Speaker 1: How many of you guys are excited about being in church this morning.
Speaker 1: God is good.
Speaker 1: We are here today.
Speaker 1: Today is a very important day because today is day 21 of our 21 day of prayer and fasting that we've been observing here at Connect Church in Longview.
Speaker 1: Now here's the good news connect church in long view.
Speaker 1: Now here's the good news Even if you're just hearing about this for the very first time, you can still participate in prayer and fasting, even though we're coming at the end of our 21 days.
Speaker 1: Even if you want to start fresh, or if you're in the middle of it or at the end of it and you want to continue on, it's okay.
Speaker 1: God's not going to be mad because you're in the middle of it or at the end of it and you want to continue on, it's okay.
Speaker 1: God's not going to be mad because you're taking time to fast and pray.
Speaker 1: Amen.
Speaker 1: If you're here with us by the internet, we want to say welcome.
Speaker 1: I want to say thank you for all of you guys for being here this morning.
Speaker 1: Today, I want to share a message with you that I have entitled Focus.
Speaker 1: I want to start out today by giving you a definition for the word focus.
Speaker 1: Focus is defined as a point of concentration or directed attention, adjustment for distinct vision, a clear image.
Speaker 1: How many of you know it's a good thing to be able to see clearly?
Speaker 1: Amen.
Speaker 1: Now, there have been times in my life where things seem to be a little out of focus.
Speaker 1: Maybe there were some circumstances, maybe some situations that just appeared to be a little bit fuzzy, a little bit cloudy and no, it's not because I enjoyed communion, just a little too much, okay.
Speaker 1: There are times when life around us isn't clear, or at least it has been with me.
Speaker 1: Now, me personally, I have to wear corrective lenses to be able to see clearly.
Speaker 1: Without these corrective lenses, I am considered legally blind.
Speaker 1: Okay, how many of you know that's not a good place to be?
Speaker 1: Okay, now, but with the corrective lenses, I am able to see clearly.
Speaker 1: I just need a little assistance from either my glasses or my contacts, and I'm very grateful that God has made it to where these things are available to me.
Speaker 1: In the world that we live in today, how many of you know, it's easy to lose focus on the things that matter the most.
Speaker 1: Easy to lose focus on the things that matter the most.
Speaker 1: It can be difficult to know which area of life I need to really focus on.
Speaker 1: For me, I often feel like that clown at the circus who's spinning plates.
Speaker 1: Y'all ever seen that?
Speaker 1: Maybe, if you haven't seen it in real life, maybe you've seen it in a movie, or if you're like me, years ago, when I was in clown school, I actually got to learn how to spin the plates, which was kind of cool.
Speaker 1: But you get one plate spinning, then the next one, then the next one, then the next one.
Speaker 1: It's pretty cool to look at.
Speaker 1: But then all of a sudden you look back and that plate that you started with has got a little wobble to it, so you've got to run over there and get that sucker going again.
Speaker 1: And then, while you're over here, focused on this, you're concentrating on this you look back whew, that's spinning good.
Speaker 1: Oh, here's plate number two.
Speaker 1: Oh, and plate number three.
Speaker 1: How many of you know, after a certain amount of time that can get a little bit tiring.
Speaker 1: It can become flat out exhausting.
Speaker 1: And all of a sudden you find yourself dual tasking.
Speaker 1: Anyone in here ever tried dual tasking?
Speaker 1: I have a hard time single tasking.
Speaker 1: Okay, you know we're talking about focus today.
Speaker 1: There are times that I have trouble focusing on the one task that I have in front of me, much less trying to do two or three things at the same time.
Speaker 1: That's just me.
Speaker 1: But see, here's the thing After a certain amount of time, we're going to get tired.
Speaker 1: Anybody ever been tired, okay.
Speaker 1: Then, all of a sudden, you're going to look up and there's not going to be one plate wobbling, there's not going to be two plates wobbling.
