Joel 6 – Marks of the Last Days Church, Pt. 2 - Joel: The End Times Church

It's time now for the rope with Pastor Peter Steve Holt.

You cry out to God with all your heart, Jesus stands still.

Because he loves you.

He loves you so much.

He stands still, wants to hear what's on your heart.

Wants to know what's in your heart.

Welcome to another edition of The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.

Steve is the head pastor of The Road in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

It's our vision to make whole-hearted disciples of Jesus Christ and to see you grow in the grace and knowledge of his love.

If you're in the area, we meet at Chapel Hills Church, located at 2025 Parliament Drive, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80920.

You can go to our website at theroad.org for service time.

That's thheroad.org.

All right, I want you to turn to Revelation chapter 1.

Revelation 1 · chapter mention

Okay, in three weeks we're going to be getting into the book of Revelation, but I thought Revelation 1.6 was a fitting actually opening for Joel chapter 2 here tonight.

Joel 2 · chapter mention

And I also believe it's a fitting description of what we're going to do next weekend in our gathering, the power to rule.

Revelation 1.6 says this to him who loves us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

The two key words there are kings and priests.

And as I was meditating on it this week, I realized, you know, that's another way of saying worshipers and warriors.

God has made us warriors and worshipers.

Now some of your translations may, he has made us of a kingdom, a kingdom of priests.

That's a worshiper.

But what it's saying here is to him be glory and dominion.

Guess how God has dominion on the earth?

It's through you and me.

It's through the church.

So when you hear me say tonight the hallmarks or the marks of the last days church, what I'm saying is the hallmarks are the marks of the last days believers.

Okay?

So I see them as synonymous.

You're the church.

The church is not a building.

The church is not a set time.

We always say we go to church.

No, you are the church.

Wherever you are, you're the church.

You could be right now at your house, sick as a dog, because you, you know, ate too much cupcakes at a birthday party or at your New Year's Eve party or whatever.

And you can worship the Lord there, and you can have church because you are the church.

You is the church, is what my dad used to say.

You is a church.

And so by virtue of that, he has made you and me kings and priests.

He is made in us through the power of the Spirit to be dominion makers, to be dominion takers of the kingdom of God.

And so that's important because that's the essence of what we're about to read about in the book of Joel.

So, Joel, just to give you a background for you that haven't been here the whole time, is that Joel is prophesying and speaking to the reality of this devastation of locusts that had come through Israel.

So this is Judah.

And so these real locusts had come through and devastated the land economically.

And he says to the nation of Israel in Joel chapter 1, this is a harbinger, this is a warning of things to come.

Joel 1 · chapter mention

Repent.

And if you don't repent, it's gonna get worse.

And so we've been looking at Joel from the perspective of the day of the Lord, which is the theme of the book.

Now listen, there's days of the Lord, small D.

Some of you this year, 2015, might have been days, a lot of days of the Lord.

Days of the Lord are times of accounting and reckoning from the Lord.

But then there's a day coming, you guys, called the day of the Lord, capital D.

And we believe that we're living in those last days.

And what we're gonna see is days of the Lord leading to the day of the Lord.

And so these harbingers.

And so the way these harbingers worked themselves out in the book of Joel is first, there's a trumpet blast.

So in Joel chapter 2, verse 1, we studied the trumpet blast.

Joel 2:1

And what we said is the trumpet blast at that time in ancient times was a warning.

It was a warning of something coming that was dangerous.

But then there's a second blast.

And so in chapter 2, later on, there's a second trumpet blast, and that speaks of impending danger.

And men and women, we are seeing in our day harbingers and warnings of the Lord of the day of the Lord approaching rapidly.

We even see it environmentally.

And so over these weeks, you can go back online and you can hear those messages.

I won't go through all those harbingers.

There's dozens of them.

But I was just talking to my brother-in-law who lives in Danville in the Bay Area in Northern California.

He was here right after Christmas.

He and his family.

He said, Steve, do you realize that there have been 400 many earthquakes at one period in a six-week period in Danville, California?

