A Tale of Two Hearts: When Resilience Preaching Corrupts the Gospel

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:02:18] Good morning, Freedom House! We are so glad you are watching. My name's Andrew, and this is...

[00:02:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:02:24] I'm Jason. Yeah, and we're thrilled to have you here. First service was great. Awesome. Yeah, yeah, loved it.
[00:02:33] We're finishing up our series, Candy Hearts. Roger Archer here from Seattle, which I didn't even know that.
[00:02:41] So Seattle, he's out here giving the message today, and first service, Andrew, was incredible.

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:02:46] Yeah, we get the benefit of sitting in our fur service.
[00:02:51] I'm not going to lie.
[00:02:52] There were some things I was very convicted of sitting there.

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:02:55] Absolutely, yeah.
[00:02:56] Absolutely.
[00:02:57] I'll give you a hint.
[00:02:58] It involves rhinos and roses.

[00:03:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:03:00] Yeah, rhinos and roses.
[00:03:02] Yeah.
[00:03:02] Yeah, yeah.
[00:03:03] I mean, honestly, roses goes along with the theme.
[00:03:07] It does.
[00:03:08] And rhinos can if you've got a really rough, tough relationship.

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:03:13] Yeah, it can.
[00:03:14] They both can.

[00:03:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:03:14] Which would be perfect of why you're watching.
[00:03:16] I didn't think of that, but that ties it in.
[00:03:18] Yeah.
[00:03:18] That's true.
[00:03:19] My marriage isn't the rhino, though.

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:03:20] Yeah.
[00:03:21] I'm glad.
[00:03:21] Yeah, so am I.
[00:03:23] You and me both.

[00:03:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:03:23] If my wife had rhino skin, that'd be very uncomfortable.
[00:03:26] That would be.
[00:03:28] Yeah, I agree.
[00:03:29] Well, before we go down this rabbit hole, let us know if you're watching right now.
[00:03:36] You're either watching on Facebook, on YouTube, or freedomhouse.cc slash live.
[00:03:42] we love to have interaction so he's on freedomhouse.cc slash live drop something in the chat let us know where you're viewing from what the temperature is your dog's favorite color

[00:03:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:03:55] whatever it is let us know yeah last last service had somebody from new zealand which is awesome which is awesome so we forgot to mention at first service but get on track is next week here at
[00:04:09] central campus what is get on track yeah so get on track i'm glad you asked is a great way for people who attend the church or even watch it online that maybe want to go and learn more
[00:04:20] about the church kind of how the church started some of our values we believe in and you get free food so yeah if anything you can come for the food which i wouldn't recommend that but i mean

[00:04:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:04:30] you can i mean yeah you can come for honestly why ever you want to come that's right yeah um i've had the pleasure of going through it and i've been at the church for 20 years i went through it two

[00:04:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:04:41] years ago i learned a whole lot yeah yeah yeah seriously yeah i i have as well it's it's cool learning the history plus you get to meet some pretty cool people as well some of my best friends
[00:04:51] i met actually i can get on track so yeah okay it's been it was awesome it was awesome but yeah

[00:04:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:04:56] we're we're excited we're excited and speaking of history we've got the historic olympics going on

[00:05:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:05:02] right now that's right yeah and usa that's right usa the red white and blue just won gold um they just they the game went into overtime and they they scored and won in overtime so usa's gold
[00:05:13] for the first time since i believe like 1980 wow something like that so yeah we gotta step it up canada's kind of kicked our tails in hockey so okay well it's canada that's true that's true
[00:05:24] that's like their national that's like watching a fish swim all right yeah exactly exactly yeah

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:05:31] That's the maple syrup.
[00:05:32] I'm telling you.

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:05:32] It's got to be.
[00:05:33] Got to be.

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:05:34] Makes them all slick on the ice skates.

[00:05:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:05:35] Got to be, man.
[00:05:36] Yeah.
[00:05:37] It's got to be something in the bones, man.
[00:05:39] Yeah.
[00:05:39] Got to be.

[00:05:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:05:40] And speaking of that, summer's coming up.

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:05:43] Yeah.
[00:05:44] Yeah, yeah.
[00:05:45] Like I said, we're wrapping up our series today in Candy Hearts.
[00:05:48] Have a brand new series coming to you in beginning of March, I believe.
[00:05:52] I might have looked ahead, but I believe Pastor Olin's actually doing that one next week.
[00:05:56] Ooh.

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:05:56] That's going to be a good message.
[00:05:58] Yeah.

[00:05:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:05:58] He's a favorite around here.
[00:05:59] All of our campus pastors are incredible.
[00:06:01] We love them all.
[00:06:03] But, yeah, I believe Owen kicks that one off next week.
[00:06:06] I don't know the name of that one yet.

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:06:08] See, personally, I've got favorite pastors.

[00:06:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:06:10] So do I.
[00:06:11] I've got favorite pastors.
[00:06:11] So do I, yeah.

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:06:12] It's whoever's speaking that week.
[00:06:13] That's right.
[00:06:13] That's always my favorite.

[00:06:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:06:14] That's right.
[00:06:15] And what you'll learn here at Freedom House is each pastor, they do it a different way, but you learn something with all of them.
[00:06:22] They all do a great job at getting the message across, equipping you for what you need for the week to get through.
[00:06:28] And so it's awesome.
[00:06:30] And what's nice, too, is they'll come in after service, and they'll greet everybody, you know, speak to them.
[00:06:36] And, yeah, it's great.
[00:06:37] We love it.
[00:06:38] We're all family here.
[00:06:40] And like I said before, we love calling this place home, and we love telling you welcome home.
[00:06:45] So anytime you walk through these doors, it's going to be home, and we want you to always feel like that.
[00:06:49] So if you can make it ever down to Charlotte, please come.
[00:06:52] We'd love to see you.

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:06:53] I will say, there was actually one service I attended that I didn't get anything out of.
[00:06:58] Oh.
[00:06:59] Yeah, I was volunteering at the Authentic Women's.
[00:07:02] And let me tell you, I did not get much out of learning how to submit to my husband.
[00:07:06] That's right.
[00:07:06] I don't have one.

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:07:08] I've never been to Authentic Women, but maybe I should try.

[00:07:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:07:11] Yeah, I was volunteering.
[00:07:12] I was not attending.
[00:07:13] There you go.
[00:07:13] Just to clarify.
[00:07:15] There you go.
[00:07:16] But I was serving the food with a little bow tie on.
[00:07:18] That's right.
[00:07:18] Making an impression on the ladies.
[00:07:20] Yeah.
[00:07:21] Well, it worked.
[00:07:22] That's right.

