WEBVTT
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Good to see you.
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Glad to be here.
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I wish I wish my wife would give me a standing ovation when I walk in the room.
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I I feel like I feel like Melanie could learn a lot from you guys uh today.
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We've been uh right, Pam?
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I mean, I see you do that to Richie a lot when he shows up.
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You stand up, salute, and things.
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Uh thank you for letting me be here today.
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I know many of you had no idea or even a hand in that, uh, but thank you anyway.
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Um you did it by proxy.
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Uh typically I I like to travel with bodyguards, but I didn't bring them today.
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And then oftentimes uh I'm a I'm a little more of a complimentarian, so I think sometimes there are some roles that men should do and some roles that are more geared toward ladies.
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And so typically I'll don't get mad at me.
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I'm egalitarian too.
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I'm just like, dude, hands off, let God do whatever he wants.
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So don't some of y'all just got mad at me.
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Hey, my wife is more complimentarian in some things.
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She wants me to grill.
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But I I told I told Melanie early on when we got married, baby, I'm an outsourcer.
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And so uh if you want to grill, we're gonna have to go down to the barbecue place.
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Uh because I I'm not gonna be doing it.
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Uh so she typically grills.
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But that that being said, usually I'll I'll gather some dudes uh to be my bodyguards.
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So, like some of you guys know Graham.
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Uh he's a young, smallish uh guy uh uh back here, big football player.
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And uh usually I get a guy like him, but I found some bodyguards today.
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So if you don't like what I'm saying today, don't come at me because I got a row of women that'll come after you.
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So uh my my gals over here.
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Uh I'll see there's uh Pam.
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Pam, if you just raise your hand up.
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Yeah.
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Wait, we added one since somebody got added because I got Alice and I got Josie, Bethany, and Tammy, but we added one right here.
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Who is that?
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Tanya.
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Who?
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Tanya.
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Tanya?
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Tanya, where were you hiding?
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You're like the sneak attack lady, right?
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Okay, so that's my bodyguard role.
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So don't mess with me because my my lady's gonna get you.
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Um, but we're gonna have some fun today.
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Some of you uh came today and you are running to Jesus.
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Some of you came today, you're running from Jesus.
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Okay, and look, dude, uh almost every one of us in here have had those seasons.
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So uh you're not like an anomaly.
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Like nobody ever saw that before.
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It's it's like, no, we've been there.
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Uh some of you are seeking Jesus, but you hadn't found him yet.
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And some of you are just kind of here for the ride.
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Regardless of where you're at today, I just want to be an encourager to you.
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Uh, I'm not gonna beat you down with the word.
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Uh I just want to encourage you with something that I think is gonna help you.
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And then along the way, as I'm meeting people and stuff, I always like to meet people before I come up because I'm not I'm the special speaker, more special than speaker sometimes.
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So I know I gotta like make friends, so we're friends, uh, and it's not uh the expectations are a little bit different.
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But a lot of times as I'm meeting people, I feel like the Lord's giving me words of encouragement along the way.
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And uh even today, uh I was thinking, Graham, when I when I first uh shook your hand this morning, I'm thinking this is a message for that dude because God's gonna put you in places that a lot of other people are not gonna have the opportunity to be in.
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And because of that, you're gonna see things that other people aren't gonna be able to see.
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And it's gonna be supernatural.
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And I just, man, I felt like uh, you know, here's here's the hard thing.
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You can't coach size.
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It's like I wanted to be a bigger dude, but you can't coach size, you know, you just gotta go with what you what you got.
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But if somebody's got size and they got coachability, they're gonna have lots of opportunities, and that seems like that's probably what's happening for you.
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And I just want to encourage you that I believe this message is is a word for now uh for you and in the coming days in the next couple of years, it's gonna be really awesome if you if you can receive that.
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And and by the way, if I ever say something to you and it doesn't seem like it's connecting, uh just go, man, bless his heart.
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He sure tried, you know, just do something like that.
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And then and then I got my good friend Casey.
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Uh uh, she's one of the front row Joes.
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And I was just thinking, you know, uh, you got some spiciness that you've navigated through uh in your short life.
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Not not at old, but I feel like that maybe the Lord's setting you up for some cool things that are specifically connected to this message today and some opportunities that are coming if you'll just see them and seize them, and uh and you can trust the Lord.
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He loves you very much.
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He's very mindful of you, uh by the way.
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And as strong and awesome and cool as you are, uh he also even gets past that and just says, Hey, baby, I got you.
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I'm your dad and I love you, and he's he's with you.
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Mitchell, good to see you.
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Doug, good to see you.
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I got a lot of friends in here, so I'm serious, dude.
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You don't want to mess with me, so don't start throwing tomatoes.
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Got Robert over here.
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All right, good job.
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Caleb, that was good singing today.
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I thought you sang really well today on the mic.
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Uh Caden, you did good.
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Twinkling on the keyboard over there.
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And Alon, you you did, you did good as well.
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Uh Neil back there playing the drums.
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Uh Amaris, Ameris is a she's she's a high jumper.
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I don't know if you saw that, but she's a high jumper.
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I love you guys.
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Okay, uh anyone ever heard of time management?
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I mean, you heard people talk about it, right?
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Time management.
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Well, it's a lie.
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Uh I'm sorry, but you cannot manage time.
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You just can't, second by second, those those things are ticking away moment by moment.
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They're passing by you.
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So you can manage time, but what you can manage is what you do with the opportunities within the time that you're given.
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So time management is kind of a fantasy.
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But opportunity management, that's a reality.
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And everyone here today can be an expert at opportunity management.
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Now, here's what's crazy some of you parents are thinking about your kids right now, and you're going, oh no, they can't.
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Oh no, they can't.
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Some of the kids are thinking about your parents, you go, oh no.
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But I'm telling you right now, as a follower of Jesus, you can become an expert at opportunity management.
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And it's nice to be able to have an opportunity to be an expert really at anything.
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And God's word has a whole bunch to say about this topic today.
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And so here's what I want to do.
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I know we've been like sitting down, standing up, sitting down and standing up, and we're only gonna do it about five more times today.
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But if you are capable, could you stand with me?
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And I want us to read the word together or say the word together.
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They're gonna bring it up on the screen.
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Now, I just want to give you, let you know up front, we're gonna be standing for about two or three minutes.
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Okay, so if if you if you got a rage quit, then you can sit down when you need to.
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So let's read this together.
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This is Ephesians chapter 5, verse 15 and 16.
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Be very careful then.
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Okay, now hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, bruh.
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Uh how many of y'all can read?
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Okay, people ain't scared.
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Lisa, people ain't scared if you read out loud.
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Okay, I just my my my friend Lisa back there, she's very quiet and unassuming.
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I just all right, just go strong.
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Go strong.
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Remember, you're the boss of the row back there.
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Let's go.
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Okay, here we go.
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Here we go.
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Ready, set?
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Be very careful then how you live, not as unwise, but as wise.
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Making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.
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Now, making the most of every opportunity is not easy.
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As I look back over my time as a dad, and I'm still a dad, I got three kids, four grandkids.
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I realized there were some times I didn't really make the most of every opportunity.
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Because, man, you got the tyranny of the urgent, dude.
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It's all around you.
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We are busy people, and technology has not helped us.
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They lied.
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It has not made life easier, it's made life harder and more difficult.
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And there's just all this busyness.
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I love how the King James Version, some of y'all King James only people.
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Okay, so I'm gonna do a little King James here.
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In the King James Version, it says, Redeem every opportunity.
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So it's almost like you're making a trade, you're making an exchange.
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Think about it in this way you're exchanging a moment of time for something timeless.
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That's the idea here.
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All right, let's bring us brings us to the next passage.
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This is the last passage, and then we're gonna sit down here in a moment.
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Here we go.
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One, two, three.
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The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that winneth souls is wise.
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Another head nod to the King James people.
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Now, winneth is not a passive word.
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Now, I know y'all probably ain't be using that word as much.
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You're not walking around talking about winneth, okay?
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Uh, especially if you've been a cowboy fan for a lot of years.
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So, huh?
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What happened?
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What happened?
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So, it's not like winneth isn't this word where you're sitting on your couch uh hoping for the win, but but but not being able to do anything about it.
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This idea of winneth, it it's it's more about taking, it's about capturing.
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But it's not going out at the hardest time of the night to the deepest, darkest place in Amarillo and trying to win souls.