Now, most of them, the tremors you can't feel.

But he said, I felt a lot of them.

Unprecedented.

That's not even on the San Andreas vault.

And so I was with, I was just at the wedding party, and we were talking about something, and and uh this gal was from New Mexico just before I left to come here.

And she said, Oh yeah.

You know, in the Albuquerque area, um, some area kind of around that area, we've had like 300 earthquakes over the last four-week period.

Like, what are you talking about?

I mean, those kind of things don't even get reported.

There's so much of those kind of harbingers happening in our day unprecedented in world history.

So, men and women, we have got to wake up.

And that's what those three days are about next weekend.

It's kind of a wake-up call at this church.

We're gonna come in here and I'll just say this about fasting and prayer.

I'm gonna cover it a little bit in a moment.

I'll try to put some stuff up this week on our website about fasting and prayer.

How many I'm not gonna ask this, that'll embarrass you, but some of you have never fasted before.

And um, so I'm gonna try to put up a couple articles.

George Stanky gave me some ideas actually from crew website.

It was really good, George, all that stuff that they had.

So we'll get that out to you.

If you've never fasted, you should look at that before you join us in a fast.

So the book of Joel is talking about the return of the Lord, and it's prophetic in that degree, and it's a good preface for the book of Revelation that's coming up.

So look at chapter 2, verse 18.

That's where we're at.

Chapter 2, verse 18.

Then the Lord will be zealous for his land and he will pity his people.

Now I want to start there because up to this point it's been pretty dismal.

We started looking at some aspects of the marks of the last days' church last week, but God wants to refresh the land.

God wants to refresh his church.

And folks, let me tell you, as these days mount, he is going to refresh his church.

There will be churches so empowered of the Lord that it'll be unprecedented in history.

There will be works of signs and wonders and miracles and healings and deliverances like never ever seen on the face of the earth in the latter days.

I want to be a part of a church like that.

I want to be a part of a fellowship like that.

Because you're going to be coming to the church to get healed and not going to the hospital.

Because the anointing of the Lord is going to be strong on a people like that.

Let me tell you that the Bible gives us two types of churches in the last days.

Two types of churches in the last days.

This is important.

Number one, I'll call it the apostate church.

That's actually a biblical term.

There'll be the apostate church.

Jesus prophesied that in the last days men's hearts will grow cold.

And I believe we're going to get entertained to death.

I mean, you're already struggling with that, right?

I guess I struggle with it too, you know.

I mean, you can just, you can literally do nothing now.

You can just sit on your couch, on your derriere for hours and be entertained by the world through this screen that just pipes it in, right?

You know, and some of you probably did that, you know, between Christmas and New Year's.

I don't know.

I mean, some people, that's all you do is watch movies and stuff.

I'm not against that.

I just think it's a big waste of time.

But um.

Seriously.

I mean, I remember, you guys probably heard me tell this story.

By the way, anybody's been following me over the years, and you know, I've only got like six stories.

I just keep repeating them.

But but I just, this is this is one that I think is apropos.

I remember as a kid when NFL Today first came out in the late 60s.

So you had two games, two NFL games on Sunday.

So we'd come back from church, and then my brother and I, we'd always watch the first game.

And then we just wanted to go play.

And so we had shoulder pads and a jersey and all that, because we both played, you know, Pop Warner football and stuff.

So we'd put all our stuff on because we had watched it, and we were really pumped up after watching the game, and we didn't want to watch a second game.

I don't remember ever watching a second game.

We went out and played football, right?

So here's my deal.

If a movie, you watch a movie, and the inspiration of that movie makes you want to be more godly and more righteous and more excited about your life, that's a good movie.

But if it doesn't, it's a bad movie, okay?

It just is.

And there are a lot of bad ones and good ones.

There's a lot of good ones too.

But here's what Jesus says in the last days when we're getting entertained to death.

When we're getting entertained to death, our hearts will grow cold.

The disciples come to Jesus and say, How are we going to know the last days?