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:07:22] So did mine.
[00:07:24] Yeah.

[00:07:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:07:24] Speak of making impressions, enjoy the service.
[00:07:26] Good morning, church.
[00:07:28] See you soon.
[00:07:28] We're so happy you're here.
[00:07:30] Let's stand to our feet as we begin to worship the Lord together.
[00:07:32] Welcome to this place.
[00:07:33] Let's sing.

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]
[00:07:35] Fire and wind, come and do it again.
[00:07:39] Open up the gates, let heaven on in.
[00:07:42] Come rest on us.
[00:07:49] Sing fire and wind, come and do it again.
[00:07:52] church let's declare that out come on just lift up your hands change lives it has it does and it

[00:19:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:19:23] will change lives I think about the woman that you met at the well a Jew meeting a Samaritan you weren't supposed to talk with her she came at noon so that people wouldn't discover her sin
[00:19:39] she she hid but God you brought her out of hiding because you spoke to her you crossed cultural bounds spoke to her and that one word changed her life and as she went out and she told
[00:19:55] the story of how you connected with her so many more were saved God we learn about the woman with the issue of blood she tried everything she spent all her money on every doctor and none of them
[00:20:11] could make her better but one touch one touch of your robe and she was made whole she wasn't just healed, she was made whole emotionally, spiritually, physically made whole. And then we have a beggar
[00:20:32] who at the lowest point just kept calling out to Jesus. Everybody else said, be quiet.
[00:20:42] But Jesus, you took notice. You touched him and he was healed. God, I don't know where we are today, but I want us as a church to think back to the moment where you touched us where you spoke over
[00:20:59] us where you called us where we made a decision we can make that same decision today with whatever it is we're dealing with we can just call out the name of Jesus one word changes everything
[00:21:17] Thank you for being everything to us.
[00:21:20] In Jesus' name, amen.

[00:21:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:21:22] Amen.
[00:21:23] I want our leaders to go ahead and come down front and get ready for prayer.
[00:21:27] We're going to open up the altar in just a moment.
[00:21:30] But you know, I was just thinking about reconciliation today and how our Father in heaven wants to be reconciled to us, but we have to bring everything we have to him.
[00:21:44] See, the Father wants to give you protection.
[00:21:46] He wants to give you peace.
[00:21:48] He wants to give you comfort.
[00:21:51] But when we keep stuff hidden and try to hold back, he can't do the work that he wants to do in our lives.
[00:21:59] He desires to be your everything.
[00:22:03] He sent his son so you can have salvation, so you can have a perfect relationship with him.
[00:22:09] But there's times in our lives that we see God as our savior, but we don't see him as our father.
[00:22:19] And he has so much more for us.
[00:22:23] There's things that we do in our lives that make us want to run away from God because we're ashamed for bringing something to him.
[00:22:31] We wanna hide away in the closet like the eight-year-old who knew he did something wrong and don't wanna face his parents.
[00:22:37] But God is not just a God of judgment.
[00:22:40] He's a God of mercy and grace.
[00:22:43] His mercy and grace will always trump his judgment because he wants reconciliation.
[00:22:50] He wants you to be close.
[00:22:51] He wants to be intimate with you.
[00:22:52] He wants to know everything that's going on in your life so he can work in it and through it.
[00:22:57] but we have to come and we have to uncover it.
[00:23:02] Say, God, what I'm bringing to you is not much.
[00:23:06] It may be a failure, maybe a half-hearted cry out to you, but this is what I have.
[00:23:13] Can you do something with it?
[00:23:15] And he'll say yes every time.
[00:23:19] So today, don't run anymore.
[00:23:21] Don't hide away anymore.
[00:23:23] Shame off of you in the name of Jesus.
[00:23:27] And our leaders are here to connect with you and speak the word of God over your life.
[00:23:32] God's calling you close today.
[00:23:35] Don't let this moment pass away.
[00:23:39] Step out of your seat as we go into this next song and we speak the name of Jesus and let God do what only he can do in your life, your relationships, your marriage, your finances,
[00:23:52] in every area, he wants to be your provider.
[00:23:55] So let's speak the name of Jesus.

[00:23:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_13]
[00:23:57] Because I know there is peace.
[00:24:41] I speak to you, you dark addiction star.
[00:24:58] Bring there is hope.
[00:25:03] It means we're a special word from our pastors.

[00:32:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:32:31] Everyone, and welcome to Freedom House.
[00:32:47] My name is Troy Maxwell, and my wife, Penny, and I are your senior pastors.
[00:32:51] We are one house with many different rooms, and our heart is very simple to help equip you to experience Christ's freedom in your everyday life.

[00:33:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:33:00] We have a big vision here at Freedom House.
[00:33:03] You will notice every week at every campus, we have live teachers and preachers.
[00:33:09] Why do we do that?
[00:33:10] Because we are a relational church.
[00:33:12] We love connecting and we are not a video venue.
[00:33:17] You'll also notice over in our kids area, they have the same thing.
[00:33:21] Live teaching, preaching, worship.
[00:33:24] We're not a babysitting service.
[00:33:26] They are getting a fresh, relevant Word of God, just like you are.

[00:33:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:33:30] And hey, maybe you're new or you haven't got connected yet.
[00:33:33] All you gotta do, it's very simple.
[00:33:34] Just open your phone up, click that little circle on the seat back pocket in front of you and check out all the amazing things that are happening at your church.

[00:33:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:33:43] That's right.
[00:33:44] We can't wait to get connected with you.
[00:33:45] Take a look at what's coming up here at Freedom House.

[00:33:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:33:53] What's up guys?
[00:33:53] You guys ready to do this thing?
[00:33:54] Yeah.
[00:33:55] You guys ready to do it?
[00:33:56] Awesome.
[00:33:57] Hold on one second actually.
[00:33:58] I'm getting a call from the lodge.
[00:34:00] He always does this during work hours.
[00:34:01] That's funny.
[00:34:02] I'm just gonna hang up.
[00:34:03] We're not gonna do that right now.
[00:34:04] You know, he likes to talk a little bit, but that's okay.
[00:34:06] All right, let's do it.

[00:34:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[00:34:07] All right, here we go.

[00:34:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:34:08] Three, two.
[00:34:10] What is up Freedom House?
[00:34:11] How are you guys doing this morning?
[00:34:13] Let me tell you, I got some good news for you.

[00:34:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:34:15] Sorry, Ethan. You actually had a call.

