Lord that you'd bless this service and Lord
what an amazing topic as we go through
our disciplines of life series to come to
this one I know the title of it's
got maybe eyebrows kind of looking up and
wondering what in the world is that all
about but father It's something true to all
of our hearts and I pray that you
would Lord give me the ability to speak
on things that are dear to my heart
Lord because I have found out that they
are dear to yours And so we pray
for your filling now in Jesus name and
all God's people said Amen, grab your Bibles
then church and turn if you would to
two locations number one Matthew chapter 28 Matthew
chapter 28 is the very theme Verse of
our series the disciplines of life and tonight
we're looking at the discipline of deformity What
does that mean deformity?
The discipline of deformity and we are in
Matthew chapter 28 and I want you to
go there and then mark that spot put
your finger there and while you're in route
Just go right on over to mark chapter
7.
Hold your finger there mark 7 and Matthew
28 And while you're turning there Tonight I'm
going to be sharing with you a discipline
that for me is the most meaningful in
our entire series and This is a 31
part series here.
We are tonight in part 9 But tonight
is the one to me that means the
most important to me and this discipline has
shaped my life and it's the root to
Listen, it's the root to whatever if any
influence I have had in your life or
anyone else's life.
This is the reason why?
tonight It means everything to me.
I know the word deformity is something that
we don't even want to even talk about
But it's something that I think all of
us tonight will learn to Identify with the
discipline of deformity Matthew chapter 28 it begins
with discipleship verse 18 Jesus came and spoke
to them Saying all authority has been given
to me in heaven and on earth.
That's a lot Go therefore and make disciples
students Followers of Jesus of all nations baptizing
them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Teaching them that's what you do with disciples
after you preach to them and they get
converted they come to Christ you teach them
for The rest of their lives teaching them
to observe all things that I've commanded you
and behold.
I'm with you always Even unto the end
of the world Isn't that a great word?
Jesus is going to be with you and
I all the way to the end of
the world And so the discipline holds your
finger in mark, but the discipline of deformity
nothing else seems to cut more deeply into
the heart of a human being than if
in fact you have or are suffering from
a deformity and I'm gonna explain that in
a minute, but it could be the deformity
of doubt or of discouragement of defamation maybe
even of disease It could be a physical
deformity and we'll talk a lot about that
tonight and all those things have their powers,
but none of them seem to be as
powerful upon our very psyche and our soul
and our Position in life when it comes
to being a liberated Christian Then the deformity
that brings you and I about to the
place of living either a fearful or cautious
life It does have to it does in
most cases deal with the deformity physically that
affects us listen Emotionally you can have emotional
deformity and not affect you physically There's a
lot of people getting by in life that
way But if you have a physical deformity
or or a deformity that's manifested in a
physical sense Then it often affects us emotionally
and mentally and certainly spiritually But again, there's
nothing quite as painful as outward deformity because
it causes a deep internal scar Emotionally often
mentally pain.
It affects how we act it affects how
we function it affects how we live our
lives and you and I can admit right
down that when we see somebody going or
living a life that they're having to drag
through this life a deformity, maybe it's a
a Foot or an arm or a body
part or whatever it is, and they're just
deformed and contorted There's a sense as Christians.
I'm sure you agree with me.
It's the Holy Spirit within us We see
them and the first thing that's upon our
hearts is a deep internal grieving of our
soul that if we could in the instant
we would fix them in a in a
flash and how many times We've seen a
situation like that and we prayed Oh God,
if you just give me a little bit
of encouragement I'll go pray with them right
now.
I'll I'll pray Lord touch them and heal
them right now You know I'm talking about
See somebody at the store or somebody at
the beach or somebody out about town and
that you're just moved with compassion Oh God,
if you just give me the thumbs up
because that's how I pray in my weakness
Oh me a little faith.
Maybe God's telling me just don't even talk
to me.
Just go up there and pray for them
But your heart is rent and then the
next emotion that you have is to not
look because you don't want to cause them
to feel embarrassed and then at The same
time there's a little bit of comfort when
you do look away isn't there I know
this sounds ridiculous to put these two things
together, but Last night on the news.
There was this big thing on the news
and I could hear them I was in
the kitchen getting some water or whatever and
I could hear on the news about this
animal abuse News story and as soon as
I heard the word animal abuse, I don't
want to hear that.
I'll walk away I a child abuse I
walk away.
I can't deal with that And God knows
to keep me away from two types of
people those who would abuse animals and those
who would abuse a child because I fear
the old Jack would be Resurrected in an
instant and that person would be dead Because
those things are defenseless and what it was
was they some kids in Russia strapped a
donkey to a parachute and catapulted it up
from a boat up into the sky and
I didn't watch it.
