Sunday Message (2nd service) - Pastor Brad Neuschwander (August 9, 2026) | Life Bible Church

Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We

want to thank you for joining us today, and we

hope you find today's sermon impacting as you

listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk.

To find service times and watch messages online,

see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now,

enjoy this week's message. I want to pray for

us as you open your Bible to the Gospel of John.

Gospel of John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, John

John 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4. We're going to try to get there this

morning. Father, in Jesus' name. Lord, I come

before you today. Lord, we come before you today

as your children, as the family of God. We come

around your word. Lord, it's the time of breaking

bread with you, so to speak. Lord, you are the

great feeder. The shepherd, even as we sang about

it this morning, we're not alone. Jesus, the

Lord is my shepherd. You are our feeder. You

feed us and you cause us to receive the truth

of your word. Lord, you give us both milk and

meat. You give us both honey and curds. You are

the God who brings the fullness of your kingdom

and your word. to come into our heart. Lord,

we open our heart to receive from you. I ask

you to help me deliver it. You're the master

teacher. You're the master preacher, Lord. You

can do more in a little bit than I could do all

afternoon. Lord, quicken. Quicken rhema words

to your people. Lord, illuminated thoughts, encounters,

revelation. illumination of the heart. Cause

people to fall in love with you. Minister to

their heart and their mind in Jesus Christ's

holy name. And everybody said, amen, amen. All

right, let's, I better turn there myself. John

chapter four. Thank you, Jenny. We are, we're

kind of, slow walking, and I don't mean on purpose,

but kind of started with this thought a few weeks

ago about, well, I guess it was a couple months

ago, about talking about the revelation that

God had hidden in the beginning of Passover.

So when we're dealing with Exodus 12, and we're

dealing with God revealing the blood of the lamb,

the plying it on the doorposts of their house,

the eating of the lamb, the preparation of the

lamb, all of that. And then he adds the caveat.

This is where we really began to draw from. He

adds the caveat after he alone could provide

the blood and he alone provided a perfect lamb.

He told them that they had to go into their homes

and for a week, They had to clean out their homes

of the leaven. Leaven in scripture represents,

in today we would say it's yeast. It represents

that which causes bread to rise. But in the Old

Testament, leaven means it's sin. It's connected

to the process that causes a puffing up. And

we started our journey a couple months ago. Periodically

we've had some guest speakers and then we've

had communion. We started looking at 1 Corinthians

5 where the apostle Paul actually was dealing

with trying to sort the church out of going,

I've got to bring you back to what happened in

Passover because you really are now. Christ is

our Passover lamb and now you must keep the feast

with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

And so the Holy Spirit brings and starts talking

to the church about God did something clear back

in Exodus with the children of Israel that was

not fully revealed. It was veiled all the way

until we get to the revealing of Jesus where

Jesus would become the Passover lamb. And in

the midst of the Passover lamb, he would now

say, I want you to join me. I'm paying for the

sin of the world, but I want you to understand

that there is partnership in my kingdom and you

have a responsibility with me, the joy of extending

my father's kingdom. And that means what? That

we're to eat the feast, meaning what? We're to

experience eating of this Christian life, eating

the word and the eating and drinking. Jesus talks

about that, if you will, in Isaiah 55. Oh, come

eat, come buy without money. How do you do that?

Well, it's a spiritual principle. Come and drink

deeply of all that he has. You eat it. Which

way? You eat it by receiving it. So when we talk

spiritual things and you're reading the Bible,

you go, what does it mean to eat the word? Well,

there's not a bunch of people just walking around,

you know, with a leather Bible, like a Heath

bar, trying to gnaw off the word of God and to

eat it. That is not what's happening. The eating

represents the receiving of it and allowing it

to get into both here and here. Because in the

mind of God, The heart and the mind have 18 inches

that are connected. God never just deals with

your mind. He's always dealing with your heart.

And when he deals with your heart, it's never

just your heart. He's trying to renew your mind.

So everything about God deals with this process

that's connected. It's mind and heart, heart

and mind, mind and heart, right? Now, when we're

looking at this, this is the genius of Jesus.

Because in all of the Old Testament, there was

mention of the Holy Spirit. But when we deal

with the Old Testament scriptures, talking about

Genesis to Malachi. You only see the Holy Spirit

come upon a few people. Normally it's on the

priest, it's on the prophet or the king, or once

in a while for very specialized purposes such

as Beziel who made all of the ephod and the garment,

the spirit of the Lord came on him for works

of service to add for the furniture. So people

didn't have the Holy Spirit individually. That

only came in limited portion. As we get to the

New Testament. The genius of this. As God is

beginning to breathe upon the mouths of the prophets.

Both in the major prophets and the minor prophets.