Speaker 1: All the plates have started to wobble.
Speaker 1: How many of you know that's not a good place to be in.
Speaker 1: It's not a good place.
Speaker 1: Then, all of a sudden, that plate starts to fall and you ask yourself is it going to crack?
Speaker 1: Is it going to break?
Speaker 1: Is it just going to straight up, shatter?
Speaker 1: I've had seasons where it's been all of these.
Speaker 1: And here's the thing we don't intend for the plates to fall, but there's only so much we can do.
Speaker 1: Sooner or later the plates will fall, and when they do, it seems like all I can focus on is this plate that has fallen and I lose focus on the ones that are wobbling.
Speaker 1: And then, all of a sudden, I hear a thunk or I hear a crash, and I look around and all my plates are laying on the ground.
Speaker 1: How many of you know, that's a sad day and it seems that more often than not, when those times happen, I find myself really losing focus.
Speaker 1: If you have a Bible, turn with me to Colossians, chapter 3.
Speaker 1: We're going to look at the first two verses here, colossians, chapter 3.
Speaker 1: And I'm going to be reading out of the New Living Translation.
Speaker 1: It says this Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven.
Speaker 1: Where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand, think about the things of heaven, not the things of the earth.
Speaker 1: So we have a part we're going to be playing.
Speaker 1: What are we going to be focused on?
Speaker 1: Verse 2 tells us that we are to be about thinking about, focused on things of heaven, not things of the earth.
Speaker 1: We should focus on heaven.
Speaker 1: The things of heaven should be our point of concentration or directed attention.
Speaker 1: We need to make adjustments for that distinct vision so that we can have a clear vision of the path that God wants us to take.
Speaker 1: How many of you know that?
Speaker 1: From time to time we need some adjustments.
Speaker 1: If you've ever had any kind of back problems.
Speaker 1: You know that going to the chiropractor, he'll do a lot of popping and creaking and creaking and popping, trying to get things lined back up.
Speaker 1: Okay, why?
Speaker 1: Because we operate best when things are lined up.
Speaker 1: Kind of makes sense, doesn't it?
Speaker 1: We need to realize that life is not a game.
Speaker 1: We all have a certain amount of time here on this earth, and only God knows how much that time is for each of us.
Speaker 1: We need to make the most of the time that we have.
Speaker 1: So when we look over at Romans, chapter 8, verses 5 and 6, this is what it says those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about the things that please the Spirit.
Speaker 1: So, letting your sinful nature control your minds leads to death, but letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
Speaker 1: Okay, sinful thoughts, sinful focus, lead to death.
Speaker 1: I don't like that option.
Speaker 1: Okay, when I allow the Holy Spirit to control my mind, when I stay heaven focused, this leads to life and peace.
Speaker 1: This leads to life and peace.
Speaker 1: Guys, that's a twofer Two for the price of one.
Speaker 1: I get life and I get peace.
Speaker 1: Anyone here this morning can use a little peace in your life.
Speaker 1: Anybody could use a little calm.
Speaker 1: Amen, peace and calm, that's a good thing.
Speaker 1: So then here's the question what are you focused on?
Speaker 1: What is your life goal?
Speaker 1: The question we all have to ask ourselves is this Am I going to live my life all about me, or am I going to live my life following the things that God wants me to do of my life?
Speaker 1: Following the things that God wants me to do?
Speaker 1: Sometimes those line up, sometimes they don't.
Speaker 1: Which path are you going to choose?
Speaker 1: It's a choice that we all have to make, and here's the thing that I have to ask myself Do I really believe that God has my best interest at heart when he's telling me to do X, y or Z?
Speaker 1: Y'all can just kind of fill in the blanks there.
Speaker 1: For whatever it is that you feel like God's asking you to do or telling you to do, I often well, actually too often find myself looking out for number one.
Speaker 1: Often find myself looking out for number one Okay, I want to make sure that me myself and I, that we are well taken care of.
