1 00:00:02,010 --> 00:00:04,554 Thanks for tuning in to the Sandals Church podcast. 2 00:00:04,682 --> 00:00:08,542 Our vision as a church is to be real with ourselves, God and others. 3 00:00:08,676 --> 00:00:11,360 We're glad you're here and we hope you enjoy this message. 4 00:00:14,290 --> 00:00:16,474 Hey, everybody, welcome to Sandals Church. 5 00:00:16,522 --> 00:00:19,354 We are in a series called Generous like Jesus. 6 00:00:19,402 --> 00:00:22,174 It has been such a great series so far, hasn't it, man? 7 00:00:22,212 --> 00:00:25,782 God has blessed it. 8 00:00:25,836 --> 00:00:29,062 And today what I want to do is I want to start by just asking you a question. 9 00:00:29,116 --> 00:00:32,854 And it's an internal question because we believe in being real with self, right? 10 00:00:32,972 --> 00:00:39,026 So if you were meeting someone for the first time or maybe getting to know someone and they 11 00:00:39,068 --> 00:00:44,442 said, describe yourself in three words, I want you to take a minute and think, what three 12 00:00:44,496 --> 00:00:47,946 words would you use to describe yourself? 13 00:00:48,048 --> 00:00:50,746 Like, what would you tell someone about you? 14 00:00:50,848 --> 00:00:55,294 As I was preparing this message, I thought it would be fun to bring my family into this 15 00:00:55,332 --> 00:00:59,520 with me and ask them how they would describe me. 16 00:00:59,970 --> 00:01:02,080 I wouldn't say it ended up being fun. 17 00:01:03,970 --> 00:01:06,960 It was enlightening for sure. 18 00:01:07,410 --> 00:01:09,006 It started off really great. 19 00:01:09,108 --> 00:01:10,602 Wise, loving. 20 00:01:10,746 --> 00:01:11,214 Thank you. 21 00:01:11,252 --> 00:01:12,400 Thank you so much. 22 00:01:13,650 --> 00:01:14,978 There was a pause. 23 00:01:15,114 --> 00:01:15,654 Direct. 24 00:01:15,772 --> 00:01:17,080 Yeah, that's true. 25 00:01:17,850 --> 00:01:18,610 Aggressive. 26 00:01:18,690 --> 00:01:19,910 Settle, settle. 27 00:01:21,210 --> 00:01:28,380 Then one of my children quietly said, sometimes scary, but I'm scared to say that. 28 00:01:29,710 --> 00:01:31,820 Why are you scared to say that? 29 00:01:33,550 --> 00:01:35,002 I said, Christmas is coming. 30 00:01:35,056 --> 00:01:36,540 You should have kept that to yourself. 31 00:01:37,710 --> 00:01:39,242 But do you have your three words? 32 00:01:39,296 --> 00:01:43,118 So you've got your three words right here is my guess. 33 00:01:43,284 --> 00:01:49,406 My guess is that there is a word that nobody used to describe themselves. 34 00:01:49,588 --> 00:01:55,134 No matter if you're short or tall, funny, if right now you're hangry, hungry, if you feel 35 00:01:55,172 --> 00:01:59,506 full, if you feel depleted, if you feel discouraged, if you feel joyful, no matter what 36 00:01:59,528 --> 00:02:05,878 your words are, my guess is, and I won't bet, but my guess is that no one chose this one 37 00:02:05,964 --> 00:02:06,694 word. 38 00:02:06,892 --> 00:02:09,750 And here's the word ungrateful. 39 00:02:10,730 --> 00:02:12,802 I bet no one chose the word ungrateful. 40 00:02:12,866 --> 00:02:18,370 And the reason why is because we would all say that we feel grateful. 41 00:02:18,530 --> 00:02:22,074 In fact, if I pulled you up here and said, tell me some things you're grateful for, you 42 00:02:22,112 --> 00:02:23,562 could rattle off a list. 43 00:02:23,696 --> 00:02:25,542 We all feel grateful. 44 00:02:25,606 --> 00:02:29,690 In fact, I think I pride myself on being such a grateful person. 45 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:30,634 Most of the time. 46 00:02:30,752 --> 00:02:31,910 I feel grateful. 47 00:02:31,990 --> 00:02:32,878 Most of the time. 48 00:02:32,964 --> 00:02:35,600 The question is, is feeling grateful enough? 49 00:02:36,370 --> 00:02:40,798 And regardless of what you may say or how you might answer that question, if you're a 50 00:02:40,804 --> 00:02:43,470 follower of Jesus, it's what Jesus says. 51 00:02:43,540 --> 00:02:47,070 How Jesus would answer that question that truly matters. 52 00:02:47,730 --> 00:02:49,890 Hey, thanks so much for joining us today for service. 53 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:54,034 I want to take a quick second and invite you to give to the work that God is doing through 54 00:02:54,072 --> 00:02:54,990 saddle church. 55 00:02:55,070 --> 00:02:59,906 You can do so by going to donate SC for now, let's get back into our message with Melody 56 00:02:59,938 --> 00:03:00,710 Workman. 57 00:03:01,610 --> 00:03:06,918 We're going to look at a story today in the Gospels where Jesus gives us some really, 58 00:03:07,004 --> 00:03:08,610 really deep truth. 59 00:03:08,770 --> 00:03:13,066 We're going to read through this together and then we are going to take it bit by bit and 60 00:03:13,088 --> 00:03:14,474 see what God wants to teach us. 61 00:03:14,512 --> 00:03:18,822 We're going to be in Luke 17 and we're going to read verses eleven through 19. 62 00:03:18,966 --> 00:03:23,726 It says, as Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and 63 00:03:23,748 --> 00:03:24,474 Samaria. 64 00:03:24,602 --> 00:03:30,810 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance crying out, Jesus, 65 00:03:30,970 --> 00:03:32,926 master, have mercy on us. 66 00:03:33,028 --> 00:03:35,998 He looked at them and said, go show yourselves to the priest. 67 00:03:36,094 --> 00:03:39,342 And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 68 00:03:39,486 --> 00:03:45,490 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus shouting, praise God. 69 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:49,206 He fell to the ground at Jesus'feet, thanking him for what he'd done. 70 00:03:49,308 --> 00:03:51,154 This man was a Samaritan. 71 00:03:51,282 --> 00:03:54,310 Jesus asked, didn't I heal ten men? 72 00:03:54,460 --> 00:03:56,198 Where are the other nine? 73 00:03:56,364 --> 00:04:00,094 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner? 74 00:04:00,162 --> 00:04:03,114 And Jesus said to the man, stand up and go. 75 00:04:03,232 --> 00:04:05,370 Your faith has healed you. 76 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:11,962 Now before we move into the rest of the message, I want to bring you into a very genuine 77 00:04:12,026 --> 00:04:13,546 part of my preparation. 78 00:04:13,658 --> 00:04:18,800 Every time I preach God's word, I pray these two things. 79 00:04:19,330 --> 00:04:20,346 This is genuine. 80 00:04:20,378 --> 00:04:21,518 I pray these two things. 81 00:04:21,604 --> 00:04:27,220 I say Jesus, what do you want me and what do you want them to learn about you? 82 00:04:28,150 --> 00:04:32,194 I want him to teach me so that I can teach you. 83 00:04:32,392 --> 00:04:33,634 But then I pray this. 84 00:04:33,672 --> 00:04:38,600 And then, Jesus, what do you want me and then what do you want them to do? 85 00:04:39,370 --> 00:04:44,710 That's important because who we are becoming matters to Jesus. 86 00:04:45,130 --> 00:04:49,802 So I'm going to ask if you would be willing now to pray that prayer over yourself. 87 00:04:49,936 --> 00:04:52,522 Jesus, what do you want me to learn about you? 88 00:04:52,656 --> 00:04:55,260 And then, Jesus, what do you want me to do? 89 00:04:55,710 --> 00:05:01,420 Jesus, would you bless your word for these people for this time? 90 00:05:02,190 --> 00:05:04,542 God, I believe that this is your word. 91 00:05:04,676 --> 00:05:08,174 I believe that this is what you have put on my heart to speak. 92 00:05:08,292 --> 00:05:12,842 But you are the only one with the power to make anything come from it. 93 00:05:12,996 --> 00:05:16,130 So Jesus, we sit together at your feet. 94 00:05:16,470 --> 00:05:18,594 Teach us and then move us. 95 00:05:18,632 --> 00:05:20,178 We pray in Jesus name. 96 00:05:20,264 --> 00:05:21,090 Amen. 97 00:05:21,670 --> 00:05:22,546 Point number one. 98 00:05:22,568 --> 00:05:26,434 Is this my compassion for others matters to God? 99 00:05:26,552 --> 00:05:29,174 I want to give you the context for where we're at. 100 00:05:29,212 --> 00:05:29,462 Okay? 101 00:05:29,516 --> 00:05:34,422 Verse eleven says, as Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between 102 00:05:34,476 --> 00:05:35,714 Galilee and Samaria. 103 00:05:35,762 --> 00:05:37,302 Now, here's what you need to understand. 