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And I've done that and I'm not mad at that.
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If you want to do that, that's fine.
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But that's not what this passage is talking about.
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Because you know, we're gonna go soul winning.
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Been praying in the Holy Ghost, we're gonna go soul winning.
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That's not what this is saying.
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The the concept here is that you win someone over through the influence of your words, your life, and your lifestyle.
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See how different that is?
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And us evangelicals, you know, Holy Ghost churches, it's all about the moment.
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You know, we gotta win souls, gotta win souls.
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You're right.
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But you can't win somebody that God hadn't set up to be one.
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And so what you gotta be doing in this passage is thinking about how are my words, my life, and my lifestyle winning people over.
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That's the wise way you get after soul winning.
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All right?
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Okay, cool.
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All right, so if we take both of these passages together, I'm gonna do the Mark Brewer Simpleton amplification.
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Okay?
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The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life.
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He that wineth souls is wise, and so be very careful how you live.
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Not as the unwise just caring about yourself and your own little game, but as the wise looking for ways to influence and win over people with your words, your life, and your lifestyle.
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Why?
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Well, because the days are evil and the days are not set up for those good things to happen.
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Let me pray for you.
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God, thank you for this group of people that are here.
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And regardless of why they showed up, I know that your spirit is here to speak to them, encourage them, and it may even be that some of them are gonna be won over by your words and your spirit today.
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We thank you for it in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Cool, well, sit down.
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How many of us have a schedule for the week?
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You got your calendar all set up, everything put in the right order.
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I've been trying to teach this to my kids.
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I'm like, bro, how do you live without a calendar?
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I'm like, I don't understand it.
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Who would want to keep all that stuff in their mind?
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But they tried, they tried.
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So you got some plans this week?
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Anybody got plans this week?
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You ever had that schedule get blown up?
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Where you got the plans and then it gets blown up?
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Dude, we have been in that season.
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Uh hey, uh, Pastor Richie, have you have you ever said crap up here?
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So I can say that?
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Bro, this week has been a crap show for my family.
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Lord.
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I was just I'm thankful to even just be here.
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You ever had that?
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Uh you know, the Bible says that God will use the foolish to confound the wise.
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I think in my in my experience and in my life, it's like God will use the Jerry Springer family to confound the wise.
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Like that's that's my family.
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Lord, it's been hard, man.
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I'm so thankful to your pastors.
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They just loved me yesterday and made it easy for me to make the transition into being here and just so caring.
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If you're new to the church, by the way, you found a great place.
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So keep coming back.
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You got great pastors, great leaders here.
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Yeah, one of the greatest lessons we can learn from Jesus is that you're gonna often have your plans interrupted.
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Okay?
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In fact, if you go back and read the scriptures now, we're gonna go through a lot of scriptures today in Matthew chapter 9.
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If you want to go ahead and turn to your Bible, we're gonna be there together.
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Uh, some of you are gonna be in scripture overload, more scriptures than you've read in a year.
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It's okay, God's gonna help you.
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If you need resuscitation, we've we've got uh we've got some things available for you.
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But as we read today, you're gonna realize Jesus actually lived a life of interruptions.
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He had plans.
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He had, I mean, who had bigger plans than Jesus?
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Who had bigger things that he was gonna be doing, but he was constantly dealing with interruptions.
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So if you're living a life of interruptions, how many of y'all live in a life of interruptions?
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You got interruptions, you're like Jesus.
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Look at that, just like that, you're like Jesus.
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Some of you are more like Jesus than you thought.
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But don't get haughty, because I didn't say in everything, I'm just talking about the interruptions part.
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If we're following him, though, it's not just about accepting the interruptions, it's about seizing the opportunities.
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It's about seeing these.
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And that brings us to our main point.
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So along the way, we're gonna say this main point together, kind of lock it in, wrote memory uh memory type stuff here.
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So here's the main point today.
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Let's look at it.
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You gotta see and seize the opportunity in a life of interruptions.
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All right, so we're gonna say that together.
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Only count of three.
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One, two, three.
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See and seize the opportunity in a life of interruptions.
00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:47.440
Now, I'm not gonna make you say that whole phrase the rest of the service, so you could just say, anytime I say main point, you just say see and seize.
00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:49.039
All right, so we're gonna practice it.
00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:49.919
Main point.
00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:51.039
C and C's.
00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:51.840
Yeah.
00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:57.440
Okay, I feel like I feel like uh, Carrie, I don't know if you if you said it.
00:14:57.519 --> 00:14:59.600
I it looked like you were down there writing notes, bro.
00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:00.399
Okay.
00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:07.039
Some of you people, you're encouragable, but I'm patient and I'm gonna keep helping you.
00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:17.360
So as you'll see today in this passage, these passages we're looking at some of Jesus' greatest miracles were interruptions to plans that he was already on the way to do.
00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:23.600
And that's why, main point, yeah, you gotta see and seize.
00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:26.559
Alright, so let's do a little timeout here.
00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:29.759
Who are the lost people in your life?
00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:32.320
Think for a moment.
00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:38.879
Who are those lost and confused people in your life, your family, your friends?
00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:46.240
People at work, the people at school, Gabriel, who are the ones?
00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:54.080
Who are those people that the Bible talks about, the ones that are needing healing, the ones that need Jesus, the ones that just generally need help?
00:15:54.240 --> 00:15:56.080
Like I want you to see them in your mind.
00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:57.600
Who are those people?
00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:08.080
Because when Jesus is seeing and seizing the opportunities, it wasn't about getting likes, it wasn't about notoriety, okay?
00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:17.840
It wasn't about uh somebody showing up on his Instagram-y or his Facebook-y, it was about people, and specifically lost people.
00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:28.320
When you see that he is seizing these moments, these opportunities, when he's trading a moment of time for something timeless, it's always about people.
00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:30.720
So that's the premise here today.
00:16:31.039 --> 00:16:33.600
Hurting people, confused people.
00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:35.200
And I know you're busy.
00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:37.279
Just look at your friend and say, I'm busy.
00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:40.159
Some of you didn't look at anybody because you don't have any friends.
00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:40.639
It's okay.
00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:42.799
Today you have a friend in Jesus.
00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:52.240
I always feel like I need to take Pam with me on the road because she giggles at everything I say, even if it's dumb.
00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:53.840
This is very endearing.
00:16:53.919 --> 00:16:54.320
Thank you.
00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:55.679
Thank you, Sister Pam.
00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:59.840
All right, well, here's what I'm not trying to do today.
00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:04.880
I'm not trying to get you to say yes to another big block of evangelizing.
00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:05.359
Okay?
00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:07.359
I'm not asking you to do that.
00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:18.160
Instead, what I'm just asking you to do is get your head up a little bit, and as you go along in your day-to-day life, just start seeing and seizing those moments.
00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:21.920
Trading those moments of time in for something timeless.
00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:29.680
Matthew chapter 9 is a great uh picture of this way of living, seeing and seizing the opportunity in this life of interruption.
00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:43.039
So we're gonna, if you want to open your Bible, if you want to open up your Bible app, if you don't have a Bible app or a Bible, scoot over by somebody that does, because I'd like for you to be able to look at the word as well to uh confirm that I'm not just making stuff up up here.
00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:44.640
All right, we got 12 minutes.
00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:46.079
Can y'all hang on 12 minutes?
00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:47.359
All right.
00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:55.119
Chapter 1 of Matthew, uh, or chapter 9 of Matthew, verse 1, Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over, and came to his own town.
00:17:55.359 --> 00:17:57.440
He'd been doing a lot of churchy work out there.
00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:00.400
And some men brought to him a paralyzed man lying on a mat.
00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:04.640
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven.
00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:05.920
There's some other stuff that happens.
00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:09.200
There's a parallel passage in Luke 5 about this story.
00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:11.680
And Luke 5 gives us a little more detail.
00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:14.880
Basically, they showed up to the house, but it was overcrowded.
00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:16.160
People couldn't get in.
00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:20.160
Everybody was trying to show up and get a little time with this Jesus dude.
00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:23.759
So these friends show up, but they're late to the party.
00:18:23.839 --> 00:18:30.400
And it's understandable, bro, when you're carrying a dude on a mat walking through the street, you're not gonna be the first one to the party.
00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:41.839
So they show up a little bit late, and instead of just waiting for Jesus to get done and saying hey to him, they decide to take matters into their own hands and see and seize an opportunity.
