WEBVTT

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Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd

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like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward

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slash connect. If you feel called to give, go

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to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at

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any time you feel called to make a change in

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your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the

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message. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Elvis week.

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You're about to see a young fellow who came out

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of nowhere to become an overnight sensation.

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And now to the HCV stage to meet Elvis Presley

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as he brings you Jailhouse Rock. Good morning.

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The war threw a party in the county jail. The

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prison band was there and they began to wail.

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The band was jumping and the drum began to swing.

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Should have heard them knock down jailbirds sing,

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let's rock. Everybody, let's rock. Everybody

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in the old cell block was dancing to the jailhouse

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rock. Spider -mother played the tenor saxophone.

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Little Joey blowing on the slide trombone. section

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was a purple y 'all so much. Appreciate it. Thank

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you. Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the

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building. But you need to stick around for God's

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message. Thank you, Kevin Booth. Was that awesome

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or what? So let me just start by saying good

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morning. Thank you for joining us. I apologize

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to some of you who expected me to be in a white

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Elvis jumpsuit like last time. If it's your first

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time, man, I don't want to say sorry, but you're

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in for a treat, that's for sure. You've already

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been experiencing it. Let's shift gears right

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now, if you will. Let's just go ahead and pray

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and invite the Holy Spirit in. Come Holy Spirit.

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God, I just thank you for the blessings that

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you give us each and every day. I thank you for

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this awesome building that we get to come to

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every Sunday and worship your name. I thank you

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for Chris and Jess and their obedience 20 years

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ago. to do a little church plant in a little

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town of Hagerstown. And God, I just thank you

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for each and every person that has walked through

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the door since, that has been able to come and

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just learn the name of Jesus. So God, I just

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ask that you speak the message that you have

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today. Allow your words to come out of my mouth,

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but just penetrate the hearts of each and every

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person here, God. Just allow us to... Put down

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the things of earth and pick up all those majestical

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kingdom items you have for us. I ask that in

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the precious name of Jesus. Amen. Elvis Presley.

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Elvis transformed the field of popular music,

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but also had a huge effect on popular culture

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in general. What if? We allow Jesus to have that

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same effect in our lives. Little Richard said

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of Elvis, he was an integrator. Elvis was a blessing.

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What if we saw Jesus in that same light? President

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Jimmy Carter would remark, his music and his

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personality fusing the styles of white country

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and black rhythm and views. blues permanently

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changed the face of American popular culture.

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What if we allowed Jesus to change the landscape

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of our culture? An American composer and conductor,

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Leonard Bernstein, said Elvis Presley is one

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of the greatest cultural forces in the 20th century.

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He introduced the beat to everything, and he

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changed everything, music, language. What if

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we truly allowed Jesus to be that cultural force

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today? Jailhouse Rock. Jailhouse Rock was Elvis'

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sixth song to hit number one on the Billboard

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Top 40. It was the title song from Elvis' third

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feature film called, of course, Jailhouse Rock.

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It hit number one on multiple charts all around

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the world and peaked in the top ten and many

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other charts. Teenagers and young adults loved

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it. Ladies swooned. And fathers hated it. Me,

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personally, it's not my favorite Elvis song.

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That would be Can't Help Falling In Love or how

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great thou art, depending on the day. But Elvis

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was a rocker, and so am I. So I love Jailhouse

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Rock. Now, of course, I've become the Elvis guy

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for some reason here at Hub City. People tend

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to think I'm some kind of Elvis super fan. I'm

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really not. But I want to pause right here for

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a moment. And remind you that we are celebrating

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20 years of Hub City Vineyard in 2026. Listen,

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it's been a fun ride. And I'm happy and honored

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to be just a small part of that. You see, this

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series marks 11 years since Carrie Kingston and

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I first started here. So I want to say thank

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you. To Chris and Jess, for your obedience in

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2006 to expand the kingdom by planting Hub City

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Vineyard. A landmark in your lives that has led

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to landmarks in countless, countless other lives.

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Hallelujah. So, our first Sunday, me and my family.

