1 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,800 Dads, take note. There is a princess tea 2 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:14,320 party. Daddies, take your 3 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:18,120 daughter. I'm gonna see if my 26 year old daughter wants to 4 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,880 go. And this 5 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,560 is the first Correct me, Pastor Will. This is the first time we've done a 6 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:29,300 sing along since we did Beauty and the Beast. And there's nothing like being 7 00:00:29,300 --> 00:00:33,100 in this room with 500 people and being in the cast. I 8 00:00:33,100 --> 00:00:36,620 got to be the father of Belle. And you hear all these 9 00:00:36,620 --> 00:00:40,100 kids singing, you forget you're doing a play. You're like, 10 00:00:40,100 --> 00:00:43,780 oh, new kids. So daddies, bring your daughters. 11 00:00:44,420 --> 00:00:48,140 Oh, my goodness, what a joy. We have been 12 00:00:48,140 --> 00:00:51,620 talking about the greatest story 13 00:00:53,550 --> 00:00:57,310 ever told. Now, we've told stories, but really, 14 00:00:57,310 --> 00:01:01,150 it's like Pastor Barbie said Thursday night, the greatest 15 00:01:01,230 --> 00:01:05,070 story is about Jesus Christ. And 16 00:01:05,070 --> 00:01:08,910 so all of the stories that we have told, they all 17 00:01:08,910 --> 00:01:12,430 weave together in this amazing way from 18 00:01:12,430 --> 00:01:15,870 Genesis to Revelation, to tell the story 19 00:01:16,830 --> 00:01:20,310 about God and what he's done through his son Jesus to 20 00:01:20,310 --> 00:01:24,070 redeem us. So every story may be unique in its 21 00:01:24,070 --> 00:01:27,370 own way. And you, you have a story, 22 00:01:27,850 --> 00:01:31,210 people think, well, they finished writing the Bible 2,000 years ago, 23 00:01:31,690 --> 00:01:34,730 and so the Bible's stopped writing. No 24 00:01:35,530 --> 00:01:38,890 Acts 29 keeps going. Because we 25 00:01:39,210 --> 00:01:42,930 have stories, we have miracles in our lives. There are things going on 26 00:01:42,930 --> 00:01:46,690 in your life that God is writing your story day after 27 00:01:46,690 --> 00:01:50,450 day. And it's your privilege and your honor to be able 28 00:01:50,450 --> 00:01:54,270 to share your story. So I would challenge you, man, if 29 00:01:54,270 --> 00:01:57,550 you're bashful and you're introverted like some of our 30 00:01:58,190 --> 00:02:01,950 congregants and pastors are, be bold and share 31 00:02:01,950 --> 00:02:05,750 your story. When he puts you in that position, you don't have to just go 32 00:02:05,750 --> 00:02:09,549 around blabbing all the time, but be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, 33 00:02:09,549 --> 00:02:12,910 that when you're in a moment, a kairos 34 00:02:13,790 --> 00:02:17,590 moment, a God moment, to tell your story. 35 00:02:17,590 --> 00:02:21,430 Young man, how old are you? 18. 18. Do you know Jesus Christ, your 36 00:02:21,430 --> 00:02:24,830 Lord and savior? Yeah. What's your name? John. John, 37 00:02:27,950 --> 00:02:31,630 there will be moments in your life, 38 00:02:31,630 --> 00:02:35,070 young man. Are you still in school? You graduated? 39 00:02:35,790 --> 00:02:36,750 Are you a senior? 40 00:02:39,390 --> 00:02:43,230 Your last rodeo, big boy? There are 41 00:02:43,230 --> 00:02:46,760 people. Where do you go to school? Smyrna. Smyrna High School. 42 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:47,640 Bulldog. 43 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,840 You're graduating class, probably about four or five hundred kids in it. 44 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:00,360 There are kids in your graduating class that need to know the Jesus you 45 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:04,200 know. And I believe God will put 46 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:07,800 kairos moments for you at a lunch table or in a 47 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,120 chemistry class or whatever your courses are, or in the 48 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,970 courtyard, in the quad, or at a pep rally. I believe, John, that 49 00:03:14,970 --> 00:03:18,370 if you will listen to the Holy Spirit that dwells within you. And Jesus said 50 00:03:18,370 --> 00:03:21,570 that he dwells within you, that if you'll listen to him 51 00:03:22,450 --> 00:03:26,210 and share your story, your story has the power to 52 00:03:26,210 --> 00:03:29,570 impact and change a life. Do you know that if your story 53 00:03:29,729 --> 00:03:33,090 only brings one other person to the salvation of Jesus Christ, 54 00:03:33,330 --> 00:03:37,170 it's well worth everything you've gone through? Some people think we got to 55 00:03:37,170 --> 00:03:40,450 win hundreds and thousands. No. What if your life only touches one? 56 00:03:40,830 --> 00:03:44,590 That's one more in the kingdom. Share your story, young man. Be bold. 57 00:03:44,590 --> 00:03:48,230 Don't be bashful. When the opportunity comes and you feel the Holy 58 00:03:48,230 --> 00:03:49,790 Spirit move on you, you do that. 59 00:03:54,110 --> 00:03:55,790 I got notes. We'll get there. 60 00:03:57,630 --> 00:04:01,470 We've talked about Noah, we've talked about Joseph, we've talked about 61 00:04:01,950 --> 00:04:05,230 Elijah and Elisha, which are some of my favorites. Back in October, 62 00:04:05,550 --> 00:04:09,320 Pastor Kevin sent out an email to the staff. He said, hey, send me three 63 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:13,160 or four of your favorite Bible stories. Here's where we're going next year and 64 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:16,920 I'll put out the sermon schedule. And here's where disobedience will get you in 65 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:17,280 trouble. 66 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,800 I knew everybody would want David. David's one of my favorites. 67 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,600 Joseph's one of my favorites. And if you love Joseph, you need to be here 68 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,400 on Thursdays. We still got five 69 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,320 more. We got notes. You can catch up. You can go on YouTube and all 70 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,870 this stuff. And here, Pastor Barbie by the needle. It's been powerful. This is 71 00:04:38,870 --> 00:04:42,270 my second or third time I've heard her teach it and it's 72 00:04:42,270 --> 00:04:46,030 powerful. But I just figured, well, people 73 00:04:46,030 --> 00:04:48,870 will write in and I'll just take whatever Pastor Kevin give me. 74 00:04:49,990 --> 00:04:53,790 Not a good idea. Yes, ma'. 75 00:04:53,790 --> 00:04:57,430 Am. Wrong thing I received. I hear you, Connie. 