00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:47.440
So they go up on the roof, they cut a hole in the roof, and they drop this dude down in front of Jesus.
00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:53.839
Now I know we say these stories, but we don't really understand sometimes how outlandish that is.
00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:56.559
That's crazy, right?
00:18:57.039 --> 00:18:58.160
Crazy town.
00:18:58.400 --> 00:18:59.440
Think about it.
00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:01.359
They busted a hole in the roof.
00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:06.240
I mean, they have no, they have no uh church culture etiquette.
00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:14.000
Because even look, even the unbeliever knows you don't bust a hole in someone's roof and then lower a body down in front of the special speaker.
00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:21.279
Even if the speaker's more special than speaker, it's still you still don't do that kind of stuff.
00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:24.079
And I just love their and their audacity here.
00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:34.640
See, these boys and Jesus knew our main point that you gotta so other stuff happens here, and I'm not gonna hit all the details.
00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:35.519
We don't have time for that.
00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:39.039
I'm just hitting the highlights connected to what we're talking about today.
00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:40.720
Then we move on to verse 9.
00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:43.039
As Jesus went on from there, he saw.
00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:44.319
So what did he do?
00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:45.759
Uh-huh.
00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:48.880
He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth.
00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:51.920
Follow me, he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:54.640
So he saw this guy.
00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:57.519
Jesus had something he was going to do.
00:19:57.599 --> 00:19:58.960
He wasn't head down.
00:19:59.519 --> 00:19:59.839
Okay?
00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:03.440
He always had head up on a swivel looking for the opportunity.
00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:09.599
And he didn't see Matthew and think, man, that dude's there at the booth every day, but I got a lot of churchy business stuff I got to take care of right now.
00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:13.200
But because I know he's there every day, I'll just come back in a few days.
00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:15.359
And if he's still there, then I'll say something to him.
00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:17.519
That's one of our favorite churchy things to do.
00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:18.000
Right?
00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:19.440
Y'all ever done that before?
00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:20.960
Or you pray the prayer.
00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:29.119
You know somebody on your road just raised their hand to receive Jesus or they need healing or something, and you're like, bro, I hope somebody on our row helps them.
00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:32.160
Because I got to get to the McDonald's.
00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:35.039
That line at the McDonald's is long, dude.
00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:38.400
You know, we do that kind of stuff.
00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:40.799
So he calls him this guy.
00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:42.000
This is what's funny too.
00:20:42.079 --> 00:20:43.759
We're in we're in Matthew's book.
00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:49.200
So Matthew writes a book, but he doesn't even show up till the tenth chapter, ninth chapter here.
00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:51.519
So I guess something happened.
00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:52.640
They ended up going to his house.
00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:59.440
Verse 10, while Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.
00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:01.119
So then the Pharisees show up.
00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:05.599
You ever had those friends or non-friends that show up to your events uninvited?
00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:06.880
Just like that.
00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:14.240
So they got a party going on, the sinners and the tax collectors, and then these Pharisees show up and they start badmouthing Jesus.
00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:16.160
Well, here's why they're badmouthing him.
00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:17.759
He's hanging out with the sickos.
00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:21.920
Now, here's the trick move.
00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:24.799
So I'm not going to like Jesus juke you too much.
00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:30.079
There was no group of people that were more sick than the tax collectors and the sinners.
00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:34.799
So I want you to think about all the people you think are sickos in our world.
00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:47.359
All the ones they're seeing on the news, all the ones you're seeing on your little conservative websites, all the ones that you know see the videos that you're following on your Instagram and you getting mad in your heart.
00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:49.119
I can't believe them sickos.
00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:51.920
We have to be careful.
00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:55.440
Because that's the exact people that Jesus was having dinner parties with.
00:21:58.079 --> 00:21:59.759
Why do you think the religious people were telling?
00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:00.799
Off at him.
00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:02.640
Call him in into question.
00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:05.519
Why are you reclining and hanging out with the sickos?
00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:08.079
So Jesus says this.
00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:13.680
He saw the opportunity and he seized the opportunity.
00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:17.200
It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick.
00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:19.039
Go and learn what this means.
00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:21.440
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:25.759
For I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners.
00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:31.839
If Jesus came to call the sickos, we might want to be about that business as well.
00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:37.279
And we might even want to ask ourselves, how many dinner parties are we hosting for the sickos?
00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:47.759
I don't want to even, I don't even want to entertain and try to describe the people we're talking about because the categories are out there.
00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:48.880
Let me tell you something.
00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:52.240
Why are we so surprised about what sinners do?
00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:53.440
Guess what sinners do?
00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:56.960
They why are we surprised about that?
00:22:57.839 --> 00:23:02.240
I know we get all in our world sometimes and get real political.
00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:07.279
Let me tell you something, there's a bigger game at stake right now than our political parties.
00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:09.839
Their souls hanging in the balance.
00:23:10.319 --> 00:23:16.480
And those sickos out there are on their way to hell unless we start bringing them into the dinner parties.
00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:21.200
And look, I can say sickoes because I was a sicko.
00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:25.440
And I'm on the verge of being a sicko, except that the grace of God is covering me.
00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:28.480
Alright, don't get mad at me.
00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:33.039
Then he goes on and he's teaching.
00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:34.480
We're down in verse 18 now.
00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:38.799
So he's teaching about uh fasting because he's got some people asking him some questions.
00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:41.440
So while, oh, there it is, six minutes.
00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:46.079
While he was saying this, so he's doing something already while he was saying this.
00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:47.440
Oh yeah.
00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:50.720
Y'all a little bit late, y'all supposed to come up at seven minutes.
00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:54.319
That's why, that's why I had to look at the clock again.
00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:56.799
Slow playing back there, drinking your latte.
00:23:58.400 --> 00:23:58.880
Caden.
00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:03.440
You gotta watch these people, man.
00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:06.319
Brown clan.
00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:07.359
All right.
00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:15.039
So while he was saying this, the synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, My daughter has just died, but come and put your hand on her and she will live.
00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:17.680
Jesus got up and he went with him, so did his disciples.
00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:23.279
The Bible sometimes like it like shrinks things down to such small statements.
00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:24.000
That's big.
00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:25.759
The dude's daughter just died.
00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:27.759
Holy smokes.
00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:35.839
But Jesus can't hardly even get out on the street before he gets interrupted again by a woman with an issue of blood.
00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:37.440
She'd been bleeding for 12 years.
00:24:37.519 --> 00:24:43.519
She came up behind him, touched the edge of his cloak, said to herself, If only I touch his cloak, I'll be healed.
00:24:43.839 --> 00:24:45.119
Jesus turned.
00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:48.079
Notice, there's a dead woman.
00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:51.039
They're on their way to raise the dead woman.
00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:52.880
Time is of the essence.
00:24:54.160 --> 00:24:54.480
Okay?
00:24:54.720 --> 00:24:56.160
Body's getting cold.
00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:58.960
Rigamortis coming in.
00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:03.519
Guys, there's stuff happening.
00:25:03.759 --> 00:25:09.200
And then you got this crazy lady been bleeding for 12 years, grabbing on his robe as he's walking through the streets.
00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:14.480
She already had the faith to be healed, but I love what Jesus did.
00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:16.720
The Bible says he turned.
00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:22.480
Have you ever heard people talk about, man, that I love that person because they see me.
00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:24.640
This is what's happening.
00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:30.000
He turned and he saw her and goes, hey, daughter.
00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:35.839
You got to remember, a lady been bleeding for 12 years.
00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:37.519
She couldn't hang out at the synagogue.
00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:40.400
12 years she couldn't worship with her family.
00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:42.079
Couldn't go to Sunday school.
00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:43.680
Couldn't show up to the events.
00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:44.079
Why?
00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:45.200
She's unclean.
00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:48.079
Disenfranchised, disconnected.
00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:49.839
Take heart, daughter.
00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:52.079
I know your heart's busted up.
00:25:52.559 --> 00:25:53.920
I know you've broken.
00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:56.319
12 years you've been in pain.
00:25:56.640 --> 00:25:59.119
You're gonna get healed just by grabbing my robe.
00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:01.839
But I want to make sure you know I see you.
00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:04.319
See how we're talking here?
00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:05.759
Alright.
00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:07.519
Ooh, boy, we gotta hurry.