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Our first Sunday at the Vineyard was, in fact,

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Elvis Week 2015. So we're celebrating 11 years

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here at the Vineyard. Kelsey knew that we were

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looking for a church. She also knew that Carrie

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and I had an Elvis wedding in Las Vegas. So she

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invited us. We weren't really interested in this

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crazy tie -dyed church. that we heard about.

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In fact, we weren't even sure if we were headed

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to church or to a wine tasting event. But we

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got here. Everyone, it was our first time because

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I was wearing a shirt and tie. Maybe the last

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time I wore a shirt and tie in the church. But

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Kevin sang Elvis' Burning Love that day. And

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God spoke about how God had a burning love for

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each of us. And then we immediately became hippie

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vineyarders, along with the rest of you crazies.

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And you guys all helped Kelsey Palmer to thank

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for that. Because that first Sunday was a landmark

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in my life and the life of my family. So. I want

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to say right now, don't be afraid to invite someone

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crazy to church. They may just become the next

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assistant to the lead pastor at Hub City Vineyard.

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God bless you. So today, instead of a list of

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points, I want to reflect on a list of questions.

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So we're going to ask ourselves a couple questions.

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The first question I want you to ask yourself

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is, what are your positive landmarks? What are

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those landmarks from your past that stick out

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to you, that have such a positive influence on

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your life? And jot them down. Journal it. But

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I want to talk about a few famous Jewish landmarks

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that we hear about in the Old Testament. Of course,

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we all know the story. We read the story of Jacob

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in Genesis. In chapter 33, we read the story

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about Jacob returning home and reconciling with

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his brother Esau. Then he sets up camp. Then

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in verses 19 and 20, we read this. Jacob bought

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the plot of land where he camped from the family

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of Hamar, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces

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of silver. And there he built an altar and named

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it El Elohe Israel. Now that phrase El Elohe

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Israel literally translates to the mighty God

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of Israel. So Jacob builds an altar to God. And

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that represents a landmark in his life. Reminding

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him of the grace and provision. provided by his

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mighty God. Jacob also built or dug a well. I

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say built. Gary says dug. Jacob also dug a well

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on this land, on his land. And I just want to

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let you guys in on a little fun fact. That land

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that Jacob owned would later become Samaria.

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And then that well, Jacob's well, would become

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the same well that Jesus had an encounter with

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the Samaritan woman. Of course, we know the story.

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Jesus starts the conversation in John 4, verse

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9, by asking her for a drink. And in verse 9,

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we read her reaction. The woman was surprised.

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For Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.

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She said to Jesus, you are a Jew and I am a Samaritan

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woman. Why are you asking me for a drink? Now,

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I think this tells us a little bit about what

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Jesus thinks about racial division and reconciliation.

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But continuing on in verse 10, Jesus replied,

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if you only knew the gifts God has for you and

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who you're speaking to, you would ask me and

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I would give you living water. Now, do you think

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that well became a landmark for the Samaritan

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woman? I believe that she went back to that well

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often to remember the day her life was changed

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by a Jewish carpenter by the name of Jesus. See,

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like Jacob's well and Jacob's altar, all of us

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have these landmarks in our lives. So I ask you

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today, what are your positive landmarks? Now,

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I'm going to play school teacher. I want you

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to turn to your neighbor and tell them one of

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your positive landmarks. I will say that I had

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to greatly encourage the first service like they

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were my homeroom and didn't want to talk. So

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thank you to second service for being wide awake

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and ready to engage. Now, I also have other landmarks

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in my life. The night I ate platefuls of shrimp

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that almost died from anaphylactic shock. Three

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months later, when I had the accident that almost

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took off my right arm and ultimately almost took

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my life. Those were life -changing events, but

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those weren't positive landmarks. Which leads

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me to my next question. Some of you already have

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it filled in. What are your negative landmarks?

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What are those things that you don't look back

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on with such joy? Although, now I kind of do.

