God's Love Story

Ezekiel chapter 16 and verse 4, for those of

Ezekiel 16 · chapter mention

you that are able to stand. I'm just going to

read a few verses here. It reads, as for your

nativity, on the day that you were born, your

navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in

water to cleanse you. You were not rubbed with

salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No eye

pitted you to do any of these things for you.

to have compassion on you, but you were thrown

out into the open field when you yourself were

lulled on the day you were born. And when I passed

by you and saw you struggling in your own blood,

I said to you in your blood, live. Yes, I said

to you in your blood, live. Now, verse 8. When

I passed by you again, I looked upon you. Indeed,

your time was the time of love. So I spread my

wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes,

I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant

with you, and you became mine, says the Lord

God. Someone say amen. Now just one quick verse.

You don't have to go there. I'm just going to

read it briefly in 1 John 4 .19. We love him

because he first loved us. Today I'm going to

preach God's love story. Why don't we pray together.

Father, I thank you for the way in which you

have met us today, God. You woke us up this morning.

You gave us the strength, the energy, the capacity

to be in your house, not just to have church,

but to have an experience, to have an encounter

with your spirit, with your love, with your word

today. And God, I ask that you would anoint our

hearing and anoint my lips to preach this word,

God, as faithfully as you gave it to me. And

all those who will hear this word, wherever they

might be in their life, God, wherever they might

hear this message, that it might touch, it might

heal, it might do a miracle in their life. I

ask this right now in the powerful name of Jesus.

Someone say amen. You can be seated in God's

presence. Most love stories begin with attraction.

Two people notice each other and there's a spark

that draws them together. Even if it's not love

at first sight, eventually the two will not be

able to deny their true feelings. That's just

the way it goes. I heard a praise God out there.

That's good. I'm a witness of that. In the case

of a parent -child relationship, which is also

a love story, it usually begins with anticipation,

longing, desire to hold and to protect what is

coming. These are the familiar storylines. The

kind that you will see printed in novels or premiered

in romantic or heart -stirring films. These are

the ones that we love to hear. But God's love

story with humanity does not begin this way.

It does not begin with attraction. It begins...

with abandonment. It begins with blood, with

exposure, with an unwanted and an unloved soul.

If this were an ordinary story, this is likely

where the story would end. A tale of tragedy,

a story of heartbreak, a tale of what ifs. But

this is not an ordinary story. This is God's

love story. Because in the midst of a disturbing

scene, God passes by. Not because he was drawn

to beauty, nor because he saw some hidden potential.

Indeed, all he saw was death. loss, brokenness,

despair. But still, the story of God's love for

humanity, you and I, is that he stopped anyhow.

Somebody say amen. And what he says and does

in response is not what anyone. would expect.

Not any storyteller, not anyone who's looking

to write a best -selling story would expect.

Ezekiel paints a picture for us in a biblical

analogy prophesying to Israel who is in exile.

Jerusalem has fallen. The people of God are scattered.

They are ashamed. and broken. And they wonder

if God still loves them and if their story is

over. But before telling them how the story will

end, God takes them all the way back to the beginning

and reminds them how it started. And with dramatic

imagery, I invite you to read on your own in

this beautiful and poetic chapter. Israel is

portrayed in the most pitiful, dare I say despicable,

possible way. She's portrayed as a baby girl

thrown into an open field at birth. It's a haunting

scene that... would make anyone's stomach turn

upon seeing it. A scene so ghastly, so horrifying

that you could never wipe it from your memory

no matter how hard you tried. The scene painted

for us in this chapter hits us on the deepest

level. It's something that nobody would ever

want, For their eyes to behold this child, this

newly born baby thrown in a field to die, left

exposed to the elements and nature. And the baby

girl laid there lifeless. No one cut her umbilical

cord. No one washed her. No one wrapped her in

cloth and a blanket, kissed her forehead. No

one held her in their embrace and said thank

you for this miracle. No one loved this baby.