00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:10.880
Y'all, y'all, y'all talking too much, messing me up.
00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:14.079
Remember our main point?
00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:14.799
You gotta.
00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:25.359
So he finally gets to the synagogue of leader's house, raises up the dead girl, and then uh went on from there, two blind men start following him.
00:26:25.599 --> 00:26:27.440
And they're kind of they're kind of rude, bro.
00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:31.039
They go into his house that he's staying at, but he heals them.
00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:38.319
And then it says, while they were going out, another dude comes in, demon-possessed, couldn't talk, and Jesus heals him.
00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:41.359
And I love how Matthew 9 finishes.
00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:50.160
Jesus was out there preaching, and when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.
00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:54.720
And then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
00:26:54.960 --> 00:26:59.759
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:04.319
He didn't see the crowds out there and say, them dumb sheep.
00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:06.720
Bunch of crazy sickos.
00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:08.640
They need to get themselves together.
00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:10.079
He didn't do that.
00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:12.720
He recognized they got no leader.
00:27:13.359 --> 00:27:17.440
They're following a bunch of chaos, they're following a bunch of crazies.
00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:20.720
And he said they're harassed and helpless.
00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:22.799
We should go out and help them.
00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:33.200
See, because Jesus was able to look at things this way, he was able many times to see things that we just bypass the busyness of life.
00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:35.279
Have y'all started playing yet?
00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:36.400
You have?
00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:38.160
Can y'all hear any music out there?
00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:38.799
Oh, okay.
00:27:38.880 --> 00:27:40.160
Well, I just can't hear it out here.
00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:41.519
Oops, you good?
00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:43.039
Elon, you good?
00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:49.920
Hard of hearing up here.
00:27:51.759 --> 00:27:54.799
If somebody had started singing, then I would have known you heard the music.
00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:55.920
Alright.
00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:58.720
Jesus is just telling us guys.
00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:03.920
The harvest is plentiful, the workers are few.
00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:10.400
You guys are about to go out into a season when you're gonna be making some invitations.
00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:13.279
What's the worst they could do when you invite them?
00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:14.400
I ain't going.
00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:15.359
Okay.
00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:19.440
Well, what if I offend them by inviting them?
00:28:19.599 --> 00:28:23.440
Well, listen, what hell are you gonna offend them to?
00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:30.400
If they're in hell, what, hell number 23, they're in hell number seven right now, and if you invite them to the 10th revival, it's gonna push them further down?
00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:31.839
Guys, come on, man.
00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:36.799
I'm not asking you to change industries.
00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:40.240
I'm not asking you to become a vocational minister.
00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:44.240
I'm not asking you to go out on the street and do street preaching.
00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:45.680
Fine, go do it if you want to.
00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:59.839
Maybe I'm just saying, hey, as you go, as you live your life day to day, as you influence those people around you with your words, your life, and your lifestyle.
00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:03.200
Maybe you could just start seeing and seizing the opportunity.
00:29:04.720 --> 00:29:06.400
That's how I came to faith.
00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:20.319
Richie'd show up to work, he'd tell me some things about Jesus, he'd make some invites, I'd elbow him a little bit, he'd tell me about the Lord, I'd tell him about the devil, we'd play that game.
00:29:20.960 --> 00:29:22.559
He just kept showing up.
00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:27.440
And eventually, it won me over.
00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:29.440
See how that works?
00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:32.960
God wants to use you, Amarylla Fellowship.
00:29:33.680 --> 00:29:35.440
You're heading into a great season.
00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:47.680
And as this is the beginning of the fall, whether you're in school, you're in work, you're in business, wherever you go, I believe that God wants you to see and seize the opportunities.
00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:51.119
Let me pray for you.
00:29:51.359 --> 00:29:54.960
God, I thank you for this great church, this great group of people.
00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:57.200
And some of them, this is their first day.
00:29:57.839 --> 00:30:00.000
They've already found a home.
00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:04.400
Just ask the Lord.
00:30:04.640 --> 00:30:07.599
Or maybe you already know right now what he's speaking to you.
00:30:10.319 --> 00:30:11.920
What is he showing you?
00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:16.319
What is he inspiring you to do and taking a next step?
00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:27.680
Who are those lost ones that he's asking you to connect with, to invite just like Jesus did, and into some dinners, some life and lifestyle opportunities.
00:30:35.119 --> 00:30:39.599
Father, I pray that you would speak powerfully to these people in their hearts.
00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:44.400
Lord, that you would help them to start seeing and seizing these opportunities as they go.
00:30:45.519 --> 00:30:52.240
Inviting these lost people it's a bad term, but inviting these sicklos into their life and lifestyle, God.
00:30:52.319 --> 00:30:53.119
That's what you did.
00:30:54.160 --> 00:30:55.599
So help us to do the same.
00:30:56.640 --> 00:31:09.359
And as they do that, God, I'm praying for a supernatural revival of souls being saved, lives being changed, people being healed physically, mentally, and emotionally.
00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:12.160
God, do your work in and through them.
00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:16.480
And if you want that, just say, I want it.
00:31:19.279 --> 00:31:19.920
Amen.
00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:20.880
Amen.
00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:23.279
Hey, we're gonna have our prayer uh team come.
00:31:23.440 --> 00:31:25.920
I think uh if I'm saying that right, prayer elders.
00:31:26.079 --> 00:31:28.079
Let's all stand here in the place.
00:31:29.039 --> 00:31:30.720
So our prayer team is gonna come up front.
00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:41.680
If you have a need, it doesn't matter what it is, it could be emotional, it could be physical, it could be monetary, whatever it is, you have a challenge that you're facing and you're recognizing, hey, I don't want to fly so low on this.
00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:43.440
I need the Lord to help me.
00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:48.640
And and I just want to like have somebody that I can pray with and and agree with me on this.
00:31:48.880 --> 00:31:51.759
Our worship team is is gonna sing a song here.
00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:52.640
We're just gonna worship.
00:31:52.799 --> 00:32:00.240
So if you have a prayer name, why don't you come up and uh connect with one of our prayer team up here and we're gonna worship the Lord for a minute, and then I'll be right back.
00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:04.400
Good to see you.
00:00:04.959 --> 00:00:06.240
Glad to be here.
00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:11.359
I wish I wish my wife would give me a standing ovation when I walk in the room.
00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:16.559
I I feel like I feel like Melanie could learn a lot from you guys uh today.
00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:20.640
We've been uh right, Pam?
00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.960
I mean, I see you do that to Richie a lot when he shows up.
00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:27.600
You stand up, salute, and things.
00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:30.719
Uh thank you for letting me be here today.
00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:35.759
I know many of you had no idea or even a hand in that, uh, but thank you anyway.
00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:38.240
Um you did it by proxy.
00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:42.640
Uh typically I I like to travel with bodyguards, but I didn't bring them today.
00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:53.280
And then oftentimes uh I'm a I'm a little more of a complimentarian, so I think sometimes there are some roles that men should do and some roles that are more geared toward ladies.
00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:55.679
And so typically I'll don't get mad at me.
00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:56.960
I'm egalitarian too.
00:00:57.039 --> 00:00:59.600
I'm just like, dude, hands off, let God do whatever he wants.
00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:01.920
So don't some of y'all just got mad at me.
00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:05.680
Hey, my wife is more complimentarian in some things.
00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:06.799
She wants me to grill.
00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:11.200
But I I told I told Melanie early on when we got married, baby, I'm an outsourcer.
00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:15.599
And so uh if you want to grill, we're gonna have to go down to the barbecue place.
00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:17.840
Uh because I I'm not gonna be doing it.
00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:19.599
Uh so she typically grills.
00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:25.439
But that that being said, usually I'll I'll gather some dudes uh to be my bodyguards.
00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:27.920
So, like some of you guys know Graham.
00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:33.519
Uh he's a young, smallish uh guy uh uh back here, big football player.
00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:38.079
And uh usually I get a guy like him, but I found some bodyguards today.
00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:45.040
So if you don't like what I'm saying today, don't come at me because I got a row of women that'll come after you.
00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:48.480
So uh my my gals over here.
00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:50.799
Uh I'll see there's uh Pam.
00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:52.799
Pam, if you just raise your hand up.
00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:53.280
Yeah.
00:01:53.439 --> 00:02:02.159
Wait, we added one since somebody got added because I got Alice and I got Josie, Bethany, and Tammy, but we added one right here.
