1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000
Let us go to God in prayer.

2
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,000
Great is Heavenly Father, we just thank you for this morning.

3
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:11,000
For you didn't have to wake us up.

4
00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,000
You didn't have to stop the storm at our corner.

5
00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:19,000
You didn't have to do many things, but you did anyhow.

6
00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,000
Lord, we thank you for sending your Son Jesus.

7
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:28,000
We thank you, Lord, for sending Him and allowing Him to take on the sins of the world

8
00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,000
so that we might be saved.

9
00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:35,000
Lord, we thank you for the gifts and the graces that come with this new morning,

10
00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:40,000
this new blessing, and this new covenant with Jesus Christ.

11
00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:45,000
What a blessing it is.

12
00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:50,000
Lord, move me behind the cross that the words that I say may be words that are pleasing unto you.

13
00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:58,000
Lord, let this sermon be a sermon that helps us in the way that we need to be helped.

14
00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,000
For you know our hearts and our minds personally.

15
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:11,000
Lord, let this seed be planted that we may continue to see your grace in the lives of this church,

16
00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:15,000
this community, this world.

17
00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:19,000
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

18
00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:24,000
Usher, thank you for your service this morning.

19
00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,000
Choir, thank you for your blessing.

20
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:37,000
Ms. Marietta, glad the fingers are working and Arthur is not doing what Arthur does.

21
00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,000
Thank you, Ms. Allen, for being the late speaker of the hour

22
00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:46,000
and for the ushers and the communion stewards and all that will assist

23
00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:51,000
as we do communion later on. It truly is a blessing.

24
00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:55,000
And thank you for all those that were here throughout the week behind the scenes,

25
00:01:55,000 --> 00:02:03,000
Ms. Patterson, Mr. Seedum, trustees, all those who have helped

26
00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:07,000
to make sure everything was in place for this man.

27
00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:15,000
And then I am truly grateful for an exciting week in the Lord.

28
00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:19,000
Last Sunday was Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday morning.

29
00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:23,000
We had an opportunity to not only be blessed by the Lord once,

30
00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,000
but be blessed by the Lord twice.

31
00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:33,000
And it was truly one of those kind of things where you look up and you say, wow.

32
00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:39,000
And then throughout the week I was in and out of Houston twice, actually three times.

33
00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:45,000
And it's not often that I go to Houston that many times, but I went for a conference

34
00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:50,000
and I will say to you that I had a chance to be in the presence

35
00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:58,000
of some great theological individuals that truly are a blessing to me.

36
00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:04,000
I saw two bishops this week.

37
00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:08,000
The first woman bishop in the Texas Annual Conference, I heard her give a word.

38
00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:14,000
She gave a word about going out in this community.

39
00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:20,000
I don't know how many times she said it in that speech and direction to preachers,

40
00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,000
but she said, don't wait for the denomination.

41
00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,000
You need to get out in your community.

42
00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:31,000
And you know I'm an acronym kind of person, and if you spell the word get

43
00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:35,000
and then you put the word out, put those two first letters together,

44
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,000
it just simply says go.

45
00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:39,000
Amen.

46
00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:45,000
So I got the first mandate in the proclamation early in the week to just go.

47
00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:50,000
Then I had a chance to hear various preachers and teachers at the E-Church,

48
00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:55,000
which is a conference that's on excellence.

49
00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:59,000
Robert Shuler was on the panel that I heard.

50
00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,000
Kirby John Caldwell was on the panel.

51
00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,000
And two or three other people were on the panel.

52
00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:08,000
And their mandate again was get moving.

53
00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:13,000
But I met a young man at that conference as I was sharing with someone

54
00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:18,000
where I was located now as a preacher.

55
00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,000
And they said, go see this young man.

56
00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,000
Him and his wife are from Futter.

57
00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,000
His name is George Johnson, Jr.

58
00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,000
Some have mentioned to me, oh, he was a classmate of mine,

59
00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:35,000
and he was a very interesting young man, and we didn't know where he was.

60
00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:39,000
But he's in Houston, Texas, and he's a developer,

61
00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:44,000
and he builds great buildings in Houston, Texas.

62
00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,000
He said to me, he said, we need to talk.

63
00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,000
That's my hometown.

64
00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:56,000
He said, if there's anything that my wife and I can do, we're ready to do.

65
00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:02,000
So in other words, another statement of proclamation for go.

