WEBVTT 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:18.539 Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's really 00:00:18.539 --> 00:00:24.519 great to be back at Life Bible Resort. I'm always 00:00:24.519 --> 00:00:27.620 so impressed and so amazed when I drive out here 00:00:27.620 --> 00:00:33.219 that it's like, you know, an epiphany. All of 00:00:33.219 --> 00:00:38.179 a sudden, here's this resort and such a beautiful 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:41.700 piece of property and building. I have with me 00:00:41.700 --> 00:00:44.560 my wife. I want Sharon to stand so you can see 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:51.500 that. I'm really married to that lady. She's 00:00:51.500 --> 00:00:56.859 aging like a fine wine, and I'm aging like a 00:00:56.859 --> 00:01:04.980 flat beer. We're a great couple. It's really 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:07.579 great to be with Bob and Jane. We were elders 00:01:07.579 --> 00:01:10.260 together at the Bible Temple for years and been 00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:15.400 together for, geez, Bob's 140. But we've been 00:01:15.400 --> 00:01:17.400 together a long time. Such a great preacher, 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:19.980 prophet, father, him and Jane. Just wonderful, 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:22.340 wonderful leaders. So great to be with them. 00:01:22.340 --> 00:01:25.040 I've actually been with him twice lately. Mark 00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:27.000 Strong's church a few Sundays ago. And here, 00:01:27.079 --> 00:01:28.980 we're just kind of making a habit out of this. 00:01:29.060 --> 00:01:31.900 This is amazing. You should start tithing to 00:01:31.900 --> 00:01:36.819 me, I think. I think that would be a... Yeah, 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:42.599 we could start today. Okay. And I want to... 00:01:43.419 --> 00:01:47.219 Also say it's an honor to be with Brad and Jen. 00:01:47.959 --> 00:01:52.000 I'm so proud of them. And again, you're blessed 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:55.500 to have such great pastors. You're really blessed 00:01:55.500 --> 00:02:02.719 to have them doing a great job. And I want to 00:02:02.719 --> 00:02:05.579 also welcome Jen back, too. They welcome Brad, 00:02:05.879 --> 00:02:08.759 but nobody welcomed Jen back. Would Jen stand? 00:02:09.340 --> 00:02:19.280 We're glad to have you back. No applause, just 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:24.280 throw money her way. Beautiful couple. I had 00:02:24.280 --> 00:02:26.360 a chance to meet with your elders yesterday for 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:28.759 a little while and get to know them. And I'm 00:02:28.759 --> 00:02:31.060 so impressed, so impressed with the integrity 00:02:31.060 --> 00:02:36.060 and the heart in that leadership team. And you're 00:02:36.060 --> 00:02:39.319 blessed, again, to have a great eldership that 00:02:39.319 --> 00:02:42.659 works with Brad and works with the church here. 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:46.400 If you don't mind, since I'm kind of the dad 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:49.580 of the house, you know, so to speak, I'd like 00:02:49.580 --> 00:02:52.159 the elders and wives to stand. So a lot of you 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:54.500 might not know exactly who they are. Most of 00:02:54.500 --> 00:02:56.759 you would. But I want the elders and their wives 00:02:56.759 --> 00:03:00.199 to stand together and just tell them thank you. 00:03:01.099 --> 00:03:09.520 Thank you. In the back. Some are not here. But 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:12.479 thank you for... Most of them have been serving 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:15.500 for a long time in this church. And don't take 00:03:15.500 --> 00:03:17.719 that for granted. That's not normal everywhere 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:21.039 you go. And so it's just great to see a good 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:23.199 team working together and great pastors, great 00:03:23.199 --> 00:03:25.780 facilities. And you have such a great future. 00:03:26.580 --> 00:03:29.719 Amazing, amazing blessing of the Lord on the 00:03:29.719 --> 00:03:32.800 house. Good presence and great worship. The gals 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:34.960 that did the worship this morning, they were 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:37.460 just smoking it. I mean, I shouldn't say that. 00:03:39.519 --> 00:03:41.840 Got to watch everything you say nowadays, you 00:03:41.840 --> 00:03:46.719 know. But just a great, great team. All right. 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:50.439 I have a little bit of time with you this morning. 00:03:50.819 --> 00:03:53.199 And understanding that you have a full day today, 00:03:53.300 --> 00:03:54.919 if you're coming back tonight, most of you probably 00:03:54.919 --> 00:03:59.199 are. And then Candlelight, I'm impressed that 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:02.620 you're not doing church on Christmas Day. Knowing 00:04:02.620 --> 00:04:04.699 Brad, that would have been a great thing to give 00:04:04.699 --> 00:04:08.310 up, you know. I'm sure he had a prophecy just 00:04:08.310 --> 00:04:12.469 for that Sunday morning. But our church is also 00:04:12.469 --> 00:04:15.330 up in City Bible. We're multi -site. We have 00:04:15.330 --> 00:04:18.149 many, many services on the weekend. We're not 00:04:18.149 --> 00:04:21.810 doing church on Sunday. And we did a, Mark Estes, 00:04:21.810 --> 00:04:24.730 who is now the pastor there, he did a video from 00:04:24.730 --> 00:04:27.699 his house. for the Christmas service that they 00:04:27.699 --> 00:04:30.740 will play during the service time for online 00:04:30.740 --> 00:04:32.839 and also give a DVD to people. It was a great 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:35.480 idea. I just wish I would have thought of that 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:38.600 when I was pastoring. I hate it when he comes 00:04:38.600 --> 00:04:41.600 up with such great ideas. And then people say, 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:43.759 that was a great idea. Pastor Frank, you never 00:04:43.759 --> 00:04:47.339 did that, did you? Well, no, no. I was saving 00:04:47.339 --> 00:04:51.660 on the budget. But that's something you should 00:04:51.660 --> 00:04:54.339 do, Brad, is do something live that they can 00:04:54.339 --> 00:04:56.699 see on Sunday, a little devotional or something. 00:04:57.120 --> 00:05:01.860 I'm not telling you what to do. Okay. I'm going 00:05:01.860 --> 00:05:05.540 to go to the Book of Lamentations. It's not exactly 00:05:05.540 --> 00:05:09.620 the Christmas morning type. book to go to. You 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:12.439 know, usually it's the Gospel of Luke and Matthew 00:05:12.439 --> 00:05:15.579 and all that. But the message I have is certainly 00:05:15.579 --> 00:05:18.639 a Christmas type message because I'm going to 00:05:18.639 --> 00:05:20.560 zero in on one of the attributes of the Lord 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:23.279 Jesus as far as what he gives to you and I and 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:26.319 how we live life. Not everybody in this room 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:29.279 is on top of the mountain this morning. Not everybody 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:32.660 in this room is totally happy and fulfilled and 00:05:32.660 --> 00:05:35.379 healthy. spirit, soul, and body, there would 00:05:35.379 --> 00:05:37.740 be some people in this room, like every room 00:05:37.740 --> 00:05:39.959 I've ever preached in in my whole life, that 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:43.180 would be hurting. That would be discouraged, 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:47.959 depressed, dysfunctional in some places. Life 00:05:47.959 --> 00:05:50.399 through you occurred this year. And going in 00:05:50.399 --> 00:05:52.980 2017, it's not a great thing for you. It's a 00:05:52.980 --> 00:05:55.399 challenge. And so you have that side. You have 00:05:55.399 --> 00:05:57.939 some people that are disappointed, not so much 00:05:57.939 --> 00:05:59.879 in life, but maybe themselves, just disappointed 00:05:59.879 --> 00:06:02.959 that they should have risen to higher mountains 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:06.560 in their life and achieve more and you know we 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:08.339 could go down the line and talk about a lot of 00:06:08.339 --> 00:06:11.480 different things but the The word that I want 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:13.100 to give you this morning will be very personal, 00:06:13.180 --> 00:06:15.399 and I believe there will be a great time of prayer 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:17.899 at the end of this message if the Holy Spirit 00:06:17.899 --> 00:06:20.519 will kind of smile on what I'm going to say here. 00:06:20.699 --> 00:06:23.759 I think it will minister to a number of people, 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:26.079 no matter where you are in life. If you're like 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:29.779 me, kind of toward the ending years of life, 00:06:29.819 --> 00:06:32.939 looking back on children and grandchildren and 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:35.920 schools and colleges and degrees and writing 00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:37.660 books and everything I've done, and then looking 00:06:37.660 --> 00:06:40.870 forward to, oh. Looking forward to what now? 00:06:40.990 --> 00:06:43.689 What do I look forward to? Reinventing myself. 