So with that said, I'm going to end
healing tonight, God willing, part three on healing.
And I've been talking about, does God heal
anymore?
Can He heal a person, as we read
about in the Bible, or is that gone
and that really no longer happens anymore?
Good for the early church, bad for us.
Right?
Or does it still happen?
Well, I'll encourage you to go online and
listen to part one and part two, because
then part three is going to make a
lot more sense, as these messages are married
together on this issue of healing.
So if you have your Bibles, we've been
in Matthew, as you can tell by this
big thing behind me.
It's kind of the reason for that is
we're encouraging Matthew, Matthew 8, verse, actually we
read chapter one last week, but we're in
verse five.
So if you have your Bibles, chapter eight,
verse five.
But before I get to that, what we've
been talking about so far is faith, how
faith plays a role in healing, and also
how sovereignty plays a role, or a lack
of role in healing.
Sometimes we forget that God's not like a
genie in a bottle, give me three wishes
and everybody's healed according to what I want.
But according to what His sovereign plans include,
and that's a hard one for us, isn't
it?
How can this be of you, God?
This is so difficult.
How can we lose a child?
God, help me understand this or not heal
me, Lord.
Where are you in the midst of this
confusion in this chaos?
Why is this happening?
And I believe it's okay to be frustrated.
Those are normal human emotions, but what do
you do with that frustration?
You take it to God and you seek
Him.
You don't become bitter and angry and leave
Him, because that'll get you nowhere, and that'll
get you nowhere fast.
I've probably got a lot of confusion before.
Why, Lord, why?
Why aren't you, what's going on?
Show me, Lord.
And as my prayer in that area begins
to change, my heart begins to change.
Does it not?
As you're seeking Him, I like what R
.C. Sproul said there.
I actually, it should be in your, I
don't know if it's on the bulletin, but
it's actually in your sermon notes.
Most Christians salute the sovereignty of God, but
they believe in the sovereignty of man.
And minimizing of sovereignty is directly related to
a magnifying of worry.
And the more I talk to people, especially
what's going on in Russia, what's going on
this, what's going on in the news, the
news, you know, it's a fear frenzy that
we're feeding.
We have to be very careful, because what
we're doing is we're minimizing the sovereignty of
God and we're magnifying the control of men.
And then when that happens, all hell breaks
loose and we worry about everything.
What's happening?
And we get this, we forget that God
is sovereign.
Our president still sits under that president.
You understand that?
Russia sits under Him.
The psalmist said, let the nations know that
they are but men.
They are men in the palms of an
almighty God.
So we look to Him, not to them.
We trust in Him, not them.
Actually, we should be thankful that we even
live in a place like America.
I mean, I read a lot of books
on the mission field, and parents will see
their children murdered before their eyes.
Can you handle that one?
So the next time you want to complain
about something here or in California, you might
want to take a look at what's happening
in the world.
People being killed and martyred.
We've got pictures we can't show here.
Moms on the ground, dead with their baby.
Why?
Because they believe in Christ.
No shoes, rags, wearing rags, rejoicing in Christ.
And I read that and go, what is
wrong with us?
What is wrong with us?
We should be the most thankful, but we're
the most negative.
We should be the most appreciative, but we're
usually the grumblers and the complainers.
That's why the people in the mission field,
they say, we're praying for America.
We say, no, we're praying for you.
They say, no, we're praying for America, because
your blessing has become your curse.
And as I read Isaiah and Jeremiah, and
I love the prophets Ezekiel and captivity and
Daniel, it's very interesting that you'll read that
is Israel blessed of God, then they succumb
to pagan worship and idolatry and possessions, and
their great blessing actually becomes their curse.
So when the children of Israel were blessed
by God and became prosperous, God would call
them out of that idolatry and that prosperity.
Is money bad, Jane?
Of course, I'm not saying that.
Money is a wonderful servant, but a terrible
master.
And we tip that scale the other direction.
So I think it is the minimizing of
sovereignty.
I see it all the time.
And maybe it's just because I talk to
a lot of people who are very afraid
right now.
The economy's, you know, we are millionaires compared
to the majority of the world.
You know, some of these people I saw
making $37 a month, working 14 hour days
in these sweatshops and building things.
And to them, we're complaining over.
I mean, that's we spend more than Starbucks.
We need a serious wake up call.
