The Wilderness of Healing: Finding God in the Bitter Waters

• Jehovah Rapha 00:00:57 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor introduces the name of God as Healer and calls the congregation to acknowledge their brokenness to receive healing.
• Kintsugi Illustration 00:01:46 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the Japanese art of Kintsugi to illustrate how God takes broken pieces and makes them more valuable through restoration.
• Divine Revelation through Suffering 00:03:08 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues that God reveals His character and titles specifically through the trials and hardships believers endure.
• Obedience vs. Cultural Relativism 00:04:34 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor contrasts the biblical command to do what is right in God's eyes with the cultural mentality of doing what feels good or is right in one's own eyes.
• The Wilderness as Preparation 00:08:41 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that God leads people into the wilderness not for punishment, but to prepare them for the next chapter of their lives.
• Endurance and the 'Wall' 00:11:43 ▶️ 📄
  > Using a marathon analogy, the pastor describes hitting 'the wall' as a moment where God reveals hidden strength and prepares the believer for future calling.
• The Wilderness Experience 00:12:26 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that God uses wilderness experiences to reveal hidden strength and prepare believers for their calling, rather than as punishment.
• Healing from Internal Brokenness 00:16:25 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues that God leads people to bitter waters to heal internal issues shaped by environment and past choices, not just external circumstances.
• The Symbolism of the Wood 00:22:49 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor connects the wood thrown into the bitter water in Exodus to Jesus dying on the wood of the cross to absorb the curse and bring healing.
• Victory over Victimhood 00:24:01 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor challenges believers to stop living as victims by placing the cross of Calvary into their situations, recognizing Jesus' empathy and victory.
• The Cross as a Symbol of Victory 00:24:40 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor contrasts the cross as a tool of execution with its current meaning as a symbol of hope and victory for believers.
• Divine Healing and Sovereignty 00:25:50 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor identifies God as Jehovah Rapha (the Healer) and explains that God uses bitter experiences to facilitate healing.
• Personal Responsibility and Consequences 00:26:27 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues that pain often results from personal choices and consequences, not God's malice, and calls for obedience to God's commands.
• Critique of Worldly Satisfaction 00:27:59 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor warns against seeking satisfaction in the world's 'counterfeit' versions of joy and happiness, which only increase thirst.
• Pride and Sin 00:29:06 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asserts that believers should not take pride in sin, regardless of cultural contexts like Pride Month, and calls for humility.
• Holistic Healing Needs 00:31:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor lists specific areas requiring healing: physical, emotional, relational, mental, and sexual.
• Community and Interdependence 00:38:25 ▶️ 📄
  > Using the analogy of redwood trees, the pastor illustrates that believers are strengthened by connecting with the faith of others.
• Holistic Healing 00:39:11 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor calls for honesty regarding specific areas of need, including physical, emotional, relational, mental, and sexual healing, inviting the congregation to seek Jehovah Rapha.
• Corporate Prayer and Healing 00:40:15 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor leads a corporate prayer for healing in various life areas, emphasizing the power of the community praying together for one another.
• Salvation and Faith 00:41:52 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor issues an invitation for those who have not yet trusted in Jesus to do so, leading them in a prayer of salvation and forgiveness.

• Sermon Illustration 00:01:46 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold, illustrating that God makes broken people more valuable than they were originally.
• Sermon Illustration 00:03:43 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts the biblical account of Israel at Marah, where bitter water was made sweet by a piece of wood, illustrating God's provision and rule-giving in the wilderness.
• Sermon Illustration 00:09:42 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about running the Boston Marathon, specifically the experience of hitting 'the wall' at mile 19 where a man watering his lawn offered no encouragement, illustrating the isolation and need for endurance in spiritual trials.
• Sermon Illustration 00:17:47 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about losing his temper and cursing while watching a Spurs game, using it to illustrate how unhealed parts of the heart reveal themselves in moments of frustration.
• Sermon Illustration 00:13:59 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts a conversation with a recently released prisoner who felt unwelcome in other churches, using this to illustrate how God can use overlooked individuals to reveal His power.
• Sermon Illustration 00:15:53 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the biblical story of the Israelites at Mara, where bitter water was made sweet by throwing wood into it, as an analogy for how Jesus absorbs the bitterness of life through the cross.
• Sermon Illustration 00:38:00 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of the California Redwoods, noting that their massive height is supported not by deep individual roots, but by interconnected root systems with neighboring trees, illustrating the need for community support in faith.
• Sermon Illustration 00:38:00 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes California Redwoods, noting that despite their massive height (300 feet), their roots are only 10 feet deep. He explains that they survive storms because their roots are interconnected with neighboring trees, using this as an analogy for how believers must link their 'roots' (faith/support) with others to stand strong.

• Pastoral Charge 00:01:37 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asks the congregation to affirm their desire for God to heal their broken places.
• Pastoral Charge 00:01:46 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor instructs the congregation to open their Bibles to a specific scripture passage.
• Pastoral Charge 00:04:17 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asks for affirmation regarding the story of the water being made sweet.