76 00:04:57,430 --> 00:05:01,230 Laugh at me. Now. I 77 00:05:01,230 --> 00:05:04,990 received an email on March 28th at 8:59 from Pastor Kevin 78 00:05:04,990 --> 00:05:08,680 that went something like this. I would like you to share the story of 79 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,520 Hosea on September 7. Are you available to 80 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:15,720 do that? Fifteen minutes later, at 81 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:19,520 9.14pm, I was dumb enough to reply, yes, I'd be happy to. 82 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,600 Seven minutes later, he replies, awesome. With a thumbs up. 83 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:26,800 And I began to think, awesome. 84 00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:33,080 Why didn't I send the answer back in October? God. I 85 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:36,890 could have talked about to the pit, to the prison, to the palace. I could 86 00:05:36,890 --> 00:05:40,530 have talked about the transfer of the mantle. I could have talked about Mark. 87 00:05:40,530 --> 00:05:44,330 I could have talked about a lot of things. What's the age demographic? Let me 88 00:05:44,330 --> 00:05:48,130 look at my room. I'll be polite. Cause there's some younger ears. 89 00:05:48,530 --> 00:05:51,890 I get to talk about a lady that has a very. 90 00:05:52,690 --> 00:05:56,290 She was known as a P and a P she was promiscuous 91 00:05:56,290 --> 00:06:00,090 and not a very good lady. And I thought, oh, 92 00:06:00,090 --> 00:06:03,570 great, that's. Mm. Hallelujah. 93 00:06:05,650 --> 00:06:09,450 You know what? I 94 00:06:09,450 --> 00:06:13,130 won't tell you names, but I struggle with 95 00:06:13,130 --> 00:06:16,890 this. First of all, I didn't do anything in the month of 96 00:06:16,890 --> 00:06:19,970 March. And then somewhere around April, I started reading Book of Hosea. 97 00:06:20,850 --> 00:06:24,570 And then May, I started writing notes. June, I got a little 98 00:06:24,570 --> 00:06:27,650 serious. August, I got real serious 99 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,280 and I thought about some of the things I was going to share. And I 100 00:06:32,280 --> 00:06:35,840 said, I don't need to share that. I don't need to talk about those things 101 00:06:35,840 --> 00:06:38,320 in my life. And I just really felt 102 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:42,800 impressed by the Holy Spirit. Yes, you do. And 103 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:45,840 I shared them in first gathering. I'm going to share them again today. 104 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,200 I really struggle with it because 105 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:54,800 it talks about how I 106 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:58,600 prostituted my walk with God. And I 107 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:02,320 want to tell you, after the service over, I had a person that came down 108 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:05,840 and said, I went through that when I was that age. 109 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,800 I had another person come up and said, God 110 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:14,640 sent you an email in March. I found out about a month 111 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:18,280 ago. And I'm going through that situation in my 112 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:22,050 life right now. God has a way of using the things in 113 00:07:22,050 --> 00:07:25,770 our life if we will allow him. We have to be open, 114 00:07:25,850 --> 00:07:29,450 John, and transparent and be willing to share. Amen. 115 00:07:29,850 --> 00:07:32,490 So stand with us and let's read a couple of scriptures. 116 00:07:33,930 --> 00:07:37,130 Help me, Mary. There we go. One more, 117 00:07:38,170 --> 00:07:41,770 one more. There we go. All right, let's read. But I have 118 00:07:41,770 --> 00:07:45,610 this against you that you have abandoned the love you had 119 00:07:45,610 --> 00:07:49,350 at first. Remember therefore, from where you have 120 00:07:49,350 --> 00:07:53,150 fallen. Repent and do the works you did at first. 121 00:07:53,710 --> 00:07:57,150 And from Hosea, I will betroth you 122 00:07:57,310 --> 00:08:00,710 to be. Pardon me. Let's start over. Cause I got hung up on 123 00:08:00,710 --> 00:08:03,870 Betrothed. I like it. Betrothed. Don't read Betroth 124 00:08:05,630 --> 00:08:08,990 Satraps. That's the inside joke with me and Joseph. 125 00:08:09,470 --> 00:08:13,240 I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you 126 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:16,840 in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. 127 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:20,680 I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will 128 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,080 acknowledge the Lord. There should be a W. 129 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:28,000 Forgive my spelling. Mary works wonders, but she can't read my 130 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:31,840 mind. Father, I thank you that you are in laughter. Laughter is 131 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:35,000 a medicine. It heals us. Lord, I thank you that we have 132 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:39,100 stories to tell and things that we can share. The Lord ultimately 133 00:08:39,100 --> 00:08:42,900 is about your word and your truth. So Lord, let your 134 00:08:42,900 --> 00:08:46,740 truth be heard and let your word go forth. Let it penetrate, 135 00:08:46,980 --> 00:08:50,620 break, heal, and restore places in people's hearts. 136 00:08:50,620 --> 00:08:54,299 Today, in Jesus name And you may 137 00:08:54,299 --> 00:08:57,900 be seated in the presence of the Lord. We used to say that in the 138 00:08:57,900 --> 00:08:59,940 80s. Be seated in the presence of the Lord. 139 00:09:01,300 --> 00:09:04,980 Justin's got a group. The dad. Where did 140 00:09:04,980 --> 00:09:07,860 Justin go? Dad bod. Cosplay 141 00:09:08,810 --> 00:09:12,570 boy, I tell you. And it's something else. Some of you in 142 00:09:12,570 --> 00:09:16,090 this room are part of that. Cause I see your pictures. Yeah, I see you 143 00:09:16,090 --> 00:09:19,290 over there. We got Spiderman and Batman and 144 00:09:19,930 --> 00:09:23,530 Strange Men and I mean Dr. Strange, whatever. 145 00:09:24,490 --> 00:09:28,330 But they'll show up to the movies when Marvel, I guess 146 00:09:28,330 --> 00:09:32,170 they're Marvel people. They might do it for dc, but they show up for the 147 00:09:32,730 --> 00:09:36,570 movies and they dress in these characters and man, everybody just 148 00:09:36,570 --> 00:09:40,270 loves seeing them and doing that. I'm a movie junkie. I love going to 149 00:09:40,270 --> 00:09:44,030 movies. I love watching movies. My favorites are the 70s and 80s. I love 150 00:09:44,030 --> 00:09:47,750 spaghetti westerns mostly. I like a good war movie here and there. 