And I'm hoping to give that in the
next few weeks, because we're going to discuss
this issue of the cost of following Christ.
Now, hopefully, that doesn't mean half the room
is going to show up, because we should
all want to to follow Christ in that
area.
And we talked about intercession as far as
healing and parents interceding for their kids.
People interceding.
You can intercede and God will move the
hand of the father because of our intercessory
prayers.
I believe intercession is vitally important.
You remember Ezekiel, right?
God said, I look for a man from
among them.
I look for a man from among them
to stand in the gap and to build
a wall before me on behalf of the
land that I might not destroy it, but
I found no one.
God is looking for people to stand in
the gap.
That's where that phrase comes from in Christianity.
Stand in the gap, stand in the gap.
Well, that's what it comes from.
Usually Ezekiel.
God said, I saw it for a man.
Would you stand in the gap?
Would you plead for your church?
Would you plead for your children?
I need an intercession, not a five minute
devotional.
I need somebody on fire for God that's
going to get on their hands and knees
and seek me with all of their heart,
with all of their strength, with all of
their soul.
Then I'll turn the tide of that situation.
But I'm not going to bless an arrogant
church who doesn't want to have anything to
do with prayer and they'd feed me, feed
me, give me, give me.
These hands of giving me have got to
be hands of blessing.
We've got to intercede.
And I often talk to people, their kids
have gone, you know, prodigal and the wayward
daughter.
And I'm going to have to go through
that myself when my kids get older.
Who knows?
I'm not putting that down, but I am
saying, when was the last time you fasted
and spent a few hours praying for them?
Oh, I'm too busy for that.
Your kids on drugs and down in Hollywood,
you're too busy for that?
What?
What am I missing?
The condition of our family, the condition of
our nation, the condition of our church should
drive us to our knees.
The heart condition of the receiver can hinder
healing.
And that's where we left last week with
with self-examination or the week before.
The heart condition of the receiver can hinder
healing.
And I truly believe that many people are
not receiving what they could from God because
of the condition of their heart.
That's why the Bible comes against strongly against
pride and idolatry and selfishness and arrogance and
all these conditions of the heart.
That's why.
Because it can it can hinder the blessings
of God.
So with that as our backdrop, Matthew eight,
chapter chapter eight, verse five.
You remember earlier, if you're reading chapter one
or I'm sorry, chapter eight, verse one, he
just healed the guy with leprosy.
He said, Lord, if you are willing, would
you heal me?
Jesus said, I am willing.
And then it goes right into this.
Now, when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion
who's over 100 soldiers came to him, pleading
with him, saying, Lord, my servant is lying
at home, paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.
And Jesus said to him, I will come
and heal him.
The centurion answer and said, Lord, I'm not
worthy that you should even come under my
roof.
Now, you have to remember, Jews had no
dealings with Gentiles, let alone go in the
house.
So this man understood that he respected that.
But there goes Jesus breaking division, breaking denominational
lines, breaking race, racial lines.
He said, I'll come.
I don't care what you are, what color
of skin you are, whatever.
The church should be the most loving, welcoming,
affirming, not sin, affirming sin, but affirming distinctions
and differences than any place on the planet.
It crosses all those.
We want all types of nationalities worshiping here.
That's the true the true bride of Christ,
the true body of Christ, all nationalities, all
people coming for the same reason.
The truth of God is pulling me.
The truth of God is drawing me.
I need to spend more time with God.
So I don't know if this is contextually
correct, but I glean that from this.
Jesus said, hey, I'll come.
I don't care if you're Gentile.
I don't care if you're part of the
Roman authority.
I'm coming to your house.
But then he said, no, Lord, this guy
had so much faith.
He said, no, Lord, I'm not worthy that
you should come under my roof, but only
speak a word and my servant will be
healed.
For I also am a man under authority,
having soldiers under me.
And I say go and this one goes
and he does this and does that and
to another come and he comes and to
my servant do this and he does it.
When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said
to those who followed assuredly, I say to
you, I have not found such great faith,
not even in Israel.
And I say to you that many will
come from the east and west and sit
down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the
kingdom of heaven.
But the sons of the kingdom will be
cast out into outer darkness.
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And that is saying basically is other people
are going to come in.
These people who think they're children of Abraham,
we're children of Abraham.
We don't need to bow to you, Christ.
We're children of Abraham.
Jesus said there'll be sons of this kingdom
who will sit outside.
