Joy to the World - How to Find Joy in God’s Promises, Bill Johnson Christmas Sermon | Bethel Church

0:00 The wise men rejoiced at the star, not the Christ child. They cut loose at the promise. That's when the rejoicing began. And when you rejoice at the promise, you have no problem bowing before the gift. They come and they see Jesus and they bow before him and they open their treasures as an expression of worship. All right, nice to see you. Merry Christmas. I love Christmas.

0:33 I'm even okay with Santa Claus. Santa and I had a bad relationship for a while. A lot of years, actually. I was a little too spiritual for Santa. But I'm all right with Santa. I mean, we're on speaking terms, you know. I wouldn't call it a love relationship, but we're doing all right. We can sit down and have lunch together, and I'm good. I'm good. So… I'm good with candy canes. I'm good, of course, no sugar, but I'm good with the rest of that stuff. But I'm glad you showed up. Merry Christmas. This is the weather we prayed for. Yes. And you brave souls, you made it in out of the cold. And man, last service, it was, I don't know, we didn't pray for the wind. I forgot to be more specific.

1:27 We gotta pray more specific, but got rain without the wind. You know, sorry about that. Can't complain. I'm happy it's there. All right, got one thing to read. I don't think I read it here before. If I did, just pretend like it's new and laugh. All right. This is a British couple. Who says men don't remember? A couple was Christmas shopping. Shopping center was packed. As the wife walked around, she was surprised to discover that her husband was nowhere to be seen. She was quite upset because they had a lot to do. And hence, she became so worried that she called him on her mobile phone to ask him where he was. In a quiet voice, he said, Do you remember the jewelers we went to about five years ago where you fell in love with that diamond necklace that we couldn't afford? And I told you that one day I'd get it for you?

2:23 The wife choked up, started to cry. She said, Yes, I remember that shop. He replied, well, I'm in the pub next door. I just mentioned this is a prayer need. That's all. We're going to pray for this man that he gets his act together. That's just plain pitiful, isn't it? Just pitiful.

2:48 Try another one. Do I need to kind of clean the slate? Did you feel wounded in that? oh that's not Chris at all he wouldn't be in the pub he would be in the hardware section yeah that's right I can't find any that quickly sorry Kathy oh I like this one I don't need a valentine I need 8 million dollars and a fast metabolism that's a good one alright we'll end with that one okay Merry Christmas I already said that but Merry Christmas again anyway you'll hear it again this is the Christmas season I don't always flow with the seasons but I just thought I would try and let you know I'm actually aware of what month it is I don't always live with that kind of awareness but today I'm aware I'm aware I love Christmas my wife has it so together and I get it together about the 23rd of December I get really focused and I do all my part about, you know, two days in advance.

4:00 I figure it's pretty good. Christmas Eve's panic time sometimes, but I do pretty good. My wife, she has got it together. She has wrapped and wrapped and wrapped and is like heaven on earth in my house because she is so happy with Christmas. You know, my goal is that everybody in this room would love Christmas. Not because it's just a festive season, but because it brings up so many bad memories for so many people that I'd love to see God fix that. That's what I love. I'd love to see him just fix it, reverse it, and make it the season. In fact, let's do this. This year would be such a breakthrough. This season would be such a breakthrough for every single person that you measure the holidays by what happened this year from this point on. Such a breakthrough. Regardless, you know, so often something comes up and we measure how we're doing by what we don't have instead of by what God is doing, about what he has said, what he's promised, what he's given us.

5:00 And so that's my cry. And I'm kind of beating the same drum here for the last several weeks. I was gone last week ministering at some friends' church in Texas and had a wonderful time followed by the effort to find organic protein. And I had an outreach program, I reached out. Through the pulling of a trigger. We'll leave it right there. Not everyone rejoices with me, but anyway. Amen. Amen.

