where we examine and reframe what we believe 42 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:15,640 about our relationship with Jesus. 43 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:18,640 And so tonight, I want to take a few moments 44 00:02:18,640 --> 00:02:22,640 and discuss how Good Friday offers us an opportunity 45 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:26,440 to step into a new narrative. 46 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,440 So Holy Spirit, I ask that you come right now, God. 47 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:32,640 I ask, Lord, that you would just bless this time, Father, 48 00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:36,840 as we remember the incredible sacrifice 49 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:40,440 that you asked your Son to make on our behalf, God. 50 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:45,440 And I ask that as we observe the sacrifice that you made, 51 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:47,840 that it would allow us to have courage 52 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:49,440 to step into freedom, Lord, 53 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:53,840 the freedom that you offer us through the blood of Jesus. 54 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:57,240 In your name we pray, amen. 55 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:01,240 It never ceases to amaze me 56 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:07,440 that my wife and I can be in the same place, 57 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:12,040 at the same time, with the same people, 58 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:15,440 having the same conversations, 59 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:19,640 and we can walk away with two vastly different interpretations 60 00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:21,240 of what's really going on. 61 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,040 And after nearly 20 years of marriage, 62 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,240 I have come to the conclusion 63 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:32,240 that my wife's gift to maintain a wider perspective 64 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:36,440 can only be explained by her uncanny ability 65 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:40,040 to obtain detailed background information. 66 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:42,440 I'm not saying that my wife is a creep, 67 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:47,640 but I am saying that oftentimes she sees and knows more 68 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:49,040 than she lets on. 69 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,840 And so often her and I will be having discussions 70 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:54,440 about our kids or a family member 71 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,040 or a shared experience that we've had, 72 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:58,840 and I'll be explaining all the things 73 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,040 that I think that I've seen and heard. 74 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,440 And when I finish up, she'll look at me and she'll say, 75 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:07,040 that's a very interesting perspective, 76 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,840 but let me tell you the whole story. 77 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:13,640 Let me tell you what you didn't even know 78 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:15,640 that you didn't even know. 79 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:19,240 Let me tell you the whole story. 80 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:23,440 And so tonight, as we examine the Good Friday narrative, 81 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,840 I wanna encourage us to look at the whole story. 82 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:30,240 And I wanna start with what is arguably 83 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:33,440 a rather unconventional spot for Good Friday. 84 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,040 Genesis chapter 37. 85 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,240 Now, I know y'all just heard me say Genesis. 86 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:40,440 Don't check out. 87 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:42,840 I promise you this will all make sense 88 00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:44,440 by the time we get to the end. 89 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:51,240 Genesis chapter 37 is a story that's familiar to many of us. 90 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:57,440 It's a story about family drama and a favorite son. 91 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,440 It's about colored coats and a white shirt. 92 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:06,440 It's about colored coats and dangerous dreams 93 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:10,440 and a diabolical plot by Joseph's own brothers 94 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:15,440 to interrupt the flow of God's favor in his life. 95 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:17,640 And to fully understand Joseph's story, 96 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:21,240 we need to take a step back and look at his father, Jacob. 97 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,240 Jacob, after he had deceived his brother Esau 98 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:30,440 and his father Isaac, fled with the birthright 99 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,240 and ended up at the house of his uncle Laban, 100 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:35,640 where he immediately fell in love 101 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:38,640 with Laban's younger daughter, Rachel. 102 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,240 Jacob would go on to marry Rachel, 103 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:48,040 but not before Laban had deceived him into also marrying 104 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:50,040 his older daughter, Leah. 105 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:53,640 Talk about trouble with the in-laws. 106 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:58,240 Now the Bible says that Jacob loved Rachel, 107 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,240 but he tolerated Leah. 108 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:04,640 And while Leah was able to produce several sons for Jacob, 109 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,640 Rachel's womb remained closed. 110 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:11,240 After a period of time, God heard Rachel's prayer 111 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:13,240 and he opened her womb. 112 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:18,240 And thus, while Joseph was born 11th in line, 113 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:22,240 he was really the firstborn son of Jacob. 114 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:26,240 The firstborn son of the woman that Jacob truly loved. 