I can't I heard about it and that
was enough For me and sometimes when you
look at somebody that's been injured hurt or
deformed or crippled Handicapped we would say Physically
challenged we would now say in our modern
age, which is all for us by the
way It's it causes us feel bit to
feel better when we say that But the
fact is down deep inside There's a deformity
and I want to say something tonight that
that may shock you But I believe because
I'm an old guy now, you can't pull
a fast one on me I'm telling you
right now every one of us suffer with
some form of deformity one way or another
and it just comes down to how skilled
we are at hiding it and camouflaging it
Listen to this in Luke chapter 4 it's
not gonna be on the screens jot it
down I don't think just jot it down
Luke 4 16.
It says so he Jesus came to Nazareth
where he had grown up and As was
his custom he went into the synagogue in
the Sabbath day and he stood up to
read and It was handed him the book
of the prophet Isaiah and when he had
opened the book he found the place where
it was written verse 18 Luke 4 Jesus
said the Spirit of the Lord is upon
me.
This is your Jesus He says the Spirit
of the Lord is upon me because he
has anointed me to preach the gospel to
the poor He has sent me to heal
the brokenhearted To proclaim Liberty to the captives
and the recovery of sight to the blind
to set at Liberty those who are oppressed
and to Proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord and thank the Lord Jesus.
He stopped at that comma in his second
coming He will pick up at that comma
by the way He stopped right there It
is the acceptable year of the Lord and
he Then the Bible says he closed the
book and he gave it back to the
attendant He sat down and the eyes of
all those who are in the synagogue were
fixed upon Jesus and he began to say
to them Today this scripture is fulfilled in
your hearing in other words The ministry of
Jesus is a ministry of healing church of
healing and you might be here tonight in
your say Well, I don't need healing.
I feel great.
Listen down deep inside You need healing as
even as Christians tonight.
We need a continuous healing from the Lord
in our lives There's always something challenging our
lives and maybe more now than ever before
I know America is suffering but honestly America
is not suffering enough yet There's no way
we're suffering enough yet We're apparently gonna have
to go through much more before it gets
better because of this one thing and I
pray you're different in this church but you've
learned to cry out to God, but America
is not crying out to God yet and
Until we have leaders in politics in government
and in the pulpits saying let's cry out
to God Then we're not better bad enough
off yet.
It's not bad enough yet And so it
needs to get worse tragically But all of
those pressures could bring about a deformity of
your heart and of your spirit but we
talked even of more things than that and
Mark chapter 7 your fingers there, right?
Mark chapter 7 verse 31 for those of
you who know me This is a very
dear portion of Scripture for me in my
life as we come to the discipline of
deformity You'll hear why if you don't know
Mark 7 31 again.
He Jesus departed from the region of Tyre
and Sidon and He came through the midst
of the region of the ten cities.
That's what the capitalist means to the Sea
of Galilee and Then they brought to him
one who was deaf and had an impediment
in his speech and they begged him and
put his hand on Him and he took
him note this verse 33 He Jesus took
the man aside from the multitude and he
put his fingers in his ears that is
the Lord Jesus put his fingers in the
man's ears and then Jesus spat and Touched
his tongue Then looking up to heaven Jesus
sighed and said to him it papyrus that's
Aramaic that is be opened and Immediately his
ears were opened and the impediment of his
tongue was loosed and he spoke plainly then
he Jesus Commanded them those who witnessed it
that they should tell no one But the
more Jesus commanded them the more widely they
proclaimed it that is called in my opinion
godly disobedience And they were astonished beyond measure
and this is what they said.
He has done all things Well, he makes
both deaf to hear and the mute to
speak.
That's Jesus.
Is that not awesome?
I'll tell you how awesome that is point
number one tonight in the discipline of deformity
is this as a Christian?
It's my victorious reality.
And when I put my it's because this
message is coming from my heart you put
your it's your Victorious reality if you're a
Christian tonight mark this down right now the
life that you're walking through The cross that
you're bearing the situation you're in right now
is your victorious reality He is with you
in this moment.
What the world is guilty of is having
made fun About all those things that Now
makes them feel bad when we talk about
deformity the world used to poke fun at
people who are deformed and now you know
They feel bad about it So now they
they change things around and they try to
cover things up.
The world doesn't know how to handle deformity
or these What we call trials I want
to say a victorious reality.
Here's what happens The world tries to redefine
Those that are injured in this world and
yet as a Christian I can tell you
tonight the victorious reality is as a Christian
we Learn to celebrate our weaknesses They are
our true power when it comes to living
life the very thing that you and I
thought was the great weakness and the great
handicap of our lives turns out to be
the great Victory that God brings through us
in this life The very thing that is
a scourge upon your life is the thing
that God turns around and makes it a
tremendous Powerful tool and I know that doesn't
seem to make any sense in this world
Maybe for you it's a great sense of
fear or inadequacy Maybe you're timid Maybe it's
the way that you were brought up I
don't know but the world is uncomfortable with
the issue of deformity because the world doesn't
know how to handle it It's beyond human
scale.