66
00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:09,000
Then last night I had a chance to hear the first woman Hispanic bishop

67
00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:13,000
in the United Methodist Church share her testimony,

68
00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:21,000
and she hung on these words about the reign of God being massed.

69
00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:26,000
In other words, she said another proclamation of go.

70
00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,000
Go forth and be the church.

71
00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:31,000
Go forth and be the people of God.

72
00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:39,000
Go forth and know that we are called to serve and be great people.

73
00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:44,000
So on this first Sunday, our confirmation students served

74
00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,000
with the feeding ministry yesterday.

75
00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:51,000
Another part of our youth were in Houston for late-sleeping school,

76
00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:56,000
getting certified to bring forth the Word and do great things with this church.

77
00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:01,000
And then all in all, I saw people working together all week long

78
00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:06,000
under the heading called go.

79
00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,000
And you may say, why is that important?

80
00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:14,000
Because all during Lenten prayer service, we kept preaching and teaching

81
00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:18,000
and proclaiming that miracles were coming.

82
00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,000
Miracles were right in front of our face.

83
00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:26,000
Miracles were happening everywhere around us.

84
00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:31,000
The number of people that were served yesterday, that's a miracle.

85
00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,000
The people who called in and were able to get the food

86
00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:38,000
and things that they need, that's a miracle.

87
00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:42,000
As I left the parking lot with four students,

88
00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:46,000
two female, two males, and three leaders,

89
00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:50,000
seven of us stood in a parking lot at Sandra Center Mall.

90
00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:56,000
I didn't know where the mall was, but I kept being told it's right off of I-10.

91
00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:00,000
I said, I-10 is pretty long, and usually when I get on the freeway,

92
00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,000
I have a 30-30-31.

93
00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:08,000
I have 30 minutes in Houston, 30 minutes on I-10,

94
00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,000
and 30 minutes from Winnie to here.

95
00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:15,000
Anything else that's in between, I really don't know what's there,

96
00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:18,000
because I do a 30-30-30.

97
00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,000
They kept saying it's right there on I-10.

98
00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:21,000
You had to have seen it.

99
00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:26,000
I said, I set the car, and it just goes 30-30-30.

100
00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,000
Well, I got off the freeway because I found where it was,

101
00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:33,000
and they kept saying, you'll see us flicking our lights.

102
00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,000
Well, there we were.

103
00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:41,000
And these students had received the mandate to go.

104
00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:46,000
They had been touched by a relationship they didn't expect to be touched by.

105
00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:50,000
They had met students from all around the United Methodist Churches.

106
00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:54,000
They had connected with some people who were becoming lay speakers

107
00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:58,000
in their school and their churches, and they connected with people

108
00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:04,000
and immediately understood that they needed to go.

109
00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:06,000
The excitement was high.

110
00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,000
We were standing in the parking lot,

111
00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:11,000
and even the security guards rolled around a couple times,

112
00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:16,000
because here were seven African-American people standing in a parking lot,

113
00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:21,000
holding hands and professing who God is.

114
00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:28,000
Maybe you don't understand that, but those kids could have been anywhere.

115
00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:31,000
Angela Malvo didn't have to go with them,

116
00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,000
because all of those weren't her own children.

117
00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:43,000
But she said, I was so proud of our children,

118
00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:50,000
and the message that they brought forth that it stopped people from going.

119
00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:56,000
Our children have a testimony by the grace of God,

120
00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:02,000
and they need to be able to tell it right here.

121
00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:08,000
They need to be able to profess the love of Jesus Christ

122
00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:12,000
and be all who God is calling them to be.

123
00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,000
That's a miracle.

124
00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:21,000
When we left, they went one way, and we went another way, I'm sure.

125
00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:25,000
We got to the traffic light, and I was so excited.

126
00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:30,000
I was saying to God, did you see their energy?

127
00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:35,000
And of course, we did.

128
00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:40,000
And many of you have heard me speak about red lights in Houston, Texas.

129
00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,000
I've been at many of them, and it's my light to go,

130
00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:47,000
and their light to stop, and they just keep right on going.

131
00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:54,000
And I said to God, oh, my God, right then and there, we could have been a cashless.

132
00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:58,000
But because of the proclamation of Jesus Christ

133
00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:01,000
and because of the protection of the Lord we love

134
00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:08,000
and because of situations we were held at that corner,

135
00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,000
I said thanks be to God,

136
00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:16,000
because whatever it is that you have getting ready to happen through these children,

137
00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:20,000
help me help them.