He is breathing on that there is a breakthrough

that's coming. Not only with Messiah who would

be the anointed one. Who would walk in the fullness

of the anointing and the Holy Spirit. But there

would become a crescendo where we would have

a partnership with him. And when you get to Jesus

and you get to his life, it's amazing how many

things Jesus talks about in regard to the Holy

Spirit. Now, let me just say this caveat because

I know we all come from various backgrounds.

I came from a pretty ultra conservative background.

theologically, just being raised in a Mennonite

home and having an understanding of God the Father,

having an understanding of Jesus Christ the Son.

And we talked about the Holy Spirit, but there

was never really a handle to be able to embrace

his ministry, his word. He was always the mysterious

one that you just didn't talk about because he

seemed like every time you talk about it, he

moved. Right? It messed with you. So if you're

focused on Christianity being logical, you most

of the time stay away from the Holy Spirit. I

hate to say it that way, but that's the reality.

Now listen, I was born on Wednesday and in church

on Sunday. I've been in church over 57 years

of my life. Some of you are older. I have heard

more messages than I am on dietary supplements.

I am just telling you. You know, I have a, I

have drawers full of messages that I have heard

over the years, but I'm telling you the mindset

that most of us came out of, if we came out of

a evangelical traditional setting, which was

great to build a platform is we have not actually

honored the Holy Spirit to the degree that we've

honored the father and the son. So it's kind

of father, son, Holy Spirit. And whether you

realize it or not, you've kind of treated him

as junior. I've kind of treated him as junior

and he's not junior. He's a full part of the

Trinity. He is in himself. He is God. Now, this

is the genius of Jesus. When Jesus comes on the

scene, and I want to encourage you as you read

the Bible, and I'm praying that you read the

Bible, and I'm I'm hoping you haven't bought

the lie that said, I don't have to memorize scripture

anymore. I don't have to know the word of God

anymore. I just need to just experience. No,

no. Who told you that? That's why I love the

Awana thing. It's like, listen, if they're required

to have 21 verses in their heart and they're

only five years old, what should be the level

of the word of God inside of you? The reality

is, you and I should have the Bible inside of

us that in any situation, we should be able to,

not out of religion, but out of relationship,

call to mind what Jesus or the Father has said.

Right? Because what Jesus says is what the Father

says. Right? Listen, this whole idea... Now I'm

on a tangent, Duane, so here we go. This whole

idea of what New Age promotes and what people

want to do is move themselves into a form of

nothingness. I'm just going to clear my mind

and just think of nothing. That's a lie. Do you

know that that is actually the very opposite

of what God asked you to do? Now, are we supposed

to meditate? Yes. On what? His word. We're not

here just to meditate on nothingness. Most of

us deal with that already. Right? I want you

to think a little bit, not just go to a place

of nothing. You've been there a long time. Let's

get you to a place of something. Hallelujah.

Okay. The whole point. If you don't get to a

place of nothingness, the place is you clear

your mind to what? Begin to put God's word in

it so that it does what? It actually, you dwell

on what he said and it begins to shape you in

your emotions and in your heart and in your thinking.

Biblical meditation is actually thinking about

who he is and re -hearing again what he has said.

Why? That's how we've been told to live. Without

it, you're not actually actively drawing from

the water of life. Jesus said, we'll get to this

eventually. If anyone will come to me, out of

his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

He spoke that of the Holy Spirit. But folks,

you have to have the word in you so that the

water flowing out of you is clean. So that it's

not just your own thoughts and your own feelings.

He wants you to live in partnership and in tandem

with the word and with the spirit. Now this is

the genius of Jesus. I want to go back to this

because Jesus has to start the scene by training

the disciples to begin to shift their filter.

Now I don't know if you do this, but I try to

do this. When I'm reading the word of God, there

are several things that we should always keep

in mind when we're engaging with the scriptures,

right? First thing is, I need to remove my preconceived

ideas of what I think I already know about that

passage. If you've read the Bible any point of

time or over and over, especially those of us

that have walked with the Lord for a while, you

know, If you've read the Bible 50, 60, 70, 80

times through, you can develop a real hardening

of calcified arguments of what you think you

know. So each time you come to the word of God,

you have to begin to say, Lord, I'm setting aside

what I think I know about this. And I'm coming

to the teacher. I'm asking you, Holy Spirit,

to begin to reveal to me your word, not just

in understanding application, but in the depth

of application. Okay. Now, when we read, like

we're going to look here in John four, which

is a very famous passage, we're going to get

to it in Jesus name. It's a very famous passage.

And when you look at the woman at the well, some

of us can actually quote the scriptures. the

whole chapter. The reality is it was such a pivotal

thing that Jesus was doing with the Samaritan

woman. But if I don't come to the scriptures

in John 4 afresh, I'm going to have just have

rehearsed in my mind what I already know. And

I'm wanting to come to the scriptures, say, okay,

Lord, show me how to see in this scripture fresh.