5:41 And we were successful. So we shall eat well. All right. I've missed a few weeks in the last month or two. But I've just had this thing just stirring up in my heart over and over again. And let me just kind of summarize it. I realize it's Christmas, so I'll just twist it for Christmas, but I can't get rid of it. It's just basically this. Let the weak say I'm strong. Take hold, take responsibility for your place in life. Instead of continuously evaluating yourself as a victim of circumstances, become one who influences the atmosphere around you. It's a faith atmosphere, an atmosphere of hope. It's an atmosphere of great promise. And I realize I don't know what's going on in everybody's life, but I do know this. Your situation doesn't catch God off guard. He's not shocked. He's not looking at your situation going, oh, I wish I would have thought of that when I sent Jesus to Calvary. We would have covered that one. It's not the case. Everything was bought and paid for. So what we do as a family is we just fight for each other. We fight for each other to get breakthrough, experience breakthrough, to taste of the things that God has promised us. And there's week after week after week, There's just more release of greater breakthrough.

6:58 And so I just pray that today's yours. So we're going to review the Christmas story a little bit, a little bit differently than normal. I want you to go to Isaiah chapter 9. I just kind of was hit with this thought earlier this morning, Isaiah 9. I was hit with this thought that all the Messianic promises, all Messianic, Jesus came as a baby, as the Messiah, to the Jews, to the Gentiles. That's all of us. he came as the Messiah. So all the Old Testament prophecies that talk about his coming, they are actually part of the Christmas story. they're part of the Christmas story. And here's one of my concerns. One of my concerns is that all the stories that become popular, David and Goliath, the Christmas story, Jonah and the whale, you know, Noah and the ark, all these different stories, they sometimes lose their edge to really speak and to penetrate our hearts because of the familiarity.

8:11 And the Christmas story is the one that we sing about. You hear the songs in the malls. The song we sang this morning, Joy to the World, The Lord Has Come. Do you hear this? It's an intercessory prophetic word. Let earth receive her king. It's a prayer for the nations to find life, to find the redemptive touch of God. It's an intercessory prayer. When I go through the malls, I just pray, oh God, drive this song, the words into the hearts of people as we sing it here this morning. I'm just thinking, man, nations have been searching and fighting for something. Let them find you in this season. And that's what this season is supposed to be about is that people would taste the freedom, the liberty that comes only in Jesus. So here's the deal. the shepherds had this encounter with angels. Angels showed up, announced that they were to go to such and such a place and that they would find a sign.

9:08 And the sign would speak to them of God's promise for them. And it was a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, laying in a food trough. And then it says that this that has come is for them to experience great joy. In fact, the story goes on to say that all people, every person, is supposed to find joy because of this gift. Great joy. Extreme joy. Not the joy that causes a little rise in the corners of your cheeks. Not that kind of joy. That's different. That's for when you hear a cute story. Great joy is when you make a scene because you're happier than you deserve. and great joy. And this message of Jesus coming is that message of joy.

10:04 And the shepherds are there and they're stunned by this sight. And the angels then make this decree saying, glory to God in the highest. Passion translation says something like, and may God be glorified in the highest heavens. Do you know that when you sing praise here, he is glorified there in the highest heavens? So what does he say? glory to God in the highest, anybody remember the next phrase? And on earth, peace, goodwill towards men. Glory to God there and on earth. Once again, we find this incredible partnership of what happens in that reality is supposed to be experienced here. It's supposed to have an effect here. How we think, how we live, what we live from, what we experience. Glory to God in the highest and on earth. Peace. Good will to men. I want us to read this passage out of Isaiah 9, and we're going to read just two verses here. We actually have quite a few verses, so just get your gospel track shoes on. I just, I don't know, I think today we'll just call it rambling. Rambling through Christmas, something like that. All right. Verse 6, Isaiah 9, verse 6, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

11:33 Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice. from that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the Lord will perform this. Go back to verse 6. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. The government will be upon his shoulders, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Just a couple things that I want to draw your attention to.

12:15 A son was given, and one of his names was Everlasting Father. It's not denying the reality of the Trinity. Jesus said, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. He said, I and the Father are one. in Hebrews it talks about that Jesus is the exact representation of the Father's nature. In fact, in part of that verse it says, see on my cool little phone here, it's got a little Apple design on it for those of you that missed that.