115 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:29,440 Now there's a powerful spiritual truth here. 116 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:33,040 Isn't it true that oftentimes, 117 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:36,640 the things that are born out of what we love the most 118 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:41,440 tend to cause problems for the things that are born 119 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:43,640 out of what we tolerate? 120 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:47,640 And this explains the tension in Joseph's life. 121 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:51,440 So as Jacob's favoritism towards Joseph grew, 122 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:55,840 so did Joseph's brother's jealousy. 123 00:06:55,840 --> 00:06:57,640 And when they got to a place 124 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:00,040 where they could take it no more, 125 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,840 they threw Joseph into a pit, 126 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:07,240 they sold him into slavery for a few pieces of silver, 127 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,040 and they created a story to convince Jacob 128 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:12,040 that his beloved son was dead. 129 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:13,640 And that's where we pick up the text 130 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:17,040 in Genesis chapter 37, verse 34. 131 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:20,440 Then Jacob tore his clothes, 132 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:25,440 put on sackcloth, and mourned for his son many days. 133 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:29,240 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, 134 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:32,040 but he refused to be comforted. 135 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,240 No, he said, I will continue to mourn 136 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:37,840 until I join my son in the grave. 137 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:40,240 So his father wept for him. 138 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:45,640 Verse 36, meanwhile, look at your neighbor 139 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,640 and tell them, I'm thankful for the meanwhile. 140 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:55,640 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph 141 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:59,040 an Egypt apodifer, one of Pharaoh's officials, 142 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,440 the captain of the guard. 143 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:06,840 Meanwhile, there's power in that word. 144 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:11,240 While Jacob was busy weeping and mourning, 145 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:15,840 meanwhile, God was preparing Joseph 146 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:18,640 for his path to the palace. 147 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:22,440 And as we reflect on our own spiritual journeys, 148 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:24,840 all that God has rescued us from 149 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:27,040 and all that he's leading us toward, 150 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,240 I wonder if you can begin to identify 151 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:34,240 meanwhile moments in your own life, 152 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:40,240 where you were busy weeping and waiting and wondering, 153 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:42,440 God was busy working. 154 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:47,640 Maybe you were mourning the loss of a person 155 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:51,240 that walked out on you, and meanwhile, 156 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:53,640 God was changing his or her heart. 157 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:59,240 Maybe you were mourning that you didn't get the promotion, 158 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:02,840 but meanwhile, God was preparing you 159 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:04,240 for ministry. 160 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:08,240 Maybe you walked out of the doctor's office 161 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:10,840 and you were mourning that the test results 162 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:14,640 came back the same and the diagnosis was the same 163 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,240 and the infertility remained unchanged, 164 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:22,040 and meanwhile, God was preparing you for a miracle. 165 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:25,240 And I wonder if there's anybody here tonight 166 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:27,840 who's been walking with God long enough 167 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,440 to have experienced a meanwhile moment. 168 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:32,840 Come on, can we give him some praise 169 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:35,040 for the meanwhile moments in our life? 170 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:35,840 Yeah. 171 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:43,440 So I was studying this passage of scripture. 172 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:46,840 I wanted to do a deep dive into the ancient Hebrew. 173 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:50,440 I wanted to give you this incredibly insightful revelation 174 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,440 about the Hebrew for the word, meanwhile. 175 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:55,440 So I dug into the text and here's what I found. 176 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:56,240 You ready? 177 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:57,440 This is gonna blow your mind. 178 00:09:57,440 --> 00:09:59,640 It's not there. 179 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:03,440 The words that begin the opening phrase, 180 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:06,440 verse 36, are simply translated, 181 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:10,440 the Midianites or and the Midianites. 182 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:12,440 And here's what I learned from this. 183 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,440 You can be in the middle of a meanwhile moment 184 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:20,440 in this season and you may not even realize it 185 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:23,440 until you get to the next season. 186 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:26,440 See, Joseph had to end up 187 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:28,440 at Potiphar's house. 188 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:31,440 Potiphar was the captain of Pharaoh's guard 189 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:34,440 and Joseph had to end up serving Potiphar 190 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:38,440 so that he could ultimately end up serving Pharaoh. 