Glorious Way Church
Glorious Way Church equips believers for the work of the ministry and stands for God’s truth in our culture. We serve as a regional center, where people from all backgrounds find refreshing worship and true communion of the saints.
Glorious Way Church
Crossing Over
Picture this: the Jordan River, where Jesus' baptism marks a profound transformation, serves as our starting point as we explore the powerful themes of transitions and transformations. We discuss how life’s changes, whether personal like sending a child off to college or societal shifts, can be navigated with faith and preparation. By drawing parallels to biblical stories, including the Israelites' journey from slavery to the Promised Land, we invite you to reflect on your own life transitions and how embracing God's guidance can lead to profound change.
But I want to minister to the Word of God, to you first. We're going to talk about crossing the river tonight. These people who were baptized, even the kids, they crossed over into something new. They left something old behind, and Jay mentioned that. You know you're going to leave the bad stuff. Pastor Jay mentioned that we're leaving it in the tub and we're raised to something new.
Speaker 1:You know, jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and it wasn't until then. He was about 30 years old and before that he was the son of God. But he didn't do a miracle. He wasn't a child out there raising little baby birds to life that had fallen out of the nest or whatever. He was just a man living his life. But at 30 years old he went into the Jordan River and he was baptized by John the Baptist and everything changed. Everything changed.
Speaker 1:Turn with me, if you would, to Luke 3, 21. It says when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized and while he prayed, the heavens, the heaven was open and the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him and a voice came from heaven which said you are my beloved son. In you I am well pleased. Did you hear God say that tonight over his kids? Do you hear God saying that over you? And then, right after that, right after that, what happened? The spirit of the Lord led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. For 40 days and 40 nights there will be a testing of our faith. The testing come. Notice that he was tempted of the devil. He was tempted of the devil. Where does temptation come from the devil? Does God send it? No, but the Holy Spirit did lead him through that and he never left him. God was with him all the time. And then, after that, he began his ministry. If you read into Luke, chapter four, you'll see that Jesus's ministry on earth began and that he then declared he was the anointed one. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he's anointed me to preach the gospel. And then he called his fishermen to himself. And then Jesus's entire ministry began, because he was obedient to be baptized first.
Speaker 1:And so there's a time of transition. You know our country is going in through a transition. Right now. We sense good things ahead, but there's a time. You know we all of us go through transitions in our lives. Think about, right now I'm going through a transition. I just graduated my first baby and sent her off to college. I can see that next my son is to follow this year and then I'm going to have just one little eagle in the nest.
Speaker 1:And I remember, I remember holding them and rocking them as babies. I remember potty, training them all. I remember when they needed me so bad and then they don't need me at all anymore. I'm in a transition. What transition are you in tonight? What Jordan River are you facing? What do you need the spirit of the Lord to come upon you to do? He's called you to something and we look at different transitions in our lives.
Speaker 1:You know Justin and Rachel had. They were just a happy married couple, living, getting to do whatever they wanted, getting to sleep all night long. And now they have a newborn, they don't get to do anything they want anymore. They don getting to sleep all night long. And now they have a newborn, they don't get to do anything they want anymore. They don't get to sleep all night long for a minute. They're going through a transition, hallelujah.
Speaker 1:So some of us are going through a different transition. Maybe it's you're retired or your spouse has gone on to be with the Lord or something happened. You got married, you got divorced, you something, a transition happened. You know, pastor DPay was here recently and he talked about. He has a book about that. I haven't read it yet, it's on my list. But the change he said change is something that happens to everybody and but there's a transition that can get you ready for the change. If you go through the change without having transition, your thinking and everything, then it can be very hard, it can feel like you fell off a cliff, but there's a way to cross the river with God and we're going to somewhere good. Amen, amen.