104 00:05:37,436 --> 00:05:42,466 When you are reading the Gospels, and you get to about midway through the latter part of 105 00:05:42,508 --> 00:05:46,582 every book in the Gospels, and it says Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 106 00:05:46,646 --> 00:05:47,946 You need to know what that means. 107 00:05:48,048 --> 00:05:52,526 Jesus isn't on his way to an Airbnb with mountain views in Jerusalem, okay? 108 00:05:52,708 --> 00:05:54,990 Jesus is on his way to the cross. 109 00:05:56,290 --> 00:05:57,566 That's what is ahead of him. 110 00:05:57,588 --> 00:06:03,982 And he knows that where he is right now, he's anywhere between three to six days away from 111 00:06:04,036 --> 00:06:09,742 Jerusalem, from his trial, from his betrayal, from the crucifixion. 112 00:06:09,806 --> 00:06:12,580 You could say Jesus has a lot on his mind. 113 00:06:13,270 --> 00:06:15,620 What are you like when you have a lot on your mind? 114 00:06:16,150 --> 00:06:17,780 Maybe I should ask your kids. 115 00:06:18,470 --> 00:06:19,846 Here's where I'm at in life. 116 00:06:19,948 --> 00:06:23,890 When I feel overloaded, I have to turn down the music in my car to park. 117 00:06:23,970 --> 00:06:24,838 It's too much. 118 00:06:24,924 --> 00:06:26,360 It's too much going on. 119 00:06:26,890 --> 00:06:30,342 I won't park straight if I don't turn down the music until everybody just stopped talking. 120 00:06:30,396 --> 00:06:32,210 I got a lot going on up here. 121 00:06:32,380 --> 00:06:35,994 And the older we get, it's harder to hold on to everything in there. 122 00:06:36,192 --> 00:06:37,418 Someone's like, didn't I tell you? 123 00:06:37,424 --> 00:06:39,420 I'm like, bro, you told me that a week ago. 124 00:06:39,950 --> 00:06:42,590 I needed at least 27 reminders. 125 00:06:43,570 --> 00:06:47,440 Jesus has a lot on his mind, and he's not getting any alone time. 126 00:06:48,690 --> 00:06:53,358 He's not getting a way to relax, to sort of decompress and prepare himself. 127 00:06:53,454 --> 00:06:55,730 He's got all of his disciples with him. 128 00:06:55,880 --> 00:07:01,026 And when he gets here, he encounters people. 129 00:07:01,208 --> 00:07:04,340 He encounters people that need him. 130 00:07:04,710 --> 00:07:07,718 And I want you to see what Jesus does. 131 00:07:07,804 --> 00:07:09,602 Is he unapproachable? 132 00:07:09,746 --> 00:07:12,230 Is he the guy that can't be bothered? 133 00:07:12,730 --> 00:07:13,574 Here's what it says. 134 00:07:13,612 --> 00:07:19,834 It says, as he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, and they 135 00:07:19,872 --> 00:07:26,074 were crying out, Jesus, master, have mercy on us. 136 00:07:26,192 --> 00:07:28,858 Jesus, show compassion to us. 137 00:07:28,944 --> 00:07:32,880 Jesus, you have a lot on your mind, but could you please see me? 138 00:07:33,730 --> 00:07:38,510 That's how Jesus wants us to be with the world, generous with our compassion. 139 00:07:39,170 --> 00:07:44,146 I don't know what you know about leprosy, but as I was preparing for this message, I just 140 00:07:44,168 --> 00:07:45,586 did a lot of study. 141 00:07:45,768 --> 00:07:51,586 And short of a crucifixion, I don't know that there was anything worse in these days that 142 00:07:51,608 --> 00:07:53,250 you could get than leprosy. 143 00:07:54,230 --> 00:07:58,342 Leprosy was, it didn't kill you, but it also didn't end. 144 00:07:58,476 --> 00:07:59,762 It lingered. 145 00:07:59,906 --> 00:08:04,322 And most people think of leprosy as a disease of the skin, and that's where it starts. 146 00:08:04,386 --> 00:08:06,870 But it actually begins to attack your nerves. 147 00:08:07,210 --> 00:08:10,934 You begin to get deformities in your bones and in your skin. 148 00:08:11,062 --> 00:08:12,614 Your nose will collapse. 149 00:08:12,662 --> 00:08:16,118 At some point, your ear, your outer ear will thicken. 150 00:08:16,214 --> 00:08:20,458 You will begin to lose all sense of feeling and touch. 151 00:08:20,624 --> 00:08:25,258 In fact, it's recorded that there have been leprosy patients who have had their fingers 152 00:08:25,354 --> 00:08:29,440 bitten off in the night by rats because they couldn't feel it. 153 00:08:30,610 --> 00:08:36,178 There was a doctor who worked with leprosy patients years ago and listen to what he said. 154 00:08:36,264 --> 00:08:40,980 I can think of no greater gift to give my patients than the gift of pain. 155 00:08:42,790 --> 00:08:48,306 Imagine having a disease so terrible that the greatest gift you could receive is the gift 156 00:08:48,338 --> 00:08:49,080 of pain. 157 00:08:51,210 --> 00:08:55,734 Maybe worse than anything is that once it was determined that you had leprosy, you were 158 00:08:55,772 --> 00:08:56,562 shunned. 159 00:08:56,706 --> 00:08:57,906 It was contagious. 160 00:08:58,018 --> 00:08:59,638 You couldn't be around other people. 161 00:08:59,724 --> 00:09:04,586 You lost your family, you lost your life, you lost your home, you lost your job. 162 00:09:04,688 --> 00:09:10,170 The only thing you could do was join a colony of lepers and wait to die. 163 00:09:11,090 --> 00:09:12,378 It was miserable. 164 00:09:12,474 --> 00:09:13,630 It was awful. 165 00:09:14,450 --> 00:09:22,080 And these lepers see Jesus, and Jesus sees them. 166 00:09:23,670 --> 00:09:30,494 There's no greater word I could give you today, friend, than that JesUs sees you and he's 167 00:09:30,542 --> 00:09:32,914 filled with compassion for you. 168 00:09:33,032 --> 00:09:40,962 Where you are, whatever you're going through, pay attention to what the lepers call Jesus. 169 00:09:41,106 --> 00:09:45,110 They say Jesus, and then they use this word master. 170 00:09:45,530 --> 00:09:48,130 Now here's what's interesting about this word, Master. 171 00:09:48,290 --> 00:09:52,710 Most of the time in the Gospels, this word means teacher or rabbi. 172 00:09:52,870 --> 00:09:57,242 Jesus was a teacher and a rabbi, but they were not his students, they were not his 173 00:09:57,296 --> 00:09:58,022 disciples. 174 00:09:58,166 --> 00:10:01,790 They used the word master, and you know what it meant, commander. 175 00:10:02,530 --> 00:10:08,378 The one that's in charge, the one with supernatural authority. 176 00:10:08,474 --> 00:10:12,814 Listen, the way that you talk about someone, the way that you call someone reveals a lot 177 00:10:12,852 --> 00:10:16,634 about your relationship with them and how well you know them. 178 00:10:16,772 --> 00:10:22,046 You ever been in a store, you see a young mom with a cute toddler and he's just sitting 179 00:10:22,158 --> 00:10:25,846 know, being sweet, and within five minutes, you learn that toddler's whole name. 180 00:10:26,028 --> 00:10:27,842 Michael Todd Franklin III. 181 00:10:27,906 --> 00:10:33,346 Whoa, that didn't happen because he was being cute. 182 00:10:33,538 --> 00:10:35,350 When he's cute, he's Mikey. 183 00:10:36,330 --> 00:10:41,578 When he starts acting the fool, and all of a sudden, that relationship, you understand? 184 00:10:41,664 --> 00:10:43,530 That kid knows who's in charge. 185 00:10:44,510 --> 00:10:46,246 I like to call my husband Babe. 186 00:10:46,278 --> 00:10:47,450 He is a babe. 187 00:10:48,350 --> 00:10:50,534 And when he's being sweet, I go, thanks, babe. 188 00:10:50,662 --> 00:10:52,022 That was sweet, babe. 189 00:10:52,166 --> 00:10:53,790 Oh, I love this babe. 190 00:10:54,130 --> 00:10:57,850 And then when things aren't so sweet, I go, hey, babe. 191 00:10:57,930 --> 00:10:59,440 And you tell the difference. 192 00:11:00,610 --> 00:11:01,422 That's the difference. 193 00:11:01,476 --> 00:11:04,306 In fact, the other day he said, we should stop calling each other babe, and we're not happy 194 00:11:04,328 --> 00:11:04,834 with each other. 195 00:11:04,872 --> 00:11:05,762 I'm like, that's a good point. 196 00:11:05,816 --> 00:11:07,026 I'm going to take that. 197 00:11:07,208 --> 00:11:08,130 Noted. 198 00:11:10,230 --> 00:11:12,130 But how do you call Jesus? 199 00:11:13,750 --> 00:11:17,400 They called him by who they knew him to be. 200 00:11:18,090 --> 00:11:23,366 There's probably a chance that before they had leprosy, maybe they were at the wedding of 201 00:11:23,388 --> 00:11:24,150 Cana. 202 00:11:25,210 --> 00:11:29,334 Maybe they watched Jesus on the hillside and they got a little hungry, and he gave them 203 00:11:29,372 --> 00:11:30,630 some fish and bread. 