Whom the Lord Loves

[MUSIC PLAYING] From the beginning, you've been unchanging. The age to age you stay. Constant you remain ever in history. The questions I've carried are safe within your will. So I trust you, even still, I believe that you are who you say you are. And you'll do what you say you'll do. You'll come through. You are always able, I believe, that you've already made away. So I'm running through parted ways straight to you. You are always faithful. Jesus, your glory holding me steady with heaven heard. Every word you speak is a promise that you be. This work foundation cannot be shared. Oh, my God, you never miss. Never wants you, never will. I believe you are who you say you are. And you'll do what you say you'll do. You'll come through. You are always faithful. You are always faithful. I believe you already made away. I'm running through parted ways straight to you. You are always faithful. I believe you. I believe you. You are you from age to age. No, you've never, ever changed. Yes, you've always stayed the same.

From everlasting to everlasting. We know that you are God, the grass withers, the flower fades. But we know your word will not. But if we're being real, Lord, it can be so hard to trust. When all so much of life has been all so hard for us. Because when we've been let down by those who claim to be honest, we're astonished by how perfectly you've kept every promise. God, it's incredible. You do exactly what you say. You are exactly what you claim. And that matches your great name. And despite how we feel, how we crumble, how we stray, you have stayed right beside us, even on our worst day. Failure is not a word that could ever leave his lips unless that failure is us. That's when he speaks to call us his. They were made victorious by his son's precious blood, which pours over our hearts from a spring of endless love. Not one word of his ever fell to the ground. So when a prodigal comes back, he's welcomed and then crowned. And then heaven and all its angels rejoice and celebrate. Because once again, God proved that he's true and extra great. We believe, God, we believe. We've seen way too much. Your goodness, faithfulness, your gentle healing touch, what a great inspiration. We are stunned by your grace. Such a great motivation helps us run a good race. Make a spotless without blemish so we can stand before you throne. And give praise to your name on that day you call us home. Where we'll stand with every name. We believe God, we believe you are who you say you are. We could never not believe 'cause you brought us way too far. So let it be known today, right here, right now, you are able, you are faithful.

And together we shout it out. I believe you are who you say you are. I love you, you're so I just gave you to the good, the good, the good, the good. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. I love you, I love you, I believe you are who you say you. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are.

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You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. You are always faithful, I believe you are who you say you are. ♪ Oh we will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ Take down inside of me ♪ ♪ Oh we stand our faith at your mercy ♪ ♪ Rising to fire us ♪ ♪ Oh we keep our eyes on the right face ♪ ♪ All the horizon ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus God ♪ ♪ We stand our faith at your mercy ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus God ♪ ♪ We believe you in love ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus God ♪ ♪ When I'm open ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ So we give our eyes on the right face ♪ ♪ All the horizon ♪ ♪ Oh we ♪ ♪ Oh we will take all of our lives ♪

♪ Take down inside of me ♪ ♪ Oh we stand our faith at your mercy ♪ ♪ Rising to fire us ♪ ♪ Oh we keep our eyes on the right face ♪ ♪ All the horizon ♪ ♪ Oh we keep our eyes on the right face ♪ ♪ All the horizon ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh we will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We believe you in love ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh we will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh we will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh we will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh we will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh we will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪

♪ Oh we will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ Oh we will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ Even soul or Jesus ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ Oh we will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪

♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ ♪ We will take all of our lives ♪ [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] Come, Lord. Come, Lord Jesus. I know I've asked it before, why not ask it again? Does anybody really mean it when you say,

come, Lord Jesus today? [Applause] I mean it. Brother, I mean it. I'm not just standing here feeling in a spot, saying things. I want Jesus to come back before this message is over today. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Shout a man to somebody. How many of you brought your Bible? I want people on camera to see that this congregation carries a sword. [Music] This past week we read together Revelation chapters 2 and 3, the seven churches, did you enjoy that? Oh, wow, that was so exciting. This week let's read chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 together. Revelation, let's do that together. Heavenly Father, you have made us glad. In the midst of it all, in spite of it all, made us glad. I'm asking for this to be a service in which someone says, my life was changed. Or you can do that to me if you wish. Change me. But whatever you do Lord, don't leave us the way we are. We want to be more like Jesus. So as I go into your Word now, Heavenly Father, I pray that you will. And I know you will. You'll bless your Word.