[00:34:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:34:18] What in the world? Hello? Is this the lodge? How did you get this number?
[00:34:29] Okay, look, I will call you back later. I can't do this right now.
[00:34:35] Okay, look, I'll call you after work, okay? All right. I love you. Bye.
[00:34:40] Sorry about that. Let's get right into it.
[00:34:42] Hey, I'm speaking right now to the men of this house, and I wanted to let you know that we are gearing up to head to the lodge for a weekend, and this time, it is a global trip.
[00:34:52] That's right.
[00:34:53] Every man from every campus is invited to the lodge in Marion, North Carolina from March 5th to March 7th for a weekend to reset and recharge.
[00:35:01] We're going to be hiking.
[00:35:02] We're going to be golfing.
[00:35:04] We're going to be shooting guns.
[00:35:05] Shoot, I know some dads are just going to be taking naps because that's what dads do, you know?
[00:35:09] But what I need you to do is this.
[00:35:11] I need you to sign up so that we can know how much protein we need to buy.
[00:35:15] So this is how you're going to do that.
[00:35:17] Go to freedomhouse.cc slash strong to sign up so that we can prepare for you.
[00:35:22] If you ever felt stuck in your faith, Ford was created for you.
[00:35:27] The Ford experience is a guided journey led by our pastors and leaders to help you process through your story, grow spiritually, and help you move past the things that tend to hold us back.
[00:35:36] It starts with two Ford basic classes on March 3rd and March 10th at 7 p.m. at our central campus.
[00:35:42] These nights are all about learning your identity, establish hot cycles, and hearing God.
[00:35:47] And they're followed by a Ford weekend experience, which is on Saturday, March 14th, which is a full day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This isn't just a class where you sit and listen the whole time.
[00:35:58] No, it's an interactive, reflective, and intentionally designed to help you take real steps forward. So if you've been sensing that God's been inviting you to something deeper, where forward is for you, forward is a great next step for you to take. So invest in your faith
[00:36:13] and sign up right now at freedomhouse.cc forward. We are in a season of building a church and that happens way before the doors even open. Right now, we are actively preparing to launch our Ballantyne campus, and it's not just with plans and timelines, but with people who are willing
[00:36:29] to say yes. This is about creating a space for community that does not exist yet, with families, students, neighbors who are going to walk through those doors and encounter Jesus for the very first time. And the way that happens is through people just like you. Right now, there's opportunities
[00:36:46] to serve, to give, and to connect through Ballantyne Life Groups and to join a team that will help launch the campus during the first six months. For some of you, this is your chance to
[00:36:56] invest in something that will impact lives that you may never meet. For others, this might be a place that God is calling you to plant and to call home. Either way, this is a moment to step into
[00:37:05] what God is building. So if you want to be a part of the Ballantyne Launch Team, you can learn more at freedomhouse.cc slash Ballantyne, or you can stop by a table in the lobby today and connect
[00:37:15] with the team to get more details. Next week, we are kicking off a brand new series, which is focused on evangelism. This series is all about leaving the building and learning how to carry our faith into neighborhoods, into workplaces, into schools and our communities, because our faith
[00:37:32] was never meant to stay inside these walls. We believe God is calling us to live out what we believe boldly, to love people well, to show up consistently and to share hope in ways that feel
[00:37:42] natural and genuine. So we're excited for what God is going to do in and through our church this March as we prepare to say, send me. For all this and more, download the Freedom House app or head

[00:37:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:37:54] to freedomhouse.cc slash connect. Well, hello, Freedom House Central Campus. Great to be with you guys today. My name's Olin Carter. I serve here on our teaching team. And you know, each and every week, each and every service, we like to take just a moment to honor God, to honor our
[00:38:11] Father. Anybody in here want to honor God today? And we do that in many ways, but we do that in this moment through our generosity. You know, Jesus says in Matthew chapter five, he says,
[00:38:23] you are the light of the world. You're a city on a hill. When I hear that, it excites me. It speaks to my potential to shine brightly for Jesus, to be that city on a hill, to be a part of proclaiming
[00:38:36] the good news of Jesus Christ. And I think when Jesus said that, he's speaking that to each and every one of us individually if we call ourselves Christians, but I think he's also speaking that
[00:38:45] to us as the body of Christ, as the church. Man, it's a great call to our potential, but I think it's also a reminder. It's a reminder and a warning because Jesus knows our hearts. And as
[00:38:58] people, we love clubs and groups, right? Like people have done that throughout history. We have today, I mean, you've got fraternities and alumni groups and country clubs, and you don't even know, we have an invite-only credit card. There's an American Express black card that you
[00:39:17] have to be invited to be a part of that group. And you know, if you get one of those, I don't know anything about that, by the way. I don't roll like that. But if you're a part of that exclusive
[00:39:27] group or any exclusive group, it kind of makes you feel good about yourself, doesn't it? Gives visual pride, a little, you know, sense of accomplishment and success that I'm a part of this exclusive group. But Jesus, he wants to remind us it's not like that in the kingdom of God. He
[00:39:44] calls us to something higher. He goes on in Matthew chapter six and he says, hey guys, listen, don't lay up for yourselves treasure here on earth where moth and rust corrupt, where thieves can break in
[00:39:56] and steal it all away. He says, no, lay up for yourselves treasure in where? Heaven. In heaven.
[00:40:03] He's calling us to go beyond success to significance. You see, you can be successful without God. Success is all about me, how much I earn, how much I accomplish, how much I accumulate, how big I am, what I do for myself. But significance, significance is about others.
[00:40:22] is how many lives I can touch, how many people I can reach. You see, Jesus Christ was the most significant human being to ever walk on this earth. Why? Because the Bible says he didn't come
[00:40:35] to be served. He came to serve others. When we give here at Freedom House, we're keeping the light on. We're making it brighter. We're letting the world know, hey, everyone is welcomed into the family of God. Because I don't know about you, I was invited and given access to what should be the
[00:40:52] most exclusive club or group in the history of the universe, the kingdom of God. And all my dues were paid. All my costs were covered. It cost something I could never do. I could never earn
[00:41:04] it. But Jesus invited me in by his grace. And it's out of that heart that I want to give, that I want to be a part of that beacon on a hill, that city on a hill, that light for other
[00:41:18] people. It's out of a heart of gratitude. So we just want to say today, if you attend here at Freedom House Church and you give regularly, generously to keep the light on, burning bright, we just want to say, thank you. Thank you for giving. Thank you for being generous and being
[00:41:34] that city on a hill. So that single mom who's hopeless, that young student who's never heard the gospel. So the broken and the downtrodden, they can see the light of Jesus Christ. They can hear his call. Amen. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we just thank you today for the opportunity,
[00:41:55] the opportunity to be a part of your kingdom, to be the light. You say we are the light of the world, a city on the hill, Father God. And that means we're not to be hidden. We're not to do it in
[00:42:08] secret, but we're to shine as brightly as we can. We're to yell, God, as loudly as we can about your love and your grace.
[00:42:18] This isn't meant to be an exclusive club, God.
[00:42:20] It's meant to be a family and a family that grows every day.
[00:42:24] God, thank you, God, that you bless us.
[00:42:26] You take care of us.
[00:42:27] You give us more than enough so we can bless others.
[00:42:29] We can sow into the vision here at Freedom House Church, God.
[00:42:34] We're so thankful to be a part of your kingdom.
[00:42:38] In Jesus' name we pray, amen, amen.
[00:42:42] Let's enjoy the rest of service together.