No one pitied her in her condition. But then

God enters the scene of this tragic episode unfolding,

and then God says, When I passed by you, I saw

you struggling in your own blood. And I said

to you in your blood, in your state of despondency,

hopelessness, loss, and brokenness, I said to

you in that state, live. Somebody say live. I

propose to you that if the world had passed by

in that moment, it would have had a different

message for that baby girl thrown in the open

field. It would have said something like, why

don't you try harder? Religion would have said

something like, prove yourself worthy. Hell would

have said, it's too late for you. But when God

saw that baby, it said, live. Just one word from

God can turn a life around. Just one word from

the Lord can reverse the curse and turn back

the problem in one's life. It can change your

status overnight. I have to tell you, That one

word from God can radically transform your world

as you know it today. Somebody give God some

praise this afternoon. Hallelujah. Is there anybody

who's a witness that it only takes one word from

God? And I'm so glad that we are in the midst

of a God who did not tell us try harder, prove

yourself, or it's too late. But he said, live.

And in that word marks a change, marks hope.

And in that word carries for you and I the promise,

the hope of a love story that no one on the face

of this earth could have ever. dreamed up or

imagined in their life. In that one word, live.

Oh, if I could just preach on that one word today.

Hallelujah. I've got a lot to share, but I could

just preach on that one word, live. Because if

there's one word that'll change somebody's life

today, one word that'll change somebody who's

watching this message today, one word that can

change and go against and contradict everything

that you hear in this world that's screaming

death and murder and violence and pain. If there's

one word One word that the world needs to hear,

lost souls need to hear, hungry hearts need to

hear, broken spirits need to hear is the word

live. So I came to tell you, live. Because if

you're dying, if you're broken, you can walk

out of this place living. That's what love says.

Someone say, that's what love says. Love says

live. It says live and so. God enters this dark

scene and says, live. And it tells us some things

about the way God love works. It tells us something

about the love story of God towards humanity.

The first thing it tells us about it that I want

to impart today is that God loved us. He really

did when we were unlovable. Do you not see yourself

in this story today? Do you not, if you can for

a moment, forget about the price of the clothes

that you are wearing, the type of car that you

drove to church, and what perhaps the latest

season or opportunities that have been. Can you

not for a moment put those things aside and see

yourself in the story as that. As that baby left

in the field with nothing to offer and nothing

to give in an open field, nowhere in the scene

do you hear or read of the baby even crying for

help. Nowhere does she make any effort on her

own accord to be seen or noticed. And yet that

is something that we will. Well, we will say

to one another, you got to do something to get

noticed. You got to get God's attention somehow.

Well, what if I told you that sometimes you're

in no position to get his attention? Sometimes

you don't even know if you want the attention,

if you deserve the attention. Sometimes you can

be in a state so far gone, so broken, so... Caught

up in feelings of being unloved that you don't

know. You have nothing to cry. You run out of

cry. You run out of hope. You run out of tears.

You just, there's nowhere for you to go. She

did not reach for God. The little baby hand didn't

say, you know, pick me over here. She didn't

clean herself up. Oh, here comes God. Let me

go and wash myself and put on my best garment

and comb my hair and brush my teeth and spray

on some perfume. She didn't clean herself up.

God simply passed by and saw her. A soul that

had nothing to offer any. Someone say he saw

her. Come on, say it again. He saw her. You see,

I need to preach just for a moment here. I need

to pause right here and preach a little bit about

the miracle of just being seen. The miracle of

being seen. The miracle of being noticed. You

see, some of you may not realize that it's a

miracle unto itself just to be seen. Just to

be noticed, just to be recognized, just to be

in the view of a holy and majestic and perfect

almighty God, that in itself is a miracle all

on its own. That God... would stop in his tracks

among all that he is doing and all that he is

orchestrating in the world and in the cosmos

and the universe, all of the holiness and the

glory that surrounds him day and night, that

this God Almighty would stop and pay attention

to little old me in my bloody and confused and

miserable state in of itself is a miracle that

I think we ought to give God praise. Pray for

this afternoon. I wonder if there's somebody

here today that can testify to the miracle of

being seen when the world didn't see you, when

even your closest friends and loved ones didn't

see you. There was a God in heaven that saw.