00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:02.959
Who is that?
00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:03.760
Tanya.
00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:04.640
Who?
00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:05.519
Tanya.
00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:06.799
Tanya?
00:02:07.280 --> 00:02:08.719
Tanya, where were you hiding?
00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:11.840
You're like the sneak attack lady, right?
00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:14.879
Okay, so that's my bodyguard role.
00:02:14.960 --> 00:02:18.400
So don't mess with me because my my lady's gonna get you.
00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:20.479
Um, but we're gonna have some fun today.
00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:24.240
Some of you uh came today and you are running to Jesus.
00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:27.039
Some of you came today, you're running from Jesus.
00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:32.080
Okay, and look, dude, uh almost every one of us in here have had those seasons.
00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:34.639
So uh you're not like an anomaly.
00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:36.319
Like nobody ever saw that before.
00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:38.400
It's it's like, no, we've been there.
00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:42.400
Uh some of you are seeking Jesus, but you hadn't found him yet.
00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:45.280
And some of you are just kind of here for the ride.
00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:49.759
Regardless of where you're at today, I just want to be an encourager to you.
00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:52.080
Uh, I'm not gonna beat you down with the word.
00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:56.080
Uh I just want to encourage you with something that I think is gonna help you.
00:02:56.240 --> 00:03:06.879
And then along the way, as I'm meeting people and stuff, I always like to meet people before I come up because I'm not I'm the special speaker, more special than speaker sometimes.
00:03:07.120 --> 00:03:15.199
So I know I gotta like make friends, so we're friends, uh, and it's not uh the expectations are a little bit different.
00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:21.280
But a lot of times as I'm meeting people, I feel like the Lord's giving me words of encouragement along the way.
00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:35.280
And uh even today, uh I was thinking, Graham, when I when I first uh shook your hand this morning, I'm thinking this is a message for that dude because God's gonna put you in places that a lot of other people are not gonna have the opportunity to be in.
00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:41.039
And because of that, you're gonna see things that other people aren't gonna be able to see.
00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:43.280
And it's gonna be supernatural.
00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:49.120
And I just, man, I felt like uh, you know, here's here's the hard thing.
00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:50.719
You can't coach size.
00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:57.039
It's like I wanted to be a bigger dude, but you can't coach size, you know, you just gotta go with what you what you got.
00:03:57.680 --> 00:04:04.400
But if somebody's got size and they got coachability, they're gonna have lots of opportunities, and that seems like that's probably what's happening for you.
00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:15.520
And I just want to encourage you that I believe this message is is a word for now uh for you and in the coming days in the next couple of years, it's gonna be really awesome if you if you can receive that.
00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:21.839
And and by the way, if I ever say something to you and it doesn't seem like it's connecting, uh just go, man, bless his heart.
00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:24.720
He sure tried, you know, just do something like that.
00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:27.759
And then and then I got my good friend Casey.
00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:30.319
Uh uh, she's one of the front row Joes.
00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:37.199
And I was just thinking, you know, uh, you got some spiciness that you've navigated through uh in your short life.
00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:51.199
Not not at old, but I feel like that maybe the Lord's setting you up for some cool things that are specifically connected to this message today and some opportunities that are coming if you'll just see them and seize them, and uh and you can trust the Lord.
00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:52.079
He loves you very much.
00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:54.480
He's very mindful of you, uh by the way.
00:04:54.720 --> 00:05:03.439
And as strong and awesome and cool as you are, uh he also even gets past that and just says, Hey, baby, I got you.
00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:06.639
I'm your dad and I love you, and he's he's with you.
00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:09.279
Mitchell, good to see you.
00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:11.439
Doug, good to see you.
00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:14.399
I got a lot of friends in here, so I'm serious, dude.
00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:16.639
You don't want to mess with me, so don't start throwing tomatoes.
00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:18.000
Got Robert over here.
00:05:18.319 --> 00:05:19.759
All right, good job.
00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:21.519
Caleb, that was good singing today.
00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:23.759
I thought you sang really well today on the mic.
00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:24.959
Uh Caden, you did good.
00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:26.879
Twinkling on the keyboard over there.
00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:30.959
And Alon, you you did, you did good as well.
00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:34.079
Uh Neil back there playing the drums.
00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:38.000
Uh Amaris, Ameris is a she's she's a high jumper.
00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:40.399
I don't know if you saw that, but she's a high jumper.
00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:44.480
I love you guys.
00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:49.759
Okay, uh anyone ever heard of time management?
00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:53.279
I mean, you heard people talk about it, right?
00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:54.959
Time management.
00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:56.560
Well, it's a lie.
00:05:57.040 --> 00:05:59.920
Uh I'm sorry, but you cannot manage time.
00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:04.720
You just can't, second by second, those those things are ticking away moment by moment.
00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:06.079
They're passing by you.
00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:12.720
So you can manage time, but what you can manage is what you do with the opportunities within the time that you're given.
00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:15.439
So time management is kind of a fantasy.
00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:19.279
But opportunity management, that's a reality.
00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:23.920
And everyone here today can be an expert at opportunity management.
00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:28.879
Now, here's what's crazy some of you parents are thinking about your kids right now, and you're going, oh no, they can't.
00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:30.480
Oh no, they can't.
00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:33.600
Some of the kids are thinking about your parents, you go, oh no.
00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:39.439
But I'm telling you right now, as a follower of Jesus, you can become an expert at opportunity management.
00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:43.439
And it's nice to be able to have an opportunity to be an expert really at anything.
00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:49.120
And God's word has a whole bunch to say about this topic today.
00:06:49.279 --> 00:06:50.800
And so here's what I want to do.
00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:56.399
I know we've been like sitting down, standing up, sitting down and standing up, and we're only gonna do it about five more times today.
00:06:56.639 --> 00:06:59.439
But if you are capable, could you stand with me?
00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:02.720
And I want us to read the word together or say the word together.
00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:04.800
They're gonna bring it up on the screen.
00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:09.680
Now, I just want to give you, let you know up front, we're gonna be standing for about two or three minutes.
00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:14.560
Okay, so if if you if you got a rage quit, then you can sit down when you need to.
00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:16.160
So let's read this together.
00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:20.639
This is Ephesians chapter 5, verse 15 and 16.
00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:23.199
Be very careful then.
00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:27.279
Okay, now hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, bruh.
00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:30.959
Uh how many of y'all can read?
00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:33.360
Okay, people ain't scared.
00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:35.680
Lisa, people ain't scared if you read out loud.
00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:41.920
Okay, I just my my my friend Lisa back there, she's very quiet and unassuming.
00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:43.759
I just all right, just go strong.
00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:44.319
Go strong.
00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:46.000
Remember, you're the boss of the row back there.
00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:46.959
Let's go.
00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:48.800
Okay, here we go.
00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:49.600
Here we go.
00:07:49.839 --> 00:07:50.879
Ready, set?
00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:58.800
Be very careful then how you live, not as unwise, but as wise.
00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:04.480
Making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.
00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:07.439
Now, making the most of every opportunity is not easy.
00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:12.480
As I look back over my time as a dad, and I'm still a dad, I got three kids, four grandkids.
00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:16.720
I realized there were some times I didn't really make the most of every opportunity.
00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:19.199
Because, man, you got the tyranny of the urgent, dude.
00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:20.079
It's all around you.
00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:23.519
We are busy people, and technology has not helped us.
00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:24.720
They lied.
00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:29.199
It has not made life easier, it's made life harder and more difficult.
00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:31.040
And there's just all this busyness.
00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:34.480
I love how the King James Version, some of y'all King James only people.
00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:36.639
Okay, so I'm gonna do a little King James here.
00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:41.200
In the King James Version, it says, Redeem every opportunity.
00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:44.720
So it's almost like you're making a trade, you're making an exchange.
00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:50.399
Think about it in this way you're exchanging a moment of time for something timeless.
00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:52.960
That's the idea here.
00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:55.759
All right, let's bring us brings us to the next passage.
00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:58.480
This is the last passage, and then we're gonna sit down here in a moment.
00:08:58.720 --> 00:08:59.279
Here we go.
00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:00.480
One, two, three.
00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:07.759
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that winneth souls is wise.
00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:10.000
Another head nod to the King James people.
00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:12.399
Now, winneth is not a passive word.
00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:15.360
Now, I know y'all probably ain't be using that word as much.
