WEBVTT 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:29.420 breakfast in bed. Am I talking to anybody here 00:00:29.420 --> 00:00:33.840 today? Wow, one of you. What a great day for 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:39.340 you. And for the rest of us, they got us covered 00:00:39.340 --> 00:00:42.759 when we leave. Amen. Isn't that, some of you 00:00:42.759 --> 00:00:46.719 husbands are like, thank God for church, right? 00:00:47.640 --> 00:00:50.780 Forget like God being here. They also take care 00:00:50.780 --> 00:00:54.219 of our ladies. So it is. Such an honor to be 00:00:54.219 --> 00:00:57.500 here this weekend with you. Had the best time 00:00:57.500 --> 00:01:00.079 with the ladies on Friday night. Sorry, guys. 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.859 It was amazing. And you missed out just in the 00:01:03.859 --> 00:01:06.780 food department. It was incredible. It was a 00:01:06.780 --> 00:01:09.799 feast. Women know how to throw down. I'm just 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:14.329 saying. Yes. So hopefully they're gonna help 00:01:14.329 --> 00:01:17.569 you out with lunch today, right? Or there's restaurants, 00:01:17.790 --> 00:01:20.909 there's takeout. So right now, quick, get out 00:01:20.909 --> 00:01:22.790 your phones, make those reservations because 00:01:22.790 --> 00:01:25.390 it's also probably really hard to get reservations 00:01:25.390 --> 00:01:28.390 if you don't already have them. But it was amazing. 00:01:28.689 --> 00:01:32.230 And I love this house and I love your pastors. 00:01:32.549 --> 00:01:35.469 They are, in my opinion, they are some of the 00:01:35.469 --> 00:01:39.980 greatest pastors in the world. Not just Oregon, 00:01:40.359 --> 00:01:46.260 the world. And every time I come into this building, 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:51.280 I'm overwhelmed, actually, by the attention to 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:54.819 detail, the intentionality with which everything 00:01:54.819 --> 00:01:57.959 has been done. And I always think to myself, 00:01:58.280 --> 00:02:01.439 people who take care of a building like this 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:06.359 take care of hearts even better. So you are in 00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:09.469 a great... house and you have great pastors. 00:02:10.110 --> 00:02:13.550 I recently heard this, and please don't fact 00:02:13.550 --> 00:02:16.490 check me because I heard it from a pastor, so 00:02:16.490 --> 00:02:18.729 I can repeat it, right? If a pastor said it, 00:02:18.789 --> 00:02:22.270 I can repeat it. But I recently heard in a sermon 00:02:22.270 --> 00:02:30.050 that 70 ,000 churches have closed this last season 00:02:30.050 --> 00:02:34.250 of church life. I also heard this same pastor 00:02:34.250 --> 00:02:39.650 say that 30 ,000 churches were in the process 00:02:39.650 --> 00:02:44.270 of closing. In our area, I live in the metro 00:02:44.270 --> 00:02:48.710 Portland area. You can pray for us. I mean, like 00:02:48.710 --> 00:02:52.169 a lot of people are moving to places like Texas 00:02:52.169 --> 00:02:54.629 and Arizona. I feel like I'm not sending any 00:02:54.629 --> 00:02:56.889 more people. I'm not planting any more people 00:02:56.889 --> 00:02:59.909 into those great states. Can I get an amen? Come 00:02:59.909 --> 00:03:02.050 on, we need you to stay here and help us out. 00:03:02.129 --> 00:03:07.759 But there's been so... many pastors in their 00:03:07.759 --> 00:03:11.659 early forties who they're like, I'm out and they're 00:03:11.659 --> 00:03:14.139 going to go start nonprofits or I don't even 00:03:14.139 --> 00:03:15.860 know what they're going to do. There's been so 00:03:15.860 --> 00:03:22.099 many churches in our area that have closed. And 00:03:22.099 --> 00:03:26.039 I believe God would come to his church in this 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:29.060 season and he would come to his church today 00:03:29.060 --> 00:03:34.120 and he would speak to us even as he did the exiles 00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:36.939 who were in Babylon and who were living under 00:03:36.939 --> 00:03:40.500 a political regime that wasn't what they thought 00:03:40.500 --> 00:03:44.180 God wanted. for them. It wasn't God's best. And 00:03:44.180 --> 00:03:47.360 they thought, will there be an end to the moment? 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:51.280 Will there be an end to the season? And God actually 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:55.219 sends an Isaiah type like figure. The first half 00:03:55.219 --> 00:03:58.319 of Isaiah, it's judgment, it's gloom. It's not 00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:00.479 looking good, right? Kind of like the moment 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:03.539 we're living in. But then the second Isaiah comes 00:04:03.539 --> 00:04:06.159 and he begins to prophesy that there is indeed 00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:11.479 a new day. And that new season is powerful. season 00:04:11.479 --> 00:04:15.479 is full of hope. That new season is in fact inviting 00:04:15.479 --> 00:04:19.540 the people of God to hope again. And I believe 00:04:19.540 --> 00:04:23.339 the second half of Isaiah, it's for us right 00:04:23.339 --> 00:04:27.279 now. And I believe God would come to his church 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:31.660 in this hour and he would speak the words of 00:04:31.660 --> 