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Collierville First Baptist Church
[01:00:02;37 - 01:00:41;48]
Well, what a blessing it is and how good it is to be together. What a privilege for me to be here with you today. Church family, I'm gonna go ahead and invite you to open your Bibles with me to Mark chapter two, the gospel of Mark chapter two. And while you're turning there, I wanna say a couple of things about Collierville First Baptist Church. I love this church so much. In fact, if you're here today and you are a guest, you're thinking about a church to plant your family, your roots to call home. Man, let's hurry up and get to the invitation and you can come and tell one of the staff members today's your day to join. In fact, if it's okay, I would like to become an honorary member of Collierville First Baptist Church. If I can get a second.
[01:00:43;16 - 01:00:49;07]
All in favor say aye. And certainly there are none opposed. I love this church so much. I love it.
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Collierville First Baptist, one of the strongest churches in the state in every category. You guys are known widely for mission heartedness and your generosity in giving to the Lord's work. You've sponsored one of our more recent, strongest Blue Oval City church plants there in the Galloway area. And I just came to say thank you. And let me talk about your pastor. He's not here today, right? So he may be listening in later, but Dr. Chuck Herring, I love him. He's my friend. We meet together regularly to pray. He is an encourager in my life. And let me just say this. I think you know it. He is probably one of the most respected preachers and pastors in our entire region, entire state. And I know God has blessed you to have him as your pastor. And we love Ms. Darlene.
[01:01:38;31 - 01:02:13;01]
When my wife Rhonda and Darlene get together, it's a little scary. You see, things could happen. But I'm so honored to be here today on this family day of worship. And so I wanna share with you a message that I've simply called today when Jesus is in the house. Let's stand together and read this beautiful story as it unfolds in Mark chapter two, beginning in verse number one. Mark the writer says, and again, speaking about Jesus, "He entered Capernaum after some days," and here's the language, "and it was heard that he was in the house."
[01:02:14;07 - 01:03:17;10]
It's a good thing when Jesus is in the house, isn't it? We've been singing about him and to him today. And it was heard that Jesus was in the house and immediately many gathered together so that there was no longer room to receive them all, not even near the door. And he preached the word to them. Now, I'll catch that for a minute. The language there is so precise. He, the living word of God, the word that became flesh and dwelt among us is now preaching the word, the written word to those people. What a Bible study that would have been. Then they came to him in verse three. Mark's gonna move very fast into some issue that happened. They were bringing a paralytic, a paralyzed man, who was carried by four men. When they could not come near him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralyzed man was lying. And when Jesus saw their faith, very important line, when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you." Can I just pause there just for a moment? I hope that you've heard the Lord say that to you.
[01:03:18;22 - 01:04:11;58]
Let me ask you, is there been a time in your life where you have, with a brokenhearted, repentant spirit said to the Lord, "Please forgive me." And the Lord says to you, "Son, your sins, daughter, your sins are forgiven you." I love that language. And some of the scribes, think about the religious leaders were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts. They were asking this question, "Why does this man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sin but God alone?" But immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they had reasoned thus within themselves, he said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?" Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Arise, take up your bed and walk." But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed and go to your home."
[01:04:13;05 - 01:04:48;03]
And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out of the presence of them all so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this before." What a day that must have been in the gathering of God's people there in that little sleepy fishing village called Capernaum. Let's pray together, and then we're gonna look at this great passage. Father, thank you for every person who's gathered in the room today. Thank you for the precious boys and girls that led in that generational worship. God, thank you for your presence in this place. Lord, where we're gathered, we know that we're never alone. Lord, thank you, Holy Spirit, that you're in the house.
[01:04:49;12 - 01:05:23;01]
Father, I pray that you would speak to every heart. God, I pray for the moms and the dads, especially the grandparents of the room today. Lord, that the longing of our heart would be for Jesus to be preeminent in our homes, in our lives, and in our families. God bless this time together around your word now. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. While you're being seated, just a couple of quick thoughts about this well-known story. I wanna say it this way. This is the thought about Jesus being in the house. Can I just say something? And you already know this, something happens when Jesus is in the house.
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Isn't that the truth?