• Pastoral Charge 00:07:47 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor invites the congregation to clap and acknowledge God as a warrior.
• Pastoral Charge 00:08:22 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor encourages the congregation to lean in and engage with the explanation of the Hebrew word 'Shur'.
• Pastoral Charge 00:09:29 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor challenges the congregation to commit to praising God despite their circumstances.
• Pastoral Charge 00:15:40 ▶️ 📄
  > The congregation is called to acknowledge and accept that God leads them to difficult places for the purpose of healing.
• Pastoral Charge 00:25:50 ▶️ 📄
  > The congregation is instructed to actively place the cross of Calvary into their personal situations of bitterness to allow Jesus to absorb the pain.
• Pastoral Charge 00:39:44 ▶️ 📄
  > Stand up in place
• Pastoral Charge 00:40:15 ▶️ 📄
  > Put a hand on the shoulder of a neighbor
• Pastoral Charge 00:41:52 ▶️ 📄
  > Pray the prayer of salvation aloud
• Pastoral Charge 00:42:26 ▶️ 📄
  > Raise hand as a sign of faith and commitment

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] Come on church, let's clap together. We are all about the next generation. How many of you know that the generation that we call the future generation is very much a part of what God is doing in our church? I met an incredible father this past couple days ago and he said, I just need you to know that my daughter got me to come back to church and I'm just so grateful for how God is using the next generation. We have a youth camp taking place at the Freeman Coliseum June 18th and 19th. If your student is
[00:00:30] not signed up for this, but on June 19th, CBC has taken over the Freeman Coliseum for a night of worship, inviting all of our campuses together. I'll be preaching a message on June 19th, but we
[00:00:43] are in a moment where we need to get you to get a ticket. So on the screens right now is a QR code.
[00:00:49] It's a free ticket, by the way. We just need to be able to count and you'll see the promo code there that makes that all free. So make sure you pay attention to that. But we're in a sermon series
[00:00:57] called Hallowed Be Your Name. We're talking about the names of God, but just to make sure you're with me, learning from last weekend, come on, say Elohim. Say Yahweh. Say Adonai. But today we're going to learn about Jehovah Rapha. Can we just say this out loud together with some energy
[00:01:16] on the count of three, Jehovah Rapha. One, two, three, Jehovah Rapha. We're talking about God being healer today. And as we recognize that God is healer, in order for God to be healer, we have to confess that there is a level of brokenness in the room. And I believe for us
[00:01:32] today, what we want to do is push the agenda of authenticity, not act like we got it all together.
[00:01:37] Can I get an amen from somebody that we're just going to go, God, we want you to heal the broken places in our life. But I want to use an illustration while you have a moment, take your
[00:01:46] Bibles and turn to Exodus 15. But let me use an illustration. You're able to multitask. So turn Exodus 15. And let me show you a picture. It's called Kintsugi. Kintsugi is a form of Japanese
[00:01:55] art. It takes the broken pieces of pottery. It doesn't break it and then put it back together.
[00:02:01] It actually takes what's already been broken, a vase or a bowl or a piece of pottery that's been broken. They would put that together again with a form of glue. Also in the glue would be
[00:02:13] 14 karat gold. And I want to say this out loud. The latter pieces of broken pieces getting put back together by the glue and the gold actually makes the piece of pottery more valuable than it
[00:02:28] what it was originally. And I just need somebody to receive this today that we got a God that takes broken pieces and makes masterpieces and puts us back together. And we are more valuable in our
[00:02:40] brokenness put back together by the glue of God. And today I want you to know your worth and value In Exodus 15, I want to just reveal to us a section of scripture that for many of us,
[00:02:51] you've probably never heard before, but I believe it's got great prophetic ramifications for maybe what's going on in your life. But I want to just begin with a target statement. It says, God doesn't just heal what hurts. God uses what hurts to reveal who he is. His titles of who he
[00:03:08] is as a name carrying God is not just so we can be really articulate and intelligent and say some really cool Hebrew words. He reveals himself in testimonies that will be very important for every chapter of your life. Every chapter of your life, God is revealing himself in very
[00:03:28] specific intentional ways because otherwise you would not know who he is if you didn't go through some stuff. Am I talking to somebody today that you've been through some stuff? And God reveals himself in ways that you would never know unless you went through those things. I want to show you
[00:03:43] something in Genesis chapter 15, verse 22. It says, then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea and they went into the wilderness of shore. They went three days, how many days? Three days into
[00:03:56] the wilderness and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. And therefore they named this body of water called Marah. And the
[00:04:06] people grumbled against Moses saying, what shall we drink? And he cried to the Lord and he showed him a log, a piece of wood. And Moses threw it into the water and the water became sweet tea.
[00:04:17] Can I get an amen from somebody? All right. And there the Lord made for them a statue and a rule.