204 00:11:30,970 --> 00:11:33,102 Maybe they'd been at Lazarus's tomb. 205 00:11:33,186 --> 00:11:35,914 They called Jesus by who they knew him to be. 206 00:11:35,952 --> 00:11:38,266 My question is, who is Jesus to you? 207 00:11:38,448 --> 00:11:40,750 Who do you know him to be? 208 00:11:40,900 --> 00:11:42,880 How do you call him? 209 00:11:44,210 --> 00:11:52,400 How we call him, how often we call him reveals a lot about our relationship with him. 210 00:11:53,750 --> 00:11:56,980 Does your voice sound familiar to him? 211 00:11:59,270 --> 00:12:04,834 Does Jesus feel weird when you say it, or does it feel like you're talking about your best 212 00:12:04,872 --> 00:12:05,460 friend? 213 00:12:09,070 --> 00:12:13,020 After they call out to Jesus and he sees them? 214 00:12:13,630 --> 00:12:16,294 This is incredulous, mind blowing. 215 00:12:16,342 --> 00:12:18,166 This is why I love studying Jesus. 216 00:12:18,278 --> 00:12:24,458 Verse 14 says he looked at them and said, go show yourselves to the priest. 217 00:12:24,634 --> 00:12:27,354 And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 218 00:12:27,402 --> 00:12:29,546 Now, here's the part about leprosy. 219 00:12:29,738 --> 00:12:33,838 If you were thought to have leprosy, you got quarantined, and after a certain amount of 220 00:12:33,844 --> 00:12:37,038 days, you would come back and show yourself to the priest, and he would say, oh, you're 221 00:12:37,054 --> 00:12:37,474 good. 222 00:12:37,592 --> 00:12:39,086 You can rejoin society. 223 00:12:39,198 --> 00:12:44,866 If you had leprosy and somehow you were cleansed and cured, you had to go show yourself to 224 00:12:44,888 --> 00:12:45,470 the priest. 225 00:12:45,550 --> 00:12:49,222 For the priest to say, you are healed, you may have your life back. 226 00:12:49,356 --> 00:12:51,766 You had to show yourselves to the priest when? 227 00:12:51,868 --> 00:12:55,480 After you were healed, well, it feels like Jesus missed a step. 228 00:12:57,290 --> 00:12:59,666 He said, go show yourselves to the priests. 229 00:12:59,698 --> 00:13:02,406 And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 230 00:13:02,438 --> 00:13:03,660 Now, here's what's interesting. 231 00:13:04,510 --> 00:13:08,746 None of the lepers stopped and said, jesus, I know you have a lot on your mind, but you 232 00:13:08,768 --> 00:13:10,480 forgot to actually heal me. 233 00:13:11,330 --> 00:13:14,442 I'm supposed to go to the priest when I'm healed. 234 00:13:14,506 --> 00:13:16,240 No one stopped and said anything. 235 00:13:16,770 --> 00:13:18,030 They just went. 236 00:13:18,180 --> 00:13:19,482 They just obeyed. 237 00:13:19,546 --> 00:13:20,526 Don't miss this. 238 00:13:20,628 --> 00:13:23,330 Their obedience preceded their healing. 239 00:13:24,870 --> 00:13:27,300 Jesus said to go, I'm going. 240 00:13:28,230 --> 00:13:29,554 Don't know if I'm healed yet. 241 00:13:29,592 --> 00:13:31,742 Jesus said to go, he's the commander. 242 00:13:31,886 --> 00:13:33,250 He's the Master. 243 00:13:33,750 --> 00:13:36,486 I'm going because he told me to go. 244 00:13:36,668 --> 00:13:38,210 They called him commander. 245 00:13:38,290 --> 00:13:42,886 It was as if before they asked him for anything, they had already decided that they would 246 00:13:42,908 --> 00:13:43,880 obey him. 247 00:13:45,450 --> 00:13:47,500 There is a word in there for us. 248 00:13:49,310 --> 00:13:52,774 My obedience matters to Jesus. 249 00:13:52,902 --> 00:13:55,734 You know what's interesting about obedience and disobedience? 250 00:13:55,862 --> 00:14:01,478 It's so easy to see it in someone else if you're a parent. 251 00:14:01,584 --> 00:14:02,960 Any parents out there? 252 00:14:03,330 --> 00:14:06,266 Is it hard for you to recognize when your children are being disobedient? 253 00:14:06,298 --> 00:14:07,374 Is that what they're doing right now? 254 00:14:07,412 --> 00:14:08,480 I can't tell. 255 00:14:10,370 --> 00:14:12,660 Is that defiance I sniff in the air? 256 00:14:13,670 --> 00:14:14,126 It's. 257 00:14:14,158 --> 00:14:15,458 You just know it. 258 00:14:15,624 --> 00:14:16,562 And come on, kids. 259 00:14:16,616 --> 00:14:24,146 You know when you're being disobedieNt, when you're like, bro, you know, I said, no, you 260 00:14:24,168 --> 00:14:24,534 did it. 261 00:14:24,572 --> 00:14:25,830 You disobeyed. 262 00:14:26,970 --> 00:14:31,846 I remember when Addison was about three or four, Addison was spicy, you guys. 263 00:14:31,948 --> 00:14:34,520 She came out of the womb just like her dad, okay? 264 00:14:36,090 --> 00:14:38,966 I mean, that was genetics. 265 00:14:39,078 --> 00:14:42,666 Anyway, we were going to the store. 266 00:14:42,848 --> 00:14:45,082 Addison couldn't say her R's when she was little. 267 00:14:45,136 --> 00:14:47,194 And she was mad at everyone all the time. 268 00:14:47,312 --> 00:14:48,826 She wasn't saved yet. 269 00:14:49,008 --> 00:14:52,926 And so we had a situation worked out. 270 00:14:52,948 --> 00:14:54,702 Whenever we went to the store, I picked her up. 271 00:14:54,756 --> 00:14:55,546 She sat in the cart. 272 00:14:55,578 --> 00:14:58,026 And in my bag, it was full of bribes. 273 00:14:58,058 --> 00:15:03,246 I mean, nutritional snacks so that I could get through the store. 274 00:15:03,348 --> 00:15:05,982 So we walk into the store this day, I was shopping for me, okay? 275 00:15:06,036 --> 00:15:09,966 Just looking for something a little cute to wear and went to put her in the cart. 276 00:15:09,998 --> 00:15:14,338 And she always used to suck these two little fingers and she took them out and she said, I 277 00:15:14,344 --> 00:15:15,566 don't want to ride in a cart. 278 00:15:15,598 --> 00:15:16,770 I'm a big gale. 279 00:15:16,930 --> 00:15:18,200 I was like, okay. 280 00:15:20,090 --> 00:15:21,830 I said, mommy knows you're a big girl. 281 00:15:21,900 --> 00:15:23,570 Mommy wants you to ride in the cart. 282 00:15:23,650 --> 00:15:25,922 Remember my bag of snacks? 283 00:15:26,066 --> 00:15:28,022 She's like, I don't want to ride in a car. 284 00:15:28,076 --> 00:15:28,882 I'm a big gale. 285 00:15:28,946 --> 00:15:30,890 So now I have a decision to make. 286 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:37,626 Are we going to stand up here and fight over who the biggest girl is or am I going to just 287 00:15:37,648 --> 00:15:39,610 try to find myself a cute little sweater? 288 00:15:40,510 --> 00:15:41,866 So I said, listen to me. 289 00:15:41,888 --> 00:15:42,726 This was pre COVID. 290 00:15:42,758 --> 00:15:43,622 You guys, don't judge. 291 00:15:43,686 --> 00:15:46,958 I said, you hold on to this cart the entire time. 292 00:15:47,044 --> 00:15:48,650 You do not let go of this cart. 293 00:15:48,730 --> 00:15:50,266 This is how you stay attached to Mommy. 294 00:15:50,298 --> 00:15:51,854 I've told you about bad people in the world. 295 00:15:51,892 --> 00:15:53,226 You stay and this keeps you safe. 296 00:15:53,258 --> 00:15:53,954 Do you understand? 297 00:15:54,072 --> 00:15:55,618 I understand because I'm a big. 298 00:15:55,704 --> 00:15:57,060 Okay, we're not going. 299 00:15:58,470 --> 00:16:01,550 So we're going through the store, going down an aisle. 300 00:16:01,630 --> 00:16:02,526 Every 10 seconds. 301 00:16:02,558 --> 00:16:03,730 I'm glancing back. 302 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:06,110 She's holding Bunny, she's holding the cart. 303 00:16:06,270 --> 00:16:06,926 She's busy. 304 00:16:06,958 --> 00:16:08,338 She's got two hands busy. 305 00:16:08,434 --> 00:16:13,506 And I start perusing the racks and I take a minute and I pick out a sweater. 306 00:16:13,538 --> 00:16:17,926 And I'm sort of looking at it, looking at the price tag, and then looking at how cute I 307 00:16:17,948 --> 00:16:19,046 might look in the sweater. 308 00:16:19,158 --> 00:16:21,900 And I glance back, and she's gone. 309 00:16:23,310 --> 00:16:26,086 And I knew it was bad because Bunny had been chucked into the cart. 310 00:16:26,118 --> 00:16:27,770 I guess buNny's not a big gale. 311 00:16:29,230 --> 00:16:30,402 I go, Addison. 312 00:16:30,486 --> 00:16:32,250 I mean, it had been seconds. 313 00:16:32,330 --> 00:16:33,290 Addison. 314 00:16:33,450 --> 00:16:34,894 And then I pulled out the middle name. 315 00:16:34,932 --> 00:16:36,190 Addison Reese. 