Don't you think?
Humanity struggles with handicaps and the first chance
the world gets is to curse the very
God for the handicap They see even they
don't even though they don't believe in that
God That's because the world has not been
able to deal with Deformity both among themselves
or within themselves because without Jesus being on
the throne of your life you guys you
will be absolutely befuddled in this life without
him ruling this ailment Whatever it might be
But the reality is this that deformity and
pain and sorrow are Converted God loves to
change these things around in our lives Listen
again to mark 732 and they brought to
him Somebody brought to Jesus one who was
deaf and had an impediment in his speech
the word deaf and impediment in his speech
the word in Greek means that there was
a Chain tied around the man's tongue.
He couldn't speak By the way, the Greek
word implies that he once was able to
hear and speak and at some point in
his life Something happened to him.
Maybe he had it was young as a
child had a fever That's very prevalent because
of the high fever.
He lost the ability to hear and speak
very possibly But whatever it is, he once
had it now he lost it But he's
got friends and his friends bring him to
Jesus and they want their friend healed is
that not beautiful We you and I need
friends like this guy's got friends Isn't it
great?
They probably woke up that morning.
They said hey Jesus is coming to town.
What what?
Jesus is coming to tell Forget it you're
coming with us We're taking you to Jesus
What a great friend Where are we going?
We're taking you to Jesus and They take
the man.
I wonder what he was thinking What do
you think was going on in his heart
and mind you and I live in a
post-perfect world the Garden of Eden was
perfect and Now it's not pain and suffering
is the result of man's rejection of God
not God's rejection of us Church pain and
suffering came about because man starting with Adam
and Eve they rejected God's leadership and by
the way You and I will suffer when
we reject God's leadership because when you and
I push away from him We're gonna Experience
pain.
He doesn't bring us on it necessarily.
But when we push ourselves away, I Tell
you what today was just a picture-perfect
postcard day.
Was it not?
Compare that to last week last week you
and I ran from shade to shade to
building to car and We tried to wear
as least amount of clothes as possible while
we were doing it.
It was hot and you think about Rejecting
God and pushing back from God.
You know what that that's like when you
reject God like Adam and Eve rejected rejected
God They push themselves away from his covering
and you're out in the elements alone And
then when something happens because you've run away
from God You have a tendency to shake
your fist to God and say why is
this happening to me?
And God says I'm over here Remember he
said Adam, where are you and when we
were away from him?
Mankind suffers deformity of all sorts in Isaiah
43 7 The Bible says everyone who is
called by my name whom I have created
for what my Glory, I have formed him.
Yes I have made him bring out the
blind people who have eyes and the deaf
who have ears Well, you keep reading Isaiah
43.
He's about to do something about it when
Jesus came and said the kingdom of God
is here What did he do he raised
the dead he opened the eyes of the
blind he caused those who were covered in
leprosy to be made whole The kingdom of
God was upon them This is a victorious
reality for us who are Christians now and
I want to show you a clip here
in a second I want to just kind
of preface it you guys can get it
ready If you don't have cable TV or
direct TV or whatever that then you're wasting
your time at all But there's there happens
to be a phenomenon going on on TV.
I think it's now the second most watch
a third most watched program in the universe
right now and That's the program of Glenn
Beck.
He was fired from CNN And then picked
up by Fox.
It was a stupidest decision CNN ever made.
It was a smartest decision Fox ever made
But Glenn Beck was a major drug addict
major his wife's Mormon and her Mormon friends
began to do a Intervention on Glenn Beck
and rescue him and So for a long
time Glenn Beck has associated himself with Mormonism
But if you're from Utah You would know
that such a person who lives a certain
way and says one thing about being a
Mormon They're called a Jack Mormon.
We would say today of Christian would be
a backslidden Christian or a carnal Christian But
Glenn Beck would his only religious exposure was
Mormonism until recently And I happen to have
been in Washington DC in May and sat
down with David Barton and his wife and
we were talking and getting ready for the
Capitol tour and with Rick Green and we're
just having a great time and I said,
hey, what's with Beck?
and he said well, I've been spending a
lot of time with Beck and He said
Beck Beck he said is in that beautiful
place.
He does not yet understand Christian ease He
doesn't know how to talk Christian, which is
very sweet but if you listen to Beck,
he's preaching the gospel on Fox News and
He's people are saying he's gonna get fired
for it.
He doesn't care anymore if he gets fired
for it But David Barton is discipling him.
I can tell you that personally pray for
David Barton and Glenn Beck Glenn Beck Glenn
Beck is I Believe that Glenn Beck is
born again, and he's finding out now that
he's born again Because he doesn't know Christian
ease and I really respect David Barton for
handling this properly and David's protecting him and
as you know David Barton's very much on
his program now a lot if Comes on
too early for you Tivo it and watch
it later but this week Glenn Beck made
an announcement and I think all of you
need to see this in light of the
Disciplines of deformity a couple of weeks ago.
