WEBVTT 00:00:04.830 --> 00:00:06.953 Welcome to the Lone Star Church podcast. 00:00:06.953 --> 00:00:15.050 Pastors CF and Nicole Rady are here to share the Word of God with you each week, helping you grasp the fullness of God's plan for your life. 00:00:15.050 --> 00:00:17.908 We hope you'll be blessed by this week's message. 00:00:17.908 --> 00:00:24.010 If you live in Northwest Missouri or Southern Iowa, we invite you to join us in person on a Sunday morning. 00:00:24.010 --> 00:00:31.510 For more information about us, visit our website at lonestarchurchorg or find us on Facebook, instagram or YouTube. 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:36.203 I had been. 00:00:36.203 --> 00:00:43.411 This message had been on my heart for a couple of weeks, and so I'll share kind of a little bit about that here in a minute. 00:00:43.411 --> 00:00:51.918 But the first time I heard this message that I'm about to share with you was in 1997. 00:00:51.918 --> 00:00:54.459 You want to remember 1997? 00:00:54.459 --> 00:00:56.305 Right, some of you weren't around in 1997. 00:00:57.159 --> 00:01:01.692 I remember 1997 because that is when I went to Rhema. 00:01:01.692 --> 00:01:03.284 It's when I started going to Rhema. 00:01:03.284 --> 00:01:22.498 It's a Bible college, and so Rhema, everything was so new to me, right, I grew up here at Lone Star and so this was church, right, a handful of people in a little building out in the country, and I went to Rhema and before school started they have what they call camp meeting, and they actually just finished it. 00:01:22.498 --> 00:01:26.569 It's the same time every year, in July, and they actually just finished it recently. 00:01:26.569 --> 00:01:28.412 Now they have it on the church campus. 00:01:28.412 --> 00:01:29.941 And so the church. 00:01:29.941 --> 00:01:37.411 If you've ever been, if you're ever in Tulsa area, I encourage you go over to Broken Arrow, which is just a suburb, and drive by the Rhema Church. 00:01:37.411 --> 00:01:44.450 You could set this building on the stage at Rhema right, I mean it looks like you're in an arena. 00:01:44.512 --> 00:01:52.793 It's a massive church, but that church that holds like, I think, 5,000 or so, wasn't big enough to hold camp meeting. 00:01:52.793 --> 00:02:05.429 So they would have camp meeting back in the day with Brother Hagin down at the Civic Center in downtown Tulsa and they'd have, you know, eight, nine, 10,000 people from all over the world come for camp meeting. 00:02:05.429 --> 00:02:16.014 And so I was there just before school started that first year and heard a message by a pastor from Texas by the name of John Osteen. 00:02:16.014 --> 00:02:19.979 So if you don't know who John Osteen is, he is Joel Osteen. 00:02:19.979 --> 00:02:30.687 He was Joel Osteen's father, and so Pastor John and his wife Dodie started the church that his son Joel has taken over, and so one of the largest churches in America. 00:02:30.687 --> 00:02:33.388 And he shared a message. 00:02:34.381 --> 00:02:40.759 And I was at a ballgame not long ago and something happened and it reminded me of that message from 1997. 00:02:40.759 --> 00:02:44.129 I thought, boy, I'm going to start going back. 00:02:44.129 --> 00:02:54.766 And so I went back and found it on YouTube and he preached that message numerous times, but I found the one that I was in the room for, the one from Tulsa in 1997. 00:02:54.766 --> 00:03:01.692 And I listened to it and I took notes and I'm like I'm just going to share that with church, because there are a lot of times messages aren't just for you. 00:03:01.692 --> 00:03:08.246 A lot of messages I preach are as much for me as they are for anyone else, and so God wanted me to just kind of go back over that message. 00:03:08.246 --> 00:03:09.787 And so we're going to do that this morning. 00:03:09.787 --> 00:03:20.336 And since we're doing that, I'll kind of go back to what Pastor John used to do and his son still does, and, honestly, I started doing this when we first started pastoring. 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:26.887 So if you want to just go ahead and stand back up on your feet, number one, let me know you're awake, praise the Lord. 00:03:26.887 --> 00:03:33.354 And if you got your Bible, or whatever you use as your Bible, you can lift it up and just kind of wave it around. 00:03:33.354 --> 00:03:36.123 Sometimes we just need to let the devil know we mean business. 00:03:36.123 --> 00:03:37.889 Amen, you know the Bible. 00:03:37.889 --> 00:03:39.533 Your Bible is a sword, right. 