316 00:16:36,770 --> 00:16:37,278 Nothing. 317 00:16:37,364 --> 00:16:38,042 No movement. 318 00:16:38,106 --> 00:16:38,574 Nothing. 319 00:16:38,692 --> 00:16:40,250 Now I'm starting to panic. 320 00:16:40,410 --> 00:16:41,626 Mommy has fruit snacks. 321 00:16:41,658 --> 00:16:42,720 I'm trying everything. 322 00:16:43,090 --> 00:16:43,840 Nothing. 323 00:16:44,370 --> 00:16:45,582 Now I'm starting to. 324 00:16:45,716 --> 00:16:48,290 I was I looking to these children. 325 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:52,414 So I walk to the end of the aisle, and I'm starting to raise my voice. 326 00:16:52,542 --> 00:16:53,470 Addison. 327 00:16:53,630 --> 00:16:54,830 Addison Reese. 328 00:16:54,910 --> 00:16:56,262 People are starting to look at me. 329 00:16:56,316 --> 00:16:57,510 I'm starting to feel like, okay. 330 00:16:57,580 --> 00:16:58,646 And I turn back and look. 331 00:16:58,668 --> 00:17:01,190 And there she is, sucking her fingers by the cart. 332 00:17:06,010 --> 00:17:08,742 I walk back, I looked at her, and I said, what did I tell you? 333 00:17:08,796 --> 00:17:10,114 You disobeyed, Mommy. 334 00:17:10,162 --> 00:17:11,402 I said, you stand right here. 335 00:17:11,456 --> 00:17:12,518 You hold onto this cart. 336 00:17:12,534 --> 00:17:14,502 And the whole time I'm talking, she's just sucking her fingers. 337 00:17:14,566 --> 00:17:15,494 No lie. 338 00:17:15,622 --> 00:17:21,902 When I stopped my rant, my very wise rant, she took out her fingers and she said this. 339 00:17:22,036 --> 00:17:24,350 I walked away from you because you mean. 340 00:17:24,420 --> 00:17:37,890 And you ugly's repented. 341 00:17:40,070 --> 00:17:44,130 Here's what I have to tell you if you ever want to know if you're growing spiritually. 342 00:17:44,630 --> 00:17:46,900 My child did not meet Jesus that day. 343 00:17:47,990 --> 00:17:48,726 You wonder why? 344 00:17:48,748 --> 00:17:51,080 Because he strengthened me and sustained me. 345 00:17:51,930 --> 00:17:54,402 Her disobedience was on full display. 346 00:17:54,466 --> 00:17:57,094 Me and everyone else in the store who started to look for her. 347 00:17:57,132 --> 00:17:58,394 And I'll just give you the end of the story. 348 00:17:58,432 --> 00:17:59,882 I didn't get a cute sweater that day. 349 00:17:59,936 --> 00:18:00,540 Okay? 350 00:18:01,630 --> 00:18:03,914 We went home and decided we were done having kids. 351 00:18:03,952 --> 00:18:05,420 That's what we did that day. 352 00:18:07,550 --> 00:18:08,940 But here's the point. 353 00:18:09,950 --> 00:18:13,290 It's so easy to recognize that kind of disobedience. 354 00:18:13,370 --> 00:18:17,214 But I wonder how good we are at recognizing disobedience in our own lives. 355 00:18:17,332 --> 00:18:20,330 How I felt being disobeyed by my daughter. 356 00:18:20,410 --> 00:18:23,040 How does God feel when we disobey him? 357 00:18:24,530 --> 00:18:27,170 And some of us are praying for healing. 358 00:18:28,470 --> 00:18:31,022 Some of us are praying for God to heal our marriages. 359 00:18:31,086 --> 00:18:32,946 And God is saying, have you obeyed me? 360 00:18:32,968 --> 00:18:35,090 And how you're loving and honoring your spouse. 361 00:18:36,150 --> 00:18:38,242 Some of us are praying over our finances. 362 00:18:38,306 --> 00:18:42,360 And God is saying, are you being obedient with how I've told you to give? 363 00:18:44,010 --> 00:18:46,066 Some of us are praying for new friendships. 364 00:18:46,098 --> 00:18:47,106 I just need new friendships. 365 00:18:47,138 --> 00:18:47,750 All my friends. 366 00:18:47,820 --> 00:18:52,810 Well, how are you doing with gossip and being petty and being in constant friendship drama? 367 00:18:54,830 --> 00:18:55,766 Some of you singles. 368 00:18:55,798 --> 00:18:56,374 You're praying. 369 00:18:56,422 --> 00:18:57,414 You're praying to be married. 370 00:18:57,462 --> 00:18:59,206 Are you honoring God with your purity? 371 00:18:59,318 --> 00:19:02,202 Some of you are praying, God, please heal my job. 372 00:19:02,256 --> 00:19:03,054 Give me a new job. 373 00:19:03,092 --> 00:19:05,680 And God's saying, how are you doing with the one that you have? 374 00:19:06,530 --> 00:19:09,642 Sometimes our obedience precedes our healing. 375 00:19:09,706 --> 00:19:14,674 And listen, if you don't think obedience matters, listen to these words in James, James 122 376 00:19:14,712 --> 00:19:15,634 through 25. 377 00:19:15,752 --> 00:19:17,698 Don't just listen to God's word. 378 00:19:17,784 --> 00:19:19,826 You must do what it says. 379 00:19:20,008 --> 00:19:22,302 Otherwise you are only fooling yourselves. 380 00:19:22,366 --> 00:19:26,450 For if you listen to the word and don't, here's the word, obey. 381 00:19:27,750 --> 00:19:30,082 It is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 382 00:19:30,146 --> 00:19:31,830 You see yourself and walk away. 383 00:19:31,900 --> 00:19:33,430 You forget what you look like. 384 00:19:33,500 --> 00:19:37,846 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it 385 00:19:37,868 --> 00:19:41,866 says and don't forget what you heard, God will bless you for doing it. 386 00:19:41,968 --> 00:19:46,730 Some of you are crying out to God, God, why haven't you healed me? 387 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,160 And God is saying, why haven't you obeyed me? 388 00:19:52,450 --> 00:19:55,230 And as they went, they were healed. 389 00:19:56,370 --> 00:19:58,334 Note what I am saying here. 390 00:19:58,532 --> 00:20:00,430 There is no formula with God. 391 00:20:00,500 --> 00:20:02,240 We do this, he does this. 392 00:20:02,770 --> 00:20:04,542 He cannot be manipulated. 393 00:20:04,686 --> 00:20:06,546 He is God and we are not. 394 00:20:06,648 --> 00:20:12,830 But what I am saying is that oftentimes God is generous with healing, and we are stingy 395 00:20:12,910 --> 00:20:14,610 with our obedience. 396 00:20:15,770 --> 00:20:19,270 Before they got the blessing, they obeyed. 397 00:20:19,930 --> 00:20:21,494 And look at what happens next. 398 00:20:21,612 --> 00:20:26,886 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus shouting, praise God. 399 00:20:27,068 --> 00:20:31,450 He fell to the ground at Jesus'feet, thanking him for what he had done. 400 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:33,046 And this man was a Samaritan. 401 00:20:33,078 --> 00:20:34,054 And here's why that matters. 402 00:20:34,102 --> 00:20:37,766 Because Jesus was a Jew and there was major racial tension. 403 00:20:37,798 --> 00:20:39,130 But here's what I love about this. 404 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:40,134 You know what kills? 405 00:20:40,182 --> 00:20:41,014 Discrimination? 406 00:20:41,142 --> 00:20:42,170 Desperation. 407 00:20:43,230 --> 00:20:45,138 Who cares if you're a Jew and I'm a Samaritan? 408 00:20:45,174 --> 00:20:46,106 We both have leprosy. 409 00:20:46,138 --> 00:20:47,200 Let's be friends. 410 00:20:48,210 --> 00:20:50,574 Sometimes we're not desperate enough. 411 00:20:50,692 --> 00:20:53,490 That keeps us feeling justified by discrimination. 412 00:20:55,910 --> 00:20:56,754 Point number three. 413 00:20:56,792 --> 00:20:58,206 Is this my gratitude? 414 00:20:58,318 --> 00:21:00,050 Matters to Jesus. 415 00:21:00,550 --> 00:21:05,086 When he saw that he was healed, he came back to Jesus. 416 00:21:05,198 --> 00:21:08,098 I love to imagine these scenes. 417 00:21:08,194 --> 00:21:11,634 Here are these ten men running through the strEets. 418 00:21:11,682 --> 00:21:13,654 Can you imagine what they sounded like? 419 00:21:13,772 --> 00:21:15,090 Probably like fools. 420 00:21:15,170 --> 00:21:18,158 Probably like they'd had too much to drink and they hadn't had a drink. 421 00:21:18,274 --> 00:21:23,530 They just were filled with joy beyond belief, because Jesus had just given their life back. 422 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:30,026 And this one, as he's running, I imagine he's beginning to look at himself and beginning to 423 00:21:30,048 --> 00:21:31,414 realize he has feeling back. 424 00:21:31,472 --> 00:21:37,134 And he's touching his nose and his ear, and he's seeing scabs and wounds be healed, and he 425 00:21:37,172 --> 00:21:39,230 can't go forward anymore. 