[00:04:23] Now this is previous to the 10 commandments. 10 commandments don't come on the scene till Exodus 20. So this is prior to the 10 commandments. He gives them a rule to live by. He says,
[00:04:34] if you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God Yahweh Elohim and do that which is right in your own eyes is that what it says it's not what it says in the right mind of his eyes
[00:04:50] not our eyes we live in a culture that goes hey what feels good you do it culture says that whatever you want to live by you make up your own rules basically we hear this mentality of you are
[00:05:02] the captain of your own salvation, God goes, hey, listen, it's not living to what's right in your own eyes. It's living to what I say is holy and righteous and true. And we live in a society
[00:05:14] that wants us to listen to a lot of other voices, but listen to what God says. He goes, listen to the voice of the Lord, your God, and do that which is right in his eyes and give ear to his
[00:05:24] commandments and keep just a few statues if they agree with your life. No, that's not what it says.
[00:05:32] it says keep all his statues and put and he goes and i'll put none of these diseases on you that i put on the nation of egypt and praise god for that for i am the lord yahweh healer rofi or rafa
[00:05:49] he is the lord god our healer now point of one write this down we want to begin to understand the context of this particular section of scripture it's going to build up and i want to
[00:05:59] just go ahead and prophetically say this. God's going to set some people free today in this service. I'm going to create a space for us to have a moment where we call on the name of Jehovah
[00:06:09] Rapha together, but I got to begin to walk you through this. Speaking of walking through God leads, you need to know there's a God that will lead you in Psalm 23 verse one. He leads us in
[00:06:21] his namesake, his passive righteousness. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides still waters. And then Psalm 23 verse four, and though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. So the same God that leads us in the green pastures that leads
[00:06:41] us beside the still waters is the same God that'll walk us through a valley. He doesn't walk us into a valley to make us stay in a valley. He walks us through the valley. And I need you to recognize
[00:06:51] something significant about how God is moving us today. The greatest lessons you've ever learned in your life didn't just happen on a mountaintop, but in the valleys of hardship and trial and tribulation. I just need to go ahead and say this to somebody. You started living for God and then
[00:07:10] you found yourself living in a form of like, man, this got really hard, really quick. And I need you to know something. In Exodus 15, at the very beginning of Exodus 15, verse one, they are
[00:07:22] singing the song of Moses because God has defeated the Egyptians and they walked on dry ground because God split the Red Sea. I still believe that God can split the sea and cause you to walk
[00:07:32] on dry ground. I believe that God still makes a way where there seems to be no way. When you're up against a dead end and your back is against the wall, you got a God that fights your battles.
[00:07:41] That's important for us to understand. We sing that he is my salvation, my strength, and my song.
[00:07:47] the Lord is a warrior. Come on, somebody help me clap that out today. The Lord is a warrior.
[00:07:53] He's a warrior. He fights my battles. And the nation of Israel was falling a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God was leading them. God led them through the Red Sea
[00:08:03] and they get on the other side of the Red Sea and they celebrate in victory. But that same God leads them into the wilderness called Shur, S-H-U-R, Hebrew. Come on, I'm trying to help you understand what's going on. The word shore actually means a wall, a place of desolation,
[00:08:22] a place of opposition, a place of obstacle, a place of devastation. You're like, man, that doesn't sound like God. Watch this. God is not the author of chaos. He is not the author of pain and agony, but God will lead you into some places because he wants to do something in you.
[00:08:41] I want you to listen to me because God uses the wilderness, not as a place of punishment, God uses it as a place of preparation for what he's calling you to for the next levels and the
[00:08:52] new chapters and the new beginnings come on only got 14 people helping me on the on the central campus north side come on lean in south side east side west side my incarcerated brothers and
[00:09:02] sisters God will allow us to go to some places that we would not choose because he wants to do something in us that's necessary for the next chapter that God has for us but that's why you
[00:09:15] got to have a song of Moses in your heart, that God will give you a battle song of victory because it's easy to sing songs to God when things are going well. But will you sing in the
[00:09:29] wilderness? Will you sing in the valley? Will you still state that he's good even when it doesn't feel like he's working for your good? But I got to talk to somebody today because when I was
[00:09:42] a youth evangelist traveling around, I had a whole lot more time on my hands than I do now as the pastor of this church. I used to run marathons and that's 26.2 miles in a race.
[00:09:52] And one of the things that for me was a bucket list item was to run the Boston Marathon. And praise God, I was able to do that in 2012. And that was super cool. But man, some of you are
[00:10:03] endurance athletes. You have a sport that everybody else will consider punishment. Your sport is everybody else's sports punishment. Basketball, you don't want to run, but you got to run.
[00:10:13] Football, you don't want to run, but you got to run. But in track and field and when it comes across country and even endurance running, you're running for fun. And people are like, there's no fun in running, I promise you. But watch this. In a marathon, 26.2 miles,
[00:10:29] the first half of the marathon, there are three competitors typically in a marathon race. There's the 5Kers, then there's the half marathon people, and then there is the full marathon people. And they all basically kind of start at different segments along the way. 5K, they break out.
[00:10:47] Half marathon people, all of a sudden they get to the stadium. You can hear the really cool music.