Speaker 1:If you want to turn with me to Joshua, chapter 3. Pastor preached on this in July of 2017, the great crossover. Of course, we refer to that a lot because the children of Israel had to transition. They were a slave and enslaved people for 420 years. They were enslaved in Egypt. They knew how to take orders, but now God was bringing them out of that and into something else, and dad talked on that this morning, had talked about the promised land, talked about the inheritance that he's called for you. But we have to get out of something familiar and we have to go to something unfamiliar and we? We want the Holy spirit to be with us all the way. We want to feel his presence descending like a dove. We want to feel him with us.
Speaker 1:But in Joshua, chapter three, verse five, joshua said to the people sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. You've been wandering in the wilderness. You, I brought you out, and Moses brought you out of Egypt, out of the slavery time, and you've been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. You ate manna. You ate manna that fell from heaven. What is it, laura? I don't know. It's something kind of like bread, but I don't know what it is. And even water came out of the rocks to satisfy their thirst. God supernaturally sustained them in the wilderness, but now it was time for them to go into the promised land. They were going to have a different form of provision. No longer was the manna going to fall from heaven. Now they were going to have crops. They were going to grow their own. They're going to grow crops. And they were going to live in houses that they didn't even build, but they were there already from the people before them that built those houses. They were going to have a whole new life. So tomorrow I'm going to do wonders among you.
Speaker 1:Verse six then Joshua spoke to the priests saying take up the ark of the covenant. What does the ark of the covenant represent? The presence of God. Take the presence of God and cross over before the people. And so they took the ark of the covenant and they went before the people. They crossed over the Jordan River. They crossed a boundary. There was a boundary between everywhere else and the land God had called them to, and they had to cross over the river. And the river wasn't flood stage. It was not just a little jumping over the creek, you know, it was like just a little jumping over the creek, you know it was. It was like crossing a lake. It was a bit as every bit of a miracle is. When they crossed the red sea on dry ground, they needed a miracle to cross over and they took the presence of God with them. But but that word is interesting Cross over.
Speaker 1:Before the people cross over, everybody say cross over. There's a Hebrew word there and I've taught on this before. I want you to take it with you and own this word. The word is abra crossover, and a form of that word is ebri, which is where you get the entire name of the Hebrew people Ebri, hebrew, hebrew. It comes from the people, so it literally means the people who cross over. God's people are people who cross over. It is not what you do, it is who you are. You are a people who can handle change. You are a people who can handle transition because the Holy Spirit goes with you and you have the Holy Spirit living within you. You have the Ark of the Covenant. You are carrying his presence with you and you will cross over to the other side and you will make that wilderness a spring of water. You will have what you need. You will prosper where you go. God has given you a promise and you are going to make it through. You are going somewhere. Good Hallelujah.
Speaker 1:Cross over before the people, take the Ark of the Covenant and cross over before the people. You know the word Hebrew literally means that, and it started with Abraham, that all the Hebrew people came from Abraham and the whole reason you know. Remember, god told Abraham I want you to get out of the land of Ur, of the Chaldeans. That's still, by the way, you can find it on the map. Chaldea is a place and he left that place. It's on the map. He left that real place and he went. So he crossed over a river and the river he crossed over was the Euphrates. And he left all his people behind, and none of those are Hebrew people, but all the people who crossed over the Euphrates, those are the people we call Hebrews today. Those people, because they crossed over. What are you gonna do? You're gonna cross over into the promised land. You are not gonna stay on the other side of the river where God didn't call you. You are gonna cross over. You're gonna do the hard thing and God's gonna be with you.
Speaker 1:Then later, abraham's grandchild Jacob. He crossed over the Jordan River, made grandchild Jacob. He crossed over the Jordan River, made a covenant with his own covenant with God. Moses and the Israelites crossed over. What did they? Cross over the Red Sea, with the Egyptian army chasing them down, but they crossed over. They did something hard that looked impossible, but with the presence of God, it was not impossible. It was possible and they did it. God, it was not impossible, it was possible and they did it. They were the people who crossed over.