138
00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:26,000
Help us to make that goal statement real.

139
00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:31,000
So you see, this was the commercial for the sermon today,

140
00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:36,000
because the sermon today is called Open the Box.

141
00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:43,000
Open the box, because the tomb is already there.

142
00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:51,000
Open the box of gifts that God has in each and every one of our hearts

143
00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:56,000
to be all that He's calling us to be.

144
00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:59,000
Have any of you watched late night TV?

145
00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:03,000
And it's a guy that comes on and he always has the top ten,

146
00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,000
and they're really crazy, top ten.

147
00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,000
You ever see it? He counts them down.

148
00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,000
Ten this and ten that.

149
00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:15,000
And we're going to treat this passage as a countdown

150
00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,000
to we're opening the box. Amen?

151
00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,000
I'm not going to go line by line,

152
00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:25,000
but I want you to write it down somewhere on your podium,

153
00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,000
because when you get back home,

154
00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:34,000
this passage from John is so important to us,

155
00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:37,000
because Jesus was speaking to His disciples,

156
00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:42,000
and the language that He was having was He was speaking to a group of people

157
00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:45,000
who were behind closed doors.

158
00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:52,000
They had escaped to a quiet place behind closed doors out of fear.

159
00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:55,000
They knew Jesus was there,

160
00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:59,000
and they also understood the governmental moment of that day.

161
00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,000
They knew the seeds that they were under,

162
00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:06,000
but they were fearful of how they would walk out their call.

163
00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:08,000
And they were behind closed doors,

164
00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:14,000
and you see they needed the peace of God because they had fear.

165
00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,000
Anybody ever hear them fear?

166
00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:22,000
Some of us have and some of us want to live it.

167
00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,000
So I'm not fear.

168
00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:29,000
God didn't give me a spirit of fear, and I fear nothing.

169
00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:34,000
And I need to be just as shaken.

170
00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:38,000
The news reporters say the most fearful thing that people have

171
00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:42,000
is not seeing other people or connecting with other people,

172
00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,000
but they fear public speaking.

173
00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:48,000
So to know that we have four students that are on their way to become

174
00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:52,000
certified lay speakers that can come before anybody at any time,

175
00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:56,000
be able to say, I love the Lord with all my heart.

176
00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:05,000
So these disciples had fear that those children did not have.

177
00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:10,000
They were fearful because they had not come to the recollection

178
00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:14,000
that Jesus Christ had given.

179
00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:20,000
So the first topic in verse 19, I say to you,

180
00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:24,000
the proclamation of God is get free from fear.

181
00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:30,000
By any means necessary in the name of Jesus.

182
00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,000
Get free.

183
00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,000
And when you get free of fear and you done prayed it out

184
00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:39,000
and you done laid it out and you done asked God to remove it,

185
00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,000
gain the peace of God.

186
00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:48,000
Verse 19 tells us about the peace of God.

187
00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,000
Then there's the number nine.

188
00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:56,000
Many of you have heard the doubting Thomas story.

189
00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:00,000
Thomas didn't believe who Jesus was.

190
00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:06,000
And he simply says, until he shows me the marks in his hand

191
00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,000
and the pierce in his thigh,

192
00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:13,000
y'all can tell me he rose and I'm not even going to see that.

193
00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:19,000
So number nine says Jesus shows that he is the one who was on the cross.

194
00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,000
That's verse one.

195
00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:26,000
He shows it to us and it provides not a blame game

196
00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:31,000
but an opportunity for Thomas to confess.

197
00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:38,000
To say, wow, forgive me for not some reason.

198
00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:41,000
Let me receive this house.

199
00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:47,000
And then the number eight is that the disciples are commissioned

200
00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:50,000
and sent forth, get out of your field.

201
00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:52,000
I've shown you who I am.

202
00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:56,000
Now go forth and be who I've called you to be.

203
00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,000
So the second call for peace comes.

204
00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:03,000
Anybody need peace?

205
00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,000
All you have to do is call me.

206
00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:10,000
To God be the glory and let me have your peace.

207
00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:13,000
That's in verse 21.

208
00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:20,000
And then, circle vase 22, highlight it in your Bible,

209
00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:25,000
get to the point where you can actually look at that and say,

210
00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:28,000
that's deep.

211
00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,000
That's deep.

212
00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:39,000
Verse 22 simply says, then he said to Peter,

213
00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:44,000
put your finger here, see my hand.

214
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:48,000
Reach out, that's 27, I'm sorry.