00:06:44.209 --> 00:06:46.810 Reinventing our ministry. We're out of the boat 00:06:46.810 --> 00:06:48.990 right now. We're into a whole different era of 00:06:48.990 --> 00:06:51.329 living. And with that comes the same amount of 00:06:51.329 --> 00:06:55.199 faith. and expectation and hope for the future 00:06:55.199 --> 00:06:57.000 that you should have had when you were 15 and 00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:00.000 20. You have to have it when you're 60, 65, 70, 00:07:00.100 --> 00:07:03.259 75, 80, and right on through. Sharon's dad turned 00:07:03.259 --> 00:07:06.319 90 this coming year. And one of his friends, 00:07:06.459 --> 00:07:08.540 who is also one of my friends, who I preached 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:11.139 for my whole life, actually just turned 100. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:14.819 And so I'm looking at those two. You know, there's 00:07:14.819 --> 00:07:16.480 a picture of the two of them together. Do you 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:18.319 see the one that Mark posted? It's on my phone. 00:07:18.660 --> 00:07:21.779 Of Kevin and Hal together, 90 years and 100. 00:07:21.800 --> 00:07:24.920 100 years old and still preaching, still doing 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:29.000 stuff, and I'm thinking, okay, I'm only whatever 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:36.100 I am. Because some people will say, well, you 00:07:36.100 --> 00:07:38.500 don't look like that. And some will say, really? 00:07:38.680 --> 00:07:40.980 I thought you were a lot older than that. So 00:07:40.980 --> 00:07:45.500 I don't like the comments. So as you move ahead, 00:07:45.819 --> 00:07:50.779 as you move ahead, everybody in this room, needs 00:07:50.779 --> 00:07:53.800 this verse. It's on the screen. I'm going to 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:57.360 read it, and I'm going to read it in context. 00:07:57.639 --> 00:08:00.300 What comes up on the screen right now is Lamentations 00:08:00.300 --> 00:08:03.899 chapter 3, 21 through 23. But let me just take 00:08:03.899 --> 00:08:06.879 a minute and say who this guy is for everybody 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:10.519 in the room. The guy writing this specific book 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:14.660 is Jeremiah the prophet. He wrote the book of 00:08:14.660 --> 00:08:17.420 Jeremiah, one of the major prophets, Isaiah, 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:19.680 Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, the four major prophets 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:22.240 of the Old Testament. Jeremiah was one of the 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:27.110 most... key prophets of Israel's Babylonian captivity, 00:08:27.350 --> 00:08:30.930 both pre and after. And a man that went through 00:08:30.930 --> 00:08:33.549 unbelievable stuff. Unbelievable. If you know 00:08:33.549 --> 00:08:35.549 anything about the Bible, you would understand 00:08:35.549 --> 00:08:38.850 that Jeremiah was probably the most suffered 00:08:38.850 --> 00:08:41.990 prophet of all the prophets. You know, Daniel 00:08:41.990 --> 00:08:44.149 was throwing the lions in, but the lions didn't 00:08:44.149 --> 00:08:47.679 eat him. Jeremiah... Was thrown into pits. And 00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:49.919 he was thrown into prisons. And he was beat. 00:08:50.059 --> 00:08:52.980 And he was mocked. And it just went on and on 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:57.019 and on and on. Nobody quite suffered like Jeremiah. 00:08:57.320 --> 00:09:01.279 When you read the book of Jeremiah. You get the 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:04.740 prophet's prophecies. But when you read the book 00:09:04.740 --> 00:09:07.679 of Lamentations. You get the prophet's heart. 00:09:08.539 --> 00:09:13.220 And in this book. It's his life experience. And 00:09:13.220 --> 00:09:15.159 so if you want to read about a prophet's life 00:09:15.159 --> 00:09:18.320 experience, don't just read his words. Read his 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:21.379 heart. It's like Solomon. Don't just read Proverbs, 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:25.320 which is wisdom. Read Ecclesiastics, which is 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:28.620 his life. And so when you understand how they 00:09:28.620 --> 00:09:30.620 wrote it, when they wrote it, and why they wrote 00:09:30.620 --> 00:09:33.379 it, it kind of brings out the words that they're 00:09:33.379 --> 00:09:37.360 speaking so much more. And here you have a man 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:40.620 who basically, basically, he had lost everything. 00:09:40.940 --> 00:09:44.340 He'd lost everything when he wrote Lamentations. 00:09:44.519 --> 00:09:47.980 He lost his city. He lost his culture. He lost 00:09:47.980 --> 00:09:51.240 his way of life. He lost his voice as a prophet. 00:09:51.460 --> 00:09:55.210 He lost everything. Lamentations is the last 00:09:55.210 --> 00:09:58.690 words of this guy. And this book represents something 00:09:58.690 --> 00:10:02.289 that you can dig into and find kind of the core. 00:10:02.470 --> 00:10:05.809 It's easy to find the words of a man. And sometimes 00:10:05.809 --> 00:10:07.889 when you listen to a person preach, like you're 00:10:07.889 --> 00:10:09.210 listening to me this morning, you don't have 00:10:09.210 --> 00:10:11.409 my background, my heart, my life, my character, 00:10:11.590 --> 00:10:15.750 my family, my upbringing, what I've gone through, 00:10:15.809 --> 00:10:18.909 how I reacted, what kind of attitude did I have. 00:10:18.970 --> 00:10:20.789 You don't have all that. You just have my words. 00:10:20.990 --> 00:10:23.019 And you trust that Brad... brought in a good 00:10:23.019 --> 00:10:25.720 man, and certainly this man must be a good Christian 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:27.320 man. He's speaking to us. But you don't have 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:29.840 my frame. You only have a small piece of the 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:32.659 puzzle that you hear my words. And that's why 00:10:32.659 --> 00:10:36.019 I'm saying reading Lamentations gives you the 00:10:36.019 --> 00:10:38.360 frame of the picture, not just the words of Jeremiah. 00:10:38.700 --> 00:10:43.399 And this man who suffers so much and lost everything 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:48.360 speaks to me in words that I understand. He says 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:52.009 something to me. That I can live right now and 00:10:52.009 --> 00:10:54.429 understand. Now listen to it in a message translation. 00:10:55.330 --> 00:10:57.990 I'm going to read from verse. Actually from verse 00:10:57.990 --> 00:11:00.769 19. You have on the screen verses 21 through 00:11:00.769 --> 00:11:02.830 23. Because there's this one phrase I'm going 00:11:02.830 --> 00:11:05.909 to zero in on. But I want you to listen to the 00:11:05.909 --> 00:11:10.250 context. Now remember. He's in a passionate expression 00:11:10.250 --> 00:11:15.850 of sorrow. That's a lament. Lamentations. That's 00:11:15.850 --> 00:11:19.110 what the book is. It's a passionate expression. 00:11:20.139 --> 00:11:23.840 Of a person going through sorrow, grief, and 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:28.440 loss. It's a lament. And so in this specific 00:11:28.440 --> 00:11:31.860 time in his life, he doesn't lose God. He cries 00:11:31.860 --> 00:11:35.879 out to God. He's called the weeping prophet because 00:11:35.879 --> 00:11:39.480 he did a lot of weeping in his life. But these 00:11:39.480 --> 00:11:44.759 words have a ring to them. Verse 19, Message 00:11:44.759 --> 00:11:49.399 Translation, Lamentations chapter 3. I'll never 00:11:49.399 --> 00:11:55.700 forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste 00:11:55.700 --> 00:12:01.100 of ashes, the poison I've swallowed. I remember 00:12:01.100 --> 00:12:06.220 it all. Oh, how well I remember. The feeling 00:12:06.220 --> 00:12:14.519 of hitting the bottom. Wow. Those are pretty 00:12:14.519 --> 00:12:17.860 potent words. Never forget the trouble, the utter 00:12:17.860 --> 00:12:21.340 lostness, taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed. 00:12:21.960 --> 00:12:28.240 And I remember hitting the bottom. One of the 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:31.419 things I do is I read biographies. I read people's 00:12:31.419 --> 00:12:37.700 lives. I'm an avid reader for that reason. I 00:12:37.700 --> 00:12:40.179 like to read real things. I don't read novels. 00:12:40.259 --> 00:12:44.559 I don't read any of that stuff. Never have. But 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:47.659 when I read people's lives, I tell you that the 00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:52.419 people that really get my attention are the ones 00:12:52.419 --> 00:12:55.899 who have hit the bottom, came back. The ones 00:12:55.899 --> 00:12:59.539 that hit the wall, broke into pieces and humpty 00:12:59.539 --> 00:13:01.940 dumpty fell off the wall and all the pieces had 00:13:01.940 --> 00:13:04.159 to be put back together. It's those lives that 00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:06.700 I look into and I think, how do they put it back 00:13:06.700 --> 00:13:11.179 together? Why did they reach forward at all when 00:13:11.179 --> 00:13:13.279 you go through the things they went through? 00:13:14.139 --> 00:13:15.759 tell you some stories, but we don't have time 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:17.679 for that. But the people that hit the bottom 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:19.440 are a special kind of people. They're a special 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:21.399 kind of people that go through trials and go 00:13:21.399 --> 00:13:23.779 through situations and you go through heartache 00:13:23.779 --> 00:13:26.639 and you go through loss and you go through disappointment. 