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In Acts 16, we find Paul and Silas casting a

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demon out of a slave girl. Her masters didn't

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like this because the girl, or the demon, rather,

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was making her master's money by telling people

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their fortunes. In verse 22 of Acts 16, we read

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this. A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas,

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and the city officials ordered them stripped

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and beaten with wooden rods. Sounds fun. They

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were severely beaten, and then they were thrown

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into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure

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they didn't escape, so the jailer put them in

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the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the

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stocks. You think this was a negative landmark

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for Paul and Silas? Unjustly thrown in prison

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with their feet strapped in a block of wood?

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Probably. But unlike what you and I probably

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would do, they decided to make the best of the

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situation. Because what happens here? Luke records

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the first jailhouse rock in history. Continuing

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in verse 25, around midnight, Paul and Silas

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were praying and singing, singing hymns to God.

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And the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly,

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there was a massive earthquake, and the prison

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was shaken to its foundations. All the doors

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immediately flew open and the chains of every

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prisoner fell off. The jailer woke up to see

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the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners

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had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself.

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But Paul shouted to him, Stop! Don't kill yourself.

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We are all here. Not only did they sing, Hymns

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of praise. Not only did they find freedom with

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doors flying wide open, but Paul also saves a

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man's life. And that man and his entire family

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were subsequently given over to Jesus, securing

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the jailer's place in eternity. Let's look at

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the last stanza of Jailhouse Rock. Elvis, or

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Kevin, just sang, Shifty Henry said to Bugs,

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for heaven's sake, no one's looking. Now's our

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chance to make a break. Bugsy turned to Shifty

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and he said, nix nix, I want to stick around

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and get my kicks. How many of those prisoners

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in a jail in Act 16 that stuck around with Paul

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and Silas? are now getting their kicks with Jesus

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and eternity. But that wouldn't be the last time

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Paul was in prison. More negative landmarks.

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The prison epistles, there's four of them. Epistles

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just means letters. The prison epistles are named

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so because they were written by the Apostle Paul

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while he was incarcerated. Ephesians, Philippians,

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Colossians, and Philemon, all written while he

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was incarcerated. Philemon was written to Paul's

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friend and fellow laborer, yes, Philemon, as

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a plea for forgiveness. This letter was encouraged.

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to encourage Philemon to free his runaway slave,

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Onesimus. The other three letters were written

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to churches. Last time I spoke, I talked about

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Philippians. Most of you can quote many things

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from Philippians. Philippians is Paul's most

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joyful letter. It references joy over and over

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throughout its pages. Paul encouraged the Philippian

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believers to rejoice in spite of suffering and

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anxiety, to rejoice in service, and to continue

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to look to Christ as the object of their faith

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and hope. And in Philippians 4 .4, we read this

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simple line. I used to sing it as a kid. Rejoice

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in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.

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He wrote that. While chained to a guard. So I'll

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ask again. What are your negative landmarks?

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You don't have to turn and talk to your neighbor

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about this one. But I do want you to write it

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down. Because these negative landmarks also have

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impact on our lives. Now. While we were on the

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topic, let me ask you one more question. What

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is your worst sin? Like I want you to really

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think about this one. What is the worst thing

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I've ever done? And then write it down. I have

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been arrested twice in my life. That's still

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not the worst thing I have ever done. In fact,

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I'm not going to say it because you'll bring

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me off the stage. You won't see me as your pastor.

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You got yours? Write it down. Now, I want you

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to consider this verse in Hebrews 8, 12. Once

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you have it written down, now look up to the

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screen and read this verse. And I will forgive

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them of their wickedness. And I will remember

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their sins no more. Whatever you just wrote down,

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it's false. It's been forgiven. So now you just

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take your pen or grab a magic marker and scratch

00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:47.440
through it. Scratch through it so you can't see

00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:53.839
it anymore. Because as scripture says, he will

00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:58.099
remember it. no more. Now, that doesn't give

00:22:58.099 --> 00:23:01.000
us license to do whatever we want to do in life,

00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:05.279
but we are covered by the blood of Jesus, so

00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:09.019
we don't have to worry because he paid for it.