00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:18.080
You're not walking around talking about winneth, okay?
00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:22.000
Uh, especially if you've been a cowboy fan for a lot of years.
00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:24.320
So, huh?
00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:26.960
What happened?
00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:29.679
What happened?
00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:40.399
So, it's not like winneth isn't this word where you're sitting on your couch uh hoping for the win, but but but not being able to do anything about it.
00:09:40.639 --> 00:09:45.360
This idea of winneth, it it's it's more about taking, it's about capturing.
00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:53.039
But it's not going out at the hardest time of the night to the deepest, darkest place in Amarillo and trying to win souls.
00:09:53.679 --> 00:09:55.279
And I've done that and I'm not mad at that.
00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:57.039
If you want to do that, that's fine.
00:09:57.200 --> 00:09:59.759
But that's not what this passage is talking about.
00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:02.080
Because you know, we're gonna go soul winning.
00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:04.639
Been praying in the Holy Ghost, we're gonna go soul winning.
00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:06.240
That's not what this is saying.
00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:14.639
The the concept here is that you win someone over through the influence of your words, your life, and your lifestyle.
00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:16.320
See how different that is?
00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:21.840
And us evangelicals, you know, Holy Ghost churches, it's all about the moment.
00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:24.320
You know, we gotta win souls, gotta win souls.
00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:25.200
You're right.
00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:29.039
But you can't win somebody that God hadn't set up to be one.
00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:38.000
And so what you gotta be doing in this passage is thinking about how are my words, my life, and my lifestyle winning people over.
00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:41.759
That's the wise way you get after soul winning.
00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:42.399
All right?
00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:46.080
Okay, cool.
00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:52.960
All right, so if we take both of these passages together, I'm gonna do the Mark Brewer Simpleton amplification.
00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:53.440
Okay?
00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:56.159
The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life.
00:10:56.399 --> 00:11:01.120
He that wineth souls is wise, and so be very careful how you live.
00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:13.919
Not as the unwise just caring about yourself and your own little game, but as the wise looking for ways to influence and win over people with your words, your life, and your lifestyle.
00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:15.039
Why?
00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:19.600
Well, because the days are evil and the days are not set up for those good things to happen.
00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:20.480
Let me pray for you.
00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:22.879
God, thank you for this group of people that are here.
00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:34.799
And regardless of why they showed up, I know that your spirit is here to speak to them, encourage them, and it may even be that some of them are gonna be won over by your words and your spirit today.
00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:37.039
We thank you for it in Jesus' name.
00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:37.840
Amen.
00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:39.679
Cool, well, sit down.
00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:45.759
How many of us have a schedule for the week?
00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:50.720
You got your calendar all set up, everything put in the right order.
00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:52.480
I've been trying to teach this to my kids.
00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:55.120
I'm like, bro, how do you live without a calendar?
00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:56.960
I'm like, I don't understand it.
00:11:57.039 --> 00:11:59.120
Who would want to keep all that stuff in their mind?
00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:00.879
But they tried, they tried.
00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:02.799
So you got some plans this week?
00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:04.480
Anybody got plans this week?
00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:07.039
You ever had that schedule get blown up?
00:12:07.919 --> 00:12:10.080
Where you got the plans and then it gets blown up?
00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:11.840
Dude, we have been in that season.
00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:17.039
Uh hey, uh, Pastor Richie, have you have you ever said crap up here?
00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:18.240
So I can say that?
00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:22.639
Bro, this week has been a crap show for my family.
00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:24.399
Lord.
00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:27.600
I was just I'm thankful to even just be here.
00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:28.879
You ever had that?
00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:34.960
Uh you know, the Bible says that God will use the foolish to confound the wise.
00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:41.919
I think in my in my experience and in my life, it's like God will use the Jerry Springer family to confound the wise.
00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:44.240
Like that's that's my family.
00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:46.240
Lord, it's been hard, man.
00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:48.000
I'm so thankful to your pastors.
00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:54.720
They just loved me yesterday and made it easy for me to make the transition into being here and just so caring.
00:12:54.879 --> 00:12:58.399
If you're new to the church, by the way, you found a great place.
00:12:58.639 --> 00:12:59.840
So keep coming back.
00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:02.639
You got great pastors, great leaders here.
00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:10.399
Yeah, one of the greatest lessons we can learn from Jesus is that you're gonna often have your plans interrupted.
00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:11.519
Okay?
00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:17.919
In fact, if you go back and read the scriptures now, we're gonna go through a lot of scriptures today in Matthew chapter 9.
00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:20.559
If you want to go ahead and turn to your Bible, we're gonna be there together.
00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:24.159
Uh, some of you are gonna be in scripture overload, more scriptures than you've read in a year.
00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:25.600
It's okay, God's gonna help you.
00:13:25.840 --> 00:13:31.120
If you need resuscitation, we've we've got uh we've got some things available for you.
00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:36.960
But as we read today, you're gonna realize Jesus actually lived a life of interruptions.
00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:38.879
He had plans.
00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:41.200
He had, I mean, who had bigger plans than Jesus?
00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:45.519
Who had bigger things that he was gonna be doing, but he was constantly dealing with interruptions.
00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:49.840
So if you're living a life of interruptions, how many of y'all live in a life of interruptions?
00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:52.080
You got interruptions, you're like Jesus.
00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:54.639
Look at that, just like that, you're like Jesus.
00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:57.279
Some of you are more like Jesus than you thought.
00:13:57.519 --> 00:14:01.519
But don't get haughty, because I didn't say in everything, I'm just talking about the interruptions part.
00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:11.200
If we're following him, though, it's not just about accepting the interruptions, it's about seizing the opportunities.
00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:13.279
It's about seeing these.
00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:14.799
And that brings us to our main point.
00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:20.639
So along the way, we're gonna say this main point together, kind of lock it in, wrote memory uh memory type stuff here.
00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:22.960
So here's the main point today.
00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:24.080
Let's look at it.
00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:29.679
You gotta see and seize the opportunity in a life of interruptions.
00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:31.519
All right, so we're gonna say that together.
00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:32.639
Only count of three.
00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:33.919
One, two, three.
00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:38.879
See and seize the opportunity in a life of interruptions.
00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:47.440
Now, I'm not gonna make you say that whole phrase the rest of the service, so you could just say, anytime I say main point, you just say see and seize.
00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:49.039
All right, so we're gonna practice it.
00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:49.919
Main point.
00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:51.039
C and C's.
00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:51.840
Yeah.
00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:57.440
Okay, I feel like I feel like uh, Carrie, I don't know if you if you said it.
00:14:57.519 --> 00:14:59.600
I it looked like you were down there writing notes, bro.
00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:00.399
Okay.
00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:07.039
Some of you people, you're encouragable, but I'm patient and I'm gonna keep helping you.
00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:17.360
So as you'll see today in this passage, these passages we're looking at some of Jesus' greatest miracles were interruptions to plans that he was already on the way to do.
00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:23.600
And that's why, main point, yeah, you gotta see and seize.
00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:26.559
Alright, so let's do a little timeout here.
00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:29.759
Who are the lost people in your life?
00:15:31.120 --> 00:15:32.320
Think for a moment.
00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:38.879
Who are those lost and confused people in your life, your family, your friends?
00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:46.240
People at work, the people at school, Gabriel, who are the ones?
00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:54.080
Who are those people that the Bible talks about, the ones that are needing healing, the ones that need Jesus, the ones that just generally need help?
00:15:54.240 --> 00:15:56.080
Like I want you to see them in your mind.
00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:57.600
Who are those people?
00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:08.080
Because when Jesus is seeing and seizing the opportunities, it wasn't about getting likes, it wasn't about notoriety, okay?
00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:17.840
It wasn't about uh somebody showing up on his Instagram-y or his Facebook-y, it was about people, and specifically lost people.
00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:28.320
When you see that he is seizing these moments, these opportunities, when he's trading a moment of time for something timeless, it's always about people.
00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:30.720
So that's the premise here today.
00:16:31.039 --> 00:16:33.600
Hurting people, confused people.
00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:35.200
And I know you're busy.
00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:37.279
Just look at your friend and say, I'm busy.
00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:40.159
Some of you didn't look at anybody because you don't have any friends.
00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:40.639
It's okay.
00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:42.799
Today you have a friend in Jesus.
