Get Out of the Way

Full Transcript

Pray for me, I love you, I need you to survive. I won't harm you with words from my mouth. I love you, I need you to survive. I pray for you, you pray for me. I love you, I need you to survive. I won't harm you with words from my mouth. I love you, I need you to survive. It is His will that every need He supply. You are important to me, I need you to survive. Lord, Father God, thank you for another opportunity to come together, dear Lord. Lord, Father God, I celebrate your holy name, dear Lord. Lord, Father God, the ability to crack open your word, dear Lord, and hear from you, dear Lord. Lord, Father God, I pray, dear Lord, that you remove all self from me, dear Lord. Lord, Father God, hide me behind your cross, dear Lord. Lord, Father God, not so that my words, dear Lord, will not be about me, dear Lord. Lord, Father God, but people will see you, dear Lord, and if they see you, dear Lord, I know their lives will forever be changed, dear Lord. Lord, Father God, there's just something about being in your presence, dear Lord. Lord, Father God, when your presence is amongst us, dear Lord, lives are changed, dear Lord. Lord, Father God, hearts are broken, dear Lord. Lord, Father God, souls are mended, dear Lord. So, Lord, Father God, let me just get out of the way, dear Lord. Lord, Father God, so you can do what you have to do, dear Lord. Lord, Father God, it's in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Savior, I ask all these things. Amen. If you would turn with me in the Bible to Mark, chapter 5. We found a New Testament, and it's Matthew, Mark. Right after Matthew is his brother, his buddy, Mark. And we're going to jump all the way down to verse 37. Mark 5, verse 37 reads, And he allowed no one to accompany him except Peter and James and John, the brother of James. They came to the house of the synagogue officials, and he saw a commotion and people loudly weeping and wailing. And entering in, he said to them, Why make a commotion and weep? The child was not dead, but is asleep. They began laughing at him. But putting them all out, he took he took along the child's father and mother and his own companions and into the room where the child was. Taking the child by the hand, he said to her, which translates means little girl, I say to you, get up. Immediately, the girl got up and began to walk, for she was 12 years old, and immediately they were completely astounded. You may be seated. No, we're just the second year into this this new year. And I don't know about you guys, but when we hit a new year, you know, you get that that excitement, that that pizzazz, like something. Something's going to happen this year. Right. And so what I want to just try to do is for something good to happen this year. I think I want to make this this Christian walk just a little bit easier for everybody. And I think I can do that this morning. And I think I can do that because the topic I want to put it if you want to just write a topic title down, you want to put a put a name on this. We're just going to talk about getting out of the way, getting out of the way. And so let me tell you this, too, before I get before I get going, going whenever you hear a little piece of text like I just read just a part of this chapter. You really need to know the whole situation, you know, because I can I can I promise you, I can convince you of some stuff off of just a couple of verses. But it might not make sense in the context of the whole story. So we really need to go back and look at the whole story just to make sure, you know, my analogies, my analogies. So the scripture is actually accurate. I could be in the wrong street. But we're going to look at that. Right. So. So when we look at this story, Jesus is walking into the leader of the synagogue's house. Now, keep your minds on. I said the leader of the synagogue. Most of the time we see Jesus in the synagogue. What is he doing? Telling stuff up, blowing people's mind. You know, he ain't studied nothing. He ain't been in no schools. How does he know all this stuff? And the leaders of the synagogue don't like him. Why? Because he messing up their church service. They don't believe he is the Messiah. But this leader of the synagogue daughter is sick and near death and he say, I don't care. I know that guy is healing people. So let me go get him for my daughter. Forget whatever I believe. Forget whatever I've been preaching. Forget whatever I've been talking about. My child needs help. So I'm going to find a man that I know is providing help. I'm going to give you some background. I ain't going to leave you out there. So. So he goes to Jesus to ask for help. Jesus has just got off the boat with his boys. He ain't got time to be able to get his foot on land good. And he's crowded by people because they realize he came across the water. So he got the boat. He got people surrounded by him. And when he looks around, it's this man from the synagogue that runs the synagogue in this town we just landed in. And he's asking me to go heal his daughter. And Jesus goes, come on, let's go. We're going. In