I wonder if there's somebody with the praise

today. I wonder if there's somebody with the

testimony, somebody that can say thank you, Jesus,

because one day you saw. I wasn't looking for

you, but you found me. Come on, you ought to

give God praise for that. You didn't find him.

He found you. You didn't stumble into church.

He ordained your steps, and he saw you. That's

powerful to be seen. In of itself is a miracle.

And sometimes you don't really know. You don't

know the power of this until you've gone through

a season where you have felt overlooked. Invisible.

Misjudged and misunderstood. Some of you know

the pain. I'm talking to somebody right now.

You know the pain of being misjudged, overlooked,

underappreciated, misunderstood. Pre -judge.

You know the pain of having someone judge the

book by the cover and not knowing the contents

of who you really are. But God. did not judge

the book by the cover and see the outside wrapping

of your life and keep walking along on his way

but he saw you God said no I pitied you in verse

5 but you were thrown out into the open field

in other words others had the opportunity to

see you they looked at you but they really didn't

see you have you ever felt like this maybe just

one in here knows the feeling of somebody looking

at you but not actually seeing seeing you. Oh

I don't know if anybody knows what I'm talking

about. People are looking at you but they don't

really see you. They don't really see you. They

don't really understand where you are and who

you are but then God said I passed by you and

I saw you struggling in your own blood. Let me

tell you there is hope if God sees you. There

is hope if God if you catch the eye of God. I've

come to tell you that his eye is on the sparrow.

And if his eye is on the sparrow, I know that

his eye is on you today. Whatever it is that

you're going through, whatever it is you're feeling,

whatever it is you're up against, you need to

know that you have not been lost of the sight

of God. God sees you sitting there today. He

sees every one of those hairs on your head. He

sees every problem, every joy, every victory,

every sadness, every gladness. God sees it all.

There is nothing hidden from him. And yet he

still loves you with an everlasting love. Somebody

say amen today. Thank the Lord. He saw you and

he loved you in your most broken and sinful state.

And this means a few things for us. I could just

camp out in every one of these points, but I'll

briefly touch on it. This implies there are some

powerful implications here. And the first would

be that it means that you cannot earn his love.

You cannot earn it. Someone say, I can't earn

it. The baby did nothing to deserve mercy. She

was seen and loved while still bleeding and naked.

She couldn't pay for it. She couldn't wager for

it. She couldn't do anything to earn. She couldn't

merit it. She couldn't work her way towards it.

She couldn't climb the spiritual corporate ladder

to get notice and to get good favor and to earn

that with. She couldn't do any of these things.

And yet she was loved. This is how God found

us. Sin left us exposed and shame left us uncovered.

But grace did not walk past us. Grace stopped.

And there is nothing you will ever be able to

do to earn God's love. It is a gift. It is a

gift. It is a gift that God gives to anyone whosoever

will receive it. The gift belongs to you. It

is a gift. Someone say, it's a gift. Can't earn

it. Can't buy it. You can show your appreciation

for it. You can. Give in response to it. But

it will never be a payment. It will never amount

to enough to have earned it. You will never be

able to pay whatever the price tag of it is.

Because it is without value. Invaluable. It is

timeless. It is eternal. And there is nothing

that you can do or I can do to earn his love.

And on the flip side. It also means that you

cannot lose his love. Oh, my God. You can't earn

it, can't buy it, and you can't lose it. Nothing

you do will cause you to lose the love of God.

You see, if God loved you in your blood, then

your failures cannot cancel his love in your

life. Somebody needs to hear what I'm saying

today. Your struggle doesn't cancel his love.

Your failure doesn't cancel his love. Somebody

say amen. Your issues do not cancel his love.

God, I want you to understand this today. like

the way he did with that baby in the open field,

took everything about you into account. The blood,

the abandonment, the sin, the shame, the guilt,

the struggle, the iniquity and transgression,

God took all of that into his holy account, and

yet he still loves you. If God can love you at

your worst state, that tells me there is nothing

you ever go through in this life that will ever

make God unlove you. My God, I wish I had a witness.

Somebody here today needs to give God glory and

recognize that there is nothing you can do to

make him love you anymore or love you any less.