So the first time I read John 4, if I'm studying

for something, I'm setting everything aside and

I'm reading it as though I've never read it before.

Then the next time, because I don't just read

it once, the next time I read it, I'm now putting

filters in. How do I put filters in? Why do I

put a filter? Well, a filter, if it's a godly

filter, is a great thing. It means I'm going

to begin to ask the Lord, Lord, show me in the

gospel of John, show me every time you start

talking about the Holy Spirit. So now I'm coming

to the gospel of John, not just as a historical

document, not just as an encounter of John's

witness first person with Jesus, not just trying

to learn the culture of the day of what I would

learn. What did it mean to them? What was the

culture in them? What was the historicity of

it? Now I'm putting a filter on it. I'm saying,

God, speak to me and show me how you're highlighting.

Because this is one of the things that I believe

we're We're supposed to be moving forward together

as a church. Show me how much emphasis you put

on the Holy Spirit. And now I read the gospel

again with a fresh filter of highlighting Holy

Spirit. Every time Jesus began to reference or

speak to him, of him, about him, minister things

that would be referenced to him. And it brings

a fresh appreciation as I'm reading the gospels

of going, well, yes, Jesus came to fulfill the

work and his mission was to die on the cross.

He knew his mission. His mission was to be the

lamb that was slain for the foundation of the

world. His mission was to rise again and break

the power of death and sin and break the fear

of death. But he didn't have much time. After

that, so he constantly, from the moment he was

baptized in the water Jordan that started his

official ministry of the anointing coming upon

him, which was the Christos itself, the very

oil of God, the Holy Spirit. From that time on,

he began, which was his, from that time on means

he started ministry, live ministry, what? Constantly

pointing to the reality of the Spirit of God.

and the engagement with it. So that's why you

have the picture. He's the word and the spirit,

and we need him. Now, so much did Jesus do this

that he had to start, begin to frame this in

his disciples. And we've looked at this a few

weeks ago in Matthew 6, verse 5. Before Jesus

Matthew 6:5

ever decided to teach the disciples to pray,

he had to do what? He had to remove Two major

pitfalls in their life. Matthew 6, 5 says, and

when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.

Why would Jesus, before he ever taught them to

pray, our Father in heaven, why would he drill

down on this? Because there's nothing worse.

There's nothing worse than actually saying you

believe something and then refusing to live it.

Now, sometimes it can be a refusal. Sometimes

we're just not aware that we're living duplicitous.

The whole point that Jesus was trying to remove

out of the disciples was, I don't want you living

a life that is separate. What you believe is

in this category, how you live is in this category.

The very first thing that I'm going to teach

you to do is bring your life into alignment and

allegiance that what you believe and what you

live will match up. Now that is really, really

important to live in New Testament understanding.

Because hypocrisy, which we all have a nature

of falling into, and you've probably heard us

say, I won't go to church, they're full of hypocrites.

Yes, but we're recovering hypocrites. We are

all in the process of trying to arrest, our belief

from being separate from how we live and to move

and allow the spirit of God, his word and his

spirit to now, to actually have a place where

God operates in us out of relationship. And I

don't have what I think and I don't have what

I do on two different pages. What I think and

what I do is on the same page. The second thing

Jesus has to remove in Matthew 6 is verse 7.

And when you pray, do not be like the, use vain

repetitions as the heathen do. For they will

be, they think they'll be heard by their many

words. Verse 8, therefore do not be like them.

Now why was Jesus saying, we looked at this a

little bit, don't do the religious hypocritical

thing, but then don't do the heathen thing. Now,

that could mean a lot of things to a lot of people,

but what he was driving at here with don't be

like the heathen was, we had to take real inventory

of what the people and the culture of what the

people believed actually influenced how they

thought God would answer them. So everyone that

didn't know Yahweh or Jehovah had a view of how

their God would answer them. You, you, you, oh

man, I got to come down here. Scott, you got

to get this because we see it most clearly on

Mount Carmel with Elijah and the prophets of

Baal. Baal was a quote deity. that they served,

that believed that Baal, there was the Baal of

the harvest, there was Baal of fertility. All

of these things either came under the grouping

of Yahweh or it came under the grouping of another

deity. Baal just happened to be one. Then there

was Chemosh, and then there was Molech, and then

there was Milcom, and then there's, I mean, on

and on and on. We could go for false deities

that claim to be gods. The heathen who've been

raised in foreign nations and foreign places

had their God and their approach. And some of

their stuff was wackadoodle. Okay? Now, they

looked at the Israelites and how God chose to

them, but here was the clear distinction. When

it came... And I love it. I mean, Muhammad Ali

stole it a little bit. But when it came to the

showdown on the mountain, the showdown, the thriller

in Manila, it wasn't Ali and Frazier. It was

Elijah and Baal on Mount Carmel. And when that

happened, when Elijah set the boundaries and

here's who's going to show who's going to be

God, guess what the prophets of Baal did? They

began by their words. And if you read the scriptures

carefully, it went on for hours. By their repetitions

over and over, they were calling. Finally, you

know, I love this about Elijah. He was his Holy

Spirit. And he mocked them. He made fun of them.