the midst of his going is when he gets touched by the woman with the issue of blood. See, the first one is they get out the way. Why? She needed healing as well. And she pushed through telling people, get out my way. I'm trying to get to the Savior. And Jesus takes care of that and keeps moving. And as they're walking a little further, somebody comes up and says, leave that man alone. Your daughter is already dead. And Jesus say, just believe and keep going. So they get to his house. Told you the leader of the synagogue, his daughter just died. So people around there, because they're trying to get a sympathy or whatever. And, you know, they and and Jesus pretty much says, get out the way. Matter of fact, he only take three of his boys in the house. It's 12 disciples. He's the only three of y'all can come in. The rest of y'all got to stay outside. Y'all got to get out the way to going into the house. There are more people in the house. Y'all get out to just get out. For me to do what I need to do. I can only have the people in that believe 100 percent what I believe that this child is sleep and is about to get up. Get out the way. This will help us. So. So, preach, I ain't talking. I'm going to be here long. I promise you. We're going to get out early today. And Texas ain't even playing, but it's all right. How are we in the way? One of the first ways I believe we are in the way is being judgmental. I know you're there, you know, I dare. But I got to make you feel some kind of way about your dirt. It's wrong. It ain't right. You shouldn't be here in this building because you've got this scene in your life. You shouldn't be able to show up and sing this type of music. You're trying to be Christian and singing Christian songs. But I know you live in an unholy life. You can't come and sit at my table if you won't keep living your life the way you live in your life. What judgmentalness does is this. It puts you in the middle of the center and Jesus. And so if you're in the middle of the center and Jesus, the center can't get to Jesus because you're in the way. What do you mean? As long as you are there beating them on the head about what they are doing, they're going to stay mad at you and never have to face their demons. What do you mean? Because it's easy to be mad at another person. But if there's no people in the way and I have to look Jesus in the face, I have no idea, no choice but to change the way I'm living. But all over the world right now, Christians are judging people, even to the fact we become more sinful from our judgmental ways. What you mean, preacher? When a person will blow up an abortion clinic instead of let somebody get an abortion. How is that pro-life? You commit another crime to prevent somebody else from committing what you say is a crime. You believe you say you're pro-life, but let you treat other humans like they're not human. Not having compassion for somebody that's struggling. We get we let this we take this book. It got some rules in it, but like I say, you can't take the rules. You can't take the text out of the context. If not, you live with the con. And we've been conned. We've been conned. Our society tells us one sin is better than another. And as long as I ain't this bad, I should do everything I can to hold that person accountable. That ain't got nothing to do with you. Only thing we have to do is make sure ain't nothing between us and God. Matter of fact, God, these your children, that's between you and them. Even Moses had enough enough sense to say, what you mad at me for? These your kids. These your kids. I'm just here because you told me to take them somewhere. And I told you I didn't want to take them. Number two. Unforgiveness. Unforgiveness. Unforgiveness. Person in the Bible that just just just just resonates how bad and we probably don't even think we're that bad, but we probably are with unforgiveness is Jonah. Jonah hated the Ninevites so much. Not only did he hate the Ninevites so much, he understood the power of God that he say, I ain't doing none of that. I hate these people so bad. I'm going in the opposite direction because I don't know what they did to Jonah. But whatever they did to Jonah, he was like, y'all ain't getting no healing. You ain't going to serve my God is my God. I got into myself. I don't like y'all. Y'all can't have him. I don't know what the Ninevites did to Jonah, but he was like, no. Then they get there and they get here. They say, see, God, I told you that's why I didn't want to go. Because I knew when I got there and I preached to proclaim your word, you was going to change these people. But are we the same way? Are we holding on the grudges because we truly don't want God to change the people that have been persecuting us, that have been hurting us, that have been holding us down for so long? Do we not want God to save them? So we hold on to that bitterness because we in the way we know God has the power to change. But as long as we can fight for somebody, fight against somebody, we are standing in the way of God moving them. It's easy to fight you. You can't fight God. The best you