They'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Just because you're of the lineage of Abraham,
if you do not bow to the Savior,
just because you're an American, if you do
not bow to the cross, that's the only
way to enter heaven is through the shed
blood of Jesus Christ.
He is the only way, the only truth,
the only life.
Nobody comes to the father except through him
and by him.
Then Jesus said to the centurion, go your
way and and as you have believed, so
let it be done for you.
And the servant was healed that same hour.
So I was as I'm right, of course,
I mean, you read this, you came, Lord,
what do you want to say?
And usually I just sit and I kind
of wait and just I don't want to
put my own opinions into it, but I
believe that we can pull a lot from
this.
Number one would be we should ask and
we should ask often.
If you want to be healed, if you
want your prayers answered, you should ask.
I should ask and we should ask often.
It's that pleading.
It's that petitioning.
And that's why I think a lot of
times we go into prayer maybe for a
day and then we'll forget it.
This is too difficult.
But God was testing our hearts many times.
I will worship you even if my prayers
aren't answered.
I will serve you even if my prayers
aren't answered.
Lord, it's in that waiting in that asking
time that we build up strength.
Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength.
It was interesting with Samson when he was
taken by the Philistines, right?
They gorged out his eyes.
And the Bible says that he was at
the at the grinding with the oxen.
He was pulling this thing with the oxen,
a blind grinding and grinding.
He could not see they took out his
eyes.
But the Bible says as he was doing
that, as he waited on the Lord, his
hair grew back and his strength grew back
and he was able to defeat the Philistines
with the final blow as he pulled down
the whole temple.
Now, of course, the power wasn't in his
hair.
It was in his consecration to the Lord.
In that waiting time, his strength came back.
Some of you need to sit and you
need to wait on God.
I truly believe we are so busy in
our culture.
I went on.
Sometimes I try to go to jogs early
in the morning sometimes.
And in this one yesterday, I think I
was, I told my wife, I'm just leave
my phone here.
And I thought it was like I kept
checking.
I mean, every 10 minutes, I'm sure I
hope everything's OK.
You know, we're so glued to that thing.
It's an addiction.
I can't somebody, you know, we just know,
OK, Lord, I just need to take time.
I need to seek you with all of
my heart.
I need to take a drive.
I need to put on worship and seek
him.
Listen, coming to Westside Christian Fellowship, standing up
and worshiping and hearing this isn't going to
change anything.
This is just the ignition, the switch to
I've got I've got the fire and I've
got the match, but I can't light it
until you take part in what God is
calling you to do and seeking him with
all of your heart.
I would restructure my entire lifestyle around seeking
God.
Oh, Shane, that's fanatical.
Call it whatever you want, but that's seeking
God with all your heart, with all your
mind, with all your soul, with all your
strength.
Something's got to give.
Something's got to change.
If he's not a priority, then our priorities
are misaligned.
I have no problem saying that if he's
not a priority and seeking him.
If he's not a priority, then our priorities
are misaligned.
And I believe that one thing that can
hinder healing is we're not asking.
We're not asking often.
We're not seeking him again.
I don't want to minimize people who have
been seeking and pleading and praying and nothing
happens.
I'm not minimizing that.
I'm not saying, well, you just have you
just need a little bit more faith, brother.
You just got to pray a little longer.
No, I don't think so.
But if God uses that to draw me
closer to him day in and day out,
he's using that.
He'll say, my grace is sufficient.
Shane, I'm using that to draw you closer
to me, because if I didn't use that
to draw you closer to me, you would
be leaving me.
You'd be the prodigal son.
You would be the wayward daughter.
You would be walking away because I know
your heart.
And I've got to keep you close to
the father.
Those are areas which we cannot, cannot discount.
Ignore the little baby in the back.
That's my daughter.
Oh, that's OK.
Oh, I don't mind.
The kids are coming in.
It's funny because they say, dad, you're so
boring.
Can we go in the kids class?
So that's I've got a complex coming in
tonight.
Right.
Anyway, I wonder this on this whole question
of healing, would they be healed if they
didn't approach Jesus?
With these people, would they have been healed
if they didn't approach him?
I don't know how.
So that's something I saw there that there's
an approaching there's a there's a there's a
like I said before, there's a seeking after
and a cross reference, Luke 18, 1 through
8 there.