00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:14.940
Now, these landmarks, positive and negative,

00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:19.220
our past sins, these experiences that anchor

00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:23.660
our memories, These are moments in time that

00:23:23.660 --> 00:23:27.859
shape our identity and provide a sense of being.

00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:35.019
But these aren't our identity, right? There's

00:23:35.019 --> 00:23:37.819
times I've spent in jail. There's near -life

00:23:37.819 --> 00:23:41.339
experiences. All those bad choices and decisions

00:23:41.339 --> 00:23:47.259
I made, they help shape us, but they don't define

00:23:47.259 --> 00:24:04.130
us. My identity is not prisoner. My identity

00:24:04.130 --> 00:24:13.769
isn't man in chains. My identity is in Jesus

00:24:13.769 --> 00:24:23.500
Christ. Jesus is king. You're not wearing those

00:24:23.500 --> 00:24:29.259
clothes anymore. I wear the mark of Jesus on

00:24:29.259 --> 00:24:33.740
my chest. All those bad mistakes, they don't

00:24:33.740 --> 00:24:39.000
define me. They help shape me, but my identity

00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:47.119
is in Jesus. My OCD doesn't define me. Jesus

00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:55.750
defines me. I am a son of God. So, in your bulletins,

00:24:55.750 --> 00:24:58.210
you're going to find those affirmations that

00:24:58.210 --> 00:25:01.349
Chris gave us last week. I ask them to leave

00:25:01.349 --> 00:25:03.910
them in the bulletin because I want to reference

00:25:03.910 --> 00:25:06.910
them this week. I want you to pick the one in

00:25:06.910 --> 00:25:12.450
there that means the most to you. Maybe ask God

00:25:12.450 --> 00:25:16.930
to highlight one for you. And then each day this

00:25:16.930 --> 00:25:19.230
week, I want you to say it out loud every morning.

00:25:24.589 --> 00:25:30.150
I am not a failure. No. There is no condemnation

00:25:30.150 --> 00:25:33.509
in my relationship with Jesus. I'm a new creation

00:25:33.509 --> 00:25:36.750
and the old one is gone and new life has just

00:25:36.750 --> 00:25:45.250
begun. I am an addict. No. I am an overcomer.

00:25:45.609 --> 00:25:50.490
The world can no longer control me. Addict isn't

00:25:50.490 --> 00:25:55.460
your identity. It's part of your... Daughter

00:25:55.460 --> 00:26:01.839
of God is your identity. Now, some time ago,

00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:06.119
Tony Greeley and me were having a conversation.

00:26:06.980 --> 00:26:09.700
And she shared this beautiful picture of what

00:26:09.700 --> 00:26:14.140
God's grace looks like. And what the Holy Spirit's

00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:17.539
guidance looks like. And I want to share it with

00:26:17.539 --> 00:26:20.619
you. This is her. She wrote it. She sent it to

00:26:20.619 --> 00:26:25.680
me. She gave me permission. Tony says, so often

00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:28.519
we feel God calling us to be on fire for him

00:26:28.519 --> 00:26:32.740
and share his love. But we let the shame of our

00:26:32.740 --> 00:26:38.240
past suffocate that fire. We let the chains of

00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:42.660
all of our mistakes get longer and longer. Each

00:26:42.660 --> 00:26:47.119
mistake that we make adding just another link

00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:51.940
to the chains that bind us. But God calls us

00:26:51.940 --> 00:26:57.240
to let that fire burn and to throw those chains

00:26:57.240 --> 00:27:03.480
into the fire. And that burning love of God,

00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:08.220
he melts down each chain link into pure metal.