00:04:36.120 Isaiah 40 over us. He would say this, comfort, 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:43.720 comfort. My people, says your God. Speak tenderly 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:48.600 to Jerusalem and cry to her. You're like, why 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:51.060 is she talking so passionately? Because I think 00:04:51.060 --> 00:04:55.560 God wants to get into our spirits that it. is 00:04:55.560 --> 00:05:00.740 a new day and it is a new season. And there is 00:05:00.740 --> 00:05:04.160 comfort for weary hearts. There's comfort for 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:06.980 sad hearts. There's comfort for people who look 00:05:06.980 --> 00:05:11.639 at that 70 ,000 statistic and think, what? Has 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:17.779 God left us? Has God abandoned us? No. Your warfare 00:05:17.779 --> 00:05:23.399 is ended and your iniquity is pardoned. And then 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:25.600 I believe he would say this to his church. He 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:31.759 would say this, a voice cries in the wilderness, 00:05:31.899 --> 00:05:41.240 prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight a 00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:47.339 desert highway. Can I tell you, I... believe 00:05:47.339 --> 00:05:52.300 that today is the today of God. And I believe 00:05:52.300 --> 00:05:55.620 that God is coming to his church in this hour 00:05:55.620 --> 00:05:59.220 and he's speaking comfort out over us because 00:05:59.220 --> 00:06:04.579 he's making us into a voice that prepares the 00:06:04.579 --> 00:06:08.199 way for God to enter into communities, for God 00:06:08.199 --> 00:06:11.480 to enter into states, for God to enter into hearts. 00:06:11.579 --> 00:06:15.360 He's been making his church into a voice and 00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:18.980 actually the very word of God in cities like 00:06:18.980 --> 00:06:21.720 Harrisburg and in churches like this one and 00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:23.740 in churches like ours, you know what's happening? 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:27.500 As we let God make us into a voice that prepares 00:06:27.500 --> 00:06:30.459 the way for him, that word of God is actually 00:06:30.459 --> 00:06:37.019 making a highway. You know what highways are 00:06:37.019 --> 00:06:41.860 for? Going from one place to another. They're 00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:46.699 actually not for sitting still. They're for moving. 00:06:47.220 --> 00:06:50.899 They're for mobilizing. And I believe God is 00:06:50.899 --> 00:06:53.699 coming to his church today and he's saying, hey, 00:06:53.740 --> 00:06:56.779 it's time to get on that highway because we're 00:06:56.779 --> 00:07:01.779 going somewhere. Would you open with me to Isaiah 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:05.079 chapter 40? If you're here on Friday night at 00:07:05.079 --> 00:07:08.199 F41, we're working backwards because in God, 00:07:08.220 --> 00:07:10.800 it's past, present, future. You can go whatever 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:12.600 direction you want. You're going to always end 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:18.060 up at him. Amen. Open with me to Isaiah 40, 27. 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:24.199 And today I want to talk about it's fresh. Don't 00:07:24.199 --> 00:07:27.839 you love that word fresh? Anybody in here like 00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:30.259 you're old enough that you know who DC Talk is? 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:36.040 Oh, I'm with my people. So the other day, my 00:07:36.040 --> 00:07:41.170 mom brings me a box of old stuff that I don't 00:07:41.170 --> 00:07:42.870 know why. She's like, you're going to love this. 00:07:42.970 --> 00:07:44.750 So I started going through my box. Guess what 00:07:44.750 --> 00:07:49.050 I found? I wrote a letter to DC Talk back in 00:07:49.050 --> 00:07:53.449 the day. And DC Talk wrote me back. My husband's 00:07:53.449 --> 00:07:55.610 like, they didn't write you back. They have like 00:07:55.610 --> 00:07:57.589 a secretary who wrote you back. I'm like, no, 00:07:57.670 --> 00:08:01.449 Toby Mac. He wrote me back. I'm framing this. 00:08:01.569 --> 00:08:03.850 And you know what it said? It was like, yo, yo, 00:08:03.930 --> 00:08:07.889 Jerusha, word to the fresh. And I was like, oh 00:08:07.889 --> 00:08:12.480 yeah. Can I tell you, yo, yo, church, word to 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:20.899 the fresh. What God is doing is a fresh thing 00:08:20.899 --> 00:08:25.819 and God is moving in a fresh way. And he doesn't 00:08:25.819 --> 00:08:32.179 want us pulling out yesterday's strength for 00:08:32.179 --> 00:08:38.370 today's journey. Like I talked about Friday night, 00:08:38.470 --> 00:08:41.750 my husband and I this year, we had all of our 00:08:41.750 --> 00:08:46.690 stuff burn. Every Bible, every sermon journal 00:08:46.690 --> 00:08:50.649 I had written, every study book, gone. You know, 00:08:50.669 --> 00:08:55.830 I felt like God said to me, Jerusha, yesterday's 00:08:55.830 --> 00:09:00.289 revelation isn't going to get you through today's 00:09:00.289 --> 00:09:03.960 season. I want to give you a fresh revelation. 