12:51 Shameless promotion. That light, the light comes from the phone. All right. It says Jesus is that which radiates from the Father. He is the radiance of the Father's glory. it's not a statement against the Trinity, I believe very much in Father, Son, Holy Spirit, but they are so uniquely and profoundly connected that each represent the other perfectly with no deviation. And so we have in this passage, this promise of, oops, I just pushed the wrong button, which means my phone will be dead. All right, there we go.

13:37 We have this great statement that says, unto us a child is given, a son is given. His name will be called Everlasting Father. Good sons make the best fathers. Good daughters make the best mothers. If there's a challenge going on about how to lead, how to parent, how to do those things, which all of us as parents, you know, ask those questions, God, I want to do well. just back up a few steps and make sure you know how to live as a son. Back up a few steps, make sure you know how to live as a daughter.

14:10 This is an amazing promise because Jesus came to introduce us to the Father. He came to an orphan planet to connect us with the Father of life himself. Everything he did was to manifest the Father. We know Jesus came to die. We know that he came to shed his blood in a sacrifice on the cross, to shed his blood as a payment for our sin, to cover, abolish, and wipe out the power of sin in every person's life in this room. Most amazing gift imaginable Jesus gave in that moment. But in that gift, he was demonstrating the heart of the Father for people. Everything he did. when he had the woman thrown at his feet that was the woman caught in adultery.

15:00 And he kneels down and he begins to write in the sand. All the people that wanted to stone her to death, they started leaving one by one because there was such an atmosphere of grace that judgment couldn't exist. And Jesus turned to the woman and said, where are your accusers? and she said, there aren't any. He said, neither do I accuse you. Go and sin no more. What was Jesus doing? He was illustrating the father. He was demonstrating a father-daughter connection. She had been broken. She was lost. And he was now bringing her home. Father. Everything Jesus did, when he opened the blind eyes, he did what any father in this room would do who had the ability to relieve their child from an affliction and infirmity. And what the Lord is doing is he's raising us up to represent him well. We are all in process.

15:56 We all succeed in measure and don't succeed in an even greater measure. But that's what he's working in us. Please notice it says, and the government is upon his shoulder. It doesn't say the government is upon his head. The scripture describes Jesus as the head and the church is the body. And the government rests there. When Jesus brought us into life, well, in fact, when he created everything, when God created the heavens and the earth, the Bible says he created the heavens for himself and the earth for man, and then he delegated man as his representation in authority over this earth.

16:49 When man sinned, he gave the keys of authority away to the enemy, to the serpent, to the devil. Jesus came, died. He rose up from the dead with the keys of authority, came back to the church, to the believers, and said, in so many words, I've got the keys back. All authority has been given to me, heaven and earth. Now therefore go. What is he doing? He's recommissioning into the place of authority. Government in God's kingdom is not the power to control. It is the privilege to protect and empower. There's this interesting passage, if I can find it quickly, I'll just read it to you, about God's view of government. And it's actually in the Christmas story, so it works. It's like a legal verse for me to read. Isn't that great?

17:43 Here's this prophetic word. It's in Matthew 2.6. he says but you Bethlehem in the land of Judah are not the least among rulers of Judah for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel I didn't read that well so listen to it again but you Bethlehem in the land of Judah are not the least among the rulers of Judah out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people what is he saying here what does a shepherd do Shepherd protects, feeds. And in this passage, this prophetic passage, the Lord equates a ruler with a shepherd. A shepherd is there for the sake of the sheep. The shepherd is not there for the sake of himself. and that is a biblical definition of ruler I don't have time for it now, but in the subject of Scripture, in the New Testament, there are positions of rule and there are positions of service.

18:48 But the rule is always for protection. It's never for control. It's never self-serving. It's not, I rule over you, so you help me fulfill my vision. That's pitiful. It's rules for the sake of protection, to serve for the sake of empowering, to feed, to enable. And everybody in this room has that role in some measure. In some measure. Everybody in this room has influence over somebody else's life where you can empower them to their destiny and you through prayer or partnership or whatever can set certain parameters of safety and protection around them, around their families.

19:28 Merry Christmas. That's Christmas. That's Christmas. That's just as good as Christmas gets right there. and of the increase of his government there will be no end. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. I want you to go to Isaiah 35. This is just an absolute favorite passage. It's a messianic passage so that means it's a Christmas story.

