I Didn’t Ask | Reggie Dabbs

2:54 Come on church, somebody say all right, all right, all right. Can you take 10 seconds and just give him praise this morning? Somebody say thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Amen, amen. You may be seated. How you doing? I'm going to tell you, what a summer. I'm glad it's over.

3:31 It's like the devil's on overdrive. You know why? He's coming back. No, no, I don't think y'all get this. Jesus is coming back. He said he would pour out his spirit upon all flesh. Then he will come back. You need to make sure you're ready because he's coming back soon. Somebody say amen. I'm praying for Pastor Tracy, his family, his daughter. We were talking this morning and the fire that you had in your church. See, some people don't want to see it the other way. At the end of April, my wife was on a 14-foot ladder fell, broke her back in three places, two rods, 14 screws in her back. Awesome. I hated this summer, but then I realized why. Cause a couple of weeks ago I was home and I, and I, I was looking for her and she was in the kitchen and there was a praise and worship song and she was singing.

4:34 So when the song ended, I said, you good? And she said this, you see, she fell off the ladder in the kitchen, changing light bulb. So she said this, I've decided when I start hurting really bad, I'm going to go back to the spot of my biggest tragedy and I'm going to sing to Jesus where it happen. Church, look at me. Maybe it's time for us to start singing to Jesus over our greatest pain. Sing to Jesus over our biggest sorrow. Sing to Jesus over we thought we never would have done, but we did. Sing to him. Today, it's real simple. I wrote something yesterday, literally, and I preached it at nine o'clock this morning. They asked me when I was done, do you have a title? and I thought about it and I simply said, I didn't ask. So the title this morning is simply, I didn't ask. Everybody touch your neighbor and say, I didn't ask.

5:41 Did you know that Jesus healed a man and a woman before they even ask him? So that's all I have for you this morning. So let's start with the lady story first. All you ladies, this is for you. In Luke chapter 13, starting at verse 10, I'll read it all. Then I'll explain it. It says on a Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for 18 years. She was bent over and could not straighten up. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, woman, you are set free from your infirmity. Then he put his hands on her and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Somebody say amen. And did you know, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, there are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath. I hate people like this. In the first service, I did it too. Do you know, I got the Reggie who loves Jesus. And then there's the Reggie who's Reggie. And the Reggie Reggie wants to punch this dude in the throat and watch him gag and see him beg God to help heal him on the Sabbath. Why is it that we can point at people when we ain't the one bent over? Why is it we can make fun of people when we don't know what road they traveled in? Hey, be careful who you make fun of doing their praise and worship. You don't know what that lady went through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday to get here on Sunday to be able to raise her hands and praise her God. Listen to me. You better join us instead of making fun of us because he's coming back.

7:32 Somebody say amen. But I like this next part. The Lord answered him, you hypocrite. Go boy. Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to get water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, who Satan has kept bound for 18 long years, be set free on the Sabbath day? from what bound her. Hey, can I ask you something? What's, what bound you? What's your biggest regret? Where's your biggest hurt today? When he said this, all the opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he did. can you imagine this woman 18 years she can't look you in the eye because she's like this 18 years she couldn't straighten up people were probably going what's wrong with her why can't she straighten up what did she do every ailment isn't necessarily because you did something wrong do I like the the the disciple who said I've been given a thorn in the flesh so that in my weakness, he can be made strong. But here's what I love. You know, this woman, 18 years, 18 years, but where was she found? In church. She might've been crippled, but she was still in the house.

9:03 She might've been messed up, but she was still in the presence of God. Hey, you may be struggling, but today you're still in the house. You may be messed up, but today you're still in the house of God. What I love about this, here's what I love. I love verse 16 because in verse 16, he did something. Yes, he healed her, but Jesus says something that mattered just as much as when he touched her and healed her. In verse 16, he called her daughter of Abraham. I mean, she's a member of the house. He did not call her a burden. He did not call her invisible. He did not call her forgotten. He called her daughter. Someone with the name, a place, a belonging. The miracle fixed her body, but God's word gave her her identity. I don't know where you're at this morning. You could have came in during the very last song. You could have came in with the trumpet player.

