Harrisburg Church | Friend of Sinners
And you guys ready to talk about jesus for a little while man I am i, am jazzed I’m, usually pretty mild-mannered, so you can tell I’m I’m pretty pretty excited today. You are like, Are you always that we are yeah pretty much, but it’s good? That’s good! Hey Harrisburg Church I want to I want to turn back time. If i, could, turn, back, time i, want to give you I want to give you a glimpse of me. A while back. My grandpa was a preacher, so I kind of grew up in church right and so, as I grew up in church. People ask:when did you get saved and I’m like i? Don’t know when I was like 5 from the time, and that was just the world. I live right button, but I want I want to share something about my understanding of jesus through that time, because today, i, really my hope and my goal and my prayer is that that we just step in and we learned that jesus is not only savior but he’s friend, and then he is Harrisburg Church closer than a brother in a time of need that you are never alone. In the midst of anything because christ is with you, i, don’t turn back time. I want you to know. I didn’t have that revelation and that realization for a real long time, and you know what happened because I didn’t have the real of his realization and the revelation. That jesus is actually a friend to me and he’s real close to. You know how I saw jesus and by extension, gods I saw them as a far-off deity, and you know what that helps to set up really well religion, where my behavior could be modified in a church, but how I live. My life was different than Harrisburg Church on sundays, and you know what that also really works really well to have no power. So here’s. What happened is that I was saved at like 5 and I grew up in church and feel like I could tell you all about abraham, isaac and jacob I knew the stories. I knew the expectations, but I made my own choices in the world, because I didn’t have a close relationship with jesus, christ and guys. This is where I’m at and here’s the deal is that how many of you know that no matter where you’re at in your walk, there’s grace for that and no matter where you’re at that there is a continued price right so like you could have been a christian for 75 Harrisburg Church years or 80, i, hope, 95 right and the thing is, you have still room to grow in your relationship in the fullness of jesus. So this whole experience of walking with god and never gets stale. It never gets old. It is a continual process from glory to glory okay, so here I was and I didn’t. I didn’t have that close relationship when I had something come up in my life, I would pray to god, because that’s what I was taught day in and day out, I would go through days and I Harrisburg Church really gives you this much of a thought. Well then send it would come around 5. Go to church and like to put on my best stuff and I’ll. Go to church and I will look the part for jesus and then I will go, but when that is a mask where you can look the part, but not ever get real with him, that’s a breakdown right. So that’s begin to look just like the world. There’s no power! There was no witness there was there what they’re there was. There was no penis see what was going on, but god. You guys have your bibles. Let’s get them now:let’s go to matthew 11:19. We just cheering cuz. We we like the word of god and we’re cheering even Harrisburg Church louder, because it’s the gospels-and you like him. Where did read what it is a bloody words know they are words that a messiah jesus through town, so we’re going to matthew, 11:19 and I’m going to read it with you. The son of man came eating and drinking and they say look at him. A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. I just want to stop there for just a second i. Don’t you don’t know how much the scripture has been wrecking my heart, because a friend of tax collectors and sinners I didn’t have that revelation of god 30 years ago 25 years ago, and you know what that did to me. That meant that when I was going and doing on, venus I felt alienated and far away from god, and so I was on. This cycle of I would go to church and I would make confessions Harrisburg Church to god, but then I would go out and do what I want, and there was all this guild is condensation and I lived under a taskmaster. God I didn’t understand the amazing goodness of a god that when I was out doing reckless, things was still there with me, I didn’t realize when I was in the midst of low points, he was right there with me, because there is no, where somebody say nowhere that you can go. That’s a good, be with you chasing you down. There is no, where your sons and your daughters, that your brothers cuz your sisters, your mom, your dad, can be that god will not come in and be in that place come on somebody, and Harrisburg Church then this happened to me. I was about 17 years old and me and a buddy were partying and just doing laundry. Yes, I do not endorse that that that life leads to death and my soul and my heart and my mind and your body right, but I want to show you something because the scripture came to life for me in that moment, because here I was living riotously and then all of a sudden in the mist of that god came upon me where my house and we were partying and all of the sudden Harrisburg Church god showed up to me in a vision and I’m like I’m tripping man.