00:03:39.533 --> 00:03:44.528 What if you went somewhere and someone just waving a sword around, right, you'd be like there could be trouble here. 00:03:44.528 --> 00:03:46.413 So we just let the devil know there's trouble. 00:03:46.413 --> 00:03:53.507 But go ahead and repeat this after me Say this is my Bible, I am who it says I am. 00:03:55.259 --> 00:03:56.687 I can do what it says I can do. 00:03:56.687 --> 00:04:00.407 Today, I will be taught the word of God. 00:04:00.407 --> 00:04:13.692 I boldly confess, my mind is alert, my heart is receptive. 00:04:13.692 --> 00:04:15.520 I will never be the same. 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:30.122 I'm about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever-living seed of the word of God. 00:04:30.122 --> 00:04:31.805 I will never be the same, never, never, never, never. 00:04:31.805 --> 00:04:32.648 I will never be the same. 00:04:32.648 --> 00:04:36.233 In Jesus name, amen, you may be seated. 00:04:36.233 --> 00:04:40.639 Praise the Lord man. 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:42.783 Something about that I remember I was listening to that video and something about that. 00:04:42.783 --> 00:04:43.625 I used to do that every Sunday. 00:04:43.625 --> 00:04:44.045 This is my Bible. 00:04:44.045 --> 00:04:45.187 I know you need to remind yourself. 00:04:45.187 --> 00:04:46.170 I am who it says. 00:04:46.170 --> 00:04:46.430 I am. 00:04:46.430 --> 00:04:47.512 I can do what it says. 00:04:47.512 --> 00:04:47.831 I can do. 00:04:47.831 --> 00:04:48.713 I have what it says. 00:04:48.713 --> 00:04:49.153 I have. 00:04:49.153 --> 00:04:51.362 Amen, praise the Lord. 00:04:51.783 --> 00:04:54.589 And so I was thinking about this message and this message. 00:04:54.589 --> 00:04:59.625 He had it titled, so we'll just go ahead and keep that title, since he's the one that came up with it. 00:04:59.625 --> 00:05:05.033 He had it titled how Great Is your Want To? 00:05:05.033 --> 00:05:06.396 He's just an old Texas boy. 00:05:06.396 --> 00:05:07.886 How great is your want to? 00:05:08.579 --> 00:05:12.011 And so let's start over in 2 Chronicles, chapter 14. 00:05:12.011 --> 00:05:14.307 2 Chronicles 14. 00:05:14.307 --> 00:05:16.605 How many of you were reading in 2 Chronicles this morning? 00:05:16.605 --> 00:05:18.269 Praise the Lord. 00:05:18.269 --> 00:05:28.112 Good book has a lot of great history of Israel and the lineage of God through the covenant. 00:05:28.112 --> 00:05:30.654 So 2 Chronicles 14,. 00:05:30.654 --> 00:05:32.302 We'll start here in verse 9. 00:05:32.442 --> 00:05:38.680 So at this point Israel, the tribes of Israel, had kind of been split up a little. 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:43.730 Judah was that godly tribe that God kept, and so they had a king by the name of Asa. 00:05:43.730 --> 00:05:54.851 Tribe that God kept, and so they had a king by the name of Asa, was the king of Judah, and it says in verse nine then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against him with an army of a million men and 300 chariots. 00:05:54.851 --> 00:06:00.630 So imagine, right, you're the king, and another country comes against you and they've got a hundred or a million people in their army. 00:06:00.630 --> 00:06:04.545 Imagine seeing a million people coming against you. 00:06:04.545 --> 00:06:05.774 How many of you? 00:06:05.774 --> 00:06:07.002 Just go right back to your tent? 00:06:07.002 --> 00:06:09.269 Nope, nope, I'm out. 00:06:09.269 --> 00:06:10.875 Who's second in command today? 00:06:10.875 --> 00:06:15.990 Right, I'm not doing this, but a million came out against him, verse 10,. 00:06:16.071 --> 00:06:23.168 So Asa went out against him, set the troops in battle right there in the valley and Asa cried out to the Lord. 00:06:23.168 --> 00:06:25.213 I know it's good to cry out to God. 00:06:25.213 --> 00:06:27.920 Cried out to the Lord, his God, and listen to what he said. 00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:32.591 He said Lord, it is nothing for you to help. 00:06:32.591 --> 00:06:42.269 Can you imagine having the kind of faith in God that you see a million battle-hungry people with swords, with spears, with bows and arrows and chariots. 00:06:42.269 --> 00:06:43.242 You go, god. 00:06:43.242 --> 00:06:44.668 This is nothing to you. 00:06:44.668 --> 00:06:50.052 He said Lord, it is nothing for you to help, amen. 00:06:50.052 --> 00:06:55.851 Nothing for you to help, whether with many or with those who have no power. 