426 00:21:40,130 --> 00:21:41,374 He has to come back. 427 00:21:41,412 --> 00:21:42,290 Do you want to know why? 428 00:21:42,360 --> 00:21:44,690 Because he understood his own leprosy. 429 00:21:45,830 --> 00:21:48,594 He understood what had just happened. 430 00:21:48,792 --> 00:21:55,846 He understood how terrible it was, how disgusting it was, and how Jesus had just made him 431 00:21:55,948 --> 00:21:56,600 new. 432 00:21:58,730 --> 00:22:05,634 I have to tell you, as I've been studying, and I decided to look up some images of leprosy, 433 00:22:05,682 --> 00:22:07,926 and I'm glad you don't have your phones, because I don't want you to do it right now. 434 00:22:07,948 --> 00:22:09,846 If you're at a campus, wait till the end of the sermon. 435 00:22:09,878 --> 00:22:10,460 Okay? 436 00:22:11,790 --> 00:22:12,666 I'm going to be real. 437 00:22:12,688 --> 00:22:17,334 They were hard to look at because leprosy, it's gross. 438 00:22:17,382 --> 00:22:18,822 The people are not gross. 439 00:22:18,886 --> 00:22:20,480 Hear what I'm saying to you. 440 00:22:21,890 --> 00:22:23,402 But it was gross. 441 00:22:23,466 --> 00:22:25,760 Like, what happens because of it. 442 00:22:27,890 --> 00:22:31,738 They were shunned to live in poverty. 443 00:22:31,914 --> 00:22:32,998 They couldn't bathe. 444 00:22:33,034 --> 00:22:34,370 They couldn't shower. 445 00:22:34,710 --> 00:22:35,934 Their hygiene. 446 00:22:36,062 --> 00:22:37,614 And then the deformities. 447 00:22:37,742 --> 00:22:38,322 It's hard. 448 00:22:38,376 --> 00:22:41,540 And we all have those things that are hard for us to look at. 449 00:22:42,230 --> 00:22:46,006 Maybe there's a smell or a sight or something that when you think of it, you kind of like, 450 00:22:46,028 --> 00:22:47,560 oh, that's hard. 451 00:22:48,170 --> 00:22:55,106 My oldest son used to love watching these pimple popper videos, and I was trying to bond 452 00:22:55,138 --> 00:22:58,714 with him once, and so he's like, mom, let's watch these. 453 00:22:58,752 --> 00:23:01,606 And I'm like, all the puss. 454 00:23:01,638 --> 00:23:02,246 It's just gross. 455 00:23:02,278 --> 00:23:03,820 He's like, isn't this awesome? 456 00:23:04,670 --> 00:23:06,198 I'm like, no, it's gross. 457 00:23:06,294 --> 00:23:07,370 It's gross. 458 00:23:09,150 --> 00:23:11,530 How do you handle things that are gross? 459 00:23:12,030 --> 00:23:14,910 What's your reaction to something that's gross? 460 00:23:15,570 --> 00:23:19,486 Early on, when we were parenting and our kids were little, Adam and I came up with an 461 00:23:19,508 --> 00:23:25,214 agreement that when one of our kids puked, because Puke is definitely gross, I was 462 00:23:25,252 --> 00:23:29,134 responsible for the kid, and he was responsible for the puke. 463 00:23:29,262 --> 00:23:30,850 Now you say that doesn't sound fair. 464 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:35,266 Well, I'm here To tell you it is fair, because before we got married, Adam had a job where 465 00:23:35,288 --> 00:23:36,740 he had to clean up dead people. 466 00:23:37,350 --> 00:23:43,686 So if that's what you had to do for a job, I know you can handle some things, and I am the 467 00:23:43,708 --> 00:23:47,480 mother, so give me my child and let me nurture and comfort them. 468 00:23:48,170 --> 00:23:50,460 And you have to do that over there. 469 00:23:52,350 --> 00:23:53,962 And what's with the middle of the night? 470 00:23:54,016 --> 00:23:56,220 Like, can't these kids get sick during the day? 471 00:23:57,550 --> 00:24:03,086 You're in a deep sleep enjoying rest from the Lord, and you feel that poke, and then you 472 00:24:03,108 --> 00:24:04,640 can smell it on them. 473 00:24:06,690 --> 00:24:10,606 It's about 230 in the morning, I feel that poke several years ago. 474 00:24:10,788 --> 00:24:15,602 And when I heard what my child said, I knew how bad it was because here's what they said. 475 00:24:15,656 --> 00:24:16,162 Mom. 476 00:24:16,296 --> 00:24:18,130 I threw up through my nose. 477 00:24:19,510 --> 00:24:24,894 Listen, I said, you're probably dreaming. 478 00:24:24,942 --> 00:24:26,070 Go back to sleep. 479 00:24:28,490 --> 00:24:30,950 Maybe it's a nightmare, but still, go back to sleep. 480 00:24:31,290 --> 00:24:32,646 I did what anyone loving mother did. 481 00:24:32,668 --> 00:24:33,910 I woke up my husband. 482 00:24:34,730 --> 00:24:36,694 I said, we got a tag team. 483 00:24:36,732 --> 00:24:38,150 Here we are, one flesh. 484 00:24:39,850 --> 00:24:41,810 We moved into our assignments. 485 00:24:41,970 --> 00:24:47,546 I moved to the child and began to go into the bathroom and draw a warm bath and get them 486 00:24:47,568 --> 00:24:48,730 out of their pukey. 487 00:24:49,710 --> 00:24:52,486 And I see Adam walking to survey the scene. 488 00:24:52,518 --> 00:24:55,918 Now I can smell the scene, and it is gross, okay? 489 00:24:56,084 --> 00:25:01,678 And I hear him make some noises and then I see him come back down the hall and I'm in the 490 00:25:01,684 --> 00:25:03,438 bathroom and I'm saying, it's going to be okay. 491 00:25:03,524 --> 00:25:06,020 And we're trying to take care of it. 492 00:25:07,190 --> 00:25:12,286 And a few minutes go by and I fully expect to see Adam loaded down with, like, the cleaning 493 00:25:12,478 --> 00:25:16,398 know, the Lysol, the mop, the buckets, everything. 494 00:25:16,584 --> 00:25:21,430 He has a few things, but what was more alarming to me was how he looked. 495 00:25:21,580 --> 00:25:26,550 He had dressed himself from head to toe so that no skin was exposed. 496 00:25:27,450 --> 00:25:30,170 He was basically in a homemade hazmat suit. 497 00:25:30,590 --> 00:25:35,706 He had tied a T shirt over his nose and tied it in the back. 498 00:25:35,728 --> 00:25:38,460 I said, are you going to rob our children or clean his room? 499 00:25:39,630 --> 00:25:40,138 Nothing. 500 00:25:40,224 --> 00:25:40,646 He didn't. 501 00:25:40,678 --> 00:25:41,782 He had nothing exposed. 502 00:25:41,846 --> 00:25:44,986 And I thought, this is going to take him a while because you throw it through your nose. 503 00:25:45,018 --> 00:25:45,582 That's bad. 504 00:25:45,636 --> 00:25:46,746 That's gross. 505 00:25:46,938 --> 00:25:52,494 He was done pretty quickly, and next thing I know, he's walking down the hall and he has 506 00:25:52,532 --> 00:25:53,598 his arms full. 507 00:25:53,684 --> 00:25:54,690 I said, what are you doing? 508 00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:59,726 He has the rug, the comforter, the pillows, the sheets. 509 00:25:59,838 --> 00:26:00,626 I said, what are you doing? 510 00:26:00,648 --> 00:26:02,820 He goes, I'm throwing all of this away. 511 00:26:05,270 --> 00:26:06,066 I said, why? 512 00:26:06,088 --> 00:26:07,890 He goes, because it's gross. 513 00:26:08,310 --> 00:26:10,578 Because I'm not putting this in the washer. 514 00:26:10,674 --> 00:26:12,534 We can just buy all new stuff. 515 00:26:12,652 --> 00:26:16,742 I'm like, this kid's going back to his room like he was going to a jail cell. 516 00:26:16,796 --> 00:26:18,374 We took everything out. 517 00:26:18,572 --> 00:26:19,954 He goes, Melody, it's gross. 518 00:26:20,002 --> 00:26:23,530 He's dry heaving while he's trying to tell it to me because it was gross. 519 00:26:23,870 --> 00:26:26,694 And you have that thing in your mind that's gross. 520 00:26:26,742 --> 00:26:28,630 To me, leprosy was gross. 521 00:26:28,710 --> 00:26:30,222 Why did this man come back? 522 00:26:30,276 --> 00:26:33,162 Because he recognized his own leprosy. 523 00:26:33,226 --> 00:26:40,970 And how good are we at recognizing our own leprosy, our spiritual stench, our spiritual 524 00:26:41,050 --> 00:26:41,870 poverty? 525 00:26:42,610 --> 00:26:46,658 Have you ever considered that there may be things in your life that God is looking at, and 526 00:26:46,664 --> 00:26:48,370 he's saying, that's gross. 527 00:26:49,270 --> 00:26:51,170 That's making you sick. 528 00:26:52,790 --> 00:26:54,846 You say, I don't have leprosy. 529 00:26:55,038 --> 00:26:57,426 You don't have a leprosy that shows up on your skin. 530 00:26:57,458 --> 00:26:59,910 But what about the leprosy that's living in your soul? 531 00:27:02,010 --> 00:27:06,066 There's a leprosy in our lives that's deadening our spiritual nerves. 532 00:27:06,178 --> 00:27:09,050 And, oh, by the way, it's contagious. 