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It's true in the church house. It's true in the family. It's true in marriages and our relationships. And I will never forget when I personally experienced Jesus coming to our house. And it was a process over a period of time. I grew up in a family where we didn't do church. We didn't go to church. I was born and raised in Memphis, a church on every corner. The church just down the street from where we were, a Baptist church. We never bothered them and they didn't bother us. And I think everybody was happy with that arrangement. My father was a World War II vet, Korean War vet, alcoholic, abusive, and angry. I'm the youngest of five children. My oldest sister is quite a bit older than I am. She grew up, got out of the house, got married to a career Navy man, and they found their way to a little church out in the country, out near the Millington-Munford area. And they came to know the Lord and they had a life-changing experience. And I remember I was a young pre-teenager. I was 12 years old, got invited to a little youth camp, a little camp out in the country at Shelby Forest State Park.
[01:06:34;14 - 01:06:38;27]
And can I just tell you something? In that experience, I heard the gospel for the first time.
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Jesus came into my heart.
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Jesus came into my life. And as a result, he began to do work in our family. I remember making my way to a Baptist church, being baptized there and being discipled there. And by the time I was a young teenager, 15 years old, called in a ministry, and on the Sunday night that I preached my first sermon, my father came to hear his baby boy preach. And I just want you to know,
[01:07:03;43 - 01:07:07;35]
the one thing I've learned about that experience is we should never give up on anybody.
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Don't you give up praying? Don't you stop praying for the people that you thought could never, ever change. My father came down the aisle, gave his life to Christ. And I just want you to know Jesus came to our house in a special way that time. And I don't know what context it is that you find yourself, but I want you to know that Jesus changes everything. He is the game changer, the world changer. He can change the hardest heart. He can bring hope and joy to a home, to a family, and everybody needs the Lord, amen. So I'm gonna look at it. Jesus was in the house at this place, this gathering in Capernaum. And there was something going on. I want you to think about it in terms of this. Think about the context of that moment, the meeting that was happening in this house. And we know a couple of things about this gathering. It wasn't the first time that Jesus had gone to this town. It wasn't the first time that he'd probably been in his house. The scripture says, and again, it happened, that Jesus had come to Capernaum, and he was teaching in his house, and news was spread. In fact, I love that language.
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Let me ask you a question. How did people hear that Jesus was in the house?
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The old King James, I love it. It says it was noised that Jesus was in the house. Brothers and sisters, can I tell you something? We make a lot of noise about lesser things. The Bible says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so." Let us make a little noise from time to time that Jesus is worth it and worthy, and he is the one to whom we owe all of our worship. And let's make a little bit of noise. Now, I know at football season and basketball season, we make noise about things that don't last, things that don't matter. But the folks in this particular situation, in this little town, word got out, and people came from everywhere. I mean, the place was so crowded, not another soul could get in the door. They couldn't get through the window. There was no space. There was standing room only. And I love this context. Think about the atmosphere of supernatural energy that was happening there. People were coming because they were expecting something. There was this idea of spiritual,
[01:09:17;24 - 01:09:45;43]
the possibilities were endless. And what could happen in this moment when Jesus was in the house? Now, I've mentioned Capernaum, the little sleepy fishing village. If we ever get a chance to go back, and thank you for the prayers today for Israel and America, and all that's going on in the world, if you ever get a chance to go back to Israel and visit, you'll want to go to Capernaum, right on the Sea of Galilee, a little small place, beautiful remains there of a synagogue, ancient synagogue where Jesus no doubt taught.
[01:09:46;55 - 01:10:00;41]
And this was the place where this story unfolds. It's a place that was the hub of operations for the Lord Jesus in his Galilean ministry. And interestingly enough, this story is told
[01:10:01;51 - 01:10:09;01]
not only once or twice, but three times in the gospel accounts. Now, do you know this? If a story is told in the gospel one time, it's pretty significant.
[01:10:10;01 - 01:10:19;01]
But here we have the same story repeated in Matthew chapter nine and Luke chapter five and here in Mark chapter two. Few details added, but the same story.
[01:10:20;03 - 01:10:51;00]
Can I tell you something? A story that's told three times, we should listen. We should pay attention to that. There's a reason why I think this story, because it serves as a line in the sand moment of the ministry and the identity of Jesus Christ being the Son of God. There's no questions now after this meeting, after this moment of who he is, his identity. And so as we see this unfold, I just wanna again ask the question today, is Jesus in your house?