00:13:26.940 --> 00:13:29.200 And, you know, it's a wonderful thing when you're 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:31.820 raising kids and everyone pats them on the head 00:13:31.820 --> 00:13:33.840 and says, what beautiful kids. But as you get 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:35.940 older, hopefully you raise them right. But sometimes, 00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:38.679 even if you're the best parent in the world, 00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:41.139 doesn't mean your kids will be the best kids 00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:44.929 in the world. Doesn't mean that. And some of 00:13:44.929 --> 00:13:47.870 the best parents, I've lived a while with a lot 00:13:47.870 --> 00:13:50.190 of close friends that have a lot of children 00:13:50.190 --> 00:13:54.210 that I dedicated and married that aren't serving 00:13:54.210 --> 00:13:59.230 God or have gone through a divorce or two or 00:13:59.230 --> 00:14:03.110 have gone into moral depravity of different sorts 00:14:03.110 --> 00:14:07.590 or moral confusion. And to watch the parents 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:10.980 Who have been faithful and godly and wonderful. 00:14:11.259 --> 00:14:13.720 And I watched them raise their kids. It seemed 00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:16.419 to me they did everything any parent with a righteous 00:14:16.419 --> 00:14:19.320 motivation would do. And yet you have kids that 00:14:19.320 --> 00:14:22.200 just turn left. Because they're born with a will. 00:14:22.419 --> 00:14:24.960 They're born with. Even though you train up a 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:27.500 child in a way he should go. If they return to 00:14:27.500 --> 00:14:30.059 it they can continue. But some don't return to 00:14:30.059 --> 00:14:33.519 it. Some don't grab a hold of that. And so some 00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:35.500 people get judged by that. Well your kids. Yeah 00:14:35.500 --> 00:14:37.559 I know that their kids really want. Well don't. 00:14:37.740 --> 00:14:41.120 Just be careful here. Be careful that you don't 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:43.820 judge people that you don't understand the journey, 00:14:43.879 --> 00:14:45.960 don't understand the steps, you don't understand 00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:48.360 the heart, you don't understand the heartache. 00:14:48.379 --> 00:14:50.299 You don't know that they've reached out a million 00:14:50.299 --> 00:14:53.480 times to restore that child and never had been 00:14:53.480 --> 00:14:55.580 received with any kind of acceptance. And so 00:14:55.580 --> 00:14:58.139 people that hit the wall or hit the bottom or 00:14:58.139 --> 00:15:00.419 hit the problems and they go through it like 00:15:00.419 --> 00:15:02.740 Jeremiah, it says, I remember, I remember so 00:15:02.740 --> 00:15:07.009 well hitting the bottom. But there's... One other 00:15:07.009 --> 00:15:09.409 thing I remember. And this is where I'm at this 00:15:09.409 --> 00:15:11.950 morning. There's one other thing I remember. 00:15:12.210 --> 00:15:21.850 And remembering. I keep a grip on hope. I keep 00:15:21.850 --> 00:15:25.350 a grip. My message this morning is called keeping 00:15:25.350 --> 00:15:28.710 a grip on hope. Jeremiah said there's one thing 00:15:28.710 --> 00:15:32.710 I do remember. And he uses the Hebrew word that. 00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:36.320 Eugene Peterson translates such a marvelous way. 00:15:37.659 --> 00:15:41.220 But it is a great word to translate grip because 00:15:41.220 --> 00:15:45.000 it has the idea of reaching out or grabbing onto 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:48.039 something and you won't let go. There's no way 00:15:48.039 --> 00:15:50.980 to pry your hands from it. You grip it. You own 00:15:50.980 --> 00:15:53.679 it. You take it and you die with your hands and 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:55.960 you will not let it go. And that's the word that 00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:58.580 Jeremiah is using. I can't let it go. I won't 00:15:58.580 --> 00:16:01.740 let it go. My fingers are on that rope and I 00:16:01.740 --> 00:16:07.950 have a grip. On hope. God's loyal love. Couldn't. 00:16:07.950 --> 00:16:13.710 Have run out. His merciful love. Couldn't. Have 00:16:13.710 --> 00:16:19.570 dried up. That created new every morning. How 00:16:19.570 --> 00:16:25.289 great. Your faithfulness. I'm sticking with God. 00:16:27.009 --> 00:16:31.529 I say it over and over. He's all I've got left. 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:39.039 What words? Only from a man with cracked skin 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:44.000 and broken teeth and shaved head and a body beat 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:46.399 up. I mean, this guy was, what he went through, 00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:49.379 he could not have ended up with a decent looking 00:16:49.379 --> 00:16:57.019 body or face. Scars and wrinkles. And yet he 00:16:57.019 --> 00:16:59.539 says, you know, remembering, remembering, remembering 00:16:59.539 --> 00:17:08.210 this. You never. Never lose your grip on hope. 00:17:09.230 --> 00:17:12.529 Because when everything is gone, there's still 00:17:12.529 --> 00:17:17.490 God. And he's new every morning. There's another 00:17:17.490 --> 00:17:21.950 day. There's another potential. There's another 00:17:21.950 --> 00:17:26.109 love that God can bring to your life. He can 00:17:26.109 --> 00:17:29.130 turn everything around in one minute, one sunrise, 00:17:29.390 --> 00:17:35.420 one sunset, one day. Your grip on hope. Keep 00:17:35.420 --> 00:17:40.519 your grip. Hope, here's my definition, is the 00:17:40.519 --> 00:17:45.039 confident expectation and firm assurance of things 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:50.700 that are unclear, unknown. Things we can't see. 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:55.559 Things we haven't received. We can call it prophecy. 00:17:55.700 --> 00:17:58.200 We can call it mental image. We can call it vision. 00:17:58.359 --> 00:18:00.839 We can call it dream. We can call it whatever 00:18:00.839 --> 00:18:04.009 you want to call it. But the prophet says, and 00:18:04.009 --> 00:18:08.069 as the Bible says with this word hope, hope opens 00:18:08.069 --> 00:18:14.089 doors when despair closes them. It's hope. It's 00:18:14.089 --> 00:18:17.190 that I won't stop. I won't give up. I'm going 00:18:17.190 --> 00:18:19.710 to finish the race. I'm going to stay with God. 00:18:20.140 --> 00:18:22.779 I'm believing that God can turn things around. 00:18:23.019 --> 00:18:25.880 Until the last breath I take, I'm believing God 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:29.599 will restore Israel and Jerusalem. That was Jeremiah's 00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:33.279 heart. And so hope for him was a confident hope 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:35.440 in something God had said, something that the 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:38.400 prophets had said. And yet, for his whole lifetime, 00:18:38.539 --> 00:18:41.900 he never sought his whole lifetime. He never 00:18:41.900 --> 00:18:45.470 sought. As many of the prophets never saw the 00:18:45.470 --> 00:18:46.990 fulfillment of their prophecies. Did you realize 00:18:46.990 --> 00:18:49.869 that? They never saw the fulfillment of their 00:18:49.869 --> 00:18:53.670 prophecies. They prophesied the beginnings. They 00:18:53.670 --> 00:18:56.650 never got to see the end. And they did it with 00:18:56.650 --> 00:18:58.670 faith. They did it with confidence. They did 00:18:58.670 --> 00:19:01.450 it with hope, saying, I do believe that God is 00:19:01.450 --> 00:19:03.089 going to restore and God is going to do. But 00:19:03.089 --> 00:19:06.259 they lived and died. And didn't see the word. 00:19:06.440 --> 00:19:09.579 I want you to understand today. That what God 00:19:09.579 --> 00:19:11.519 has put on your life. What God has said to you 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:13.759 in the scriptures. Not just in prophecy or counsel. 00:19:13.980 --> 00:19:16.299 But what the Bible says about you. What the Bible 00:19:16.299 --> 00:19:19.319 says for you. God is faithful. God is good. God 00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:22.519 is able to do exceedingly abundantly all that 00:19:22.519 --> 00:19:25.799 we ask. Or even imagine to be true. And God can 00:19:25.799 --> 00:19:27.980 turn your circumstance and your life around. 00:19:28.119 --> 00:19:35.819 In one sunrise. One. Do every morning. Not a 00:19:35.819 --> 00:19:40.720 thousand, one. One sunrise. You can wake up and 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:46.420 suddenly something changes. Suddenly the clouds 00:19:46.420 --> 00:19:50.880 move away. Your heart starts beating. The relationships 00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:52.900 that weren't come around, the things that were 00:19:52.900 --> 00:19:55.799 closed, open, the door that was locked is unlocked. 00:19:56.099 --> 00:19:58.339 All of a sudden, the heavens start pouring out 00:19:58.339 --> 00:20:00.640 favor. Things start turning around. You don't 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:02.880 understand it, but all you can say like Jeremiah 00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:06.240 is, I don't understand, but how great is your 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:10.880 faithfulness, oh God. One morning, I'm talking 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:16.140 to you today about hope. We grip. Everyone say, 00:20:16.220 --> 00:20:20.720 we grip. The act of firmly grasping, seizing, 00:20:20.779 --> 00:20:26.420 holding tightly to something. Well, the something 00:20:26.420 --> 00:20:31.140 we're gripping today is hope. What are you hoping 00:20:31.140 --> 00:20:36.039 for? Never stop believing in hope. Why? Because 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:39.880 miracles happen every day. And you could be one 00:20:39.880 --> 00:20:43.680 of them. You could be one of them. An acronym 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:47.490 I saw in hope. A little sign was H -O -P -E. 00:20:48.789 --> 00:20:52.069 And this was way back when I was suffering more 00:20:52.069 --> 00:20:56.430 physically, but the words were, hold on, pain 00:20:56.430 --> 00:21:02.869 ends. Hope, hold on, because the pain will end. 00:21:03.269 --> 00:21:08.230 Well, when you're in pain, everything changes. 