can do is hold on. Last point, and then I'm going to my seat. I told you I ain't going to be here too much, too long. Now, this is the one. We're doing too much. How are you in the way? You're doing too much. You're doing stuff you ain't got no business doing. You're doing stuff that ain't your assignment. God has put a specific call in your life. And if you're doing stuff outside of your calling, you is in the way. If you are operating outside of your calling, you are in the way. And God says, I need you to get out the way so I can do what I need to do. Come here, Lott. I'm only here to help you, Lott, because your uncle told me I need to watch out for you. But I need you to get over there because I don't need you anywhere close to here when I get ready to do what I got to do. If you are, you're going to die too. That's just how powerful I am. Even though I'm God and I can control, I can, I can, I can pinpoint where I really want my destruction to be. But my destruction for this place is going to be so strong you can't even be close. I could preach or something, hold something online, but I'm going to hold that and I'm going to hold it, put that back in my pocket. We like to do stuff to make ourselves feel better. But you're in the way. That ain't what you're supposed to be doing, but it make you feel good. Coming in here sometimes just make us feel good, but we ain't doing nothing when we're here. See, see, see when you come in this building and you want souls to be saved. Your praise is a little different. When you sitting in this building and the pastor, the preacher, the proclaimer, the gospel is is delivering the word. Some of y'all listening, we should be praying. What you saying, preacher? When you know that God has already filled you with the word that you need for today, for the week, for whatever, while the preacher is preaching, you could be praying for the lost souls to get delivered because you already where you need to be. But the preacher needs some help getting the people where they need to be. Hey, to tell you, but this ain't no spectator sport. This ain't no spectator sport. And I'm going to tell you a secret is nothing like proclaiming the word of God. And in the midst of proclaiming the word of God, you feel a spirit that you haven't felt and you feel God taking you somewhere. And as he's taking you there amongst the people, you know, it's only because it's somebody praying for you. Now, real talk, real talk. I'm serious, church, I'm serious. Is that the body, the core has to assist. But if you're drunk from the world, it's clouding up, it's blocking the spirit. Now, understand this, when you are tightening your relationship with God, sometimes your job ain't to listen to what the man up here got to say. Your job is to assist. What you saying, preacher? Box with this dude, help him out. He getting jumped up here and everything. They're more forces of evil trying to stop the person that really needs the message from getting the message. And he needs some assistance up here. Over and over, when you read the word of God and it tries to tell us that this battle is not against flesh and blood, but we want to pretend like it is. And we so caught up in the flesh and focusing on the minor things in life, when God is saying the battle is bigger. How many times you went home and within an hour you forgot what was being preached about? It's not taking me that long. Man, I kid you not. We used to lead First Shiloh Baptist Church, make it the 3504 hearty. My grandpa asked me what the preacher preached about. I don't know, but it was good. He preached that thing today, boy. I'm like 15, 16. I know I had a good time because I'm still tired. We clapped our hands, we stomped our feet, we sang some good songs, and he got all sweaty and huffed and puffed and hollered real good. So, yeah, we had good church. We had good church. But were any souls saved? Y'all don't do it here anymore. But, you know, when you go to church and they open the doors of the church, what are you doing when they do that? You're supposed to be praying. You're supposed to be praying, asking God to remove whatever barriers and stopping somebody from truly experiencing the full presence of him. When you walk into the building, do you expect to see new people? Do you expect somebody's life to be changed today? Or do you just expect to hear some good music, some good songs, some good word, and go home? If so, you could have just stayed at home. I promise you, no matter what channel you turn it on, you could have some good music and good word. So I'm better than me. I'm promising. I can't sing a lick anyway. But what are you expecting? And if you're expecting to get a word from God, it's going to be delivered by the man up here. The question is, what are you going to do with it once you get it? Because some days you do. Some days I need a word. Pastor got to be on it today because I need something because if I don't get something today, somebody going to get shot when I leave here. Or somebody going to get beat up real bad when I leave here. I'm just being honest. That's how you feel