191 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:42,440 The reality is that there are some things 192 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,440 that are gonna happen to you, some pit stops 193 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:49,440 that you are not gonna understand until later on. 194 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,440 Even the disciples didn't understand 195 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:55,440 Jesus' death and resurrection. 196 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:59,440 In Luke chapter 24, Jesus appeared to the disciples 197 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:02,440 in his resurrected form and they were confused 198 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:06,440 and verse 45 says that Jesus had to open their minds 199 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:09,440 so they could understand the scriptures. 200 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:13,440 There are some meanwhile moments 201 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:16,440 that have to happen to you in order for you 202 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:20,440 to experience all that God has for you. 203 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:24,440 Now, hopefully you can see where I'm headed here tonight, 204 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:27,440 but if not, let me connect the dots for you. 205 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:33,440 While Joseph's story came first chronologically, 206 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,440 it was really just a foreshadowing 207 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:40,440 of what Jesus would experience during Good Friday 208 00:11:40,440 --> 00:11:42,440 and Easter Sunday. 209 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:43,440 Let me show you. 210 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:50,440 Like Joseph, Jesus had an incredibly special relationship 211 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:52,440 with his father. 212 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:55,440 In his earthly relationships, 213 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:59,440 he was despised for his father's favor. 214 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:04,440 Like Joseph, Jesus was betrayed by a brother 215 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:08,440 and sold out for a few pieces of silver. 216 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:13,440 He was thrown into a grave or a pit, if you will, 217 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:16,440 where he was presumed to be dead. 218 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:20,440 And while the disciples were busy weeping and mourning, 219 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:24,440 meanwhile, come on, meanwhile, 220 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:29,440 Jesus was busy conquering death, hell, and the grave. 221 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:32,440 And this is so important, 222 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:34,440 because as followers of Christ, 223 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:39,440 we've been given the opportunity to step into a new narrative. 224 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:42,440 Here's what I found out. 225 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:47,440 When you make the decision to follow Christ, 226 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:52,440 to align yourself with God's will for your life, 227 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:57,440 all of God's favor over the purpose in your life 228 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:01,440 goes with you no matter where you end up. 229 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:05,440 And somebody here tonight needs to hear this. 230 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:10,440 No matter what the world throws at you, 231 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:14,440 no matter what pit they try to throw you in, 232 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:19,440 you are a child of God, and his favor is on you. 233 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:22,440 Come on, can I preach this? 234 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:25,440 They threw Joseph into a pit, 235 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:27,440 thinking that would be the end of him. 236 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:32,440 But what they didn't realize is that when they threw Joseph into the pit, 237 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:35,440 all of God's favor went with him. 238 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:40,440 They threw Jesus into a grave, thinking that would be the end of him. 239 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,440 But what they didn't realize is that when you bury 240 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:47,440 the Son of God, all of the Father's favor, 241 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:53,440 all of the wonder-working, miracle-making, resurrection power goes with him. 242 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,440 It's a new narrative. It's a new narrative. 243 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:03,440 Like when Jesus touched the lepers, he wasn't infected by their leprosy, 244 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:08,440 but rather he flipped the script and infected the lepers with healing. 245 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:10,440 It's a new narrative. 246 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:16,440 Although Jesus' physical body had died, the Son of God was not overcome by death, 247 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:21,440 but rather he flipped the script and overcame death itself. 248 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:23,440 It's a new narrative. 249 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:25,440 Colossians chapter 2 puts it this way. 250 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:31,440 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, 251 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:34,440 God made you alive with Christ. 252 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:37,440 He forgave us all our sins, 253 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,440 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, 254 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:43,440 which stood against us and condemned us. 255 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:47,440 He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross, 256 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:50,440 and having disowned the powers and authorities, 257 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:55,440 he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. 258 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:58,440 That's the new narrative. 259 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:02,440 While we were dead in our sins, 260 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:07,440 meanwhile, come on, meanwhile, God was making a way 261 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:11,440 for us to be reconciled to him through Christ. 