00:21:09.210 --> 00:21:11.250 You don't think right, you don't feel right. 00:21:12.619 --> 00:21:15.539 Your personality can change. People that have 00:21:15.539 --> 00:21:19.160 never experienced excruciating, continual pain 00:21:19.160 --> 00:21:23.740 don't understand people in pain. It's hard to 00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:28.339 laugh. It's hard to do simple things. And it 00:21:28.339 --> 00:21:32.680 never goes away. It is always there. It doesn't 00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:37.480 let up. It doesn't stop. But the hope... Is that 00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:39.779 even if you live your whole life. And there are 00:21:39.779 --> 00:21:41.940 people that live their whole life in pain. And 00:21:41.940 --> 00:21:45.839 have done it very, very well. The resurrection 00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:51.480 will give you a new body. The more I go through 00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:54.819 things. And as you enter into the age I'm in. 00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:56.779 Not that I'm planning on going to heaven anytime 00:21:56.779 --> 00:21:59.420 too soon. I've already been at that door a few 00:21:59.420 --> 00:22:01.740 times. And turned around and said later, later 00:22:01.740 --> 00:22:08.000 for this. But your promise. You still get a new 00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:11.480 body someday. Doesn't mean much to someone who's 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:16.599 young and has a great body. You know, someone 00:22:16.599 --> 00:22:19.019 says, well, someday you get a new body. So what? 00:22:20.420 --> 00:22:25.819 Well, just hang on, buddy. In a while. In a while, 00:22:25.960 --> 00:22:28.680 this will mean something to you. When you have 00:22:28.680 --> 00:22:32.519 a big pot gut and arthritis and you can't get 00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:34.259 around well and someone says you'll have a new 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:39.910 body, you'll say, when? It all changes. Hope, 00:22:39.990 --> 00:22:43.069 hold on because the pain will end one way or 00:22:43.069 --> 00:22:48.089 the other. When the world says give up, hope 00:22:48.089 --> 00:22:51.509 whispers, just hang on a little while longer. 00:22:52.549 --> 00:22:56.670 That's that whisper that says, don't let go. 00:22:58.009 --> 00:23:04.329 Hold on. It could turn. And I promise you, it 00:23:04.329 --> 00:23:09.380 can. All right, hope. is our triumph against 00:23:09.380 --> 00:23:11.720 something that has become an American USA way 00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:19.000 of living called pessimism. Pessimism. Hope is 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:22.680 a triumph over a person who's pessimistic. Now, 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:25.019 nobody here would like to have someone say to 00:23:25.019 --> 00:23:27.180 you and send you a Christmas card, Dear Pessimist. 00:23:28.059 --> 00:23:31.180 It's been so good having you this year because 00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:33.579 every time I talk with you, you'd said something 00:23:33.579 --> 00:23:36.539 bad. God bless you and have a great Christmas. 00:23:36.680 --> 00:23:39.460 Dear pessimist, you're my best friend. If I ever 00:23:39.460 --> 00:23:41.740 think good thoughts, I only have to go to you 00:23:41.740 --> 00:23:44.319 to get the bad ones. Thank you so very much. 00:23:46.759 --> 00:23:49.259 Nobody likes to be called a pessimist, but at 00:23:49.259 --> 00:23:52.059 times all of us can be in the category for a 00:23:52.059 --> 00:23:56.170 shadow of time. A pessimist... is a person who 00:23:56.170 --> 00:23:59.930 has an inclination to emphasize all the wrong 00:23:59.930 --> 00:24:04.509 things. They have a perspective that the glass 00:24:04.509 --> 00:24:07.410 is always half empty, never half full. It's half 00:24:07.410 --> 00:24:12.109 empty. Possibilities or expectations, they always 00:24:12.109 --> 00:24:14.809 expect the worst possible outcome. When you talk 00:24:14.809 --> 00:24:16.730 with, well, what do you think? They tell you 00:24:16.730 --> 00:24:19.509 the worst possible outcome. Well, you only got 00:24:19.509 --> 00:24:21.250 a ticket. Yeah, but I'm going to jail. I'm going 00:24:21.250 --> 00:24:23.890 to prison. Well, why would he be going to prison? 00:24:23.970 --> 00:24:26.170 Because the judge will probably see me, and he'll 00:24:26.170 --> 00:24:28.329 probably dig up something else I did, and then 00:24:28.329 --> 00:24:31.369 the lawyer won't be there, and then they'll accidentally 00:24:31.369 --> 00:24:33.650 throw me in the jail because I got the ticket 00:24:33.650 --> 00:24:35.650 there in Harrisburg. We're running in top time. 00:24:38.490 --> 00:24:41.289 A pessimist. Well, maybe a realist in Harrisburg, 00:24:41.329 --> 00:24:46.910 but no. A pessimist. A pessimist is one when 00:24:46.910 --> 00:24:50.789 he sees the choice of two evils, chooses both. 00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:04.240 A pessimist is one who feels bad when he feels 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:08.980 good, for fear he'll feel worse when he feels 00:25:08.980 --> 00:25:17.259 better. A pessimist is never disappointed. They 00:25:17.259 --> 00:25:19.720 count their troubles and forget their blessings. 00:25:21.339 --> 00:25:27.940 Pessimism is what leads to a hard heart. A bad 00:25:27.940 --> 00:25:32.119 vocabulary. Bad inner conversations. You'll lose 00:25:32.119 --> 00:25:34.779 a lot of friends. And the worst thing is you'll 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:37.950 lose a lot of life. You'll live a life. That 00:25:37.950 --> 00:25:40.789 you expect to be bad. Expect to go wrong. Nothing's 00:25:40.789 --> 00:25:42.650 going to work out. There's three applications 00:25:42.650 --> 00:25:44.890 for the job. You're saying to yourself. And I'll 00:25:44.890 --> 00:25:46.690 be the one who won't get it. Because I always 00:25:46.690 --> 00:25:49.089 don't get it. You actually talk yourself into 00:25:49.089 --> 00:25:52.650 unbelief. Into pessimism. Into that range of 00:25:52.650 --> 00:25:55.190 thinking. Where no possibilities are for you. 00:25:55.309 --> 00:25:57.150 And nothing's going to change. I would like to 00:25:57.150 --> 00:25:58.930 say to you. Get a grip on your life. Get a grip 00:25:58.930 --> 00:26:01.230 on hope. No matter who you are. A single parent. 00:26:01.470 --> 00:26:04.539 A divorced couple. got remarried, someone that's 00:26:04.539 --> 00:26:06.480 going through a bad marriage now, someone that 00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:08.200 has a health problem, someone, someone, someone, 00:26:08.299 --> 00:26:11.119 whatever your challenges might be, could I say 00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:14.480 to you with a spirit of faith, pessimism will 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:18.680 not help you. Being negative will not help you. 00:26:19.869 --> 00:26:22.089 Having unbelief in your tongue all the time will 00:26:22.089 --> 00:26:24.430 not help you. Why don't you turn yourself around 00:26:24.430 --> 00:26:27.349 today and say to yourself, the beginning of this 00:26:27.349 --> 00:26:30.349 year right now, I'm going to have a new vocabulary. 00:26:30.769 --> 00:26:33.549 I'm not going to be the negative, pessimist person 00:26:33.549 --> 00:26:36.150 anymore. I'm actually going to say out loud every 00:26:36.150 --> 00:26:38.529 morning, every noon, every night, God is for 00:26:38.529 --> 00:26:41.549 me. God is working for me. A miracle is on its 00:26:41.549 --> 00:26:44.170 way. Everything's going to turn around. I'm going 00:26:44.170 --> 00:26:46.730 to be satisfied and happy and live a great life. 00:26:46.869 --> 00:26:50.130 My life is under the mighty. hand of a mighty 00:26:50.130 --> 00:26:53.230 good God and God loved me. If people don't love 00:26:53.230 --> 00:26:56.029 me, that's their problem. God loved me and God 00:26:56.029 --> 00:26:58.809 has great things for me. I'm going to have finances. 00:26:59.009 --> 00:27:00.930 I'm going to have relationships. People are going 00:27:00.930 --> 00:27:03.089 to wait in line to have a cup of coffee with 00:27:03.089 --> 00:27:14.369 me. Yeah. And you know what? It's amazing how 00:27:14.369 --> 00:27:20.779 a positive life draws Positive things. Why? Because 00:27:20.779 --> 00:27:23.500 really, you can call it positive thinking, positive 00:27:23.500 --> 00:27:28.819 whatever. But faith, faith is positive. Faith 00:27:28.819 --> 00:27:33.359 is positive. Faith believes it could be. So even 00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:36.319 if it never happens, at least die believing it 00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:40.920 could happen. Come on, that's right. Even if 00:27:40.920 --> 00:27:43.380 you don't get healed. Like people say to me, 00:27:43.400 --> 00:27:44.779 you've been through cancer and you still have 00:27:44.779 --> 00:27:47.619 a bad hip and, you know, my nerves are damaged 00:27:47.619 --> 00:27:50.500 and blah, blah, blah, blah. But yeah, but I still 00:27:50.500 --> 00:27:54.920 have a lot of other pieces of my body that work. 00:27:58.220 --> 00:27:59.980 But the therapist said to me, you know, that 00:27:59.980 --> 00:28:02.180 one day it turned my life around, really. She 00:28:02.180 --> 00:28:04.559 said to me when she gave me my last final bad 00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:07.000 report of my nerves and my hip and stuff, she 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:11.990 said, Frank. Pick up the pieces you have left 00:28:11.990 --> 00:28:16.289 and build something great with it. You know, 00:28:16.329 --> 00:28:19.789 she got me because I'm a positive guy. But man, 00:28:19.869 --> 00:28:22.430 she whacked me. I left that hospital weeping. 