I went to the doctor Because of my
eyes I can't focus my eyes and I
went to the doctor and actually I went
to LensCrafters first And the LensCrafters guy said
whoa You might be going blind.
I Go home and I said honey the
LensCrafters guy said So I went to the
best doctor I could find while I could
still go to the best doctor I can
find And
he did all kinds of tests and he
said you have macular dystrophy And I said
is that that Jerry Lewis thing telethon, but
he does because I should have given more
And I said what does that mean and
he said Well, it's kind of the full
range You could go blind in the next
year or you might not I Said
did you just charge me a thousand dollars
for knowing what I already knew my whole
life.
I Said you might not You're a doctor
like I'm a doctor aren't you I Will
tell you In fact Krista branch and her
husband were in my office the day that
I had to go to the doctor and
I was speaking to him last night.
I said so great to meet you and
they said Glenn we were in your we
were in your office a few weeks ago.
I Said really It was very memorable They
said it was the day you had to
go to the doctor and I said, oh,
okay now I know cuz that whole day
quite honestly, I Know
what my wife looks like I know what
my children look like I I Have a
great imagination.
I Know what color looks like But I
love to read And
I thought to myself Mmm, I love you,
too.
I thought to myself in that time I'm
too darn lazy to learn Braille But
you know what What a blessing Because I
know God After I stopped feeling sorry for
myself on oh my gosh, I could go
blind or not I Truly came to a
place that is the greatest blessing Lord if
you need my eyes They're yours they were
yours the whole time anyway Thank you For
letting me see as long as I have
That's Now he made that announcement and the
internet let up just lit up and Said
Finally something good has happened in the news
Glenn Beck's going blind.
Let the blind lead the blind did anybody
tell him he was blind to begin with
on and on they're ranting and Raving on
the internet people who just are beyond wicked
in my opinion to gloat over someone else's
difficulty that is one of the points regarding
the reality of deformity is the sense that
you don't have to have anyone else pick
on you and Push you down regard regarding
the things that bother you.
You already know painfully what those things are
and You heard what Beck just said Lord
these are your eyes This is the guy
that's he's just new to the faith You
can tell he's being discipled.
Well But this message is true for all
of us.
The victorious reality is Understanding who am I
really?
I am a created image of the everlasting
God And now I've been born again by
the Spirit of God through Jesus Christ.
I Have a new life and that new
life carries with it Residuals of the old
world and You and I have not left
this world yet Church We are in route
to heaven and we drag as it were
Linus and Pigpen and Charlie Brown as they
walk along You ever seen those guys?
She's kicking Charlie's kicking a can Snoopy's dancing
in the background Linus has got his thumb
in his blanket and there's Pigpen with the
fumes rising up all of them have their
residuals except Snoopy He's the only guy that's
got his act together In Charlie Brown, you
know but you and I have these things
and Tonight you can either be a victim
and you can walk around Regarding the discipline
of deformity and say, oh, you know, oh
my goodness.
Oh, whatever and you can just do that
and You're actually more than handicapping yourself, but
listen to this it doesn't have to be
like this first Chronicles 4 9 His name
is Jabez remember him now Jabez was more
honorable than his brothers and his mother called
his name Jabez Saying because I bore him
in pain Jabez the name Jabez means grief
sorrow Disappointment to cause pain.
Can you imagine being born that what's your
name grief?
That was his name His mom must have
been a horrific Pregnancy and delivery and then
you must have been you know, the Hebrews
wait a while before they named their child
They watched their attitude and stuff and then
they named their kid And she hey grief
get over here Because I bore him in
pain and Jabez called on the God of
Israel saying oh that you would bless me
Indeed and enlarge my territory that your hand
would be with me and that you would
keep me from evil that I may not
cause So God granted him his request what
a great word God can change life and
The Lord's on a mission to rescue humanity
from itself in this thing of deformity Isn't
it strange that just north of here about
30 miles?
There are people no doubt statistically probably a
vast majority of whatever Surgical enhancements are taking
place or taking place just 30 miles north
of here in Hollywood and Malibu and Bel
Air and People who look into a mirror
because of their broken heart and they may
not have Jesus in them they see this
incredibly deformed life and what they do is
that they go into a place in a
in a circus as it were to be
reshaped it and molded by new little gods
with knives and Fat and silicone and stuff
to try to recreate a disparate broken life
and Then the person comes out listen the
person comes out and they look in the
mirror and you go yikes and they go.
All right No, I'm sorry.
I'm not I'm not making fun.
I'm just they go.
Oh gosh.
Wow.
I love it listen They look different to
us.