151 00:09:48,310 --> 00:09:51,910 I'm not a rom com guy. I'll watch them because 152 00:09:51,910 --> 00:09:55,750 I'm married. And if you're married, you 153 00:09:55,750 --> 00:09:59,470 better watch them too. We got Hallmark and Hallmark, whatever the 154 00:09:59,470 --> 00:10:03,070 other one is. And Lord, you can have a 155 00:10:03,070 --> 00:10:06,720 Christmas. Nevermind. They're already playing 156 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:10,560 Good Gracious in Pumpkin Spice movies. But anyway, 157 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:15,600 same story, different people. Mostly same people. Anyway, 158 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:23,400 but I love movies. I love the. I grew up in 159 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:27,240 my favorite thing. I was 14, 15 years old. Drive with a per 160 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:30,880 minute. I got a hardship license because my parents divorced when I was 161 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:34,480 young. So I had a hardship permit at 14 and I could drive. 162 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:37,680 Imagine that. Hey, who said 163 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:41,800 One of you? Yeah, but anyway, we go to the 164 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:45,040 Bijou Twin on Wade Hampton Boulevard. 165 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:49,080 And I loved it because back in the day, that's when the guy goes. It 166 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:52,760 was 1964, you know, it was that movie guy, whatever. 167 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:56,600 He's long gone now. But I love those things. So 168 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:00,200 here we are, it's 722 B.C. we're going to look at 169 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:03,520 today's passage like it was a movie because it helps it come alive to me. 170 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:08,240 So if you're with me, just to set the scene. 171 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:12,160 Hosea lived in the northern kingdom of Israel. 172 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:17,080 There you go. And this was about 173 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:20,400 200 years after it had broken off and splintered 174 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:24,460 from the southern kingdom. Judah. If you go back 175 00:11:24,460 --> 00:11:28,180 to 1 Kings 12, you can read all about it. It's about 33, 34 176 00:11:28,180 --> 00:11:31,420 verses. Not gonna take the time now, but go back and do your homework and 177 00:11:31,420 --> 00:11:34,660 read that. But Jeroboam and Rehoboam, they were 178 00:11:35,300 --> 00:11:39,100 the opposing kings. And basically what happened? The king from 179 00:11:39,100 --> 00:11:42,580 the Northern kingdom, his counselor said, 180 00:11:42,580 --> 00:11:46,380 hey, why don't you Take it easy. Your dad overtaxed and 181 00:11:46,380 --> 00:11:50,220 he made it hard on everybody when he was king. Lighten up a little bit, 182 00:11:50,220 --> 00:11:53,940 Give them a little grace and the people will respond and they'll follow you 183 00:11:53,940 --> 00:11:57,540 and everything will be great. So he thought about it for three days. Why is 184 00:11:57,540 --> 00:12:01,380 everything three days or on a Tuesday in the Bible? But anyway, he thought 185 00:12:01,380 --> 00:12:05,220 about it for three days and I guess it was a Tuesday. And he 186 00:12:05,220 --> 00:12:08,300 came back and he did just the opposite. 187 00:12:08,860 --> 00:12:12,180 He raised the taxes. He made it even harder on the people. And so they 188 00:12:12,180 --> 00:12:15,660 rebelled. They had this revolt and it just. And so the 189 00:12:15,660 --> 00:12:19,290 kingdoms tore apart and Judah was its own. And then you had the 190 00:12:19,290 --> 00:12:22,450 northern kingdom. So Hosea 191 00:12:23,410 --> 00:12:27,090 was a prophet to Israel, the northern kingdom 192 00:12:27,090 --> 00:12:30,930 that was in rebellion. Because not only did they rebel, not only 193 00:12:30,930 --> 00:12:34,370 did they not appreciate what was going on, 194 00:12:35,090 --> 00:12:38,650 they wandered from God. See, there was a reason that the 195 00:12:38,650 --> 00:12:42,450 Lord had Israel in the Hebrew nation before they 196 00:12:42,450 --> 00:12:46,060 actually became Israel, to keep separate. It 197 00:12:46,060 --> 00:12:49,580 wasn't because God is racist. It wasn't because it wasn't 198 00:12:49,580 --> 00:12:53,340 inclusive. It's because he wanted them for 199 00:12:53,340 --> 00:12:56,940 himself. You will be my people. And I want you to 200 00:12:56,940 --> 00:13:00,419 be. I want to be your only God. And God was a jealous God, 201 00:13:00,500 --> 00:13:03,780 not jealousy in the terms of sin, but he wanted everything. 202 00:13:04,180 --> 00:13:07,860 He wanted their hearts, he wanted everything that they were, and he 203 00:13:07,860 --> 00:13:11,660 wanted to be everything to them. But they 204 00:13:11,660 --> 00:13:15,220 would intermarry and they would follow. It always led to following 205 00:13:15,380 --> 00:13:19,100 false gods and then idol worship. And so this is 206 00:13:19,100 --> 00:13:22,620 what's going on. And God speaks through 207 00:13:22,620 --> 00:13:26,260 Hosea. Now, we've talked about some prophets, Ezekiel, and 208 00:13:26,260 --> 00:13:29,380 we've talked about Jeremiah and Hosea. 209 00:13:30,100 --> 00:13:33,460 Listen, it's an honor 210 00:13:34,500 --> 00:13:38,300 to be considered an apostle, a prophet, a pastor, 211 00:13:38,300 --> 00:13:41,940 a teacher, an evangelist. Those are part of the giftings that Paul 212 00:13:41,940 --> 00:13:45,540 writes about and talks about. You better be very careful. 213 00:13:46,740 --> 00:13:50,540 You better be very careful about what you tell 214 00:13:50,540 --> 00:13:54,100 God you want to be or want to do for the kingdom. 215 00:13:54,740 --> 00:13:58,500 Because it's one thing to have a card that says, hi, I'm 216 00:13:58,500 --> 00:14:01,860 prophet Alan Smith. They do that a lot. 217 00:14:03,150 --> 00:14:06,990 But boy, when you are a prophet of the Lord, 218 00:14:08,030 --> 00:14:11,390 it can be very challenging. It can be difficult. It can be hard. 219 00:14:12,270 --> 00:14:14,990 Talk to Ezekiel, he had to lay on his side for a year. 220 00:14:16,270 --> 00:14:19,950 Talk to Jeremiah, he was in captivity. 221 00:14:20,110 --> 00:14:23,950 Talk to Daniel, talk to some of these guys that had to do hard 222 00:14:23,950 --> 00:14:27,630 things. It wasn't 223 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:32,280 glamour from a stage, it was being in a lion's den. It 224 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:36,040 was being put in bad situations. So here comes the Lord to Hosea, 225 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:40,160 and he tells him this in Hosea 1 226 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:43,720 1. Here we go just. 227 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:48,120 He's one of the main characters. Think about, 228 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:52,240 he's in his bedroom and the spirit of the Lord speaks to him in the 229 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:55,960 night, in a dream maybe. Who knows? It said, 230 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:58,800 when the Lord first spoke to Hosea, he said this to him. 231 00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:01,920 Go and marry a promiscuous wife. 232 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:08,000 That's what Hosea probably said. He was probably 233 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:13,440 Lord. And he hears it again. 