00:06:55.851 --> 00:07:07.432 He says even if I don't have many people or I have a weak army, it is nothing for you to help us, o Lord, our God, for we rest on you and in name we go against this multitude. 00:07:07.432 --> 00:07:10.067 O Lord, you are our God. 00:07:10.067 --> 00:07:12.908 Do not let man prevail against you. 00:07:12.908 --> 00:07:15.447 All of a sudden, he's like God, you got covenant with us. 00:07:15.447 --> 00:07:17.648 All of a sudden he's like, just kind of like David did. 00:07:17.648 --> 00:07:20.509 He said, fellas, you need to understand a million of you guys out here. 00:07:20.509 --> 00:07:22.026 You thought you were just fighting us. 00:07:22.026 --> 00:07:33.023 You're not fighting us, you're fighting our God, amen. 00:07:33.023 --> 00:07:34.586 And so he continues right here in verse 12, and it says so. 00:07:34.586 --> 00:07:38.394 The Lord struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and they fled, and Asa and the people who were with him pursued them. 00:07:38.394 --> 00:07:40.764 So the Ethiopians were overthrown. 00:07:40.764 --> 00:07:45.514 They could not, for they were broken before the Lord and his army, amen. 00:07:45.514 --> 00:07:51.791 They carried away very much spoil, and so they were able to find victory. 00:07:51.831 --> 00:07:54.103 Now let's go over to 2 Chronicles 16. 00:07:54.103 --> 00:07:58.110 And here Asa is further along in his reign. 00:07:58.110 --> 00:08:15.127 In fact, here in verse 1, it tells us he's been reigning as king of Judah for 36 years and now we have the king of Israel coming up against Judah that he might let none go out or come in to Asa, king of Judah Verse 2 here in 2 Chronicles 16. 00:08:15.127 --> 00:08:31.572 Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of his house of the Lord and of the king's house and sent to Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. 00:08:31.572 --> 00:08:33.625 See, I've sent you silver and gold. 00:08:33.625 --> 00:08:38.283 Come, break your treaty with Basha, king of Israel, so that he'll withdraw from me. 00:08:38.682 --> 00:08:42.509 And so now Asa's up against another fight. 00:08:42.509 --> 00:08:45.673 And instead of crying out to God, what'd he do? 00:08:45.673 --> 00:08:54.960 He said now I've got some money, I'm just going to hire someone to fight this battle for me. 00:08:54.960 --> 00:09:00.284 I know sometimes things get good and you forget who brought you there. 00:09:00.284 --> 00:09:01.047 You forget how you got there right. 00:09:01.047 --> 00:09:03.934 When he came up against Ethiopia, he had no choice but to call on the God. 00:09:03.934 --> 00:09:05.438 Now things are good and he's like I'll no choice but to call him to God. 00:09:05.438 --> 00:09:05.980 Now things are good. 00:09:05.980 --> 00:09:07.967 He's like I'll just pay someone to go fight this battle. 00:09:07.967 --> 00:09:12.408 So his trust isn't in God anymore. 00:09:12.408 --> 00:09:16.671 His trust is in his money, his silver and his gold. 00:09:16.671 --> 00:09:20.248 He'd been blessed and his attitude changed. 00:09:22.801 --> 00:09:24.147 So you come down to verse 7. 00:09:24.147 --> 00:09:39.432 It says at that time, hananiah, the seer prophet, came to ace the king of judah and said to him because you have relied on the king of syria right in your money and have not relied on the lord, your god, therefore the army of the king of syria has escaped from your hands. 00:09:39.432 --> 00:09:41.344 Were the ethiopians? 00:09:41.344 --> 00:09:45.533 Not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? 00:09:45.533 --> 00:09:49.210 Yet because you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. 00:09:49.700 --> 00:09:52.668 Now look at verse 9, 2 Chronicles 16, 9. 00:09:52.668 --> 00:10:04.052 This is an important one, for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him. 00:10:04.052 --> 00:10:11.509 On behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him Right Other translations say whose heart is fully committed to God. 00:10:11.509 --> 00:10:13.691 So it says God's eyes are looking. 00:10:13.691 --> 00:10:14.611 What's God looking for? 00:10:14.611 --> 00:10:18.620 He's looking for someone who is fully committed to him, amen. 00:10:18.620 --> 00:10:20.626 And so Asa failed the test. 00:10:20.746 --> 00:10:28.051 In this case Go over to Jeremiah, chapter 29 and verse 11. 00:10:28.051 --> 00:10:32.422 This is probably a verse maybe you're familiar with. 00:10:32.422 --> 00:10:37.913 We read it sometimes over young people, graduations and different things. 