I think that's where that woman came in,
that widow, and she kept bugging the judge
and kept bugging the judge and kept bugging
the judge.
He said, I don't care about God and
I don't care about man, but I'm tired
of this lady bothering me.
Give her what she wants.
And Jesus uses that, though, what's going on
here, Lord?
Can I just pray once according to that
scripture?
Of course we can.
But according to that, there's a there's an
earnestness there.
There's a desire.
There's an ongoing communication.
There's Lord, I was here yesterday morning.
I was here last week and I was
here last month and I'm going to be
here again tomorrow.
But Lord, I need you to move.
I need you to stir my heart.
I need you to awaken this dead condition
like that song said, glorious ruins.
Lord, pull me up from the ashes.
Renew my life, because without you and you
alone, I will not make it.
That's powerful.
Listen, guys, I don't make all this up.
This comes from worship in the morning.
That's this is a byproduct of worship.
It's not a byproduct of hermeneutic and homiletic,
correct, you know, interpretations of this and that,
which I love all that stuff I've said
before.
But you can have sound theology and be
as dead as a doornail, straight as a
gun barrel theologically, but just as empty.
It's the spirit that gives life.
Would they be healed if they did not
approach Jesus?
Probably not.
And that's what I meant by you can
come and stand for worship and listen to
me and leave out that door no different
than when you arrived.
Do you realize that?
But we think because I heard, I felt
and was convicted that obviously change will take
place.
Not necessarily.
Those are just the convicting agents that God
uses to have the heart break.
So it has to be it has to
be something on your side as well.
And I know I'm talking about healing, but
I'm not just talking about physical healing.
I'm talking about does anybody need some emotional
healing tonight?
Physical healing, emotional healing.
God knows we need some spiritual healing.
God, get this junk out of my heart
and created me a clean heart.
Renew a right spirit within me, Lord, because
I need you to move tonight.
Those are good things.
And I've noticed that God sometimes the blessing
is by him refraining from answering my prayers
because it's in that dark hour that I
go to him for the light.
It's in that depression that he illuminates the
scriptures.
Without those things, I might not get up.
Are you following where I'm going?
If life is all cozy and comfortable, don't
hit the alarm clock.
I've got tons of money in the bank
account.
I don't need God.
Jesus says it's hard for a poor man
to enter heaven.
Did he?
See, making sure you're paying attention.
It's hard for a rich man.
Why?
Why is it hard for a rich man?
Because you can't serve two masters.
The best thing God has ever done for
me is I make great money, six figures
in my 20s, then nothing.
Decent money, construction, then nothing.
It's this roller coaster that I keep riding
to get back into.
Lord, seeking you, I need those hits that
drives me back to the prayer closet, because
if everything's going great, we have the tendency
to not everybody.
I don't want the super spiritual people to
come up afterwards and be upset.
But we have the I've had a lot
of money in the bank before.
And I've lost it all when construction plummeted.
I know there's a tendency to rest on
your laurels and not worry about God as
much.
Maybe it's just me.
I don't know.
I don't need to pray.
We got it.
We got the bill.
We got the hill.
We got the car.
The kids are fine.
They're sick.
Just go to the doctor.
Do that.
So sometimes I think the things we're praying
for can be a blessing.
If we look at it that way.
If they're drawn, if anything's drawing you closer
to Christ, that's a good thing.
How can it be a bad thing?
But I don't want to dismiss the deep
emotional pain that unanswered prayers can bring.
We were left, we will be left on
this side of heaven asking why to a
lot of things.
And now with kids, there's some things I
can't answer.
Dad, why can't we do that?
No, we can't.
Can you explain why?
No.
Because the truth will hurt.
I need to protect you.
I'm not going to tell you why I
don't trust the people up the street or
whatever it is there.
Why?
Because they can't handle that.
They're not ready for that.
So I think it's important that we should
ask.
We should ask often.
And we do have to approach Christ and
believing is vital.
Faith is essential.
You might say, Shane, no kidding.
Why would you even bring that up?
Because we need to be reminded.
Remember what I said last week?
I'm a leaky vessel.
I need to sit under the fountain of
life all the time.
I need to send her to God's encouragement
all the time.
And that's what happens to a lot of
people.
They're not in this.
They're in this.
So belief vanishes, faith diminishes, and they're left
starving.
So we need encouragement.
Jesus said, as you have believed involves responsibility.