234 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:16,800 Go and marry a promiscuous wife and 235 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,810 have children of promiscuity for 236 00:15:21,810 --> 00:15:24,970 the whole land has been promiscuous by abandoning 237 00:15:25,850 --> 00:15:27,210 me, the Lord. 238 00:15:29,690 --> 00:15:33,250 So Hosea goes and he marries 239 00:15:33,250 --> 00:15:36,929 Gomer. Shazam. Some of y' all old 240 00:15:36,929 --> 00:15:40,730 enough know he married Gomer, the daughter of 241 00:15:40,730 --> 00:15:44,370 Dibliim. And she conceived and she bore him three 242 00:15:44,370 --> 00:15:48,130 children. And boy, they had some names, and their names were because 243 00:15:48,130 --> 00:15:51,930 of some pretty serious situations that they represented 244 00:15:52,250 --> 00:15:56,090 that was going to come. That's not the kind of. 245 00:15:57,050 --> 00:15:59,850 How many. How many are married? Give me an amen. 246 00:16:00,970 --> 00:16:04,330 Some of y' all need to get happily married. How many are happily married? Say 247 00:16:04,330 --> 00:16:07,370 amen. There you go. How many would like to be married? 248 00:16:10,730 --> 00:16:11,850 Mary sue, question. 249 00:16:16,770 --> 00:16:20,530 If you would like to be married, would you just want to hear the 250 00:16:20,530 --> 00:16:23,890 Lord wake you up one night and go, hey, Joe, Hey, 251 00:16:23,890 --> 00:16:26,770 Sally. Go marry a promiscuous person. 252 00:16:27,490 --> 00:16:31,330 That's not on the top 10 list of qualities I would like in a wife. 253 00:16:32,130 --> 00:16:35,850 Right. But that's what the Lord told him to do. And so he goes and 254 00:16:35,850 --> 00:16:38,290 he takes Gomer to be his wife. 255 00:16:40,020 --> 00:16:42,900 Now, some people think this is a dark story 256 00:16:43,700 --> 00:16:47,420 and it's getting off to a bad start. I would tell you that 257 00:16:47,420 --> 00:16:50,580 the genre of this movie is not a rom com, obviously, 258 00:16:51,300 --> 00:16:55,100 but I would call it a love story. And I'd call it 259 00:16:55,100 --> 00:16:58,340 a love story not because of Hosea and Gomer, 260 00:16:59,140 --> 00:17:02,860 although that becomes one. But the love story 261 00:17:02,860 --> 00:17:05,959 is God to his people. God 262 00:17:06,599 --> 00:17:10,319 is so faithful and God is so 263 00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:14,119 passionate about his people, 264 00:17:15,239 --> 00:17:18,879 the people of Israel at that time. But you right 265 00:17:18,879 --> 00:17:22,199 now, that he not only will go, 266 00:17:22,839 --> 00:17:26,599 he already has gone to the furthest of measures 267 00:17:27,239 --> 00:17:30,839 to win you back. Cause see, when you read this story of 268 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:34,720 Almost Said Homer and Homer and Goziah, 269 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:39,520 too many. The H and G is too close. When you read this story, 270 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:44,400 it's not the prettiest of stories. They get married, 271 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:48,200 they have these three children of promiscuity. And after 272 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:49,920 a season, she leaves him. 273 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:56,200 And not just leaves him. It's one thing to leave. She 274 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:58,560 leaves him and goes to another man, 275 00:18:00,010 --> 00:18:03,130 a married man, and becomes an adulteress 276 00:18:03,930 --> 00:18:06,090 on top of everything else. She was 277 00:18:08,250 --> 00:18:11,930 now, the way I read Scripture, he could have just 278 00:18:11,930 --> 00:18:15,650 said, I'm done with you and give her a writ of divorce 279 00:18:15,650 --> 00:18:19,130 and been done with her. But that is not what God told him to do. 280 00:18:21,210 --> 00:18:24,890 Because God was trying to show Hosea, I think, 281 00:18:25,930 --> 00:18:29,610 the depth and the pain that he was going through 282 00:18:29,610 --> 00:18:33,250 with the loss of his people, through what Hosea was going 283 00:18:33,250 --> 00:18:36,890 through with Gomer. I think he allowed Hosea 284 00:18:37,050 --> 00:18:40,490 to walk through that pain of having a 285 00:18:40,490 --> 00:18:44,130 promiscuous wife, having children, through promiscuity, having a 286 00:18:44,130 --> 00:18:47,410 wife that left him and went into 287 00:18:47,410 --> 00:18:51,010 adultery, so that he would truly understand the 288 00:18:51,010 --> 00:18:53,610 heartbreak that God the Father felt over his people. 289 00:18:55,590 --> 00:18:59,270 Sometimes we think we know how God feels. Oh, you know, 290 00:18:59,270 --> 00:19:01,990 oh, the Lord, it grieves the Lord, 291 00:19:04,550 --> 00:19:08,230 you know, it's heavy on the Lord's heart. Yeah, it is. 292 00:19:09,350 --> 00:19:13,150 Do you really understand how heavy sometimes? Because we like 293 00:19:13,150 --> 00:19:16,390 to say things, but we don't like to bear things. 294 00:19:17,030 --> 00:19:20,230 We like to put the words out there. But 295 00:19:20,470 --> 00:19:24,150 Pastor Barbee was talking Thursday night about praying for a situation. 296 00:19:24,820 --> 00:19:28,620 And she was saying how, yeah, we just pray sometimes and Lord bless them 297 00:19:28,620 --> 00:19:31,500 or whatever. But then she got into a thing, she said, but we ever get 298 00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:35,180 to this posture where it's like, dear Lord Jesus, whatever it 299 00:19:35,180 --> 00:19:38,620 is that they have need of, I pray that you would bless them. Whatever is 300 00:19:38,620 --> 00:19:42,460 coming, intercession and carrying the weight 301 00:19:42,460 --> 00:19:46,260 of what somebody else is walking through, that's the heart 302 00:19:46,260 --> 00:19:50,100 of God because that's the heart he had toward us. So I 303 00:19:50,100 --> 00:19:53,700 believe Hosea walked through those things so that he could truly understand 304 00:19:53,780 --> 00:19:57,520 the heart of God. Like I said, Hosea 305 00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:00,280 was the son of Bera, and 306 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:05,320 he was also. You know, I look at the Bible sometimes and I get 307 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:08,440 linear. I like things to just be straight and even. And no, 308 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:13,200 don't give me hiccups and curves and stuff. Just make it all be nice and 309 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:16,960 even and clean. But you know, sometimes scripture's like a bowl 310 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:20,800 of spaghetti. Hosea was also a prophet 311 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:24,640 at the same time as Isaiah was in the same time that Amos 312 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:28,480 was. So they were all ministering to the