They look weird to them They're different and
to them there's someone else there's someone new
and the world is so desperate to find
one thing that they can do and Little
do they know that down deep inside.
It's God that changes the heart Which in
that results in changing a life in Isaiah
35 3 Strengthen the weak hands.
This is what God says.
He loves this strengthen the weak hands make
firm the feeble knees Say to those who
are fearful hearted be strong.
Do not fear Can I say that to
some of you tonight be strong do not
fear behold your God will come with vengeance
Hallelujah With the recompense of God he will
come and save you Then the eyes of
the blind shall be open and the ears
of the deaf shall be unstopped Then the
lame shall leap like a deer and the
tongue of the mute shall sing This is
our God Christian what a few days or
a few moments Time makes where Last Sunday
and last Sunday night regarding the same young
lady.
We were praying for her We feared it
sounded as though her cancer was back here
at this church and she had just got
done battling cancer and and We prayed the
family prayed.
I prayed with family members.
We prayed and The tears are flowing and
that down come on that down deep inside.
You know what I'm talking about.
There's that haunting grief that It's wrong and
it's back and it's back with a vengeance
this cancer and Then the word is found
out this week since Sunday to today.
What is today's Wednesday and It's all good
news.
It was just scar tissue and everything's great.
Well, hallelujah.
Yes Hallelujah, but listen true and we thank
God for that In fact, I text the
father of that family and I said stop
what you're doing right now and make sure
everybody stops and gives God thanks in that
household now for what for what he's done.
Here's the thing Would God be as great
and as strong if the news would have
been positive or positive cancer?
It's supposed to be He's still on the
throne and what he does with his kids
is the absolute best and he never asked
for your opinion or mine Because we would
give him the wrong counsel God, I don't
think this should happen to me and he
says to us little do you know?
that through deformity Your life is built your
strength and my name is glorified and others
will come to know me and then we
are gripped with the reality Is my Christianity
that important to me that I can affect
others for the kingdom of heaven forever or
do we say no God?
No, I Want my life to be just
mine and I don't want to be put
on display and I don't want to be
a spectacle and I Don't want anybody to
know I just want to cruise through this
life easy Listen, I believe God will answer
your prayer if you want to cruise through
it lightly and easy I think he'll answer
your prayer and Then there are those who
apparently attend this church with the chutzpah and
you say God have my own way with
me You guys are radicalized for Jesus and
Things are happening.
You got to admit things are happening Number
two as a Christian, it's my joyful Recognition
my deformity is what do we mean by
that?
Again in Psalm 34 verse 1.
I will bless the Lord at all times.
His praise shall continually be in my mouth
really Wow I am a long way from
being a big Christian My soul shall make
its boast in the Lord.
The humble shall hear of it and be
glad Oh Magnify the Lord with me and
let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord and he heard me
and delivered me from what all my Fears
Romans 8 18 I consider that our present
sufferings are not worthy Comparing with the glory
that will be revealed in us.
Paul has the right attitude So joyful recognition
you say pastor, you know, that's just great
the disciplines of deformity what you're talking about
you know fine, but you know It's one
thing to talk about it's one thing to
live it and that's why I told you
that this particular Disciplines the most dear to
my life and I'll give you some of
the reasons why it was on March 31st
1991 I'll never forget it Lisa and I
were at Mark and Mary's house.
It was Easter Sunday evening.
We had just had a little home Bible
study Easter morning and all of a sudden
I didn't feel so good in the lower
regions of my anatomy my stomach started making
noise in an instant and I felt like
something had broke in a snap and I
went home and I went into the bathroom
and I'm not gonna get too graphic But
I tell you what, I went into that
bathroom and I wound up Having intermittent breaks
from the bathroom for about nine months Nine
months were you pregnant pastor Jack?
Yeah, I lost 22 pounds couldn't eat Went
through every test.
They said well, you know, we think you've
got this we think you've got that we
think you've got the other and then of
course they said, you know, you could have
colon cancer and I remember like it was
yesterday just sitting in the bathroom.
Just spending my time because that's where I
lived Looking out the window and the from
the bathroom window of my house.
You can see this tree blown in the
wind I'll never forget it and How much
I appreciated like Beck was talking about the
things you appreciate The wind was blowing the
trees and when they tell you, you know,
you could have colon cancer You start thinking
and you appreciate everything you appreciate that You
know when it's real hot and you don't
like it when what you love it You
love you'll love it when you're thinking I
just want to live for my kids And
it took a long time and I was
diagnosed with an incurable intestinal disease and I
just went by the way a couple months
ago to the doctor for another update exam
and The doctor said listen, I gotta tell
you something what?
He said I've got to write your insurance
company a letter well why and he said
because all of your scar tissue and all
the stuff that's gone on all the inflammation
inside your Intestines, it's completely healed.
It's gone.
It's perfect.