sometimes. I don't care if you're good because I know some people ain't going to make it home if I got a gun in the car. You on your edge. You're on your last. Like when I get home, I'm going to choke the crap out of this child. They done tried me one too many times. My wife better not say boo when I walk in the house. He better not ask me to cook nothing when I walk in the house. I need a word today. But yet you sitting there, you sitting on your phone, checking your messages. You is really. Is you really grasping for that word? We got to get out the way so God can do what he got to do. And sometimes, like I say, you got to pray for that spirit to be released because the person behind you might really need that word. But you in a way, just clapping and hollering and a man. And when you should be praying because somebody truly needs the word. I told you it was 12 disciples, but only three made it in the house. Only three made it in the house. That's baffling. Jesus, you got you got you got eight of the dudes. My math ain't right now. Nine of the dudes. You got nine other dudes. That couldn't get in the house. Oh, no. The one or two things. Either one. God, Jesus understood he needed some protection at the door. Once I kick these people out the house, I need to make sure they don't get back in because I'm going to get to do work. They understood their position. They weren't tripping. That's what I like about this world. When Jesus gives a command, people did it. They were sitting there anyway. You go in this time. You went in last time. It's my time to go in. Hey, you, you, you, let's go. And y'all. I know y'all Christians, but y'all didn't watch some gangsta TV before. But that's what they want to do. Snap his fingers. Snap his fingers. He say, yeah, wait outside. We're going in. What they do. They wait outside. Why? Because they know they got to protect and watch the bag so he can handle his business inside. And don't nothing go down to stop the business from going down. It's supposed to go down. So, which one of y'all watching the dough? Real talk. We come in here to do spiritual business. Who's watching the dough? When you see somebody that needs healing, that's dealing with something in their life, where do you put them? Do you bring them up front? You sit another soldier next to him that's going to comfort him in the midst of their struggles? Because I promise you, when you're walking with Jesus, you ain't just going to sit at the door. You're going to be on the job. You ain't just sitting out there hanging out, chit-chatting, drinking a cup of coffee, having some donuts. You making sure what goes down inside is going to be going down inside, and I'm going to take care of everything else outside. So, even in this American model where the preacher preaches the word in here, but after that, y'all got to go outside and handle the world. Why? Because if you came here to get filled up, you got to go out and do something. Don't just come get this word and sit on it. I like hanging out. I do. I figured it out. I didn't figure it out. I like hanging out with sinners. I do. They fun. They fun. And then when sinners realize, no, that I'm a sinner, they even cooler. Why? Because they're like, wait a second, ain't you preaching tomorrow? Yeah, and? But you're here with us. Okay, I'm still going to wake up, and I'll be there. Hopefully not with a hangover, but I'll be there. But they say, you know my dirt. You know where I am, and you're still willing to commune with me. You break bread with me. You all right. And you believe all that stuff in that book? Yeah, I believe everything in the book. All right, well, how? And then now they want to have a conversation. Then they want to have a conversation. And then I like educated idiots is what I call them. Atheists. I like atheists. Why? Because the conversation I have with them is, so you telling me you don't believe in nothing? But you're smart. And if you're smart, you can't be atheist. Because to be smart, you have to prove that God doesn't exist to say that God doesn't exist. So you just got to be agnostic. And they'd be like, huh? I'm just going to talk. We'll have a conversation. Whatever religion you are, let's have a conversation. Let's talk about it. Okay, cool. You ain't mad at me because I believe this? No. Go on, believe what you believe. If it worked for you, it worked for you. I'm just telling you what worked for me. And if that's not working for you, come holler at me because this ain't going to stop working for me. I promise you that. Yeah. And I tell you, if religion is alive, it's the best religion going. Because the only one that say somebody else died for what I got to do and ain't got to do nothing to make up for it. So if I'm going to try something, I'm going to try this until it break. And it ain't broke yet. But we have been taught, we've been brainwashed in our brain. And we've been operating wrong in this religion, this set of beliefs. We're making it harder than it's got to be. You be you. Get out the way and let God be God. Amen. Get out the way? You know, it's just really amazing how God works.