And here's what he says in Matthew 24.

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you'll be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

And then many will be offended and will betray one another and will hate one another.

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

Now, Paul, in speaking of the same situation, writing to the Thessalonians, says this Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.

Let no one deceive you by any means, for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first.

So we are going to see people who purport to be believers falling away in the latter days.

We're seeing pastors.

We're seeing leading pastors, pastors of huge megachurches across the country, acquiescing to decisions from the Supreme Court and compromising God's word because they want to be cool.

And they're leading their entire congregations into deception.

And mark my word, we're going to see more and more of that in the latter days because there's such a tremendous temptation to compromise, and you compromise because your heart grows cold.

You've lost your fire.

My prayer next weekend is that by Tuesday, by Tuesday on the 12th, you're fired up.

You're excited about 2016.

I have equipped you for 2016.

You're ready to rule in life in a fresh, new way because we have been together.

We're going to worship together, we're going to teach, and we're also going to pray together.

And we're going to pray for our nation.

We need an awakening in the church.

Listen, don't pray for awakening in America.

Don't pray for that.

I don't even think it's biblical to pray for awakening in America.

Pray for awakening in the American church.

Pray for awakening in the worldwide church.

Repentance, revival begins in the household of God.

You can't be awakened to something you've never known.

You can't be revived into something you've never experienced.

And so revival and awakening is in the body of Christ.

It starts with us.

And some of us here, our hearts have grown cold.

Some of you, your hearts have grown cold.

It is the way of spiritual atrophy.

I'll just say this: it's normal.

It's natural to let your heart grow cold unless you counter it with a power that's greater than the atrophy of your soul.

And so that takes renewing the mind, and that takes an attitude of the heart of seeking the kingdom.

So there'll be an apostate church.

But secondly, church, there's going to be an anointed church.

There's going to be a church that's anointed by God.

And that just as we see in the latter days, the increase of demonic activity simultaneously, there's going to be an increase in Holy Spirit power.

And so God's going to be raising up a church that's full of his power.

So some of the marks of the last days church, two weeks ago, we started into this.

And we looked at Joel 2.12.

So just look at Joel 2.12.

Now therefore says the Lord, turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.

Verse 13.

So two weeks ago he said that the first mark of the last days church or the last day believers will be cultivating wholehearted intimacy with the Lord.

You're going to have to have that, guys.

You're going to have to be cultivating, cultivating wholehearted devotion to the Lord.

Because there's going to be so much confusion.

Have you felt that?

I mean, if you watch the news any at all, I mean, don't you feel like confused?

Like what you thought was right is now wrong.

What you thought was good is now bad.

What you thought would be a natural reaction from maybe a legislature or a congressman or our president is like it's the opposite.

And you're like, what is going on?

Well, if you don't have intimacy with the Lord, it's kind of scary.

If you have children growing up in this environment, if you have grandchildren growing up in this environment, that is frightening stuff, gang.

Unless you have intimacy with the Lord.

Because if you have intimacy with Him, it's an exciting time to be alive.

I'm so excited about 2016.

2016 is going to be the best year.

Most of you, if you follow, if you follow with us, if we go together, it's going to be the greatest year of your life.

I really believe that.

I really believe stuff's coming down the tube against us that we're going to overcome, that's going to bring victory, that's going to be so exciting.

But it has to be, first of all, wedded to a close, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

We have got to walk so very closely to Him.

So, first of all, this was, we already talked about this, this whole hearted intimacy with Christ.

Secondly, we talked about the last days church will be cultivating wholehearted prayer and fasting.

It will be a watchman church.

Look at back at chapter 1, verse 14.

Consecrate a fast.

Call a sacred assembly.

Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord.

So this is going to be a prayer and fasting church.

This is a church that will be cultivating the discipline out of passion for the Lord for prayer and fasting.

This will be a wholehearted church that realizes we do not have what it takes to the obstacles that the enemy is putting before us without there being a new empowerment within us.