00:27:09.539 --> 00:27:14.440
And then this is the beautiful part. God takes

00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:20.759
those chains and reshapes it into the full. of

00:27:20.759 --> 00:27:26.720
God. He takes those chains and makes it the breastplate

00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:31.140
of righteousness. He takes those chains and reshapes

00:27:31.140 --> 00:27:37.180
it into the sword of truth. God takes your shame

00:27:37.180 --> 00:27:45.099
and chains and turns it into your armor. All

00:27:45.099 --> 00:27:49.569
the experiences from our past shapes how God

00:27:49.569 --> 00:27:54.829
uses us in his kingdom. So don't be ashamed of

00:27:54.829 --> 00:27:58.490
them. Don't be ashamed of your past. Celebrate

00:27:58.490 --> 00:28:01.349
that when you accepted Jesus as your savior,

00:28:01.490 --> 00:28:06.289
you were redeemed. And all those past transgressions,

00:28:06.369 --> 00:28:14.430
he remembers no more. Now, because I've already

00:28:14.430 --> 00:28:17.130
touched on this, and I know that some of you

00:28:17.130 --> 00:28:19.589
here are thinking, Yeah, that's cool, but I haven't

00:28:19.589 --> 00:28:22.910
given my life to Jesus. We usually do this at

00:28:22.910 --> 00:28:26.190
the end of the service. But I want to pause right

00:28:26.190 --> 00:28:30.750
now to give any of you the opportunity to accept

00:28:30.750 --> 00:28:35.470
Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you've never

00:28:35.470 --> 00:28:38.109
asked Jesus into your life, now is your time.

00:28:39.829 --> 00:28:42.849
If you are sick of the chains that are weighing

00:28:42.849 --> 00:28:46.970
you down, now is the time to allow God to melt

00:28:46.970 --> 00:28:51.079
them away. So I want you to repeat these words

00:28:51.079 --> 00:28:53.920
in your heart. In church, you know the drill.

00:28:54.180 --> 00:28:58.000
As a family, nobody gets left out. We're going

00:28:58.000 --> 00:29:02.180
to say this all together as a family. So please,

00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:07.880
repeat after me. Jesus, without you I am lost.

00:29:09.460 --> 00:29:16.000
I am in chains. With you I am found. I am free.

00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:22.500
I believe. You are the Son of God. I believe

00:29:22.500 --> 00:29:29.180
you died for my sins. I believe you are alive

00:29:29.180 --> 00:29:36.599
and well today. Jesus, come into my heart. Transform

00:29:36.599 --> 00:29:41.779
me. Make me new. Give me your Holy Spirit to

00:29:41.779 --> 00:29:50.789
partner with me. Turn my chains into armor. In

00:29:50.789 --> 00:29:56.430
Jesus' name, amen. Now, if you prayed that prayer

00:29:56.430 --> 00:29:58.349
for the very first time, please know that there

00:29:58.349 --> 00:30:00.490
are a multitude of angels in heaven that are

00:30:00.490 --> 00:30:03.410
praising, rejoicing, and having a jailhouse rock

00:30:03.410 --> 00:30:09.769
in your honor. And if that was you, I want you

00:30:09.769 --> 00:30:11.529
to take out your cell phone and text the words

00:30:11.529 --> 00:30:15.970
CHANGEME to 97000. And somebody, Chris, Jessica,

00:30:16.089 --> 00:30:18.589
myself, somebody on staff will reach out to you

00:30:18.589 --> 00:30:24.009
this week. to give you steps. You ready for the

00:30:24.009 --> 00:30:28.910
action steps? Now that we've committed our lives

00:30:28.910 --> 00:30:32.269
to Jesus, I have just two action steps for you

00:30:32.269 --> 00:30:36.589
today on how you can build your armor. The first

00:30:36.589 --> 00:30:41.089
one is another question. How can I get 1 % better

00:30:41.089 --> 00:30:47.970
every day? What can I do in my life to get 1

00:30:47.970 --> 00:30:53.460
% better? Every day. You don't have to be complete

00:30:53.460 --> 00:30:57.039
tomorrow. You just need to be 1 % better. Please

00:30:57.039 --> 00:30:59.460
know that it takes time to be formed into the

00:30:59.460 --> 00:31:03.539
person that God wants to mold you into. Talk

00:31:03.539 --> 00:31:09.519
to Rick Vance. He's a great mentor. He's 88 years

00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:14.900
old. And I guarantee you, he will tell you that