00:10:37.913 --> 00:10:44.171 Here the prophet of God says for I know the thoughts that I have are thanked. 00:10:44.171 --> 00:10:50.410 Towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, not of evil, to give you a future and a hope, good thoughts. 00:10:50.410 --> 00:10:53.490 How many know God has a plan for everyone in this place's life? 00:10:53.490 --> 00:10:57.043 For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. 00:10:57.043 --> 00:11:04.585 Are the King James Thoughts to give you Good thoughts, thoughts of peace, not of of evil. 00:11:04.585 --> 00:11:05.950 Give you a future and hope. 00:11:05.950 --> 00:11:12.253 Then you will call upon me and go and pray to me and I will listen to you. 00:11:12.253 --> 00:11:19.614 Look at this, you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all of your heart. 00:11:19.614 --> 00:11:24.048 What's god looking for? 00:11:24.048 --> 00:11:32.791 People who are in, people who are fully committed, people who say God, it doesn't matter what goes on, I'm going to stick with it. 00:11:32.791 --> 00:11:37.629 Right, and so I was thinking about this, right? 00:11:37.629 --> 00:11:39.673 How great is your want to? 00:11:39.673 --> 00:11:51.066 And what that's talking about is God wants to show himself strong on your behalf, but you have to have a want to to stay in there and don't let the devil win, to not quit, to not give up. 00:11:51.066 --> 00:11:52.190 Amen. 00:11:53.001 --> 00:11:55.129 You see it throughout the Bible there are many stories. 00:11:55.129 --> 00:11:57.173 Well, let's look at that real quick. 00:11:57.173 --> 00:11:59.448 Before we go there, let's go over to Psalm 3419. 00:11:59.448 --> 00:12:01.783 Psalm 3419,. 00:12:01.783 --> 00:12:03.708 And then we'll get to a few examples here. 00:12:03.708 --> 00:12:05.273 Thank you, lord. 00:12:10.101 --> 00:12:14.172 Look at this in Psalm 3419. 00:12:14.172 --> 00:12:17.869 It says Many are the afflictions of the righteous. 00:12:17.869 --> 00:12:18.831 Anyone in here righteous? 00:12:18.831 --> 00:12:20.386 God has made you righteous through Jesus. 00:12:20.386 --> 00:12:21.764 Well, look at what the Bible says. 00:12:21.764 --> 00:12:23.105 It says you're going to have a lot of affliction. 00:12:23.105 --> 00:12:27.450 You thought, man, I showed up to church to feel better about my life. 00:12:27.450 --> 00:12:30.225 Tell me, many, many are the afflictions of the righteous. 00:12:30.225 --> 00:12:41.114 But everybody say but Right, aren't you glad for the but For the, except, except what the Lord delivers him out of? 00:12:41.114 --> 00:12:45.052 Them all Lord delivers him out of how many of them? 00:12:45.052 --> 00:12:46.476 All of them. 00:12:46.476 --> 00:12:51.971 So all those afflictions that come upon the righteous, god will deliver the righteous out of them all. 00:12:51.971 --> 00:12:55.506 But you've got to just stick with it, amen. 00:12:55.506 --> 00:12:56.389 You've got to stay with him. 00:12:56.389 --> 00:12:57.451 Think of these stories. 00:12:57.451 --> 00:12:59.975 We're not going to look at them all, but I'll reference some scripture. 00:12:59.975 --> 00:13:01.643 So if you want to go back and read them, you can. 00:13:01.643 --> 00:13:05.993 In Mark, chapter 5, it's the second half of the chapter. 00:13:07.280 --> 00:13:08.988 Anyone remember the story of Jairus' daughter? 00:13:08.988 --> 00:13:10.725 Right, jairus' daughter is dying. 00:13:10.725 --> 00:13:12.827 He comes to Jesus for his daughter to be healed. 00:13:12.827 --> 00:13:17.010 At the same time, when they're going to Jairus' house, we see this woman. 00:13:17.010 --> 00:13:21.071 She's not named, but we call her the woman with the issue of blood. 00:13:21.071 --> 00:13:30.081 She had an incurable blood disease that she'd had for 12 years and the Bible said she had spent all of her money on many doctors but had not gotten better but had grown worse. 00:13:30.081 --> 00:13:35.051 So think about this this woman had a want to to do what, to get healed. 00:13:35.051 --> 00:13:36.961 She had such a want to to get healed. 00:13:36.961 --> 00:13:45.067 She spent everything out of her savings account, she spent everything out of her checking account, spent all of her retirement money, all the inheritance money, to do what? 00:13:45.067 --> 00:13:46.870 To go find a doctor to make her better. 00:13:46.870 --> 00:13:53.831 And the Bible says she had spent it all and had not gotten better because medical science could not help her, but she'd gotten worse. 00:13:53.831 --> 00:13:57.807 So then the Bible says she heard about Jesus. 