God Will Get You There On Time

We then take all of the evidence that other people present to us of how good their life is, and compare it to them putting up their Christmas lights in April. Compared to them whose kids are always on a field somewhere, getting better and better and hitting coaches and batting cages, and we can barely afford to buy the bat to begin with. So how would we pay for the pitching, the coaching lessons, the private coaching lessons if we could. Compared to them, I came to announce to you today that nothing in your life is originated divinely by your comparison to people, only by your commitment to purpose. The starting place for contentment is commitment to purpose. Why is that important? Because the alternative to commitment to purpose is comparison to people. If I'm comparing myself to people, I'm always grabbing heels. If I'm comparing myself to people, I'm always feeling either better than or less than, but neither of those will bring you close to God. If I'm comparing myself to people, I'll always feel like I was born behind. And here's why, because everybody in here has a limp, but some limps are more easily hidden than others. Some limps show up later in life. Some limps show up privately. Some limps show up in intimate relationships. Some limps show up in an inability to hold down a job. Some limps have catastrophic results. Some limps have insidious effects that no one can see. Some limps you carry alone, but everybody came in here limping. Yeah, you came, but you're limping. You've been limping this week. It's been a long week because you've been limping, limping. I'm limping. I'm here, but I'm limping.

I love God, but I'm limping. I'm bringing this back from last week because something needs to break in our lives to where we stop showing up on Sunday and not getting what we really need from God because we don't want anybody to see where we really limp. Or where you stop coming to church every time you have to limp in because you feel too guilty. That's how shame operates. The time when you need to drag your behind to this church the most is the time where you've done the dumbest stuff in your life and you say, "God, I need a course correction. God, I need you to top me off. I need you to fill me. I feel empty. I feel crazy. I don't feel like myself. Limp in here and see if the Lord will lift you up." The Bible says humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and in due time. He'll lift you up. To watch this, somebody say the light is coming. It's a new day dawning on Jacob. The sun is coming up over Jacob. The night is over. The wrestling is over. The struggle is over. He has let go of his old self. He has received a new name. He has been touched and transformed by God. He is carrying destiny. He is on his way to his purpose, but he's limping. Because the light doesn't stop the limp. Just because you know doesn't mean you can do it.

Just because God shows you who he's calling you to be doesn't mean you yet have the courage to do it. Everything that I've become in my life, everything I've accomplished in my life that was worthwhile for God, I confess to you, I limped into it. What are you limping into today? The light is coming and Jacob is limping and those are not mutually exclusive. I don't know if this is too deep if I'm preaching it maybe if it's the wrong time to the wrong people or something like that. I thought this was the right message because sometimes we get confused that we think when the light comes, the limping stops. going to accelerate and reach the place where He's called us to be. The evidence of this meeting with Jesus was a limp that never left Jacob's life. So I suggest to you that some of the times of the greatest light will also be the times of the greatest limp. And the Bible says that Jacob limped all the way to the place where he met his brother. Now you can get their limping where God has taken you, where He's calling you, what He's drawing out of you, what He's using you to do, what He's moving you into, how He's maturing you, how He's growing you. It might not be pretty. That's all right. Nobody's is. All the pretty people just have really hidden limps, just really hidden limps. And some of the people with the biggest strut are compensating for something that they're dragging behind them. Now imagine your Jacob, and maybe this is how you feel in your life. He's coming up on something that is the most important meeting he's ever had. If this goes bad, Esau kills him. The stakes are high. How many would say that's high stakes? And it's not like it's even going to be a close call because Esau is a skilled hunter.