Your Word is blessed. And when we receive it, we're blessed. But open our understanding and our eyes. And we'll thank you for it in Jesus' name. Everybody said amen. Amen. Let's read together from Hebrews chapter 12. I'll let you find it. Is it easier to sit down and find it? No. I get mixed reviews when I ask a question. I don't even know what anybody's saying. So we'll go to Hebrews chapter 12 and we'll begin with verse number five. And I'm sure they'll put it on the screen. Ready? Everybody together out loud. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as the sons. "My son do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him, for whom the Lord loves he chastens." Stop. Want to read that one again? We really do you? Let's do with them. "For whom the Lord loves he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening,

of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we've had human fathers who correct of spirits and live? For they, indeed, for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but he for our prophet that we may be partakers of his holiness." Now, no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful. Nevertheless, afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. And the church said, "Amen, sons and daughters get chastened that we might partake of his holiness and produce righteous fruit. You may be seated. Thank you so much." Before I preach, I just want to say this again. The honor of my life is to stand in front of you and break the bread of life. There is nothing higher on this earth than to be able to do what I'm doing. I'm a privileged man. So we go to the Old Testament, Abraham, the father of Israel, and we notice that God, on his own volition, reached down and put his hand on Abraham and called him out. Let me tell you, when God calls you out, he always calls you out. You can't stay where you are. You can't stay with the people or with the society that you're accustomed to. You can't stay in a place where you are comfortable and feel confident. When God calls you, he calls you out of everything. He takes you to a place that you are unfamiliar with, uncomfortable with, and he does that until you die. Your whole life, you will never find a place where you settle. God won't allow it. That's not his way. From the time that Abraham was called out, God moved him farther and farther away from everything that he loved. He never stops. That's where some of you are today. You feel distance between you and them and that, and that's a good thing. Sometimes you feel lonely and left out. They don't involve you anymore. That's a great thing because it means God is taking you to a higher place. If you go over to John chapter 15, everybody knows that's the Lord's teaching on fruit-bearing, being in the vine. Notice that Jesus said, "Every branch in me that bears fruit," that's good. It's bearing fruit, but the Lord says that's not enough fruit. So he purges, snips, he trims and cuts. It just never stops, you see. If you're waiting for that place in your life where some of this tension will die down, forget about it. Not going to happen.

And I'm going to repeat myself because when he calls you out, he calls you away. And every step you take is an uncomfortable, unfamiliar step. You're having to walk by faith and not by sight. And then once you get to the places you think you're making progress with God, he starts snipping and saying, "I see some fruit, but I want some more fruit." And I notice that as we read through Revelation this week, those churches, he said to one church, "I know your works. You're faithful, you're good, you're strong, you're determined. In fact, you're more enthusiastic than you've ever been, but I have not found your works perfect before me." What? He says, is still not good enough. I'm telling you church, God is relentless. He has a design destination for every one of his children. and in the walking there is chastening and correction. And yes, I hate that word, but it's scourging. That's a good old-fashioned whipping right there. God is never pleased at where you are right now. So He's pushing and pulling and changing. I'm going to turn over to Romans chapter 9 and read just about eight words that make anybody scratch their head. Here it is, Romans 9, 13, as it is written. Now that's Paul quoting the Old Testament, quoting God. Ready? Jacob, I have loved, but Esau, I have hated. What are you going to do with that? Now, we pass over it because we have duly but overly emphasized the love of God. He is love. That's what God is, love. So how could love, how could the God of love say, I have hated somebody, not something, somebody? Jacob, have I loved? Esau, have I hated? This is what I conclude. If you notice that in Esau's life, after he and Jacob split up and Jacob tricked him and conned him, and Esau left his family and he went and he, he had quite a life, Esau did. He had cattle and sheep and goats and money and wives and children. He was considered mega rich and not one time do you read that God corrected him or chastised him or scourged him, not one time. God let him have his way. God let him do his thing. But Jacob, have I loved? Jacob, have I loved? Do you know how he showed his love to Jacob? He beat him up all the time. He beat him down in the dirt one time. He stripped him. He humiliated him. He caused him to feel empty and left out and abandoned. Jacob, have I loved? All of Jacob's life, he ran. He was running because he tricked people and he was running because he was a convict and a criminal and a trickster. He just always owned the run, but he had an encounter one night with the true and living God who loved him even before Jacob knew it. Jacob had sent all of his wives and family and all of his belongings ahead