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:07.080 I believe God wants to give his church a fresh 00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:11.860 outpouring. We sang about it, didn't we? Strengthen 00:09:11.860 --> 00:09:16.179 what remains. Revelation comes to the church 00:09:16.179 --> 00:09:19.879 in chapter three and the spirit says, wake up 00:09:19.879 --> 00:09:25.559 and strengthen what remains. Can I put it in 00:09:25.559 --> 00:09:29.399 today's language? Yo, yo, yo, church. It's fresh. 00:09:29.659 --> 00:09:31.679 Wake up. I'm going to stop. My husband, if he 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:33.440 was here, he'd be like, babe, you're not a rapper. 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:37.139 And you're certainly not DC Talk from the 1990s. 00:09:37.139 --> 00:09:40.519 Move on. But it's just so fun. I remember when 00:09:40.519 --> 00:09:43.539 I was 18, I actually got to rap at church and 00:09:43.539 --> 00:09:45.460 it was the best thing ever. They never asked 00:09:45.460 --> 00:09:49.220 me again though. So, you know, I should take 00:09:49.220 --> 00:09:52.039 that as some sort of indicator. Okay, here we 00:09:52.039 --> 00:09:59.299 go. God has fresh strength for us today. Anybody 00:09:59.299 --> 00:10:03.679 need some fresh strength? Anybody in here, even 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:05.919 when I said the word comfort, you're like, come 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:09.279 on now. I need a weighted blanket. I need a cup 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:12.419 of tea or a cup of coffee. I need my cozy chair 00:10:12.419 --> 00:10:16.279 and my cozy slippers. I need a spiritual comfort 00:10:16.279 --> 00:10:19.879 from God today. I need a strengthening from God 00:10:19.879 --> 00:10:22.860 today. I need an energizing from God today because 00:10:22.860 --> 00:10:27.399 this season has been relentless. It's been hitting 00:10:27.399 --> 00:10:29.759 us around. It's been hitting the church around. 00:10:29.879 --> 00:10:32.740 And I believe God would come to us today and 00:10:32.740 --> 00:10:37.600 he would say, it stops here and now. And it is 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:41.240 a new season. And I have fresh strength. I have 00:10:41.240 --> 00:10:43.779 fresh grace for you. And I want you to put it 00:10:43.779 --> 00:10:46.000 on because we're going somewhere. We're not just 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:48.519 sitting still. We're moving somewhere. And God 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:50.279 is about to do something. And I believe God is 00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:52.820 about to do something in Oregon. So specific. 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:54.899 It's not by accident you didn't move to Texas. 00:10:57.449 --> 00:11:00.389 Somebody. You can vacation there. Okay, here 00:11:00.389 --> 00:11:06.190 we go. Verse 27. Why do you say, O Jacob, and 00:11:06.190 --> 00:11:10.909 speak, O Israel? My way is hidden from the Lord, 00:11:11.009 --> 00:11:16.169 and my right hand is disregarded by God. Now, 00:11:16.169 --> 00:11:19.009 whenever the Bible puts Israel and Jacob together, 00:11:19.289 --> 00:11:21.850 you know what our brains should clue in? God 00:11:21.850 --> 00:11:25.710 is talking to the people of God. Past, present, 00:11:25.830 --> 00:11:30.049 future. That means us, the church. And it's interesting 00:11:30.049 --> 00:11:34.110 here because instead of lamenting and pouring 00:11:34.110 --> 00:11:36.509 out their heart to God, you know what they're 00:11:36.509 --> 00:11:40.850 doing? They're pouring out their heart in a complaint 00:11:40.850 --> 00:11:45.710 and they're talking about God instead of to him. 00:11:46.250 --> 00:11:52.340 Man, how much this year. Has the church, big 00:11:52.340 --> 00:11:54.379 C, not you guys, because you're amazing. I mean, 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:56.240 seriously, you're amazing. Check out your worship. 00:11:56.320 --> 00:11:59.240 Check out your response. Amazing. How much have 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:07.240 we talked about God instead of to him? Have you 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:16.320 not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:21.039 everlasting God. He is the creator of the ends 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:25.559 of the earth. He doesn't grow faint. He doesn't 00:12:25.559 --> 00:12:30.960 grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:34.559 There's something that happens even when I read 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:37.980 this passage. Don't you feel it? Like your heart, 00:12:38.059 --> 00:12:44.240 it's filling with the vastness of who God is. 00:12:44.190 --> 00:12:48.470 You know what? I get the world being weary. I 00:12:48.470 --> 00:12:51.250 get the world being tired. But you know what? 00:12:51.730 --> 00:12:54.129 Why in the world would I be weary and why in 00:12:54.129 --> 00:12:56.929 the world would I be tired when the everlasting 00:12:56.929 --> 00:13:02.169 God, the one who's outside of time, the one who 00:13:02.169 --> 00:13:06.940 created all of this. loves me and is for me and 00:13:06.940 --> 00:13:10.799 he loves his church and he is for his church. 