Speaker 1: I know some of y'all know what I'm talking about when I say that, okay, I can be an extremely selfish person.
Speaker 1: Why?
Speaker 1: Because there are times that I believe it really should all be about me.
Speaker 1: Okay, and then my wife reminds me that no, it's not about you, and that's a good thing.
Speaker 1: Okay, because it helps me to get my eyes off of me.
Speaker 1: Now, when I find myself thinking more about me and my comfort, I know that it is past time for me to be going to God's Word so that I can start getting my thinking right.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm going to borrow a quote from Zig Ziglar.
Speaker 1: It says and there are times that I need a check up from the neck up.
Speaker 1: Okay, I need to get an adjustment, a refocus in my thinking.
Speaker 1: When we look over at Matthew, chapter 6, verse 33, it says this but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Speaker 1: Where am I putting my focus?
Speaker 1: Am I focusing on God first?
Speaker 1: Am I focusing on me first?
Speaker 1: If I'm seeking first God's way of doing things, I take my eyes off of me and this allows God to help me put my focus on others and their needs.
Speaker 1: To help me illustrate this, we're going to turn over now in the book of Acts.
Speaker 1: We're going to be in chapter 3.
Speaker 1: We're going to look at the first 10 verses here in chapter 3 of Acts, and this is what the Word of God says, and I'm reading out of the new King James version here now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour, and a certain man, lame from his mother's womb, was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple, which is called beautiful, to ask for alms from those of the temple, which is called Beautiful, to ask for alms from those entering the temple.
Speaker 1: Who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms and fixing his eyes on them with John, peter said Look at us.
Speaker 1: So he gave them his attention, expecting to be receiving something from them.
Speaker 1: Then Peter said so he, leaping up, stood and walked.
Speaker 1: Immediately his feet and ankle bones gained strength.
Speaker 1: So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking, leaping and praising God.
Speaker 1: And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
Speaker 1: Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the beautiful gate of the temple and they were all filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Speaker 1: A lot going on there.
Speaker 1: We look at Peter and John and they're headed to the temple At the hour of prayer.
Speaker 1: Now, the hour of prayer at this time would have been 3 o'clock in the afternoon, so they're on their way to church.
Speaker 1: They were heading there to meet with God.
Speaker 1: They were focused on getting into the presence of God.
Speaker 1: How many of you know that's a good place to be?
Speaker 1: Now, when we look at the Ten Commandments that were given to the children of Israel, the fourth commandment found in Exodus, chapter 20, verse 8, says remember to observe the Sabbath by keeping it holy.
Speaker 1: Now, the Sabbath is a day that is set aside for worshiping, for focusing on God, and how many of you know it's important?
Speaker 1: Why is it important?
Speaker 1: That's a great question I'm glad you asked.
Speaker 1: God answers that for us down in Exodus, chapter 20, verse 11.
Speaker 1: It says For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea and everything in them, but on the seventh day he rested.
Speaker 1: That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
Speaker 1: Now, if God himself took the time to rest, how many of y'all think that maybe we need to do the same?
Speaker 1: Okay, it's important.
Speaker 1: If it was important for God.
Speaker 1: It should be important for us.
Speaker 1: It is also important that we take the time to focus on God, and it is also fine with God if we decide to focus on him more than one day a week.
Speaker 1: Okay, personally, I think it's a good idea.
Speaker 1: Well, let me step back.
Speaker 1: I think it's a great idea for us to focus on God with a portion of every single day that we have.
Speaker 1: We want to make sure that we're putting our focus on God.
Speaker 1: A lot of times I hear people talk about getting up early in the morning to spend time with God, and for a while I had a problem with that, mainly because I don't like to get up early in the morning.
Speaker 1: But you know, guess what Stuff happens.
Speaker 1: Then I heard a gentleman say this the best time to tune your instrument is before you play the concert, not after.