[00:10:51] People are clapping from mile marker one all the way to mile marker 13. People are cheering. But one of the things you'll notice about a full marathon, ain't nobody at mile marker 14, ain't nobody at mile marker 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, except for like family.
[00:11:06] I remember running marathons and sometimes that course would go through neighborhoods and I remember one particular time I was running in jackson, tennessee and the course went through a neighborhood dude's watering his lawn drinking some coffee
[00:11:18] I ran by his house and he all this is what he did. He didn't cheer He was just drinking a cup of coffee watering his grass and his bathrobe and he was like Can I tell you what I don't need at mile marker 19 is this right here?
[00:11:32] I need an uber. I need a lift. I need a red bull I, I need, I need like maybe some, some Eggo waffles that you got up in your freezer right now.
[00:11:40] I am empty.
[00:11:42] I got nothing.
[00:11:43] But one of the things that began to be revealed as an endurance athlete is that I would hit the proverbial wall.
[00:11:50] Many of you athletes don't know what I'm talking about.
[00:11:51] That wall where you feel like giving up at mile 18, 19, 20, and 21.
[00:11:57] I knew if I could get to 22, I could gut this thing out, but I need you to hear me.
[00:12:02] when I signed up for a marathon, I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't know that my wall would be 18, 19, 20, 21, but that wall will make you want to quit. It'll break you down so bad.
[00:12:15] But let me tell you something. What it begins to reveal is a strength that you didn't even know you had. And I want to say to somebody today that you have been led by God, not to just a
[00:12:26] mountaintop experience. You are in the wilderness experience and God's not using this as punishment.
[00:12:32] He's preparing something in you that's necessary for the place that God's calling you to with an endurance. But listen to me and what you're feeling and what you're facing is pain and agony. And some of you, somebody has done something to you or some of you,
[00:12:52] you've done something and the choices of your life disobeying God has brought consequences.
[00:12:59] and you're like, God, I'm done.
[00:13:00] But if you can recognize that there's a God that's still with you in the wilderness, that's preparing something in you and he didn't give up on you and the enemy is whispering in your ear, just.
[00:13:14] And all of a sudden, in that moment when you got nothing left, you recognize that there's a God that's doing something in you.
[00:13:23] Why?
[00:13:24] Why is this important?
[00:13:25] Why is this message like a burning fire in my heart?
[00:13:28] It's because God got the people of Israel out of Egypt, but he had to get Egypt out of them. Do you understand what I'm saying? I don't know if you caught that 400 years of slavery, 400 years of oppression, 400 years of bondage
[00:13:46] caused them to not think as free people. You can be free, but not free. Listen, I just talked to a brother that just literally just got out of prison. I just need you to know, man, it's different
[00:13:59] up here at cbc i i just my guy tony my guy tony was like hey man dude just got out he wants to meet you there is no greater highest compliment than a dude that just goes i just got out of
[00:14:11] prison just did my time and i want to meet the pastor i've been watching behind bars all right and i'm telling and this is what he said to me this is what he said to me he goes man
[00:14:21] listen i served i've served some years he goes it's just me and my daughter i've tried to show up at some churches i got tattoos on my face tattoos on my arm and i'm just sitting here going
[00:14:29] and he goes and i'm not welcome anywhere else and i go but you're welcome here and i said something to him that i need somebody to hear i said what if i were to tell you that god brought you here
[00:14:43] because god wants to reveal who you are here so you could go back into prisons and tell them how god has changed your life he goes well i've never thought about that i'm like understand God didn't lead you to do the things that you did, but the devil led you to do those
[00:15:04] things and you gave into that. And then you found yourself now in the shambles of the brokenness of this, but God begins to bring about healing. He begins to bring about a transformation and he
[00:15:15] repurposes that pain. And now you've got a calling on your life to prevent people from going back to an old way of life that you were living. And this is what you got to embrace that sometimes you end
[00:15:27] up in spaces you don't want to be, but God can use it to reveal something in us that needs to go deeper. But in order for God to be Jehovah Rapha, we got to own the fact that sometimes God will
[00:15:40] lead us to some places to heal us. And so all of a sudden I've read the scripture. This is point number two, God uses, he uses what? They get to a body of water called Mara. It means bitter.
[00:15:53] All of a sudden for three days, how many days? Come on, talk to me. Three days. They're all of a sudden after three days of dehydration and thirst, they see a body of water. They begin to
[00:16:03] drink from the water and they're like, this is disgusting because it was poisonous. And in that moment, guess what happens? God is beginning to show them something. Why would God lead them to a place of bitter water is because God, watch this, wasn't just trying to heal the things that
[00:16:25] were done to them. God was trying to heal the things that had happened inside of them. And he is going to reveal and heal some things. Watch what he does. He uses the water as a mirror of
[00:16:38] some stuff that's going on in your own heart. And I want to say this out loud. God will lead us to some wilderness places, not only to give us endurance, but sometimes through the hardship,
[00:16:52] he starts revealing some things in our life that we didn't even know were there.