00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:52.240
I always feel like I need to take Pam with me on the road because she giggles at everything I say, even if it's dumb.
00:16:52.559 --> 00:16:53.840
This is very endearing.
00:16:53.919 --> 00:16:54.320
Thank you.
00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:55.679
Thank you, Sister Pam.
00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:59.840
All right, well, here's what I'm not trying to do today.
00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:04.880
I'm not trying to get you to say yes to another big block of evangelizing.
00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:05.359
Okay?
00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:07.359
I'm not asking you to do that.
00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:18.160
Instead, what I'm just asking you to do is get your head up a little bit, and as you go along in your day-to-day life, just start seeing and seizing those moments.
00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:21.920
Trading those moments of time in for something timeless.
00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:29.680
Matthew chapter 9 is a great uh picture of this way of living, seeing and seizing the opportunity in this life of interruption.
00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:43.039
So we're gonna, if you want to open your Bible, if you want to open up your Bible app, if you don't have a Bible app or a Bible, scoot over by somebody that does, because I'd like for you to be able to look at the word as well to uh confirm that I'm not just making stuff up up here.
00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:44.640
All right, we got 12 minutes.
00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:46.079
Can y'all hang on 12 minutes?
00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:47.359
All right.
00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:55.119
Chapter 1 of Matthew, uh, or chapter 9 of Matthew, verse 1, Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over, and came to his own town.
00:17:55.359 --> 00:17:57.440
He'd been doing a lot of churchy work out there.
00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:00.400
And some men brought to him a paralyzed man lying on a mat.
00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:04.640
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven.
00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:05.920
There's some other stuff that happens.
00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:09.200
There's a parallel passage in Luke 5 about this story.
00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:11.680
And Luke 5 gives us a little more detail.
00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:14.880
Basically, they showed up to the house, but it was overcrowded.
00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:16.160
People couldn't get in.
00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:20.160
Everybody was trying to show up and get a little time with this Jesus dude.
00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:23.759
So these friends show up, but they're late to the party.
00:18:23.839 --> 00:18:30.400
And it's understandable, bro, when you're carrying a dude on a mat walking through the street, you're not gonna be the first one to the party.
00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:41.839
So they show up a little bit late, and instead of just waiting for Jesus to get done and saying hey to him, they decide to take matters into their own hands and see and seize an opportunity.
00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:47.440
So they go up on the roof, they cut a hole in the roof, and they drop this dude down in front of Jesus.
00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:53.839
Now I know we say these stories, but we don't really understand sometimes how outlandish that is.
00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:56.559
That's crazy, right?
00:18:57.039 --> 00:18:58.160
Crazy town.
00:18:58.400 --> 00:18:59.440
Think about it.
00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:01.359
They busted a hole in the roof.
00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:06.240
I mean, they have no, they have no uh church culture etiquette.
00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:14.000
Because even look, even the unbeliever knows you don't bust a hole in someone's roof and then lower a body down in front of the special speaker.
00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:21.279
Even if the speaker's more special than speaker, it's still you still don't do that kind of stuff.
00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:24.079
And I just love their and their audacity here.
00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:34.640
See, these boys and Jesus knew our main point that you gotta so other stuff happens here, and I'm not gonna hit all the details.
00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:35.519
We don't have time for that.
00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:39.039
I'm just hitting the highlights connected to what we're talking about today.
00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:40.720
Then we move on to verse 9.
00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:43.039
As Jesus went on from there, he saw.
00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:44.319
So what did he do?
00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:45.759
Uh-huh.
00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:48.880
He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth.
00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:51.920
Follow me, he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:54.640
So he saw this guy.
00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:57.519
Jesus had something he was going to do.
00:19:57.599 --> 00:19:58.960
He wasn't head down.
00:19:59.519 --> 00:19:59.839
Okay?
00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:03.440
He always had head up on a swivel looking for the opportunity.
00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:09.599
And he didn't see Matthew and think, man, that dude's there at the booth every day, but I got a lot of churchy business stuff I got to take care of right now.
00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:13.200
But because I know he's there every day, I'll just come back in a few days.
00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:15.359
And if he's still there, then I'll say something to him.
00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:17.519
That's one of our favorite churchy things to do.
00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:18.000
Right?
00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:19.440
Y'all ever done that before?
00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:20.960
Or you pray the prayer.
00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:29.119
You know somebody on your road just raised their hand to receive Jesus or they need healing or something, and you're like, bro, I hope somebody on our row helps them.
00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:32.160
Because I got to get to the McDonald's.
00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:35.039
That line at the McDonald's is long, dude.
00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:38.400
You know, we do that kind of stuff.
00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:40.799
So he calls him this guy.
00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:42.000
This is what's funny too.
00:20:42.079 --> 00:20:43.759
We're in we're in Matthew's book.
00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:49.200
So Matthew writes a book, but he doesn't even show up till the tenth chapter, ninth chapter here.
00:20:50.079 --> 00:20:51.519
So I guess something happened.
00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:52.640
They ended up going to his house.
00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:59.440
Verse 10, while Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.
00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:01.119
So then the Pharisees show up.
00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:05.599
You ever had those friends or non-friends that show up to your events uninvited?
00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:06.880
Just like that.
00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:14.240
So they got a party going on, the sinners and the tax collectors, and then these Pharisees show up and they start badmouthing Jesus.
00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:16.160
Well, here's why they're badmouthing him.
00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:17.759
He's hanging out with the sickos.
00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:21.920
Now, here's the trick move.
00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:24.799
So I'm not going to like Jesus juke you too much.
00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:30.079
There was no group of people that were more sick than the tax collectors and the sinners.
00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:34.799
So I want you to think about all the people you think are sickos in our world.
00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:47.359
All the ones they're seeing on the news, all the ones you're seeing on your little conservative websites, all the ones that you know see the videos that you're following on your Instagram and you getting mad in your heart.
00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:49.119
I can't believe them sickos.
00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:51.920
We have to be careful.
00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:55.440
Because that's the exact people that Jesus was having dinner parties with.
00:21:58.079 --> 00:21:59.759
Why do you think the religious people were telling?
00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:00.799
Off at him.
00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:02.640
Call him in into question.
00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:05.519
Why are you reclining and hanging out with the sickos?
00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:08.079
So Jesus says this.
00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:13.680
He saw the opportunity and he seized the opportunity.
00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:17.200
It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick.
00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:19.039
Go and learn what this means.
00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:21.440
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:25.759
For I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners.
00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:31.839
If Jesus came to call the sickos, we might want to be about that business as well.
00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:37.279
And we might even want to ask ourselves, how many dinner parties are we hosting for the sickos?
00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:47.759
I don't want to even, I don't even want to entertain and try to describe the people we're talking about because the categories are out there.
00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:48.880
Let me tell you something.
00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:52.240
Why are we so surprised about what sinners do?
00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:53.440
Guess what sinners do?
00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:56.960
They why are we surprised about that?
00:22:57.839 --> 00:23:02.240
I know we get all in our world sometimes and get real political.
00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:07.279
Let me tell you something, there's a bigger game at stake right now than our political parties.
00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:09.839
Their souls hanging in the balance.
00:23:10.319 --> 00:23:16.480
And those sickos out there are on their way to hell unless we start bringing them into the dinner parties.
00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:21.200
And look, I can say sickoes because I was a sicko.
00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:25.440
And I'm on the verge of being a sicko, except that the grace of God is covering me.
00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:28.480
Alright, don't get mad at me.
00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:33.039
Then he goes on and he's teaching.
00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:34.480
We're down in verse 18 now.
00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:38.799
So he's teaching about uh fasting because he's got some people asking him some questions.
00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:41.440
So while, oh, there it is, six minutes.
00:23:41.599 --> 00:23:46.079
While he was saying this, so he's doing something already while he was saying this.
00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:47.440
Oh yeah.
00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:50.720
Y'all a little bit late, y'all supposed to come up at seven minutes.
00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:54.319
That's why, that's why I had to look at the clock again.
00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:56.799
Slow playing back there, drinking your latte.
00:23:58.400 --> 00:23:58.880
Caden.
00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:03.440
You gotta watch these people, man.
00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:06.319
Brown clan.
00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:07.359
All right.
00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:15.039
So while he was saying this, the synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, My daughter has just died, but come and put your hand on her and she will live.
00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:17.680
Jesus got up and he went with him, so did his disciples.