215
00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:53,000
Let me go back up to 22, jumping down, getting ahead of me.

216
00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:58,000
22 simply says, and with this he breathed on them and said,

217
00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:01,000
receive the Holy Spirit.

218
00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:05,000
Why is that important in our Christian journey?

219
00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,000
Because in true reality, the commentaries that I read,

220
00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:12,000
they mentioned the fact that until the Holy Spirit has been

221
00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:16,000
breathed upon you, you will struggle with fulfilling the

222
00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,000
statement of going.

223
00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:21,000
You will have trouble with forgiving people.

224
00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,000
You will have trouble receiving and accepting the peace of God.

225
00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:28,000
You will be challenged in your Christian journey more than ever

226
00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:35,000
because you have yet to be breathed on by the Holy Spirit.

227
00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:39,000
And that's not to say everybody's breathing experience needs to be

228
00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:40,000
the same.

229
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:42,000
Some of us are slain in the Spirit.

230
00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:44,000
Some of us the Spirit just comes upon us,

231
00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,000
it's like a new twinkling kind of thing.

232
00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:51,000
And some of us say, I don't know what just happened.

233
00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:55,000
That's something that came over me and I really can't explain it.

234
00:16:55,000 --> 00:17:00,000
I'll get back with you when I can articulate it.

235
00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:03,000
And then some of us are like our grandmothers and our

236
00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:07,000
grandfathers and our big aunties and our little aunties,

237
00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:15,000
but they just come and say, don't talk to me like that.

238
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:20,000
I'm going off in my spirit, deep down in my soul.

239
00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:26,000
So it's important for us not to get hung up on what it looks like

240
00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:31,000
or the process, but the reality is that in our Christian journey

241
00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:36,000
to mature and go where God says don't,

242
00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:41,000
the breathing of the Holy Spirit needs to occur in our lives.

243
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:45,000
And no sooner than we receive it, we have the power,

244
00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:52,000
and that's number six, to forgive others and to be forgiven.

245
00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:55,000
During the Lenten time, we had a community prayer time

246
00:17:55,000 --> 00:18:04,000
and we talked about what is hovering over Port Austin.

247
00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:09,000
And it was said to me that it was a little of this and a little of that,

248
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:13,000
and when I went to my prayer crisis, God said to me,

249
00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:17,000
there's a spirit of unforgiveness.

250
00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:21,000
We forgive, but we put conditions.

251
00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:26,000
And that's not what I call my children of the Most High God to do.

252
00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:30,000
I call them into forgiving and reconciliation relationships,

253
00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:37,000
not relationships that say, look, I'm taking my toys home.

254
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,000
I ain't going to get along with you because I got one agenda,

255
00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:43,000
you got another agenda, and when we get together on the agenda, okay, then fine.

256
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:49,000
But I'm over here on this point and you are, we are a body of Christ.

257
00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:57,000
During this Easter season, a man walked past this church on Good Friday, carrying a cross.

258
00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:01,000
A group of people came into this community yesterday,

259
00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:07,000
evangelizing door to door, telling us, do you know Jesus?

260
00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,000
I'd never seen the man, but you know, that's nothing for me.

261
00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:13,000
I ain't been here that long.

262
00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:18,000
But it was real obvious he didn't live here.

263
00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,000
Y'all will catch that later.

264
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:27,000
But I can bet my last nickel he didn't live in this little neighborhood.

265
00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:36,000
But he was knocking on the door, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, let me tell you about Jesus, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, let me tell you about Jesus.

266
00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,000
Forgive others and be forgiven.

267
00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:47,000
Each of us are worthy to accept the forgiveness we make.

268
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:51,000
Some of us say that you don't know what I did to him.

269
00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:55,000
You don't know how bad I was.

270
00:19:55,000 --> 00:20:00,000
I can't accept the forgiveness because I'm just here.

271
00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:09,000
We came today to have Holy Communion to help you get off your cross so you can receive the blessing that Jesus Christ has for you.

272
00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:12,000
You can give yourself permission to say today is a new day.

273
00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:13,000
Today is a new covenant.

274
00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:18,000
Today I receive the forgiveness in the name of Jesus.

275
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:24,000
This is my day, right now.

276
00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:33,000
Some of us have unforgiveness that's so old it's turning color.

277
00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:44,000
I don't know who you are, but there's a freedom that comes in Christ Jesus when you just say it's old.

278
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,000
Loosen and let it go.