[00:43:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:43:22] What's up, Freedom House? You guys glad to be in the house today? Come on. I know we had a little bit of rain, but we have a guest pastor here today. Listen, he survived through 42 days of
[00:43:35] straight rain. Guess where he's from? Seattle. You got it. You got it. Listen, he's got to bring a light to a dark place out there. It's not like the Bible belt that we have here, right? So what I
[00:43:50] love about Pastor Roger Archer is the fact that he has the joy of Jesus and wherever he goes, he changes the atmosphere. If he steps into a hospital room, he changes the atmosphere. He steps into an airplane or a restaurant or a golf course or one of our homes, guess what? He changes
[00:44:08] the atmosphere because he's got the joy that has to come out. So Pastor Roger Archer, would you

[00:44:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:44:14] come and bless us today? Come on. Thanks, buddy. Thank you. Walk-up song. I'm going to hit a home run. Are you glad to be in church today? Hey, just out of curiosity, by show of hands, if this is
[00:44:40] your casa, if this is your house, if Freedom House is your church, can you give me a little wave so I can see who you are? Man, look at your beautiful family. They're so beautiful. Hey, just out of
[00:44:49] curiosity, if this is your first, second, or third time, can you give us a wave so we can welcome you proper and say hello? Welcome. Hello there. Hi. All right. Welcome to you. Welcome to you back there.
[00:44:59] Good to see you. My name is Roger, and I pastor a church called Motion Church. Motion like the ocean. You cannot forget that name. See, I'm from Seattle, where last year's summer was on a
[00:45:11] Thursday. We frolicked in the sunshine all day long, and we haven't seen blue skies since. So man, in Carolina blue, here I am. Love me some Carolina. Love me some Charlotte. Man, do you know that great, amazing churches just don't happen? They don't just occur. Like in nature,
[00:45:32] like the Great Barrier Reef or the Grand Canyon or the Aurora Borealis, great churches just don't happen. They happen because of phenomenal leadership. They're not phenomenons. They are phenomenal because of phenomenal leadership. So can we just appreciate Pastor Troy and Pastor Penny
[00:45:50] of how they just do an amazing job because sometimes in proximity you know you can begin to take something for granted if you're up close to a lot like in how many of y'all been married
[00:46:03] for more than 10 years remember your wedding day you were marrying a practically perfect person and then you know what happened life and you can begin to take people and things for granted but let me just tell you this church is so amazing and and i i know that you know that if this is
[00:46:25] your house. But let me just reaffirm it from, you know, a couple thousand miles away. This church's name is known on a national level, and your pastors are just amazing. One more time, give it up for
[00:46:36] Pastor Troy, Pastor Penny. Well, let's get right into it, shall we? I'm going to be reading out of the Bible today, which is kind of cool, because I could read to you from Sports Illustrated, but I don't
[00:46:48] think that's going to change your life. I remember the first time I was handed this, not this book, but a Bible. I was 18 years old before I ever held a Bible and before I ever attended church.
[00:47:02] I was a bartender's kid. I was a bar, I was a bar beck at age 14, bartender age 16, writing the books and stealing money at age 17 from my dad. And I remember the first time I ever
[00:47:16] held a Bible and I was just, I was just so enamored by it, but I was so intimidated by it, right?
[00:47:23] I'm like, man, I'm holding the word of God.
[00:47:28] And I could never pronounce like half of the names.
[00:47:32] And I didn't know what some of the terms meant.
[00:47:34] How many of you remember that?
[00:47:35] How many of you are in the middle of that right now?
[00:47:38] Right, I remember when I got saved, my dad kicked me out of our house.
[00:47:42] And he says, man, if you're gonna be a Christian, I don't want any of those Christian people in my world, so get out.
[00:47:47] So I packed up my stuff and left.
[00:47:49] And so I lost my job.
[00:47:51] I lost my place to live.
[00:47:52] i was sofa surfing and um my friend's couches and i i didn't i didn't know what to do but then this guy gave me this book called the bible and he says this book has relevant answers for today's
[00:48:05] tough questions that was the end of my discipleship now i was unemployed and i didn't know what to do table of contents i'm scrolling right because i i had a girlfriend and how many of the girls
[00:48:21] cost money. Anybody aware of that? Girls cost money. And they should, because they're so precious.
[00:48:29] But I didn't know how I was going to live. And so I go, holy cow, he's right. I found the book of Job. So I turned to the book of Job. And I was like reading the book of Job. I got to chapter
[00:48:40] four, and I was needing medication for my depression. No employment there. So I was a little discouraged. And so I knew I was never, I'd never really read a book in my life. And so here
[00:48:55] I'm forced into this thing, this treatise of God's language. And so I thought, I ain't starting at the beginning because I'll never finish. So I started in the middle. I can do half. And I found
[00:49:06] the book of Paslams. And when I got to the book of Paslams, it was so amazing because, man, it just touched my heart. And Paslams 1 is how it was done in chapter 2. I'm going to get through. Paslams 3
[00:49:16] is changing me. I got to Paslams 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He lead me besides the waters. He restores my soul. I was referring to it
[00:49:29] to Paslim's for a month until a lady in a grocery store who I was witnessing to behind the little till, she says, yo, bro, the P is silent. I did not know that. See, here's what I know about the
[00:49:43] word of God. It's not a book of history. The difference between John Grisham and the Holy Bible is that this book is not just history and a treatise. This book is a womb giving birth. It's
[00:49:54] a lung giving breath. And every time you read it, every time you read it, it's going to change you.
[00:50:00] You might not understand it, but it understands you, right?
[00:50:06] So we were reading from 2 Samuel, and let me give you a little bit of a backdrop.
[00:50:11] Here's the backdrop of 2 Samuel chapter 16.
[00:50:14] King David is now running for his life because his son, Absalom, is attempting a coup.
[00:50:25] He's running his daddy out of town, taking over the throne, and David is fearful for his life.
[00:50:35] Man, how did we come to this?
[00:50:36] Well, you have to go back 20 years when David was kind of like a newer-ish king.
[00:50:42] And he was up on top of his palace looking over his wonderful city of Jerusalem.
[00:50:47] And he spots this hottie named Bathsheba.
[00:50:52] Now, he's up on top of his palace roof, and she's on top of her parapet flat roof.
[00:50:56] And she's bathing.
[00:50:58] And he sends one of his servants to go inquire, who's this hottie?
[00:51:04] And they say, well, this is Bathsheba.
[00:51:06] He goes, bring her on over. I want to get to know her. And so he gets to know her. She comes over.
[00:51:13] She goes, oh, I'm sorry. Time out, King. I'm married to Uriah the Hittite who's fighting for you on the battlefield. That's all right. So they get busy. He sleeps with her, has sex with her, gets her pregnant. She gets word to him. I'm saying, hey, King, we have some interesting news.
[00:51:33] you're gonna be a daddy and so he he sends for her husband Uriah who's on the battlefield fighting for him and he tries to convince Uriah to sleep with his wife to cover his sin but Uriah won't do
[00:51:48] it he's got too much integrity so David sends Uriah back to Abishai the general and he says put Uriah in the battle where it's the hottest and pull back and let him get killed that's what
[00:52:02] happens. David gets Bathsheba, brings her in. She becomes his wife. David thought he got away with it. But don't you know, the eye in the sky don't lie. It says in 1 Chronicles that the eyes of the
[00:52:16] Lord roam to and fro across the face of the earth. God sees everything. Lights on, lights off.
[00:52:21] Under covers, above covers. God sees it all. And so Nathan, the priest says, you know what, you thought you wouldn't get away with this? You ain't gonna get away with this. What you did in private is
[00:52:32] going to happen to you in public. And 20 years later, sure enough, that's what happens. His son Absalom sleeps with his concubines on the roof in the front of the entire city of Jerusalem. And now
[00:52:44] he wants to kill his dad and take over the throne. And David is running for his life. Now, the title of my message this morning is The Composition of a Good Friend. The Composition of a Good Friend.
[00:52:55] And what I want to give you today is some kind of a roadmap for you to be able to be the husband that you want to be, the wife you want to be, the roommate you want to be, the sibling you want to
[00:53:08] be, the friend that you want to be. But it's going to determine and depend upon two characteristics and two only. The quality of your hide and the quality of your heart and the right combination
[00:53:20] of the two. Because I've been pastoring people now for 40 years and here's what I've discovered and it is irrefutable from my subjective lens. When it comes down to hides and hearts, this is the combination
[00:53:34] some people have rose petal hide and rose petal hearts oh isn't that just precious they have rose petal hides and rose petal hearts and here's the deal because their skin is so tender and their heart is so tender
[00:53:52] they become wounded they become victims and they are forever victims and it's going to be everybody else's fault oh my daddy wasn't nice my boss was unkind. My coach was, it was political. My pastor didn't care. I saw him in church and he
[00:54:09] didn't smile at me. Rose petal hide, rose petal hide. Then you have the rose petal hide and the rhinoceros heart. Those are the people who have incredibly thin skin, but to protect themselves from weeping all the time, they become crass and calloused. They become speculative and bitter.
[00:54:33] they become distrusting. And you know what they become? Ambivalent. I just don't care. Oh, you got a problem? I don't care. Well, that's your problem, not my problem. Oh, you don't have any money? Get a job, brother. Go to work. Then there's the combination of rhinoceros hide and
[00:54:54] rhinoceros heart. Okay? And you know those people because do you know what they are? They're bullies.