00:28:22.509 --> 00:28:26.450 I mean, it was a horrible day for me. I expected 00:28:26.450 --> 00:28:30.609 not to have these same problems. She is frank. 00:28:30.650 --> 00:28:33.809 They're never going unless God, you know, you 00:28:33.809 --> 00:28:35.589 believe in God. And of course I do. And he can 00:28:35.589 --> 00:28:37.809 heal me anytime. And I do believe that. But for 00:28:37.809 --> 00:28:41.059 some reason. I don't. I pray for other people. 00:28:41.099 --> 00:28:43.799 They get healed. And I pray for myself, and I 00:28:43.799 --> 00:28:45.519 don't get healed. That's a contradiction, but 00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:48.079 it's one I can live with. It's the least of my 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:52.299 temporal problems. The biggest problem is not 00:28:52.299 --> 00:28:57.319 a bad hip. It's a bad heart. That's your biggest 00:28:57.319 --> 00:29:01.099 problem. Your biggest problem is not bad circumstance. 00:29:01.799 --> 00:29:06.359 It's bad attitude. Your biggest problem is not 00:29:06.359 --> 00:29:09.980 what you don't have. It's you not seeing what 00:29:09.980 --> 00:29:13.640 you do have. That's your biggest problem. So 00:29:13.640 --> 00:29:15.740 you can change it. I don't care who you are, 00:29:15.779 --> 00:29:17.279 where you come from, what you're up against. 00:29:18.339 --> 00:29:22.000 You can actually change the aroma of your life 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:25.039 by keeping a grip on hope and faith and your 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:29.319 mouth filled with prophecies about your future. 00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:31.980 That is scripture. Just quote the scripture that 00:29:31.980 --> 00:29:34.160 all things work together for good. The steps 00:29:34.160 --> 00:29:36.500 of a good man are ordered by the Lord. The favor 00:29:36.500 --> 00:29:38.619 of the Lord comes upon us like the morning dew. 00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:40.819 And you start quoting the scriptures and put 00:29:40.819 --> 00:29:43.000 them on your life and forget how you feel. And 00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:47.059 before you know it, you feel different. And you 00:29:47.059 --> 00:29:49.359 think, why was I so depressed? I can't even remember 00:29:49.359 --> 00:29:52.119 why I was so depressed. And then people will 00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:56.940 say things to you. My, my, my, you really have 00:29:56.940 --> 00:30:00.960 changed lately. And you act dumb and happy. Really, 00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:04.599 why would you say that? They say, because you're 00:30:04.599 --> 00:30:09.240 not so stinking negative. Oh, that. Yeah, I do 00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:13.240 remember. I used to be. People will see your 00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:19.490 change and. The atmosphere will draw in angelic 00:30:19.490 --> 00:30:24.869 visitation instead of demonic visitation. Because 00:30:24.869 --> 00:30:30.430 words have power. They have power. I mean, I 00:30:30.430 --> 00:30:33.650 could preach a long time on that. Because I've 00:30:33.650 --> 00:30:36.170 lived it. I know it. Okay, you're going to hope. 00:30:36.210 --> 00:30:40.589 You're not going to be a pessimist. Hope is a 00:30:40.589 --> 00:30:46.220 positive thing. Hope is being able to see that 00:30:46.220 --> 00:30:50.680 there is light despite all the darkness. Yeah. 00:30:50.819 --> 00:30:53.140 I hear people talk about Trump. I'm so sick of 00:30:53.140 --> 00:30:55.380 hearing people talk about Trump and Hillary and 00:30:55.380 --> 00:30:58.240 everybody else. What difference does it make? 00:30:59.799 --> 00:31:03.259 What difference does it make? For one thing, 00:31:03.420 --> 00:31:07.819 no president is God. That's one thing I know 00:31:07.819 --> 00:31:11.299 for sure. We're not in Japan. The emperor is 00:31:11.299 --> 00:31:15.519 not God. The president is just another leader 00:31:15.519 --> 00:31:17.440 in the nation. Do you want a good one? Yes. Can 00:31:17.440 --> 00:31:21.819 you find a good one? I don't know. I don't know. 00:31:21.960 --> 00:31:24.180 Will Trump do good? I don't know. Will Hillary 00:31:24.180 --> 00:31:27.420 do bad? I don't know. Will they recount all? 00:31:27.500 --> 00:31:34.980 Who cares? There is one nation under God. And 00:31:34.980 --> 00:31:38.839 so prayer will change this nation. No other religious 00:31:38.839 --> 00:31:41.680 leader. No other political leader. No other. 00:31:42.879 --> 00:31:48.259 Other philosophical thing. It will only happen 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:50.359 when God's people bend their knees, 2 Chronicles 00:31:50.359 --> 00:31:53.000 7, 14, and pray, then God will heal the land 00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:55.099 and set this thing in order. It's not going to 00:31:55.099 --> 00:31:57.980 happen because we get some Messiah. politician 00:31:57.980 --> 00:32:00.359 in there. And you hear people talk about, and 00:32:00.359 --> 00:32:04.299 they're so into it, they're so emotionally just 00:32:04.299 --> 00:32:06.299 distraught over this and what's going to happen 00:32:06.299 --> 00:32:10.279 and will Donald do this? Donald, Donald, Donald 00:32:10.279 --> 00:32:15.900 Duck, Donald Trump, what does it matter? I'm 00:32:15.900 --> 00:32:18.460 not being disrespectful because he's not president 00:32:18.460 --> 00:32:26.220 yet. But if he does get set in, our hope It's 00:32:26.220 --> 00:32:31.160 not in him. Therefore, he's not going to control 00:32:31.160 --> 00:32:33.700 how I see life. Boy, I better watch this and 00:32:33.700 --> 00:32:34.920 watch that and this is going to happen. Well, 00:32:35.460 --> 00:32:37.119 if anything, some of the laws might even be a 00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:38.720 little bit better for us as a church than they 00:32:38.720 --> 00:32:40.799 were before because at least he has some conservative 00:32:40.799 --> 00:32:43.460 morality in his thinking. Okay, off with that. 00:32:43.559 --> 00:32:50.599 And so we have hope. Not because circumstances 00:32:50.599 --> 00:32:55.549 change, but because God doesn't change. And if 00:32:55.549 --> 00:32:58.250 you don't get a hold of that, everything will 00:32:58.250 --> 00:33:05.089 knock you around. Everything. We can smile through 00:33:05.089 --> 00:33:09.150 our tears, rejoice in our suffering, and know 00:33:09.150 --> 00:33:15.390 our end is not the end of the story. Why? Because 00:33:15.390 --> 00:33:27.450 we're eternal people. Okay. Hope. It's finishing 00:33:27.450 --> 00:33:35.710 on time. Psalms 42, 5. Why are you cast down? 00:33:36.210 --> 00:33:41.789 Oh, my soul, why are you cast down? Why are you 00:33:41.789 --> 00:33:46.750 so upset? Hope in God. Psalms 42, 5. Hope in 00:33:46.750 --> 00:33:51.890 God. Come on, shout it with me. For I shall yet 00:33:51.890 --> 00:33:54.869 praise him for the help that he will bring me. 00:33:54.910 --> 00:33:57.960 I'm going to hope. In God. Psalms 130 verse 7. 00:33:58.779 --> 00:34:03.319 Hope in the Lord. For with the Lord. There is 00:34:03.319 --> 00:34:07.180 mercy. And with him. There's abundant things 00:34:07.180 --> 00:34:09.440 that he can do. Okay I'm going to hope in the 00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:12.619 God. That can do those things. Now I'm not going 00:34:12.619 --> 00:34:17.539 to be a pessimist. But I am going to be. An optimist. 00:34:18.579 --> 00:34:22.980 Personally. That's the person I want to be. We 00:34:22.980 --> 00:34:28.170 must accept finite. but never lose infinite hope. 00:34:29.250 --> 00:34:33.570 Martin Luther King. We will have disappointments. 00:34:33.570 --> 00:34:37.429 He says they're going to happen. But don't lose 00:34:37.429 --> 00:34:41.690 that infinite thing called hope. Hope in what 00:34:41.690 --> 00:34:45.889 God can do, despite what you see around us. Jeremiah 00:34:45.889 --> 00:34:48.949 29, 11, for you and me, I know the plans I have 00:34:48.949 --> 00:34:53.030 for you, plans to prosper you. This would be 00:34:53.030 --> 00:34:54.849 a good scripture for you to wake up to every 00:34:54.849 --> 00:34:58.969 morning and quote. And put your name in there. 00:34:59.309 --> 00:35:02.949 I know the plans you have for me, Lord. Plans 00:35:02.949 --> 00:35:08.050 to prosper me. Not to harm me, but plans to give 00:35:08.050 --> 00:35:12.070 me a hope and a brand new future. Write it out. 00:35:12.610 --> 00:35:15.469 Put it on the mirror. Put it on your car. Put 00:35:15.469 --> 00:35:18.070 it wherever you work. Put it and just say it 00:35:18.070 --> 00:35:20.849 a dozen times a day. But I know you have plans 00:35:20.849 --> 00:35:24.489 for me. And they're good. And you have a future. 00:35:24.909 --> 00:35:26.650 And you're not going to harm me. You're going 00:35:26.650 --> 00:35:29.849 to protect me. The devil's against me, but greater 00:35:29.849 --> 00:35:32.849 is he that's in me than he that's in the world. 00:35:33.030 --> 00:35:35.449 And so I'm going to believe, God, that the plans 00:35:35.449 --> 00:35:37.829 you have for me are awesome plans. I'm going 00:35:37.829 --> 00:35:39.449 to renew my mind. I'm going to think the right 00:35:39.449 --> 00:35:42.210 thoughts. An optimist is a person who simply 00:35:42.210 --> 00:35:47.070 prays and believes the Bible. Do those two things. 00:35:47.469 --> 00:35:52.360 Pray and believe the Bible. People who don't 00:35:52.360 --> 00:35:55.139 pray and don't read the Bible are more prone 00:35:55.139 --> 00:36:00.179 to think wrong. Pray. Read the scriptures out 00:36:00.179 --> 00:36:05.539 loud. Hope. I'm not going to be a pessimist. 00:36:05.579 --> 00:36:08.159 Turn to your neighbor and say, you're not a pessimist, 00:36:08.179 --> 00:36:13.340 are you? And for you who know you're talking 00:36:13.340 --> 00:36:15.739 to one, say to them, you are going to change, 00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:23.960 aren't you? Please? Now turn to your neighbor 00:36:23.960 --> 00:36:31.699 and say, you are an optimist, right? How many 00:36:31.699 --> 00:36:34.780 of you would say, I am done being a pessimist? 