Northern and Southern kingdoms 313 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:32,480 at the exact same times. And they had different words for 314 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:36,200 those in authority over them, but it was the same God giving the words to 315 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:39,960 those because he was reacting in different situations through the northern 316 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:43,640 and the Southern kingdom. But God was trying to 317 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:46,920 create reconciliation. God was trying to bring 318 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:50,240 redemption about, but the people were too dumb 319 00:20:51,270 --> 00:20:54,790 D U M B to hear it and 320 00:20:54,790 --> 00:20:58,510 receive it. Because guess what, we're hard headed. I'm sorry y' all 321 00:20:58,510 --> 00:21:02,150 aren't. Cause I'm Hard headed. And I 322 00:21:02,150 --> 00:21:05,990 don't listen all the time like I should to hear the Lord 323 00:21:05,990 --> 00:21:09,790 speak. None of y' all are, but I know I am. I mean, it's 324 00:21:09,790 --> 00:21:13,350 plain as day. You remember the. You remember the story. I don't know if somebody's 325 00:21:13,350 --> 00:21:16,270 doing it. I should have put that one on the email too. Where the hand 326 00:21:16,270 --> 00:21:18,350 writes on the wrong mini. Me neither. 327 00:21:20,420 --> 00:21:24,260 It's right there. And he still couldn't get it. That's me in my 328 00:21:24,260 --> 00:21:26,980 life. Been that way for most of my life. 329 00:21:30,420 --> 00:21:34,100 I was born in a small town in South 330 00:21:34,100 --> 00:21:37,700 Carolina. I've been born and raised in church my whole life, 331 00:21:37,700 --> 00:21:40,020 except for about 24 months, 23 months. 332 00:21:41,700 --> 00:21:44,020 A Christian family, but a dysfunctional family. 333 00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:50,920 We were at church all the time. Sunday morning, Sunday night. That was the thing 334 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:54,720 we used to do back in the 60s, 70s and 80s. You'd have church on 335 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:58,240 Sunday night, 6 o', clock, and then after church was over, you hung around the 336 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:01,600 altar and had afterglow where you prayed and invited the Lord to talk to you. 337 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:05,240 And then after that you went to the Dairy Queen, get ice cream. They know 338 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:08,960 that. Cause they're much older. I'm just trying. It's not in your history books. I'm 339 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:12,530 trying to get y' all kind of. And then 340 00:22:12,530 --> 00:22:16,330 Wednesday night. She knows. And then you had two revivals. You had a 341 00:22:16,330 --> 00:22:19,850 spring and a fall. And you better be there Thursday, Wednesday through Sunday. 342 00:22:20,170 --> 00:22:23,850 So that's how I grew up in church. And 343 00:22:23,850 --> 00:22:27,690 everything seemed fine in our little family. 344 00:22:28,810 --> 00:22:32,410 Grandfather was a pastor. He died the year before I was born. My grandmother took 345 00:22:32,410 --> 00:22:35,530 the church for the next five years. Some things happen and 346 00:22:36,580 --> 00:22:40,300 she was asked to step down. So we moved to first assembly of 347 00:22:40,300 --> 00:22:43,900 God and went there till I went to school in 86 in 348 00:22:43,900 --> 00:22:47,620 Florida. But like I said, my parents divorced. 349 00:22:48,660 --> 00:22:51,420 Separated when I was 12, divorced when I was 15. I was on my own 350 00:22:51,420 --> 00:22:55,260 at 16. But in that time frame, like I said, everything seemed 351 00:22:55,260 --> 00:22:59,060 fine at church between Fred and Lewis or between Fred and Sharon. 352 00:22:59,620 --> 00:23:02,660 But in the car ride home and behind the doors, it wasn't. 353 00:23:03,620 --> 00:23:07,340 Things weren't fine. And I had a 354 00:23:07,340 --> 00:23:11,140 father that didn't discipline. He 355 00:23:11,140 --> 00:23:14,900 punished. And there's a difference, dads. I had to learn that with 356 00:23:14,900 --> 00:23:18,659 my son because 357 00:23:18,659 --> 00:23:22,340 until he was seven, I punished him too. I swore that I 358 00:23:22,340 --> 00:23:25,660 wouldn't be my father. But you know, there's a scripture that talks about 359 00:23:25,660 --> 00:23:29,420 curses that go to so many generations and blessings. If 360 00:23:29,420 --> 00:23:32,100 you don't break that curse, you will carry it out. 361 00:23:33,490 --> 00:23:36,210 And I swore I'd never do that to my Children. But I did that to 362 00:23:36,210 --> 00:23:40,050 my son till he's seven. Till a brother says, if you keep doing it, you'll 363 00:23:40,050 --> 00:23:43,370 drive him away from God and you'll drive him to hate you. And I had 364 00:23:43,370 --> 00:23:47,170 to learn the difference between punishment and discipline. 365 00:23:48,209 --> 00:23:51,930 Discipline is handling whatever the situation is. Do you know that? Boys 366 00:23:51,930 --> 00:23:54,530 will be boys and do dumb boy things. 367 00:23:55,650 --> 00:23:59,360 And some of them don't deserve a beating. They just 368 00:23:59,360 --> 00:24:03,200 need to be, hey, knucklehead, straighten up. But 369 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:06,280 there are things that do need some corrective measures. 370 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:09,960 And sometimes it is a spoon or a belt or a switch, 371 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:13,680 but it's not 10 or 12 of them. It's just one of them. Get their 372 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:17,360 attention right. And then what I love, I've 373 00:24:17,360 --> 00:24:20,360 seen some parents. Boy, I wish y' all had been parents when I was little. 374 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:24,600 Not just so I wouldn't have had that in my life, but to teach me 375 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:27,910 something. I've seen parents that will do a 376 00:24:27,910 --> 00:24:31,670 corporal punishment and then they'll get right down there on the bed with 377 00:24:31,670 --> 00:24:35,390 them and pray with them. Now, Kirk, let's ask 378 00:24:35,390 --> 00:24:39,190 the Lord to help us to not tell lies anymore. Because God 379 00:24:39,190 --> 00:24:40,990 said that we're people of truth and 380 00:24:42,430 --> 00:24:43,230 correction. 381 00:24:46,670 --> 00:24:47,470 Here we go. 382 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:56,680 About 9 years old, I had a 14 383 00:24:56,680 --> 00:25:00,440 year old neighbor that molested me. We'll just say it that way. 384 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:05,000 And that took about a year and a half of my life. And that 385 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:08,794 situation in my life started me on a Road at 10, 386 00:25:08,846 --> 00:25:12,680 11 and 12 and 13 years old. Age of pornography 387 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:16,600 and promiscuity that a 10, 11 year 388 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:18,360 old, 12 year old boy don't need to be doing. 