[00:55:01] they're tyrants and some of you have experienced that in your life a father who didn't know how to be a dad but he was just tough to make it tough or somebody that just was insensitive
[00:55:12] to the situation that you were in and they just bulldoze you and so the the reason is because they have this kind of hide in this kind of heart now the the you're probably thinking pastor i'm
[00:55:26] getting depressed is there anything good in this combination here comes you see what the holy spirit would have you be to be a good friend and in biblical fashion is to have rhinoceros hide and rose petal heart you see what david when we're going to we're going to show and we're
[00:55:43] going to examine that king david by the way you should take a picture of this because this makes you a disciple you say just take out your phones and this should be because you'll be able to do
[00:55:51] a diagnostic of where you are you'll be able to find you on that screen everyone in this room everyone watching online you're somewhere in the context of this matrix and the people that actually weather life better are the people with the fourth combination of the two. Because see,
[00:56:10] it's not a matter of if storms are coming into your life. It's not a matter of if you're going to be betrayed by a friend or a spouse. It's not a matter if you're going to be handled unjustly
[00:56:20] by an employee. It's not an issue of if, but when it happens, how do you weather that situation?
[00:56:30] So now, we pick up the story in 2 Samuel chapter 16.
[00:56:34] As David, King David, approached Bahirium, a man from the same clan as Saul's family came out from there.
[00:56:46] So the breakdown goes like this.
[00:56:48] There are 12 tribes in the nation of Israel.
[00:56:51] Think about 13 original colonies, 12 tribes.
[00:56:55] King Saul was the first king.
[00:56:58] And he was from the tribe of Benjamin.
[00:57:01] And you know what that meant for the tribe of Benjamin?
[00:57:04] We go and sizzle, we go and sizzle.
[00:57:07] They got hooked up, yeah?
[00:57:10] Because that tribe was in the lane of prosperity and blessing and honor.
[00:57:15] Now, how it breaks down is you have your tribe, then you have your clan, and then you have your family.
[00:57:23] So all the people in Saul's family were pretty much obliterated.
[00:57:30] but there was one person in his clan named Shimei Shimei he was the son of Gera and he cursed as he came out he pelted David and all the king's officials with stones though all the troops
[00:57:48] and the special guard were on David's right on David's left so I've been to this site where this transpired and it's pretty interesting you you have this valley and then there's this incline right outside of the city walls of, of, of Jerusalem. And, and, and in this valley, it's where all the,
[00:58:06] the, the gray water runs out. All the septic, all the gray water runs out into this valley. It's called the Kidron Valley. And in the Kidron Valley, David and his men were hustling out of town
[00:58:19] because Absalom was going to kill him. But there was this little waif, this little, he was a little, he was a shih tzu. Have you ever seen those little leap dogs that think they're Dobermans?
[00:58:36] dude you're gonna be a snack you better back up so Shimei he was up there he was throwing stones and throwing curses down on David he pelted him he says get out of here you murderer you scoundrel
[00:58:55] the Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul whose place you have reigned the Lord has given the kingdom in the hands of your son Absalom you've come to ruin
[00:59:07] because you're a murderer. Then here's Abishai. I love Abishai. I love him because I think I identify with Abishai. Then Abishai, son of Zariah, said to the king, hey, why should we let this dead
[00:59:18] dog curse my lord, the king? Let me go over and cut off his head. Do you know what I find very interesting? How people own the offense of other people that's got nothing to do with them.
[00:59:33] Now, how does that happen? There's a definitive distinction between wounds and scars.
[00:59:45] wounds and scars. My sophomore year of college, I was playing at the University of Missouri and I was doing this down and in route. I went down, planted, turned in, quarterback threw it up high.
[00:59:55] I tried to one hand snag it. I'm horizontal on the ground. A linebacker's coming across the middle while I'm going across the middle. He puts his helmet in my shoulder, flips me backwards. My helmet goes flying off my head. I hit the ground with a thud and instantly I'm thinking, why in
[01:00:09] the world did they turn the sprinkler on artificial turf? They cut my jersey and my shoulder pad off and my collarbone came up and hit me in the chin. I had a compound fracture. It wasn't water. It was
[01:00:23] blood. Now, I had surgery. They put me back together. And if I were to take off my shirt, which I will not do, we'll leave that to Pastor Troy. That dude needs to be in a calendar somewhere.
[01:00:39] I mean, but if I were to show you my shoulder, you would see this smooth patch of skin.
[01:00:46] Just smooth. There's a scar where a wound used to be. Now, here's the difference. Scars have memory, but no energy. Wounds have energy and memory. And some of you, quite frankly, are carrying wounds from years ago that have never been made scars. They've never transitioned.
[01:01:22] and you're carrying, you've learned to be sophisticated.
[01:01:26] You've learned how to mask, you've learned how to hide it, but you're walking your relational life with a limp.
[01:01:31] And the nature of the right kind of hide and the right kind of heart is gonna be unachievable for you until you deal with your wounds.
[01:01:40] And you can't fix your wounds.
[01:01:42] You can't try harder and get better.
[01:01:43] I promise you, it has very little, if anything to do with you, except for willingness.
[01:01:50] Abishai is gonna take on this offense for David.
[01:01:53] but the king said now listen to king david king david's running for his life he's had his kingdom taken his son that he dearly loves is trying to kill him but the king says what does this have
[01:02:05] to do with you son of zariah if he is cursing because the lord said to him curse david who can ask why do you do this then david said to abishai and all of his officials my son my own flesh and
[01:02:18] blood. You can hear the angst, the anguish, the pain. You can hear the cry in David's heart. My own son is trying to kill me. How much more than this Benjamite? Leave him alone. Let him curse,
[01:02:36] for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore his covenant to me. Man, isn't it crazy how we just blame people for our conditions and
[01:02:48] circumstances. It's so easy just to blame. Not David. David knew he'd done dirty. David knew he did wrong. David knew he was probably deserving worse than what he actually got. But there he is.
[01:03:02] And he went on throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. In the next few moments, I want to coach you. I want to be your coach. I want to help coach you through the process
[01:03:13] from energy to memory, from wounds to scars, and here's how you do it.
[01:03:20] Are you ready to learn?
[01:03:21] If you're ready, say, I'm ready, ready.
[01:03:24] How many of you are never gonna participate with anything?
[01:03:27] Okay.
[01:03:28] The first thing I've realized in this course of life is this.
[01:03:36] You need to bless people as they come and bless them as they go.
[01:03:40] You need to bless.
[01:03:42] You need to bless people as they come and bless people as they go.
[01:03:47] You see, David orchestrated blessing to Shimei. In the blessing of hurtful words, he left room for the judgment of God.
[01:03:59] And the judgment of God indeed fell on Shimei. You want to have an interesting story? You need to follow up about seven years later after Solomon becomes king and see what happens to Shimei.
[01:04:08] That'll be your homework. Our problem is we build our foundation on people rather than the foundation of Christ. We look for our husband to be our rock, look for our mom to be our rock,
[01:04:19] look for our pastor to be our rock when Jesus is the rock that's why we have to hold people loosely and be thankful when they're there but understand that people are in the state of perpetual motion
[01:04:31] you need to bless people as they come and bless them as they go because this thing called life it ain't no pond sister it's a river my brother this thing called life is not stagnant it's moving
[01:04:42] it's in motion now here's here's what the apostle Paul says in in Romans chapter 12 he says bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed
[01:04:58] him. If he's thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. And for some of you, that's the only part you heard. How do I get those burning coals on
[01:05:09] their head? Stole my girlfriend? I bless you in Jesus' name. Took my promotion? I bless you in Jesus name. Burning coals, I'll get them. That's not the context. A year and a half ago, my heart
[01:05:30] was shredded in a relationship. A year and a half ago. You see, at our church, we have this assignment from heaven to build world-class leaders that will change the world.
[01:05:45] And if I were to read their names off, you would know some of them on the national stage.
[01:05:49] And this one young man was an up-and-comer. He was 20 years old. His parents had passed away.
[01:05:54] We adopted him. I gave him a job, taught him the craft. He had a call of God, gave him a spot in the church. I introduced him to his wife, who was my assistant. They got married. We became
[01:06:09] the godparents of their children when they were born. One of their children died. We moved them into our house, nurtured them for a year. He got a brain tumor and couldn't work. So for a year,
[01:06:20] I paid him while he did nothing. I just loved him and nurtured him. Helped him buy his first house.
[01:06:26] helped him buy his first car, taught him to trade. A year and a half ago, my young son in the faith secretly went to 500 people in our church, our biggest givers, most influential leaders,
[01:06:39] and he started a church 10 minutes down the road from us. It wasn't a knife in the back, it was a knife in the chest. And I'm just here to tell you that hurt as bad as anything that
[01:06:51] I've ever been through. I wept, I just wept. But do you know what I did when I kind of got myself my wits about me. I just found myself praying for him and blessing him. And do you know what I
[01:07:05] became? Free. I became free. See, when my dad kicked me out of my house when I was 18 years old, my dad said, not only did he kick me out, he said, listen, you got a decision to make. I said, no,