Speaker 1:Remember Elijah, right before he went to heaven in a chariot of fire you can read about it in Kings. He took his mantle and he smote the Jordan River, same river, jordan River, that same river where Jesus would someday be baptized, that same river that Joshua had crossed over. The prophet Elijah took it, he smote it with his coat and it dried up and he walked over the river. He crossed over and then his son in the faith, elisha, did the same thing. As soon as he saw his father be taken up into heaven, he realized whoa, now I have a call of God on my life, let me see if this mantle works. Wham, and he, he's smoked that same coat over that same water and it crossed for him too. He was a guy who crossed over. Everybody say I will cross over.
Speaker 1:Now, jesus was baptized in the Jordan and a lot of people say that the Jordan River is a symbol of something, it's a boundary. Some people say it's a symbol of death. We cross over the Jordan into heaven. But you know, jesus was baptized and I believe that day, when he began his ministry, he gave himself to his mission. He gave himself to the mission that he was called to do, and that is, he knew he would be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He knew that he was slain from the foundation of the world. He knew he was giving himself to the plan of God for his life, which was to die for you and for me, and he baptized, he showed it before he did it. And then, once he did die and was buried in the tomb and was raised to newness of life, he crossed from death to life and he gave a way for all of us to do the same. So that's the ultimate crossover, right there, from death to life. Well, you saw it, you saw it in picture tonight in baptism people passing from death to spiritual death, being apart from God, not knowing God, not being close to God, into newness of life. And it all happened in the Jordan River when Jesus was baptized and then when Jesus died and buried and was risen again. So what new role did you cross into when you got saved?
Speaker 1:I'm gonna just do a quick. You know Jesus began his ministry when he was baptized. You have a ministry, jesus said, or the apostle Paul said you have a ministry of reconciliation. You have now been reconciled to God and you have a ministry to help other people get to know Jesus. So I just wrote a few things here. I was inspired in Hebrews 10. So we'll kind of be back and forth in Hebrews 10 for just a minute. So we pass number one. We pass from religion to relationship. So we pass number one. We pass from religion to relationship. When we are baptized into Christ, we pass from religion to relationship.
Speaker 1:If you read Hebrews 10, hebrews 10 goes on later to describe the baptism process. So but we're going to back up a little bit. And in Hebrews 10, 4, it says it's not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. So the Jewish people, these same Hebrew people, ended up. God gave them a little path until Jesus could come into the world and pay for their sins. Ultimately they had to have a substitute and that substitute to pay for sins was bulls and goats had to die and the blood would cover their sin. But they would still be very conscious of it and they would not really ever get rid of the guilt of that sin. It would remind them all the time.
Speaker 1:I'm not perfect before God. There's something between us, god and now. I can't really like when Moses had the glory of God on his face, they made him put a veil on his face. Stop it, moses. We can't look on the presence of God. It's too scary, we're not worthy, we're not. They didn't feel like they were ever really right with God. Praise God these people. They got baptized. Praise God you tonight. You can never, you don't have to ever feel that way again. There is nothing between you and God now, because the blood of bulls and goats couldn't do it. But here's what it.
Speaker 1:Therefore, when he came into the world, he Jesus, he said sacrifice and offering. You did not desire, but it wasn't about the bulls and goats. You wanted a body, you, a body you had prepared for me in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin. You had no pleasure. And then I said behold, I have come in the volume of the book. It is written of me. To do your will, oh God.