[01:10:52;12 - 01:11:10;59]
I mean, really now. I know that you folks go to church. Y'all do go to church on Sundays, don't you? Here you are. And I know that you love the Lord and that you like Christian music and the Caleb and the car and all that stuff. But I'm talking about the powerful name of Jesus
[01:11:12;12 - 01:11:28;09]
being mentioned often, being talked about. The good news of the gospel resonating in the halls and the walls of your home. And I've learned this, the only way to be assured that Jesus is in the house is when Jesus is in our hearts.
[01:11:29;09 - 01:11:45;44]
When Jesus is a part of our individual lives. I love what the psalmist said in Psalm 127.1, "Except the Lord build the house, "they labor in vain who build it." You might have the finest home that money can buy, but I just wanna ask you the question, is Jesus in the house?
[01:11:46;59 - 01:13:14;03]
I love the ancient instructions we find in the book of Deuteronomy when the people of God were being instructed about how to be sure that you have a foundation of faith in your home. Listen to it in Deuteronomy 6 and verse number six and following, "And these words which I command you today "shall be in your heart. "You shall teach them diligently to your children, "shall talk of them when you sit in your home, "when you walk by the way and when you lie down "and when you get up." The scripture is very clear about the responsibility that moms and dads and grandparents have about making much of God's word, making much of God's purpose and God's plan and God's mission for our lives. The word is to be taught clearly and constantly. It's to be taught consistently and creatively and convictionally as a part of everyday life in our home. So in this moment, in this little sleepy village, Jesus was in the middle of the room and he was teaching, he was sharing the word and there was no way to get another soul in there and enter the story that is so beautiful. I want you to notice the creativity of these men that enter the story. Four friends had a friend who was paralyzed. We don't know any of their names. We don't know any of their stories. We have to use our imagination just for men. I want you to join me in speculation just for a moment.
[01:13:15;55 - 01:13:48;11]
I love these guys because these were the kind of men that every church needs a whole bunch of. Guys who would not take no, listen, the greeters out front, I'm talking about the security guys out in the parking lot. Said you might as well just turn around and go home. There's, I mean, the chariots are everywhere. There's no more room for not one donkey in the parking lot, amen. And there's no way to get this stretcher in your friend. There's no way to get him in. There's no way to do it. And these guys would not take no for an answer. Don't you love these guys? I love the creativity. These are, who are these guys?
[01:13:49;26 - 01:14:00;25]
Yeah, I started thinking about who, what's up with these fellas? These were the kind of men, can I just say this for a minute? Down here in the deep South, I think you'll understand. These were the kind of men that carry pocket knives.
[01:14:02;11 - 01:14:03;06]
(Congregation Laughing) Amen.
[01:14:04;40 - 01:14:09;15]
Anybody got your pocket knife with you today? My grandfather who lived to be 103, Mississippi Delta farmer.
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When I would say, do you have a pocket knife? He said, I got my pants on, don't I?
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(Congregation Laughing) So if a man has his pocket knife, and listen, you can do some stuff with a pocket knife. You can carve a toy for the kids. You can cut an apple. You can crank a tractor, amen, with a pocket knife, if you know how to do that. And so these were the kind of guys that had that creative spirit. And I don't know who these guys are, but I love them. Let me ask you this. Here's the question. How on this earth did those guys know this truth?
[01:14:43;36 - 01:14:47;07]
Our friends, our friends crippled, he's paralyzed.
[01:14:48;15 - 01:14:50;48]
But if we can get our friend close enough to Jesus,
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everything can change. Now here's the question.
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How would they have known that? How could they have possibly have known of the power of Jesus to change someone's life? There's only one reasonable explanation in my mind.
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And that is that these guys had experienced it personally, an individual. Don't be surprised when you get to heaven.
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Do y'all have some questions you want to answer when you get to heaven?
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Every once in a while, you'll find somebody with little arrogance, you know, a little hostility. They'll say, man, I'm telling you what preacher, when I get to heaven, I've got a few things I need to ask the Lord. And I'm thinking, well, let me know how that works out for you.