So, in other words, this, folks, with the escalation of demonic activity, there has to be an escalation of Holy Spirit power.

Does that make sense?

So prayer and fasting is one of those mighty tools that God has given us to break through and stuff.

Some of you are struggling with stuff in your marriage that you do not have to struggle with this year if you'll pay the price with the biblical tools that God has given you.

So turn to Mark chapter 9, and Bobby Sanders, who spoke last week, actually referred to this passage.

Mark 9 · chapter mention

And I want to look at it from a different angle, a slightly different angle than he did.

Mark 9, give you a little background on this, is that Jesus has been transfigured.

Now that's the word used.

Transfigured means that he came and he had three of his disciples with him, and they saw his heavenly glory.

Do you guys realize that when Jesus became fully man, he actually, the word we use is canosis.

That's the Greek word.

He conosized, he conosed.

In other words, he actually gave up individual, separate power to do anything he wanted as being divinely God and could only do what the Father told him to do.

Does that make sense?

In other words, we have that passage in John where Jesus said, I can only do what I see the Father doing.

So in heaven, Jesus is a part of the equal trinity, has power to do as he pleases, obviously in concert with the Father.

But when he left heaven and he came to the earth, he has all, he didn't lose any of his power, but he gave up independent power in order to be dependent upon the Father, fully God, fully man.

And guess what, men and women?

That's how we live.

That's how we live.

In other words, we have to depend on the Father.

We have to depend on the Holy Spirit.

That's what Jesus did.

So he's been transfigured.

So they see his glory.

They say, whoa! And they see him there with Moses and Elijah and everything.

So he comes down from the mountain.

The disciples have been there.

They've been trying to cast out this demon out of this kid.

Now, they've done this before.

They've done this before.

I mean, he sent them out and they cast out demons and they were successful.

They can't get this kid set free.

So we'll pick it up at verse 19.

So he answered him, and he and so he said, we can't get it out.

And the father comes, hey, these disciples of yours, I brought my son to him.

I thought they were anointed by you and everything, but they can't get him set free.

It's interesting what Jesus says next.

He says, Oh, faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?

It's almost like Jesus comes down and he's kind of expecting a good report.

I mean, he's kind of, hey, we scored a touchdown while you were gone.

We're winning.

And he gets there and they're actually losing a battle.

And it's like he's frustrated and he says, You're this faithless generation.

Why can't you guys?

This is easy.

Casting out demons is easy.

What's your problem?

How long shall I bear with you?

Bring him to me.

Then they brought him to him, and when he saw him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

Verse 21.

So he asked his father, How long has this been happening to him?

And he said, From childhood.

And often he is thrown in both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.

But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.

Again, look what Jesus says.

He ought to highlight this, underline it, whatever.

Bracket it, star it, check it.

If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.

I don't think he said, if you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.

I think Jesus said, What?

If you can believe, all things.

Are possible to him who believes.

Men and women, in preparation for next weekend, imprint that on your heart.

I took my boys on a prayer walk today.

So we went up into, we left our house at like 9.30.

We came back around 10.30.

We took this hike up to the high part of Black Forest Regional Park and we prayed the whole time.

And we got up the top.

I said, What are you guys afraid of in the new year?

What is your biggest fear, Josh?

What is your biggest fear, Samuel?

What is your biggest fear, Isaac?

And they said stuff.

And then we gathered around and we laid hands on them.

And this was a verse I believe God gave me.

If you can believe all things are possible in breakthrough in your life in 2016.

And I don't want to spoil my whole thunder for next week, but I believe, as believers, we can live ten times better than we currently are.

I really believe that.

Immediately the father, the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe.

Help my unbelief.

Doesn't that sound like us?

That's the right answer.

I believe, but I know I don't believe enough.

I mean, it's really mustard seed faith.

Help me with my unbelief.

I mean, that's a great way to pray this year.

Lord, I believe as much as I believe, but would you help me with my unbelief?

He will.

Because look what he does next.

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more.

Verse 26.

The spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him, and he became as one dead.

So many said, He is dead.