10:04 You could have slid in the back, but guess what? I have a God who sits high and looks below. He sees you. He knows what you're going through. And today he wants to touch you. Touch your neighbor and say he wants to touch you. Tonight at camp, my title is simply, I'm not going to bow. I'm going to preach to your kids about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. then I'm gonna go to the book of Genesis and I'm gonna preach to your kids about Cain and Abel and it's real simple hear me out when one brother killed the other God showed up and he said where's your brother and the brother looked at God and said, am I my brother's keeper? I'm letting your young people know tonight. Yes, you are your brother's keeper. Because guess what? If you bow, somebody's going to bow with you. If you stand, somebody's going to stand with you. If you believe, somebody's going to believe with you. If you don't believe, someone's going to follow you. Some of you got kids and you're thinking, ah, they'll do whatever they want. No, they'll do what you do.

11:13 how are you leading them what are you showing them that's what I'm doing for your kids but for you today it goes like this maybe we need to stop right here because the bible is specific about humans the bible says that we have been deliberately made by God, made in his image, made in his likeness, made with dignity, value, and purpose. Genesis 127 says, so God created man in his own image, and the image of God created them male and female. He created Genesis 2-7. I love this. It says, the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, and then he breathed in the nostril breath of life, and man became a living being. Jesus us exhaled and we inhaled. It doesn't matter what's happening in your life. It doesn't matter what you've done. It doesn't matter where you've gone. It doesn't matter how corrupt you become.

12:18 You're still made in the image of God. Go back to the creator that you created you. Somebody help me touch your neighbor and say, you got to go back. And some of you are already starting to do my title. Yeah, I didn't ask. you may not ask but he did it for you anyway but there you go we're halfway through that's the woman's story now I got the man's story in the book of John chapter 5 I love this because the Bible says there was this pool and and out of nowhere the water just starts moving and whoever gets in first is cured of whatever ailment that they had. So it says sometimes later, Jesus went to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there was in Jerusalem a sheep gate, a pool, which in America was Bethesda, which was surrounded by five covered porches.

13:20 Here, a great number of disabled people used to lie, the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. one who was there had been an invalid for 38 years. Somebody say 38 years. Wow, that's a long time. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in his condition for a long time, Jesus asked him, here it is. He said, do you want to get well? Look at verse 7. Sir, the invalid replied, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water stirs. while I'm trying to get in, someone else gets in ahead of me. Then Jesus said to him, get up, pick up your mat and walk. At once the man was cured. He picked up his mat and he walked. The day in which this took place was the Sabbath. I kind of like that.

14:12 Here's Jesus doing something on the Sabbath again. And so the Jewish leader said to the man who had been healed, it is the Sabbath. The law forbids you to carry a mat. But he replied, the man who made me well said, pick up your mat and walk. So they asked him, who is this fellow who told you to pick up your mat and walk?

14:42 The man who was healed had no idea it was Jesus. Now you got to love this. For Jesus has slipped away in the crowd. Are y'all reading this? so literally this dude's crippled 38 years and you know what look at me people you know he desperate some of you like how do you know he's desperate he was laying by a swimming pool and he crippled and he was ready to throw himself in a swimming pool cripple but Jesus. I love this because Jesus heals him and then he goes, peace out. Just walked away. I love that. And I'm reading this and I'm thinking, how in the world does that happen? But look at verse 14. Later, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, see, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.

15:43 whoa that could have been my title today so I could look at everybody and say hey stop sending or something worse could happen to you verse 15 the man went away and he told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who made him whole whoa you know what I love back this up Jesus looks at a crippled man and goes do you want to get well and you know what the man did He didn't say yes. Instead, he came up with every excuse not to be made whole. I'm too slow. There's no one to help me. There's always someone else gets in before I do. But Jesus healed him anyway. There was no faith declared. There was no request made.

16:36 No moment of belief recorded. Just a man full of excuses and a savior full of healing. just a man's not knowing but a God who could do anything maybe that's what we need today we need to make sense because here's let me help you make sense of this here's the deal we have excuses even the bible talks about you know what excuses are in the bible it's the barriers and obstacles that keep us from faith and spiritual growth Thank you. Jesus did not wait for the perfect response he moved first and maybe that's what grace is grace doesn't always wait for you to have the right answer sometimes grace just happens it's like the rich man who had he had a banquet and he invited people and everybody came up with an excuse why they could not come they could not come could not come so he told his servant just go out and get anybody goes I have and there's still room he goes then go to the highway and byway and make it happen. And you know what? Here's the deal. We're at that point now because people have known God. There's people who score touchdowns and they say, thank you, Jesus. But on the weekend and during the week, their life doesn't even live close to thank you, Jesus. What it is, is this. It's come time for us to realize who we can be in Jesus Christ.