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:13.940 And I believe he wants to come and he wants to 00:13:13.940 --> 00:13:17.259 fill our hearts. I almost see your heart just 00:13:17.259 --> 00:13:21.120 expanding and filling with just the knowledge 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:25.840 that God is the everlasting creator of the universe 00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:29.759 and he's in charge. He knows what's going on 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:33.139 and his understanding is unsearchable. We can't 00:13:33.139 --> 00:13:35.720 even begin. to fathom what he's doing, but this 00:13:35.720 --> 00:13:40.399 we know. He's making a highway for his word to 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:43.600 travel on. He's making a highway for his glory 00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:47.659 to travel on. He's making a highway for his name 00:13:47.659 --> 00:13:51.600 to be exalted and lifted up in this hour. And 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:54.980 it may not make sense and I may not understand 00:13:54.980 --> 00:13:57.879 how it looks, but this is what I know. He's the 00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:06.220 everlasting creator. He's got this. He gives 00:14:06.220 --> 00:14:13.159 power to the faint. And to him who has no might, 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:19.740 he increases strength. Anybody in here feeling 00:14:19.740 --> 00:14:24.200 tired? Anybody in here feeling faint? Can I tell 00:14:24.200 --> 00:14:30.000 you today, he has fresh strength for us. And 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:31.720 you know what we're gonna call it today? We're 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:36.090 gonna call it switch. Strength. His strength 00:14:36.090 --> 00:14:43.830 for our weakness. Wow. His strength for our tiredness. 00:14:45.169 --> 00:14:48.269 Anybody said to your spouse or your friends this 00:14:48.269 --> 00:14:50.090 year, I don't know if I can keep doing this. 00:14:50.730 --> 00:14:53.529 I don't know if I can keep reading this. I don't 00:14:53.529 --> 00:14:55.649 know if I can keep going through this season. 00:14:55.710 --> 00:14:58.350 You're right, you can't, but he can. And today 00:14:58.350 --> 00:15:02.370 he's making a switch for us. And I'm exchanging 00:15:02.370 --> 00:15:05.669 what I can't do in my own power, in my own strength. 00:15:05.750 --> 00:15:09.009 And I'm taking on the everlasting one's strength. 00:15:09.110 --> 00:15:11.769 I'm taking on the creator of the universe, his 00:15:11.769 --> 00:15:14.509 strength. And you know what? Even the strongest 00:15:14.509 --> 00:15:17.129 thing in the world, young men, they're gonna 00:15:17.129 --> 00:15:19.570 get tired. They're going to get faint. But guess 00:15:19.570 --> 00:15:23.190 what? My God, that's not for him. He never gets 00:15:23.190 --> 00:15:26.309 tired. He never gets faint. And he puts that 00:15:26.309 --> 00:15:31.370 strength on me, on you, on his church. Because 00:15:31.370 --> 00:15:36.629 we got a highway we got to move on. And that 00:15:36.629 --> 00:15:40.190 highway, it's a long highway. It's going to take 00:15:40.190 --> 00:15:45.330 some people who've switched strength. It goes 00:15:45.330 --> 00:15:50.909 on and it says this. But they who wait for the 00:15:50.909 --> 00:15:57.669 Lord shall renew their strength. Now, I know 00:15:57.669 --> 00:16:00.809 you're sitting here and you're like, gosh, she's 00:16:00.809 --> 00:16:03.110 preaching that passage that they pray and prophesy 00:16:03.110 --> 00:16:07.220 over old people. Right? Like every time, you 00:16:07.220 --> 00:16:09.620 know, not in this house because like your pastor's 00:16:09.620 --> 00:16:11.419 prophesied, but you know when you're at the prophetic 00:16:11.419 --> 00:16:13.919 assembly and the older couple goes up and you're 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:15.440 like, you know, I know they're getting Isaiah 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:18.360 40. That's what's coming their way. Can I tell 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:23.799 you? This verse is not for old people. Although 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:25.879 they should grab onto it and say, I'm living 00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:29.500 to be 120 like Moses. I pray that. I pray that 00:16:29.500 --> 00:16:31.539 every day. Is that crazy? No, I don't think so. 00:16:32.200 --> 00:16:40.620 It's in the Bible. No, this verse is for a people, 00:16:40.659 --> 00:16:43.960 the people of God who've been so beaten down, 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:49.639 their hope is gone. They don't think that all 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:53.279 the promises of God are possible. And he's coming 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:57.299 to those people and he's saying, hey, I have 00:16:57.299 --> 00:17:02.159 fresh strength for you. I have. my strength for 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:06.700 your strength. Let's make that exchange. But 00:17:06.700 --> 00:17:11.059 more than that, he says, I have stay strength 00:17:11.059 --> 00:17:19.140 for you. They that wait on the Lord. Do you know 00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:23.859 that word wait in the Hebrew? It's like a frayed 00:17:23.859 --> 00:17:31.740 rope or an unbraided rope. And as that rope waits 00:17:31.740 --> 00:17:37.119 in the presence of the rope mender, the rope 00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:43.960 maker, guess what happens? It begins to get rebraided. 