When he told the man, as you have
believed, there's responsibility on the part of the
hearer.
According to your faith, you've been made well.
What do you do with those scriptures?
One thing is you don't build theology off
of it.
And that's what the word of faith movement
is.
And I have no problem with speaking out
against it because I definitely do not agree
with it that your mouth almost has more
power than God.
Your words have more power than God.
Just say it and claim it.
And it's yours.
No, sir.
I don't know where you come up with
that.
You can't take this little scripture and make
a theology out of it.
You have to read the entire Bible.
Sometimes your faith will stand trial.
Sometimes your prayers will not be answered.
Sometimes you'll go through hell and high water.
Sometimes you'll name it.
You will not be able to claim it.
I mean, I think we can all say
that.
We've named it.
I want it.
Go and give it to me.
I'll give it to you.
Never happens.
Right.
I told you I still don't have that
Dodge 3500 mega cab in my driveway.
I've claimed it many times.
The flesh has and the spirit says, do
you need it or do you want it?
Well, of course, we know the answer to
that one.
I do need it, right?
I want it.
But it's OK.
Anyway, I'm just trying to be real there
with you guys.
You understand I go through a lot of
the same struggles and the flesh doesn't like
it.
To come into submission to God.
It just doesn't like it throws tantrum tantrums.
It throws fits like little kids.
I see my little kids sometimes.
I say, oh, they just do what we
all want to do.
But we're so mature now.
We don't want people to see us that
way.
So when they cry, I want their blanky
and their binky.
We cry, but we can't do it.
I see the parallels.
Number three, continuing to believe is also vital.
Oh, let me go back to believing is
vital.
You guys need to hear this verse, Hebrews
11, six.
And without faith, it is impossible to please
God without faith.
That that that scripture is so profound.
Here's what we do when our study or
we just read it on to the next
one.
If you don't have it without faith, it's
impossible to please God.
So as we're bickering, as we're complaining, as
we're worrying, as we're watching the nightly news
to see if we're going to become the
United States of Russia, everybody's paralyzed.
But we have to exercise faith.
Lord, you're in charge.
You're on the throne, not Democrat, not Republican,
not independent, not the House, nor the Senate,
not the legislation.
You're in charge.
I have faith in you.
Now he's pleased.
I don't know how I'm going to get
through this, but I'm going to get through
this because you're the CEO.
You're the captain, not me.
That faith pleases God.
You see how this works.
Without faith, it's impossible to please God.
For whoever would draw near to God must
believe that he exists and that he rewards
those who seek him.
Another translation says he is a rewarder of
those who diligently seek him.
You know what diligence is?
I heard a good analogy.
You ever hear that drop of water?
Works pretty good with the mic, right?
Well, if you let that go too long
in the bathtub, you're going to start seeing
that porcelain or whatever it is start to
crack or start to fade coloring.
What is that?
What's happening?
That diligence, that a couple drops, nothing.
But over days and weeks and months, he's
a rewarder of those who diligently.
Lord, I'm not seeing anything.
I don't care.
I didn't tell you to see anything.
I told you to pray and seek me.
I have to see something.
No, you don't.
That's not faith.
Do you realize that faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen?
I'm believing God for things I can't even
see.
That's faith.
If I can see it, I don't have
faith.
Somebody puts $100,000 in your bank account.
That's not faith.
That's oh, I'm happy that somebody put some
money in my bank account.
But faith is Lord, I know you're going
to provide.
I know you're going to see me through.
I don't see it.
Doesn't feel like it.
I'm not real happy right now.
I'm a little worried.
Would you help my unbelief?
Lord, would you help me?
See, that's faith.
Faith is exercising something that we cannot see.
But because we cannot see it, we live
in such a way as if it's there.
In other words, if I believe God's going
to do something, I'm going to live my
life in such a way that it will
happen.
I'm not going to say I believe this,
but it'll never happen.
That's not faith.
Like with the church, starting the church.
I've shared this story a few years ago.
It took a lot of faith.
People say you're giving up.
You're doing you.
Are you out of your mind?
What do you think?
Nobody does that Saturday nights with no money,
no affiliation, no core team.
I think God's leading me to do it.
That's all I know.
I mean, if he's not, I'll say like
a big boy, I was wrong.
But if he is, I've got to lead
my life in such a way as to
where he'll bless the work.
I've got to make certain decisions.