533 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:14,404 And sometimes we just think, it's not that bad. 534 00:27:14,602 --> 00:27:15,908 It's not that bad. 535 00:27:16,074 --> 00:27:18,612 Our worship is anemic because we're not that bad. 536 00:27:18,746 --> 00:27:22,328 Like, let's look at Galatians 519 through 21. 537 00:27:22,414 --> 00:27:25,256 It says, the behavior of the self life is obvious. 538 00:27:25,438 --> 00:27:31,304 Another translation says, it's clear that our flesh entices us into practicing some of its 539 00:27:31,342 --> 00:27:34,200 most heinous or gross acts. 540 00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:36,828 Let's see if anything on the list registers with us. 541 00:27:36,914 --> 00:27:43,550 Sexual immorality, lustful thoughts, pornography, chasing after things instead of God, 542 00:27:45,220 --> 00:27:52,044 manipulating others, hatred of those who get in your way, senseless arguments, resentment 543 00:27:52,092 --> 00:27:56,860 when others are favored, temper tantrums, angry quarrels. 544 00:27:56,940 --> 00:28:00,864 Only thinking of yourself, being in love with your own opinion. 545 00:28:00,912 --> 00:28:02,630 Should we check our social media? 546 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:05,684 Being envious of the blessings of others. 547 00:28:05,722 --> 00:28:07,700 Well, why did she get that and I didn't? 548 00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:14,920 Murder, uncontrolled addictions, wild parties, and all other similar behavior. 549 00:28:15,660 --> 00:28:19,640 Do we understand our own leprosy? 550 00:28:21,020 --> 00:28:22,890 It made him come back. 551 00:28:23,500 --> 00:28:27,632 He stopped in his tracks and had to come back to Jesus. 552 00:28:27,716 --> 00:28:30,140 And God never overrides our free will. 553 00:28:30,210 --> 00:28:34,396 But there are things in our life that I imagine that God, as a loving father, would love to 554 00:28:34,418 --> 00:28:38,176 come down the hall, scoop up in his arms and say, we're throwing this out because it's bad 555 00:28:38,198 --> 00:28:39,010 for you. 556 00:28:41,220 --> 00:28:49,268 Here's what I know, that there's a shift that happens in us when we recognize our own 557 00:28:49,354 --> 00:28:52,708 leprosy and what Jesus has done for us. 558 00:28:52,794 --> 00:28:56,160 It makes sense when we see how this man responded. 559 00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:59,648 He fell to the ground at Jesus'feet. 560 00:28:59,824 --> 00:29:00,820 Don't miss this. 561 00:29:00,890 --> 00:29:04,456 Before there had been a distance, he had to cry out. 562 00:29:04,558 --> 00:29:04,872 Why? 563 00:29:04,926 --> 00:29:07,320 Because leprosy created a chasm. 564 00:29:07,660 --> 00:29:10,888 He couldn't get close to Jesus even though he wanted to. 565 00:29:10,974 --> 00:29:12,248 He couldn't come close. 566 00:29:12,334 --> 00:29:17,884 But because of Jesus'grace and compassion and healing power, this man got as close as he 567 00:29:17,922 --> 00:29:18,988 possibly could. 568 00:29:19,154 --> 00:29:21,260 He came right to the feet of Jesus. 569 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:24,510 He had to get close to him. 570 00:29:25,220 --> 00:29:26,450 You know what's beautiful? 571 00:29:26,820 --> 00:29:28,480 Jesus invited him to. 572 00:29:28,630 --> 00:29:32,016 I imagine Jesus watching this guy run, stop, come back. 573 00:29:32,038 --> 00:29:34,016 And I imagine Jesus inviting him in. 574 00:29:34,118 --> 00:29:36,370 Come close, come close. 575 00:29:39,060 --> 00:29:44,996 Jesus was so special to him for what he had done for him that he had to get up close and 576 00:29:45,018 --> 00:29:46,368 give his gratitude. 577 00:29:46,544 --> 00:29:48,368 He probably still smelled. 578 00:29:48,544 --> 00:29:50,390 He probably didn't look the best. 579 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:52,500 Didn't matter to Jesus. 580 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:55,130 He invited him to come close. 581 00:29:55,660 --> 00:30:00,856 I don't know if in your life you've ever had the opportunity to get close to maybe, like, 582 00:30:00,958 --> 00:30:06,936 someone that you idolize, maybe a famous athlete or a movie star or someone that you loved 583 00:30:06,968 --> 00:30:09,244 watching when you were growing up. 584 00:30:09,442 --> 00:30:13,656 When I was in junior high and high school, I played basketball, and I was a point guard. 585 00:30:13,688 --> 00:30:15,230 And you're like, we know. 586 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:18,480 We didn't think you were the center melody. 587 00:30:20,420 --> 00:30:22,076 But I loved playing point guard. 588 00:30:22,108 --> 00:30:25,820 And even though I was an East coast girl, I loved Magic Johnson. 589 00:30:25,980 --> 00:30:27,216 Magic Johnson to me. 590 00:30:27,238 --> 00:30:28,704 Now, children, you don't know who he is. 591 00:30:28,742 --> 00:30:31,030 Just pay attention while you learn something here. 592 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:35,168 He, to me, was the greatest all time point guard. 593 00:30:35,264 --> 00:30:36,448 We're not here to argue. 594 00:30:36,544 --> 00:30:38,390 I'm preaching the sermon right now. 595 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:41,748 I had a poster of him on my wall. 596 00:30:41,834 --> 00:30:44,984 I'd lay in my bed at night with my basketball and just. 597 00:30:45,182 --> 00:30:50,040 I would go into a big gaMe, and I would view my rival like Larry Bird. 598 00:30:51,100 --> 00:30:52,936 Everyone's laughing over 40 right now. 599 00:30:52,958 --> 00:30:53,930 That's what's happening. 600 00:30:55,340 --> 00:30:57,396 I just loved Magic Johnson. 601 00:30:57,588 --> 00:31:05,416 And so I become an adult, and then we move out to California, and a few months ago, I'm 602 00:31:05,448 --> 00:31:09,904 invited to a Dodgers game to watch the Dodgers game in, like, a suite, which was, like, 603 00:31:09,942 --> 00:31:10,752 super special. 604 00:31:10,886 --> 00:31:15,228 And as we're walking down the hall, someone says to me, that's Magic Johnson's suite. 605 00:31:15,404 --> 00:31:16,336 So I walked in. 606 00:31:16,358 --> 00:31:17,052 No, I'm kidding. 607 00:31:17,116 --> 00:31:18,000 I'm kidding. 608 00:31:18,740 --> 00:31:20,188 I was like, are you serious? 609 00:31:20,284 --> 00:31:22,272 And I'm, like, telling my husband, that's crazy. 610 00:31:22,406 --> 00:31:24,596 And it was like, ours was, like, ten suites away. 611 00:31:24,698 --> 00:31:28,356 But once we were sitting out where you could see the game, you could look down and you 612 00:31:28,378 --> 00:31:29,824 could sort of see Magic Johnson. 613 00:31:29,872 --> 00:31:31,216 I'm like, this is wild. 614 00:31:31,328 --> 00:31:33,572 I know he's still far away, but he's right there. 615 00:31:33,626 --> 00:31:37,640 And I'm reminiscing, like, my dribbling days, all that stuff. 616 00:31:37,790 --> 00:31:41,956 And so about halfway through the game, my husband says, hey, let's go get a soft pretzel. 617 00:31:42,068 --> 00:31:44,940 So we had to leave the suite and go to the concession stand. 618 00:31:45,010 --> 00:31:51,800 So we're walking down the hall, and you guys, there's Magic Johnson in the hallway. 619 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:53,948 He's left his suite same time. 620 00:31:54,034 --> 00:31:55,772 I'm like, it feels like this is. 621 00:31:55,826 --> 00:31:59,148 And so we're walking behind him, and there's people talking to him, and my husband's like, 622 00:31:59,154 --> 00:32:00,912 oh, my gosh, babe, you have to get a. 623 00:32:00,966 --> 00:32:02,016 I'm like, okay. 624 00:32:02,118 --> 00:32:03,952 Like, just give me a know. 625 00:32:04,006 --> 00:32:06,832 I typically don't have a hard time embarrassing myself. 626 00:32:06,886 --> 00:32:09,364 I don't really care, but I just couldn't do it. 627 00:32:09,402 --> 00:32:13,620 And listen, I want to show you how close I got to Magic Johnson because I took a picture. 628 00:32:16,280 --> 00:32:18,150 That's Magic Johnson, you guys. 629 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:25,690 And that's the only picture I got because I didn't call his name. 630 00:32:26,460 --> 00:32:28,596 Everybody that was calling his name, hey, magic. 