00:13:57.868 --> 00:13:58.609 How does faith come? 00:13:58.609 --> 00:14:00.741 Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. 00:14:00.741 --> 00:14:01.217 She heard about Jesus. 00:14:01.217 --> 00:14:01.706 What do you think she heard about Jesus? 00:14:01.706 --> 00:14:02.236 By hearing, hearing by the word of God. 00:14:02.236 --> 00:14:02.351 She heard about Jesus. 00:14:02.351 --> 00:14:04.557 What do you think she heard about Jesus? 00:14:04.557 --> 00:14:11.567 He was handsome, he was tall, he could build you a heck of a shed, right, he was a carpenter. 00:14:11.567 --> 00:14:13.591 What'd she hear about Jesus that excited her? 00:14:13.591 --> 00:14:14.672 She heard he was a healer. 00:14:14.672 --> 00:14:20.919 She heard everywhere Jesus went, sick people came and he'd lay hands on them and they'd be healed. 00:14:20.919 --> 00:14:26.011 In fact, the Bible tells us numerous times Jesus went about the region or different areas, preaching, teaching and healing. 00:14:26.011 --> 00:14:30.432 She heard he was a healer and she said are your words important? 00:14:30.432 --> 00:14:35.150 In fact, jesus in Mark 11 says you'll have whatsoever you say. 00:14:35.150 --> 00:14:41.232 So she said if I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed. 00:14:42.580 --> 00:14:50.461 And so this woman with this incurable blood disease she's had for 12 years what kind of state do you think she was in physically, having had this blood disease for 12 years? 00:14:50.461 --> 00:14:56.293 Weak In fact, in those times she wasn't even supposed to be out amongst the public. 00:14:56.293 --> 00:14:57.662 She was considered unclean. 00:14:57.662 --> 00:15:02.393 But this woman had a want to and she said you know what I'm going to do. 00:15:02.393 --> 00:15:11.140 I'm going to go where Jesus is and imagine she shows up and the Bible says there in Mark 5, it says there was a great multitude, thousands of people. 00:15:12.302 --> 00:15:22.370 Imagine showing up to church this morning you go to pull in let's say you're coming from the east and as you get over that hill, yonder right, we're in the country. 00:15:22.370 --> 00:15:30.711 You get over that hill and you're coming down, you notice people have parked up the entire cemetery and they're walking up the hill to church. 00:15:30.711 --> 00:15:34.543 And you think what in the world? 00:15:34.543 --> 00:15:38.823 And then you get up here and there's so many cars you can't pull in the parking lot. 00:15:38.823 --> 00:15:43.181 You think, well, just okay, I'll go over and go to one of these gravels. 00:15:43.181 --> 00:15:47.469 And you go and there's just pastures full of cars and people walking up the road. 00:15:47.469 --> 00:15:52.201 And you see people have spilled out that they couldn't even fit in the building. 00:15:52.201 --> 00:15:54.673 What would a lot of people do? 00:15:54.673 --> 00:15:58.221 I'll catch it online, I'll just keep going. 00:15:58.942 --> 00:15:59.423 She showed up. 00:15:59.423 --> 00:16:00.812 There's a great multitude around Jesus. 00:16:00.812 --> 00:16:01.575 She didn't give up. 00:16:01.575 --> 00:16:03.078 She had a want to. 00:16:03.078 --> 00:16:07.719 She said I'm going to get to him, we can stay, shouldn't even be there. 00:16:07.719 --> 00:16:09.523 She's pushing towards him. 00:16:09.523 --> 00:16:11.774 She gets knocked to the ground. 00:16:11.774 --> 00:16:13.179 You say how do you know that? 00:16:13.179 --> 00:16:15.258 Because she touched the hem of his garment, she's on the ground. 00:16:15.258 --> 00:16:21.783 She's crawling in the dirt, in the filth, with everything she has. 00:16:22.870 --> 00:16:25.158 As soon as she touches the hem of his garment, what happens? 00:16:25.158 --> 00:16:28.236 Bible says Jesus stopped and he said power has went out of me. 00:16:28.236 --> 00:16:30.062 Who touched me? 00:16:30.062 --> 00:16:31.515 His disciples said everyone's touching you. 00:16:31.515 --> 00:16:33.390 He goes. 00:16:33.390 --> 00:16:34.133 No, someone drew something out of me. 00:16:34.133 --> 00:16:35.116 What drew something out of Jesus? 00:16:35.116 --> 00:16:36.523 Her want to, her faith. 00:16:36.523 --> 00:16:38.149 She believes something. 00:16:38.149 --> 00:16:39.010 She said something. 00:16:39.010 --> 00:16:39.993 She did something. 00:16:39.993 --> 00:16:46.551 That's what a want to gets your want to doesn't set in a lazy boy. 00:16:46.551 --> 00:16:49.918 Your want to doesn't just set. 00:16:49.918 --> 00:16:51.059 Wishing doesn't just set. 00:16:51.059 --> 00:16:52.484 Oh boy, I'll get to that someday. 