Literally, if you look at the Hebrew, it says

it this way. Oh, speak louder. He must be relieving

himself. Now, that's the sanitary version in

the New King James. Let me tell you in the hip

hop translation what that means. He's going number

two and he went somewhere to be by himself. Call

a little louder. And so what did they do? They

started cutting themselves with lances and generating

blood flow as a form of sacrifice. And Elijah

was mocking them the whole time. Why? You had

recorded in the scripture five to six hours of

them petitioning Baal through all forms of pleading

of the same things over and over. And then Elijah

does what he does. Begins to bring the water

three different times, drench the sacrifice,

almost making it impossible in the natural. If

your level of sight was God who answers by fire,

he was actually just removing the realm of possibility

from living by sight. But if you knew from the

heart of who God was, And when God, when he called,

it's just a very simple prayer of asking God

to reveal himself, show Israel who God is. And

God answered by fire, not just fire with a little

bitty Bic lighter. Then all of a sudden, notice

it says, when Elijah prayed to open the heavens,

there was a cloud the size of a man's hand. When

he called down for fire, it doesn't say, and

the Lord flicked his Bic. And there was a little

flame. And the people rejoiced. No, no, no. Fire

fell from heaven, licked up the sacrifice, burnt

all the wood, the stones, licked up the water,

cleared down into the trenches, down into dry

ground. It was irrefutable that the God who he

had relationship with was totally different than

the God who the heathen served. And so Jesus

had to bring the disciples because in the culture

where the disciples were living, just like our

culture, cultural mindsets and perspectives are

constantly trying to influence how you might

get God to answer prayer. And Jesus said, I can't

have you fall into hypocriteness where you become.

You believe one thing and live another. But I

can't have you listen to the community think

that it's been influenced by all forms of different

philosophies and ideologies. You've got to bring

your perspective back into the true word of God

and understand. Now you can understand what I'm

trying to bring you to. God is your father. Now,

when Jesus teaches that, You know I've been long

-winded when my iPad shuts down on me. He goes,

I gotta bring you down to father. Why? Because

I've gotta teach you. You've gotta step out of

Old Testament thinking and be careful of other

influences and let me bring you into the fact

that the father is a giver. And if you don't

understand that he wants to give relationship

and he wants to give of himself. You see, when

we hear giver, if we've been raised in church

or we're suspicious, we automatically think,

oh, here he goes. He's going to talk about giving.

No, no, no. I'm not talking about giving. I'm

talking about learning to receive from the giver.

You have to understand something. The reason

Jesus spent as much time with the disciples that

he did trying to reframe their mindset is that

they had presets already in their heart and mind

through doubt and unbelief about who God really

was. It was affected through their religion and

it was affected through culture and the people

around them. And Jesus had to bring them back

to, when you pray, you pray this way. And then

you pray his kingdom come, his will be done on

earth as it is in heaven. And then he starts

again by bringing them back to the father as

a giver. Father, give us this day our daily bread

and forgive us. Do you notice what we're doing

here? You notice that the father is doing, what

is he doing? He is saying this. He is a. giver.

He is a supplier. He is a protector. He is a

forgiver. He is a leader. Lead us not into temptation

and deliver us not. He's dealing with the nature

of the father that the heathen could not grasp

and the religious could not grasp out of their

understanding because God was always distant.

So God, Jesus was bringing the disciples past

the distance up close and he was removing vain

repetition. to recognize the father was always

looking for sons and daughters to live in fellowship

and partnership. And that's huge. Because the

whole thing of kingdom partnership is what? The

activation of his will, the operating in his

way by God's words. How many in this room have

been on a cruise before? Whether it's river cruise,

ocean cruise, just a few of us? Okay, let me

explain how this works. You guys should be teaching

this seminar here. The reality is, a cruise is

you begin to pay for a general package. And that

package says, here's what's going to be. the

route. Now for Jenny and I, we've taken several

cruises over our 33 years of marriage. We did

one on our 20th wedding anniversary and we went

from Barcelona, Spain and ended up in Venice,

Italy. It was incredible. We loved it. It's time

of our life. We'll never forget it. 14 days on

the Mediterranean. Now the whole point of why

am I using the cruise? Because If you understand,

and this is what people want to know. How do

I know the will of God? I want to know the will

of God. Marcy, I want to know the will of God

for my life. What's the will of God for my life?