I've got to make some.
I've got to find a building.
All these things that he started to line
up.
But had I said no way, that's not
going to happen.
That's not faith.
That's doubt.
You see how it works.
We're having, we're putting our trust in our
faith in God.
Number three, continuing to believe is also vital.
I'd say, Shane, what does that have to
do with anything?
Oh, it has a lot to do with
a lot of things.
Continuing to believe is vital because it's easy
to believe right now, right?
Some of you, I'm sure, are inspired.
You're motivated.
There's some things, God.
OK, I'm going to leave here stronger.
But then when Monday morning comes around and
all hell breaks loose and things aren't looking
good.
Uh oh, back to square one.
That's why believing, continuing to believe is vital.
You remember everything that happened to Job?
This guy lost everything.
You think you're having a bad day?
Everything, family members killed, resources, everything was gone.
And his wife, you got to love her.
Not really.
But she said, Job, curse, Job, just curse
God and die.
This is terrible.
Would you just curse God and die?
And Job said, though he slay me, yet
will I trust him.
The Bible says he was rewarded because why?
He held on to his integrity.
He trusted God in the midst of a
storm.
Surely, if Job lost everything and weren't worried
that our job might not work out, we
might have to downscale to a smaller house
and drive one car.
Boy, that's a big problem, isn't it?
Compared to what he went through, it's nothing.
That's why, and trust me, many fingers are
pointing back just as me.
America's become spoiled little brats.
Who has the most toys win is the
motto of the church.
Because when you take those toys away, that's
when people get upset.
That call to a life more consecrated.
The cost of following Him.
Again, I'm not coming out against material things.
I'm coming against being bad stewards of our
material things.
God has obviously blessed people so they can
be a blessing.
He hasn't blessed us to hoard it.
So do you believe in savings and retirement?
Of course, I think there's wisdom in all
of that stuff.
But be careful.
Be careful because there are also a lot
of studies that show parents that leave their
kids tons of money end up ruining them.
Because they never learn how to pick up
a shovel and dig a ditch and work
hard.
Because they've been given everything.
I want my kids to work.
I want them to work hard.
But at the same time, I want to
bless them like any parent does.
I've got to be careful.
That'd be another rabbit trail.
Galatians 6, 9, And let us not grow
weary of doing good.
For in due season we will reap if
we do not give up.
And I don't know why it wasn't even
in this notes, but I feel this verse
strongly is for somebody tonight.
Do not grow weary of doing good.
For in due season you will reap.
Do not give up.
Though the blessing is just beyond the struggle.
God is seeing your devotion.
He's seeing your, Lord, what do you want
to do in my life?
If you do not grow weary of doing
good in due season, you will reap.
And that's interesting about seasons there, right?
You plant a seed.
This is my kids do this all the
time.
We plant strawberry seeds.
They come out the next day and we're
looking for the strawberries.
Explain.
Oh, dad, let's just go to the store
and buy some then.
Hold their seasons.
Why?
Because the little seed sprouts begins to take
root.
That water, those nutrients.
It's a process.
And we have, there's a process there.
You don't see a little tiny apple tree
bear abundant fruit.
It would crush under the weight.
So a lot of things, what God wants
to do in our life is you're not
ready yet.
You're not there yet.
Get your character ready.
Get your mouth in check.
Get your heart in check.
Because if I do that now, you'll destroy
it.
If I, if I bless you now, you'll,
you'll be, you'll walk away from that blessing.
That will walk.
That will cause you to walk away from
me even more.
Let me build it.
My time character is a process.
It doesn't happen overnight.
And a lot of times that character process
is by God withdrawing or withholding.
That's how he chips our character.
You think you just become a humble person?
I'm going to start being humble.
I'm so humble.
Now you're not.
You see how that works?
And I know myself, God had to take
me from, from, from fitness, managing multiple fitness
centers.
It was suit and tie, big money.
And then within two months, I'm digging up
septic tanks with a digging bar and a
shovel.
Living with my mom.
Because it takes broken men to break men.
God had to do that to me.
I wouldn't have done that to myself.
You think I would do that to myself?
If I could see what I'm going through,
I'd go the other direction.
But he says, no, come on, this is
good for you.
So when you go, you're humbled.
You can do whatever you want.
I used to clean those bathrooms 14 years
ago.
And I should hear he humbles me.
