Gratitude | Pastor Dave Kinney

To all of those at the Ramsey Unit as well as the Plain State Correctional Facilities and all of our first-time guests here, church, help me welcome one time.

Everyone joining with us.

Hey, we love you.

We are absolutely honored that you are a part of our church.

And church, if you have a Bible, I'm gonna ask you to open it up to Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

Romans chapter 8 is where we're gonna be today.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

And I've got a question for you.

Have you ever been stuck in the middle?

In the middle, in between your two siblings on a long road trip, feeling squished with no room?

Have you ever been in the middle of a recipe and now you're beginning to doubt if it's gonna turn out the way that it's supposed to or not?

Hashtag Thanksgiving.

Have you ever been in the middle of a project that you sign yourself up for, and now you're really doubting your ability to execute the next phase of that project?

By the way, that one is me when it comes to replacing light fixtures in my house.

It's shocking.

Got it.

Now you get it right there.

What about this?

Have you ever been in the middle of a doctor's appointment?

You're waiting for test results, waiting for biopsy results.

And you know that it's gonna have a dramatic impact on your life.

Have you ever been in the middle of a conversation with a loved one and had the thought come across your mind that this very well may be the last conversation that you have with that person?

Have you ever been in the middle of a job hunt?

Interview after interview after interview leads you to believe that you are not hirable.

You lose confidence in yourself.

I have two kids.

Actually, I have another kid on the way coming early next year, kidney number three, alright?

So, Walker Levi, my four-year-old, he's about to be in the middle of two siblings.

So y'all be praying for Walker, okay?

He'll be totally fine.

As long as he has snacks, that boy is good, alright?

But I got two boys, and my boys love doing Legos.

And what happens is they go to the store, they go down the Lego aisle, and they look at all of the boxes and all the pictures on the front of the box.

And what it represents to them is this is the promise of what they could build.

And so they take their Christmas money or birthday money or whatever it is, and they look at all the promises on the front of all the boxes, and they decide which one that they want to build.

A couple months ago, Walker had his birthday and he got his very own Lego set, and he was really excited to do it all by himself.

And so one night he sat down and he started doing it, and it kind of started to get late.

He wasn't going as quickly as you know he should.

But he he was getting late.

It was to his bedtime, and I said, All right, buddy, we got to press pause and go to bed.

And he did not like that.

And the reason why is because he was in the middle of that Lego build.

In the middle.

See, what was in front of him in that moment did not look like what was promised on the box.

And he was in the middle.

Romans chapter 8, as we continue in our on the way sermon series, helps us come face to face with what it means for us to be in the middle, starting in verse 18.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

It says, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

For the creation waits for with longing, eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption, and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

For in this hope we were saved.

Now hope that is seen is not hope.

For who hopes in what he sees?

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

For we don't know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed into the image of his son, in order that he might be firstborn among many brothers.

And those whom he predestined, he also called, and those who he called, he also justified, and those who he justified, he also glorified.

We are in the middle.

In the middle of the book of Romans, chapter 8 of sixteen total chapters.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

And we are even in the middle of Romans chapter 8 itself, the chapter that is said to be the greatest chapter in the entire Bible.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

The chapter that starts with, There is now therefore no condemnation for man, and ends with there is no separation from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

And we are in the middle.

Verses 18 through 30 really paint the picture that we are stuck in the middle of the already but not yet.

The finished, but still in progress.

The truth that we are outstretched for something while being pulled back by our right now.

And verse 28 offers something so important that it's one of the most well-known verses in the entire Bible.

But it's also incredibly misunderstood.

See, verse 28 isn't just like any other verse, but if you're a Christian, verse 28 is a promise to you.

And we know that all things, for those who love God, work together for those who are called according to his purpose.

That sounds really good, doesn't it?

That all things are gonna work out if you love God the right way, or if you love God the right amount, that all things work together for good.

I was with at lunch with David Dover, who leads our finances here at United City, and he ordered a cob salad, and then he asked for extra beets on the side of that salad.

And I've never eaten a beet in my life, nor have I ever known somebody that's ordered a beat in public.