262 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:14,440 And that's the good news. 263 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:19,440 I believe that there are some people here tonight 264 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:24,440 who are walking through the middle of their own meanwhile moment. 265 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:31,440 And I have some words that God has laid on my heart that I need to share with you. 266 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:34,440 Somebody came here tonight, 267 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:38,440 and you're feeling stuck. 268 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:46,440 Stuck in a pit, stuck in a pattern, stuck in a perspective. 269 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:52,440 And I want to meet you in your meanwhile moment and tell you 270 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:57,440 that there can be movement in the meanwhile. 271 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:00,440 Somebody came here tonight, 272 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:03,440 and you're facing impossible odds. 273 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:07,440 You're staring down the barrel of a situation that you know cannot change 274 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:12,440 unless God himself intervenes. 275 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:16,440 And I want to meet you in your meanwhile moment and tell you 276 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:24,440 that there can be a miracle in the meanwhile. 277 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:27,440 Somebody came here tonight, 278 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:33,440 and you are carrying with you something that you have already buried. 279 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:37,440 Maybe it's a passion, a desire, a dream that God has laid on your heart 280 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:40,440 that's died out on you over the years, 281 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:45,440 and you've got just enough faith to hang on. 282 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:51,440 And I want to meet you in your meanwhile moment and tell you 283 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:58,440 that there can be wonder working, resurrection power in the meanwhile. 284 00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:05,440 And this is the one that God laid heavy on my heart. 285 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:09,440 Somebody came here tonight, 286 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:15,440 and you are feeling bound by a force that you cannot identify. 287 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:19,440 Something has wrapped itself around your soul and is pressing in 288 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:21,440 from the moment that you wake up in the morning 289 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:23,440 to the moment that you go to bed at night. 290 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:29,440 You've got this incredible tension in your heart, in your life. 291 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:34,440 And I want to meet you in your meanwhile moment and tell you 292 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:42,440 that there can be freedom in the meanwhile. 293 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,440 As I was coming into worship team practice here this past week 294 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:51,440 preparing for this message, God just laid this so heavy on my heart 295 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:56,440 that right here, right now in this moment, 296 00:17:56,440 --> 00:18:00,440 He is going to set some people free. 297 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:03,440 And I don't want to complicate it. Here's what I want to do. 298 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:09,440 I want to invite you to close your eyes and bow your head 299 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:15,440 and simply place your hands out in front of you to receive. 300 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:20,440 I'm going to share a passage of scripture that God laid on my heart. 301 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:22,440 I'm going to invite the Holy Spirit to come 302 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:30,440 and then I'm going to give you an opportunity to respond. 303 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:35,440 Isaiah 61. This is the passage of scripture that Jesus quoted 304 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:44,440 at the onset of His ministry to declare why He had come to earth. 305 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:49,440 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me 306 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:55,440 because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. 307 00:18:55,440 --> 00:19:00,440 He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted 308 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:08,440 to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners 309 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:15,440 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. 310 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:19,440 So Holy Spirit come. 311 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:24,440 God I pray that right now in this moment that you would just flow through this place God 312 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:30,440 that you would touch every heart and every mind God. 313 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,440 Somebody needs to hear this tonight. God just laid this on my heart. 314 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:39,440 You are seen. You are known. God sees you. He sees every tear that you've cried. 315 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:44,440 He sees every struggle. Every moment of darkness when you've hit your knees. 316 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:48,440 When you've hit rock bottom He's seen it. 317 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:54,440 But beyond that He can see you walking in freedom on the other side of this. 318 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:58,440 He can see it. 319 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:04,440 So if that's you here tonight. If you're struggling with feeling bound or stuck 320 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:09,440 I want to ask you to just slip up your hand and I want to pray for you. 321 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:13,440 Holy Spirit come. 322 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:21,440 If you're around somebody that has their hand up would you just place your hand on their shoulder. 323 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:28,440 After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead He told him to come out. Come out of that grave. 324 00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:33,440 And then the next thing He did He invited the people who were standing there 325 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:39,440 to partake to join in the miracle and to unwrap Lazarus to take those clothes off of Lazarus. 326 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:43,440 And right now right here and right now we are going to get freedom. 