18:05 It's time for us to realize that the world is going to let us down. The world is going to disappoint us, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus. And if we are the answer, we must be the answer. I get to do a lot of public schools and I'm not able to say Jesus. And my favorite are elementary kids, literally pre-K four to sixth grade. So when I do that, I say stuff like this. Everybody repeat after me. Everybody repeat after me. Say, I am a hero, not a villain. Okay. Come on. Say, I am a hero. Now, how do you teach your little kid that I'll do this. I was the other day, I had a college student saw me at the airport and they walked up to me and all they said was I'm Batman. And I went, shut up.

19:03 Now let me explain. Okay. So when I'm with elementary kids near the end of my assembly program, I put it like this. Well, one day I had to do schools. It was the week of Halloween and they made me go to Ohio. I hate Ohio. Let's just get that out of there. Okay. I didn't even want to go. So when my plane landed, it was late at night. I go to the hotel. I just want to brush my teeth and go to bed. But when I got to the hotel, I realized I'm out of toothpaste. So now I got to go to Walmart at midnight and buy toothpaste. I don't know if you've ever been to Walmart at midnight. Don't go. Just wait till tomorrow because there's some weird people in Walmart. Who wears their pajamas? Okay, I'm just going to go on. All right. So I walk into Walmart. I get my toothpaste. They shut down self-checkout. I hate Ohio. They had one lane open to get out of that store. I hate Ohio. I'm standing in line. And then here's what I hear. I hear a kid and he's like, mom, mom, mom. And I can hear his little feet. He's running and he comes past me to the lady in front of me and he has a Halloween costume. And he's like, mom, mom, mom, you got to get it. It's only $4. Mom, mom, mom, mom. I'm Batman.

20:12 and it's the mom's turn to check out she looks at the cashier and goes can I have a second she gets on her knees pulls her son in close and she says baby I'm sorry this is all I have the milk is for your cereal in the morning the bread and cheese so you can eat lunch with your friends tomorrow and they won't make fun of you but I don't have four dollars and the little boy takes his hand wipes the tear off her cheek and says it's okay mom it's okay I know we poor but mama don't you ever forget i'm batman the cashier says give me the costume i'll put it back later she pays for herself it's my turn i put my toothpaste down i look at the cashier and goes hey hand me that batman costume i'm gonna look good on halloween and that stuff right there and the lady looks at me and goes sir i don't think it'll fit i went you hypocrite no i didn't okay i'm just joking all right and i said could you put it in a separate bag and she got it she went you buying it for that boy i said you gotta hurry you gotta hurry i went outside saw the lady. I said, you forgot a bag. When she looked down in the bag, she saw the costume. I said, make sure it fits. She starts crying. She goes, why did you do this? I said, because your son, he's Batman. And you know what I tell elementary kids around the world? You know why I did it? You know why I did it? I believe in hope. I believe in love. I believe one act of kindness can change someone's life forever. I believe in this. I believe. And you know what my act of kindness is? To share the gospel of Jesus everywhere I can. To let people know he is the way, the truth, and the life. To let people know no matter how dark hole you're in, he can pull you out. He can pick you up and turn you around. He can set your feet on solid ground.

21:45 He is the way. You just got to let him. That's who we are. Free chapel, that's who we are. That's why Satan tried to burn your church down. But guess what? We ain't a building. We people who believe in God and will serve God.

22:06 Thank you, ma'am. All I need is two of us and we're going to make this happen. Somebody touch your neighbor and say, I believe. It's time. I tell people all the time, I'm very open about how I grew up. I grew up in the system my entire life. My mom gave me away. She kept my brother and two sisters. but my mom gave me away to her favorite teacher at school. I was raised by my mom's English teacher and that teacher took me to church and taught me about Jesus. So literally if I didn't go into the system, I wouldn't probably know Jesus the way I do today. So even your bad can work out the good. You're just waiting for Jesus to walk in and touch you so you can stand up again. Come on. You're waiting for Jesus to ask you, do you want to get well? And no matter what your answer is, he's going to make you well anyway, because that's who he is, because you're his creation. Are y'all ready? Now, y'all know I wrote this yesterday. It was for another time and another place, but your pastor decided this was the time and this is the place. I was 15 years old, 15, and the teacher who raised me walked in my bedroom one night, and she goes, I got a story for you. Okay, now wait. In order for me to do a story, okay, bro, you got to help me, okay? Because you can't just tell a story without background music. That just don't work, okay, people? So do me a favor, clap for my friend.