00:31:14.900 --> 00:31:18.359
God is still shaping him into the man he wants

00:31:18.359 --> 00:31:23.400
him to become. See, Rick still strives to get

00:31:23.400 --> 00:31:29.700
1 % better each day. Now, look back in the Old

00:31:29.700 --> 00:31:34.160
Testament in Job, chapter 8, verse 7. Your beginnings

00:31:34.160 --> 00:31:38.680
will seem humble, but so prosperous will your

00:31:38.680 --> 00:31:43.759
future be. Tony finishes her vision with this

00:31:43.759 --> 00:31:47.519
sentence. When you daily surrender those chain

00:31:47.519 --> 00:31:50.460
links into the fire, you're making that armor

00:31:50.460 --> 00:31:53.700
a little bit thicker, a little bit stronger,

00:31:53.980 --> 00:31:58.299
which creates a stronger defense against the

00:31:58.299 --> 00:32:05.720
enemy. Now, last week, I stood back there and

00:32:05.720 --> 00:32:09.079
listened to Chris speak, and like 90 % of what

00:32:09.079 --> 00:32:13.200
he said I intended to say today. So, I didn't

00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:15.779
really change anything. I just know that what

00:32:15.779 --> 00:32:18.160
Chris told us last week... we don't have to feel

00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:20.500
shame about, but we also can use those things,

00:32:20.680 --> 00:32:26.539
okay? But he mentioned this kind of quote picture.

00:32:27.880 --> 00:32:30.559
A number of years ago, I actually created this

00:32:30.559 --> 00:32:33.839
meme, and I want to reiterate the point that

00:32:33.839 --> 00:32:37.980
Chris made last week, okay? He talked about the

00:32:37.980 --> 00:32:40.619
rearview mirror. The rearview mirror is like

00:32:40.619 --> 00:32:44.259
6 to 12 inches, depending on what size car you

00:32:44.259 --> 00:32:49.029
have, right? How big is the windshield? Huge.

00:32:49.170 --> 00:32:51.990
Why? Because you need to see what's coming up.

00:32:52.930 --> 00:32:56.049
But why do we have the rearview mirror? Because

00:32:56.049 --> 00:32:57.990
we need to glance up every now and then. I will

00:32:57.990 --> 00:32:59.990
share it on Facebook if you want to repost it

00:32:59.990 --> 00:33:05.430
later. We need to look back every now and then

00:33:05.430 --> 00:33:07.390
to see those storms that we've already been through.

00:33:08.609 --> 00:33:12.309
One, so they don't sneak back up on us. And two,

00:33:12.509 --> 00:33:18.539
because they are behind us. So, pick up every

00:33:18.539 --> 00:33:21.200
once in a while. Look at the storm behind you.

00:33:22.279 --> 00:33:25.140
But look at the beautiful blue skies in front

00:33:25.140 --> 00:33:31.099
of you. What do you do? You take that affirmation

00:33:31.099 --> 00:33:33.799
that you picked earlier. You study the verses

00:33:33.799 --> 00:33:36.259
that go along with them. You pray for guidance.

00:33:36.599 --> 00:33:39.019
You sing songs of worship. Start each day with

00:33:39.019 --> 00:33:42.900
a worship song. You give thanks. You allow yourself

00:33:42.900 --> 00:33:47.259
to get... 1 % better each day. And if tomorrow

00:33:47.259 --> 00:33:49.980
you only get half a percent better, guess what?