00:17:44.579 --> 00:17:49.799 It begins to get put back together. And what 00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:54.440 was once unusable, all of a sudden becomes usable. 00:17:54.990 --> 00:17:59.069 There was this guy in 1859 who was a tightrope 00:17:59.069 --> 00:18:02.650 walker. And he actually decided he was going 00:18:02.650 --> 00:18:06.289 to show off his skills tightrope walking across 00:18:06.289 --> 00:18:11.250 the Niagara Falls. That's not for me. He was 00:18:11.250 --> 00:18:15.190 so confident in his ability to do this. Do you 00:18:15.190 --> 00:18:17.529 know he asked for a volunteer to get on his shoulders 00:18:17.529 --> 00:18:21.390 and nobody would? You know, like, I don't even 00:18:21.390 --> 00:18:23.509 know if there was a rope that went from here 00:18:23.509 --> 00:18:25.890 to, I wouldn't do that. No, I can barely put 00:18:25.890 --> 00:18:27.730 my feet in front of the other one, right? Like, 00:18:27.730 --> 00:18:31.750 but could you imagine if he's getting ready to 00:18:31.750 --> 00:18:36.829 cross the Niagara on a frayed rope? How much 00:18:36.829 --> 00:18:41.109 do you want to bet before he stepped out on that 00:18:41.109 --> 00:18:44.650 cable? He was checking to make sure it was a 00:18:44.650 --> 00:18:51.259 strong cable. It was able to hold. his life and 00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:54.779 his future. My boys and I, we love to go for 00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:58.859 nature walks on my in -laws property. And there's 00:18:58.859 --> 00:19:03.869 this area of their property that runs. by a creek, 00:19:03.950 --> 00:19:06.670 and there's these little baby cliffs that go 00:19:06.670 --> 00:19:09.950 down to the creek. And I have an almost nine 00:19:09.950 --> 00:19:12.250 -year -old, almost 12 -year -old. My nine -year 00:19:12.250 --> 00:19:15.289 -old especially is like, I want to do brave things. 00:19:15.730 --> 00:19:18.589 So we get to the cliff, which of course we've 00:19:18.589 --> 00:19:21.369 named because we're those kind of people. We 00:19:21.369 --> 00:19:23.309 also have names we give ourselves when we go 00:19:23.309 --> 00:19:25.230 for these nature walks. And yes, my husband's 00:19:25.230 --> 00:19:27.390 is Raging River because, you know, firefighter. 00:19:28.009 --> 00:19:29.970 Okay, thank you for five of you for getting it. 00:19:29.990 --> 00:19:32.400 We thought we were really clever and funny. So 00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:36.720 we're there and my son sees a rope that's been 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:41.460 there since my father -in -law built their house, 00:19:41.500 --> 00:19:43.859 their home, their property 41 years ago. And 00:19:43.859 --> 00:19:46.960 it's all frayed. It looks rotten. And he's like, 00:19:47.059 --> 00:19:49.960 hey mom, can I tie this rope around myself and 00:19:49.960 --> 00:19:52.960 climb down there? I'm like, no, are you crazy? 00:19:53.059 --> 00:19:56.960 No. So then he looks around and he finds. a new 00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:59.460 rope that grandpa had put in for this very purpose. 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:01.059 And he's like, what about with this one, mom? 00:20:01.220 --> 00:20:03.440 Can I do this one? And I'm like, okay, let me, 00:20:03.460 --> 00:20:08.319 yes, that one is secure enough. That one is firm 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:12.140 enough that I trust your future to that rope. 00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:21.299 Man, so many Christians in this hour are trusting 00:20:21.299 --> 00:20:27.539 their future. They're trusting their family to 00:20:27.539 --> 00:20:32.079 a rope that's frayed, that's old, that's rotten. 00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:35.680 And can I tell you, God wants to give his church 00:20:35.680 --> 00:20:40.079 stay strength in this hour. And yes, part of 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:43.240 that is being here in his presence, worshiping 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:45.960 God together. But can I tell you, if the only 00:20:45.960 --> 00:20:50.279 place you're waiting on the Lord is in this room, 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:56.559 your rope is frayed. See, we have to be people 00:20:56.559 --> 00:21:00.400 who are staying in his presence when we wake 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:05.960 up in the morning. We're starting the day with 00:21:05.960 --> 00:21:09.019 Jesus. We're saying, come on, Holy Spirit, fill 00:21:09.019 --> 00:21:12.039 me up. As we go throughout the day, things hit 00:21:12.039 --> 00:21:14.400 our lives and we're like, okay, God, whoa, that 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:18.049 thing that happened at work. That thing that 00:21:18.049 --> 00:21:20.829 happened with my family, that thing that I have 00:21:20.829 --> 00:21:23.670 no control of. Whoa, my rope, it's getting unbraided. 00:21:23.730 --> 00:21:26.930 Come on, Holy Spirit. I'm staying in your presence. 00:21:26.990 --> 00:21:29.809 I'm waiting on you. I'm letting you re -braid 00:21:29.809 --> 00:21:35.210 my rope. Because there's a place we're going 00:21:35.210 --> 00:21:39.950 and we can't make that walk on a frayed rope. 00:21:41.730 --> 00:21:45.049 A friend of mine had a family heirloom. It was 00:21:45.049 --> 00:21:48.779 a prayer bench. The little padding for the knees. 