Speaker 1:Jesus did the perfect will of God. He presented himself a body, a sacrifice, so that now God doesn't want you to just give away a bull or a goat or to say some magic prayer out of a book, or to do a set of things, things, things, to do this religious thing. He doesn't want that. He wants you, he wants your body and he wants your heart. And if you skip down to verse 16, he said this is the covenant I will make with them. And after those days he says Lord, I'll put my laws in their heart and in their mind. I will write them and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. I will remember them no more. There is now nothing that separates us from God. We don't have to wonder and think and oh, I forgot to do that, I forgot. No, god's law is natural to do that now. It's just totally, it's your native tongue. It comes completely natural for you to serve the Lord because we pass from religion to relationship now with him. We have passed, you know, and I was wondering this week and reading, you know, the apostle Paul, for him to have a revelation, for him to see he somehow he knew from looking at the temple in Jerusalem. He was very familiar with the temple. The apostle Paul, which many people say wrote the book of Hebrews it's not settled yet, but I think he did. But he was, he would have been very familiar with all the ins and outs of the temple in Jerusalem.
Speaker 1:The temple in Jerusalem was the only place on earth until Jesus came. It was the only place on earth that had the presence of God. You couldn't find it if you lived anywhere else other than Jerusalem. You had to go there, to a place and you had to do the rituals. You had to have the blood of the bulls and goats and you couldn't, even if you brought your bull and goat. You can only come into the outer court of the temple. You couldn't actually be with the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, in the special place. You could not be there. If you went there, you would die. The presence of God would lightning strike you dead, and so you weren't worthy. You weren't worthy to get.
Speaker 1:There was something in the way, there was a veil there, and so when you're baptized in the Lord, now you have been brought from the outer court into the Holy of Holies behind that six inch thick veil that Jesus, when he died, he ripped it from top to bottom and he said come into my presence, be with me. You are worthy now I have wiped away your sin and you are worthy to come, be with me. Therefore, hebrews 10, 19,. Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holies of holies by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way it's a new and living way which he consecrated for us through that veil which is his flesh and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near. Let us draw near with a full heart and assurance of faith, because we've been sprinkled and our bodies have been washed with pure water. It's like we never sin. It's like everybody who got baptized tonight. It's like they're a brand new baby. They're completely innocent before him.
Speaker 1:And you know what we can have, that we can all have that Anytime. We just apply the blood of Jesus in our lives. We can just apply it and it will wipe out the sin. How do we access it? Just I repent Lord, I turn from that. That wasn't you the thing I just said to my husband on the way to church, or whatever it was. I repent, it wasn't you, and I turn away from it. So we can have, we can have short accounts with God. We can. We can come boldly anytime into his presence. We pass from death to life.
Speaker 1:John 5, 24 says most assuredly I say to you Jesus said this he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me, has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Dad was talking about the judgment of the nations today. He was saying some sober things. It's important that we understand the judgment of the nations. But you know what We've been redeemed from that We've been redeemed. We're in a different kingdom. We will have to see it with our eyes, but only with our eyes shall we behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Speaker 1:Psalm 91 says all right, we pass from, uh, we, we pass from. We pass from a pauper into the palace. James talked about that with Mephibosheth. We pass from foreigner to family. We pass from no covenant of grace, no mercy on our lives, into a place of covenant with God, like we're married to him, like he can take care of all of our needs.
Speaker 1:1 Peter, 2, 8, 9 says but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. You know you might not have felt like anybody special before you had Jesus, but you know what you are now a chosen generation and I believe that the generation of people on this earth right now, I believe we were chosen to live in this time. I believe our nation is ripe for revival and I believe the body of Christ in this earth gets. We get to be the ones that usher it in. Isn't that awesome? Talk about a transition from death to life. You're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people. That you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. We let, we went from darkness to light, couldn't see anything, didn't know the truth about anything, and now we're free. We can see clearly. We were once not a people, but now we are the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now we have obtained mercy. The people of God who had not obtained mercy, but now we have obtained mercy. So uh, so. So we've crossed over all of those barriers and now we are face to face with Jesus. We can feel his guidance over our lives. We are free to follow him with no encumbrances, if we'll lay them down and um and so uh. But where are we going? Where are we going? Um, so, here's still in Hebrews 10. Um, I'm not going to read Hebrews 11, but how many of y'all know what we call Hebrews 11?