00:33:51.140 --> 00:33:56.019
Better. And then step two, this is the only point

00:33:56.019 --> 00:33:58.480
of the day, the only bullet point that is not

00:33:58.480 --> 00:34:03.420
a question. It's a commandment. Give yourself

00:34:03.420 --> 00:34:13.789
grace. Back to 2 Corinthians 12, 9. You've heard

00:34:13.789 --> 00:34:15.909
it in the email. You've heard it by autumn. I'm

00:34:15.909 --> 00:34:18.369
going to say it one more time. Jesus said to

00:34:18.369 --> 00:34:22.769
me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power

00:34:22.769 --> 00:34:28.090
is made perfect in your weakness. Therefore,

00:34:28.190 --> 00:34:30.269
I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses

00:34:30.269 --> 00:34:36.130
so that Christ's power may rest on me. The person

00:34:36.130 --> 00:34:43.860
that I'm least likely to give grace to, If Jesus

00:34:43.860 --> 00:34:49.239
extends that grace from that verse to you every

00:34:49.239 --> 00:34:55.539
day, why can't you? Now, I want to show you this

00:34:55.539 --> 00:34:58.059
growth chart. Aidan will put that up on the screen.

00:34:59.900 --> 00:35:05.500
I know, I'm still a math teacher at heart. That

00:35:05.500 --> 00:35:06.960
little point at the beginning, that's called

00:35:06.960 --> 00:35:09.300
the origin of a graph. That's zero comma zero.

00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:13.500
That's where you start. In fact, that may be

00:35:13.500 --> 00:35:18.719
where you found Jesus. And once you start moving

00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:23.280
forward, you're also moving up. You're moving

00:35:23.280 --> 00:35:25.539
forward and you're moving up. The trajectory

00:35:25.539 --> 00:35:28.260
of that whole thing is in what direction? Up.

00:35:28.639 --> 00:35:30.840
Now, you'll notice along the way there's some

00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:33.519
peaks and there's some valleys. Because you're

00:35:33.519 --> 00:35:36.769
going to grow. And then you're going to backslide.

00:35:38.650 --> 00:35:41.070
But then you're going to hit what you think is

00:35:41.070 --> 00:35:42.730
rock bottom, and you're going to grow again.

00:35:43.630 --> 00:35:46.969
But the trajectory of that whole thing is up,

00:35:47.130 --> 00:35:50.869
right? But what happens is we pick a valley.

00:35:52.289 --> 00:35:56.269
And we wallow in that valley. And we woe is me

00:35:56.269 --> 00:35:59.949
in that valley. And then we compare that valley

00:35:59.949 --> 00:36:04.320
to the mountain in front of it. And as we're

00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:06.639
comparing it to that mountain, we say, man, how

00:36:06.639 --> 00:36:13.500
far did I slide back? Man, I'm an idiot. Man,

00:36:13.659 --> 00:36:16.000
I'm a knucklehead. What was I thinking? I was

00:36:16.000 --> 00:36:22.139
doing so good. But what I want you to do is take

00:36:22.139 --> 00:36:26.360
that valley, and instead of looking back to the

00:36:26.360 --> 00:36:30.840
last peak, I want you to look back to where you

00:36:30.840 --> 00:36:35.480
started. Because you may have backslid a little

00:36:35.480 --> 00:36:39.639
bit, but you're still in a much better place

00:36:39.639 --> 00:36:43.420
than where you started. In fact, that valley

00:36:43.420 --> 00:36:49.559
is higher than those peaks. Don't compare yourself

00:36:49.559 --> 00:36:53.920
to your last good decision or your last bad decision.

00:36:55.019 --> 00:36:59.019
Get 1 % better each day. And even if you slide

00:36:59.019 --> 00:37:01.619
back, you're still at least moving that way.

00:37:04.940 --> 00:37:07.960
But remember, you need to give yourself grace.

00:37:08.440 --> 00:37:11.679
Compare yourself to where you started. And then

00:37:11.679 --> 00:37:14.420
one last question. I want you to think about

00:37:14.420 --> 00:37:16.139
this week. I want you to meditate on this week.

00:37:17.619 --> 00:37:21.239
God, how do you want me to use my talents to

00:37:21.239 --> 00:37:27.380
further your kingdom? A man named Alex Romero

00:37:27.380 --> 00:37:30.760
choreographed the dance moves for Jailhouse Rock.

00:37:32.420 --> 00:37:37.340
He sat and he watched. of Elvis' performances.