00:16:52.484 --> 00:16:53.894 No, want to gets up. 00:16:53.894 --> 00:16:55.458 Want to leaves the house. 00:16:55.458 --> 00:16:56.654 Want to pushes through the crowd. 00:16:56.654 --> 00:17:00.821 Want to rips a hole in a roof to lower their friend down to get healed. 00:17:01.350 --> 00:17:03.034 Want to like blind Bartimaeus? 00:17:03.034 --> 00:17:05.259 That's another one that's there. 00:17:05.259 --> 00:17:06.201 I'll reference that. 00:17:06.201 --> 00:17:17.498 That is in Matthew, right, matthew chapter seven, I think. 00:17:17.498 --> 00:17:19.101 No, that's not it. 00:17:19.101 --> 00:17:19.662 We'll get there. 00:17:19.662 --> 00:17:20.663 Look up blind Bartimaeus. 00:17:20.663 --> 00:17:21.884 My notes are a hot mess. 00:17:21.884 --> 00:17:26.737 Blind Bartimaeus right, jesus comes by. 00:17:26.737 --> 00:17:35.817 If you're known as blind Bartimaeus, you're not known for your eyesight, hey, we need someone to look down there and see if they can see that. 00:17:35.817 --> 00:17:36.178 Blind Bartimaeus. 00:17:36.178 --> 00:17:36.901 You're not known for your eyesight. 00:17:36.901 --> 00:17:38.647 Hey, we need someone to look down there and see if they can see that Blind Bartimaeus. 00:17:38.647 --> 00:17:38.929 Get over here. 00:17:38.929 --> 00:17:41.457 Right, he's blind, that was his name, but he's tired of being Blind Bartimaeus. 00:17:41.457 --> 00:17:42.420 He's ready to just be Bart. 00:17:42.420 --> 00:17:45.491 He goes. 00:17:45.491 --> 00:17:47.137 No girl's looking to date Blind Bartimaeus. 00:17:47.137 --> 00:17:49.835 Some girl may say who's that? 00:17:49.835 --> 00:17:54.851 That's Bart, right, I'm interested in Bart. 00:17:54.871 --> 00:17:55.553 So one day Jesus walked by. 00:17:55.553 --> 00:17:56.074 What's he do? 00:17:56.074 --> 00:18:00.462 He said Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me. 00:18:00.462 --> 00:18:01.972 Son of David, have mercy on me. 00:18:01.972 --> 00:18:04.240 Everyone says shh, quiet. 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:04.902 Jesus is coming by. 00:18:04.902 --> 00:18:05.932 He goes, I know it. 00:18:05.932 --> 00:18:09.842 Jesus, have mercy on me. 00:18:09.842 --> 00:18:11.834 They wouldn't shut him up. 00:18:11.834 --> 00:18:13.419 What he had, he had a want to. 00:18:13.419 --> 00:18:16.156 Blind bar may say I'm getting my healing today. 00:18:16.156 --> 00:18:21.734 I'm losing that first part of my name today, something on the inside of him. 00:18:21.734 --> 00:18:23.519 Right, he had this want to. 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:25.835 Actually, that's Mark, chapter 10. 00:18:25.835 --> 00:18:34.619 I can't make sense of my notes, but what's interesting, when Jesus stopped, jesus said what do you want me to do for you? 00:18:34.619 --> 00:18:36.457 I mean, god wants you to be specific. 00:18:36.457 --> 00:18:40.455 He said I want to see. 00:18:40.455 --> 00:18:41.439 Jesus said all right. 00:18:41.439 --> 00:18:50.732 And so what reminded me of this message from 1997, I still remember this message and I still remember. 00:18:50.752 --> 00:19:04.278 So he was on the stage and so, if you're in the convention center, they had seats on the floor of the stage where they would normally play sports or do things, and then obviously the bowl all the way around and sometimes the seats would come almost behind the stage. 00:19:04.278 --> 00:19:10.201 There'd be so many people and I was seated just over on this side, about 15 rows up. 00:19:10.201 --> 00:19:11.513 I can almost picture it. 00:19:11.513 --> 00:19:25.278 I was about halfway back, just right in that area, and I remember first time I'd ever heard John Osteen, didn't know who he was, and he told a story and that story I'm about to share with you. 00:19:25.278 --> 00:19:34.182 I was reminded of a few weeks ago at a ball game, when this wasp was flying around one of the moms and she swatted it and she goes oh, I took care of it, it's down there in the dirt. 00:19:34.182 --> 00:19:35.084 And I said, well, we'll see. 00:19:38.570 --> 00:19:48.681 And so John Osteen told a story about he was reading, I think, in like a Reader's Digest and there was a story of this pilot and this pilot was out on the beach and he had brought some food. 00:19:48.681 --> 00:20:01.066 He's having a picnic on the beach and so he's eating his sandwich and he's eating his sandwich and as he's trying to eat his sandwich, this bee is flying around him and he swats the bee and that bee hits the sand and he thinks, okay, took care of that bee. 00:20:01.066 --> 00:20:02.852 He continues eating his sandwich. 