Speaker 1:Hebrews 11 is a very special chapter in the Bible. Y'all shout it out if you know what we call it. Yes, the hall of fame of faith or the hallmarks of faith. Hebrews 11 is where God brags on all of the giants of the faith, the people who subdued kingdoms, who slew lions, who faced the edge of the sword. Women received their dead raised to life again because they believe God by faith, abel by faith, noah by faith, moses by faith, sarah received strength to conceive, seed by faith by faith. By faith, they did these things and it was awesome. And that is our future. That is some of us. I'm looking at giants in the faith in here right now who are living by faith. But we have to get there. We, that is our promised land. We are going to be those people of faith. We're going to see the mighty miracles and signs and wonders of God. We're seeing them right now in some cases.
Speaker 1:But Hebrews 10 comes before Hebrews 11.
Speaker 1:Hebrews 10. So what are we going to do? I'm up here in my pantsuit and I have to, as a woman in a pantsuit, I have to give y'all a word salad. My word salad tonight is about lettuce, lettuce, lettuce night. It's about let us, let us, let us, thank you, thank you, I'm here all night. Yes, all right.
Speaker 1:So now we have full access to God. We have crossed over, we are in the Holy of Holies. We can ask anything in his name and he'll do it. What authority he's given us, what power, what trust. I mean, it's, it's amazing. And so, um, I think that's why my dad, he, you know, he tried to explain it to me recently. He just said I just wake up with a burning every day. I mean, and he can be, he, you know, he just lays it out the way he sees it, he just he, he wants everybody to understand and know the truth. And, um, uh, but there's this, this burning that he has, and um, and we have a part to play in the, in the call of God on our lives. And so let us, let us, let us In chapter again, hebrews 10, 19,. We've been washed with pure water. And then so verse 22,. Let us here's the first let us there are three let us's Let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith.
Speaker 1:Are you going through a transition tonight? Are you going through? Whatever it is, you're transitioning to something. Maybe it's a hard transition. Maybe it's somewhere you didn't think you wanted to go, because it looks like a dark place and you weren't sure you were ready to go there. But you know what God's with you, and it's not dark. He's going to use you through every minute of it and let us draw near to him.
Speaker 1:Let us take the Ark of the Covenant with us through that time of transition, because whenever the Israelites faced a battle, they always led with their worshipers, they always led with the presence of God. The priests would carry the Ark of the Covenant first and they would be singing and they would be praising God in the face of every enemy, and many times the enemy was way more numerous than the people of God. And then God came and fought their battle. Jehovah Nisi fought my battle. He really does when we praise him and put him first. So draw near, draw near, draw near. The glory of the Lord is going to be your rear guard. The joy of the Lord is our strength. We sang it tonight.
Speaker 1:Trina Hankins puts it like this you cannot be defeated unless you are spiritually depleted, you cannot be defeated. And so if God is for us, who can be against us? Is God faithful? He is. So draw near to him and draw near in your time of transition. Draw near, draw near, okay. Second, let us. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. Everybody say without wavering For he who promised is faithful. Let us hold fast our confession. What are we saying? Are we speaking the word?
Speaker 1:I'm going to use an example because I'm going to steal it from Bryce Trawick, who normally sits right here. He was here last Sunday night Wait, right here is where he was. But Bryce Trawick shared this in our Faith Foundations class recently. So he shared about 10 years ago. My dad was up here on a Sunday morning talking about this spot that my dad had on the side of his head and he said oh, this spot is trespassing on my temple. I'm going to speak to my spot and I'm going to tell it to go. And so, uh. So Bryce realized at the same time well, wait a minute, I have a spot on the other side of my head and I can't allow that. I'm going to start speaking to that spot.
Speaker 1:So that same day he was started speaking be removed and cast in the sea. And every time he'd see it it would still be there. But he did not waver in his confession. He held fast and he told his spot be removed and cast into the sea. Be removed and cast into the sea. And a few weeks later he noticed the pastor's spot was gone. His spot was still there. And so he would say, be removed and cast into the sea.