327 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:50,440 We're going to take those clothes off. We're going to take those grave clothes off and we're going to walk in freedom. 328 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:59,440 So in Jesus name I declare something dormant is waking up. 329 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:08,440 In Jesus name I declare something broken is being restored. 330 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:16,440 In Jesus name I declare something buried is coming back to life. 331 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:27,440 And in Jesus name I declare something bound is being released right here and right now. 332 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:37,440 Now if you're here tonight and you have not made the decision to make Jesus your Lord and Savior 333 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:42,440 I want to give you that opportunity right here and right now. What a perfect time. 334 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:51,440 We are remembering. We're standing here remembering that Jesus gave absolutely everything for you. 335 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:55,440 And this is a perfect opportunity to lay it on the line and to give Him your life. 336 00:21:55,440 --> 00:22:00,440 So here at the Hubsanity Vineyard we pray this prayer all together. 337 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:12,440 Jesus I'm broken, full of doubt, shame, fear, regret. 338 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:21,440 I'm bound by my sin. But tonight I'm walking in freedom. 339 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:25,440 Tonight I'm coming up out the grave. 340 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:31,440 Tonight I'm choosing to follow you. 341 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:41,440 Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Change me. I receive new life. 342 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:52,440 In Jesus name can we give Him a round of applause. 343 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:56,440 We're going to get ready to transition into our time of baptisms. 344 00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:06,440 But before we do I want to share a personal testimony and I'm going to try to hold it together. 345 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:10,440 My wife's birthday is in late December. 346 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:19,440 And this year after a particularly long and exhausting season she simply asked for a day of good food and rest. 347 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:26,440 And because she loves movies she wanted to take the whole family to go see the new Wonka film that had just come out. 348 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:32,440 So being the prepared husband that I am I pre-ordered tickets, I got everything together. 349 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:37,440 I was feeling really good about the plan I had in place. 350 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,440 Her birthday was on a Saturday this year. 351 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:46,440 Wednesday rolled around and we started to notice that our son Jake didn't seem to be feeling well. 352 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:49,440 He got in a runny nose and a cough. 353 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:56,440 And he got progressively worse until we got to the place where we realized that we needed to postpone our plans. 354 00:23:56,440 --> 00:24:02,440 And this should not have been that big of a deal but I've got to give you some perspective. 355 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:07,440 My wife is the single most important person in the world to me. 356 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:16,440 She regularly gives and gives and sacrifices so that I can walk forward in the calling that God has placed in my life. 357 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:22,440 And more than anything else in the world I just wanted to honor her and celebrate her. 358 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:30,440 And I became disappointed and frustrated that sickness had interrupted my plans. 359 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:36,440 And to be honest I just found myself in a bit of a funk. 360 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:47,440 Sunday rolled around and Jake still wasn't feeling well and so my wife and daughter came to church and Jake and I stayed home 361 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:53,440 to catch the service on the livestream. 362 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:58,440 And I remember this Sunday because this is the Sunday 363 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:06,440 that Chris gave the message that challenged us to go deeper and to embrace the mindset of new year, new narrative. 364 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:14,440 And during that service Chris gave an opportunity for people to respond by slipping up their hands 365 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:17,440 to indicate that they were ready to go deeper and to take the next step. 366 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:23,440 And I remember I was folding some towels at the time and I slipped up my hand and I just happened to glance over 367 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:34,440 and I noticed that Jake had slipped up his hand as well. 368 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:36,440 And after a few minutes he looked around and he said to me, 369 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:42,440 Dad I'm thinking that this is the year that I might like to get baptized. 370 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:47,440 See if Jake hadn't gotten sick he would have been in children's church. 371 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:52,440 And if he had been in children's church he wouldn't have been with me listening to Chris' message. 372 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:56,440 And if he hadn't been listening to Chris' message he may not have had the opportunity 373 00:25:56,440 --> 00:26:01,440 to take that next step in faith to respond and say that he wanted to get baptized. 374 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:07,440 So here it is. I'm going to testify about the goodness of God. 375 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:18,440 While I was busy weeping and mourning, frustrated and disappointed that sickness had just interrupted my plans, 376 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:26,440 it interrupted my preferences. Meanwhile, come on, meanwhile God was using that sickness 377 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:31,440 to create an opportunity for my son to take the next step of faith. 378 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:35,440 Come on can we give him seven seconds of praise. 379 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:39,440 There's nothing that our God can't do. There's nothing that he won't use. 380 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:42,440 There's no grave that he can't turn into a garden. 381 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:48,440 There's no pit that he can't turn into a proving ground for his faithfulness. 382 00:26:48,440 --> 00:27:16,440 So if you find yourself in a meanwhile moment hang on because there's more to this story.