Get on the general cruise. What does that mean?

It means that you have to understand what God's

plan was from the beginning. And embracing salvation.

Remember, no man can come to the Father. No man

or woman can come to the Father except the Spirit

of God. Draw them. and Jesus requires salvation

requires what he gives grace and he gives you

faith right from the start to believe the message

whereby faith you accept his will and his way

and his word if you just accept it cerebrally

you're not saved you actually have to do what

you actually have to bring That will, that way,

that word by faith, and that's why Romans 10

and 9 says, if I confess with my mouth and, somebody

say and, you can be Pentecostal, and believe

in my heart that God has raised him from the

dead, I shall be saved. What's the point? You

got to hear yourself believe that you have faith

in what he's already done for you. puts you on

the ship because that is God's will. What? To

do what? To get you on the cruise ship journey,

if you will. It's a limited analogy, but just

work with me. To begin to know his full will.

His full will is to restore you back to the place

of where fellowship was broken. When sin and

death came in, in the garden, what happened?

Adam and Eve were ushered out of the garden of

close fellowship and proximity and ushered out

of extending that beautiful fellowship, the will,

the ways, and his word on the earth without harassment

and vexation. So what did Jesus' death do? His

death paid the price. so that fellowship could

be restored. And going back here to Chelsea here,

so that you would know his will. What's his will?

That you would walk in the intimacy of God, you'd

walk in the fellowship of God, and you would

be in partnership with God, extending his will

and his work and his ways on the earth. That

is the cruise ship. And if you don't get on that

path, but you kept standing on the shore going,

well, I just don't, I want to know the specific

will for my life. Can I just give you a little

hint? You'll never engage properly with the spirit

of God, what your specific will is until you

get on the cruise ship of his general will. Because

the excursions of his specific will. This is

the other thing I found out. There are little

excursions once you get on the ship. That were

designed to give you greater understanding and

experience. But you'll never know what they are

until you get on the ship. Now I don't know if

somebody is recording this. But in God's house

this morning is get on the ship. Get on the ship

of his revealed will. Meaning you have to actually

recognize that what you're doing should be engaged

by faith that you want fellowship. You want closeness.

And you want really by design understanding that

God never meant you to be disconnected. But he

empowered you to do what? Take faith. fellowship,

his presence, his word, and now move it into

an area where you live and are where he's established

you. Once that happens, then the Lord, I got

to pick on the big guys while I can, right? Then

the Lord can be specific in your heart. about

revealing the nuances of his perfect design and

perfect will for your life, but only when you're

operating in the purposeful will of God. See,

that's why the Spirit of God says that you might

know the good, the acceptable, and the perfect

will. You see, many times people miss the perfect

will because they will not embrace the general

good and acceptable will of God. And then they

want to, now I'm going to say this carefully,

then they want to pull on the prophetic, Duane,

which is very real, the prophetic grace of God,

but they're wanting to pull on the prophetic

past the revealed general will and bring specific

into their life, thinking that they can accomplish

it without getting back on the general will.

And it's a fallacy. Those words never end up

coming to pass. Why? Because they actually access

them through selfish gain. Let me say that again.

You can have, you can get prophetic words and

it's not the prophet's issue, it's my heart's

issue. Now there's a lot to be said on that and

I'm just gonna put a pause on that but just let

that drop where it needs to drop. So what was

Jesus trying to deal with? With the disciples.

Well, he wanted them to begin to embrace the

idea of kingdom partnership because God is a

giver. And if he's a giver, what does he give?

And this is absolutely fundamental that you get

this. He's a giver of himself. You can boil every

other gift and grace down in the Bible. It connects

back to the one who gave it. So the essence of

God as a giver is he gives of himself in a multi

-varied, multi -graced perspective. You say,

well, where do we see that? Well, let's go to

James chapter one, verse 17. If right before

I read this, think of this. If God is the giver,

think of it. And he's talked everything from

God is good. It's holy. It's right. It's true.

It's pure. Then everything that God gives can

have nothing wrong with it. Now, this is a big

deal because many of us came out of mindsets

that said, Father. Good. Son. Good. Holy Spirit.

Not sure. Who gave us the right to take someone

that is completely holy, pure, righteous, and

true, and now bring suspicion on who he is and

what he does? Let's look at this. James 1 .17.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from

above, coming down from the Father of lights,

in whom there is no variation or shadow due to

change. This probably is one of the biggest verses

that I use to try to destroy. The thoughts of

cessationism. And if you didn't understand anything

I said, then you're a good place. Because you

don't even know what cessationism is. But there

are many in this room that do. That believe that

somehow God removed part of the Holy Spirit's

assignment of building the church through the

gifts that he gives. And now he only gives, instead

of giving a V8, he gives a V4. It's insane. Because

every gift that he gives is good. It means there's

no shadow of variation. That means, Jihad, that

means that everything that God gave in the beginning

has no sliding, diminishing scale as until his

return. It means that everything that he gives,

he gives in a perfect measure, the same way he

gave it. Why? Because it's connected to him.