389 00:25:23,040 --> 00:25:25,920 And when I thought I got it taken care of and I thought I prayed 390 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:29,680 through and I'd go to the altars at youth group and I'd go down on 391 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:33,280 Sunday nights for prayer and do all those things and pray and think I was 392 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:36,840 clean. But I never confessed it to 393 00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:40,080 somebody. I never told somebody 394 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:44,550 about it in my life that they could help me to. To 395 00:25:44,550 --> 00:25:48,270 uproot those seeds in my life that 396 00:25:48,270 --> 00:25:51,430 were starting to produce harvest in my life that I didn't want 397 00:25:52,390 --> 00:25:56,150 and a harvest that would come to affect my marriage 398 00:25:56,790 --> 00:26:00,589 some 20 years later. Folks, when we 399 00:26:00,589 --> 00:26:03,910 walk in a garden of sin and we plant 400 00:26:03,910 --> 00:26:07,630 seeds and we prostitute our faith, 401 00:26:07,630 --> 00:26:11,310 we walk in promiscuity. We don't walk in relationship with 402 00:26:11,310 --> 00:26:14,590 God. I love a word that Pastor Barbee says, para 403 00:26:14,750 --> 00:26:17,870 Theos, to walk with 404 00:26:18,350 --> 00:26:21,750 God, with God, arm in arm that 405 00:26:21,750 --> 00:26:25,590 embrace paratheos. We 406 00:26:25,590 --> 00:26:29,230 don't get those seeds uprooted before they take root. They 407 00:26:29,230 --> 00:26:32,750 start growing things that we don't want in our lives that will could 408 00:26:32,750 --> 00:26:35,630 potentially ruin generations down the road. 409 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,880 That situation. Showed up nine years later 410 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:46,760 in my marriage. Showed up several years later. Nine years into my 411 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:49,880 marriage. We were 412 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:53,840 youth pastors at a church in Antioch. We helped lead 413 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:57,600 worship at that church in Antioch. Pastor Justin said the 414 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:01,360 other Sunday, A couple of Sundays ago, you don't just wake up and have an 415 00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:04,790 affair. He's right. You don't. 416 00:27:05,750 --> 00:27:09,590 In my incidents, it took about eight to nine months of 417 00:27:09,750 --> 00:27:13,590 flirting with disaster and not fleeing from 418 00:27:13,590 --> 00:27:17,270 temptation. Started out holding hands in the prayer circle 419 00:27:17,590 --> 00:27:21,310 before church, and then it started out hanging out 420 00:27:21,310 --> 00:27:25,070 at their house because he was a drummer on the road. So Renee and I 421 00:27:25,070 --> 00:27:28,910 became. It was her best friend. Yeah, I know. Throw rocks at me 422 00:27:28,910 --> 00:27:32,420 now. I know you wouldn't have liked me 36 years ago. 423 00:27:34,100 --> 00:27:37,380 I don't like me now sometimes. But I'm not that guy anymore. 424 00:27:40,340 --> 00:27:43,860 Because God can redeem just like he redeemed 425 00:27:43,860 --> 00:27:47,420 Gomer. But now we tell 426 00:27:47,420 --> 00:27:50,980 people at 36 years of marriage, we've had 33 427 00:27:50,980 --> 00:27:54,820 happy years and three living hell. And they were 428 00:27:55,780 --> 00:27:59,060 because I had to build trust. I had to earn that back. 429 00:28:00,980 --> 00:28:04,700 You might be in here, and you might know what I'm talking about. That's why 430 00:28:04,700 --> 00:28:08,260 I'm telling you. See, everybody that stands on this platform 431 00:28:08,740 --> 00:28:12,420 or behind a pulpit, we are not perfect people. 432 00:28:19,380 --> 00:28:22,580 In fact, sometimes we feel like we're the most 433 00:28:22,580 --> 00:28:25,950 unqualified to stand in this place 434 00:28:26,830 --> 00:28:28,190 because we. Oh, God. 435 00:28:30,590 --> 00:28:34,430 Because of the things of our past. But there's a different 436 00:28:34,750 --> 00:28:38,430 but God that comes into play because that but 437 00:28:38,510 --> 00:28:42,190 God is the one that intervened and saved our marriage. Because 438 00:28:42,510 --> 00:28:46,110 before we said I do, we sat in Ashawnee's parking lot and said, 439 00:28:46,270 --> 00:28:50,040 I don't care what happens. Whoever's wrong, we do 440 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:52,840 not get a divorce. We will work through this, and God will be in the 441 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:56,640 middle of our marriage. And if it wasn't for that woman over there holding onto 442 00:28:56,640 --> 00:29:00,120 those words, I wouldn't be here. But God. 443 00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:04,360 So whatever your situation is, 444 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:10,520 I brought one. No, I didn't. Anybody got a phone? I know Pastor Barbie 445 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:14,200 told you not to have one. Now we'll see. Pastor Barbie. 446 00:29:17,490 --> 00:29:21,330 You guys right here. Y' all can just. You guys right here. 447 00:29:23,410 --> 00:29:25,730 I know y' all think this is important in your life. 448 00:29:27,570 --> 00:29:31,209 TikTok, Snapchat, every other flip, 449 00:29:31,209 --> 00:29:32,770 flap, whatever. They're on here, 450 00:29:35,970 --> 00:29:37,090 get off of them. 451 00:29:40,780 --> 00:29:44,500 It'll lead you straight to hell if you let it. This 452 00:29:44,500 --> 00:29:48,140 in itself is not a bad thing. It's a form of communication. It stores 453 00:29:48,140 --> 00:29:51,900 information. And it can be A safety net to your parents and people that you 454 00:29:51,900 --> 00:29:55,700 need when you need them. But when you got idle time, the 455 00:29:55,700 --> 00:29:59,180 Bible said idle hands. Don't be sitting here 456 00:29:59,180 --> 00:30:02,740 scrolling and I'm not looking at your stuff, baby. Don't be scrolling and looking through 457 00:30:02,740 --> 00:30:05,340 this stuff. Cause I know what pops up on mine. 458 00:30:07,430 --> 00:30:10,870 And you don't need to see it. You don't. 459 00:30:12,390 --> 00:30:13,910 Because it'd break my heart 460 00:30:16,230 --> 00:30:19,990 for things that happened to some of y' all because of people and predators. 461 00:30:20,790 --> 00:30:23,510 Get off of it. Find 462 00:30:24,790 --> 00:30:28,270 this thing. Why don't you scroll through these 463 00:30:28,270 --> 00:30:32,030 pages? Why don't you read through these pages and see where 464 00:30:32,030 --> 00:30:32,710 there's life? 465 00:30:37,590 --> 00:30:40,750 Because that'll stop you from being a person of 466 00:30:40,750 --> 00:30:44,350 promiscuity with your Lord. Come here, 467 00:30:44,350 --> 00:30:48,190 Kirk. He's not God. But playing 468 00:30:48,190 --> 00:30:51,830 the role of God, if 469 00:30:51,830 --> 00:30:54,070 this is the Lord, just walk somewhere. 