00:36:34.800 --> 00:36:37.059 Let me see your hands. Let me see your hands. 00:36:37.119 --> 00:36:38.679 Say, I have a problem with this and I'm done 00:36:38.679 --> 00:36:44.119 with it. Good. How many of you would say, I'm 00:36:44.119 --> 00:36:46.579 not the greatest optimist, but I am really going 00:36:46.579 --> 00:36:48.719 to give it a shot this coming year? Let me see 00:36:48.719 --> 00:36:55.010 your hands. Okay, you're going to be an optimist, 00:36:55.010 --> 00:36:58.130 not a pessimist. You're going to have hope in 00:36:58.130 --> 00:37:01.909 the darkness. Here's another one. Hope has in 00:37:01.909 --> 00:37:08.670 it resilience power, which is, well, in life, 00:37:08.710 --> 00:37:10.969 you better get a hold of resilience. Keep a grip 00:37:10.969 --> 00:37:14.789 on hope because hope will bring resilience. Job 00:37:14.789 --> 00:37:18.010 14 .7, which Scripture Lord gave me years ago 00:37:18.010 --> 00:37:22.349 in the middle of a crisis. At least there is 00:37:22.349 --> 00:37:25.210 hope, Job 14, 7. At least there is hope for a 00:37:25.210 --> 00:37:30.769 tree. If it is cut down, it will sprout again, 00:37:30.969 --> 00:37:36.769 and its new shoots will not fail. Another scripture 00:37:36.769 --> 00:37:41.150 in Job along the same lines, in Job 17, says, 00:37:41.389 --> 00:37:46.889 even if the tree that's been cut down and the 00:37:46.889 --> 00:37:52.550 stump looks like it's dead, And you would be 00:37:52.550 --> 00:37:54.190 walking in the forest and you would say, that's 00:37:54.190 --> 00:37:56.849 a dead tree, that's a dead stump. Get a stump 00:37:56.849 --> 00:37:59.190 machine, get rid of the stump. But Job says, 00:37:59.469 --> 00:38:04.889 even if the stump smells water, it will sprout 00:38:04.889 --> 00:38:09.590 again. Not that you will water it. If it just 00:38:09.590 --> 00:38:15.340 smells water, it will sprout again. Can I prophesy 00:38:15.340 --> 00:38:17.880 to you this morning that God has a smell of water 00:38:17.880 --> 00:38:20.480 coming your way? And even if you're a tree that's 00:38:20.480 --> 00:38:22.320 been cut down and you're a stump and you have 00:38:22.320 --> 00:38:24.139 no reason for anyone to even think you're going 00:38:24.139 --> 00:38:26.159 to sprout again or you don't think your dream 00:38:26.159 --> 00:38:28.019 or your hope or your vision or your future or 00:38:28.019 --> 00:38:30.219 whatever it might be will ever sprout again. 00:38:30.320 --> 00:38:32.840 Can I say to you that the Holy Spirit is like 00:38:32.840 --> 00:38:34.900 the dew of heaven? The Holy Spirit is like the 00:38:34.900 --> 00:38:37.239 water. The Holy Spirit is like the rain. And 00:38:37.239 --> 00:38:39.699 there's rain coming your way. And even if it 00:38:39.699 --> 00:38:42.260 doesn't hit you, even if you don't feel the power 00:38:42.260 --> 00:38:46.460 of the Holy Spirit, Coming right upon you, even 00:38:46.460 --> 00:38:48.519 if you're in the place where you can smell it, 00:38:48.539 --> 00:38:54.179 it'll work. And you'll have a miracle. So right 00:38:54.179 --> 00:38:58.739 now, take a deep breath. Come on, everybody. 00:39:00.719 --> 00:39:05.820 Smell the Holy Spirit rain coming. He's going 00:39:05.820 --> 00:39:09.539 to water my life. He's going to cause this old 00:39:09.539 --> 00:39:12.880 stump to sprout again. The dream that's been 00:39:12.880 --> 00:39:17.400 dead for long, that vision, that... Okay, Holy 00:39:17.400 --> 00:39:23.019 Spirit. I believe that even though I've been 00:39:23.019 --> 00:39:24.900 down, and maybe you've been down for a long time, 00:39:25.039 --> 00:39:27.940 or you will experience, who knows, but you'll 00:39:27.940 --> 00:39:30.900 all experience what Job talked about here with 00:39:30.900 --> 00:39:35.340 the cut down of a tree. And you get chopped down. 00:39:37.260 --> 00:39:41.670 The Holy Spirit is always there. And he just 00:39:41.670 --> 00:39:44.269 does his miracle thing. He comes in and begins 00:39:44.269 --> 00:39:47.969 to breathe life into your spirit again. Before 00:39:47.969 --> 00:39:49.929 you know it, your attitudes start changing and 00:39:49.929 --> 00:39:54.150 your whole vision starts reemerging again. And 00:39:54.150 --> 00:40:02.929 all of a sudden, what was dead comes alive. And 00:40:02.929 --> 00:40:05.989 then you realize how dead you were when life 00:40:05.989 --> 00:40:10.179 comes. Wow, I was really dead on that. But not 00:40:10.179 --> 00:40:15.360 anymore. The reign of the Holy Spirit wants to 00:40:15.360 --> 00:40:20.739 come upon your stump. How many of you would say, 00:40:20.920 --> 00:40:24.420 and I receive that word for my life right now. 00:40:24.519 --> 00:40:30.219 I receive it, Frank. I need water on my stump. 00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:36.300 I need water. Habakkuk, one of the minor prophets. 00:40:37.070 --> 00:40:41.429 In Brazil, they call it have a cookie. Habakkuk 00:40:41.429 --> 00:40:46.730 3, 17 and 18 is the resilient spirit. This is 00:40:46.730 --> 00:40:48.650 a scripture you should write out and memorize. 00:40:49.429 --> 00:40:53.349 Though the fig tree may not blossom. Habakkuk 00:40:53.349 --> 00:40:59.929 3, 17. No fruit appears on the vine. Though the 00:40:59.929 --> 00:41:04.130 labor of the olive fails and the fields yield 00:41:04.130 --> 00:41:07.239 no food. This is not a good picture. Nothing's 00:41:07.239 --> 00:41:08.760 growing on the trees. Nothing's happening on 00:41:08.760 --> 00:41:11.320 the vines. Nothing's going on in the field. Nothing's 00:41:11.320 --> 00:41:14.039 happening with the food. Though the flock may 00:41:14.039 --> 00:41:16.860 be cut off from the folds, or even your things 00:41:16.860 --> 00:41:18.719 you're raising, the things you thought you had 00:41:18.719 --> 00:41:22.639 control over, and there be no herd in the stalls, 00:41:23.000 --> 00:41:28.639 yet I will rejoice in the Lord. Yep, I will joy 00:41:28.639 --> 00:41:31.980 in the God of my salvation. Why? Because he's 00:41:31.980 --> 00:41:35.900 the God. Who can make bananas grow on telephone 00:41:35.900 --> 00:41:42.320 poles. He's the God that looks past all the things 00:41:42.320 --> 00:41:44.869 that are not. Well, there's nothing aligning 00:41:44.869 --> 00:41:46.650 for me. There's nothing working for me. There's 00:41:46.650 --> 00:41:48.389 nothing in the stall. There's nothing in the 00:41:48.389 --> 00:41:50.369 bank. There's nothing in my heart. Nothing in 00:41:50.369 --> 00:41:52.429 my mind. I tell you right now, I've sowed seed 00:41:52.429 --> 00:41:54.590 and there's nothing growing. I don't see it happening. 00:41:54.710 --> 00:41:58.670 God can bypass all the knots and bring you into 00:41:58.670 --> 00:42:02.369 a supernatural provision because he's God. His 00:42:02.369 --> 00:42:04.690 mercies are new every morning. He doesn't go 00:42:04.690 --> 00:42:10.699 by what you see. He goes by who he is. That's 00:42:10.699 --> 00:42:13.480 why you never give up hope, even if you are bankrupt. 00:42:15.420 --> 00:42:22.719 Even if you are totally down. Great glory in 00:42:22.719 --> 00:42:26.940 living life, not in ever failing or never falling, 00:42:27.099 --> 00:42:33.400 but in rising every time you fall. For in rising, 00:42:33.420 --> 00:42:37.000 you will find the path you should be on, not 00:42:37.000 --> 00:42:41.309 in falling. Nelson Mandela. Who I visited in 00:42:41.309 --> 00:42:44.269 South Africa where he was in prison. His life 00:42:44.269 --> 00:42:46.349 over there. And you think what that one man did. 00:42:47.289 --> 00:42:53.090 Well, he had a philosophy. Never stay down. Never 00:42:53.090 --> 00:42:57.289 give up. You know, they tried to let him go from 00:42:57.289 --> 00:43:00.289 that prison for 17 years. They opened the prison 00:43:00.289 --> 00:43:03.590 cell. Gave him the pieces of paper from the government. 00:43:03.670 --> 00:43:07.170 And said, you are a free man. He would... Take 00:43:07.170 --> 00:43:09.829 his hand, close the prison cell, sit back down. 00:43:09.889 --> 00:43:13.469 He says, until they give me why I'm in prison 00:43:13.469 --> 00:43:16.210 and what I want out from prison, I will stay 00:43:16.210 --> 00:43:18.489 in prison because I'm not a free man. They tried 00:43:18.489 --> 00:43:22.469 to free him over and over and over and over again. 00:43:23.789 --> 00:43:27.469 And he simply said, no, no. The dream cannot 00:43:27.469 --> 00:43:30.550 be fulfilled with that. Even though it looked 00:43:30.550 --> 00:43:34.440 like he was a total failure. And people, even 00:43:34.440 --> 00:43:37.400 his own wife and his friends, if you read his 00:43:37.400 --> 00:43:39.679 biography, the things they said to him were not 00:43:39.679 --> 00:43:43.099 kind. They were not kind. Because they were so 00:43:43.099 --> 00:43:45.860 upset he wouldn't take the freedom they were 00:43:45.860 --> 00:43:48.480 given him. But he said, freedom for me is not 00:43:48.480 --> 00:43:51.539 freedom. It's only freedom for us that I'm after. 00:43:52.440 --> 00:43:56.679 Me being out of jail is not freedom. I need us 00:43:56.679 --> 00:44:00.349 to be free. He had a cause and he had a heart 00:44:00.349 --> 00:44:03.329 and he had a vision. And even though nothing 00:44:03.329 --> 00:44:05.809 was in the stall at that point, nothing was growing 00:44:05.809 --> 00:44:09.030 in his ground. He says the greatest in living 00:44:09.030 --> 00:44:13.769 is never staying down, rising up every morning. 00:44:13.829 --> 00:44:16.489 When you read how he disciplined his mind to 00:44:16.489 --> 00:44:18.889 think and what he said to himself during those 00:44:18.889 --> 00:44:22.110 years, you should read his biography. It is a 00:44:22.110 --> 00:44:25.550 lesson in hope like you will never, ever read 00:44:25.550 --> 00:44:30.619 with another man. I mean, my hope is on a scale 00:44:30.619 --> 00:44:35.739 of 1 to 10, I'm .0001 compared to Nelson Mandela. 