I can't do it on my own.
Think about that.
Do you think, Lord, I'm going to humble
myself?
No, you won't.
Not the way God will do it.
He'll get rid of your reputation.
He'll get rid of your haughtiness.
He'll get rid of your pride.
He'll get rid of your arrogance.
He'll get rid of everything.
And he knows exactly how to do it.
For some people, it's money.
For some people, it's a relationship.
He'll allow that marriage to crumble and say,
see, you're not all that, are you?
You thought you're all that.
No, you just lost your job.
You just lost your spouse.
Your kids won't even talk to you anymore.
He's got to humble us.
But the quicker you submit to the process,
the less wilderness you have to go through.
Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.
In due time, he will exalt you.
Well, Shane, I thought you said we can't
humble ourselves.
Well, you can humble yourself in regard to
spirit and your character and your humbling yourself.
But unless God brings you through the furnace
of affliction, you don't know what the heat
feels like.
You got to walk through and go, oh,
that's hot over there.
I'm avoiding.
I know these things because God has brought
me through it.
The devil tries to weary us.
The reason is he wants us to give
up, give in, and give up on God,
basically.
And I think that's one of the biggest
things I see people, they're just getting too
tired, right?
I'm too tired.
I'm done.
When you come out of this church service
with strength and power after worship, that's not
an opportune time for the enemy to strike.
Remember, he came after Jesus in an opportune
time after he was hungry and weary and
tired.
So he's looking for you on Monday morning
or Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday.
It's amazing.
I used to speak at a lot of
men's conferences.
We'd be up in the mountains, no internet,
nothing.
And guys would say, Shane, I don't even
have a desire for pornography anymore.
And that's why I came up here.
I said, well, take heed lest you fall
tomorrow on your way down.
When you get back into the Facebook and
all that, all hell's going to break loose.
That's an opportune time.
You see how that works?
And one of the things is weariness.
He wants to weary you.
I saw this last week.
My kids, they took off in the park
and they just ran.
They're all racing.
And then the next thing I know, they're
all just, boom, they're all just laying down
the grass.
And I'm like, is everything okay?
I go, yeah, I'm so tired.
I'm so tired.
So they go from running, sprinting, and then
they just fall down in the grass.
They're laying in the grass, looking up.
What happened?
They got too tired to continue.
That's what the devil loves to get you.
So we're weary.
And that's why.
Why do you think I often promote more
than anything?
Shane, why do you always talk about humility
and brokenness and seeking God in this worship
time, this devotional time?
Because that's the anchor.
That's how you rejuvenate your sick and dying
heart is you spend time with God in
that prayer closet, giving him an hour or
two drawing close to the father.
So you're able to stand up and not
fall down under the weight and responsibility of
life.
Because we weren't created to go 60 miles
an hour on all the social media, no
break off, live on 500 milligrams of caffeine
and watch his stimuli all night long.
And then we had wonder why we need
more stimuli to get up in the morning.
And we're in this fast pace.
We were created to live like that.
That's why we're breaking down.
Because when you put the body through what
it's not designed to go through, hence the
need for a Sabbath.
So people get off technical off Sabbath.
Well, yeah, it's a very good thing.
You should take one.
It's not going to save you, but it's
going to help you.
Day of rest and just take I mean,
the best thing we've ever did 10 years
ago, no phone, no Internet, nothing on Sundays.
It's gonna be real hard to get ahold
of me.
And you just you just relax my time
with your kids, worship God and that rejuvenation.
Then comes Monday.
I've been rejuvenated.
The problem is people use Sunday or their
day off is their catch up day.
I got to get everything done that I
haven't been getting done all week.
Trust me, every Sunday, there's things I need
to do.
They say, oh, we're going to wait till
Monday because I need that time.
And so do you get that time to
reconnect with God?
And this isn't I'm not talking about sitting
watching a three hour game.
And commercials that would make a cheerleader blush
or playboy model blush.
I'm talking about spending time with God.
Not these things that pull us away from
him.
Then we get into Peter.
Peter's mother-in-law is healed.
I don't have a lot of time.
Now, when Jesus had come into Peter's house,
he saw his wife's mother lying sick with
a fever.
So he touched her hand and the fever
left her and she arose and serve them.
When evening had come, they brought to him
many who were demon possessed.
And he cast out the spirits with a
word and healed all who were sick, that
it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by
Isaiah, the prophet saying he himself took our
infirmities and bore our sickness.