Speaker 1: So I'm like okay, god, I get it, we want to spend time with God.
Speaker 1: So here's the thing Peter and John are on their way to church.
Speaker 1: But then there's this other guy, the lame guy.
Speaker 1: He couldn't get to church on his own.
Speaker 1: He needed help.
Speaker 1: But here's the funny thing to me Even though he needed help getting to church, he beat Peter and John there, think about that.
Speaker 1: He beat them.
Speaker 1: And John there, think about that.
Speaker 1: He beat them to church.
Speaker 1: Now, this guy was not focused on getting in the presence with God.
Speaker 1: He was focused on surviving.
Speaker 1: Same destination, different purpose.
Speaker 1: Think about that for a minute.
Speaker 1: Same destination, church, different purpose.
Speaker 1: He was at the gate, called beautiful.
Speaker 1: Begging for alms is defined as something given, such as money or food, that is given freely to relieve the poor, to relieve some stress that somebody that is in need has.
Speaker 1: We want to be a part of relieving that, amen.
Speaker 1: Another word for this is called charity.
Speaker 1: That's what this gentleman was there for.
Speaker 1: We don't know how old he was.
Speaker 1: We do know that he wasn't a boy, he was a man.
Speaker 1: So this has been his life, his entire life.
Speaker 1: We also know that he's never walked.
Speaker 1: He was lame since birth, which means he has always been dependent on others for help.
Speaker 1: Now, think about that.
Speaker 1: See, here's the thing.
Speaker 1: Now, his life experience was much different than Peter and John's life experience.
Speaker 1: Peter and John were both fishermen.
Speaker 1: They knew what hard, back-breaking work was.
Speaker 1: This guy knew what begging for alms was about.
Speaker 1: Peter and John had never been in a position that they had to do that.
Speaker 1: Different cards were dealt to each of us.
Speaker 1: Am I right?
Speaker 1: Sometimes we're dealt a really awesome hand.
Speaker 1: And how many of you know?
Speaker 1: Just because you're dealt an awesome hand doesn't mean you know how to play it Okay.
Speaker 1: And how many of you know?
Speaker 1: Just because you're dealt an awesome hand doesn't mean you know how to play it Okay.
Speaker 1: I can fold an awesome hand as easy as I can a losing hand.
Speaker 1: It's up to me.
Speaker 1: What am I going to do with the hand that's being given to me?
Speaker 1: Something to think about.
Speaker 1: Before Peter and John could make it inside the temple, before they could make it inside the church, the lame man spoke to them, and I am so encouraged to hear that.
Speaker 1: The man spoke up.
Speaker 1: Okay, he was asking for help, and oftentimes we will allow pride to rise up inside of us and will keep us from asking for the help that we need.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm speaking from experience.
Speaker 1: I'm not throwing rocks at nobody.
Speaker 1: Been there and done that.
Speaker 1: Why?
Speaker 1: Because if I ask for help, I'm going to be perceived as weak by world standards.
Speaker 1: Am I wrong?
Speaker 1: The world is going to perceive me as needy.
Speaker 1: Guess what?
Speaker 1: There are times in my life that I'm in need.
Speaker 1: There are times in my life that I need to say I need some help.
Speaker 1: Okay, maybe I'm in the position to offer some help.
Speaker 1: Maybe I'm in the position that, dear God, please somebody help.
Speaker 1: And how many of you know that can flip on a dime, so don't.
Speaker 1: If you're in a position that you can help, don't get that.
Speaker 1: Oh, look at me, I'm helping.
Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, look what I'm doing.
Speaker 1: Don't do that, that'll bite you, okay?
Speaker 1: The truth is we all need help at some point.
Speaker 1: We all do.
Speaker 1: And how many of you know that if we refuse to ask for help, we don't know what God is trying to do in somebody else's life?
Speaker 1: God may be asking somebody else to let go of something and they're going no, I'm not letting go of it.