470 00:30:58,230 --> 00:30:59,750 I'm kind of going that way. 471 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:07,680 But if I don't get 472 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:08,080 here 473 00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:16,560 and stay right here with God, 474 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,720 guess where I'm going to go? I'm going to flee 475 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:25,240 toward temptation. And he can't cover me over here 476 00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:28,480 because I'm not under the shadow of His. 477 00:31:31,460 --> 00:31:34,580 You got to be lockstep with the Lord. Thank you, Kurt. 478 00:31:39,220 --> 00:31:41,540 Somebody tell me what time it is. I'm off my notes. 479 00:31:43,940 --> 00:31:46,740 1214 worship team. 480 00:31:47,540 --> 00:31:48,340 Make your way. 481 00:31:56,020 --> 00:31:56,900 Look around the room. 482 00:32:01,060 --> 00:32:01,940 We brought in 483 00:32:03,700 --> 00:32:07,380 500 new chairs of the week. 484 00:32:08,260 --> 00:32:12,100 Oh, Lord. Every time I think about it, that 485 00:32:12,100 --> 00:32:15,900 40 foot sea trailer. Oh, Lord. Ted Gertz. God bless your 486 00:32:15,900 --> 00:32:19,700 heart and your back. There's 487 00:32:19,700 --> 00:32:21,590 about 450. 488 00:32:23,740 --> 00:32:27,500 There's five in the room now. There are 500 seats in 489 00:32:27,500 --> 00:32:28,380 this auditorium. 490 00:32:31,980 --> 00:32:35,700 We've started balancing out our services. First Service is 491 00:32:35,700 --> 00:32:39,340 about 115, 120. This one's about 250 or so. 492 00:32:40,780 --> 00:32:42,460 There are empty chairs in this room. 493 00:32:45,580 --> 00:32:48,780 Some of them are written on those blackboards out that hallway. 494 00:32:54,410 --> 00:32:58,010 Some of them you work beside. Some of them you go to school with. 495 00:32:59,610 --> 00:33:02,890 Some of them you just meet in the marketplace. 496 00:33:06,250 --> 00:33:09,450 I dream of a day where every. I want it to be so full in 497 00:33:09,450 --> 00:33:12,890 here. I want you to come in. If you're not in here by 10 after 498 00:33:12,890 --> 00:33:13,770 you're standing up. 499 00:33:16,490 --> 00:33:20,330 Not so we have a million and three quarters 500 00:33:20,330 --> 00:33:23,930 budget. Not so that we can invite 5,000 501 00:33:23,930 --> 00:33:27,210 people on Fall Fest. Not so we can run six 502 00:33:27,770 --> 00:33:31,370 shows of amazing shows sold out every time. But because 503 00:33:31,370 --> 00:33:34,410 those are souls that need to come into the kingdom of God. 504 00:33:36,330 --> 00:33:40,090 Pastor Kevin's challenged us to have tears for the 505 00:33:40,090 --> 00:33:43,690 lost. And we ought to. You know why? 506 00:33:43,690 --> 00:33:44,890 Because I was lost. 507 00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:51,520 I know what it is to run From God, for 22 months when I 508 00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:55,360 was growing up, I was the perfect little church boy. When I ran for those 509 00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:59,040 22 months, if you could smoke it, drink it, or do it, I did it. 510 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:05,120 And I remember a Tuesday morning in March, I worked at the 511 00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:08,960 night shift in Nissan. Got my shower, and I went 512 00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:12,680 to wipe the mirror so I could shave. And the condensation 513 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:15,920 had blurred the mirror, and all I could see was a blurry 514 00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:19,680 reflection of myself. And I just heard the 515 00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:23,280 Lord tell me, that's not who you are. That's not who 516 00:34:23,280 --> 00:34:27,080 I made you to be. And 517 00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:30,880 in that little bathroom on 104 Lake Farm Road, right over there 518 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:34,640 by Nissan, wept before the Lord in that 519 00:34:34,640 --> 00:34:38,440 marriage. And I said, if you will take me back, 520 00:34:40,529 --> 00:34:43,969 I'll not run. I said that. 521 00:34:49,009 --> 00:34:52,689 Then in 1998, I had an affair. 522 00:34:55,408 --> 00:34:57,169 You didn't say all you want to say, 523 00:34:59,889 --> 00:35:01,409 but until it gets here, 524 00:35:04,209 --> 00:35:07,950 until this changes, until. See, we talk a lot about in this 525 00:35:07,950 --> 00:35:10,790 house, we don't want your money. We want your. 526 00:35:11,990 --> 00:35:15,830 We don't want your servanthood. We want your. We don't 527 00:35:15,830 --> 00:35:19,510 want your fill in the blank. We don't want it. What 528 00:35:19,510 --> 00:35:21,350 we want is we want your heart. 529 00:35:23,270 --> 00:35:27,110 Because that's what God wants. Scripture says the heart is deceitful 530 00:35:27,110 --> 00:35:30,870 above all things. I thought I was making a 531 00:35:30,870 --> 00:35:34,610 commitment to God, but my heart was not ready. My heart 532 00:35:34,610 --> 00:35:38,250 did not put its yes on the table. It 533 00:35:38,250 --> 00:35:42,010 took a broken marriage and three 534 00:35:42,010 --> 00:35:45,810 years of restoration for me to 535 00:35:45,810 --> 00:35:49,530 see what I did to my wife and what I could have put 536 00:35:49,530 --> 00:35:53,370 on my children. Because I'm the one that did those things. 537 00:35:54,410 --> 00:35:58,210 And I'm the one that could have caused a curse from generation 538 00:35:58,210 --> 00:36:01,880 to generation. And I don't want that for my son and daughter 539 00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:05,480 in love. I don't want that for future grandchildren. 540 00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:09,160 I want my life to be one that is of a heart for 541 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:12,960 God, that I'm walking parathios so 542 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:16,520 that I run in step with God, so that I can bring a blessing from 543 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:20,320 generation to generation. I told John, 544 00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:21,320 what if it's one 545 00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:27,440 I'm not? She'll watch it. 546 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:32,000 When my daughter came to tell me that she felt the Lord 547 00:36:32,720 --> 00:36:36,480 leading her from here, she came in my office and she 548 00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:40,280 said, daddy, I need to talk to you. And I said, as a pastor 549 00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:42,640 or as a father? She said, both. 550 00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:46,320 I said, well, talk to me as your daddy first. 551 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:52,280 And when she told me, tears welled up in my eyes. And I just told 552 00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:53,840 her, I don't like this. This sucks. 