631 00:32:28,628 --> 00:32:29,172 Hey, magic. 632 00:32:29,236 --> 00:32:31,368 He was stopping and taking photos with everybody. 633 00:32:31,454 --> 00:32:33,688 And my husband's like, babe, just call his name. 634 00:32:33,774 --> 00:32:34,636 Just like, come on. 635 00:32:34,658 --> 00:32:35,950 And I didn't do it. 636 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:40,750 If I would have called his name, I would have a different story to tell. 637 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:48,810 You call on the name of Jesus, you have a different story to tell. 638 00:32:53,740 --> 00:32:55,160 You know what didn't happen. 639 00:32:55,310 --> 00:32:56,648 Magic didn't turn around. 640 00:32:56,734 --> 00:32:57,464 See me go. 641 00:32:57,502 --> 00:32:58,776 Melody, come close. 642 00:32:58,958 --> 00:33:06,860 It's like he doesn't know me or something, but Jesus. 643 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:09,224 Psalm 145 18. 644 00:33:09,272 --> 00:33:13,650 The Lord is close to all who call on him. 645 00:33:15,700 --> 00:33:17,120 This leper came close. 646 00:33:17,190 --> 00:33:18,924 He called Jesus his master. 647 00:33:19,052 --> 00:33:22,080 He came close and knelt at Jesus feet. 648 00:33:22,500 --> 00:33:28,580 Do you know what the title for this story could be when gross meets grace? 649 00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:33,990 And the more I thought about it, that could be the title of my story. 650 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:39,400 That could be the title of your story, because you know what's gross better than anybody 651 00:33:39,470 --> 00:33:40,090 else. 652 00:33:41,020 --> 00:33:46,696 But you also know that Jesus, who has so much grace, has invited you to come close. 653 00:33:46,878 --> 00:33:50,332 He came to the feet of Jesus shouting, praise God. 654 00:33:50,386 --> 00:33:56,616 Listen, when gross meets Grace, there can only be one response, and it's gratitude. 655 00:33:56,808 --> 00:33:58,220 It's gratitude. 656 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:02,748 He fell to the ground at Jesus'feet, thanking him for what he'd done. 657 00:34:02,834 --> 00:34:06,784 Another translation said, when he realized he was healed, he turned around. 658 00:34:06,902 --> 00:34:11,152 He came back shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. 659 00:34:11,286 --> 00:34:14,556 It's interesting he didn't come back with his arms folded, singing a worship song. 660 00:34:14,588 --> 00:34:15,650 How about that? 661 00:34:16,740 --> 00:34:18,432 He didn't care how he sounded. 662 00:34:18,496 --> 00:34:20,100 He didn't care who saw him. 663 00:34:20,170 --> 00:34:22,208 He didn't care if he looked like an idiot. 664 00:34:22,304 --> 00:34:26,870 He had been changed by Jesus, and he didn't care who knew about it. 665 00:34:31,100 --> 00:34:35,556 Another translation says he prostrated himself face down at Jesus'feet. 666 00:34:35,588 --> 00:34:37,530 And you know what Jesus led him? 667 00:34:38,460 --> 00:34:39,676 Jesus didn't say, get up. 668 00:34:39,698 --> 00:34:40,430 Get up. 669 00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:44,860 Jesus enjoys our gratitude. 670 00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:49,708 Look at what his gratitude moved him to do. 671 00:34:49,794 --> 00:34:51,390 It says, he came back. 672 00:34:51,700 --> 00:34:54,524 He shouted, he fell to the ground. 673 00:34:54,652 --> 00:34:55,632 He thanked him. 674 00:34:55,686 --> 00:34:57,264 Here's what I don't want you to miss. 675 00:34:57,382 --> 00:34:59,570 Real gratitude gives. 676 00:35:00,900 --> 00:35:02,610 Real gratitude gives. 677 00:35:03,060 --> 00:35:03,980 It moves. 678 00:35:04,060 --> 00:35:06,928 It's active, it's audible, it's tangible. 679 00:35:07,024 --> 00:35:10,240 There is movement and action to real gratitude. 680 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:13,492 And I want you to see what Jesus says. 681 00:35:13,626 --> 00:35:14,916 Don't miss this. 682 00:35:15,018 --> 00:35:16,984 He says, didn't I heal ten men? 683 00:35:17,022 --> 00:35:19,048 Now, it's not like Jesus didn't know. 684 00:35:19,214 --> 00:35:21,160 Jesus is real good at math. 685 00:35:22,860 --> 00:35:26,250 But with his rhetorical question, he's teaching us something. 686 00:35:26,780 --> 00:35:28,250 Where are the other nine? 687 00:35:28,860 --> 00:35:32,616 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner? 688 00:35:32,648 --> 00:35:34,392 So let's go back to the beginning of the sermon. 689 00:35:34,456 --> 00:35:36,108 Is feeling grateful enough? 690 00:35:36,194 --> 00:35:39,644 With these five words, Jesus tells us it's not. 691 00:35:39,762 --> 00:35:42,108 Where are the other nine? 692 00:35:42,274 --> 00:35:45,920 You don't think that Jesus knew that the other nine felt grateful? 693 00:35:46,740 --> 00:35:48,336 Of course they did. 694 00:35:48,518 --> 00:35:51,072 Jesus had just given their lives back. 695 00:35:51,206 --> 00:35:55,392 They were jumping and shouting and so excited and feeling grateful. 696 00:35:55,456 --> 00:35:57,030 And it wasn't enough. 697 00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:02,896 It wasn't enough to be generous with gratitude. 698 00:36:03,008 --> 00:36:05,716 Listen, here's the lesson Jesus wants us to learn. 699 00:36:05,818 --> 00:36:09,428 Feeling grateful is not the same as practicing gratitude. 700 00:36:09,604 --> 00:36:11,208 They're not the same. 701 00:36:11,294 --> 00:36:15,524 And one of them is not okay with Jesus felt. 702 00:36:15,572 --> 00:36:18,170 But unspoken gratitude is of no value. 703 00:36:18,700 --> 00:36:22,468 What is all the gratitude in your heart doing for the people that you're grateful for if 704 00:36:22,494 --> 00:36:23,870 they don't know about it? 705 00:36:24,240 --> 00:36:26,270 What is it changing for them? 706 00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:30,892 What is it doing for God that you're full of gratitude in your heart but you haven't told 707 00:36:30,946 --> 00:36:33,330 him or shown him? 708 00:36:34,740 --> 00:36:35,970 Here's what's interesting. 709 00:36:36,340 --> 00:36:41,040 In the Bible, there's a lot of verses on giving thanks, but not one on feeling grateful. 710 00:36:42,260 --> 00:36:44,384 Every time you see it's give thanks. 711 00:36:44,502 --> 00:36:49,216 Enter his courts with Thanksgiving by prayer and petition. 712 00:36:49,328 --> 00:36:52,740 Make your request known to God with Thanksgiving. 713 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:57,576 Whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to 714 00:36:57,598 --> 00:36:57,928 God. 715 00:36:58,014 --> 00:37:01,720 Everything has action when it's connected to gratitude. 716 00:37:03,340 --> 00:37:04,884 He fell to the ground. 717 00:37:04,932 --> 00:37:09,932 I love meditating on Scripture because I just sat and thought about what that was like, 718 00:37:09,986 --> 00:37:12,140 that he fell to the ground. 719 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:14,670 Like, what made him do that? 720 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:17,260 It's so, like, undignified. 721 00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:24,336 Like he could have just come back and looked Jesus in the eye, man to man, maybe even with 722 00:37:24,358 --> 00:37:28,370 tears glistening his eyes, and put out a hand and said, hey, thank you so much for this. 723 00:37:28,980 --> 00:37:30,240 But he couldn't. 724 00:37:30,980 --> 00:37:31,964 He couldn't. 725 00:37:32,092 --> 00:37:33,408 He couldn't do that. 726 00:37:33,574 --> 00:37:40,964 Something about what Jesus had done for him moved him to his knees on our wedding day, 727 00:37:41,002 --> 00:37:42,244 which was a long time ago. 728 00:37:42,362 --> 00:37:44,500 23 and a half years I've been married. 729 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:45,828 It's easy. 730 00:37:45,914 --> 00:37:50,072 Listen, when your husband looks like a movie star, it's easy. 731 00:37:50,126 --> 00:37:51,640 It's not a sacrifice. 732 00:37:51,980 --> 00:37:58,680 He's so mad at me right now, by the way, but I've never shared this publicly. 