[00:16:56] We didn't even know that we are the product of our environment. We didn't even know, man, living in a toxic culture has made us this way. We didn't even know that the choices that other
[00:17:10] people made or the things they said about us have shaped our worth and our value and our identity.
[00:17:15] we didn't even know this and everybody else around you was like man something's not right something's missing and I need you to know Matthew chapter 12 says out of the mouth the heart speaks come on anybody else you're like dear God I mean all of a sudden something happens to you and you
[00:17:33] respond in a very not godly way come on that happened to me on Friday night watching our Spurs play man I lost man I lost my ever-loving mind y'all I'm gonna be real with you when
[00:17:47] things don't go your way how do you respond can i tell you how i responded i'm slamming my hat i'm using profanity i'm like where did this come from i'm having to apologize to my kids now listen
[00:18:01] if you're new here i was like i can't believe the pastor cussed i don't condone cussing i'm just telling you that i'm a real dude that struggles with the same stuff you all struggle with
[00:18:12] i'm just telling you and you're like i i'm a little uncomfortable with that you got the wrong church, man. I'm just telling you, you got the wrong church. I am not going to parade like I
[00:18:23] got it all together, man. I wrestle. But when this profanity came out of my mouth and my anger, and I'm literally six inches from the TV screen yelling, just yelling at referees. And if I can
[00:18:37] be honest, man, I hate the New York Knicks. I just hate the Knicks. I mean, I'm like, God, I love New York, but I hate the Knicks. And listen, I know we all kind of at some level feel this way,
[00:18:58] but when we don't get what we want or people don't treat us the way that we deserve to be treated, how do we respond? And what happens in these moments of uncomfortable places actually start
[00:19:12] revealing some stuff that's not been fully healed. Kind of that messy part of our life.
[00:19:19] And if I could quote a little country music right now, sometimes this heart's a little tough to love, but God goes, but I know all of your heart. There's no part hidden from me. And I want the
[00:19:33] messy places of your heart so I can bring healing into those places. This is what we're talking about. So check this out. Point number three, God leads, God uses, God transforms. So Moses, check this out, 2 million people come out of Egypt. It started with 80, becomes 2 million over
[00:19:51] 40, or excuse me, 400 years. And they're standing at the bitter waters of Mara and Moses is leading them. Pillar of cloud by day, pillar of fire by night, but Moses is the human form that's leading
[00:20:01] them and they're standing there and all of a sudden in the midst of them not getting what they want, they start grumbling against Moses. This is your fault. And all I'm saying is this, sometimes when we don't get what we want to, things can either happen. We can grumble or we
[00:20:16] get humble, grumble or get humble. The nation of Israel grumbles. Moses gets humble. He's like, God, I don't know what to do, but my eyes are on you in this moment. And God speaks to Moses and
[00:20:31] says, throw the wood into the water. Now, listen to me. I'm not a real bright dude, but if the water is poisonous, throwing wood in the water ain't going to help. You can use wood to build a fire.
[00:20:40] You can use wood to build a table. You can use wood to build furniture. You can use wood to build a house. You can use wood to have a tool of some sort. But listen, to throw wood in the water
[00:20:50] doesn't make sense. And the spirit of God just said, Ed, tell CBC this, that sometimes God uses things that other people overlooks, the fixed stuff that nobody would ever see as a solution.
[00:21:02] And I'm just telling you, God uses the overlooked things to bring about transformation. You go, pastor, can you make it real plain for me? Everybody else counted you out, but God didn't man pick somebody else. And God goes, I picked her. This is who I'm talking to today. If you
[00:21:21] want to know what CBC is, it's a group of people that have been overlooked by a lot of other people that found a home in a church that goes, you know what, man, we're together. We're a group of people
[00:21:32] that don't get it all together, but there's a God who does. And we're starting to really believe that God could use us. God's breaking off chains. He's breaking off mental mindsets that keep us in entrapments from the future that God has called us to. But it begins by recognizing that
[00:21:54] sometimes, listen to me, yes, your sins are forgiven. Yes, you got the Holy Spirit. Yes, when you die, you go to heaven. All of that is true. But if that is true in the future and in
[00:22:05] the present, then why is it that we're still enslaved by the very things that Jesus has set us free from? The addictions, the battles, the improper thinking, whatever it may be, God wants to bring healing into your life. And you go, Pastor Ed, so how do I get healing? Check
[00:22:22] this out. God tells Moses, throw the wood into the water. Now, for some of you, you didn't get raised up in church. I didn't get raised up in church. And so I started getting into high school,
[00:22:32] gave my life to Jesus. I needed the preacher guy to slow down and make me understand some stuff because in Genesis 15, this is foreshadowing. You're like, I don't even know what the word foreshadow means. It means it's pointing to something in the future that the bitter water
[00:22:49] that had a curse on it, all of a sudden when the wood gets in the water, the wood absorbs the curse, absorbs the bitterness. You're like, Pastor Ed, make it plain. That's what happened when Jesus died on the cross, on the wood. Oh, let me just, let me press down into this.