23:35 so now here it is my mom comes in I'm 15 I'm a grown man I play football what's wrong with her and she goes I got a story and I was literally 15 going okay cool because she could tell a story and she literally told a story I will never forget and tonight it was my illustration for your kids so I might as well let you hear it first. It literally rocked my world. The Bible says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him would not perish, but have everlasting life. We all know that. We can even keep going. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Romans 3 23 for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And that's cool. And I get it now. But when I was 15, I needed one night, one night. I didn't ask her to come in and say this, but here's what she did. She said, baby, once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a kingdom and there was a king. He was a loving king and he was a just king. And all the people in his kingdom was all loyal to him because he was loving. And everyone in the other kingdoms around did not mess because he was just. One day and the viruses came and they looked at him and they said, king, someone is stealing from the king's treasury. And he said, that cannot happen.

25:20 so he set out a decree 10 lashes whoever's caught stealing from the king's treasury the kingdom had an executioner who was trained in how to inflict pain he had a leather belt and on the end was shard pieces of glass and and and claws from a bear or lion and and bone that has been sharpened and he was trained to hit this on your back and pull and tug in a way that it would rip the flesh off. 10 of those can cause severe pain. Even though he let the decree go out, they did not catch the thief and they were still still. 10 lashes went to 20. 20 lashes went to 30. when it got to 30 no one can survive 30 lashes it is a death sentence look at me and that's when it happened he said 30 lashes and soon after they found out who was stealing his only daughter.

26:30 So the whole kingdom started finding out, oh my God, it was his daughter. And they're like, well, we're going to find out if he's loving or if he's just. We're going to find out which one he really is. Soon the king put out another decree. Everyone come! Because my sentence is going to be fulfilled on this day. The whole kingdom showed up.

26:52 They had a podium. when he was given the nod, the executioner brought his only daughter. They tied her to that podium. He took the back of her shirt and he ripped it off. He took his leather whip and he was waiting for the king to give him the okay. The king nodded and he just roared back and he started to swing. In the middle of the first swing, the king yelled, stop. And he stopped. And the king stood and the whole crowd's like, oh, he's loving. He's going to partner. That's what he's going to do. But nobody realized until this. With every step the king took, he unbuttoned a button on his shirt. And by the time he got to his daughter who was tied to a podium, he let his shirt fall and hit the ground.

27:44 and he laid on top of his daughter, and he looked back at the executioner and said, okay, go. The executioner, I can't, I can't. The king, I can't. He says, go. He goes, you will die, you will die. And the king said, I'm loving, and I'm just.

28:15 God found a way to separate sin from the sinner, to redeem the sinner and to punish the sin. But then he gave us a free will. he could do whatever he wants but when it comes to you letting him be your king you have to choose It's your choice. I didn't ask, but he made a way anyway. I didn't ask, but he paid the price anyway. I didn't ask, but he did what he had to do. I didn't ask. Oh, you may not ask now, but maybe tomorrow you need to, because that's what he did. He paid the price then so you could say yes now. And so tomorrow you can live forever.

29:11 I'm just going to do this. I'm finishing so early. There's no need to run. Restaurant's still full. All the people from first service still eating. They're just now getting dessert. But man, the presence of God is so strong right here, right now. I do play that trumpet. I thought, man, God's coming back now. but he knew he couldn't because you were about to do something for yourself hey look at me from the top to the bottom in every campus and even in the prison my brothers and sisters in prison I it's okay for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory God even behind bars you can know him and this is your chance but in this room for each other you're gonna have to crawl over all your people. Because if you're in this room and you say, Reggie, I need to get right with God. Reggie, I know, I know. If God was to come back during praise and worship 20 minutes ago, you know you would not have gone. You'd have been looking in people's pants pocket to get a car keys. Look at me. Today's the day for salvation. Somebody in this room, your heart's pounding.

30:31 You're like, what is wrong with me? I'm having a stroke. No, you're not having a stroke. It's the Holy Spirit. He's your conviction. All right. He's telling you that this is for you. He preached today for you. You need to get right. You need to come home. You need to let me be your savior, but it's your time. Something happens when we move. Moving is a physical event. Prayer is a spiritual event, but if you do physical and spiritual, supernatural can happen in your life, in your situation, just like a woman who can straighten up and a man who can take up his mat and walk. He did it for you. Now it's time for you to choose him.