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

And when he had come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could we not cast it out?

And this is the key point, gang.

So he said to them, This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.

Beloved, there are things in your life.

There is stuff in your school.

There are things in a church.

There are things in your neighborhood.

There are things in your job that are so settled in their root structure and the foundations are so deep with demonic activity that just being a good Christian is not going to break those walls down.

I don't believe any of the disciples in trying to cast out the spirit were chanting Hare Krishna.

I don't think anybody there, you know, had a bottle of wine while they're trying to do it.

I don't think anybody there was sleeping around.

These are good Christian disciples, and they could not get it out.

Jesus said, This kind, this kind doesn't come out except through prayer and fasting.

Church, don't miss this.

This kind is the kind that we're coming up against in the latter days.

I was a gymnast in college, so I don't know any other way to describe this, except to say that there was this kind of stuff on the high bar and the parallel bars and floor exercise that I could not do if I didn't get the basics first.

So I have a daughter, Charity, she's doing gymnastics.

She's 10 years old, and she said in a routine they want her to learn a round off backflip on floor.

And I just said, that's dumb.

And she said, What?

That's what my coach said I'm supposed to do.

And I said, No, you need to learn a round off backhandspring.

Well, no, we're learning that.

I said, well, then it should be a round off backhandspring backflip.

Not a round off backflip.

That's an entirely different maneuver.

That's an entirely different use of your legs coming out of the round off.

And she didn't understand what I was talking about.

And I'm not going to go bug the teacher or anything.

It's just a poor thing.

She's just doing the best she can.

But here's the deal: you can't learn to do things in life without doing the first part.

And I'm telling you, prayer and fasting is sort of like a round off.

It's kind of a round off.

And so there's going to be things we can't do unless we do the other first.

And so Jesus obviously was praying and fasting when he went up to the Mount of Transfiguration.

Doesn't tell us that, but he's anointed.

So he comes in empowered by the Spirit.

He knows what to do because of prayer and fasting in his life and this intimacy he has with the Father that the disciples, I don't know, maybe, you know, they're chowing down on some lamb chops, you know, barbecuing while they're trying to cast it out.

I have no idea.

But the reality is, is there are things in our life, church, that the enemy has set up and he is constantly taking people out because they haven't developed some of these basic disciplines of the faith.

And so it's going to be a prayer, we're going to be a prayer and fasting church in the last days.

You're going to hear a lot about that.

I remember one time I went into, it's the longest I've ever done, and I've only done it once, so I'm not trying to act like I'm some, you know, monastic saint or anything, but I did do 21 days one time of fasting and prayer when I was in Okinawa.

And during that time, we saw more kids, more college students come to know Christ during that time than the previous year before, just in 21 days.

And I believe that there were strongholds in Okinawa that could only come out through fasting and prayer.

And I could tell you story after story after story about that.

So this church, I'm going to call it a trumpet church.

We're to be trumpeters.

And our lifestyle and the habits we develop will be trumpets of warning to the body of Christ.

Some of you guys are going to have Bible studies in colleges or in your neighborhoods or with women that are maybe praying for a school or it's at your company or whatever it may.

You're going to be there, and people are going to start coming to you because they see something different about you because your prayers get answered.

And the reason is, it's because God has developed within you the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit to know when to fast and pray.

We don't just fast and pray because it's just this random thing we do, but it's because we're praying about something.

I believe prayer and fasting is always targeted.

I really do.

So I would say in the next few days, this week, what are, what do you want from God in 2016?

Three things.

What are three things you're desperate for in 2016?

Only God could do it.

But you want to believe God for that.

That's what you should fast and pray about.

What do you want?

I believe if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our heart.

And I believe if you're walking in the Spirit as best you know how, in most cases you can trust your desires.

So let's believe him.

For miracles, for stuff that would seemingly be impossible in the natural.

Because of his supernatural work in our lives.

Thirdly, the last days church will be marked.

This is so fun.

I love this one.

Oh, I love this part.