of him in groups because he heard Esau was coming to kill him and he thought, well, if he kills a third of my people, the other two thirds will get away. I got to do what I got to do. So he sent them all away and that night he had a visitor come to him. At first he thought it was just another man. Where did this man come from? But then this man picked a fight with him and when Jacob locked horns and heads and arms with this guy, he realized this is not a normal human being right here. He realized he had gotten a hold of the angel of the Lord, Jesus before he came into the world, the pre-incarnate Christ and he wrestled. And I want you to know that he was so desperate. I'm tired of running, I'm tired of cheating, I'm tired of lying. God, I'm not here to discuss theology, I'm not here to talk about religious things, I want you. I will not let you go. And I think maybe somebody could be talking, could be hearing God talk to them today because you've tried to communicate with God through theology and religion and your church background and even the advice and counsel of good and godly people. I want God myself. I don't want just a knowledge of Scripture in my head. I don't want a Babylon about God. I want God. I want you, God. Job learned the very same thing. He just wanted God. He was tired of philosophy. He was surrounded by people giving him advice, but he said, "I'm done with that. I want God." That's what Paul meant when he said, "I want to know Him. I know religion. I know philosophy. I know words. I want God." And that's where God is trying to take every one of you and me today to the place that we don't just know Him marginally, but that our souls and our hearts scream out, "I want to know you, and I will not let go till you bless me." All night long, God knew He had an opponent that night,

a desperate opponent. And that guy who had spent his whole life running became a wrestler. He said, "No more running. This is the end of the line. I'm going to have what life is all about. It's you, O God." And that night, a deceiver became a prince. Got a new name. That night, a man who was strong, healthy, walked away from a pretty bad fight, limping on one hip. And he limped the rest of his life, and got the God that he wrestled for. You say sometimes when you have a true encounter with God, you may limp away and you may limp the rest of your life, but glory be to God for the limp. There's life in that limp. And so we read from 1 Peter, and we know how many times we've read this passage from 1 Peter, chapter 1, beginning with verse 6 and 7. Verses 6 and 7, I should say. In this church, I want you to hear me this morning. Hear my heart. In this you greatly rejoice. Wait. Before you know what this is, he said, "This will make you greatly rejoice." What is greatly rejoice? Besides yourself with happiness. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while.

If need be, you have been grieved by various trials. Not just one trial, various trials. He said, "And if it's necessary, God will let you go through various trials for a little while. So why don't you go ahead and rejoice now?" It's greatly rejoice now. Because the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Oh, thank you, Lord. Whatever you're going through is getting you ready to see Jesus. Whom having not seen you love, though now you do not see him yet believing. You rejoice with joy, inexpressible. King James said, "Unspeakable and full of glory." Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. And there it is. And we still want it to be over. And we still want life to get easier. We still want the problem solved right now. Not realizing that this is not the life where things are solved and fixed. This is not the end of your journey. This is God calling you out, calling you away, pruning and snipping. This is God loving you like he loved Jacob to the point that he takes you down to the mat. He buries your face in the dirt. He pulls your arm behind your back. He puts you in a headlock. He wears you out.