And I wish I had more time here
because Matthew knew the context of Isaiah that
he's quoting.
He's quoting Isaiah 53.
The context of that is salvation.
He was wounded for our transgressions.
He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement for our peace was upon him.
He was stricken like a lamb to the
slaughter.
So he knows contextually salvation.
But why is he saying here that it
might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiah,
that these people are healed and delivered?
Because that's one of the one of the
great things about salvation.
What happened on the cross, these songs we
sing about that we don't try to apply
to our life.
Sometimes we think we're just words up there,
but there's powerful meaning in that.
The blood of Christ atones for not only
sin, but it is a means by which
we can approach God.
And say, Lord, because of what Christ did
on the cross, hell, death and the grave
have no power over me.
And we claim those things, whether God design
in his sovereignty decides to move those things
we don't worry about.
We leave those up to him.
But it's very important about this area of
the cross.
Number four, Jesus's presence can heal.
Jesus's presence can heal.
Do you want me to say that again?
The presence of Christ can heal.
And I'm only halfway through, OK?
You have to stay for the 530 service.
But I really want to get this point
across.
I've heard of reports of people being healed
during worship.
Marriage is being restored.
A guy slipped the ring back on his
wife's finger during worship.
She was going to divorce court nine months
earlier.
Now they're worshiping together.
Why?
Because of worship.
Not because something change says.
I'm just a spark.
Come, let us worship God in the beauty
of holiness.
There's a worship this.
It's not how quick can I get out
here?
When's this over?
I got to do this.
I got to do that.
You wonder why God seems distant.
You wonder why no prayers are answered because
you're too worried about other things more than
him.
If you would seek him as much as
you seek other things, you would see some
mighty breakthroughs.
You'd be filled mightily with the spirit of
God.
I'm not talking about some lunatic out there
doing weird things.
I'm talking about somebody who prioritize their life,
saying, Lord, I'll go to both services.
I'll listen to both all the worship.
Lord, I want you to move tonight.
And then we have to come tell you,
listen, it's nine o'clock, ten o'clock.
You need to go.
We're closing shop.
What do you do?
I'm seeking God.
I'm seeking him with all my heart, with
all my strength.
I don't want to go by an out
burger.
I need more of God.
I don't need to stop by here.
I need more of God.
If he doesn't move.
As a matter of fact, I'm tired of
my lukewarm Christianity that bears no resemblance to
biblical Christianity, where they pleaded the blood of
Christ.
They spent hours.
Have you ever been to an all night
prayer meeting?
I try to leave at three in the
morning confession.
But there's people, they're seeking God.
I don't want to do that kind of
stuff.
Well, how bad do you want it?
How bad?
We'll work eight hours a day to pay
for this, to do things to enjoy.
But we don't want to seek God.
And that's what I want to do during
this time of communion.
If you see, we've got the plates up
here.
This is a time where believers, if you're
a believer in Jesus Christ, and you're not,
or if you're not, the good news is
you can become one.
Well, how, Shane?
You just repent.
The Bible says, if you confess Christ is
Lord and believe in your heart that he's
raised him from the dead, say, Lord, I
need you.
I need that sacrifice.
You'll be saved.
You don't have to raise your hand.
You don't have to say a little quick
prayer the right way.
You don't have to come up here.
You just have to say, Lord, I need
you.
I need salvation.
Look to him and be saved.
And then what we do is we take
communion and we just remember the cross.
Remember Calvary.
I mean, sometimes I read the account in
the gospel and I say, oh, if we
were there, what would we say?
What would we say?
As a crowd is jeering, the crowd crucify
him would be no, no, don't crucify.
No, you're wrong.
This is an innocent man.
Or I said, wait, unless that happens, you
do have to go to the cross.
Christ, you do.
I can't I can't go against that.
That's the means of salvation for me, my
family and all who embrace it.
And we look to that cross and we
thank him.
Trust me, it'll put everything in perspective.
If you see the cross in light of
the New Testament gospels.
What else this Isaiah would say?
He was a man of sorrows smitten.
He had no beauty about him that nobody
recognized him.
A lamb led to the slaughter for my
sin and your sin.
And we have the audacity to worry about
what time we're getting out of here.
We have the audacity to sit as if
we're doing God a favor.
And I challenge that tonight.