00:21:49.220 --> 00:21:52.700 She's like, hey, do you want this? She's like, 00:21:52.740 --> 00:21:54.200 you're the only person I know who would use this. 00:21:54.420 --> 00:21:57.940 I was like, yes, I want that. I want that. So 00:21:57.940 --> 00:22:03.019 it's now in my library where I study. And I've 00:22:03.019 --> 00:22:05.059 always, for the last couple of years, started 00:22:05.059 --> 00:22:08.319 my day on my knees, just praying the Our Father, 00:22:08.440 --> 00:22:10.960 asking for God's kingdom to come, asking for 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:14.650 the bread he has for me here today. And it's 00:22:14.650 --> 00:22:17.650 amazing because when you have a padded bench 00:22:17.650 --> 00:22:20.009 for your knees to be on, you can stay on your 00:22:20.009 --> 00:22:23.690 knees a lot longer. And I read a book earlier 00:22:23.690 --> 00:22:26.450 this year by Corey Russell, and in it he talks 00:22:26.450 --> 00:22:32.329 about just five more minutes. If we would just 00:22:32.329 --> 00:22:37.650 stay in God's presence five more minutes, what 00:22:37.650 --> 00:22:44.619 might happen? What might God speak? What might 00:22:44.619 --> 00:22:51.160 God do? Man, how many revivals have started with 00:22:51.160 --> 00:22:56.420 little old ladies on their knees somewhere, not 00:22:56.420 --> 00:22:59.740 even in a church building, who take on that attitude, 00:22:59.839 --> 00:23:02.839 I'm just going to stay five more minutes. So 00:23:02.839 --> 00:23:08.079 I've started adopting that habit. When I'm done, 00:23:08.220 --> 00:23:10.900 you know, my knees are like, meh. I'm like, just 00:23:10.900 --> 00:23:13.410 five more minutes. So I go five more minutes 00:23:13.410 --> 00:23:16.009 in his presence. And then it's amazing. I get 00:23:16.009 --> 00:23:17.589 to the end of that five minutes and I'm like, 00:23:17.609 --> 00:23:20.829 just five more minutes. Can I tell you, God has 00:23:20.829 --> 00:23:24.910 done more in me and spoken more to me in those 00:23:24.910 --> 00:23:33.569 just five more minutes. And this year. I mean, 00:23:33.589 --> 00:23:36.930 just what has happened to my family alone. I 00:23:36.930 --> 00:23:39.410 mean, we've had extended family members whose 00:23:39.410 --> 00:23:42.170 marriages are in crisis. We've lived through 00:23:42.170 --> 00:23:45.430 a fire. We've had church crisis. We've had thing 00:23:45.430 --> 00:23:49.589 after thing. My rope was daily getting frayed. 00:23:51.910 --> 00:23:58.150 But my rope was daily getting rebraided because 00:23:58.150 --> 00:24:03.990 I let God give me his stay strength. And I believe 00:24:03.990 --> 00:24:10.369 he is looking for a church with some stay strength. 00:24:11.029 --> 00:24:16.329 And imagine all of us at home, just five more 00:24:16.329 --> 00:24:22.690 minutes. Then we come into this room. We lift 00:24:22.690 --> 00:24:25.650 our voices and we start singing. We need a fresh 00:24:25.650 --> 00:24:31.309 wind. Fragrance of heaven. Pour your spirit out. 00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:37.440 Pour your spirit out. Just five minutes. What 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:48.259 might he do? How might he visit us? He's got 00:24:48.259 --> 00:24:51.660 stay strength for you. Not just the leaders. 00:24:51.900 --> 00:24:55.480 Not just the prayer types. Not just the intercessors. 00:24:55.740 --> 00:25:00.500 For our kids. He has stay strength. I've watched 00:25:00.500 --> 00:25:04.240 my boys. this year. I mean, the first thing they 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:06.460 do when they get out of bed is they do their 00:25:06.460 --> 00:25:08.920 devotions. That's not from me. That's because 00:25:08.920 --> 00:25:13.519 they're learning to wait on the Lord. They're 00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:17.180 learning to stay in his presence. That's how 00:25:17.180 --> 00:25:21.380 we change. That's how we change the world. Just 00:25:21.380 --> 00:25:26.960 five more minutes. Goes on and it says this, 00:25:27.099 --> 00:25:34.700 they shall mount up. with wings like eagles. 00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:37.839 This is so interesting because they're starting 00:25:37.839 --> 00:25:40.920 out in the passage and we're talking about walking, 00:25:41.140 --> 00:25:46.059 getting tired, getting weary. And all of a sudden 00:25:46.059 --> 00:25:50.640 we've switched metaphors here. We're no longer 00:25:50.640 --> 00:25:54.740 walking. You'd think we'd be running, but we're 00:25:54.740 --> 00:25:59.359 not even running. What are we doing? We're soaring. 00:25:59.519 --> 00:26:05.380 We're flying. Can I tell you, God has fresh strength 00:26:05.380 --> 00:26:11.079 for us. He has sore strength for us. And do you 00:26:11.079 --> 00:26:15.140 know what he's doing? He's not just making us 00:26:15.140 --> 00:26:18.519 better. We're not just coming out of this last 00:26:18.519 --> 00:26:21.559 year plus better. Can I tell you what? We're 00:26:21.559 --> 00:26:25.420 coming out of this last year completely different, 00:26:25.539 --> 00:26:30.160 totally transformed people who used to walk around 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:32.559 getting tired, but we don't even have to use 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:35.740 our legs anymore because we've grown something 00:26:35.740 --> 00:26:39.240 we didn't have prior to this season. And it's 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:43.279 called wings. And so there's a highway. We don't 00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:45.339 even walk on the highway. We don't even run. 