00:20:02.852 --> 00:20:07.352 He says he looks down, he knows a little movement, that bee comes out of the sand and starts flying around his sandwich. 00:20:07.352 --> 00:20:12.499 Again he said this dang bee, I'm trying to eat my sandwich in peace out here on the beach. 00:20:12.499 --> 00:20:13.881 He swats it again. 00:20:13.881 --> 00:20:19.173 He says it hits the ground and then he stomps on it, Starts eating his sandwich. 00:20:19.595 --> 00:20:21.000 Doesn't even think anything about that bee. 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:23.736 Well, all of a sudden something got his attention. 00:20:23.736 --> 00:20:24.237 He looks down. 00:20:24.237 --> 00:20:29.477 He starts seeing movement again where he had swatted that bee and then stomped it in the sand. 00:20:29.477 --> 00:20:35.914 And he says he knows this bee is just kind of shaking some sand out of its wings and off its head. 00:20:35.914 --> 00:20:37.200 He goes again. 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:39.107 It's getting ready to fly back up. 00:20:39.107 --> 00:20:40.191 He says I'm done with this bee. 00:20:40.191 --> 00:20:47.291 He goes, I stomp it a number of times into the sand, finishes his sandwich and he's getting ready to leave. 00:20:47.291 --> 00:20:48.153 He looks down. 00:20:48.153 --> 00:20:49.195 He notices some motion. 00:20:49.195 --> 00:20:51.780 He thinks this is the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life. 00:20:51.780 --> 00:20:53.964 So he gets down on his hands and knees in the sand. 00:20:53.964 --> 00:20:57.540 He sees this bee coming up through the sand where it had been stomped. 00:20:57.540 --> 00:21:01.638 He says he sees this bee kind of shaking itself off. 00:21:01.638 --> 00:21:05.058 He says he can tell one of its wings is damaged. 00:21:05.058 --> 00:21:09.839 He says it's got its little feet and it's knocking sand off itself. 00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:14.770 He thinks, wow, he goes. 00:21:14.770 --> 00:21:15.231 That bee tries to. 00:21:15.231 --> 00:21:15.393 He goes. 00:21:15.393 --> 00:21:16.195 It gets to the top of the sand. 00:21:16.195 --> 00:21:16.877 It tries to take off. 00:21:16.877 --> 00:21:17.159 He goes. 00:21:17.159 --> 00:21:19.267 It flies six inches and drops. 00:21:19.267 --> 00:21:19.426 He goes. 00:21:19.426 --> 00:21:21.954 I'm watching that bee, I'm on my hands and knees watching this bee. 00:21:21.954 --> 00:21:27.173 And he says again, it starts to kind of lick itself and do this and shake and move. 00:21:27.173 --> 00:21:27.814 He goes. 00:21:27.814 --> 00:21:32.981 That bee slowly takes off, flies over a little man of sand and flies into the distance. 00:21:38.829 --> 00:21:40.954 John Osteen says I remember reading that story and I thought what about? 00:21:40.954 --> 00:21:41.656 That story caught my attention. 00:21:41.656 --> 00:21:41.836 He goes. 00:21:41.836 --> 00:21:42.660 You know what caught my attention? 00:21:42.660 --> 00:21:43.801 That bee had a want to. 00:21:43.801 --> 00:21:47.757 That bee had a want to Right. 00:21:47.757 --> 00:21:49.882 How many people just quit the first time they get knocked down? 00:21:49.882 --> 00:21:52.634 How many people quit once they got knocked down and stepped on? 00:21:52.634 --> 00:21:55.381 How many people quit once they get stepped on five or six times? 00:21:55.381 --> 00:21:57.490 Not that bee, he said. 00:21:57.490 --> 00:21:58.352 It had a want to. 00:21:58.352 --> 00:22:01.178 Something on the inside of it made that bee get up. 00:22:01.178 --> 00:22:04.070 Amen, and want to continue. 00:22:04.070 --> 00:22:05.173 So think about this. 00:22:05.275 --> 00:22:06.438 2 Corinthians, chapter 4. 00:22:06.438 --> 00:22:07.359 Let's look at this together. 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:09.414 2 Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 8. 00:22:09.414 --> 00:22:11.019 Thank you, lord. 00:22:12.463 --> 00:22:16.596 I'm going to read this out of the Passion Translation here in 2 Corinthians 4.8. 00:22:17.941 --> 00:22:20.830 Whatever translation you have, you can read it out, but look at what it says. 00:22:20.891 --> 00:22:23.258 It says, though, we experience every kind of pressure. 00:22:23.258 --> 00:22:27.743 How many of you know, just because you go to church, just because you're born again, doesn't mean pressure won't come? 00:22:27.743 --> 00:22:30.472 Anyone experience any pressure recently in their life. 00:22:30.472 --> 00:22:41.951 You know what would be great that if you were a pastor, you had no pressure Everyone to sign up. 00:22:41.951 --> 00:22:43.494 I'll be pastor, no pressure. 