Come on, give him some praise. You can't make

him love you more and you can't make him love

you less. He'll love you the way you are. He

loves you at your worst the same way he loves

you at your best. God doesn't love others more

than he loves you or love you more than he loves

others. God doesn't know respecter of people

that way. His love is equal and universal and

available to each and every one of us the same.

God doesn't play favorites like that. His love

is equally distributed to all of us. And to somebody

who is hearing me today, either here or watching

at some point, you need to understand that no

matter what condition your life is, no matter

what mistakes you've made, no matter what society

has labeled and even religious folks have said

about your mistakes and your failures and your

sins, understand this, that God loves you just

the same. How many of you know somebody who needs

to know that and needs to hear that in their

life? Because we are living in a day and age,

we're living in a time where people feel like

they have to get good to get God. That they have

to earn his love and earn their way back into

the church. I'm prophesying, I'm preaching and

declaring right now that there are people that

God wants to fix and heal in here. And there

are people that God wants to bring back who need

to know and understand that God didn't stop loving

you when you backslid. Come on now somebody.

Amen. God didn't stop loving you when you backslid.

He didn't stop loving you. When you rebel, no,

God, look it, a parent loves the good child,

quote, unquote, just as much as he loves the

rebellious child. They're all his children. And

somebody needs to know that even on your worst

day, my God, even when you've done bad, even

when you've messed up, even when you are far

from the will of God, his love for you remains

just as strong now as it did on Calvary 2 ,000

years ago. nothing we can do to lose his love.

He loves us just the same. And because he loves

us just the same, you and I are called to love

one another just the same. Woo, my God. And this

is why as we begin this series, as we go through

step -by -step things that God has placed on

my heart to talk about this important of love.

I'm going to say love matters. We must start

with the love of God. How could we ever love

those that we're called to love, our neighbors,

our brothers, our sisters in Christ? How can

we ever love them until we have first received

the love of God and are living in his love? How

can we ever give something that we ourselves

have not fully accepted and live with and the

knowledge of and in the confidence of day after

day? It starts with the love of God. The second

thing I want you to see about his love is that

God covered us when we could not cover ourselves.

God did more than save the baby. Had he only

saved the baby, dropped her off at a neutral

zone, a drop -off location, and said, here you

go, he would have done enough. He would have

done enough. Anybody would. Get an award for

that if you do something that kind of, something

kind like that. But God went beyond that. He

didn't just save the baby. He raised her. And,

of course, this is speaking prophetically of

Israel, God's people. This is an allegory, but

it also speaks of you and I, the church. He raised

her, adopted her, nourished her, and watched

her grow. invested in her. And when she came

of age, verse 8, God says, indeed, your time

was the time of love. So I spread my wing over

you and covered. Someone say covered. And I covered

your nakedness. And watch this. He said, and

you became naked. The allegory shifts from adoption

language to marriage language. God is saying,

I committed myself to you like a husband. I loved

you with covenantal love, a covenant type of

love. He said, I spread my wings over you. Spreading

the wing is significant and it refers to an ancient

custom. When a man spread the corner of his wing

or his garment over a woman, it was a symbolic

act of marriage. It meant by spreading that wing,

I take responsibility for you. I claim you. I'm

going to protect you. I'm going to provide for

you. If I spread my wing over you, the covering

of my garment, that means I'm going to protect

you. I'm going to cover you with my name. Hallelujah.

I'm going to share with you all that is mine.

And we see this. Lived out in other places in

scripture. The same imagery in the book of Ruth.

When she says to Boaz in Ruth 3 .9. Spread your

wing over your servant. For you are a redeemer.

What was Ruth asking of Boaz? Make me your wife.

Marry me is what she was saying. Come. I want

to come under your covering. He was asking her

to claim her. And to cover her. And this is what

God. did with Israel. And this is what God wants

to do with you and I today, his people in this

hour. He wants to cover us with the wing and

cover us with his garment so that we can come

up under his rule and reign and responsibility

so that his name will cover our life so that

he will take us under his wing, under the wings

of the almighty God so that we can find safety

and shelter from a turbulent world. I don't know

about you, but I want to come under the covering

of God today. I want to come under the covering

of his power today. I want to come under the

covering of his mercy and his grace. Is there

anybody here today that wants to get under that

covering, that wants to come under the wings

of the Almighty God? And this is what Jesus did

for us at Calvary. It is at the cross where Jesus

spread his wings in order to cover our shame

and bring us to a new and everlasting covenant.