And then when the sun's about to come up, he slaps you on the side. And for the rest of your life, you limp. But you been with the God who made you. (applause) Jesus and Jesus was resting and she slipped in the back door with an alabaster box or an alabaster jar. And everybody knows how ten million sermons have been preached on that. So let me just add one little snippet to it. It was a pretty box, I'm sure, because it was very expensive, very expensive perfume. It was quite a jar, I'm sure, because it was full of spiconard, very expensive. But it was pretty only, attractive only and useless until somebody broke it. And when it was broken, the aroma wafted through the room. And people said, "Oh, how sweet that smells." You see, the smell and the aroma is much more important than the pretty jar. And if you think today that God just wants you to be a handsome Christian or a pretty young believer and that He's going to exempt you from the breaking and the smashing, you can forget about that too, because the aroma of holiness, the aroma of this great salvation resides in you and God wants it out of you. He wants that beautiful smell to just wind its way through a stinking, nasty world so that people can know God is real, God can save people from their sins. So it's a law, in God's word, these are just laws. God breaks before He exalts. God empties before He fills. God will bring you out before He takes you in. God will strip you before He equips you. Suffering always precedes glory. It's a law of Scripture. God doesn't add to what you are. What you are has to be erased.

I said a few weeks ago God doesn't feel half empty vessels. He only feels that which doesn't have one single drop left in it. God will not equip you to do the work of the ministry until you are stripped of self-confidence and caring about what the world thinks. And the only way for God to strip you and prepare you is to break you. That's what God does. He breaks the people He loves. You know we say in our vernacular, I'm about to have a breakdown. God says no, you're about to have a breakthrough because when you get down to the bottom and there's nothing left and you have no emotions, no excitement whatsoever, when your heart is dead as a rock and you could care less and there's no drive to worship, read, pray, go to church or anything else. When you realize you have been operating on feelings instead of faith and now that the feelings are gone, you just feel limp and useless and when God lets you get to that place, He says, now I can take you where I've designed for you to go. You can't go as long as you think you can go. I will be the one to take you there. So it's not a breakdown. You look at your life. Everything's breaking down around me. I don't know what's going to be left when this is over. God, I just bless myself right there. When everything is gone that we love, everything is gone that we had confidence in, what's left? Everything. God, who is the source of all good things, is the rich fountain of blessings. If you have God, you have no need of anything else. My God shall supply all your sins. My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

So I thought yesterday I just made some bullet points. This is how God treats the people He loves the most. Remember, Jacob, have I loved? Well, this is how God treats people He loves. He calls David to be a king, but then lets him live in a cave and run for his life. He calls Joseph to be special, to be a deliverer, but he lets his family betray him and throw him in a hole in the ground. He chose Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations, but he let him be a weeping prophet. He cried every day of his life, and he ended up in a pit. He called John the Baptist, and remember Jesus said of all the men ever born of women. There's never been one greater than John the Baptist. So where is John? He's in jail. What's going to happen to him? Well, in just a few days, his head's going to roll. He's going to be beheaded. That's how God treats people He loves. And then for all of Paul's faithfulness and suffering, he gets a thorn, not a crown. He gets a thorn in his side, in his foot. He gets a thorn in his life that keeps him on his knees, something that keeps him disturbed, and he goes to God and says, "Can you help me? Look what I'm doing for you." And the Lord says, "I think my grace is sufficient for you.

You just keep doing what you're doing. You need that thorn in your life. Can anybody here shout about the fact, wait, let me finish. You better not shout yet. Can you shout about the fact that you've got a thorn in your life? I didn't think so. But God who loves you, God who loves Jacob, says, "I think you need a thorn right there. I think you need something to keep you on your knees right there because you need the peaceable fruit of righteousness born in your life. You need to be a partaker of my holiness." Now what happens when God decides to reveal the glory of his son, the last book of the Bible, the revelation of Jesus Christ, the end of all things, the thousand-year reign of Christ, the new heaven, the new earth, the eternal everything, he picks John to write it. But he doesn't give John the finest writing instrument and he doesn't put him in a plush library and he doesn't give him privacy. He sticks old brother John out on a rocky barren island in the middle of the Aegean Sea. The weather was awful and he was surrounded by other criminals. And so when God loves you and wants you to do something great, that's where you end up. You didn't think I'd preach this way today.