00:22:43.494 --> 00:22:47.604 I've experienced pressure in my life recently. 00:22:47.604 --> 00:22:51.506 I think that's why God brought this whole message back up to me. 00:22:51.506 --> 00:22:52.490 You know what brought this message? 00:22:52.490 --> 00:22:56.741 One lady swatting a wasp at a ballgame brought this whole message back to me. 00:22:56.741 --> 00:23:04.942 Right, we're hard-pressed, we're pressured on every side, but, praise the Lord, we're not crushed. 00:23:04.942 --> 00:23:07.615 How many know that bee felt pressured, but it wasn't crushed? 00:23:08.999 --> 00:23:09.820 We're perplexed. 00:23:09.820 --> 00:23:12.454 You ever been perplexed Like I? 00:23:12.454 --> 00:23:14.520 Don't even know what the definition of perplexed is. 00:23:14.520 --> 00:23:17.557 Well, let me tell you, sometimes I've looked at your face. 00:23:17.557 --> 00:23:18.359 You're perplexed. 00:23:18.359 --> 00:23:20.853 You can tell someone's perplexed. 00:23:20.853 --> 00:23:25.123 I just kind of got that look Perplexed, don't know what to do. 00:23:26.869 --> 00:23:28.291 That's what the passion says. 00:23:28.291 --> 00:23:29.614 At times we don't know what to do. 00:23:29.614 --> 00:23:33.039 You ever had a situation in your life you're like in myself I don't know what to do. 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:35.763 It says but not in despair. 00:23:35.763 --> 00:23:36.951 Listen to what it says in the Passion. 00:23:36.951 --> 00:23:42.180 At times we don't know what to do, but quitting is not an option. 00:23:42.180 --> 00:23:44.851 Quitting is not an option. 00:23:44.851 --> 00:23:51.480 Persecuted you ever been persecuted by others? 00:23:51.480 --> 00:23:55.425 Persecuted, but not God forsaken. 00:23:55.425 --> 00:24:01.118 Struck down, but not destroyed Right there, verse 9. 00:24:01.118 --> 00:24:01.800 Listen to this in verse 9. 00:24:01.800 --> 00:24:06.478 The passion says persecuted by others, but God has not forsaken us. 00:24:06.478 --> 00:24:09.594 We may be knocked down, but we are not knocked out. 00:24:09.594 --> 00:24:12.663 You ever been knocked down? 00:24:12.663 --> 00:24:16.132 I know a lot of people just quit why they don't have a want to. 00:24:16.132 --> 00:24:17.494 I always go back. 00:24:17.555 --> 00:24:20.770 I've used it, I don't know, over a couple of decades of pastoring. 00:24:20.770 --> 00:24:24.521 I have no idea how many times I've used the Rocky movies as an example. 00:24:24.521 --> 00:24:28.656 Something about those movies has always drawn me to those movies. 00:24:28.656 --> 00:24:35.051 I know he wasn't a big guy, he wasn't the biggest, he wasn't the strongest, he wasn't the best boxer. 00:24:35.051 --> 00:24:37.018 But you know why Rocky always won. 00:24:37.439 --> 00:24:41.692 He would not quit, in fact, to the point that people wear them. 00:24:41.692 --> 00:24:52.255 He wore Mr T out by just punching him in the face, I remember because his manager, mick, had passed away in that movie there in Rocky 3. 00:24:52.255 --> 00:24:55.701 And later the guy that was helped train him and manage him. 00:24:55.701 --> 00:24:56.363 He's like what are you doing? 00:24:56.363 --> 00:25:05.441 He goes I know what I'm doing and after a few rounds can you imagine, just after, I'm just going to let him punch me in the face until he gets tired? 00:25:05.441 --> 00:25:08.065 That's literally what he did. 00:25:08.065 --> 00:25:13.102 He let someone punch him in the face until that guy got tired and then he beat him. 00:25:13.102 --> 00:25:17.115 Let someone punch him in the face until that guy got tired and then he beat him. 00:25:17.115 --> 00:25:21.151 Sometimes you just got to take the devil's blows and say no, devil, you can knock me down, but you can't knock me out. 00:25:21.151 --> 00:25:25.040 You know what really frustrates someone that thinks they got you. 00:25:25.040 --> 00:25:29.337 When you just keep getting back up Right, they walk off and then it gets over. 00:25:29.940 --> 00:25:31.202 Imagine the first time Paul preached. 00:25:31.202 --> 00:25:33.718 They tried to kill him, stoned him, left him for dead. 00:25:33.718 --> 00:25:36.297 Can you imagine those guys are like ah, that heretic, we're done with him. 00:25:36.297 --> 00:25:36.838 Look, he's dead. 00:25:36.838 --> 00:25:38.855 They walk in to the city. 00:25:38.855 --> 00:25:40.875