Speaker 1:And so then his family all took a beach trip together. If y'all were in the class, you heard him. Tell it correct me if I say it wrong. So his family took a beach trip together and he was in the water and his daughter saw him from the beach. She said dad, what's that thing on your face? And he was like, oh, and it was a spot, and it was removed and cast into the sea. Isn't that awesome. The word, though, how practical. My dad heard that story. He said, well, he should have just gone to the sea sooner. He had to get to the sea, but our God is faithful.
Speaker 1:I'm going to use a possibly embarrassing example from my child and don't tell him that I said this, but when we were potty training Ben. Now he's a fine young man and he does not need that anymore. He's ready to slay giants for the kingdom of God. But y'all know y'all had to raise your hand. If you potty trained a child, raise your hand. You know that's a transition. You know you have to hold fast the confession of your faith during that time. And but I'm going somewhere good here.
Speaker 1:So I remember we knew he was ready. And so I remember taking this big box of diapers that we still had left and I said, ben, these diapers are for babies. They're for babies, you're not a baby. He said I'm not a baby and so only babies need diapers, and you're not one of those, so we're going to throw them in the trash. And then I thought, dear Lord, I hope this works.
Speaker 1:But I committed all the way and we threw them in the trash and I said now, you're, this is your big boy day, you're a big boy, we're going to have a big boy party. And we made a cake and we made presents. And you know what the presents were? Underwear. And here, open your present. And you're a big boy today and you're not going to need those anymore. And um and so we crossed from death to life. We crossed in one day, hallelujah. We crossed over to the other side and, uh, and you know what? It was the easiest thing I ever did. It was really easy because there was a change coming and we made the transition with the steps. We said, we said we held that, and then I knew that it was on us Parents.
Speaker 1:You all know whenever the kid says I have to go potty, it's usually not at a good time, it's usually at a bad, bad time. It's in your last in line at the grocery store, then now you've made it to the front or whatever. It's always at a bad time. But I remember, like we committed okay, when the, when the kids have to go, we're going to make, we're going to move heaven and earth and we're going to make it, we're going to do our part, amen. But we held fast. So it's that same thing.
Speaker 1:Like, what is your cope? I could have kept those diapers, just in case, could have kept them right there on hand, because it sure would have been easier at those. But you know what? We only had to clean up one mess. That was it, because that boy was ready. After that, he did not want to ever experience that again. And so I don't know what your cope is.
Speaker 1:What is that little thing that you're holding back, that you're waiting just in case for a raining day, your plan B, in case your faith doesn't work? Throw that away. Throw that away, hold fast, because if you have that, you're going to waver. So it's time to transition to the other side and the stuff that worked manna had to fall away. They didn't have any manna anymore. Now it's a different way. They have to believe god for the rain of blessing to fall on the land and grow the crops. They're not going to have manna anymore. It's a different way. God has to bless you, to prosper, you, that thing that you're coping on, that person that you thought you needed so much. You had to call them first whenever. It might not be that they're a part of that transition.
Speaker 1:What is your faith? Your faith will make a way. What is your cope? Leave it behind. It's time to leave it. Sometimes there's a time to hold fast and not waver. Never give up. Never give up. God is faithful. Is he faithful? Has he been faithful? Y'all?
Speaker 1:I look at what could have happened in our nation. I look at I'm. How many of you just be honest you expected there to be riots? Just be honest, I expected that there would be riots. How many of you expected to be very close? If it were close, then there would be riots because there would be people vying for power of their own. They didn't see it all play out. There was not decisive, clear victory. But God did it, didn't he do it? He values life. He did it. I remember and I my.
Speaker 1:My main concern on my mind was will my son be drafted into a war, an unnecessary, evil war? Will there be severe loss of life and casualties because of reckless foreign policy? That was my main concern. Will my son, who is turning 18 in February? Will he be drafted into a war? And I just feel like I got my son back that day. I feel like he has a future and a hope. Hallelujah. I already knew he did. I knew God would take care of him, but it was just really awesome to see that. You know it played out.