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:48.839 on the highway. We're flying down that highway. 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:51.819 We're soaring down that highway. And we're going 00:26:51.819 --> 00:26:54.460 with the son of righteousness who has healing 00:26:54.460 --> 00:26:58.420 in his wings. And he's moving out into our world 00:26:58.420 --> 00:27:00.920 with that healing. And he's inviting us to soar 00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:06.900 with him. He has sore strength for us. I am a 00:27:06.900 --> 00:27:09.319 city girl. Like I didn't even grow up camping 00:27:09.319 --> 00:27:11.579 or anything. My mom was like, if there's not 00:27:11.579 --> 00:27:15.089 a pool, we don't vacation there. And I married 00:27:15.089 --> 00:27:18.130 a country boy who's, you know, they say fishing 00:27:18.130 --> 00:27:20.529 and hunting. And I'm like, that's incorrect grammar. 00:27:20.789 --> 00:27:23.950 And he's like, no, it's fishing and hunting. 00:27:24.049 --> 00:27:26.410 You get it wrong if you say fishing and hunting. 00:27:26.569 --> 00:27:28.930 And I'm like, boys, we put that G on the end 00:27:28.930 --> 00:27:31.430 of those words. And my husband is like, no, no, 00:27:31.450 --> 00:27:33.150 we don't. You know, like, no, we ain't doing 00:27:33.150 --> 00:27:36.930 that. You know, I'm like, OK. So here I am, a 00:27:36.930 --> 00:27:40.529 city girl now living in the country. And again, 00:27:40.609 --> 00:27:43.279 I'm out for a walk with my boys who are. They're 00:27:43.279 --> 00:27:45.920 countrified. They were born countrified. And 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:52.720 I see these two hawks and they're circling one 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:55.799 another and they're not flapping their wings 00:27:55.799 --> 00:27:59.059 at all. And I'm kind of in awe of them. I'm like, 00:27:59.160 --> 00:28:03.119 wow, what is that? And my boys are like, mom, 00:28:03.220 --> 00:28:06.940 that's called updraft. And I'm like, huh? What's 00:28:06.940 --> 00:28:11.880 updraft? They're like, yeah, raptors. They catch. 00:28:12.720 --> 00:28:17.460 The updraft. And when they catch the updraft, 00:28:17.480 --> 00:28:21.700 they don't have to work. They don't have to exert 00:28:21.700 --> 00:28:29.579 effort. They just go with the updraft. Whoa. 00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:35.440 Enemy thought he was taking the church out. He 00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:38.640 thought those 70 ,000 churches closed and were 00:28:38.640 --> 00:28:42.700 the end of the story, but he underestimated what 00:28:42.700 --> 00:28:45.579 God has been doing in this season and the fresh 00:28:45.579 --> 00:28:49.200 strength he's been given his church. He's underestimated 00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:51.799 the fact that there's a whole group of people 00:28:51.799 --> 00:28:55.039 across the nation who've been switching, making 00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:57.759 the exchange, his strength for their strength. 00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:00.619 He underestimated that there's some people who've 00:29:00.619 --> 00:29:03.960 been staying in his presence for just five more 00:29:03.960 --> 00:29:06.519 minutes. And he underestimated that the things 00:29:06.519 --> 00:29:09.240 he thought were going to take us out actually 00:29:09.240 --> 00:29:11.579 grew something in us that we didn't previously 00:29:11.579 --> 00:29:16.240 have. And they're called wings. And what's happening 00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:20.960 is we're people who now soar. And we don't do 00:29:20.960 --> 00:29:23.819 it in our own strength. We're not flapping our 00:29:23.819 --> 00:29:25.880 wings really hard. You know what we're doing? 00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:28.500 We're catching his updraft. We're catching his 00:29:28.500 --> 00:29:31.460 spirit and we're floating and we're flying and 00:29:31.460 --> 00:29:34.200 we're soaring where he's calling us to float 00:29:34.200 --> 00:29:36.680 and soar and go. And you know, some of us, we're 00:29:36.680 --> 00:29:39.359 gonna float and soar our way into the lady at 00:29:39.359 --> 00:29:44.440 Trader Joe's line who's having a hard day. And 00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:47.789 we're hearing her story. And we're like. I'm 00:29:47.789 --> 00:29:50.950 gonna invite you to church. Or we're gonna find 00:29:50.950 --> 00:29:53.349 that we're gonna float and soar like my husband 00:29:53.349 --> 00:29:58.529 and I did to a duplex with 800 square feet by 00:29:58.529 --> 00:30:02.329 a couple of really amazing people who ended up 00:30:02.329 --> 00:30:05.569 actually coming to our church and getting saved. 00:30:06.450 --> 00:30:10.130 And without the fire, we wouldn't have grown 00:30:10.130 --> 00:30:13.529 what we needed. Come on, somebody, to float and 00:30:13.529 --> 00:30:17.240 soar our way to that duplex. where God put us 00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:25.960 just for them. See, you grew something that you 00:30:25.960 --> 00:30:30.079 didn't know you had in this last season. The 00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:33.440 church grew something she didn't know that she 00:30:33.440 --> 00:30:43.440 had and it's time for the church to soar. Awake. 