[01:07:19] I made my decision. My dad says, no, no, no. You can have God be your father or I'm going to be your father, but you don't get both. I said, well, I picked God. He goes, well, then get out.
[01:07:28] and I didn't speak to my dad again for 22 years.
[01:07:33] And I was just hopeful that he would just get hit by a bus or die or go to hell because that's where he deserved to go.
[01:07:40] But then the Holy Spirit began to talk to me saying, Roger, I'm not okay with your ambivalence.
[01:07:49] Told me something about my heart and my hide.
[01:07:51] So I got a private investigator, found my dad, called him up.
[01:07:56] Now my dad has 17 illegitimate children from 11 different women.
[01:08:01] I was his first.
[01:08:01] I call up my daddy I said daddy and instantly he knew my voice I said daddy. I want to I want to fly you over to seattle I want you to see what God has done for me and I want you to meet your grandchildren meet my wife and
[01:08:20] I want to say some things to you, but I need to say them face to face. He said, okay So my daddy flew over from cordelaine idaho and he flew to seattle He saw our ministry and he saw our life and now mind you
[01:08:33] our name was not the best the archer name was not good in north idaho running guns running girls running drugs running crime it was a horrible name that i possessed it was interestingly enough it was on father's day that my dad came to church on my invitation he sat in the second seat in the
[01:08:56] first row and when i gave my invitation to christ my dad raised his hand and gave his heart to jesus now interestingly enough my dad died on thursday and so i'm you know i'm processing but you know
[01:09:16] what i'm thankful for i'm thankful for the fact that my dad is in heaven he's part of the great cloud of witnesses now cheering me on you need to bless people as they come and bless them as they
[01:09:35] go because if you hold that nature of blessing your hide and your heart begin to come into alignment with the great commandments of the Lord. Number two, I really believe this, that we need to understand that hurting people hurt people. Hurting people hurt people. Now I know this for a
[01:09:54] fact, because I'm 61, that you can't give what you don't possess, but you most certainly will give what you do. And when you're being mean, you're not being unkind, you're just telling on yourself and your pain. It doesn't excuse it. It just explains it. So now Aaron, Pastor Aaron, would
[01:10:13] you ask me for $10? Absolutely. Let me look and see what I got. Oh, I'm so sorry, bro. I only got five. Okay. Of course you will. Yeah. You're in ministry. I love Aaron. I love Pastor Aaron. I
[01:10:38] would love to give him what he wanted, but I can't give what I ain't got. If you're in a relationship with someone and you want them to give you kindness, but they're a broken person with
[01:10:46] wounds, that have not been processed to scars, they're never going to be able to give you what it is that you want, because they can't give what they don't possess. One of my Bible college, I
[01:11:00] remember getting into ministry, and I remember asking one of my professors, what's one thing that I need to know before I get in to start pastoring people? And here's what he told me. He says, Roger, people are far more broken than what they'll ever let on. He said, right beneath the
[01:11:17] service. They may smile. They may lift their hands. They may give an offering. They may do some service, but people are far more broken than what you'll ever know. See, I've just operated from that premise. Hurting people hurt people. Healthy people help people. So you know what my
[01:11:33] mission is? To get people whole. And I can't do that. Only the word of God can. Only the word of God can't. See, blessing breaks cycles. Retaliation multiplies wounds. But grace releases God's justice. And when we find ourselves in a spot where we just, you know, we just have to be
[01:11:59] understanding before being understood until the people understand. It's the greatest cost of being a disciple. You have to be understanding while being misunderstood until the people understand.
[01:12:12] Now, I'm not talking about facilitating abuse.
[01:12:16] I'm not talking about being a co-sponsor of someone who's destructive and abusive.
[01:12:22] That's not what I'm talking about.
[01:12:23] What I'm talking about is this.
[01:12:25] Understanding this, you can't control anything that happens to you, but you have absolute power how you choose to respond.
[01:12:31] And if you have a rhinoceros hide and you have rose petal heart, do you know what you'll do?
[01:12:37] You'll respond like Jesus because you're a disciple.
[01:12:41] Third and finally, and this is pretty interesting, not very spiritual, but you need to find the pearl and flush the poo.
[01:12:53] You need to find the pearl and flush the poo.
[01:12:56] Now, when I wrote this, I thought, man, if I didn't know Freedom House and they didn't know me, I'd never put that on the screen.
[01:13:06] They already took it off.
[01:13:07] Now we'll put it up and take it down.
[01:13:12] You know, people don't know how to really disseminate tough conversations.
[01:13:16] They don't know how to, They probably don't do it in the right way because the people are far more broken than what they're letting on.
[01:13:21] And they have wounds themselves and they're trying to point out your flaws to you.
[01:13:25] It's probably not gonna come out nice.
[01:13:29] And here's what I found.
[01:13:30] When people come at me and they wanna attack me and I take criticism, man.
[01:13:33] We were open all during COVID, never closed because I would not acquiesce or capitulate to a world spirit.
[01:13:39] And I got harassed, hate mailed, death threats.
[01:13:41] And I said, yeah, bring it.
[01:13:43] Man, there were so many people that were so mad at me, including pastors.
[01:13:46] You're stealing our sheep.
[01:13:48] No, I'm not.
[01:13:48] I just got some guts and I'm not gonna take a governor's word and you're a coward.
[01:13:52] I didn't say that, but I wanted to.
[01:13:58] So people were like posting things and saying things.
[01:14:01] 99% of it was crap and 1% of it was a pearl.
[01:14:07] So you know what I did?
[01:14:08] I found it.
[01:14:09] In any criticism, any harsh statement, I'm always looking for the pearl because if we'll look for the pearl, if we'll look for the pearl, you know what's gonna happen?
[01:14:20] We'll just become that necklace of beauty that God wants to adorn.
[01:14:25] You have to be mature enough, but have the hide and the heart composition to handle it.
[01:14:33] God has you on a journey.
[01:14:35] Are you ready?
[01:14:37] Bow your head.
[01:14:37] Close your eyes with me today.
[01:14:40] I believe this with all of my heart, that there are people within the sound of my voice that are far more broken than what you're letting on.
[01:14:49] And there have been wounds that have never been able to become scars because you've just tried to exist and survive.
[01:14:57] Do you know God doesn't want you to exist and survive?
[01:15:00] Do you know God wants you to actually thrive?
[01:15:03] God actually wants you to soar, not sour, to become better, not bitter.
[01:15:07] And the only way you're gonna do that is with a heart that is healed and whole.
[01:15:11] Oh, sure, it's gonna have scars, because that's life.
[01:15:15] But man, not the energy and not the wounds.
[01:15:19] Within the sound of my voice, there are people in one of three camps.
[01:15:23] You're either a seeker of Jesus, which means you not really considered it much, but here you are at what's called Baraka, the valley of decision, where God is calling you to a place where you can decide.
[01:15:36] Or maybe you're a fan of Jesus.
[01:15:40] Maybe like, man, I just love that Jesus guy.
[01:15:42] That Jesus character, I just love everything he's about.
[01:15:45] Man, I just love that Jesus.
[01:15:49] But that's as far as it's gone.
[01:15:51] And then there are the followers, the people that lay their life down, lift up their hands and say, God, I am not my own. I'm bought at a price. They tithe, they serve, they give, and they forgive. And they are disciples. They are followers. And can I just tell you this?
[01:16:12] Those are the people that get to go to heaven. See, there's this dangerous theology that's floating around called universalism, where people say, oh, everybody gets in in the end.
[01:16:23] All the auction free. Come here, Hitler, you little kidder. You didn't mean to murder those seven million people. Just get into it. No. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. He did not say,
[01:16:34] I am a way, a truth, and a life. And if you're a seeker of Jesus or a fan of Jesus, you still have time. You have an opportunity to make that migration, to become a follower, a disciple.
[01:16:52] And then the net result is your heart and your hide begin to look like a person that looks like Jesus. See, David had the discipline of restraint to save Shimei, but Jesus had the discipline of
[01:17:06] restraint at the cross when he could have summoned 70 million angels to come and wipe out the earth.
[01:17:12] He held them at bay. He could have summoned seven legions. It's a military term of numeration.
[01:17:19] 70 million angels could have come, but Jesus held them at bay. Why? Because he had the discipline of restraint, because his heart and his hide were right in step with his father. You have an
[01:17:28] opportunity right now to have that geographical migration, to have Jesus go from beside you to inside you. And wouldn't it be wonderful if today you drove home and your heart was new and your heart was right? Because wherever Jesus resides, I promise you, it is the most glorious geographical
[01:17:48] location on earth. In a moment, you're going to hear the word now. When I say now, if you want Jesus to come into your heart and you want to become a follower of Jesus, a disciple of Jesus,
[01:18:00] I'm going to invite you to raise your hand now you're not joining a church or appeasing a fragile pastor's ego what you're serving notice to hell is this you're not going to be a puppet
[01:18:10] for the devil anymore and you're serving notice to heaven that you are now an authentic blood-bought child of a living God are you ready?
[01:18:18] are you ready for this?
[01:18:19] I hope you are because God's brought you here here comes that word now it's coming in three in two in one right now put your hand high into the air and say pastor here I am
[01:18:30] please for man a whole family coming to Jesus together right here dear see you God bless you man like 15 people in this room giving their heart to Jesus anybody else man welcome to the family of