I didn't want to hear that past. I want to hear that I'm about to be delivered. I don't promise you about to be delivered. But pastor, I want somebody to claim the promise for me. I'm going to claim it. I'm done with this. I call it done, really. Have fun, have fun beating your head up against that wall. That's not what the Bible says. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. I like most Bible preachers. I'm always looking for illustrations to make scripture seem a little more alive. I don't know much about making a sword. Now I've watched it on YouTube. I've read about it, but I've never made a sword. I'm amazed at how they do it though. How they temper metal. I saw this one guy, he took this piece of metal that would eventually be a sword. And he took a hammer, and he pounded, and he pummeled, and he beat, and he flattened, and he twisted and turned. fire until it was white with heat. And then he took it out and looked at it and stuck it down in a barrel of ice cold water and the steam just rose up to the ceiling. And when he got it just where he wanted it, he pulled it out and looked at it and laid it back down on the anvil and started beating it again. You'd think that's enough, but he says, "Oh," and he puts it back in the fire and he lets it become white hot with heat.

And at the right time, it's the only the master knows, he puts it back in that ice water. He goes from hot to cold, hot to cold and in the middle, there's a pounding going on. Now how can I make you see that that's the life we're all living right now? We go through times of hot spiritual renewal, praise God, I'll be here for the rest of my life, well I never felt so close to God in all of my life. Oh I wish Central had a church service every night I'd go. In fact I'm going to find someplace to go, I'm on fire for Jesus. But then the master craftsman who has you under construction and has a design for your life and says, "Jacob I have loved and Jacob I will develop picks you out and before you know it you're in the coldest, emptiest place you've ever been in your life." And you say, "I don't know what happened but I don't feel anything in my life right now. Oh I don't know if I can go back to church, I feel like a hypocrite all the time. What happened to my revival spirit and about the time the master craftsman picks you out and you say, "I'm glad that's over" and he lays you down and says, "Yeah your mama in law and the bill collector, that's right and a bad report from the doctor, "Oh Lord I can't take it." Glad that's over. That's where you are, we're all laughing but we know it's the truth. You see a revival isn't something that happens and it's over. A revivalist when God stirs your spirit and then that stirring dies away and you have to rely on and walk by faith and during all of that God is tempering you and preparing you. Folks this is not your world. He didn't save you to bless you in this world alone. He saved you to get out of this world and reign with him in righteousness. God wants you to see the glory of Jesus. And in that very book that you read this week, Revelation I found this last church, Laodicea, here are the verses, everybody knows this one, "Because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth."

And we go, "See there? That's what happens to a church, backslides. See there? that's what happens to a person who just can't make up their mind. Let me just read a little bit, do you mind? Because you say I am rich and have become wealthy and have neither of nothing and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked, I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire. When I say something to you, so many times in our preaching and thinking, when the Lord says I will vomit you out of my mouth, we think, well that's it, it's over. No, the Lord says I'm still counseling with you. I'm still pulling at you. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire that you may be rich and white garments that you may be clothed at the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed and anoint your eyes with eyes have that you may see. The Lord's not finished yet, oh praise God, as many as I love, Jacob have I loved, as many as I love, I rebuke." (laughs) Jacob lived with it every day of his life. You're looking at people in our world that seemingly never get a rebuke from God. He just lets them do what they want to do. They are making money and drinking liquor and doing drugs and having all kinds of unbiblical-preverted things going on in their lives. And God just lets it go on. But me, no, he's got to beat me down in the ground. He's got to take something from me. I finally accomplished something, and I'm happy about it. And the Lord says, I'll take that because you've got nothing to glory in except the cross that I died on.