00:30:48.750 --> 00:30:55.269 Awake, north wind. Come and blow your updraft 00:30:55.269 --> 00:31:08.309 on the church's garden. Come on, dry bones. Hear 00:31:08.309 --> 00:31:13.809 the word of the Lord. You thought you were out. 00:31:14.460 --> 00:31:20.240 for the count you thought it was the end of the 00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:25.740 story but the winds are blowing the spirit is 00:31:25.740 --> 00:31:30.619 moving and he is blowing across the bones of 00:31:30.619 --> 00:31:34.549 a church that thought she was out for the count 00:31:34.549 --> 00:31:38.369 and he would say to that church in this hour 00:31:38.369 --> 00:31:42.390 it's time to strengthen what remains because 00:31:42.390 --> 00:31:46.289 I am doing a fresh thing I'm doing a thing that 00:31:46.289 --> 00:31:48.730 you do not know that you have not seen that you 00:31:48.730 --> 00:31:52.009 have not heard and he comes today and he blows 00:31:52.009 --> 00:31:58.609 on the bones and there is a rattle in the spirit 00:32:00.519 --> 00:32:04.599 And there is a rattle in his beautiful bride, 00:32:04.819 --> 00:32:10.160 the church across the country. And we say, let 00:32:10.160 --> 00:32:15.299 it rattle. Let it rattle. Let the winds blow. 00:32:16.490 --> 00:32:20.049 Let the church grow what she's never had before. 00:32:20.430 --> 00:32:24.849 Oh, let skin begin to grow on the church. Let 00:32:24.849 --> 00:32:29.529 muscle begin to grow on the church and let that 00:32:29.529 --> 00:32:35.869 rattle begin to turn into a roar, a roar of people. 00:32:35.930 --> 00:32:40.430 Not just marching down the highway, they're flying, 00:32:40.809 --> 00:32:50.400 they're soaring down the highway. Let it blow. 00:32:51.559 --> 00:32:55.880 Let it blow. Let the winds blow. Let the winds 00:32:55.880 --> 00:33:00.000 blow in the state of Oregon. Oh, across the hearts 00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:03.180 of discouraged pastors, across the hearts of 00:33:03.180 --> 00:33:06.539 a discouraged church, let it blow. Let it blow. 00:33:06.740 --> 00:33:33.150 Let it blow. Let it blow. You know, the verse 00:33:33.150 --> 00:33:35.390 I'm just looking up on the screen, they shall 00:33:35.390 --> 00:33:38.329 mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run 00:33:38.329 --> 00:33:41.529 and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. 00:33:41.750 --> 00:33:48.289 Isaiah 40, 31. And let that scripture just plant 00:33:48.289 --> 00:33:51.009 deep, deep, deep. We shall run and not worry. 00:33:51.089 --> 00:33:54.369 We shall mount up with wings. What a prophetic 00:33:54.369 --> 00:33:57.630 impartation this morning. I'd like to invite 00:33:57.630 --> 00:33:59.930 the elders and the staff to come up to the altar. 00:34:01.200 --> 00:34:03.880 We wanna take just in this atmosphere as faith. 00:34:04.039 --> 00:34:08.340 When we heard it, switch strength, stay strength, 00:34:08.679 --> 00:34:13.679 soar strength. In this moment where God is releasing 00:34:13.679 --> 00:34:18.460 a deposit of faith, let's activate it. And we're 00:34:18.460 --> 00:34:20.780 in this season right now, these few weeks of... 00:34:21.239 --> 00:34:23.619 working and learning about first fruits. And 00:34:23.619 --> 00:34:25.260 if you brought your commitment with you, we wanna 00:34:25.260 --> 00:34:28.059 pray for you. If not, there's a card in the seat 00:34:28.059 --> 00:34:30.960 back. I encourage you church, every one of us, 00:34:31.079 --> 00:34:34.820 let's not just hear the word and walk out of 00:34:34.820 --> 00:34:38.639 the room. Let's activate the word of God. Let's 00:34:38.639 --> 00:34:42.659 activate the word of God. God is in the season 00:34:42.659 --> 00:34:47.159 of blessing you with an extravagant portion. 00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:52.500 So if that's on your heart, I just want to encourage 00:34:52.500 --> 00:34:56.320 you just to begin to assure yourself. Those of 00:34:56.320 --> 00:34:59.239 you online or watching, if you're not able to 00:34:59.239 --> 00:35:01.360 make it in, please call the church office. We 00:35:01.360 --> 00:35:03.619 want to pray for you. We want to also partner 00:35:03.619 --> 00:35:07.119 with you in this time as part of our church, 00:35:07.340 --> 00:35:10.980 as we give into the first fruits and we sow into 00:35:10.980 --> 00:35:14.269 what God is doing in our church. We just want 00:35:14.269 --> 00:35:16.210 to remind you, if you need healing in your body, 00:35:16.309 --> 00:35:18.969 please see us in the prayer room right here to 00:35:18.969 --> 00:35:21.429 my right, your left. We have a team of people 00:35:21.429 --> 00:35:26.630 ready to pray over you this morning. Also, moms, 00:35:26.630 --> 00:35:29.909 just a reminder that we have a gift for you. 00:35:29.989 --> 00:35:33.409 And every woman of the house, like was said earlier, 00:35:33.730 --> 00:35:37.949 God put in every woman's heart a mother's heart. 00:35:38.090 --> 00:35:41.329 So every lady, if you're a lady in this house, 00:35:41.719 --> 00:35:43.880 Whether you have a child or not, we have a gift 00:35:43.880 --> 00:35:47.139 for you. All right, Lord bless you. Why don't 00:35:47.139 --> 00:35:49.619 you stand to your feet? Let me just pray. God, 00:35:49.619 --> 00:35:52.940 I speak that blessing over this church and that 00:35:52.940 --> 00:35:56.760 your anointing would surround and take this prophetic 00:35:56.760 --> 00:36:01.239 word awake. The wind of your presence blowing 00:36:01.239 --> 00:36:06.340 and igniting our faith. God, in Jesus' name, 00:36:06.480 --> 00:36:10.559 bless the mothers and bless the families in your 00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:11.699 precious name. Amen.