Speaker 1: And God used you to say, man, I need some help.
Speaker 1: And that might be the little nudge that that person needs to let go and let God.
Speaker 1: Don't be afraid to be a little nudge, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it.
Speaker 1: Amen, okay, I better move on.
Speaker 1: If you need it.
Speaker 1: Amen, okay, I better move on.
Speaker 1: The lame man asked two men whom he did not know for some help.
Speaker 1: I want you to think about that for just a minute.
Speaker 1: The lame man's survival was dependent on the help or charity of others.
Speaker 1: But then Peter and John paused.
Speaker 1: They took their focus off of going to church and decided to be the church.
Speaker 1: I'm going to say that again.
Speaker 1: They took their focus of going to church and made the decision to be the church.
Speaker 1: These four walls are where we come together and meet.
Speaker 1: When we leave here, as we leave, we are leaving as the church.
Speaker 1: What are we going to do outside these four walls?
Speaker 1: Oh, I'm about to preach myself happy.
Speaker 1: They were not so focused on getting to their little holy huddle that they walked past and ignored someone who was in need.
Speaker 1: They chose to be the church.
Speaker 1: Now, how many of you know that?
Speaker 1: There are people all around us today, people that are lost, people that are hungry, people that are just straight up dead in their sin, and they need what we have.
Speaker 1: They need it.
Speaker 1: But here's the question Am I willing to give it?
Speaker 1: Am I willing to give what somebody else desperately needs?
Speaker 1: And then I think back.
Speaker 1: I'm so grateful that, when I was in need of a savior, that someone was bold enough to say hey, let me tell you what you really need.
Speaker 1: What you need is Jesus.
Speaker 1: What you need Is to surrender your way of doing things, because obviously that ain't working, and let Jesus show you how to do life.
Speaker 1: I can tell you this it ain't boring, it's not boring, it's not boring.
Speaker 1: Are we willing to pause our schedule?
Speaker 1: Are we willing to pause our agenda and be the church?
Speaker 1: Now?
Speaker 1: I'm going to tell you there's going to be a time it's not going to be convenient.
Speaker 1: There's going to be a time it's going to be raining.
Speaker 1: There's going to be a time it's going to be cold and there's going to be a time that somebody's on the side of the road and can't help themselves.
Speaker 1: And if you have the way and the means to help and you feel like God is saying, stop and help, stop and help.
Speaker 1: If you get that check in your spirit going, something's not right here, keep right on strolling and pray for them.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 1: I'm not asking you to put yourself in a position that's going to get yourself hurt or killed, okay.
Speaker 1: But I'm also not giving you permission to drive by when God is telling you to stop.
Speaker 1: Amen, amen.
Speaker 1: It was the request the lame man made that drew the focus of Peter and John to the lame man.
Speaker 1: Verse 4 tells us that Peter fixed his eyes on the lame man.
Speaker 1: If I fix my eyes on whatever it is, how many of you know that I am now focused on something or someone?
Speaker 1: And if I'm focused on someone else, I can't be focused on me, and that can be an uncomfortable position from time to time, but that's okay.
Speaker 1: In the police academy, when we were doing our firearms training In the police academy, when we were doing our firearms training, we were told to visualize the target, to see the target and to take aim at a particular spot on the target.
Speaker 1: Okay, we were told that we need to pick a single point on that target and that's where we're to shoot.
Speaker 1: Okay, we were told aim small, miss small.
Speaker 1: So just because your target is huge, you don't just aim somewhere up there.
Speaker 1: You pick a particular point, a concentrated point, and that is your target.
Speaker 1: Here's the thing they wanted us to be precise, and I hope I'm never, ever, ever in a position that I have to exercise that.
Speaker 1: But if I am, especially if it's a hostage type situation, how many of you know the hostage wants me to be precise.
Speaker 1: I mean seriously.
Speaker 1: I mean that's just common sense, because if I'm the hostage, I don't want to get shot.