Jacob is a skilled cook. By the way, that's part of the reason that Jacob felt very insecure in his life because he never had his father's love. His father loved Esau. So one of the reasons he pretended to be his brother was to get the love of a father who expected him to be something that he could never become because it wasn't according to his purpose. Jacob isn't just limping at age 90. He's been limping all of his life because of the love that he didn't get from the only one who could really confer a blessing on him. He's limping. See, there is a reason. If in your life you're not who you're supposed to be yet, there's a reason for that. There's an explanation for it. Yeah, I would love to be a better wife, but it's hard for me because I didn't see that model. I've been limping. I would love to be a more patient person, but I grew up in a family where people exploded with their temper and I am trying to unlearn that template so that I can change it and turn it around so my kids don't live with my limp. And I wish I was farther along and I wish I had saved more money, but nobody taught me how to do this thing. So I went into debt trying to compensate for the love that I didn't get. I went into debt trying to compensate for the approval that I didn't get. I've been limping my whole life. I've been struggling my whole life and the truth of it is. Some of the people that are critical of you would celebrate you if they could understand how hard it was for you to get to this point with your limp. And don't let them intimidate you when they show you their dance because everybody limps somewhere.

Everybody limps somewhere. They're not farther along than you. They're just called to a different place than you. So they have a different pace from you. So when you get there on Thanksgiving and they say, "I thought you'd be married by now." Say, "I thought you would have learned how to pray and let God lead me by now and stop trying to manipulate my life." I'm moving this thing along. The man I'm going to marry is still earning his millions. I'm not late, this is a layover. I'm going to get some blessing, some maturity, some strength, some lessons, some truth. I'm going to get some things. Humble yourself Tell your neighbor your limp will make you late Because what I love about Jacob is he's he's been up all night. He's tired. He's scared. He's afraid He's in turmoil. He's got an ulcer. He's about to fight his brother He doesn't know what's gonna happen next. He's uncertain. He's anxious pastor I thought you were talking about Jacob. It sounds like you're talking about me We're talking about all of us. We're talking about all of us But the sun's coming up the sun's coming up the sun's coming up It's a new day in Jacob's life and so watch what he does verse 31 my favorite verse this week I'll have a different favorite verse next week. I changed favorite verses like most people change shoes I change favorite verses every chance I get Genesis 32 verse 31 it says and the sun rose The light came and he Was limping now not only do I have to face he saw But I got to do it limping and that means I can't even run Has God got you in a place right now where you can't run from it And did he do that intentionally Is he trying to show you who you really are

Who he really is Have you been caught in the constant comparison trap where it is a cycle that makes you sick In nauseating noticing of what everybody else has that you don't have Wait up I'm limping I'm trying to catch you, but I can't You know, not only did Jacob feel this way Your great apostle Paul felt this way He was writing to the Corinthian church and they were doubting his credentials as an apostle They said he didn't speak as well as a Paulus So I wrote him a letter When he got to about chapter 15 of first Corinthians, that's a long letter He started telling him how he really felt about it. He said verse 3 For what I received I passed on to you as a first importance now that underscores the first part of my message I started this message by telling you that we are all leading in the light that we have That's what Paul said. He said in the light that I have I passed it on to you now Paul had more light than Jacob Because he lived in the aftermath of the resurrection Not only the birth and death of Jesus Christ, but the resurrection, so he said I received this revelation and I passed it on to you as a first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures And on the third that he was buried that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures And that he appeared to see this as Peter and then to the 12 now watch how long the list is that Paul gives And I'll show you why I'm reading this After that he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time Most of whom are still living though some of them have fallen asleep Then he appeared to James Then to all the apostles and last of all He appeared to me also as to one Normally born last of all