It's like he said, I don't need to
see you again for 10 years And he
said in 10 years, it'll be a checkup
because I this is amazing and listen for
you young people just Envy yourself to death
tonight.
He said you got it.
You got a colon of a 20 year
old And it's like yeah, man.
I got a colon of a 20 year
old.
What do you do with that?
You know, do you Twitter that you Twitter
my colons 20 years old Look But this
is this is what got me through I
want to give it to you because I
for nine months This was my life.
And then the time after that again, I
spare you the details, but it was horrible
for some years Philippians 3 8 yet Indeed,
I also count all things lost for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord For whom I've suffered the loss of
all things Paul knows how to deal with
the discipline of deformity and count them But
rubbish that I may gain Christ and be
found in him not having my own righteousness,
which is from the law But that which
is through faith in Christ the righteousness which
is from God by faith that I may
know him here it is that I may
know him and The power of his resurrection
and the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed
to his image.
Nobody signs up to suffer Nobody does that
be honest, but when you are suffering you
grab onto this verse and you say, thank
you Lord thank you God because I can
know the power of your resurrection and the
fellowship of your sufferings What's happening in the
midst of your pain?
You're being conformed into his death Little did
I know That it was God blessing me
Up until not too long ago.
I Didn't know whenever I was speaking with
you in Services guest speaking somewhere whatever.
I didn't know I would have 30 seconds
to get to the bathroom.
You have no control and For years I
want to shout the glory to the Lord
for years in front of you publicly.
He sustained me He's amazing.
And what did he teach me through that
little did I know that through the midst
of it every time I'd walk away Go
get through one Sunday service after the next
I would say thank you Lord for getting
me through.
Thank you Lord Just one more service one
more service.
Come on Jesus and you know what?
I wouldn't change a thing For that and
the stuff that you're going through in this
life, trust me no, don't trust me listen
to me though Trust God only That whatever
you're going through he is so on it
He is so gonna get you through that
thing He has not abandoned you.
He cannot abandon you.
He can't do that.
He can't leave you or forsake you He
cannot lie, so he'll never leave you in
2nd Corinthians 12 7 the Bible says and
lest Paul is speaking lest I should be
exalted above measure by the abundance of the
revelations a thorn in the flesh was given
to me.
Listen to Paul embrace his victory and be
joyful in the recognition of his deformity a
Thorn in the flesh was given to me.
He makes it sound like it had chocolate
on it with a rubber with a bow
a red bow on top of it a
Message a messenger of Satan to buff at
me lest I'll be exalted above measure Paul
saw the workers of Satan as an asset
to His ministry.
How cool is that?
Oh Pastor I don't ever want to deal
with the demon ever.
Well, if you do God's put you in
the place to take care of the situation
So Paul says hey this God allowed all
this stuff in my life to keep me
humble Concerning this thing I plead with the
Lord three times Paul asked God three times
take it away from me And he said
to me my grace is sufficient for you
for my strength is made perfect and weakness
Therefore most gladly I will rather than boast
in my infirmities that the power of God
or Christ may rest upon me therefore I
take pleasure in my infirmities the Discipline of
deformity in the reproaches and needs and persecutions
and distresses for Christ's sake for when I
am weak that I'm strong Listen church, don't
confuse some people do and I really There's
not much that really gets to me this
in this context But I tell you this
does don't confuse my confidence in Jesus Christ
for Confidence in my flesh or arrogance or
pride, please.
Don't I Have to tell you something if
you meet me at the store as many
of you do It's me and when I'm
up here, I'm searching constantly Lord fill me
Lord speak through me Lord, don't let them
remember anything about me But when I'm bold
and when I'm excited and when I'm forthright
about the things of God, I gotta tell
you something That's my confidence in Jesus because
my flesh it will fail me in an
instant a couple of Septembers ago I was
standing right here in the Second Service when
my flesh completely failed me and My body
just shut down.
It is a strength to realize.
I don't have the power or the ability
None of us have the power or the
ability to even be in God's family But
he's adopted us He's amazing and I remember
being so sick and I just wanted to
know the power of his resurrection and the
fellowship of his sufferings Point number three, it's
our last point as a Christian.
It's my favorite resort.
I thought Maui was No, I have you
learned please tell me you've learned this you
can be what's your favorite place in the
world Wherever it is.
What was that?
Yeah, that's a good place.
I Was born not far from that spot.
He said La Jolla You can pick your
favorite spot La Jolla Maui What is it
for you the Poconos for you back Easter's
I Don't know but if you love it
Let's be honest if you're not right with
God, you can be in paradise and it
stinks right, and so the discipline of deformities
this it can become your favorite resort and
by resort I mean your place of Strengthened
refuge I can say this now Christian But
I couldn't have said this before but suffering
and deformity is The greatest thing that can
happen to the Christian in this life It's
not wealth it's not fame.
It's not Exposure, it's not achievement.