Hey, I've come to tell somebody, if you're looking

for cover, you're in the right place at the right

time with the right covering God. Let his love

cover what you could not cover on your own. everyone's

trying to cover themselves in one way or another,

and it goes all the way back to the Garden of

Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. They made tunics

of skin to cover their shame and their nakedness,

but it did not work because your covering is

sufficient or it is insufficient to cover your

shame. You're covering your attempts to masquerade,

cover, and just pretend your efforts to cover

the guilt, to cover the sin, to cover the shame.

your life is not going to work. It is insufficient.

But that's why Jesus or the Lord in the garden

made tunics of skin instead of those leaves that

they made. And he covered them. And this is what

God wants to do with us. He wants to cover us

with his covering that he paid for with his own

life to bring us into that covenant. God wants

to cover. I want to get under that covering today.

covering. I feel the Holy Ghost here today. Somebody

under the set, would you just pray for a moment

right there? Would somebody just close your eyes

for a moment? If you want to lift your hands,

I feel a covering in this place right now. I

feel the wings of the Lord covering. Maybe that's

why there were wings that were stretched across

the Ark of the Covenant. Oh, as a covering. Maybe

that's why the woman with the issue of blood,

she pulled on the edge of his garment. She said,

cover me because if I'm covered under you. I've

got the best insurance that money could possibly

buy. If I get under your coverage, if I get under

your anointing, if I get under your power, if

I get under your name, if I get under your protection,

I know there's nothing that the devil can do

to destroy me. How many of you want protection

from God? If you want protection, if you want

his power, if you want his mercy to cover, then

you've got to get under the covering of God.

You're under that covering. There's no devil

in hell that can tell you otherwise. There's

no demon in hell that can rob you, that can take

away that covering because that covering was

put there by all God himself. He covered her.

Watch what he did next in verse 9. Then he washed

her. my God. Hallelujah. He washed her in water.

He said, then I washed you in water. How many

of you know you got to get washed in the water?

If you haven't been baptized, you got to go down

in the waters and have the name of Jesus declared

over your life. He washed her in water. Yes,

I thoroughly washed off your blood, which is

your past and your sin and your depravity. I

washed it off and I anointed you with oil. This

portrays how Christ washes away our sins. oh

thank you how many of you are glad that your

sins have been washed away come on give God some

praise today Come on, give him some praise. I'm

so glad he washed away my sins and I came up

out of the water. And if you haven't come up

out of the waters yet, you need to get baptized

in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission

of your sins so that your blood and your sins

can be washed away. And not only that, I anointed

you. This is a picture of the anointing of the

Holy Ghost. God is so good. He doesn't just save

us. but he fills us, come on, with the power

of the Holy Spirit. He's sanctified. I'm so glad

today that I'm not just saved, but I'm sanctified.

Anybody sanctified in the house of God? I'm not

just saved from hell, but I'm sanctified. I've

been anointed, come on. I've been filled with

the gift of the Holy Ghost, and I can walk in

that power. I can walk. In that authority he

has washed me and he has sanctified me. This

is God's love story. He said, if you're going

to be my bride, I'm going to make you the best

looking bride there is. And this brings us to

the next point of what he did. And watch in verse

10. He said, and he clothed her. He said, I clothe

you. He said, girl, I'm going to take you shopping.

I got some of you, oh, on board when I said that.

He said, girl, I'm going to take you shopping.

And guess what? I got no credit limit on this

card. I'm going to show you what it is to be

my bride. He said, I clothe her in embroidered

cloth. I'm not taking you to the secondhand store,

okay? Nothing wrong with that. I'm not taking

you to the thrift store. I'm not taking you to

the consignment store. I'm taking you to Nordstrom.

I'm taking you to Bloomingdale's. I'm taking

you to the finest of the finest. I'm going to

deck you out. You're going to look so wonderful.

You're going to look so blessed. You're the bottom.