If you ask for people to quote a scripture from the New Testament The first ones that come to our mind are written by this guy Paul. I can do all things Through Christ who strengthens me. I have learned the secret of being content I am crucified with Christ all of these wonderful things that he passed on to us the Apostle Paul and yet he said I Was the last one that he appeared to in a literal chronological sense He meant it that after Jesus had been taken up and they all got to see him in bodily form He had to knock Paul down on the Damascus Road Blind his eyes and change his name from salt to Paul and bring him to a place of conversion But he also meant a little differently look at the verse again verse eight it says as to one abnormally born Many believe that Paul was speaking here of the fact that the Corinthians called him names He was very small That's literally what his name means Paul means small So there is much speculation amongst God There's even language in this text that makes us think that maybe Paul was calling himself some kind of freak. I'm a freak. I came last. He showed up to all the other apostles in physical form, but to me, I was the last one. And yet, Paul says, "Even though I got a late start, even though I don't deserve it, even though I might be smaller than, less than, and have seen less than." Look at verse 9, "For I am the least of the apostles, and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." Do you see how he's still limping over the life that he lived before he met Christ? He never got over that. He was present at the stoning of Stephen and he never forgot it, that guilt never went away from Paul, that shame never fully left him. He is still dealing with it, and the church that he's trying to lead is throwing it back

in his face, and he says, "I'm not going to argue with you about that. I'm not going to pretend that I don't limp. I'm not going to try to pretend like I was the first in line. I'm not here because I was the first in line. I'm here by faith through grace, and the grace of God that reached for me, that reached and pulled me from the back of the line, I came to preach to somebody who's been limping. I've been behind lately. I don't know what I need to know. I didn't get what I wanted to have, but watch what Paul said, "Give me the next verse. I'm the least, I don't deserve it, but by the grace of God, I am what I am." I'm not racing to become something that I'm not called to be. I am what I am. Somebody say I am what I am, and where I am is where the great I am wanting me to be. So I'm limping, but I'm not late, so I'm not up to your standard, but I'm not living for your approval, because I'm not created by your hand, because my days aren't ordained in your book. I find somebody say I'm right on time, I'm right on time, because watch this. The light is coming, the light is coming, the light is coming, the light is coming, the light is coming, I've been depressed, but the light is coming, I've been down, having trouble figuring it out, but the light is coming, I've been unsure, down on myself, drowning in his security, but the light is coming, the light is coming, the light is coming, the joy is coming, a new day is dawning, I'm waking up, so what I always was, I am what I am, by the grace of God, and the grace that brought me safe thus far, will lead me home, if I gotta get there, limping, if I gotta get there a little behind, if I gotta get there Tuesday, if I gotta push the back to Wednesday, if I gotta make up for it at the end of 20 I shall do it, and the Lord said it's no coincidence that I'm preaching this on daylight savings time Sunday, cause something happened this morning when you woke up, you had an extra hour, you didn't know you have, God said I'm gonna give you time, I'm gonna restore the years, you're gonna have time to do it, whoever is for us hidden deep right now, and I don't want this shout to get in the way of you receiving this ministry, because it is a terrible thing

to watch everybody else go ahead of you and feel like you're limping, to watch everybody else be happy and feel like there's some demon in you that won't let you enjoy life, to watch everybody else move up in their career, and to feel like you keep moving backwards, stay in plateau, every time you get a little momentum, you get a little setback, you're limping, but to let you know you're not late. In order for you to be late, there would have had to be something that God did not account for that happened in your life. And if something happened in your life that God didn't account for, then he's not God. So the fact that God started it means that he knows where it's supposed to be right now. It means that when God called you, he accounted for traffic. I'm so tired of watching people beat themselves up over comparison that has nothing to do with their calling. Asking little four-year-olds what college are you applying to, we've gone absolutely crazy in this culture. And I want to say to you that the spirit that gets on you, that has you subjecting yourself to a standard that has nothing to do with the spirit of God, it has to let you go right now in the name of Jesus. Can you put your Christmas lights up in February for all I care? I'm not late. I abide in Christ. And since I abide in him, that means that everything in its season that's supposed to come forth is coming up. Somebody shout is coming up. Say, I abide in Christ. And everything in my life is coming up. It's coming up. Say it again, I abide in Christ. And everything in my life is coming up, lovely in abundance at just the right time. I dare you to give God a praise for that. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. The light's coming, man. I know it's been a dark night. You've been wrestling alone. You've been feeling behind your whole life, but the light is coming limp into it. I said, Lord, what do you want me to tell them about this message that they can never forget? He said to tell them, limp into it.