I'll take that. I'll take that. You didn't build a church. You're not smart. You didn't make the money. If you've got the money, I gave you the ability to make my money. You have nothing to glory in except Jesus Christ the Lord. Let me finish right here. Watch this. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, chasten, therefore be zealous and repent. I don't know if you're one of those that is making God sick today or not. I don't know if your life is making Jesus nauseous. You could be one of those. But I want to tell you something. From God's word, he's not rejecting you. He's rebuking you. And he's rebuking you because he wants you to repent. God's not punishing you. He's purifying you. And God wants you to recognize this. This is how I look. This is how I read. God says, I don't want to throw up with you. I don't want to throw you up. In fact, I'm at the door knocking. I'd rather you open the door and let me come in and let's eat together.

Don't make me vomit. Let me come in and have a meal with you. That's good preaching right there. Now that's just good preaching. And so let me just say to anybody who may be on the run, running from God, pursuing your own ways, tricking just like Jacob. And you feel the heavy hand of God coming upon you. I feel so condemned. No, that's the good Holy Spirit convicting you and saying, just be zealous and repent. I love you. Turn your life around. Stop messing around with this world. The world is not being rebuked yet. We are. I don't know how long it's been since you've thanked God for your thorn. I don't know how long it's been since you've thanked God for calling you out or snipping and cutting away at your life. I don't know. But Peter said you ought a greatly rejoice because your spanking means God is your father. Now you can say praise the Lord. Stand with me, please. Just going to take a little survey here that anybody need this today. All right. All right.

What a good God this is. What a good merciful, long-suffering God. At the 830 service, I felt like having the elders and their wives come down front. And I said to those, if you're going through a situation, a pruning, a burning, a hammering, and you just don't know what to do next, come on down, council members. They are not going to ask the Lord to take it away. Don't ever ask the Lord to take this away, will you? You can come down right now, folks. You don't have to wait. If you would like for one of these elders or their wives to just simply pray with you and you say, "Lord, I want to be faithful in this test, in this trial. I want all that you've designed for me to have. Come on down." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial."

You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." You say, "Lord, I want all that you've designed for you to be faithful in this trial." - How whisper? Well, I won't talk as loudly. A lady said to me one time, Pastor, I'm afraid if I thank him for what I'm going through and I praise him, it will stay, it will last longer. Oh, what bond is that is? No. The Bible says in everything, give thanks. Is that what it says? For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Thank him for it, because it's taking this and it took that to get you where you are now. And where you are now is still unacceptable. So once this gets cleared up, another one's coming because that's life. So I'll read it one more time. Whom having not seen you love, though now you do not see him yet believing you rejoice with joy in expressible and full of glory because God is doing this thing in your life to make you more like Jesus. I'm gonna put my Bible on the poor, but you can do what you wanna do,

but I'm gonna praise God for where I am right now and thank him for where he's taking me. I praise you this morning. (audience applauding) This song is probably 200 years old now. So you ought to know the words. ♪ Sing praise ♪ ♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ ♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ ♪ For he is good ♪ ♪ And best with a bond ♪ ♪ His blood is great ♪ ♪ He's no one of whom I ♪ ♪ Sing it again ♪ ♪ Everybody in the mouth ♪ ♪ They join in the night ♪ ♪ And sing praise ♪ ♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ ♪ And sing praise ♪ ♪ Yes, sir ♪ ♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ ♪ For he is good ♪ ♪ Yes, he is ♪ ♪ And mercy ♪ ♪ Oh, he loves you ♪ ♪ Love you, thank you ♪ ♪ He's so wonderful ♪ ♪ My Lord ♪ Let the words of my mouth, the meditations of my heart,

the acceptable and thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer, amen. Love you, sir. - We pray that today, as you watch Pastor Livingston's message, you will be encouraged and ready to dig deeper into a life with Jesus. To help you on this journey, Central has two resources for you. First, you can sign up to receive Central's jail and prison correspondence course through the mail by writing to Central Church, jail and prison ministry's discipleship center, 5143 Sardis Road, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28270. Second, by using Central's app and clicking on the button below, you can read a short daily devotional that will encourage you to read and pray daily as you draw closer to Jesus. Thank you for watching. (gentle music) [MUSIC PLAYING]