553 00:36:57,400 --> 00:36:59,720 That's what I say. If you don't like me, then don't like me. 554 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:06,960 But I always had visions of being in a 555 00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:09,959 church when I'm old, with my children and my 556 00:37:09,959 --> 00:37:13,320 grandchildren and seeing them in the house and 557 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:16,840 worshiping and serving. That was my dream. That's what I wanted. 558 00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:21,480 But I had to realize she's not my daughter. 559 00:37:25,750 --> 00:37:29,230 She's his daughter. God has no grandchildren. I 560 00:37:29,230 --> 00:37:32,950 stewarded her life for however many years. And I have 561 00:37:32,950 --> 00:37:36,630 to have the same posture with her as my own theology. 562 00:37:38,150 --> 00:37:41,910 I have to be willing to let her go. Because what if 563 00:37:43,270 --> 00:37:46,950 Chelsea goes to that church and she may be there 564 00:37:47,030 --> 00:37:48,950 a year, five years, I don't know. 565 00:37:51,420 --> 00:37:54,620 But what if one person, one 566 00:37:55,980 --> 00:37:59,620 one person hears her story and gives her life to Jesus? Is it 567 00:37:59,620 --> 00:38:01,900 worth it, Alan? Absolutely. 568 00:38:02,540 --> 00:38:06,300 Absolutely. We gotta be willing to share 569 00:38:06,300 --> 00:38:09,980 our story. And we can't prostitute 570 00:38:11,100 --> 00:38:14,940 our walk with God. We are either in it 571 00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:19,640 or we're not. We can't do this. I'm 60. 572 00:38:20,360 --> 00:38:23,960 I can't do it either. We can't walk 573 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:27,720 one foot in and one foot out. It doesn't work. 574 00:38:29,720 --> 00:38:33,560 It'll create strain. It'll create cramps and pain 575 00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:37,280 in your life that you don't want. You either have to be with God or 576 00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:40,920 you're not with Him. There is no pink in the 577 00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:44,520 kingdom. We are crimson like sin. Or we're white as scar, 578 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:47,560 white as snow. You gotta be with him. 579 00:38:48,680 --> 00:38:52,520 This song they're singing, that verse 580 00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:55,400 when it gets prone to wander. 581 00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:02,600 That's me. However many years 582 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,000 it's been. Since 1999. Had it up. 583 00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:10,070 Thank you. Have I walked a perfect 584 00:39:10,070 --> 00:39:13,910 Christian life? No, but I'm doing my best. I am 585 00:39:13,910 --> 00:39:17,630 doing my best to be right here. Sometimes I 586 00:39:17,630 --> 00:39:21,150 fall a little, but I try to grab that coattail so I can get right 587 00:39:21,150 --> 00:39:24,190 back up there with him. Because I don't want him to leave me. 588 00:39:24,910 --> 00:39:28,670 Because I know what three years of heartache was. I know what the heartache 589 00:39:28,670 --> 00:39:32,350 of molestation is in my life. I know what sin will do in your 590 00:39:32,350 --> 00:39:36,180 life. And I don't want it. I want the blessing of 591 00:39:36,180 --> 00:39:39,940 God. And the blessing comes when you're walking with him. Because 592 00:39:39,940 --> 00:39:42,060 he's a redeemer. Let me read you these four things, 593 00:39:43,900 --> 00:39:45,340 Mary. You can put it at the end. 594 00:39:51,820 --> 00:39:52,540 Jesus, 595 00:39:57,020 --> 00:39:59,420 thank God. We'll get there. And we don't need these anymore. 596 00:40:03,100 --> 00:40:06,740 No matter how many times Gomer left him and all that she did, Hosea 597 00:40:06,740 --> 00:40:09,420 pursued her relentlessly. 598 00:40:10,540 --> 00:40:14,260 At one point, he gathered all that he had, everything he owned 599 00:40:14,260 --> 00:40:17,820 to buy her back. Just like Hosea. God has given everything 600 00:40:17,980 --> 00:40:21,700 to get us back. He gave his all in his Son Jesus, for 601 00:40:21,700 --> 00:40:25,340 you and for me, redemption is 602 00:40:25,340 --> 00:40:28,280 always, always possible. 603 00:40:29,560 --> 00:40:33,400 The second thing is this. God's love is unconditional. It don't matter 604 00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:37,560 what you have done or been in your past. His 605 00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:41,480 love is unconditional even 606 00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:45,240 when we are unfaithful. Israel 607 00:40:45,240 --> 00:40:48,960 was unfaithful, yet God still pursued her. And he 608 00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:52,380 went through Hosea and made him marry a 609 00:40:52,380 --> 00:40:55,980 prostitute to show him his 610 00:40:56,060 --> 00:40:59,420 pain so that he would give the message to the people. 611 00:41:00,780 --> 00:41:04,500 God's love is unconditional. This love is not based on the actions of the 612 00:41:04,500 --> 00:41:08,339 recipient, but on the unwavering, steadfast love of the 613 00:41:08,339 --> 00:41:11,260 one giving it. With those who are going to pray, come forward. 614 00:41:13,660 --> 00:41:16,700 The third thing I want you to know is acknowledging our faults, 615 00:41:17,910 --> 00:41:21,750 our sin. I don't make mistakes. I don't make. 616 00:41:22,150 --> 00:41:25,390 I don't have issues. I have sin in my life and I've got to get 617 00:41:25,390 --> 00:41:29,030 it right. And acknowledging my sin will lead to 618 00:41:29,030 --> 00:41:29,910 transformation. 619 00:41:33,190 --> 00:41:36,870 And finally, faithfulness is more than just 620 00:41:36,870 --> 00:41:39,510 actions. It's about the heart. 621 00:41:42,230 --> 00:41:43,970 So I guess that's our altar call today. 622 00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:47,320 Where's your heart? 623 00:41:50,680 --> 00:41:54,040 Am I all in? Am I prone to wander? 624 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:59,600 Do I need to be fettered? Here's how I 625 00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:03,440 fetter. I hide thy word in my 626 00:42:03,440 --> 00:42:07,000 heart that I may not sin against thee. 627 00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:14,760 They're going to lead us in this chorus, this hymn. 628 00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:21,400 Maybe you know what it's like to go through 629 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:24,200 some of the things I've shared. Maybe you've gone through darker things. 630 00:42:25,720 --> 00:42:29,400 I'm going to tell you there's no distance from God further than 631 00:42:29,400 --> 00:42:33,240 right now for your life. It's this moment 632 00:42:33,240 --> 00:42:37,080 that you have, this kairos moment for you. As they play. Would you 633 00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:40,880 come forward and allow these to pray with you and minister to you?