00:37:38.719 --> 00:37:43.139
He used Elvis' own moves to create the dance

00:37:43.139 --> 00:37:50.079
sequences and to give Elvis direction. This is

00:37:50.079 --> 00:37:54.940
what God does. He uses our own moves. He uses

00:37:54.940 --> 00:37:58.659
our own experiences, the good, the bad, the ugly,

00:37:58.739 --> 00:38:03.480
and he takes those and uses it to give us direction.

00:38:05.550 --> 00:38:08.110
Are you getting 1 % better each and every day

00:38:08.110 --> 00:38:15.389
this week? Let me just pray that over you. Come

00:38:15.389 --> 00:38:21.710
Holy Spirit. God, I just ask that each of us

00:38:21.710 --> 00:38:26.030
are able to wake up each and every morning asking

00:38:26.030 --> 00:38:30.309
you, God, you have given me so many blessings.

00:38:30.909 --> 00:38:33.130
You have given me so many talents and skills.

00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:38.460
How, God, do you want me to use those experiences

00:38:38.460 --> 00:38:45.900
for your kingdom today? And God, continue to

00:38:45.900 --> 00:38:49.460
guide us and strengthen us. Do not allow us,

00:38:49.500 --> 00:38:52.119
God, to live in the shame of our past, but to

00:38:52.119 --> 00:38:53.960
remember that you're going to use all things

00:38:53.960 --> 00:38:58.900
to the good of your glory. So comfort us, guide

00:38:58.900 --> 00:39:02.599
us, direct us, bring us back safely so we can

00:39:02.599 --> 00:39:06.329
do this all again. next week. In Jesus' name,

00:39:06.469 --> 00:39:11.269
amen. Now, before we go, the worship team, or

00:39:11.269 --> 00:39:13.849
sorry, the prayer team, maybe the worship team,

00:39:13.929 --> 00:39:16.690
will be up here on each side. Here are the words

00:39:16.690 --> 00:39:19.710
of knowledge. The first one, close, dear to my

00:39:19.710 --> 00:39:22.590
heart, you've made a bad mistake in your relationship

00:39:22.590 --> 00:39:26.389
and you can't get past it. If that's you, come

00:39:26.389 --> 00:39:30.460
get prayer. Because He will forgive them their

00:39:30.460 --> 00:39:32.159
wickedness and remember no more. I don't know

00:39:32.159 --> 00:39:34.280
why everyone's leaving. I still got words of

00:39:34.280 --> 00:39:37.860
knowledge that you might need prayed over. You

00:39:37.860 --> 00:39:40.179
have muscle cramps in your calf. You have persistent

00:39:40.179 --> 00:39:43.079
headaches. You have knee pain. You have left

00:39:43.079 --> 00:39:47.360
joint pain. Possibly your hip needs replacement.

00:39:47.760 --> 00:39:50.400
And the inner part of your right foot has a bone

00:39:50.400 --> 00:39:53.440
fracture. If the inner part of your left foot

00:39:53.440 --> 00:39:55.280
has a bone fracture, you should probably still

00:39:55.280 --> 00:39:59.960
come up and get prayer. Just saying. Okay? If

00:39:59.960 --> 00:40:02.860
any of these are you, please come forward and

00:40:02.860 --> 00:40:05.400
get prayer. One more thing, this Saturday evening

00:40:05.400 --> 00:40:08.460
we're going to host our next Hispanic get -together

00:40:08.460 --> 00:40:11.239
here at the pavilion behind the church. Invite

00:40:11.239 --> 00:40:13.920
someone. Starts at 5 o 'clock. You can see me

00:40:13.920 --> 00:40:16.079
or Rick for details. I believe they have flyers

00:40:16.079 --> 00:40:20.699
at the Welcome Hub. Next Sunday, are you ready

00:40:20.699 --> 00:40:25.239
for this? I'm not telling you. You're just going

00:40:25.239 --> 00:40:28.110
to have to have a little patience. Thank you.

00:40:28.210 --> 00:40:28.849
Love you