It's connected to God himself. God doesn't give

a lesser version of himself. He doesn't give

a lesser version. Oh, because you lived in first

century. But now that you're living in 20th century,

Chris, you only get the, you know, we're kind

of in an eco environmental kind of century. So,

you know, back then they needed all the horsepower.

Now you just kind of get the electric toned down

version. No, God is the same yesterday, today,

and forever. There's no variation with him and

his gifts. See, we've always applied it. If you've

raised a church like I was, you've always applied

it to God's character and nature. Very few applied

it to his gifts. But it's clearly the context

of the revelation is there's no variation or

shadow or change of the gifts. Because every

good and perfect. Come on with me. Gift. Not

every perfect character of the father. That was

the given. The character of the Father is now

translating to the gifts because the gifts are

of the Father. And for me to say it's less now

than it was is actually to pick up a spirit of

doubt and unbelief at the minimal. It's possibly

antichrist. Why? Because it's trying to diminish

Holy Spirit. Are you doing okay? All right. Now,

we believe salvation is a gift from God. And

that was Jesus' mission. Righteousness, sanctification,

justification, redemption, and restoration. All

of those things are a gift. And when we read

Ephesians 2 .8, We recognize there's no way we

can earn it. There's no way we can buy it. There's

no way we can present ourselves as something

worthy of it. Everyone has fallen short of this

gift of salvation, gift of the sanctification

part, the cleansing part, gift of the justification

part, which is what? Fulfilling the law part,

the redemption part, the process of making one.

giving back what was lost. There's none of us

that could do any of that from any angle. And

Ephesians 2, 8 says it this way. For by grace,

you have been saved. Now listen, through faith.

Can we say that last part? Through faith. Okay,

half of you. Let's try it one more time. Through

faith. Now listen, it's through faith. And this

is not of your own doing. It is a gift of God,

not a result of work so that no one would boast.

But are you seeing here that the focus is the

grace that was given you, enabling you to receive

salvation, has one key truth that if you don't,

are you ready? Here's the key word, partner with.

Asa, partner, okay? By faith. Now notice faith

in, sorry, I'm messing with you. Faith in general

means what? It's not static. It requires you

doing your part. This is why this is so important,

because everything that starts from faith, including

your salvation, has the same engine of partnership

in every other gift of God that's already been

given to you in Christ. Its level of operation

always demands what? Partnership. But we have

categorized, we have limited where we believe

it for salvation, but then everything else, pin.

What happened? Doubt and unbelief came in. Somebody

else's experience talked me into not believing

why that word isn't what was said. Every gift

from God, remember? comes down as holy, comes

down as pure, comes down as true, comes down

as connected to God, and is now operating, not

by my own works, but by grace and faith. Which

means what? Every other application that's connected

to God, that's written in the scriptures, that

is Holy Spirit, follows the same way. By grace

and faith in who he is. And when we run into

areas, and this is so important, and Jenny, if

you could come and begin to play for me. Play

for me some kind of exposing the lie type of

music. Okay. No, I'm messing. We've been married

for 33 years. I give her these big requests.

Hallelujah. This is where we have to do. and

allow the Holy Spirit to begin to work out of

us places where we find that we don't actually

believe God's word. Remember when Jesus, let

me give you an example. Remember when Jesus came

down from the mountain of transfiguration? He

took up Peter and John and they went up. To the

mountain. Right after Caesarea Philippi. Right

after Jesus had declared. Just a chapter or two

before. Peter had the revelation. You are Christ.

The son of the living God. Then the next thing

we see. Is in the same area. Close to that. They

went up to the mountain. And Jesus revealed.

The state of who he was. prior to the word becoming

in flesh, they saw him as the radiant, pure,

glorious son of God. And then Moses, their eyes

were open. They saw Moses and Elijah communicating

with the son. And then Peter had the idea of,

hey, let's build three tabernacles. And God goes,

shut up, Peter. No, he said, what? He said, you

shall hear my son only. The next encounter we

see from that encounter As they're walking down

the mountain, Jesus gives them some heavy news

that he was going to be killed and died, that

he would be, and they're not to speak of it until

he's dead and raised to life. And they walk down

the mountain and all the other disciples that

didn't get a chance to go up to the mountain

were dealing with a demon inside of a child that

they had been praying for that they couldn't

get breakthrough. And when Jesus comes on the

scene with Peter, James, and John, the parent

of the child in exasperation says, Lord, if you

can do anything, would you please deliver and

pray for my son? And Jesus didn't even allow

him to get out the words of compassion because

Jesus had separated his compassion for the man

that he loved from the doubt and unbelief that

was actually the evil. And Jesus stopped him

and says, if, if I can do anything, Read it again

in black and white. If, I mean, think of it.