Speaker 1:But in all of these cases I'm making it real national, but in very make it very personal with you. The devil had a plan for you and that plan is canceled. You have passed from death to life. That plan is canceled and God has a plan to give you a future and a hope. Jay said it's not plans for good and not for even give you a future and a hope. Hallelujah, all right. So hold fast. And the third lettuce is the last lettuce, my word salad.
Speaker 1:Let us consider one another. In order to stir up love and good works, king James says instead of stir up, it says provoke to love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as in the manner of some, but exhorting one another. And so much the more we say more as you see the day approaching. So we need the body of Christ. Look around you, look at the little people behind you and your side smile at them. Those are the people you need more now than you did before.
Speaker 1:The day is approaching. What day? The day? The day where Jesus is returning, the day of his glorious appearing? That day is coming and we're supposed to be with each other more. We need more of each other, and we've got to consider each other, because we're not going to get to the promised land where we're supposed to get all by ourselves.
Speaker 1:The Israelites crossed over together, as one people. We are going to get to the promised land where we're supposed to get all by ourselves. The Israelites crossed over together, as one people. We are going to cross into our promised land. I can't get mine by myself. You can't get yours by yourself. We've got to be together, and that means we have to consider and provoke to love and good works. Provoke, provoke. It's like the little piece of sand in the oyster that bothers it till it makes a pearl, till it covers over and covers over and covers over. No irritation in the oyster, no pearl. But you know what? Love and good works do not have to be irritating. Love and good works can be inspiring.
Speaker 1:How many of you have a neighbor that over decorates for Christmas? Do you have that neighbor? I do, but the neighbor that over decorates for Christmas, that just you know. There was one in Lakewood Grove, drive by. You could actually tune your radio to a certain station that he had, like set up and you could hear the Christmas music and the lights would flash to the same beat of the Christmas music on that radio station. He had it all set up to and he had every inflatable of every in all through the yard and it was in every square inch of his house, had lights all over it and it was amazing, had lights all over it and it was amazing.
Speaker 1:So decorate your life with love and good works and just like that neighbor and everybody wants to one up that neighbor Now all the neighbors are like well, now I look like the Grinch over here. I didn't even put lights up on my house and now they're like well, I guess I should at least buy a nativity scene. I guess I should at least. And then you have the people, at least, at least at least, and then they kind of are provoked, right. So in that way we can decorate our lives with love and good works. Ideas can be good or can be bad. Ideas decorate, make our lives full or not. I'm provoked to love and good works when I see Miss Carol.
Speaker 1:Miss Carol, the way that she loves and shines in the community. Have you ever tried to go anywhere in public with Miss Carol? You will not be the center of attention for her, because if you are anywhere in public with Ms Carroll, there will be at least three students and I'm trying not to exaggerate, it will be at least three people, but maybe as many as five to 10 people that will come up to her at any given moment and remember that she was their PE teacher. And she will not only, and maybe it was 10, 12 years ago. Maybe she is now coaching their children of students that she coached originally and she remembers their name, their sister's name, the nickname that she called, all of them and they're valuable to her and they love her and they come up and they hug her and they thank her and she remembers that detail about their life and brings it up and it's just a sweet one and she'll be completely immersed in a conversation until the next person finds her.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's cats. It's because she sowed into people's lives and she valued everybody and she's provoking everybody with the light of Jesus on her life. It's just like that. It's like that Christmas display, Christmas Carol. There she is just shining for Jesus, but it provokes. We want that, we want to be that. It Jesus was that. He drew people from everywhere, um, even the people who rejected him. He found the people that were the least likely and he loved them.