It's not education.
It's literally the things That only God can
use to get us closer to him and
in humanity, it's suffering None of us want
to hear this But while the world does
everything to avoid it it's the Christian that
says Lord I Wouldn't have signed up for
this You think Britain Kate up in Santa
Barbara with Daisy would have signed up for
this?
But let me tell you something.
We're in contact with them constantly Brit made
it a point to say the spiritual side
of me says I wouldn't change a bit
of this the human side that's another story
Is that not true?
embracing These times and you know the verse
I don't even need to say it you
can write it down It's Proverbs 3 verses
5 through 8 where to trust him and
lean not on our own understanding because we'll
go nuts.
I Understand it you'll never get it.
I will never get it.
We're not supposed to get it.
We're Christians and that level of suffering only
God gives us what we need to get
through and Again, he doesn't ask for our
opinion.
And how is it that through suffering we
can be on top of the clouds?
While the world drowns in a perfectly sunny
beautiful day, I don't get it.
I don't need to get it my God
gets us through I Can tell you that
my weakness and deformities have kept me from
getting into greater dangers and greater evils I
Can tell you now?
That the victories that I've had in my
life have come from pure Defeats and you
think about that for a minute My weaknesses
my handicaps are the visible Trophies of God's
hard work in my life and in yours.
Did you like that?
I made that up myself You can write
that down Why I'm gonna tell you why
in Philippians 1 6 he says be being
actually it's in the Greek.
It's be being continuously Confident of this very
thing that he was begun a good work
and you will complete it into the day
of Jesus Christ Philippians 2 13 says for
it is God who works in you both
to will and to do of his good
pleasure So what's your handicap?
What's your setback?
I want to encourage you tonight.
Stop resisting it.
Stop complaining about it You're actually fighting against
the very will of God You complain about
it like he doesn't know He's the one
that's allowed it in your life He's the
one that's allowed it into my life Jesus
and John chapter 9 verse 1 it says
now Jesus passed by and saw a man
who was blind from birth and His disciples
asked him saying this is like a this
is amazing.
There's a blind guy Jesus is walking by
and the disciples.
It's like a field trip For them look
what they say rabbi who's saying this man
or his parents that he should be born
blind Can you imagine they're walking along?
Oh, there's a blind guy.
Hey, hey Jesus Who said his parents are
him that this guy should be born blind.
Is that cruel?
This sounds like some Christian programming.
Oh, wow, the guy's blind somebody must have
been big big sinners in his life And
that's brutal You ever gotten sick and some
Christian like Job's comforters come to comfort you
dude, you got the flu what sins in
your life Get out of my house right
Deformity causes pain deep pain and that pain
is converted into self-preservation.
Make no mistake about it.
And that is a result Produces Temper and
Can lead to violence listen to Lord Byron's
bitterness.
It's called Lord Byron of England his bitterness
He was born with a severe clubfoot.
Now.
This is old English.
So hang on Quote my poor mother was
generally in a rage every day and used
to render her sometimes almost frantic Particularly when
in her passion she reproached me with my
personal deformity.
I Unseen I could vent the rage and
Mortification I endured and curse my deformity That
I now began to consider as a signal
work of an unjust God Those were bitter
moments even now the impression of them is
vivid in my mind and they have cankered
my heart Which I believe was created naturally
affectionate But since has been and is almost
always disposed to violence Do you understand what
he's talking about?
I do Reason why I want you to
turn to mark chapter 7 is because I
lived that life Versus 31 on I lived
that life.
I stuttered so severely in my life growing
up.
I Was absolutely the focal point of mockery.
I'll never forget my fourth grade class mrs
Friends having me stand on the desk She
made me stand on the desk and open
up the book and she said class.
We're gonna hear Jack read today And I
just stuttered all over myself began crying and
when you're hurt like that you Withdraw in
my father who was not the most gentle
nor understanding man would put his big Massive
arms on his hips and he would look
at me and say what's the matter with
you spit it out.
I And the more you yell at a
kid like that and you know as The
years went on it didn't get better.
I only get it only got worse.
I told you before I stuttered so bad
I couldn't even recite the vows at my
wedding and you say well, you know a
person who stutters looks normal on the outside
Let me tell you something a person who
stutters lives in constant fear fear of somebody
talking to them I Embrace now I can
say my deformity because back then it kept
me Out of some trouble not all trouble.
I would have girls Approach me and because
I couldn't talk I would leave I just
walk away.
I Would just walk Did I did I
want to know them?
I wanted to know them but because I
couldn't talk I would just walk away Oh,
what an idiot the guy just walked away
But you know what happens when you I
remember being What eight years old getting signed
up for in Orange County?
It was a junior junior all-american football
out here I think it's pop Warner football.
I'm not sure but um, I Found something.