This man had been living with this child that

had had epileptic fit. I know what that's like.

Jenny and I fought epilepsy in her life for years.

And when God delivered her, it was like, my God,

Scott, you know what that's like. You had it

the same way too. The reality is I can only put

myself in that parent's reaction of having a

boy that had been. almost drowned and burned

in the fire every time these seizures would come

on him. And so when he saw the most trained team

in the world not be able to do anything, he just

blurted out of his soul, not even thinking, thinking

he was honoring God. He says, if you can do anything.

And Jesus had to stop him cold right there. If.

And what happened? with that if stop. Folks,

you have to look at the black and white and get

a color picture as the Spirit of God. You're

almost like, if? This Jewish homie don't play

that. It's not an if. It's a when. As soon as

Jesus said if, Immediately the man fell under

conviction. Who convicted him? The Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit brought conviction to do what?

Remove the pin of doubt and unbelief in his mind

that experience had created. And at that point,

in removing that, recognizing where doubt and

unbelief, Hebrews chapter 4, Three and four says

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

that evil heart of unbelief stopped the children

of Israel. When the Holy Spirit convicted him

immediately, the man said, Lord, forgive my unbelief.

I believe, but help my unbelief. He immediately

recognized his lack. He immediately recognized

that he had been shaped by the experience and

the culture of his experience. And when standing

in front of the one who could do it, he felt

woefully short. He wanted to distance himself

from God and just hope and throw it on hope.

And Jesus wouldn't allow him to throw it on hope.

Jesus actually drew him near with the if. Even

though it was a rebuke, it drew Jesus closer.

Do you understand that? Do you see that in the

scriptures? The man was exhausted. If you can

do anything, pray for him. Isn't that what Naaman

wanted? The leper? I thought he would come out.

I thought Elisha would come out and at least

wave his hand over me instead of just send me

through a messenger, go dunk in the river Jordan

seven times. Shouldn't he do something like prophetic?

No. What was the point? To remove the pin of

unbelief and draw the person into the proximity

of who God was. And when Jesus challenged the

if and the Holy Spirit came to convict and to

bring grace and faith, the man said, help my

unbelief. And Jesus began to operate and move

and then worked with the dad. I need you to see

that in the scripture. It wasn't just this supernatural.

No, he began to work with him. How long has this

been happening? From a child as a kid. Okay.

Notice that as Jesus drew close, then he also

drew in partnership with the parents. And in

that process, that's when the kingdom of God

was released in full power. And this young person

not only got delivered from the demon, but when

you study the Greek, it was he became rigid as

though he had been severely, the King James says

it this way, he had been severely torn. Meaning

he had, what had... gone out of him had caused

great harm on the inside, most likely mentally,

emotionally. But then Jesus stretched out his

hand and lifted him up. Power of both deliverer

and healer came as the kingdom was engaged because

why? He removed the pin of experience. He removed

the pin of doubt and belief and could release

the kingdom. So important. And that's where God

wants all of us to be going. In this house. Now

listen, this fall, for our Waypoint Conference,

we're going to have two men. Just happen to be

the two people God laid on my heart. They're

friends of mine. I've known them. Both of them

have experienced miracles, healing, signs and

wonders. Jan was raised from the dead. And Jim

Hockaday was dying with his intestines severed

and both experienced healing presence. They walk

in a very tangible healing. Both have healing

ministries today. Incredible stuff. We're continuing

to ask God to bring that deposit in this house.

But folks, you can't. Really receive it except

just a one -time engagement unless your faith

begins to remove the pins of doubt and unbelief

and that you actually take it and believe it's

for you and for your future. That's the hope

here. The hope is when do I bring in people around

the world that I know have character of Christ

and a gifting of Christ to bring an impartation?

What am I trying to do? I'm trying at least...

to follow the Holy Spirit as he's saying, they

need their faith strengthened and stretched.

But I feel like in this season where our country

has been and the atmosphere, it's our faith hasn't

been stretched as much as it's kind of contracted

to protect itself. And we have to get past the

contracting of self -protection and allow ourselves

to believe the Bible afresh as it was given right

then and not our experience or what's around

us. Are you there? That's where we're going.

I hope it doesn't frighten you. I hope it kind

of makes you a little bit, what's next? Bring

it on, baby. Right? Because God is wanting a

people that work in partnership with him. He's

wanting sons and daughters to be raised up. Yes,

he gives milk, but he's the giver of meat. He

gives curds and he gives honey. He is the God

who supplies the food of all of his truth that

we might receive it and then what? Partner with

him in his will, his ways. And with his word.