So I looked at him like pretty confused, and I was like, What are you doing?

And he was like, Oh man, they're so good.

And I was like, okay.

And the next week I was at a restaurant and I said, Hey, I'm gonna get a salad.

Do you guys have beets here?

And they were like, Yeah, and I was like, All right, I love David Dover, I'll give it a go.

And I tried one, and they are very not good.

It's not okay that he doesn't.

How many people in this room like beets?

Oh my word.

A lot of sin floating around this room right now.

Y'all gotta get right with Miss Carrie, you gotta get right with Jesus, alright?

That's a problem.

I mean, beets are just it's a root.

How could you like beets?

It's a root.

They're yellow and red and maroon, and there's beets by Dre, and none of them are any good, okay?

So the problem with beets are they don't taste good, but Dover told me they taste really good.

That proves my point, doesn't it?

That good is subjective at best.

And good absolutely depends on the one offering up the definition.

All things work together for the good of those who love Christ, who are called according to his purpose.

So, what is good?

Read the very next verse.

We get God's definition for what good is.

Verse 29 says this for those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be what?

Conformed into the image of His Son.

That is what good is according to God.

That is what good is according to the Bible.

So here we are, and we've got this promise that all things are going to work out together for the good of those who love God.

We have a promise, right?

Verse 28 represents the promise that we have been given.

But we also know that we're in the middle.

In the middle of the already, but not yet.

And so we are in the process that leads to the promise.

See, the reason that Walker didn't like it whenever I told him it's time to go to bed is because he knew the promise and he didn't like being in the process of the promise.

It's harder to see things up close to personally whenever you're in the process.

It's harder to see the promise.

I believe that this text specifically teaches three keys to living in the middle, which is where we are, in the middle of the process that leads to the promise.

The first is this that you need to have perspective.

You need to have perspective.

Verse 18 makes two things very clear.

One, there will be suffering.

And two, that suffering is outweighed by the glory that is coming.

We are in the middle.

The language used in our Bible actually says that the present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that is coming.

And the idea, the imagery used in the Bible, in the original language, is that of a counterbalance scale.

Y'all know what that is?

And on this side of the scale, you've got all the hurt and the brokenness and the pain and difficulty and loss, cancer, miscarriage, brokenness.

And on this side, you've got the weight of the coming glory, the weight of the kingdom of God, all of eternity, heaven, and it, and this is the words used in the Bible, in the original language, that the second that this is placed onto that scale, it so dramatically shifts weight that all of these things, all of the hurt, all of the brokenness, all of the pain that has existed throughout all of history can be combined and not even add up to a measurable amount of weight compared to the coming glory of Jesus Christ.

And verses 20, 19 through 22 actually go further.

It says that even creation itself is waiting for the glory of God.

And see, we can actually see that taking place.

Hurricanes, storms, natural disasters, extinctions, humidity.

Come on, Houston.

Mosquitoes.

Come on, Houston, let's go.

Mosquitoes.

Y'all didn't tell me about those before I moved here.

They're around.

But go with me down this thought for a second.

Go back to Genesis chapter 1.

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

What happened when God created the world?

God created the light and he separated the light from the darkness, and he saw that it was.

Come on, 11 o'clock, do better.

And then he created the earth and the waters, and he saw that it was and then the vegetation and the growth, and he saw that it was and then the sun, the moon, the stars, fish, animals, and man, and he saw that it was all very good.

Defined by God as very good.

And then Genesis 3.

Sin enters into the world, and it's because of that sin that God said that the ground itself, that all of the earth, is now broken, and that thorn and thistle will well up from the earth, that the perfect creation is no longer perfect.

And then Romans chapter 8, verse 20 even says that creation was subjected to futility, which means that creation no longer operates in the way that it was originally designed to operate.

Romans 8:20

It's the idea of trying to drill in a screw by using a tennis racket.

That's what your Bible is saying here, and that all of creation in the beginning was made to glorify God, and instead, because of the brokenness of sin, we know that creation is groaning because it's operating outside of its original design.

So could it be that what was good as defined by God in the beginning then became broken?