00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:23.279
The Bible sometimes like it like shrinks things down to such small statements.
00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:24.000
That's big.
00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:25.759
The dude's daughter just died.
00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:27.759
Holy smokes.
00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:35.839
But Jesus can't hardly even get out on the street before he gets interrupted again by a woman with an issue of blood.
00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:37.440
She'd been bleeding for 12 years.
00:24:37.519 --> 00:24:43.519
She came up behind him, touched the edge of his cloak, said to herself, If only I touch his cloak, I'll be healed.
00:24:43.839 --> 00:24:45.119
Jesus turned.
00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:48.079
Notice, there's a dead woman.
00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:51.039
They're on their way to raise the dead woman.
00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:52.880
Time is of the essence.
00:24:54.160 --> 00:24:54.480
Okay?
00:24:54.720 --> 00:24:56.160
Body's getting cold.
00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:58.960
Rigamortis coming in.
00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:03.519
Guys, there's stuff happening.
00:25:03.759 --> 00:25:09.200
And then you got this crazy lady been bleeding for 12 years, grabbing on his robe as he's walking through the streets.
00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:14.480
She already had the faith to be healed, but I love what Jesus did.
00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:16.720
The Bible says he turned.
00:25:17.759 --> 00:25:22.480
Have you ever heard people talk about, man, that I love that person because they see me.
00:25:23.119 --> 00:25:24.640
This is what's happening.
00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:30.000
He turned and he saw her and goes, hey, daughter.
00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:35.839
You got to remember, a lady been bleeding for 12 years.
00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:37.519
She couldn't hang out at the synagogue.
00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:40.400
12 years she couldn't worship with her family.
00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:42.079
Couldn't go to Sunday school.
00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:43.680
Couldn't show up to the events.
00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:44.079
Why?
00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:45.200
She's unclean.
00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:48.079
Disenfranchised, disconnected.
00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:49.839
Take heart, daughter.
00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:52.079
I know your heart's busted up.
00:25:52.559 --> 00:25:53.920
I know you've broken.
00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:56.319
12 years you've been in pain.
00:25:56.640 --> 00:25:59.119
You're gonna get healed just by grabbing my robe.
00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:01.839
But I want to make sure you know I see you.
00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:04.319
See how we're talking here?
00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:05.759
Alright.
00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:07.519
Ooh, boy, we gotta hurry.
00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:10.880
Y'all, y'all, y'all talking too much, messing me up.
00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:14.079
Remember our main point?
00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:14.799
You gotta.
00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:25.359
So he finally gets to the synagogue of leader's house, raises up the dead girl, and then uh went on from there, two blind men start following him.
00:26:25.599 --> 00:26:27.440
And they're kind of they're kind of rude, bro.
00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:31.039
They go into his house that he's staying at, but he heals them.
00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:38.319
And then it says, while they were going out, another dude comes in, demon-possessed, couldn't talk, and Jesus heals him.
00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:41.359
And I love how Matthew 9 finishes.
00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:50.160
Jesus was out there preaching, and when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.
00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:54.720
And then he said to his disciples, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
00:26:54.960 --> 00:26:59.759
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:04.319
He didn't see the crowds out there and say, them dumb sheep.
00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:06.720
Bunch of crazy sickos.
00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:08.640
They need to get themselves together.
00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:10.079
He didn't do that.
00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:12.720
He recognized they got no leader.
00:27:13.359 --> 00:27:17.440
They're following a bunch of chaos, they're following a bunch of crazies.
00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:20.720
And he said they're harassed and helpless.
00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:22.799
We should go out and help them.
00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:33.200
See, because Jesus was able to look at things this way, he was able many times to see things that we just bypass the busyness of life.
00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:35.279
Have y'all started playing yet?
00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:36.400
You have?
00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:38.160
Can y'all hear any music out there?
00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:38.799
Oh, okay.
00:27:38.880 --> 00:27:40.160
Well, I just can't hear it out here.
00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:41.519
Oops, you good?
00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:43.039
Elon, you good?
00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:49.920
Hard of hearing up here.
00:27:51.759 --> 00:27:54.799
If somebody had started singing, then I would have known you heard the music.
00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:55.920
Alright.
00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:58.720
Jesus is just telling us guys.
00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:03.920
The harvest is plentiful, the workers are few.
00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:10.400
You guys are about to go out into a season when you're gonna be making some invitations.
00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:13.279
What's the worst they could do when you invite them?
00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:14.400
I ain't going.
00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:15.359
Okay.
00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:19.440
Well, what if I offend them by inviting them?
00:28:19.599 --> 00:28:23.440
Well, listen, what hell are you gonna offend them to?
00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:30.400
If they're in hell, what, hell number 23, they're in hell number seven right now, and if you invite them to the 10th revival, it's gonna push them further down?
00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:31.839
Guys, come on, man.
00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:36.799
I'm not asking you to change industries.
00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:40.240
I'm not asking you to become a vocational minister.
00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:44.240
I'm not asking you to go out on the street and do street preaching.
00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:45.680
Fine, go do it if you want to.
00:28:47.200 --> 00:28:59.839
Maybe I'm just saying, hey, as you go, as you live your life day to day, as you influence those people around you with your words, your life, and your lifestyle.
00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:03.200
Maybe you could just start seeing and seizing the opportunity.
00:29:04.720 --> 00:29:06.400
That's how I came to faith.
00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:20.319
Richie'd show up to work, he'd tell me some things about Jesus, he'd make some invites, I'd elbow him a little bit, he'd tell me about the Lord, I'd tell him about the devil, we'd play that game.
00:29:20.960 --> 00:29:22.559
He just kept showing up.
00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:27.440
And eventually, it won me over.
00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:29.440
See how that works?
00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:32.960
God wants to use you, Amarylla Fellowship.
00:29:33.680 --> 00:29:35.440
You're heading into a great season.
00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:47.680
And as this is the beginning of the fall, whether you're in school, you're in work, you're in business, wherever you go, I believe that God wants you to see and seize the opportunities.
00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:51.119
Let me pray for you.
00:29:51.359 --> 00:29:54.960
God, I thank you for this great church, this great group of people.
00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:57.200
And some of them, this is their first day.
00:29:57.839 --> 00:30:00.000
They've already found a home.
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Just ask the Lord.
00:30:04.640 --> 00:30:07.599
Or maybe you already know right now what he's speaking to you.
00:30:10.319 --> 00:30:11.920
What is he showing you?
00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:16.319
What is he inspiring you to do and taking a next step?
00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:27.680
Who are those lost ones that he's asking you to connect with, to invite just like Jesus did, and into some dinners, some life and lifestyle opportunities.
00:30:35.119 --> 00:30:39.599
Father, I pray that you would speak powerfully to these people in their hearts.
00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:44.400
Lord, that you would help them to start seeing and seizing these opportunities as they go.
00:30:45.519 --> 00:30:52.240
Inviting these lost people it's a bad term, but inviting these sicklos into their life and lifestyle, God.
00:30:52.319 --> 00:30:53.119
That's what you did.
00:30:54.160 --> 00:30:55.599
So help us to do the same.
00:30:56.640 --> 00:31:09.359
And as they do that, God, I'm praying for a supernatural revival of souls being saved, lives being changed, people being healed physically, mentally, and emotionally.
00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:12.160
God, do your work in and through them.
00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:16.480
And if you want that, just say, I want it.
00:31:19.279 --> 00:31:19.920
Amen.
00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:20.880
Amen.
00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:23.279
Hey, we're gonna have our prayer uh team come.
00:31:23.440 --> 00:31:25.920
I think uh if I'm saying that right, prayer elders.
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Let's all stand here in the place.
00:31:29.039 --> 00:31:30.720
So our prayer team is gonna come up front.
00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:41.680
If you have a need, it doesn't matter what it is, it could be emotional, it could be physical, it could be monetary, whatever it is, you have a challenge that you're facing and you're recognizing, hey, I don't want to fly so low on this.
00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:43.440
I need the Lord to help me.
00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:48.640
And and I just want to like have somebody that I can pray with and and agree with me on this.
00:31:48.880 --> 00:31:51.759
Our worship team is is gonna sing a song here.
00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:52.640
We're just gonna worship.
00:31:52.799 --> 00:32:00.240
So if you have a prayer name, why don't you come up and uh connect with one of our prayer team up here and we're gonna worship the Lord for a minute, and then I'll be right back.