This is not, and I was stone. Cold sober in that moment, come on somebody I want you to see something Harrisburg Church in my lowest point. Jesus was a friend to a sinner. He met me right where I was, and you know what he did. He begin to call forth identity over major things that I did not believe about myself, because I did not see it, but god knew it because he made me for some of you today that are still believing lies that the enemy at the world has thrown down and labeled. You with jesus is standing here saying to you spell july’s. That is not who you are, but it’s not your identity, bout to release identity to you so that you can walk into the fullness of your destiny and him pick up that flies and lies in abundance. Salon in that Harrisburg Church moment and jews begin to speak things to me to call me to preach. Oh, my goodness, I was running from that whole ideology because my grandpa and my great grandpa enough too much and it’s too big and i-won’t want it and god being so just speak. It in love to me, I begin to speak the truth of where he’s leading and taking me can see I believe in the scripture that god is no respecter of persons. That means he’ll do it for me if he will do it from moses, if he will do it Harrisburg Church for jacob, if he will do it for daniel, if he will do it for anyone, he will do it for you as well come on, and so did something happen in my heart, samsung walk-in me this love for god. This feeling of god is for me I’m, going to tell you that was a little bit new to me. I felt like god might be for me if I was checking all the behavioral modified list and everything if I was going. I was I was looking at the good part in this, and that and all of Harrisburg Church a sudden in the midst of my son, jesus showed up, and he revealed the truth of his heart was that he is in my corner:twisted I’m, not endorsing a life of sin and then that sort of thing you guys know that right, I’m, just saying that jesus showed up in the midst of that had. He was for me because he’s a friend of tax collectors and sinners he’s a friend of destitutes he’s a friend of of onra people come on somebody, because how do you know because I was on ray and he was my friend and a lot of us should have been ornery and he still found us in the midst of that you know what can happen. Sometimes, all of a sudden when our life Harrisburg Church begins to change. We can begin to look down our nose at people that were living just how we were, if not for the grace of god does. That is that that is a modern day equivalent of just being religious. Let’s get into something alright, so here’s the deal luke 2:14 says:that’s it. We when jesus was with jesus, would birth and all that stuff is jesus. Coming on to this I don’t know, I just threw it in there to see if you’re listening the jesus comes on the same, and there are the angel chorus and I love. What the angel course release is. It says glory to god in the highest they’re praising god and on earth peace goodwill toward men. Harrisburg Church I love this because it shows god’s heart towards humanity. His heart is peace and goodwill, and he sent his son in this moment, declaring it to a world of lost humanity and seed in jesus begins to grow up to walk any begins. To talk, show the father to all of us and it’s kind of what we want to talk about now, because Harrisburg Church do you remember, jesus was talking to the disciples and fill up in his revenge on 14 and they’re like show us, the father and jesus is like seriously. I have walked with you this whole time. Don’t you realize by now? If you have seen me you’ve seen the father come on somebody, because jesus only did and said what he heard. The father do and say:i believe is disciples of jesus. When we are walking and doing life, people see the father as we do and say what we hear the Harrisburg Church father do and say some of you already disqualifying yourself in your mind. Some of you are already saying:i know they don’t see the father when they look at me. I do see the father when I look at you when you are a blood bought believer you are reflecting who is inside of you, come on somebody get a hold of that. Okay and so I want to show god’s heart. That jesus was representing and some scriptures and some parables, because jesus always time stories, he was so Harrisburg Church cool about that he was like barbara. Now they walked into a just. Stop it right. There luke 15, let’s go over there, luke 15 I love this group of scriptures and there’s there’s three stories in luke 15, there’s two:the story of the lost sheep, the woman with the coin and the prodigal son and they’re all showing aspects of god’s heart towards humanity, and so I just want to I want to play with these. For just a second see what comes out you guys heading over there, all Harrisburg Church right, if you don’t have your bible, it’s on the front screen, but okay, luke 15, and it starts out like this now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to him. This one rex me to jesus was drawing the lost in the destitute tour himself. This is impactful to me, because don’t you often think what Harrisburg Church are you drawing towards yourself? I, ask myself that question a lot and I started thinking why? Why did jesus draw centerstone self? Well one because there was something on him:the everybody crash ride.