[01:15:28;37 - 01:15:35;29]
(Congregation Laughing) Can you see that guy up in heaven? He gets there and an angel says, hey, didn't you have a, didn't you have a question that you want to ask for the Lord? And most of us say, I'm good.
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Good.
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So when you get to heaven, find out who were these four guys. It might be that we'll find out these guys might've been a former leper who Jesus touched. We have that story, Luke chapter five. One of these guys might've been a former blind man that Jesus healed, a former lame man that Jesus brought strength to his legs. Maybe one of these guys was the father of that demon-possessed boy in Gedara, also a little town at the Sea of Galilee. We don't know for sure, but I know this, they were convinced and they were creative and they would not take no for an answer. And so these guys are standing around, what do we do? We can't get the stretcher down. There's no room in there. How are we gonna get in the house? And one of the guys said,
[01:16:15;47 - 01:16:19;28]
and this is where guys get in trouble, hey, there's a ladder.
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The other guy said, there's some ropes. Hey, there's a pry bar. They got, listen, they picked up that, they climbed up on the ladder. They got up on top of this ancient flat roof house that had this ancient building material and they began to hammer and dig and pull away the thatch and the mud and all that. They began to break through the tile. Now, that's what's going on on the outside, these creative men, but I want you to think about what's going on on the inside.
[01:16:43;26 - 01:17:06;46]
I'd imagine they heard the racket going on up on the roof. Don't you imagine that? And then all of a sudden dust started falling down on the senior adult ladies sitting their mind in their manners. And then debris, big chunks of it began to happen as they pulled back the tile and broke it a hole through the roof. And then daylight began to shine through. All the while, here's what I think, Jesus has just stopped and he's watching it all unfold.
[01:17:07;52 - 01:17:17;12]
And I don't know this, I think he must have had a big old smile on his face. He saw everything. He saw, listen, the Bible says, when Jesus saw their faith,
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he spoke directly to the paralyzed young man who was being lowered down on the ground gently and carefully and there he was, right in the middle of everybody and everybody's wondering what in the world. See, this Baptist church, if it was a Baptist church, here's what was going on.
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The deacons weren't happy about the hole in the roof.
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The finance committee was already concerned about who's gonna pay for this. The building and grounds, they're thinking about who's gonna clean this up, amen. I'm talking, that's Baptist church stuff. Jesus is loving all of it. He's just watching, he's seeing it all. And notice also in that creative moment, there's some criticism
[01:17:57;00 - 01:18:07;29]
because Jesus speaks directly to the most significant need that paralyzed young man has and he said this, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
[01:18:10;34 - 01:18:19;39]
Now, isn't it interesting that before Jesus does anything about the physical need of the young man? He deals with the heart need, he deals with the relational need. Folks, can I just say something?
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You can have the healthiest body in town
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and still be far from God.
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You can have everything going for you. You can be an athlete. You can have all the looks, all the money, all the stuff. But if you do not have a relationship with Jesus, that's the most important thing.
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A relationship with Jesus is the most important thing.
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And when Jesus said to that young man, "Your sins are forgiven you," there was a religious group there. The Bible calls them the scribes. In Matthew's gospel, we also hear their Pharisees there. So there was this religious elite group and they were not happy man. In fact, they started murmuring.
[01:18:58;58 - 01:19:09;29]
Here's the thing, I didn't even say they said anything as they were reasoning in their hearts, "Who does this man think he is?" And they said this, "Only God can forgive sins." And they were exactly right.
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They knew the scripture scribes, knew the scriptures. They knew the ancient texts and they knew exactly what Isaiah 43, verse 25 says, "That only Yahweh can blot out transgressions."
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And they were exactly right. The problem is they didn't recognize the identity of the Son of God, who was making that statement.
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And let me just say this, in case there's people that murmur in the church house from time to time, Jesus hears all of it.
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Why are you reasoning thus in your heart? Why are you thinking these thoughts? Why are you worrying yourselves over these issues? Which is easier to say? And by the way, this was the moment.
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Not only do we see this context of Jesus being in the house and the creativity of the men, but notice now the confirmation of the ministry of Jesus. Here's what he said,
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so that you may know that I am who I am, that the Son of Man has the power on earth to forgive sins. I'm gonna do both.