I didn't want to do it, but then
my dad signed me up to get me
out of the house and Then I found
out that if you place your helmet on
Someone else's helmet or any other body part
it can cause them severe pain and I
found that out and I turned into a
Very quiet you can't you don't believe me
do you I was quiet I am making
up for 20 years of silence And I
uh, and I found out I could I
could vent exactly what Lord Byron said I
could do that I Could get back at
my dad by breaking someone else's neck.
I Could get back at my brother by
breaking that guy's arm And let me tell
you something if you know what I mean,
you know what I mean, and I became
a very violent person And you build a
wall up because you don't know how to
cope with your deformity And I don't know
where I would be today without Jesus probably
dead Because I would go into a rage
everything would go silent with me and the
pressure builds up behind my eyes I can't
hear a thing and Then when it's all
over then I would come back to reality
when I see these murder movies.
It's like oh my gosh Without Jesus taking
control of my life.
I could have gone that way He says
but since has been and is almost always
disposed to violence And mark 733 the Bible
says Jesus took the man aside from the
multitude mark it.
I live that I Lived in solitude.
I didn't want to be around people and
the Bible says that Jesus Began to minister
to the guy and healed him Untied his
tongue and on one night on a Saturday
night in Orange County God untied my tongue
in an instant And he healed me in
an instant But I wanted I want you
to know something.
I think it is the reason why I
have such a passion for the defenseless.
I Was nine years old it was the
summer of my School year at nine years
of age and a Some kids that lived
in our neighborhood.
They were just kind of in a gang.
They were about probably five to Years older
than I was I guess And I remember
getting thrown down on the ground by them
and a couple of them sitting on my
shoulders couple of them sitting on my legs
and This may be just too much information
for you.
But I I want you to know it's
got I have a point to this They
took turns urinating on me Making fun.
He can't talk.
He can't tell anyone and let me tell
you man That's that is something and you
say oh poor Jack poor Jack.
Let me tell you now now I can
tell you I wouldn't have changed a thing
now Why?
Because God has so changed my life.
I'm not here with you because I couldn't
hold down a job I've only had two
jobs in my life.
I just kept them forever and I quit
a career to come to this pastorate That's
not it.
I didn't do this because I want to
stand in front of people.
I just told George Before service, I don't
like doing this.
I don't what are you laughing at?
I Love you, but I don't like doing
this But the thing is this when you
get laughed at by a class and you
get urinated on by a gang or gang
members and you're mocked and made fun of
by your classmates your teachers and your parents
That when you find out Jesus is on
your side, yeah, you've got to understand something
You if you believe that that he's on
your side you will be Invincible until the
Lord calls you home and when people say
I don't like you.
Do you understand?
do you understand I could give you a
hug and a kiss because I'm just happy
to be standing here and To find out
that you already know that I survived an
abortion.
I was too young to know That I
survived an abortion when you say you know
what I Don't like the way you have
you don't like your illustrations and I don't
like your voice your voice sounds funny You
have to understand something.
I am I don't god bless you, but
I could care less what you think I'm
happy to be here and I'm happy to
be going to heaven Whatever it is in
our lives that holds us back You could
either choose to let those things hold you
back or you can say Lord Jesus You
know everything before I arrived Take it and
do with it what you want, and I
believe ministry from your life will be unique
It's the way he rolls and I'll just
end with this.
Isn't it something when people have learned to
Embrace their deformity no matter what it is
and Give it to the Lord.
Have you noticed you don't see arrogant deformed
people Have you noticed you don't see prideful
Handicapped people you don't see them battling arrogance
There is a humility about them because they've
been humbled often by humiliation and Only in
this world.
Can you as a Christian?
You're the only one in the world who
can say Lord Naked I have come and
naked I shall go but blessed be the
name of the Lord No more excuses as
Christians.
Okay church We live for Jesus and we
live all the way for him.
The show is almost over the globes almost
about ready to pop as for Us soon.
We'll see the Lord Father we thank you
for your word We thank you father that
you literally mean exactly what you say you
say exactly what you mean and Father we
pray tonight That the things that perhaps some
in here have been hiding behind and using
as their excuse to not serve you or
to not go out on the edge for
you or to not be Reckless for you
that that would have just fallen away tonight
by the power of your Holy Spirit Lord
Speak your word To these here that are
looking for acceptance They're trying to present to
the world something that the world wouldn't even
know if they had it that tonight there
are those that are here and They've they're
they're gangly or goofy Or they have a
knack for opening their mouth and saying the
wrong thing at the wrong time all of
this stuff Lord God that Haunts them now
Father there's those things in life Or maybe
a mom or a wife a husband or
a dad just can't see him getting past
that thing Father Conquer their fears Override Lord
their anxiety and Flood them with faith in
Jesus name church.
I'm gonna ask you to remain seated for
a moment and We're gonna play a little
bit of a song and then I want
to make an announcement to you guys