We'll be marked by overcoming answered prayer.

Overcoming answered prayer.

Power to rule over circumstances, power to rule over life.

So you get this.

These are sequential guys.

Intimacy with the Lord, close intimacy with the Lord leads to a lifestyle of prayer and fasting, leads to victorious answered prayer.

God loves to answer prayers.

God loves to surprise us with answered prayer.

Look at Joel 2, 18.

Then the Lord will be zealous for his land and pity his people.

Look at verse 19.

The Lord will answer and say to his people, Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them.

I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations, but I will remove far from you the northern army, will drive him away into a barren and desolate land with his face toward the eastern sea.

He's talking about the Syrians coming down into Israel, and his back toward the western sea, his stench will come up, his foul odor will rise because he has done monstrous things.

Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done marvelous things.

Verse 22, really important.

Do not be afraid.

Exclamation point.

You beast of the field, for the open pastures are springing up, and the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and the vine will yield their strength.

Wow.

In the latter days, God's gonna show us marvelous things that we cannot even ask or think that are gonna be beyond our belief as we trust him.

There will be answered prayer.

He's gonna be doing stuff because he's got a bride.

He has a bride that's being prepared by the Lord, and they are ready.

Remember in Matthew 25?

In Matthew 24, Jesus is talking about these are the signs of the last days.

And a lot of people don't connect the two.

But remember, there were no chapter titles before.

So when the canon was first closed with the writing of Scripture, there was no Matthew 23, 24, 25.

They added that later.

The scribes added that later to make it easier to read.

But Matthew 25 follows Matthew 24.

And it was all in the same setting.

So he talks about the signs of the last days.

And then in Matthew 25, he says it's like these ten virgins, five of which got oil, five of which who got oil.

These first five just used up all their oil because they got tired of waiting for the bridegroom that was going to come.

But the others, the others trimmed their lamps, knowing that eventually the bridegroom was going to come, but it was going to be in a later hour.

And so he came.

Okay, remember that.

Now, the next parable, which parallels that parable, is the parable of the talents.

And I'm going to cover this next weekend.

But the parable of the talents is that he gave one steward five talents, one, two, and one guy one.

And we know the story of how they were multiplied.

Then after that, he talks about the sheeps and the goats.

And he talks about the difference between the sheep and the goats by what they did.

That's kind of the description.

That's what separates them, is what they did.

Those are all speaking of the latter days.

Now think about it for a moment with me.

And I'm going to cover this, I think, on Sunday or Monday.

But think about it for just a moment.

You're a steward, you've been given five talents, and you multiply them by two.

So you double your talents, so now you have ten and four.

Right?

The king comes back, the owner comes back, and he's overjoyed that they've been, that they've been multiplied.

And then what does he do?

He actually gives them more.

So I've often said, in the kingdom of God, listen, don't miss this, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Because the guy with the one buried his, and it just doesn't seem very nice.

God doesn't seem very nice here.

God's fearful.

He says, Man, you you know, you exact things where you haven't even sewed, and and I was fearful of that.

And he goes, You're worthless.

You're worthless, man.

Take the one and you get none.

That doesn't seem very fair.

Because what I think the point Jesus is bringing to us here in the latter days is this you've been given talents and gifts from him.

And the biggest obstacle to discovering all that God means in our lives and for him to do through our lives is fear.

That guy, that one steward, buried it because he was fearful.

It says here, do not be afraid.

Verse 22.

Church, we've got to grow through our fear to answer prayer.

God has so much for us.

1 Thessalonians 5 says this.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely.

And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved, blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He who calls you as faithful, who will also do it.

So God is building a people, a whole-hearted people.

Body, soul, and spirit, sanctified in Him.

Listen, through having to pray and watch God show up.

Because you don't get the glory.

Because He is working mightily through your weakness.

He becomes strong in us.

Now turn to Mark chapter 10.

Mark 10 · chapter mention

I'm going to close with this.

And I couldn't think of any cool way to entitle this part.

So I'm going to call it the Barnamaeus anointing.