The holy spirit in the kingdom of god was all over him. You got that if you are a believer, that’s you you have that draw on Harrisburg Church you, because you have the source of life in you. That’s what you have so often you forget about that. During the day of of where you’re going your day gets busy and you’re like I’m doing this and I’m juggling I got to do this, then I got to do that and I got to listen, I’m checking it off. There’s someone in need it on my well I’m busy and I’ll come back in after you just, but the fact of the matter is is that you are ready in season and out of season in the midst of all Harrisburg Church this. Are you juggling your life? Is that is that the actual mind? What is he doing? No I asked you to try it. Okay, in the midst of all that, you still have the source of life in. You was getting this okay, so he’s drawn to him they’re coming because he has. He has the word that will lead to life and he’s doing it in a way. It’s that’s, not religiously oppressive and condescending to them. You know you can pull it off. An attitude right. You can put off judgement come on somebody I’m, claiming it just tax collectors and sinners jesus wasn’t putting off. He had a problem with other people that tax collectors and sinners. He was okay with, and the pharisees in the scribe cubers to write and describe grumbled, saying this man receives sinners and eats with them yeah exactly Harrisburg Church he receives sinners and he eats with them, and jesus was okay. With that you know. Sometimes you ever feel like you, don’t want to be seen with someone now. They might not even know that’s going on in your brain. They might not know what’s going on between your ears, but I just want to encourage you. Jesus hung with everyone, and he had compassion we’re going to get there, but not yet alright. So jumping in okay, you having a hundred sheep if he he lost, one of them does not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it and when he has found it, he let how many of you guys have been that Harrisburg Church sheet come on. Somebody I was telling you in the story at 17 years. Old I was that sheep I was that sheep that was lost and jesus broke into my situation to find me, and it still goes on in his head and when he comes home he calls together his friend and we found it. Do you lay a zit on his shoulder rejoicing see this is this? Was a dick’s disconnect from my religious mindset before hand? This was a disconnect, because do you see this imagery that jesus comes down and he Harrisburg Church takes the sheet to his buzz on ski poles, the individual close to himself? Why? Because god is for you and he loves you, he seeks you out in the very places that you like god would never be here. My wife drop a wife. Does this ministry? That’s a beautiful ministry for what she does. She she goes on and she serves women and she leave teams that that serve women that are that are that are caught up in in in different aspects of of of the sex industry. She goes in and Harrisburg Church I just I just talked to him. They bring them gifts and love on them. They pray for them. They form friendships. Can I be real with you when prom first brought that to me my religious went up. I was like what why no jesus wouldn’t go there right come on I’m, just being real with you, but then all the sudden I begin to see about love of god for people everywhere, and if we have this ideology of I’m too good for this or I’m too holy for that and I’m not talking about dabbling in sin, I hope, you’re tracking with me on that. But I’m, saying I’m not too holy to take the kingdom anywhere, because how did they hear and how did they Harrisburg Church feel and how do they make jesus? If we won’t go so god comes and he takes you takes the sheet and he puts them on his shoulder and he begins to rejoice and he comes back to his neighbors and he says rejoice with me for I found my sheep that was lost. Just so I tell you. There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents the 99 righteous person who need no repentance. You see heavens heart, heavens heart is for you and me, and every single person I know god and not just to know. Him is deity, but they begin to know him through jesus, as friend, in a relational way that we’re walking it and we’re talking it and we’re living it with him. Another good one. I love this parable of the woman with the lost coin. I love it for so many reasons. One I love it because, because jesus Harrisburg Church is talking to these religious people, penny says this. Woman has lost a coin. Remember in israel. At this time, women were i, didn’t have they didn’t, have a place in society and hear jesus is in the midst of these religious minded. People beginning to compare god superwoman come on. Somebody come on somebody. How many years has religion standstill does try to relegate women to a lower place in a man. Now that is a lie. Straight from hell come on. Somebody come on get a Harrisburg Church hold of the fact that god made man and woman in his image, and so there is definitely a feminine image of god as well as a male sorry.