Some of your shoes are going to have red on them

or whatever it is. You're going to be the talk

of the town, and I will anoint you with ornaments.

I'm going to embellish you. I'm going to put

some bling on you. Hallelujah. You're going to

sparkle when I'm done with you. How many of you

know that this is exactly what will happen when

you submit to the covering of God? You get under

his blood. Come on now, somebody. God has said,

if you're going to represent me in this world,

I'm going to make sure you look better than anybody.

I'm going to bless you in the city. Bless you

in the field. Bless you when you come and when

you go. Clap your hands and give God some praise

today. It is the will of God that you be blessed.

I denounce this poverty theology and gospel that

people preach that to serve the Lord or to be

one of his or to give your life to him is a life

of poverty and a life of sadness and false humility.

That's not the Bible that I preach. That's not

what God shows me in his word. When you get under

his covering, he gives you the best of the best.

That doesn't mean that you're going to be, you

know, dry. in the nicest cars all the time or

be able to buy a yacht. If you do, invite me

on a vacation. It doesn't mean all of that, but

what it means is that when people look at you,

they will know there is something about that

person. I know where they came from. They don't

have enough degrees to earn that house. They

don't have a, ah, come on now. I know where they

did in their past. I know the stuff about them,

and yet there they are sitting in the house of

God. Is there a witness? There's somebody today

that knows that you shouldn't be sitting right

where you are. But God covered you. God blessed

you. You're blessed beyond your level of education.

You're blessed beyond who you know. You're blessed

beyond your knowledge and intellect. Somebody

ought to give God 30 seconds of glory. Somebody

ought to stand up on your feet. Somebody ought

to raise up your hand because you are there because

of how good you are. You're there because of

how good God is. Somebody shout hallelujah. Amen.

I don't know why you're standing up. Pastor,

you told us to stand. Amen. A few more moments,

amen. Trying to get through my introduction here.

Just kidding. Trying to get through this. People

need to know, you hear me, you YouTuber or whoever

is watching Facebook. You hear me what I'm saying

right now. Amen. Don't let nobody tell you that

serving God is punishment. Don't let nobody tell

you that serving God, oh, you're one of those

apostolic. Man, there's so many things they can't

do. I don't want to be a part of that. The devil

is alive. I'm more free now than I've ever been

in my life. Paul said, I can do all things through

Christ who strengthens me. Don't feel sorry for

me. Don't feel sorry for me. I've got the joy

of the Lord. I've got his covering on my life.

Hallelujah. But I'm inviting you. I'm inviting

our friends and our family members to come and

discover what this is all about. It's the best

life. Somebody say amen. Not only that, he crowned

her. Verse 13, you were exceedingly beautiful.

Well, I wonder how she got beautiful. Somebody

made her beautiful. You were exceedingly beautiful

and succeeded to royalty. Some will say there's

more. God said, I'm not only going to bless you

because I love you with an unconditional love.

If you'll get under my covering, if you'll let

me love you and serve me with all your heart,

I'm not only going to bless you, wash you, sanctify

you. Man, my Lord. I'm not only going to promote

you. I'm not only going to establish you and

adorn you with the finest things, but I'm going

to make you royalty. Royalty. I'm going to make

you an heir of God. I'm going to make you as

one of my own. Everything I have in my kingdom

is available to you. I'm going to seat you as

we learn in Ephesians in heavenly places. I don't

know about you, but I'm seated in heavenly places

with Christ. I am not a pauper. I am not a beggar.

Hallelujah. I am a prince. I am a son. You are

a son or a daughter. the king. You are connected.

You are in covenant with the king of kings and

the Lord of lords. But all the beauty, all the

beauty, all the splendor, all the riches, all

her identity was all because of God. And this

is where it takes a painful turn. with me just

a few more moments. This is where it takes a

painful turn. Because then in verse 15, it reads,

God said, but you trusted in your own beauty

and played the harlot. Guess what? The bride

becomes unfaithful. And instead of surrendering

her life in complete and total servitude unto

her king unto the one who made her beautiful.

She takes the riches and the blessings and the

gifts that were given to her to chase other things.