279
00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:47,000
Because guess what?

280
00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:51,000
The forgiveness is the benefit for our relationship with Jesus Christ.

281
00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,000
It restores us.

282
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:58,000
It puts us back into the right relationship with Jesus Christ.

283
00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,000
I don't want somebody holding on to my joy.

284
00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:08,000
I don't want somebody keeping me hostage and they'd have been forgotten.

285
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:22,000
The freedom, the benefit of receiving the peace of God is knowing that you forgive and give yourself permission to be forgiven.

286
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:30,000
Number five says we see Jesus and he shares the moment with those that are missing.

287
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:34,000
That's verse 24 and 25.

288
00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:37,000
That's an important verse because guess what?

289
00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:44,000
All of us didn't get to see Jesus at that moment.

290
00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:50,000
But in those verses it's teaching us that even though we didn't physically see him,

291
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:53,000
but you see the Holy Spirit in each and every other.

292
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,000
You see what he's doing through Jesus Christ.

293
00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:58,000
You see what salvation is doing in our lives.

294
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:06,000
So you can see the presence of what God does and still believe.

295
00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:09,000
Seeing is believing.

296
00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:14,000
But once you believe, it's good to move from believing to knowing.

297
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:18,000
When you know that you know that you know that you know that Jesus Christ is your Savior.

298
00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,000
When you know that you know that you know that he has saved your soul.

299
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:27,000
When you know that you know that you know, you're forgiven.

300
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:31,000
That's a declaration that says I'll go and tell somebody else.

301
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:34,000
Couldn't keep it to myself.

302
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,000
I had to tell him.

303
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:44,000
Number four simply says declare the experience and remove the doubt.

304
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:50,000
Read verses 25 through 26 and then again, peace comes up for the third time.

305
00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:57,000
But this time it talks about experiencing it for yourself.

306
00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:02,000
Experiencing it for yourself.

307
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:07,000
He simply says a week later his disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them

308
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:16,000
and though the doors were locked, Jesus came through and stood among them and simply said,

309
00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:21,000
Jesus, Jesus.

310
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:24,000
Now I don't know about you but just reading that shook me up.

311
00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:29,000
I'm like okay, all the doors are locked and see what you all may not understand about I'm a child of a cop.

312
00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:33,000
Cop kids lock everything.

313
00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:37,000
They lock the doors, the cabinets, the cabinets, cabinets.

314
00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:42,000
I mean whatever we have that's open is a miracle in the name of Jesus.

315
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:49,000
I said it on the other day, we locked them and he said, baby, let it go.

316
00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:57,000
But can you imagine all the doors locked, all the windows locked and Jesus just said,

317
00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:01,000
Jesus, please be with Jesus.

318
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:06,000
I'd fall down on my face for that just on TV.

319
00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:10,000
Oh, have mercy.

320
00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:12,000
Experience the peace of God.

321
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:16,000
Know that he has it for you.

322
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:26,000
Number two, as we're counting down, is the blessing of Jesus where he was seen on the Mount.

323
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:31,000
Read verses 29 and 30.

324
00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:40,000
That was the second commercial but he is the part of the Mount.

325
00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:45,000
Verse 31 says, verse 30 and 31 says,

326
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:52,000
Jesus did many other miraculous things in the presence of his disciples,

327
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:57,000
which are not recorded in this book.

328
00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:03,000
But, whenever there's a but in scripture, you want to understand what the but is there for.

329
00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:14,000
But it says, but these are written that you, I, we, your cousin, mama's cousin,

330
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:24,000
your friends, your extended friends, all of us have the opportunity that they may believe

331
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:30,000
that Jesus is the Christ, that Jesus is the Son of God,

332
00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:43,000
and that by believing you may have life, not in somebody else's name,

333
00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:50,000
but in his name and his name is Jesus Christ.

334
00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:59,000
So on this, the first Sunday of April, the top ten are for all of us.

335
00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:10,000
But if you don't remember any of them, remember number one, in spite of it all, in spite of it all,

336
00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:18,000
believe that Jesus is part of the body, giving you the gift of salvation,

337
00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:28,000
the gift of peace, the gift of hope, the gift of life, the gift of everlasting life,

338
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:35,000
the gift of saving grace, the gift of love, the gift of mercy,

339
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:43,000
the gift of forgiveness, and the breath of the Holy Spirit.

340
00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:50,000
The doors of the church are open. Will you stand as we sing our hymn this morning?