Speaker 1: Okay, I don't need any holes anywhere else that God hadn't already put them.
Speaker 1: Okay, we need to be precise.
Speaker 1: Peter was now focused on the lame man.
Speaker 1: Then Peter said look at us.
Speaker 1: Verse five tells us that the lame man gave Peter and John his attention.
Speaker 1: He was expecting to receive something from him.
Speaker 1: There was a sense of expectancy in the lame man.
Speaker 1: Now I'm going to ask a hard question when was the last time you came to church with a sense of expectation?
Speaker 1: When was the last time you came to church expecting to meet with God?
Speaker 1: I'm not talking about just showing up, because that's what we're supposed to do.
Speaker 1: It's Sunday morning.
Speaker 1: I'm glad you're here.
Speaker 1: I'm glad you're watching by the internet.
Speaker 1: I'd rather you be doing that than out doing something.
Speaker 1: A lot of other things, I'm not going to go into that, okay.
Speaker 1: So do we show up simply because we don't want to feel guilty?
Speaker 1: Do we show up because, if I don't, that friend is going to call and say hey, we missed you today.
Speaker 1: Where were you?
Speaker 1: Well, come on, let's be honest.
Speaker 1: And we've all got that friend that's going to call.
Speaker 1: I've been on both sides of that.
Speaker 1: I've been on the receiving call and I've been the one doing the calling.
Speaker 1: I'm just going to tell you I'd much rather be the one doing the calling.
Speaker 1: Amen, come to church.
Speaker 1: So are we coming to church just to get our fire insurance checkmark?
Speaker 1: I don't want to go to hell.
Speaker 1: I better get in that church.
Speaker 1: It's been almost oh, three months.
Speaker 1: I don't want this to lapse.
Speaker 1: I want my coverage up to date and I'm going to be honest with you, I want my coverage up to date too.
Speaker 1: Okay, but that's not why I show up.
Speaker 1: I show up because I want to meet with the creator of the entire universe Amen.
Speaker 1: Now, if you are here for the wrong reason, I've got good news Repent, say God, I'm sorry, I'm here for the wrong reason.
Speaker 1: Repent and ask God to forgive you, and then ask God to give you the ears to hear what he wants to tell you today, because God wants to speak to us.
Speaker 1: God wants us, from time to time, to stretch us just a little bit, because maybe we've got a little bit comfortable where we are.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm not going to ask anybody to raise your hands.
Speaker 1: You know if you're there or not.
Speaker 1: What's God doing in your life?
Speaker 1: Is God shaping you?
Speaker 1: Are you allowing yourself to be shaped or are you resisting.
Speaker 1: I've been in the resisting category way too long, for too many years.
Speaker 1: It's not a fun place to be, because you know what God don't give up.
Speaker 1: God will keep on letting us go round and around and around that mountain until we learn what it is he wants us to learn.
Speaker 1: And there have been times in my life when I've just said, okay, okay, okay, help me to learn what I need to learn, because I didn't like going around the first time and I sure haven't liked going around the last 10.
Speaker 1: Okay, I can be a little hard headed.
Speaker 1: I'll admit that God wants us to be the best version of ourselves that we can be.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's a fact.
Speaker 1: So after Peter had the lame man's attention, he did something that may have been considered a little bit rude he busted his bubble.
Speaker 1: Let me tell you what I'm talking about when I say that Peter told the man that he didn't have any gold or silver.
Speaker 1: He didn't have any money for him, pop, at this point the man could have just been like are you kidding me?
Speaker 1: I've got other people walking by that I could be talking to.
Speaker 1: Now I'm stuck talking to you.
Speaker 1: Let's be honest.
Speaker 1: Okay, the guy could have gotten an attitude?
Speaker 1: Anyone here ever gotten an attitude?
Speaker 1: Hmm, I think we all know the answer to that.