[01:18:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[01:18:43] God yeah we just depopulated hell populated heaven the devil lost people that were in his book

[01:19:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[01:19:02] and Jesus got names out of his book hey could you catch my eye could you look up at me catch my eye now here's the second question I want to ask are you here this morning watching online or here in
[01:19:14] the house and you'd say pastor you read my email I feel a bit exposed now the Holy Spirit was just reminding you that he's seen your pain he's seen the heartbreak he's seen how your life's been
[01:19:30] mishandled on the other side of the coin maybe you've been the person that's been the damager you've damaged people and you feel so guilty about it you feel so your conscience is just pierced because it's been revealed to you that, man, my heart has hurt people because I'm hurting.
[01:19:51] I don't want to hurt people anymore. I want to help people. If you're in one of those two places, I promise you, I promise you, it's not going to be done in a day. It took me 22 years to reach
[01:20:11] out to my daddy, 22 years to get over the abuse, the neglect, the heartbreak, the horror. But I got there. Jesus can heal your heart. He can. Matter of fact, in the book of Ezekiel, he says,
[01:20:30] I'll do a heart exchange with you. I'll take your heart of stone, and I'll give you a heart of flesh.
[01:20:36] Promise. God wants to make that exchange with us. And if you're here today, and you'd say, Pastor, man, I need prayer. I need God to help me with that. So now, I'm going to ask us once again
[01:20:49] to close our eyes and to bow our heads before the Lord. And if you're within the sound of my voice today and you'd say pastor man i just want my heart to be like the level four disciple i want
[01:21:01] the right hide and i want the right heart i want my healing hurt to be healed so i can give what i want to that up to this point i've been unable to pastor would you please lift up a prayer for me
[01:21:13] if that's where you are right now i'm gonna invite you to lift up your hand right now put your hand high into the air. Man, man, way to go. Way to be honest before the Lord. Awesome. Man, it's powerful.
[01:21:27] Powerful. Hey, good things happening at Freedom House Church, yo. Listen, can we stand to our feet?
[01:21:32] Can we just stand to our feet? Here's what I'm going to invite us to do. I'm going to invite us to pray this out loud together. Okay, we're going to pray together. Are you with me? Together? Let's
[01:21:46] Let's pray this out loud.
[01:21:48] Say, dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart.