Okay, I made that up.

Okay, the Barnamaeus anointing.

Y'all remember Barnamaeus?

You remember the story of this guy?

This guy's blind.

But I love Barnabas.

And so I thought this was a great example.

May we all be Barnabas in 2016.

Mark 10, verse 46.

Mark 10:46

So Jesus on his way to Jericho.

And he's on his way to Jerusalem and he goes through Jericho.

They came to Jericho as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.

And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.

Then they many warned him to be quiet.

Would you shut up?

But he cried out all the more, Son of David, have mercy on me.

Now this is the part you ought to underline.

This is I underline it in my Bible.

Jesus stood still.

Jesus stood still.

Don't miss this.

When you cry out to God with all of your heart, Jesus stands still.

Because he loves you.

He loves you so much, he stands still.

He wants to hear what's on your heart.

He wants to know what's in your life.

Jesus stood still.

So everybody's saying, Bartimaeus, would you shut up?

Man, this is Jesus.

He's got important stuff to do, and you're just a you're just a flipping beggar.

And so get out of here, you know.

He just keeps on screaming out, son of David, son of David, son of David, son of David.

Shut up, son of David, shut up, son of David, shut up, son of David.

That's the Bartimaeus anointing.

Jesus stood still.

And nobody else did.

They wanted to get this guy out of here.

He's disturbing the peace.

He's messing with Jesus of Nazareth.

Get him out of here.

Son of David, have mercy on me.

And look what Jesus does.

So Jesus stood still and he commanded him to be called.

Jesus stood still for Bartimaeus.

Then they called, he's blind.

They called the blind man.

Now the reason I think it's written this way, probably because Mark heard, he Mark might have been there or he heard the story, but he was known as the blind guy, the blind man.

So they called the blind man, saying to him, Be of good cheer.

Rise.

He's calling you.

And throwing aside his garment, he arose and he came to Jesus.

He probably ran to him.

So Jesus answered and said to him, What do you want me to do for you?

I don't know about you.

But when I read this, I go, What?

He's blind, Jesus.

Of course you know what he wants you to do for him.

No, Jesus doesn't know what he wants him to do.

And so he asked him, What do you want me to do?

Because he asked every one of us, what do you want me to do for you in 2016?

Tell me.

I command you to tell me what you want me to do.

You gotta cry out for it, you gotta want it, you gotta be hungry for it, or it ain't gonna happen.

This is Jesus.

This isn't me.

I wouldn't do it this way.

I'd assume he wants his sight and give him his sight.

No, he wants to know because he wants to know from Bartimaeus' heart.

He wants to make Barnabas say it, speak it, pray it.

Some of us here are living here in our Christian life when God would have us here, but we just won't ask.

And he's the one who said, Seek and you shall find.

Knock and the door shall be opened.

Ask, ask, seek, knock.

He loves to answer prayer.

So Jesus answered, What do you want me to do for you?

And the blind man said, Raboni, that I may receive my sight.

Verse 52.

Then Jesus said to him, Go your way.

Listen to this.

Your faith has made you well.

And immediately, immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the right.

Wow.

Do we have a husband that doesn't know the Lord?

Do we have a wife that doesn't know the Lord?

Do we have a colleague at work that doesn't know the Lord?

Do we have relatives in our family that don't know the Lord?

Do we have a friend there on your street or a friend on your ball team or a guy at school that doesn't know the Lord?

All oftentimes, all that God needs is one saint that will cry out for their salvation, and he's ready to open that door and begin a work in that young man or that young woman's life that will set them free because you prayed.

There are things in your life financially.

There are obstacles in your life financially, cry out to God.

There are stuff emotionally, cry out to God.

And so there's going to be marks of the last days church, signs and wonders, because we will be a praying and fasting, and it will be a prayer-answering church.

You've been listening to The Road with Pastor Steve Holt.

We pray that you've been blessed by the message today.

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And that's why we teach the Word of God verse by verse, scripture by scripture, and precept upon precept.

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