Speaker 1: If you don't know the answer to that, just look over to the person next to you.
Speaker 1: They'll give you the answer.
Speaker 1: Now let me ask another question.
Speaker 1: Have you ever had a situation that was going on and in your mind you just knew that this is the way it was going to play out?
Speaker 1: And then, when you find yourself in that situation, in that situation, absolutely nothing is going down the way you thought it was going to and you're kind of sitting there going.
Speaker 1: I saw this going a different direction.
Speaker 1: There have been times that I have been just flat wrong with how I thought things were going to turn out.
Speaker 1: There have been times that I have been extraordinarily disappointed in the way things have turned out.
Speaker 1: But here's the thing Peter and John specifically Peter says but what I do have Now, I don't know if there was a pause After he said that, but in my mind I'm thinking that there was.
Speaker 1: We don't have any silver or gold Pause for dramatic effect, but what I do have, oh, I like it when there's a but in there.
Speaker 1: Okay, what I do have, I give to you.
Speaker 1: We need to understand that we all have a part to play.
Speaker 1: Okay, we all have something that is worth giving.
Speaker 1: And you may be here today and going.
Speaker 1: I don't have anything to give.
Speaker 1: Can you give encouragement?
Speaker 1: It don't cost you a penny.
Speaker 1: Can I give you hope in what God wants to do in your life?
Speaker 1: Once again, it don't cost me a penny to give you hope in what God wants to do in your life?
Speaker 1: Once again, it don't cost me a penny to give you some hope.
Speaker 1: God wants us to know that he wants to be at work in our lives.
Speaker 1: Acts, chapter 3, verses 6 and 7.
Speaker 1: Then Peter said Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.
Speaker 1: And he took him by the right hand, lifted him up and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
Speaker 1: The man was expecting money.
Speaker 1: That's what he was there for.
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, he got so much more than money.
Speaker 1: Think about that.
Speaker 1: It didn't go the way he thought it was going to go.
Speaker 1: I don't think he's disappointed.
Speaker 1: There are ways that I think my life should go from time to time and then God goes nope, and I get an attitude and then God goes, but and I'm like, oh, then God shows, but, and I'm like, oh, then God shows up.
Speaker 1: We serve an abundant above all, we can ask or think kind of God.
Speaker 1: The Bible tells us that His ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts.
Speaker 1: Why?
Speaker 1: Because His ways and His thoughts are higher than ours, which means they're more better.
Speaker 1: Okay, and I like that.
Speaker 1: God used Peter and John to radically change this man's entire life.
Speaker 1: Now I want you to think about this.
Speaker 1: It's not just his life that was changed.
Speaker 1: Every day he needed help getting to the temple.
Speaker 1: Guess what?
Speaker 1: There are some folks that have some time freed up.
Speaker 1: It's not just his life that is being changed.
Speaker 1: Peter and John did not heal the man, god did.
Speaker 1: Peter and John did their part, god did his.
Speaker 1: Now here's the thing Often times we get confused on what our part is.
Speaker 1: It's not my part to heal you.
Speaker 1: I can't.
Speaker 1: But I can introduce you to the one who can, and it's my job to give you that encouragement, to give you that hope to know that God is abundantly above all.
Speaker 1: We can ask or think, and that's a good thing.
Speaker 1: I love the lame man's response.
Speaker 1: He was not shy, he was not quiet or reverent or reserved.
Speaker 1: Verse 8 tells us.
Speaker 1: So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking, leaping and praising God.
Speaker 1: He didn't go.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm walking now.
Speaker 1: Think about this For the first time ever in his life, he is standing on his own two feet, without help.
Speaker 1: That's no small thing.
Speaker 1: He recognized it was no small thing.
Speaker 1: The lame man excuse me, the formerly lame man is now walking and leaping and praising God for what has been given to him, guess what.
Speaker 1: He don't care what the person on the north side of the sanctuary thinks.