19:53 At least it is when I have the mic. It's a Christmas story. It really is because everything to do with the Messiah is coming, that's what Christmas is. All right. So Isaiah 35, this is one of my favorite of all time. I remember in Weaverville when I discovered this passage, I just went nuts. I thought, man, this is the coolest chapter in the world.

20:14 One of. All right. Verse one, the wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. Now, first of all, understand what language like this in the prophets is always talking, using natural things to describe a spiritual condition. All right? Somebody talks about rain or rivers or pools, things like that. That's almost always has something to do with the invasion of the Holy Spirit bringing life to where there was death. Desolation, waste places, that's the barrenness that ends up oftentimes in people's hearts and people's lives. All right? So just make sure that you make that translation. All right? Verse two, It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God.

21:10 Picture this. The glory of the Lord is more and more and more going to be seen upon the people of God. the glory of the Lord is defined probably in many ways, but two come to my mind right now. The one is in Exodus and the other one's here. In Exodus, Moses wanted to see the glory and the Lord said, I'll let you see my goodness. The goodness of God is in the glory of God. But the second thing that's mentioned here is that the excellence of God is seen in the glory of God. What I long for is that presence to be more and more manifest. I mean, literally, the fire of his presence resting on our homes, not just our gatherings. And we've had it happen here, but upon our homes, our personal lives with that sense of God's presence is seen where people get understanding and encounter and exposure to the excellence of God, the goodness of God, just because the glory is resting on his people. Move along and says, verse three is a command, strengthen the weak hands, make firm the feeble knees, say to those who are fearful hearted, be strong, do not fear. Your God will come with vengeance, with recompense of God, he will come and save you. All right, so notice two things. One is he gives a command, go to someone who's struggling, go to someone who's weak, spot them, pick them, choose them, favor them, and start decreeing to them, be strong. Don't be afraid. Stop that, that fear thing, stop it, stop it.

22:43 and then come with a promise. God will defend you. God's going to vindicate you. So it's the charge, this is what you do, and it's the promise, this is what God's going to do. I'm working on something in my thinking. It's actually been a journey for the last maybe 10 years. I just don't quite have it down yet, but let me just throw out a little bit what I do understand.

23:05 Is that when you and I show favor to someone, God shows favor to that person. Now, I know we've talked about this in times past. It's Ephesians 4 is the great passage for this. This is verse 26, I think. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only words that are good for edification, that it might, according to the need of the moment, that it might give grace to those who hear. All right, let me slow it down. Encouraging words, according to the need of the moment, that it might give grace. What is grace? Grace is divine favor. are you making the connection you bring an encouraging word and god says i will bring divine favor to whoever you encourage now that's stunning that's stunning i i i've been watching i've been watching this for the last several years uh almost by accident uh benny and i've had several situations where just good friends of ours were really in crisis really in trouble and in a couple of the situations it was economic and so we were able to help them so we did we just gave them some money and we've had people come to us now on at least two and maybe three occasions where they've come and they've said they said Bill you gave us that money and as soon as you did work opened up for us or this happened or and they would start talking about all the stuff that started working out for them Now, don't misunderstand. I don't think it's because the pastor did something that God said, all right, now there's real authority. I think it's this grace thing. I will add grace. I will add divine enablement to whoever you encourage. And like attracts like. And when there is a financial gift where we work to love somebody, to serve somebody, to help somebody, I've watched this. Things open up in their lives in other areas where God just starts pouring favor into their

25:10 life. I've seen it with this thing of favor too, where there's people, you know, an individual that may not stand out in a crowd. And most of us probably feel that way in some measure. It's different once you have the microphone, but as far as the way we esteem ourselves and see our giftings and all, we're pretty much all just part of a big crowd. And yet what happens is I've noticed if I take the time to just select somebody and just pour into them, give them encouragement, maybe prophesy to them, maybe just a little extra time just to pray for them. What I've noticed is other things start happening in their life where they start getting breakthrough. They start getting favored. Not because I gave them favor, but because God is adding that grace element to their life because I took time out of my focus to isolate that individual and to pour out on them. Is this making any sense to you? This is amazing to me because this is what Jesus is saying here, the prophet Isaiah under the anointing of the Spirit of God is saying, go to those who are fearful hearted and tell them, don't be afraid. Stop it. Stop it. Those who are weak in their knees, just stand next to them. Make sure that you undergird them and tell them, don't do that fear thing because that's going to mess you up. And then come to them and say, God's going to vindicate you. Start declaring the promise. Start prophesying, if you will, over them the promise of the Lord for their situation. Look at verse 5. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened.