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This was a draw line in the sand moment. This was a turning point. There was now hatred and hostility mounting toward Jesus that would ultimately lead to the cross. This was a moment where Jesus left no stone unturned. He made it very clear of his true identity that I've come to seek and to save those who are lost, and I can do the healing of the heart, I can do the healing of the body.
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And it was a moment of serious confirmation of his ministry. I think that's why it's told in three gospels.
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Because Jesus is the Son of God who came to take away the sins of the world.
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John the Baptist was right, he's the Lamb of God
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who is the ultimate, perfect, sinless, substitutionary sacrifice. He's our only hope. There's no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Brothers and sisters, Jesus is not just a good way, he's the only way. His name is the only name that brings help and healing and hope and life to the lost world. And that's why churches like Cuyarville First Baptist Church are so significant, so important, because you know that and you believe that, and you are a part of the greatest work in the world. The work of the missions and ministry of this church is the greatest work in the world.
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And I just came to say thank you for that, and to remind you of this confirmation, this is what we've been called to do. This is what happens when Jesus is in the house.
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There's an old hymn that has this line in it. Think about that young man. Listen, he had done nothing to earn or deserve what was about to happen to him. But he had faith. The Bible says when Jesus saw their faith, multiple faith, he saw the four friends, he saw the paralyzed man, when he saw their faith, he forgave him of his sins. Listen to this line in the old hymn.
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The vilest offender who truly believes
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that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
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Can I just say something? I don't know most all of you. I love the church and I'm so grateful to be with you today, but the Lord knows
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the Lord knows your past, he knows your particulars,
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he knows the struggles that you've faced, he knows where you've been, where you've come from. And I just want you to know there's nobody too far from God that the power of the gospel, the love of the Lord Jesus can't break through and change your heart, change your life. We don't give up on people around here, do we? We keep praying. We're persistent prayers. We keep asking and seeking and knocking and all of that. And so the criticism of those scribes, now let me also give you this little picture of the moment.
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The scripture here in Mark's gospel rather, says the scribes were sitting there,
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crowded room, people breaking through the roof, and the scribes, the religious people were doing nothing. And I just want to say this, I may never get invited back. Brother Sam, thank you for the kind words. I may never get invited back, but let me just say this on behalf of all pastors and all churches everywhere, the last thing any church needs is people who just sit there.
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Amen.
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Those religious leaders, they never offered their seats. They never offered to scoot over. Hey, let's help these guys. They were just sitting there.
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Well, it's easy to criticize when you're just sitting there, isn't it? Everybody else was celebrating. Jesus was loving it. He was, listen, this was a great, glorious moment. It was a breakthrough that that house needed. And the religious folks, all they could do is sit and criticize.
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I pastored one church my whole adult life.
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For almost 28 years, I pastored Faith Baptist Church in Bartlett. And I just want you to know that I needed people to do something else besides just sit there. We need people to get their hands dirty. We need people to get involved. We need people to invest their lives and their resources and their skill sets. We need people that find something to do. You guys got something that you can bring to the family. You gotta bring that, bring it all.
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Bring yourself, bring your heart, bring your skills, bring your talents, and most of all, bring your prayers.
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If nothing else, the religious folks could have said, you know what?
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That's the coolest thing I've ever seen.
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Those men love that guy so much, they broke through the roof.
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We gotta clean up the mess. Maybe the religious guys could have, hey, we'll take care of the mess. We'll sweep the floor. We'll patch the roof. They just, all they could do is sit there and then criticize.
[01:25:06;37 - 01:25:29;30]
But I love it. Jesus healed that boy's heart. He healed that boy's body. And he told him to take up his mat and go home. And everybody left church that day saying, we have never in our natural born days, we've never seen anything like that before. Every once in a while, something needs to happen in the church, so we go home saying the same thing, right? Whew, man.
[01:25:30;52 - 01:25:36;34]
I don't remember nothing else that happened, but when that young man walked down the aisle and gave his life to Christ, that was a big deal.
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That was a big deal. When that family came and joined our church and they were giving their life to Christ, when those men who had attended that men's conference over the weekend, when they came down and they were weeping at the altar and they were joining the church, that's what I'm talking about.
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Well, this could be one of those days.
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This could be one of those moments when we go home and say, I don't know, it's just craziest thing I ever saw.