[01:21:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[01:21:51] Forgive me of my sin.
[01:21:53] Thank you for my new life.
[01:21:56] I am free and I am healed and I am clean.
[01:22:01] I am not a victim.
[01:22:03] I am a victor.
[01:22:05] I am not a loser.
[01:22:08] I am a winner.
[01:22:09] I am not a chump.
[01:22:12] I am a champ.
[01:22:13] And in Jesus' name, my life gets better.
[01:22:19] right now in Jesus name. Come on Freedom House. Come on. Let's give God some praise today. Come

[01:22:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[01:22:28] on. What do you got? Come on. Let's give it to him. What an amazing message. Now listen, when you hear a message like this, it's life changing. Let's not be selfish with it. I want
[01:22:47] you to send it to somebody this week. Say God has a better plan for you. God can bring forgiveness.
[01:22:54] God can change your life.
[01:22:55] God can heal your wounds into scars.
[01:23:02] God has a better plan for you, and I know it.
[01:23:05] I want you to listen to this.
[01:23:07] This was sent all the way from Seattle for you.
[01:23:12] God planned this for you.
[01:23:16] I'm sending this on purpose to you.
[01:23:19] Let's not be selfish with the Word of God.
[01:23:21] Let's be disciples.
[01:23:22] Let's hand it out.
[01:23:24] Let's give the good news.
[01:23:27] Come on, Freedom House, let's celebrate everybody who made that decision today to make Jesus the Lord of their life. So much to celebrate. So many

[01:23:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[01:23:34] decisions. It's awesome. Hey, your next best step is becoming a part of the family of God.
[01:23:40] So we have Get On Track next week, which is our membership class. You can sign up at freedomhouse.cc slash getontrack. And I want to talk with the people who just made a decision to be healed. We're going to just let the worship team sing out at the end. And if we could just
[01:24:00] have our leaders come forward. And if you need a touch from God, because the Bible says lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. And so you just prayed to receive healing, but let's just
[01:24:14] seal that by somebody laying their hands on you. So leaders, just go ahead and make your way to the front. If you can stay, just make your way to the front. And then as the worship team sings,
[01:24:23] If you need to go, you can go.
[01:24:26] But if you want more, if you want a touch from God, if you want someone to lay hands on you and pray over you, come to the front right now.
[01:24:35] Let's go.