[00:23:14] Galatians 3.13, he redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us because cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree. What God was painting in the Old Testament is there's coming a
[00:23:27] one who will die on the wood and will take every bit of brokenness and bitterness and shame and condemnation and disease, infirmity, affliction, and he'll absorb all of it and he will die for our salvation, not only for the forgiveness of our sin, but by his stripes, we can be healed.
[00:23:49] He is near the brokenhearted. He is near the crushed in spirit. That's why we call him Yahweh.
[00:23:54] That's why we call him the great I am. That's why we call him Jehovah Rapha, the great healer.
[00:24:01] How do you stop living as a victim? How do you stop living as a victim? As you put the cross of Calvary into your situation. Because Jesus helps us understand what it feels like to be
[00:24:16] mistreated. He helps us understand what it feels like to be betrayed. He helps us feel like, man, when people walk away, he's like, I'm familiar with that pain. But what the enemy tried to do
[00:24:27] was to put Jesus on a cross and make it the death sentence. But Jesus was buried three days later, walked out the grave, and the very thing that the devil tried to use to take him out,
[00:24:40] Watch this. The cross was a symbol of the death chamber. It's the execution tool known as the electric chair of our day. The Romans invented a cross to cause a man or a woman to suffer for days
[00:24:56] and Jesus stayed there for you and for me. And watch this, on my neck and on your neck and on your bracelets and on your skin, we got tattoos of crosses. We got emblems and logos of crosses.
[00:25:10] Why? Because the very thing that was the death sentence for Jesus, we look at the wood of the cross and we go, it's my symbol of victory. It's my symbol of hope. It's my symbol that God makes
[00:25:25] all things. Somebody get with me today. Come on. The thing that was known as the place of torture becomes my testimony of salvation. So how do I overcome the bitter waters of what's happened in my life. I put the cross in it. I put the cross in it. I let Jesus absorb all of it as Jehovah
[00:25:50] Rapha. But here's what we see. Not only does God lead, God uses, God transforms and point before God reveals. Now, what he says to us, he goes, now, listen, this is who I am, but he gives a
[00:26:04] prescription the great physician gives a prescription he goes listen to my voice i am yahweh elohim do what's right in my eyes give ear to my commandments keep all my statues because yes there are moments where people have hurt us but understand for many of us we're walking
[00:26:27] in the consequences of choices that we've made and god wants to set you free but watch this he could heal you but will you go back to that old way of life that caused the pain in your life
[00:26:39] and he could heal you again but at some level you got to make a choice that if God is my healer then he is my light and my source and he could tell me how to live a life that doesn't cause me to
[00:26:51] make choices that bring about pain in my life the pain in our lives is not because God is evil and mean the pain in our life is because we've made choices that have consequences attached to
[00:27:03] them. And yes, the grace of God forgives all our sin, but the government of God teaches us what we sow is what we reap. But God could use those things in our life of our bad decisions. And he
[00:27:16] could turn it around for our greater good because the enemy wants you to quit at the proverbial wall in your life going, God, you've walked away from me. God's like, no, no, no. You walked away from
[00:27:28] me, but I pursue you and help you understand the truth of what it means to live in victory.
[00:27:34] And here's what we notice. All of a sudden, God goes, I want you to know me as healer, but watch this. You'll never know God as comfort. If you live in comfort, you'll never know God as
[00:27:47] provider. If you live in plenty, you'll never know God as healer. If you think you're, you're, your hole and got no problems. And all I'm saying is God is who he is because there's things that
[00:27:59] are lacking in my life and in your life. And this world will continue to tell you that the waters of Mara will satisfy your soul, that the pools of refreshment this world offers you will satisfy
[00:28:15] your soul. And listen to me, we keep going to water that will never satisfy our soul. It just makes us more thirsty again. Why? Because it was never intended to save you, never intended to
[00:28:28] sustain you. Sometimes God brings you to places and goes, that will never satisfy you, but I can.
[00:28:36] I will. That's why God in moments goes, look at this. Do you not see what it is?
[00:28:44] it's a counterfeit counterfeit version of joy it's a counterfeit vision of happiness it's causing many of us to go I'll choose to obey this and not to obey this we got pride in the wrong things y'all we're boasting up our sexuality and our identity and listen this is a whole
[00:29:06] other conversation for the month of June but let me just say this out loud the thing that we should not be proud about is our sin. And it's not just for one month. It's for all of us.
[00:29:22] No one's exempt, man. We all have fallen short. I don't want to take pride in anything that the Bible says is wrong. And I'm not listening to me. And once more, I know you're like, man,
[00:29:36] he's trying to, he's trying, he's talking about pride month. No, I'm talking about the fact that we as the people of God understand that he's got a way that's better, but this world is saying,
[00:29:45] no, no, no. God doesn't know what he's really talking about here. So you choose to find your own happiness. And listen to me, God is either God or he's not. You can't go, I'll obey this,
[00:29:57] but not obey this. But real quickly, let me just say this. If somebody's like, well, man, he's being really critical right now. How dare we as the people of God call out other people's business. All the while we're living in sin ourselves. Are y'all with me? Listen, I had a
[00:30:13] conversation with some folks. I had a conversation with a dude this week and he was like, Hey man, what you think about all this? I said, man, can we just be honest? We as the people of God should
[00:30:24] have the oil of gladness on our life. We should be walking in blessing, walking in significance.