I got to go here too long, cowardly men, yeah i, was alright I’m, still not going to stop talking to me. How long have cowardly men Harrisburg Church in places of power, cats, women relegated to a lower level to make themselves seem bigger? No, no! No! No! That is not how the messiah rolled in fact of the matter. He begin to throw down seven different kinds of smoke and he begins to talk to these sinners and these pharisees about the fact that god has this disorder feminine side. He says, or what woman having 10 silver coins. If she loses come on one single coin, I love this because it it tells me one you’re, counting by god, you mean something. He knows you and just simply one coin falls down he’s a threat and I think sometimes because, because you have value I think sometimes in my own life, if I drop a quarter who cast forget about it seriously right, you know:are you like i, don’t even like her walking and it’s raining Harrisburg Church and there’s a penny on the ground? I’m not going to stop and pick up any up I’m going to keep walking, obviously you’re, so sweet you get out of the rain is a joke right, but god says actually every single one of you has value to the Point:i’m going to stop what I’m doing and I’m going to look for you, because you matter, we tell your neighbor something we telling you matter. Oh man, you guys are sweet. That’s so kind of you to say thank you all right and I’m going to read on first nine and when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors. Saints rejoice with me for I have found the coin that I had lost. You see the excitement and the joy of god in finding you., it’s, excited and happy to know you I have a little i, have a little girl, she’s she’s two and a half a little more and the best thing in the world. I mean like heaven in a microcosm of a nutshell, is when I come home from work come on somebody, because Harrisburg Church this little girl might be playing toys hanging with peppa pig and she just dropped play-doh and she just drops it, and she runs to welcome me, daddy’s home, okay, i, don’t I’m going to tell you i, don’t care how bad my day has been in an instant is better! That’s the kind of excitement the daddy god has when one sinner comes back to him. That’s the excitement that jesus has when you decide to turn in more to his face to spend time with him and his presents dog gets happy Harrisburg Church because of you I’m, not saying god in a bad mood. Otherwise, but you make him happy, it’s kind of a cool thought. You know I’m, saying cuz, you think like infinitesimally, small I am in comparison to the infinite amount of stars in the sky and yet jesus chose us and we bring joy to daddy when we come home come on somebody. Alright, then there’s another parable in here taste and see just a little bit. Alright, alright, just we’ll just different toe all right. In fact, I had to word I’m going to share this right now, because in worship today, I felt that there was someone or someones that were like standing at the edge of a Harrisburg Church river or a lake, and just starting to like reach a toe out into the water. I heard that there are some individuals here that are getting more curious about holy spirit, about worship, about stepping into more of that. And if there’s this there’s this line of like uncertainty and fear in your heart and I’m telling you that that that god is releasing to you right now that he only gives you good guess, there’s a story of david when he’s bringing the ark of the covenant Harrisburg Church back to the city of jerusalem and he’s dancing like takes off his clothes and he’s got his tunic and he’s like sporeling around and he’s dancing. Music was right on key for my toro. Thank you, god! No, there’s like an eight-year-old girl. That’s like that’s a pirouette tell a client and I could be totally wrong about your wedding,, but anyhow david dancing before the king and he has thought of i-will become even more undignified. I just want to encourage you just dip Harrisburg Church that toe even farther in put that foot in just taste and see how good god is come on somebody. That’s for you, don’t throw it away, don’t be like that, but I wasn’t thinking it right that. Second, it will. You were and got told me about it, so it is:let’s wrap up with a prodigal son. You guys with me luke 15:11. There was a man who had two sons and the younger than said to his father. Father. Give me the share this property now and it’s the story goes, on, the sun demands his inheritance and then he runs off with it and he lives pretty reckless and he spends it all just wants to aspects of this. What I want to focus on in Harrisburg Church the heart of the father, the sun saying that was a great offense to dad what I love as you read on down through there, the father did not live in offense ghettos, I’m just going to tell you, parents can feel rejected too right and when you have a rejection, there’s there’s this this this this this this offense to grows right. It would have been easy for that father to be so hurt because of his sons, rejection that he stayed offended because we do it. If someone Harrisburg Church hurts us and we feel that rejection we still at pushing away and so then we’ll just like they’re going to reject me I’m going to reject them, junction comes up and then we’re stuck in that cycle of a fence, and it just gets worse right. Harrisburg Church