Speaker 1:Um, you know, women show love by nurturing, like Ms Carol does A lot of times. Men, they don't show love in that same way. Love looks different in a man. It's Veterans Day tomorrow. That's what love looks like many times. For a man to go and lay down his life for his friend to defend, to fight for something, and it sounds gruff and it sounds different. It's not nurturing. Sometimes, when a man loves, he loves tough, that's my daddy. But a man guards, he guards. He sees the wolf and he guards and he beats it down and that's the way a man loves. But that's love and good works and I'm provoked. I'm provoked when I see the sacrifice of our veterans. I'm provoked when I see that. So what provokes you? What provokes you? We ought to be able to look at each other and see something that provokes to love and good works in a good way, hallelujah. And so ideas can decorate our lives, our lives can be enriched and we can inspire other people just by our good ideas.
Speaker 1:I look at our nation talking about big picture. Again, there are a lot of people who do not agree with what happened, honestly, the election. They don't agree and they're very fearful and the torment of the devil is evident on many, many, many of them. The lie of the devil oh, I'm going to be in jail. One man actually killed himself and killed his wife and his child and himself because of that election. That's how deceived, that's how sad, that's how depraved. But it is the demonic deception and powers They've given themselves over to that and there there's compassion there for that. So I mean I, we can hate the bad ideas. We should hate them and fight against them, because bad ideas are contagious Like cancer. We talked about that this morning. They're bad ideas, they are against God, but the people are the precious fruit of the earth, the people. Psalm 139. This is a great contrast. This is just a really great contrast. For all of these things, I am still, even with all of the awesome stuff that happened, and man, we deserve a victory lap. I'm so grateful, but I'm concerned about the women in this country, because many of them still still still even Christian women have fallen prey to this whole abortion lie, which is so.
Speaker 1:Reproductive freedom yes, you have reproductive freedom. It's called self-control. It's a fruit of the spirit. You have that, and if you didn't, you should still like. God made life. He made life through. You valued that life. So this is a good idea. This is one of those things that can decorate our lives and it will affect the way we treat other people.
Speaker 1:Psalm 139,. You formed my inward parts, you covered me in my mother's womb, verse 13,. Verse 14,. I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed, and in your book they all were written the days fashioned for me when, as yet, there were none of them, when as yet there were none of them. When does life begin? Conception, the days fashion when as yet there were not no days. Boom. As soon as that conception happens, there's a plan. The days are fashioned for them. God's plan comes into being. Do you know what I learned recently? A biology major that then went into a different field, but she told me how excited she was to learn this. You formed my inward parts, you covered me in my mother's womb. You covered the word is actually you wove me, you wove me.
Speaker 1:Has anyone, can anyone picture what a DNA strand looks like? The double helix? It's literally woven like that and in the weaving of it there are these three compounds that come together. It's a Trinity of compounds that come together and they make a crowd. They make the sign of the cross before there and when, when the DNA is first formed, it makes a cross and then it is in, wrapped into the DNA strand.
Speaker 1:It is like God's very fingerprint is on every life. It's so valuable. If you've ever had a miscarriage, you have treasure in heaven. If you've ever made the wrong choice and you chose to have an abortion and about one in four women have. You're not alone and God forgives you and there is a wonderful life waiting for you in heaven. It's awesome and there's forgiveness, there's plenteous redemption for you. But that life is so valuable and that means your neighbor that's screaming their head off right now.
Speaker 1:They had a Harris person what's the guy's name? I forgot Waltz. Thank you, a Waltz. They had that sign in their yard, you know, and now they're pulling their hair out. But God loves them and their life is valuable and important and and we got to love them. We got to love them in whatever way that looks like, and sometimes that looks like defending some stuff, defending some ideas and fighting for truth and righteousness, and sometimes it just looks like you know regular nurture and going the extra mile for them and showing them the love of Jesus. So let the Holy Spirit lead you. But those are good ideas and God wants us to consider one another, to provoke one another for love and good works. Let us, let us. Let us as we cross over Hallelujah.