[00:30:30] When we face hardship, we still got worship of an everlasting God. All the while those who don't know God, those who choose to live in opposition to God, they don't look at our lives and go, man,
[00:30:42] they have something I want. The way we live our lives should be so attractional. So, so winsome, so magnetic to the, to a lost world that goes, Hey, whatever they got, y'all it's working.
[00:30:57] They got a joy in the midst of suffering. But listen to me, if we act like the world, we can't win the world acting like the world. Listen. Yes, sir. All the while God goes,
[00:31:18] I'm Jehovah Rapha. Would you let me heal you? Let me heal you. Would you let me heal you?
[00:31:29] This is what God's saying to us. But you're like, what type of healing do I need?
[00:31:33] Physical healing, emotional healing, relational healing, sexual healing, mental healing, national healing. Are y'all with me? This is what we're longing for. But when we talk about physical healing, sickness, disease, pain, cancer, ALS, whatever it may be, suffering,
[00:31:58] emotional healing, grief, rejection, trauma, abandonment, anxiety, fear, shame, relational, broken marriages, estranged children, wounded friendships, church hurt. Hello? Mental healing, strongholds, lies I've believed, negative thought patterns, fear-driven thinking, shame-based identity, self-destructive beliefs, spiritual strongholds, sexual healing,
[00:32:32] pornography addictions, hooking up all across the city with a bunch of different relationships, hoping somebody will tell you that you're valuable because of physical intimacy. Listen to me. You can have physical intimacy and still be empty. It feels good for a moment, but it leaves you in the shame
[00:32:51] and guilt. God's got a different way for us. And in the midst of all of this, you're like, man, this just sounds a little strict and legalistic. No, no, no. We could keep doing what the world
[00:33:05] keeps selling and telling us. All the while, have you noticed that the problems aren't going away of the world? I mean, think about this. It's the same stuff, just a hundred X of everything.
[00:33:19] If really the world is becoming a better place, then why is there more pain? Why is there more anguish? Why is there more loneliness? Why is there more disease? Why? Because this world is groaning for a God to make it new. My body, your body is being made into the image of God every
[00:33:41] day. And listen, though our body is wasting away, my soul is getting new each and every day. So is yours. That one day I'm going to be completely conformed into the image of God. Meanwhile,
[00:33:55] what am I saying? God, I want your kingdom come as it is in heaven. Let it happen on earth.
[00:34:02] Let it happen in me. My will is your will. Your way is my way. But if there's any part of my life that's not been turned over to you as Adonai, master of my life, if any part of my life doesn't
[00:34:16] see you as Yahweh, personal, if I don't believe that you're Elohim, strong and mighty, and God, if I'm wrestling with you being Jehovah, Rapha, the healer, God, would you heal the broken pieces in me. God, the things that, that wrestles with anxiety and the thing that wrestles with
[00:34:35] depression. I want you to listen to me. I wrestle with those things, but I am not anxiety and I'm not depression. And I know what it feels like to wrestle with. It'd be better if I'm not on the
[00:34:49] earth, be better if I died. And that's the dude you're listening to today. But I say this, the thorn that all of us carry, God could take it away as healer. But if he chooses to leave it
[00:35:06] with what we wrestle with, then in my weakness, he will be made strong. His grace is sufficient for my weakness. But why would we not ask God to take away the broken things in our life
[00:35:24] and heal us. Why would we not believe this? Here's the takeaway statement. God will often lead you into what feels bitter to bring about sweet healing in your heart. Watch this. So you being healed could step into someone else's brokenness and bring healing. Watch this. I want to say this
[00:35:46] because I love you. Sometimes we want to stay broken because it gives us attention, but God wants to bring healing so you could take the attention off of you and put it on somebody else
[00:36:00] so you can bring healing to them. Are you with me today? Because many people, and I'm not just talking about CBC, I'm just talking about civilization, would rather stay broken because it allows them to stay dependent on everybody else. But what if God wants to bring transformation
[00:36:19] and healing in your life so you can be used as a vehicle of testimony of God's faithfulness of healer in your life to be used of God to bring healing in somebody else's life. I just got to
[00:36:31] say this. Somebody's praying a prayer right now in this service. God heal me. But what if it is simply this, you choosing to be obedient, to be healed by God, that you become the answer to
[00:36:46] somebody else's prayer. You go, pastor, what do you mean by this? God wants to answer their prayer and he will. But what if his answer to someone's prayer of God, help me is someone going, God,
[00:36:58] heal me so I could be used of you to bring healing to somebody else, which means you got to take a moment to let God bring healing in your heart. And here's the deal. Remember Moses, he throws the
[00:37:10] wood into the water. What if it's you as the testimony of the cross of Calvary changing your life, that you are the testimony of what Christ has done that wades into the waters of somebody
[00:37:25] else's mess and goes, I got a God that'll lead you out of this. And I'm here with you and I won't walk away from you. And I'm telling you, I'm not trying to use you to make me feel like I got a
[00:37:35] savior complex. I ain't got a savior complex because I got a savior, but he's wanting to use me to step into your situation and tell you if he could do it for me, man, he could do it for
[00:37:48] you. That's what I'm talking about. I got to show you a picture, a super cool picture. The Redwoods of California. Many of you've seen, they'll stand 300 feet tall. I used to think this. I was like,
[00:38:00] man, the root system on these California Redwoods must be like 40, 50, 60 foot deep. Check out this picture. They're actually 10 feet deep, which is not deep enough to sustain 300 feet of these
[00:38:13] redwood trees. Many of you have seen this. They could drive a car through a redwood trees that it's that massive. How can this big tree stand so tall, so strong in the storm? Do you know the
[00:38:25] answer is that its roots are connected to the tree next to it. And it links up with the trees around them and together they're stronger versus a tree standing by itself. I've come to tell
[00:38:38] somebody, you came to the right church today. You came to the right campus today. And God has called us to stand tall and strong in his faithfulness. You're like, Pastor Ed, I need healing, but I don't know if I got the root system to support this. Good news. You may feel like you
[00:38:59] don't have enough faith for this, but the person next to you has got enough faith, not only for them, but also for you. And their testimony is an encouragement to you, but you got to be honest.