733 00:37:59,260 --> 00:38:03,150 Adam did something on our wedding day that I had no idea he was going to do. 734 00:38:05,520 --> 00:38:11,036 But when we went to say our vows to each other, and we both turned to get our ring, and we 735 00:38:11,058 --> 00:38:14,936 turned back to each other, Adam got down on one knee to say his vows. 736 00:38:15,048 --> 00:38:21,648 So I want to show you the photo now, listen, just pause here before we move on. 737 00:38:21,814 --> 00:38:25,360 When you got married in 2000, it was, go big or don't get married. 738 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:29,392 Big veil, big hair, big dress. 739 00:38:29,536 --> 00:38:31,732 Why have one wedding official when you could have three? 740 00:38:31,786 --> 00:38:32,630 Go big. 741 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:35,328 Big wedding party. 742 00:38:35,344 --> 00:38:36,164 It was like 37 people. 743 00:38:36,202 --> 00:38:36,996 I didn't even know half of them. 744 00:38:37,018 --> 00:38:39,180 I'm like, hey, I got to have a big wedding. 745 00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:39,864 Can you be in it? 746 00:38:39,902 --> 00:38:40,616 What's your name? 747 00:38:40,718 --> 00:38:41,076 Marie? 748 00:38:41,108 --> 00:38:41,364 Jen? 749 00:38:41,412 --> 00:38:41,636 Whoever? 750 00:38:41,668 --> 00:38:42,890 Yeah, you look great. 751 00:38:44,060 --> 00:38:50,090 But I turned back around, and here was Adam, like, kneeling to say his vows to me. 752 00:38:50,780 --> 00:38:52,460 And of course I cried. 753 00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:56,172 And I asked him, we haven't talked about this in years. 754 00:38:56,226 --> 00:39:00,876 But I thought about it, and I said, why did you do that? 755 00:39:01,058 --> 00:39:03,532 Why did you kneel when you said your vows to me? 756 00:39:03,666 --> 00:39:05,920 And I said, can you just write down some thoughts? 757 00:39:06,500 --> 00:39:10,850 He said, I knelt because of the weightiness of the promise I was making to you. 758 00:39:11,780 --> 00:39:17,492 I proposed to you on my knee, and I felt like, how can I not make my vows the same way I 759 00:39:17,546 --> 00:39:22,064 couldn't see myself standing above you while saying those vows. 760 00:39:22,112 --> 00:39:23,830 In fact, I couldn't stand. 761 00:39:24,520 --> 00:39:25,172 Listen. 762 00:39:25,306 --> 00:39:30,440 I felt compelled to show you physically what my heart was feeling inwardly. 763 00:39:31,100 --> 00:39:36,840 So humbled, so overwhelmed, so committed, and so grateful. 764 00:39:37,260 --> 00:39:40,910 I wouldn't have been able to stand if I'd wanted to. 765 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:45,630 Now, Adam did say, make sure you tell these people I wasn't worshipping you. 766 00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:49,260 He wasn't worshipping me. 767 00:39:49,330 --> 00:39:52,290 There's nothing heretical happening at Sandals Church right now. 768 00:39:54,260 --> 00:40:00,704 But when I read those words, I felt compelled to show you physically what my heart was 769 00:40:00,742 --> 00:40:02,000 feeling inwardly. 770 00:40:02,580 --> 00:40:03,916 Here's what I wrote in my journal. 771 00:40:03,948 --> 00:40:13,376 When is the last time that the weightiness of my gratitude caused me to kneel at the feet 772 00:40:13,408 --> 00:40:14,260 of Jesus? 773 00:40:15,240 --> 00:40:23,944 When's the last time that I was so aware of my leprosy and what he has cleansed me of that 774 00:40:23,982 --> 00:40:28,090 I couldn't stand if I wanted to, to say thank you? 775 00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:36,430 Psalm 95 six says, come, let us worship and bow down. 776 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:40,270 I want to ask you a question. 777 00:40:42,660 --> 00:40:46,080 Are you ready to graduate in your gratitude? 778 00:40:47,460 --> 00:40:54,400 Are you ready to move from feeling grateful to practicing gratitude? 779 00:40:55,300 --> 00:41:01,396 When's the last time that the weightiness of God's goodness dropped you to your knees and 780 00:41:01,418 --> 00:41:06,790 you couldn't stand if you wanted to because he's just been that good to you. 781 00:41:09,240 --> 00:41:12,810 I'm going to invite us to do something as a church right now. 782 00:41:13,420 --> 00:41:17,496 From wherever you're watching, from here in the studio, if you're in your house, if you're 783 00:41:17,518 --> 00:41:22,844 at a campus, if you are physically able, I'm going to invite you to kneel right now, 784 00:41:22,882 --> 00:41:24,030 wherever you are. 785 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:27,710 And I get it. 786 00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:30,780 Kneeling feels weird. 787 00:41:31,200 --> 00:41:32,584 It feels vulnerable. 788 00:41:32,712 --> 00:41:34,160 It feels strange. 789 00:41:35,860 --> 00:41:37,904 Maybe for some of you, you do this all the time. 790 00:41:37,942 --> 00:41:40,050 Maybe for some of you, you've never done it before. 791 00:41:42,100 --> 00:41:46,244 But as we move into this posture of gratitude, if you can't kneel and you're sitting, just 792 00:41:46,282 --> 00:41:47,670 open your hands up. 793 00:41:49,800 --> 00:41:57,850 Would you just take a moment to think about how good God has been to you? 794 00:41:58,860 --> 00:42:00,200 Feel your breath. 795 00:42:01,180 --> 00:42:02,970 God has been good to you. 796 00:42:05,580 --> 00:42:09,450 Take note of the fact that you're thinking thoughts right now. 797 00:42:10,140 --> 00:42:13,150 That's because God has been good to you. 798 00:42:14,640 --> 00:42:19,484 If you came here with someone you love or someone that loves you, grab their hand and be 799 00:42:19,522 --> 00:42:29,040 reminded that God has been good to you, think about where you were before you knew Jesus 800 00:42:30,100 --> 00:42:32,450 and the fact that he came for you. 801 00:42:33,300 --> 00:42:35,990 God has been good to you. 802 00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:37,668 Has he healed you? 803 00:42:37,754 --> 00:42:39,350 Has he rescued you? 804 00:42:39,880 --> 00:42:41,572 Has he met your greatest need? 805 00:42:41,626 --> 00:42:44,950 Has he provided when you were at the very end? 806 00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:52,776 As you reflect on the goodness of God in your life, just right where you are, begin to 807 00:42:52,798 --> 00:42:55,800 offer up your own prayer of gratitude. 808 00:42:57,580 --> 00:43:04,344 Jesus, we tell you right now, we couldn't stand if we wanted to because of how good you've 809 00:43:04,392 --> 00:43:07,630 been and how grateful we are. 810 00:43:08,720 --> 00:43:10,812 But that feeling grateful isn't enough. 811 00:43:10,866 --> 00:43:15,400 Jesus, what you are inviting us to is to practice gratitude with our lives. 812 00:43:15,570 --> 00:43:19,536 Not just with our lips, but with our lives, with our worship, with our giving. 813 00:43:19,638 --> 00:43:25,232 God keep us in a posture of humility because of how much we've been given and not because 814 00:43:25,286 --> 00:43:26,204 we deserve it. 815 00:43:26,262 --> 00:43:30,016 But just because you saw us the way you saw those lepers. 816 00:43:30,208 --> 00:43:32,084 You invite us to come close. 817 00:43:32,202 --> 00:43:35,604 Even in our sickness, you never shun us. 818 00:43:35,642 --> 00:43:37,076 You never turn us away. 819 00:43:37,178 --> 00:43:39,560 Nothing about us makes you want to gag. 820 00:43:40,860 --> 00:43:46,344 You are so rich in love and mercy and goodness to us that we fall to our knees with 821 00:43:46,382 --> 00:43:52,396 weighted gratitude, saying to you over and over and over again that we thank you. 822 00:43:52,578 --> 00:43:55,724 We thank you, Jesus God. 823 00:43:55,762 --> 00:44:02,652 As we continue to pray about generosity, may our generosity be coming from hearts that are 824 00:44:02,706 --> 00:44:04,536 overflowing with gratitude. 825 00:44:04,648 --> 00:44:08,830 How could we not give for all that we have been given? 826 00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:15,488 We tell you collectively, Sandals church, that's on our knees together as a church. 827 00:44:15,584 --> 00:44:21,604 We tell you that we love you and we are grateful in Jesus name. 828 00:44:21,802 --> 00:44:22,240 Amen.