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Wouldn't expect anything like that. I wasn't expecting myself to go down to the altar and bring some burden down there today, but the Lord told me to do it and that's what I did.
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Just the miracle of the healing of salvation happens. Do you remember the old song? It's an old, we don't sing much anymore. I love it. What can wash away my sin?
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The other answer to that, nothing, but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again?
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Nothing but the blood of Jesus. I don't know who's here today that needs to have
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a changed heart, a changed life,
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a new start, a fresh new beginning. The Bible says if anyone is in Christ, he or she becomes a brand new creation in Christ.
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You know, this burden for broken people,
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these four friends, they knew it because Jesus had obviously meant something to them and maybe changed their lives. They were so burdened for their broken friend, they were gonna do whatever it takes. I love churches that have the spirit, and I think this church has that spirit, that we're willing to do whatever it takes
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to bring our friends and neighbors and our broken,
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the broken world in close proximity to Christ. Maybe somebody here invited you to church today and you came and the Lord knew all the details and how it was all gonna connect and here we are, here you are, and God's at work and your heart in life. I love that. Do you know this story has an Old Testament companion story? I wanna mention it just briefly. We'll have time to read it, but in 2 Kings, chapter seven, Old Testament,
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there are four pitiful men who were standing at the gate of the capital city of Israel, capital city of Samaria, and there's a siege around the city. The armies of the Assyrians have blocked off everything and the people inside Samaria, they're dying of starvation and they're, just this pitiful situation, and the scripture says that there were four lepers men standing at the gate.
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Second Kings, chapter seven,
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and they begin to have a conversation, they begin to say, what are we gonna do? We can't go into the city because there's famine there, we can't go to the army, the enemy, because they'll kill us, and then one of them said this, asked this question, why do we sit here until we die?
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I love that. As a pastor, I wish our churches would ask that question. Why are we just sitting here until we die?
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Sometimes you gotta do something even if it's the wrong thing, right? So they said, one of the guys said, hey, let's go to the enemy, maybe before they kill us, they'll feed us something, that's what they decided to do. They went around the back of the Assyrian army's camp, like they were sneaking up on them, and in the miracle power of God, God calls the Assyrian army to hear the sound of a mighty army marching,
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and they fled for their lives out into the woods. They left everything in the tents, these Assyrians said, they've hired the Egyptians, somebody's coming, we gotta run, and now we have these four lepers men. You can read in the story. 2 Kings 7, and they walk into the first tent, and it is like Thanksgiving dinner. I'm talking about turkey and dressing, and grandma's banana pudding, green beans,
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that, can I get a witness, amen?
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(Audience Laughs) And that canned purple stuff, what is it, cranberry sauce, that you slice up on Thanksgiving, they had all that. They began to eat, they began to put their pockets, they began, there was gold and silver and all the plunder of these armies, and they went into the next tent, same thing, and they were full as they could be, and their pockets were filled, and one of those guys said this, one of those lepers who found the grace of God said,
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what we're doing is not good, it's not right.
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Across the way, they're starving to death in the city, and this is a day of good news. They actually use that language. This is a day of good news. Brothers and sisters, you know what we call the gospel?
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It's the best news.
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It's the great news, that there's hope.
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It's hungry people saying, I found some bread.
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Thirsty people saying, we found the water of life, and we've gotta go and tell the good news to the people that are hurting, and that's exactly what's happening in this New Testament story that's told three times in the gospels in an Old Testament parallel. We have this beautiful picture of good news. Now I'm gonna close with this. My brother, nearest me, my brother Mike and I, are hunting, camping, and fishing buddies. We have all of our lives. Some years ago, Mike and I were in his little 14-foot John boat down on one of the big lakes in North Mississippi.
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I'm not gonna tell you our secret spot, so it's our secret spot. And it was a hot summer day, and we were fishing, old-school fishing, for brim around the cypress trees. Listen, when I say old-school fishing, I'm talking about crickets and cane poles.
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Amen.