26:39 Let me read that again. Now, you may have missed that. Strengthen weak hands, say to the filth for hearted, be strong, don't be afraid, etc., etc. Verse 5. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. The lame will leap like a deer. The tongue of the dumb will sing. For waters will burst forth into wilderness. So waters in this is the prophetic language for the bounty of the spirit of God having an effect on this spirit, soul, and body of a human being, of a person. So the Lord is saying, you say, be strong. You say, don't be afraid. You say to somebody, you're amazing. You say to somebody, God's gonna deliver you. He's gonna vindicate you. He's gonna provide for you. something's good is about to happen in your life you say this then i will come and do what you can't do the eyes of the blind will be open the ears of the deaf will be open you do what you can do and you will draw me into the situation to bring about what was formerly impossible do you see this it's this partnership again glory to god in the highest and on earth it's the connection it's the partnership of what god wants to do here he does through yielded willing vessels that just simply believe, not in their own significance.

27:55 I believe in all that, but I'm not impressed with that. I'm really impressed with his significance. I'm really impressed with the fact that he could choose you and me and actually decide to work in us and through us. That's stunning to me. I still was shaking my head this morning at how much God loves people. I mean, I just, I think I get it. And then something else happens. I go, oh man, I'm just getting started in this. Help me, please. His love for people is so great. Erica talked with one of the women in the church here, talked about her and then introduced her just a few weeks ago. And it was one of the ladies in the church, I forget the full story, but I think she was addicted to drugs, homeless, and just a bunch of stuff had just really gone sour in her life and just really, really struggling. And she was here.

28:48 She's now got a job. She's got a home. Things are going well in her life. And it's a real testament of God's redemptive touch. So Eric did what Eric does. He interviewed her. He just wanted to hear the story, which he's so good at this. He says, just tell me your story. And she gives the story. And it started when one of our students was walking through, I think it was Lake Reading Park, and saw her there and came up to her and said, you're amazing. that's what they said, you're amazing, and Eric asked her, when did the change begin in your life, because she was addicted to drugs, alcoholic, something in that area, and then she's homeless, she's got all these issues going on, really struggles in life, and things turned around for her, when did it start, she said, oh, it started when the student said, you're amazing, what happened you know if you can imagine the father just waiting for this student to encourage someone and he goes he goes to someone that the father loves so much anyway but he's he's he's decided to partner with people see the government's on the shoulders it's not on the head this government is a government of liberty and freedom and he's just waiting for those he has assigned to be distributors of liberty and freedom to do what they're supposed to do and his student walks up with such a simple word and looks to somebody who's so broken up and says you're amazing and that was the day things started to change their life and today she's just a real model of God's restorative work.

30:37 He says, say to the fearful hearted, don't be afraid. See the ones that are feeble and needs, just, you know, just undergrid them. Just stand with them. Declare. God's going to vindicate you. He's coming in strength. then then the eyes of the blind will be open.

31:06 The lame wall, the deaf hear. I love this passage so much because it shows the brilliance of God's design and his partnership for him to work with broken people, people like you and me that his grace, his blood just qualifies me. He qualifies me. He qualifies me for gifts. He qualifies me for all of this to see people taste and see what liberty is like, what freedom is like. I want you to look at another passage.

31:38 Go with me. Why don't you go to Luke? I started the service by telling you Luke chapter 2, but it was actually Luke chapter 1. actually you know what excuse me while I just study the Bible while you all watch I'm going to Matthew 2. You can go wherever you want, but I'm going to Matthew 2.