00:44:35.739 --> 00:44:39.760 The man knew how to keep a grip on hope. Ask 00:44:39.760 --> 00:44:42.260 yourself right now, what are you letting go of? 00:44:42.739 --> 00:44:46.800 What are you not responding to? Why are you staying 00:44:46.800 --> 00:44:52.280 down? Why are you beating yourself? The garbage 00:44:52.280 --> 00:44:54.679 in your heart and spirit that you're no good, 00:44:54.760 --> 00:44:56.900 no value, won't work. It's not going to happen. 00:44:56.980 --> 00:44:59.860 I can't see it. I'm too old. What about the poor 00:44:59.860 --> 00:45:03.119 me mentality? Poor me, poor me, poor me. If you 00:45:03.119 --> 00:45:05.099 get too far into that, it's hard to get a person 00:45:05.099 --> 00:45:07.480 out. Or the martyr syndrome. Everything is wrong 00:45:07.480 --> 00:45:10.539 because I'm the martyr. And people sometimes 00:45:10.539 --> 00:45:12.539 when they're a martyr, they like to tell everybody 00:45:12.539 --> 00:45:14.639 about the bad news. They kind of get something 00:45:14.639 --> 00:45:17.449 out of the bad. They want people to have sympathy 00:45:17.449 --> 00:45:20.389 and feel sorry for the poor me and the martyr 00:45:20.389 --> 00:45:22.389 that I'm going through and everything that I 00:45:22.389 --> 00:45:25.570 lost. Don't be a martyr. People will encourage 00:45:25.570 --> 00:45:29.969 a martyr only for a time. They'll encourage a 00:45:29.969 --> 00:45:33.389 poor me mentality only for a time. And after 00:45:33.389 --> 00:45:36.250 a while, everyone will get tired of it. And when 00:45:36.250 --> 00:45:38.409 they see you coming, they're thinking, I know 00:45:38.409 --> 00:45:40.590 what they need, and I'm just sick of saying it. 00:45:41.079 --> 00:45:42.900 So I'm going to talk to someone else because 00:45:42.900 --> 00:45:45.139 they have the same story. So how you know you 00:45:45.139 --> 00:45:47.619 can't believe what I'm doing? I mean, you just 00:45:47.619 --> 00:45:49.400 can't believe this and this happened. And even 00:45:49.400 --> 00:45:51.139 last week this happened. I think next week's 00:45:51.139 --> 00:45:53.559 going to even be worse. And so they just start 00:45:53.559 --> 00:45:56.039 pouring out and they want someone to feel sorry 00:45:56.039 --> 00:45:58.460 for them and their life. And maybe their life 00:45:58.460 --> 00:46:00.099 should be feel sorry for it. In a lot of ways, 00:46:00.159 --> 00:46:02.260 I'm not belittling people that go through sorrow 00:46:02.260 --> 00:46:05.000 and death and loss and pain and all that. I understand 00:46:05.000 --> 00:46:10.170 it. But there comes a time. When you have to 00:46:10.170 --> 00:46:14.929 put it behind you and become the new you. There's 00:46:14.929 --> 00:46:18.070 a time. Can't do it too fast sometimes, but there's 00:46:18.070 --> 00:46:21.949 a time where resilience, where you quit talking 00:46:21.949 --> 00:46:24.989 to yourself about what's wrong and start talking 00:46:24.989 --> 00:46:29.090 about what's right. Micah 7 is another favorite 00:46:29.090 --> 00:46:32.150 verse that I have. Micah 7, 8. Do not rejoice 00:46:32.150 --> 00:46:36.769 over me, my enemy. When I fall, I will arise. 00:46:37.719 --> 00:46:41.239 And when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be 00:46:41.239 --> 00:46:44.960 my light. One translation says, don't keep laughing 00:46:44.960 --> 00:46:47.739 at me because I won't be down for long. I always 00:46:47.739 --> 00:46:51.300 get up. So you need to look the enemy in the 00:46:51.300 --> 00:46:54.179 eye and say to the enemy, go ahead and laugh, 00:46:54.380 --> 00:46:57.960 but I'm getting up. Well, you've fallen seven 00:46:57.960 --> 00:47:00.980 times and you've been down a long time on number 00:47:00.980 --> 00:47:03.480 seven. That's right. And number seven's the number 00:47:03.480 --> 00:47:06.599 of perfection. I had a perfect fall, and I had 00:47:06.599 --> 00:47:09.380 a perfect time, and I had a perfect failure, 00:47:09.539 --> 00:47:13.239 and I had a perfect dark moment, and now I rise 00:47:13.239 --> 00:47:17.360 again in the name of my God, and I am not done 00:47:17.360 --> 00:47:24.639 yet. And you get up, and you rise again. Proverbs 00:47:24.639 --> 00:47:29.179 24, 16, for a righteous man falls seven times, 00:47:29.440 --> 00:47:35.969 but they get up, but they get up. No matter how 00:47:35.969 --> 00:47:39.670 often honest people fall, they always find a 00:47:39.670 --> 00:47:44.150 way to get up again. Disaster destroys the wicked, 00:47:44.210 --> 00:47:53.409 but the honest person always gets up. Hope. Hope. 00:47:54.449 --> 00:48:00.909 Hope. Keep a grip on hope. Can I hear an amen? 00:48:02.710 --> 00:48:07.449 Hope. We'll lift you out of your pit today. Don't 00:48:07.449 --> 00:48:13.190 stay in your pit. Don't stay in your path. Don't 00:48:13.190 --> 00:48:16.909 stay in your weakness. Don't stay in the mindset. 00:48:17.110 --> 00:48:23.849 Life is so short. Why would you not live it overflowing 00:48:23.849 --> 00:48:28.090 with hope? And pass it on to your children and 00:48:28.090 --> 00:48:31.469 your children's children. Pass that spirit on 00:48:31.469 --> 00:48:35.170 to them. When they see you suffering, smile. 00:48:36.429 --> 00:48:40.210 Let them know how to handle suffering. When you 00:48:40.210 --> 00:48:43.650 have the biggest blow come your way and it knocks 00:48:43.650 --> 00:48:47.050 you for a loop, you say to your kids, but I'll 00:48:47.050 --> 00:48:51.469 be up again. Don't worry about this. Life has 00:48:51.469 --> 00:48:56.190 a lot of things that happen. But God is going 00:48:56.190 --> 00:49:00.449 to see us through. Now you just get a grip on 00:49:00.449 --> 00:49:04.280 hope. Because God doesn't change. And you pass 00:49:04.280 --> 00:49:08.460 on a spirit of tenacity and optimism and faith 00:49:08.460 --> 00:49:14.099 and hope. And you start daring to believe mighty 00:49:14.099 --> 00:49:23.699 things. Okay. I want to end. I'm not done. You 00:49:23.699 --> 00:49:27.280 know, I'm never done. I have many, many notes. 00:49:28.909 --> 00:49:32.170 As I was speaking in Japan, Nishihata was translating 00:49:32.170 --> 00:49:34.289 for me, and he was a great translator, great 00:49:34.289 --> 00:49:37.489 Japanese pastor. I had been there two or three 00:49:37.489 --> 00:49:39.650 times with him for a conference, and I'm preaching 00:49:39.650 --> 00:49:41.969 away, and he stops in the middle of my message. 00:49:43.269 --> 00:49:48.050 And he says, Patsapink, you have so many points, 00:49:48.110 --> 00:49:54.650 you're like a porcupine. You have so many points. 00:49:56.789 --> 00:50:02.150 You're like a porcupine. You know, I got giggling 00:50:02.150 --> 00:50:04.510 and laughing when he said that. I could hardly 00:50:04.510 --> 00:50:06.469 get back to my points. I think that's why he 00:50:06.469 --> 00:50:09.750 did it, is to mess me up so I couldn't get back 00:50:09.750 --> 00:50:14.550 to my points. You got so many points. Okay, I'm 00:50:14.550 --> 00:50:19.769 going to give you five ending points. These are 00:50:19.769 --> 00:50:23.610 statements that you can use. And they're simple, 00:50:23.730 --> 00:50:27.530 but maybe you'll take them down, maybe you'll 00:50:27.530 --> 00:50:30.539 use them. I want you to just start confessing 00:50:30.539 --> 00:50:32.280 and put it in your mouth, the spirit of hope, 00:50:32.380 --> 00:50:35.599 spirit of faith, optimism, etc. Number one, I'm 00:50:35.599 --> 00:50:38.400 a new person in Christ. Just start saying that 00:50:38.400 --> 00:50:40.679 over and over again. I'm a new person in Christ. 00:50:40.880 --> 00:50:43.059 I'm a new person. I got potential. I can change. 00:50:43.519 --> 00:50:46.219 I don't have to stay the same. The greatest news 00:50:46.219 --> 00:50:48.039 of the gospel, you don't have to stay the same. 00:50:48.639 --> 00:50:51.619 You can change. Everybody can change. Number 00:50:51.619 --> 00:50:54.989 two, I'm free. I am free in Christ. I might not 00:50:54.989 --> 00:50:56.769 totally feel it right now or have everything 00:50:56.769 --> 00:50:58.429 together, but I'm telling you right now, the 00:50:58.429 --> 00:51:01.309 Bible says I am a free person. I am free in Christ. 00:51:01.429 --> 00:51:03.969 I am free in Christ. Number three, I'm blessed. 00:51:04.150 --> 00:51:07.170 I'm blessed in Christ. I am blessed in Christ. 00:51:07.590 --> 00:51:09.710 And there's scriptures for all these, but you 00:51:09.710 --> 00:51:11.730 can go to your own Bible and read for yourself. 00:51:12.269 --> 00:51:15.989 I am blessed in Christ. Number four, I am God's 00:51:15.989 --> 00:51:19.889 piece of work. If you have sat under my ministry 00:51:19.889 --> 00:51:24.380 for the last couple decades up in Portland, 25 00:51:24.380 --> 00:51:27.960 years in that one church, I would have the people 00:51:27.960 --> 00:51:32.599 do this all the time. Turn to someone and say 00:51:32.599 --> 00:51:38.019 to them, and you are a piece of work. No, I'm 00:51:38.019 --> 00:51:39.960 not telling you to do that. I'm just preaching. 00:51:42.179 --> 00:51:45.800 Why? Because we say that to people and sometimes 00:51:45.800 --> 00:51:47.820 when we're irritated or sometimes when we're 00:51:47.820 --> 00:51:50.199 just mysteriously interested in why they're so 00:51:50.199 --> 00:51:53.559 weird, we would say, boy, aren't they there? 