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I'm not talking about depth finders and fancy bass stuff. I'm talking about old-school fishing, and we were tearing them up. We were finished for the day, it was the middle of the morning, 10, 1030 in the morning, and we were getting ready to pack it in. And out of the middle of that lake, we began to hear the sounds of distress, of voices calling out, screaming, and arms thrashing. And you know out on a big lake, when there's not much activity, you can hear sound for a mile. And just on the horizon, we saw debris floating and arms thrashing, and so we got our little 25 horsepower Johnson motor cranked up, and we headed out to the scene of what was a tragic accident, and we were the first to arrive, my brother and I. And what we saw was heart-stopping.
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There was a grown man, and apparently his wife, that were literally killing each other, trying to stay afloat. They were drowning one another, they were up and down, and so we got the lady settled, and she grabbed all the side of our boat, got the man settled, and the lady kept saying, "My baby, where's my baby? "We're looking in this debris, upside down little boat." All we could see was a little boat, the V of it sticking up, and the lady kept saying, "Where's my baby?" And so we were getting ready to go diving under that boat, thinking there was a child. And just before we jumped into that muddy water, a little boy, about four or five years old, with a bright orange life vest, popped up from underneath their boat, with eyes big as saucers, he was fine. We got him settled, got him in our boat. By this time, a bigger boat, a bass boat had come up, we helped the people get in their boat, we helped tow their boat to shore. Come to find out the man was a Memphis police officer. He and his wife could not swim, were not wearing life jackets, somehow their boat turned over, and all they could do was thank us profusely for literally saving their lives. We were the first on the scenes, and I believe those people would have drowned that day, had God not put us there in that moment. The man tried to pay us, and you don't take money for something like that. You just say, "Man, listen, hey, "we're just glad y'all are okay. "Glad your little boy's fine."
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And all the way home,
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from that fishing trip that morning,
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I kept thinking about this old song, this old hymn.
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Maybe you know the words to it.
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I love the song, but I'm not about to sing it to you.
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But the words go something like this, I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,
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very deeply, staying within, sinking to rise no more. You know it? But the master of the sea heard my despairing cry, and from the waters lifted me. Now, safe am I. God, you say something?
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The greatest joy that you will ever have as a follower of Jesus is to share the gospel,
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and to see somebody else call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.
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Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord, listen to this promise, shall be saved. I know Brother Chuck, every Sunday, gives a gospel invitation, and I'm gonna close just by asking you right now to bow your heads with me. I'm gonna invite the worship team and our staff team to come on down to the front. And I wanna extend this brief word of invitation to you, men and women and young people in the room today. If you're here today and you're a guest, but you're looking for a church home, you may already be a believer, you already know the Lord, you should come and tell one of these staff members, one of these team members down front, hey, we'd like to join. It's a good day to do that.
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If you're here today, maybe somebody brought you,
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maybe you're a part of the men's conference weekend, and maybe you've never put your faith and trust in Christ, but right here, right now, you would like to do that. And I can say this with full authority, the same blessed savior that changed that paralyzed young man's heart in life can change your heart in life today as well.
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If you've never prayed a prayer like this, something like this, Lord, I am a sinner,
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and I need a savior. I need you, Jesus, to be Lord of my life.
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Lord, I repent of my sins, and I'm calling upon you now to save me. If that's your prayer in just a minute, after I pray, and when we stand up, I'm gonna invite you to come and tell one of these team members down front,
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today's my day, and they'll help you with steps next. They'll help you to know what to do. They wanna pray with you and encourage you along the way.
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Maybe you're here today, and you say, I'm already a member of this good church, I'm already a Christian, but somebody's on my heart.
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I've got a friend who's far from God. I've got a friend who, spiritually speaking, they're paralyzed.
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They got issues, they're not coming to church. They're not going, you know what, maybe sometimes the church has to go to them. One of the ways you do that is through prayer, and I'm gonna invite you, if you have a son or a daughter that's far from God, if you have a brother, if you have a neighbor, if you have a colleague or a coworker, a classmate, somebody on your ball team that you're burdened over today, why don't you come during these next couple of moments of this invitation, just at the altar, you can just deal and say, Lord, my friend, dear God, my son, please.
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And let's bring those people to the Lord on our knees today. You do whatever the Lord tells you to do after I pray. Father, thank you for your spirit. Move in this place, have your way. Help us to be obedient now to whatever you tell us to do. In Jesus' name, amen. Let's stand together and you come while we sing.
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