32:06 Sometimes it all blurs together, you know. see today's a day of promise today's a day of victory today's a day where freedom will be found for for this is what i this is what i cry for this is what i ache for that that everyone would know what a clean conscience is like everyone would know what it is to have faith in their own conversion Okay. to know how delivered I am from the past. Everybody would know that. For everyone to know freedom that is beyond what we ever thought was possible. Everyone who wants a job has a job. Everyone who wants to own a house owns a house. I mean, I don't separate from spiritual or natural anymore. They all are blended.

32:59 Ever since my flask story, and I'll not go there, but they are all now blurred together. So here's the story. The wise men follow this star. They tell Herod what they've seen. He tells them to go to Bethlehem, verse 8 of chapter 2 of Matthew. He says, go search carefully for the child. Come back and tell me when you find him. Verse 9. When they heard the king, they departed. Behold, a star which they had seen in the east went before them. That's got to be... I got to watch the video on that one. a star went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. The verse I want is verse 10. When they saw him, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. You know, I love the language of scripture. I love how the Bible describes things.

33:59 have you ever noticed the Bible can especially the old English can make horrible things just sound wonderful behold he stinketh things of that it just almost sounds proper and here it has exceedingly great joy it just sounds like a proper joy exceedingly great this word exceedingly actually is a word that means violent the word means violent Thank you. that's joy that is scary. It's so extreme. That's joy at another level. I've been in the service where everybody around me got that kind of joy. It's quite annoying, actually. I remember back when we were getting hit with that so often, I looked at the Random House Dictionary at a word that's in some translations called mirth, M-I-R-T-H, mirth, which is, doesn't even sound like a word, but it is, mirth.

35:00 And it's a word for joy. And so I was looking it up and it said, it's a joy that is so extreme that it's offensive to everybody around them. And I thought, yeah, I was in that service. I was in that one. And that's what we got going here with the wise men. This is exceedingly great joy. This is a joy that is so outward that they physically cannot adequately express what is exploding on the inside.

35:30 I don't know if this is a good definition, but this is the way I've looked at the difference between peace and joy. To me, peace is joy that's quiet. Joy is peace that's out loud. They saw the store, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. When they came into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped. When they had opened their treasures, they presented him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. this is one of the most profound examples of what to do before you get what you want to get the wise men rejoiced at the star not the Christ child they cut loose at the promise.

36:33 That's when the rejoicing began. And when you rejoice at the promise, you have no problem bowing before the gift. They come and they see Jesus and they bow before him and they open their treasures as an expression of worship. Never worship in a way that doesn't cost you. sacrifice is a step beyond convenience i'm not talking money although it includes that for us i'm talking about the yieldedness of the heart it's intentional i'm going beyond what's convenient for me how many you know yesterday's what was convenient what was sacrificial yesterday's today's convenience Thank you. All right. That went over pretty good.

37:25 Let's just wrap this up in Luke 2. We have the angels and the shepherds. Don't be afraid. Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. That's kind of what I'm looking at here is great joy. And we've got one more passage out of Matthew 7. Matthew 7. We'll wrap it up with this. Merry Christmas by the way if I haven't told you yet You know, by the time Christmas comes, you're going to be just glad it's over, you know, because I'm going to hit you with this thing over and over again. No, that's not true. That's not true. I remember in Weaverville, we were going to do this Christmas musical, and then it just didn't work out. So one Sunday morning, I stood up and I said, we've canceled the Christmas musical. But one of our little guys, all he heard was, I had canceled Christmas. he threw himself on the ground began to cry no no he he thought i had the authority to cancel christmas that's that's the first thing i'm impressed with is he actually thought i could pull that one off as though i would which i love christmas but it's so funny no no his parents trying to figure out what's wrong.

38:44 He canceled Christmas. No, he canceled the musical. You know, Christmas is, for most people's tradition, is a time of exchanging gifts, which I happen to really like. but this Christmas I want you to look at something different Matthew 7 verse 11 if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly father give good things to those who ask He's better than you think.

39:50 if you're in a season where you're not hearing well from him it may be that he's silent only because he's already told you what he wanted you to hear and if you quiet your heart you can rediscover what you already know he's not a punisher.