And she chases other lovers who can give her

but a cheap thrill and forgot who made her beautiful.

She wore the blessings. The fancy clothes. The

career that's paying top dollar. The glossy Instagram

reel. The applause and the praise. The recognition,

the acclaim, the clout. The you know who we are

right attitude. She took all of that and forgot

about the blesser. She started thinking that

it was because of her. He started thinking that

it was his good looks, her good looks, her smarts,

her abilities, her talents, her gifts. And she

forgot that she was once that baby left in the

open field. Once that baby that was left to die,

she forgot where she came from. And how it was

that if it had not been the Lord, you got that

education, you got that degree, good. But you

never would have even got past the first grade

had he not snatched you. put you in a place to

succeed. But she got so in love with herself,

she looked in the mirror and said, girl, you

got it. Ain't you something? Complimenting herself.

Feeling good about herself. Now, there's nothing

wrong with feeling good about yourself. Nothing

wrong with having some Self -esteem, confidence.

But the problem comes when, like this girl, God

blesses her. God sanctifies her. Cleans her up.

Turns her life around. Pours love that she's

never seen. Pours grace she's never experienced.

Gives her mercy she's undeserving of. And she

finally gets to a place where she's standing

on her own two feet. She's blessed. She's, you

know. Things are just going in her favor. And

now she's too busy to pray. I got to get to that

meeting. Now she's too good to be with the others.

Now she's too good for correction. Too good for

submission. Too good for obedience. Now she.

It was the Lord, and so she took those things.

Oh, God. God, have mercy. God, forgive me. Oh,

God, forgive me. I deserve any of this. God,

forgive me for taking your blessings and using

them for myself only. Forgive me, God, for receiving

and then never giving back. Forgive me, God,

for thinking of myself higher than I ought to.

Forgive me, God, for taking this gospel, this

doctrine, this truth for granted. Forgive me,

God, for thinking that because I was born into

this and I slept under the pews of my grandparents

and my great -grandparents, that somehow I'm

entitled to this, when really I'm not entitled

to nothing. Taking your love. Because I had a

long night. I'm sorry, God, for every time that

I just turned the other way. When you had called

me to do something. Forgive me, God. But I hear

the word of the Lord saying, don't worry. Because

the thing that God wants you to know, church,

is that God stayed faithful even when you were

unfaithful. God said, never shut up. I feel the

Holy Ghost so powerfully in this place right

now. Oh, I feel the Holy Ghost. I feel the Holy

Ghost. Church, we got to get real with God. Come

on, you're not fooling anybody. You need to get

real with the Lord right now. God said, nevertheless,

I will remember my covenant with you. in the

days of your youth and I will establish an everlasting

covenant with you I'm going to tell you something

right now God is in this place ready to heal,

restore, deliver bless and promote not because

he remembers how faithful you've been but God

made a promise to you come hell or high water

God made a commitment to you regardless of what

season you would be in and how you might go astray

God said I'm still going to be you to come home.

I'm still waiting on you to walk through those

doors. I'm still waiting on you with arms of

mercy and not arms of judgment. Somebody ought

to stand up on your feet today. I'm waiting for

you with arms of blessing, arms of restoration,

arms of grace, not with arms of condemnation,

not with arms of rejection. I'm waiting on you

like I've never waited on you before. I'm waiting

on you to come to an altar. I'm waiting on you

to get right. I'm waiting on you to realize I'm

the one that's been I'm the one that's been wooing

you and reeling you in. I'm the one that's been

trying to get your attention now. You used to

want my attention, but now I want your attention.

I want your love back. I want your worship back.

I want your devotion back. I worship thee. I

want you to get back to those tears. I want you

to let those tears roll down your face the way

they used to when you remember where I brought

you from. Somebody needs to come. Somebody needs

to respond to the Holy Ghost today. This altar

is not for perfect people. This altar is not

for the best people. This altar is not for flawless

people. you again and he wants to cover you again

and he wants to heal you again and he wants to

lace you up again. Is there somebody here today

that says I've got to get to that altar. I've

got to throw my worship on him. I've got to throw

my love on him. I've got to thank him for saving

me. I've got to thank him for sanctifying me.