Speaker 1: He don't care what the people on the north side of the sanctuary thinks.
Speaker 1: He don't care what the people on the south side or the east side or the west side think.
Speaker 1: All he's doing is thanking With an A God for what has happened.
Speaker 1: That's a good place to be.
Speaker 1: So here's the question I want to ask you when God does show up in your life, are you going to give Him the credit, the glory and the praise, or is the credit going to Come on If something good happens?
Speaker 1: I want to give God the praise because I don't want it to go away, because if we start giving the praise somewhere else.
Speaker 1: God may just go.
Speaker 1: Okay, let me take my hand off of that.
Speaker 1: Ooh, that's not a place we want to be.
Speaker 1: I'm just saying.
Speaker 1: I'm just saying the former lame man was focused on giving God praise, and this part of the story ends with the folks in the temple being filled with wonder and amazement.
Speaker 1: When was the last time folks around you were filled with wonder and amazement because of your reaction to what God has done in your life?
Speaker 1: This is a question I've had to ask myself, and it's a hard question Because I have to ask myself am I living my life in a way that people outside the church, inside the church, wherever I happen to be, do they see Christ in me, not just on Sunday morning when I'm supposed to be holy, holy, okay, god wants us to be holy.
Speaker 1: Okay, god wants us to be genuine, and people outside these four walls can smell a fake in a heartbeat.
Speaker 1: If you think the world doesn't know that, you're full of crap, when you're being full of crap, you're deceived.
Speaker 1: I hope I can say that because I just did.
Speaker 1: We need to be genuine.
Speaker 1: Amen.
Speaker 1: It.
Speaker 1: It is past time for us to give God our complete and total focus.
Speaker 1: It may be that God is going to do something so big in your life that everybody on the outside sees it.
Speaker 1: Your life, that everybody on the outside sees it.
Speaker 1: It might be that God does something seemingly small to where only you know that God has showed up.
Speaker 1: Either way, give God the praise for it, give him the credit and the glory for it.
Speaker 1: See, here's the thing.
Speaker 1: There is power in the name of Jesus.
Speaker 1: I'm not talking about the little bitty battery kind of power.
Speaker 1: I'm talking about plugged in, not even to one of these wall sockets, I mean directly to the big wires outside kind of power.
Speaker 1: God has the power to work in and through your life, if you will allow Him to See.
Speaker 1: Here's the thing God sent Jesus as a baby, sent His own Son to come here to give us the absolute, perfect example of how we're to live our lives.
Speaker 1: And in the middle of Jesus living a perfect, sinless life, there were still people that did not like him.
Speaker 1: That's a wake-up call for those of us who call ourselves people pleasers.
Speaker 1: You're not going to make everybody happy Guess what You're not supposed to happy, guess what You're not supposed to.
Speaker 1: You're supposed to be focused on God and making Him happy.
Speaker 1: If we're focused on God, others will see that and it's going to have a huge effect on their life.
Speaker 1: Amen, even though Jesus never sinned, he never did anything wrong, people still told lies about Him, got Him in trouble, got Him sentenced to death for a crime he never committed.
Speaker 1: Think about that.
Speaker 1: Jesus was beaten, he was whipped with stripes on His back, he was crucified on a cross and there he died.
Speaker 1: But thank goodness, that's not where the story ends, because after he died he was buried and the Bible tells us that three days later, god breathed life back into His Son and Jesus is now seated at the right hand of power beside God, and he's interceding for us.
Speaker 1: That's a fancy way of saying he's praying for us.
Speaker 1: How many of y'all know that prayer is important?
Speaker 1: Okay, prayer is important.
Speaker 1: And here's the good news Because he's alive, because he is seated at the right hand of God in heaven.
Speaker 1: If we put our faith and our trust in him when we die, we can go to heaven.
Speaker 1: Okay, so here, that's not a small thing, because when we put our faith and trust in Him and we say, hey, god, I've got sin in my life.