[00:39:11] You got to be real about what you're facing, what you're going through right now. If you need physical healing, emotional healing, relational healing, mental healing, sexual healing. If you're like, I need healing in my heart. There's some broken places in me that I've just tried to hide
[00:39:28] that really it's impacting my whole life. And God, I need you to heal this.
[00:39:34] Stuff done to me or stuff I've done.
[00:39:37] I'm getting the consequences of God healed me.
[00:39:39] Make me new.
[00:39:40] Get Egypt out of me.
[00:39:44] Would you be bold enough to stand up right where you're at?
[00:39:46] If you want Jehovah Rapha to change your situation and change you, please listen.
[00:39:51] Don't be ashamed.
[00:39:53] Don't be embarrassed.
[00:39:55] I mean, this has happened all weekend long.
[00:39:58] Hundreds, thousands of people have said, I want Jehovah Rapha to change my situation.
[00:40:04] it takes a lot of guts to do what you're doing y'all man it takes a lot of courage to do what you're doing i'm proud of you i'm gonna ask those that are around you would you put a hand on the
[00:40:15] shoulder of somebody next to you this is what it means to be the redwood trees that link our roots up with somebody else next to us so father god i pray from the top of their heads to the bottom
[00:40:26] of their feet mine included god god every part of our lives that's not been healed by jehovah rafa physical pain, sickness, diagnosis. God, I pray healing in Jesus name. God, for every emotional pain. God, I pray healing in Jesus name. God, for every relationship that's been broken and ended
[00:40:53] that God, you want to restore healing in Jesus name. God, I pray for mental clarity. God, I pray against anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation. God, I pray in Jesus name, bring healing. God, for sexual healing. God, Lord, that you would help them understand their worth and their value and
[00:41:14] they preserve purity. In their singleness, they would wait for marriage and in their marriage, they would be faithful to their spouses. Not just in physical purity, but in mental purity. God, I pray. Break every stronghold, every foothold, every addiction, everything that we have faced
[00:41:36] that has been holding us back. Jehovah Rapha, change the story. Put the cross of Calvary into the water and make the water new in their lives. God, I pray. And with heads bowed, eyes closed,
[00:41:52] if you have not put your faith and trust in Jesus, man, this is the greatest decision you could ever make, man, I'm not trying to talk you into something. Jesus is talking to you today.
[00:42:05] Let him save you, forgive you. If you want to pray that prayer and salvation, let's say this out loud together. Can we say this out loud? Lord Jesus, I'm not perfect, but I believe in you.
[00:42:15] Save me, change me, forgive me. If you prayed that prayer in faith today and you meant it, I didn't talk you into this. You meant it. Would you just raise your hand as tall as you can? How
[00:42:26] How many of you go, Pastor Ed, man, I did that.
[00:42:28] I gave my life to Jesus today.
[00:42:31] Come on.
[00:42:32] We're believing in faith.
[00:42:33] So proud of you.
[00:42:36] Hey, my name's Ed Newton, pastor at Community Bible Church here in San Antonio, Texas.
[00:42:41] Thank you so much for even turning on to our YouTube channel.
[00:42:45] And if you're not subscribing right now at Community Bible Church here in San Antonio, Texas, you got to subscribe.
[00:42:51] Here's the reason why.
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[00:43:04] Every time you watch, would you drop some comments?
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[00:43:12] And would you do us a favor?
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[00:43:23] And if you are planning any trip to the state of Texas, hear me when I say this.
[00:43:27] You can't come to Texas without coming to see us in San Antonio.
[00:43:30] I'd love to meet you face-to-face.
[00:43:32] And as always, until we meet again, much love.