40:20 He's a father. See, it took a son to introduce the father. A lot of people in this room, your backgrounds, whatever, some of you never had a dad, some of you never had a mom, some of you did, but they were distant or abusive or whatever. And the father sent a son, because all of us can relate to a son.

40:44 but he sent a son to introduce us to the Father. that's the whole point you know I grew up in a good home but I grew up an amazing home but I grew up thinking God was interested in needs not wants and I realized man somewhere religion creeped into my heart and I viewed God the Father as the caretaker of an orphanage that would guarantee that I had three meals a day and a cot to sleep on taking care of needs instead of the interaction with who he's made me to be as an expression of his in this world. And that's who you are. And I want the lies that have tormented people about what he's like, the lies about your own failures or tragedies or things that have been done wrong to you.

41:37 I just feel like this is the time where we just stand up and say, you know what, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. He's going to vindicate you. And that verse about judgment and justice, you want that, believe me. Because when a judge says not guilty, that's judgment. You want to hear that. You want to hear the judge of all the earth look at you, covered by the love of Jesus, declared to everything that exists, this person right here, they are not guilty. They are mine. I am not ashamed to be called their God. You want that kind of a judgment. It's a judgment for.

42:24 I know we've got people, we've got just a few minutes left. I know we've got people in the room as we do every week that are facing some of the most impossible situations. There's just simply not an answer. It may be a disease. It could be a relational thing that has gone south so bad that there just doesn't seem to be any solution. It may be an economic crisis that is beyond what any of us would understand. But it's impossible, and it's right in front of you. I want us to pray about that today. If that's you, I want you to stand, because the rest of us are going to pray for you. Stand up quickly. It's an impossibility, and today's your day of breakthrough.

43:10 Might as well get in on it. It's free. Come on. And those of you that maybe your situation doesn't qualify for the way I described it today, you get breakthrough by praying for others. So it's still going to work. All right. Church, the government rests upon shoulders. You have authority to release captives, to bring liberty to those who are bound. and those of you that are standing just put a hand up if you would until somebody comes to you and church family I realize we got people watching on TV just do the same thing in your home or your small group study but just I want you to go to somebody who's standing and I want you to begin to serve them minister to them and do what the scripture says start declaring the promise over them just start breaking off that thing of fear that would rob them and let's partner right now for the greatest breakthrough that we have ever seen to date would happen before this year is over, the next two, three weeks.

44:19 So just lift up your voice, begin to pray. A spirit of breakthrough on these families, on these individuals. Breakthrough. The breakthrough would come. breakthrough would come just declare promise over them.

44:43 The Lord will fight for you. The Lord will vindicate. the Lord will vindicate. if the Lord reminds you of just a scripture promise of some sort just confess that over them pray it over them if you can't reach somebody, at least let your faith join with somebody who's standing. I want to make sure everyone participates in this.

45:18 Breakthrough, breakthrough belongs to you. It's your inheritance in Christ. Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so the spirit of the resurrected Christ comes upon you now, bringing resurrection to dead dreams, to dead circumstances, to lost conditions. We declare this over our family right now in Jesus' wonderful name. Let life come where there's been death. Let health come where there's been weakness and disease. Let provision come where there's been lack. just take about 10 more seconds bless them really good and then if we could have everyone stand we're going to close close the meeting one of my favorite things in the world is to watch you pray for other members of the family just to pray for that breakthrough we have so many great stories of what's happened when you've prayed and this is wonderful let me if you could hold your places for a moment please for just a couple more minutes I need to know is there anyone here that you've never committed your life to Jesus.

46:42 You've never said, I give myself to be forgiven by God and to be a follower, a disciple of Jesus Christ. You would never be one that has been able to say, I have truly been born again, is what the Bible, a term the Bible uses to describe what it's like to be made new on the inside because of simply turning to Jesus. if that's never happened to you my I would just say don't leave the building until you know what it is to be forgiven of God to taste of this grace that we've been talking about it's a free gift for everybody if that's you and you would just say Bill I don't want to leave the building until I know that I'm right with God then put a hand up real quick where you are and we're just going to make a real quick agreement with you here just real fast I want to make sure that we give ample time for everyone All right.

47:37 Okay, way back over here. All right. Amen.