Let's pray. Would you bow your heads this morning.

Heavenly Father. We want to thank you so much

for Jesus. What he has done and who he is. Jesus

we want to thank you as you said in Luke 24.

He says behold I'm going to go to the Father.

And I'm going to send the promise of the Father

to you. He talked about him in John 16, the helper,

the advocate, the comforter, the one that would

come. He would teach you all things that I have

said and he would reveal them to you. Lord, you

are amazing. And Lord, this morning as we wait

on you now, I'm asking, Holy Spirit, that you

would begin to draw all people to yourself, to

Jesus, to the Father. You said, if the Son of

Man, in John chapter 3, if Jesus said of himself,

John 3 · chapter mention

if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.

Holy Spirit, your job, your assignment on the

earth is to begin to gather and draw all people

to God's gift, Jesus Christ, who is... and our

savior and not just savior but he is the king

and lord over every area holy spirit we welcome

you you are right now working in the hearts of

people you are bringing lord a touch even now

at the preaching of the truth lord you're releasing

it right now by the spirit of god and i'm asking

in this room in just a few moments i'm asking

If you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your

Lord and Savior from your heart and your mind,

never really confessed your sins and say, I believe

that you're the Messiah. I ask you to forgive

me. And I realize I want you in my heart. You're

knocking on the door of my heart, your love,

your grace. But Lord, most of all, I need you.

If you've never allowed not just mental ascent,

but your faith. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing

by the word of God and then confessing out of

your mouth and your heart that he is your Lord

and Savior and he paid for you. I want you to

listen because I want to pray for you. Jesus

wants to come into your life. Maybe you're here

in another category. Maybe you're here and you

have been walking a life of Christianity that

you know There's so much more that you've been

walking in in a compromised state. Some of you

here could be what the Bible calls in a backslidden

state. You've moved to the place, doesn't really

use that word, but there's different Greek words

that talk about, you've moved from the place

of actually operating out of first love and being

enthralled with who Jesus is to a place of lukewarmness.

You're living in a compromised state where you

sometimes you'll serve the Lord and sometimes

you just don't feel like it. Or maybe you're

the third place where you know that you've walked

away and you're here today because the grace

of God brought you here to bring you back to

restoration. But you're hearing a voice in your

life saying you'll never make it. back to where

you once were you just have to settle for the

crumbs I'm here to tell you that Jesus is drawing

you back to the fullness of what he's called

you to so whether you're here to say oh God I

want to know you as savior will you forgive me

and accept me the answer is yes if that's you

this morning I'd like you to lift your hand above

your head and say that's me I'll send somebody

back to pray with you right now Right now, just

lift your hand and say, that's me, Pastor. I

want to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and

Savior. Maybe you're here and you know you are

in a lukewarm state. And the Holy Spirit is wooing

you to say, come back to the place of standing

in front of the flame. Come back to the place

of being ignited in your love and your heart.

If that's you, would you lift your hand and say,

I'm ready. I need to be drawn. Yes, ma 'am. Thank

you. Right here, Linda. Is there anyone else

in the back? John, thank you. Or maybe you're

here this morning and you just think God's only

got a place for a crumb for you. You don't even

think about a seat at the table. It's kind of

like the little kids at Thanksgiving. All I get

is the card table with the kids in the back.

God's removing that mindset and he's drawing

you to the table with himself. You'd say, you

know what? I've been struggling with that mindset

that I've done. I still feel shamed about what

I've done. I still feel guilty about walking

away. I knew the truth. God's here to restore

you and bring you back, put a new robe on you,

put a new ring and a new grace upon your mind.

If that's you and you need prayer, would you

just lift your hand? I'm gonna send some, okay,

ma 'am, thank you. Thank you. You got it, Derek,

thank you. Anyone else? As our team is praying

for the people, I wanna pray for you. Tiffany

is gonna come in just right now. But I want to

pray for the churches we dismiss. Father, I want

to thank you that you are the gathering and reaping

God. Lord, not for destruction, but for life.

You love to gather those that are on the outside

and bring them close. You go to great extents

to highways and byways. You go to the near and

to the far. And Lord, I'm asking you that you

would continue to release this anointing in this

region over this people that we would also carry

that heart of gathering and reaping. Lord, being

mindful of all that you love, carrying your word

and your compassion in our heart along with the

word of truth to see you do wonders in the lives

of people. Let your house be filled with people.

from all backgrounds who will honor and praise

you for the wonderful and glorious works that

you do and who you are. We love you. In Jesus'

name we pray. Amen. Thank you for taking the

time to listen to this week's message. We are

so grateful for those who tune in each week and

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