00:51:53.929 --> 00:51:56.889 Piece of work, aren't they? We know that by their 00:51:56.889 --> 00:51:59.230 tone and their words, we know they mean they're 00:51:59.230 --> 00:52:02.250 weird, strange. Or if they're achieving something 00:52:02.250 --> 00:52:06.809 more, they are a piece of work. Wow, they're 00:52:06.809 --> 00:52:10.550 a piece of work. I want you to know you are a 00:52:10.550 --> 00:52:15.949 piece of work. And only God can deal with a person 00:52:15.949 --> 00:52:21.550 as weird as you. Only God can love you to the 00:52:21.550 --> 00:52:26.079 uttermost. And never question that you're valuable 00:52:26.079 --> 00:52:30.019 because you're a piece of work. One time, one 00:52:30.019 --> 00:52:31.960 of the famous artists was having lunch with a 00:52:31.960 --> 00:52:37.420 very wealthy woman and she spilled her drink, 00:52:37.739 --> 00:52:44.119 a red drink on her handkerchief. And she kind 00:52:44.119 --> 00:52:46.119 of got frustrated and took the handkerchief and 00:52:46.119 --> 00:52:48.500 said, she's going to throw it away. And the artist 00:52:48.500 --> 00:52:51.860 grabbed it. He said, no, don't throw that away. 00:52:52.380 --> 00:52:54.059 She says, why? It's worthless now. It won't be 00:52:54.059 --> 00:52:58.159 clean. He says, let me have it. So he took her 00:52:58.159 --> 00:53:03.760 silk handkerchief, and he created an unbelievable 00:53:03.760 --> 00:53:09.519 piece of art out of the spill. And he brought 00:53:09.519 --> 00:53:13.980 the handkerchief back to the lady. And he says, 00:53:14.000 --> 00:53:17.019 you remember when you tried to throw away your 00:53:17.019 --> 00:53:18.739 handkerchief at lunch that day? She goes, oh, 00:53:18.739 --> 00:53:21.429 yeah, yeah, that's just, it doesn't matter. He 00:53:21.429 --> 00:53:25.269 says, well, I did something with it. He gave 00:53:25.269 --> 00:53:29.750 her the handkerchief. She was so blown away at 00:53:29.750 --> 00:53:32.010 something that was so bad and ugly and a piece 00:53:32.010 --> 00:53:34.610 of work. You know, that stupid little handkerchief 00:53:34.610 --> 00:53:42.210 sold for $200 ,000. Why? Because what looked 00:53:42.210 --> 00:53:45.280 like... Nothing and just a spill and a mistake. 00:53:45.400 --> 00:53:49.380 In the eyes of a master, it was a great way to 00:53:49.380 --> 00:53:54.059 paint something really, really peculiar. You 00:53:54.059 --> 00:53:59.199 might be in the eyes of people a spill. You might 00:53:59.199 --> 00:54:05.380 be, oh boy, them. Or, whoa, they roll their eyes. 00:54:05.480 --> 00:54:10.480 I don't know what will come of him or her, blah, 00:54:10.559 --> 00:54:14.510 blah, blah, blah. But just remember, beauty is 00:54:14.510 --> 00:54:18.150 in the eye of the beholder. And God sees you 00:54:18.150 --> 00:54:22.489 so differently. Even with all your flaws, God 00:54:22.489 --> 00:54:26.010 actually, don't take me wrong here, but God actually 00:54:26.010 --> 00:54:31.489 gets excited about your flaws. Your unique failures. 00:54:32.349 --> 00:54:35.309 Things that people would say, oh my, my, my, 00:54:35.309 --> 00:54:39.670 my. God would say, oh no, this is, this is perfect. 00:54:40.719 --> 00:54:44.719 I can do something with that broken life. And 00:54:44.719 --> 00:54:46.760 I'm going to paint a picture that the whole world 00:54:46.760 --> 00:54:50.800 will say, how? Like Michelangelo, it said, how 00:54:50.800 --> 00:54:54.199 do you imagine what you're going to do? He says, 00:54:54.260 --> 00:54:58.519 when I see a piece of marble, he says, I see 00:54:58.519 --> 00:55:03.119 something trying to get out. And he said, I sketch 00:55:03.119 --> 00:55:05.840 what I see trying to break out of that square 00:55:05.840 --> 00:55:09.489 piece of marble. And then I create. that thing 00:55:09.489 --> 00:55:12.750 that's trying to get out. And there's a piece 00:55:12.750 --> 00:55:16.250 of marble in you that's trying to get out a work, 00:55:16.469 --> 00:55:21.050 a life, a way, a dream, a vision, a help, a ministry, 00:55:21.210 --> 00:55:23.630 a certain thing that God wants to do that no 00:55:23.630 --> 00:55:25.369 one else can see. But if you would just have 00:55:25.369 --> 00:55:28.530 hope and faith in how God the Master is dealing 00:55:28.530 --> 00:55:30.730 with you, you'll turn out to be a masterpiece. 00:55:32.150 --> 00:55:36.730 Not just a piece of work. A masterpiece. Can 00:55:36.730 --> 00:55:39.809 I hear an amen? All right, here's what we'll 00:55:39.809 --> 00:55:45.050 do. I want to pray. I would like to pray. First 00:55:45.050 --> 00:55:49.070 of all, cooperate with me real quickly would 00:55:49.070 --> 00:55:59.789 help. Let's all stand up. All right? Just give 00:55:59.789 --> 00:56:02.329 me a couple minutes. Don't move. Just let me 00:56:02.329 --> 00:56:06.869 kind of wrap this up. Why don't you just close 00:56:06.869 --> 00:56:09.769 your eyes for a minute? a minute or so here just 00:56:09.769 --> 00:56:13.190 to be kind of private with your heart, with your 00:56:13.190 --> 00:56:17.429 life. First of all, in this room today, is there 00:56:17.429 --> 00:56:20.269 anybody in this room that would say, Frank, I 00:56:20.269 --> 00:56:23.210 don't even know Christ. I don't even have a chance 00:56:23.210 --> 00:56:26.469 at life. I'm not even sure what God can do with 00:56:26.469 --> 00:56:30.210 me because I've never given my life to God. But 00:56:30.210 --> 00:56:33.650 you know what? I need to give my life to Jesus. 00:56:34.389 --> 00:56:38.780 Or somehow you got beat off the track. And you're 00:56:38.780 --> 00:56:41.340 away from Jesus today and you know exactly what 00:56:41.340 --> 00:56:44.780 I mean. And you know you need to come under his 00:56:44.780 --> 00:56:49.800 good hand and get your life back under the cross 00:56:49.800 --> 00:56:53.539 of grace that's over your life so that God can 00:56:53.539 --> 00:56:56.019 do something awesome with you. But if you're 00:56:56.019 --> 00:56:58.800 in the room and never really turned your life 00:56:58.800 --> 00:57:02.099 to Christ or you're away from Christ, would you 00:57:02.099 --> 00:57:04.280 right now just lift your hand straight up just 00:57:04.280 --> 00:57:06.579 for a few seconds? Let me see it. Just lift your 00:57:06.579 --> 00:57:08.460 hand straight up in this room right now. One, 00:57:08.559 --> 00:57:10.500 two, three, just lift your hand and say, Frank, 00:57:10.519 --> 00:57:15.019 I need Jesus in my life. Go ahead. Thank you, 00:57:15.019 --> 00:57:18.940 ma 'am. Thank you, sir. Anybody else? I'm looking 00:57:18.940 --> 00:57:22.960 just, thank you, ma 'am, in the back. Anybody 00:57:22.960 --> 00:57:26.199 else? Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you, young 00:57:26.199 --> 00:57:33.820 man. Anybody else? You're saying, Frank, I'm 00:57:33.820 --> 00:57:38.260 thinking about it, but I know I need to get back 00:57:38.260 --> 00:57:40.000 to God. Come on, just lift your hand. What a 00:57:40.000 --> 00:57:42.360 great Christmas gift for you. Give your life 00:57:42.360 --> 00:57:45.260 back to God. Just lift your hand right now. Those 00:57:45.260 --> 00:57:47.019 who haven't lifted their hand yet, just lift 00:57:47.019 --> 00:57:50.480 it. Anyone else? Lift it straight up. Just let 00:57:50.480 --> 00:57:53.039 me see it. Thank you. I won't embarrass you. 00:57:53.099 --> 00:57:58.079 I just want to see that you're responding. That 00:57:58.079 --> 00:58:01.920 you're responding. Awesome. All right, now, just 00:58:01.920 --> 00:58:04.519 hold on to that for a second. I want everybody 00:58:04.519 --> 00:58:06.559 in the room that would say, Patrick Frank, you 00:58:06.559 --> 00:58:11.440 know what? I lost a grip on hope. Today, I got 00:58:11.440 --> 00:58:15.019 it. I got it. I got it. I'm not going to give 00:58:15.019 --> 00:58:17.460 up. I'm not going to lose my grip. I'm going 00:58:17.460 --> 00:58:19.059 to get a hold of that thing, and I'm going to 00:58:19.059 --> 00:58:23.159 hold on, and God's going to change, and God's 00:58:23.159 --> 00:58:25.559 going to work in me, et cetera. You're talking 00:58:25.559 --> 00:58:27.980 to me, and you're that person. Say, Frank, I 00:58:27.980 --> 00:58:30.800 have lost grip. But I'm putting my hand back 00:58:30.800 --> 00:58:33.019 on hope today. Would you lift your hand? Lift 00:58:33.019 --> 00:58:35.820 your hand. Say, you're talking to me. I need 00:58:35.820 --> 00:58:39.539 encouragement today. I need encouragement today. 00:58:40.179 --> 00:58:43.920 I need hope today. I need hope today. Just lift 00:58:43.920 --> 00:58:46.019 your hand. Anyone else? Just lift your hand. 00:58:46.079 --> 00:58:48.519 Say, I lost it, but I'm going to get it back. 00:58:49.039 --> 00:58:51.539 I'm going to get it back. I'm going to get it 00:58:51.539 --> 00:58:54.099 back. God's going to breathe. God's going to 00:58:54.099 --> 00:58:56.480 water my stump. And I'm going to sprout again. 00:58:56.699 --> 00:59:00.170 And it's going to work. God's going to do it 00:59:00.170 --> 00:59:03.989 now. I'd like everybody real quickly that lifted 00:59:03.989 --> 00:59:06.510 your hand, would you just step out of where you 00:59:06.510 --> 00:59:08.349 are and come up, meet me in the front real quick. 00:59:08.449 --> 00:59:10.909 Just step out and just come to the front and 00:59:10.909 --> 00:59:12.909 stand. Why? Because when you step out physically, 00:59:13.170 --> 00:59:15.449 I think something happens in your spirit. You're 00:59:15.449 --> 00:59:18.210 stepping out of the past, stepping out of the 00:59:18.210 --> 00:59:21.230 wrong. Those that lifted their hand to get saved 00:59:21.230 --> 00:59:23.510 this morning, find Jesus or come back to Jesus. 00:59:24.219 --> 00:59:26.539 If you would trust me just for a second and come 00:59:26.539 --> 00:59:28.880 forward with everybody else and just say, you're 00:59:28.880 --> 00:59:30.800 talking to me, I'm turning my life back to God. 00:59:30.880 --> 00:59:33.420 Even if you didn't lift your hand and you've 00:59:33.420 --> 00:59:35.619 considered that God is good and God is great 00:59:35.619 --> 00:59:38.099 and gracious and merciful and wonderful, has 00:59:38.099 --> 00:59:40.480 a plan for you that nobody else could possibly 00:59:40.480 --> 00:59:43.239 ever fulfill. But God can work in your behalf. 00:59:43.820 --> 00:59:46.000 God can take your mistakes and draw something 00:59:46.000 --> 00:59:49.340 masterful with your life. I want you to step 00:59:49.340 --> 00:59:51.650 out and come forward right now. If you lifted 00:59:51.650 --> 00:59:54.530 your hand to find Jesus or get back to Jesus, 00:59:54.630 --> 01:00:00.170 I want you to come forward. Thank you. Thank 01:00:00.170 --> 01:00:03.190 you. Church, help me out here. I want you just 01:00:03.190 --> 01:00:05.610 to take five seconds, turn to anybody around 01:00:05.610 --> 01:00:08.090 you, and just say to them, if you need to go 01:00:08.090 --> 01:00:10.829 to the front to be prayed for, I will go with 01:00:10.829 --> 01:00:13.309 you. Because sometimes people just need someone 01:00:13.309 --> 01:00:15.849 to bring them. Would you do that right now, church? 01:00:23.210 --> 01:00:25.050 you are interested in hearing other podcasts 01:00:25.050 --> 01:00:29.789 or contacting Life Bible Church, go to www .lifebiblechurch 01:00:29.789 --> 01:00:34.570 .org or call us at 541 -995 -8282.