It doesn’t get better until someone decides to forgive I believe there are people right now, they’re living in rejection and offense, and the thought of forgiving makes you mad. How do you know because I’ve been there this week Harrisburg Church right now? Yes, really:okay, but watch this just jump on down verse. 17 to this dude that has has has like a ran off from daddy. He he comes to himself he’s feeding these pigs and he’s like a half-eaten apple, looks really good. That’s pretty hungry, right, I feed, my chickens and I’m, going to assure you that the cut up onion that I’m giving them or whatever the corn husk does not look appetizing to me. That’s where he was at and he realizes I could just go back home. I could just go back home and say:take me on as a servant. Dude I’ll work for you, I will I will feed your sheets because you’re she, your sheep, speed Harrisburg Church your pigs, feeder cattle I’ll. Do that job you and I love about daddy god is it he doesn’t call us servant slaves anymore, because the sons and daughters, and so that prodigal son starts heading back home. Now it was such a great offense what he did to his dad that if he came back in that town, he was going to be stoned for the offense and the shame he brought upon his family. And so you have this imagery. Other father pacing the floor. You wonder how many times in the Harrisburg Church hours of the night is that dad would have gotten up and just looked out and just hoped just hope to see that son or that daughter coming back to him. How many praying moths in grandma’s and thats are doing that very same thing and I just want to tell you that there is ho in that prayer. If you have made that petition to god for 5 years for 10 years for 15 years, 20 years, don’t lose hope, because they’re going to have that moment that come that that I came to myself moment where they’re going to come home and see the father season, pen and the father, the father doesn’t even wait on the sun to come back to the house. I love that, because that’s the heart of god, the heart of god. As soon as you make that turn-and he is running to you embraces his son, you put the robe around Harrisburg Church them. You put the ring on his finger. He’s celebrating that this son that stepped out came back cuz. That’s that’s god! That’s a friend who sticks closer than a brother i, always I was blessed that I had a real good grandma and grandpa growing up and I also was good, because there was a time and season when, when my mom and dad were doing some reckless stuff right, that’s really good puts people around you that can help you in those times. In addition, you know I’m saying jesus is always there, but sometimes flesh and blood helps I want somebody to hear this. There is a generation of orphans that god cares about. There’s a scripture that says he sets the fatherless in families. I want you to be aware of the people that god is positioning around you, because there are some moms and Harrisburg Church dads in here. Don’t even realize that you are positions in a place to pour life into some people. Maybe you do and you’re like I feel like I’m. Just hitting my head against the wall hope right now hope to you so jesus. He takes this. It takes his kid hoe and he celebrates and they have a party they think they slaughter the spotted calf and then the older brother, the older brother, comes in. You know, I love about god. Is we always? We always knock the older brother Harrisburg Church and for reason right right, but papa god doesn’t shut his love love off to him either the older brother comes in and he’s like what’s going on. Why is there this party in this music this this brother of mine he’s, came back after he squandered all of this money and you’re celebrating him. He doesn’t understand. He thinks that this is an injustice. You know how we get when we feel like there’s an injustice happening right. We feel like someone is getting something that were entitled to that’s where the older brother was and a father, the father says all my beloved child. Don’t you realize that everything I have is yours. Harrisburg Church Everything that god has? Is yours really cool thought? It’s a thought. That means when someone is getting blessed when someone is getting was getting stuff poured onto their life, I don’t have to be jealous of them. I can actually celebrate them when somebody at work gets a promotion that I think is mine, I can celebrate then, when someone has good fortune in their life and I’m like oh i, want that I can celebrate then, because of other people being blessed by daddy does not Harrisburg Church decrease my ability to be blessed by daddy someone else doing more and getting more just means separation for daddy, because heaven does not go down because someone gets higher
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