And now we have this coming promise in Romans chapter 8 that he is going to work things together again to be good again, could directly apply to your and my life.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

That even though we have pain and suffering and brokenness, that God is still God and He has a promise over your life if you are in Christ, that He is going to work those things together for your good, because God knows something that we oftentimes overlook, that you can't fix what isn't broken.

We are broken.

My question for you is this if God in the beginning can take nothing, it's creation, can take nothing and create something that was good, don't you believe that he can take what's broken in your life and create something that's good that could benefit his kingdom?

You need to have perspective.

The perspective when you're a believer in Jesus Christ, it calls you above yourself.

He doesn't operate within our perspective, he invites us into a higher perspective.

Not to have an earthly perspective, because that's temporary.

Our present sufferings, they're not forever.

He invites us into having an eternal perspective.

And so this world is not your home.

This world is a short time.

It's a blip on the radar.

It only exists for a finite amount of time compared to eternity.

Think about it like this.

You would never change the oil in your rental car, would you?

Would you ever check into a hotel room for two days, realize you don't like the carpet, hire a crew to come remove the carpet and play hardwood floors down?

No.

Why?

It's not your home.

It's not yours.

You're only there for a short amount of time.

Now, this does not mean that your pain and your suffering doesn't hurt and that it's not difficult.

But if you've given your life to Jesus, then it does mean that you have a choice to either focus on your present sufferings or focus on God, who is above them and can use them.

Perspective can help you see that your present sufferings, they're actually evidence of God doing a work in your life to conform you into the image of his son.

I've heard it like this that the only good thing about bad things, if you're a Christian, is that they make you long for heaven and that they should make you live for heaven.

That's what that is.

And trust me, I feel the tension.

I have so much turmoil within me saying these words out loud.

And I know hearing them isn't easy either because someone in this room is probably going through real suffering.

And it's a struggle and it's difficult, and you don't know why it's happening, and you're probably just thinking to yourself, like, yeah, Dave, that all sounds good.

Good preacher talk, but that's not real.

That's not my life.

I I can't see a way in which God could possibly use this.

Look at verses 24 and 25.

It says, it's in this hope that we're saved.

Now, hope that is seen?

That's not hope.

For who hopes in what he sees?

If we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Don't trust what you see.

God is moving, God is working.

There is a promise over your life.

There is a promise that God has given to the believer, that he is going to, he is committed to.

Working things together for good to conform those into the image of his son.

And yes, we are in the middle.

And the middle seems a little bit chaotic at times.

And the middle can be really tough, and you don't understand everything that's going on in the middle, but we're in the middle.

And what these verses are saying is even though we're in the middle, we're not in the middle without hope.

That we can have hope while we're in the middle, looking ahead to the coming promise.

We are in the middle.

God calls us to have a higher perspective.

Don't trust, don't hope in the things that you see.

The second thing that you need to live in the middle is humility.

Humility.

Paul wrote the book of Romans, and you can see thematic changes throughout this entire book.

For instance, chapter 7 talks so constantly about me and I.

And why do I do the things that I don't want to do?

And while I want to, it's all about me.

It's all about the things I can do.

And then you turn the page into chapter 8, and it's not at all about what I can do.

But instead, the Holy Spirit is mentioned 19 times.

The Holy Spirit is mentioned 19 times in 39 verses.

You know what that should lead us to believe?

That you can't do it on your own.

That God never meant for you to do it on your own.

You were never meant to navigate in the middle by yourself.

Verse 26 is so clear that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.

That even when we don't know what or how to pray, the Holy Spirit helps us.

I really do believe this that one of the greatest dangers for the believer, for the Christian, is that they have become so intimidated or challenged, or maybe it's something with the upbringing and the Holy Spirit and all of those things.

They have this box that they've set, the Holy Spirit of God inside, and so now they're just kind of forever uncomfortable with the concept of the Holy Spirit moving and guiding in their lives, that they're actually going to miss out on the power that the Holy Spirit is meant to provide.

Don't trust me.

What did Jesus say about the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 1?

Acts 1 · chapter mention

That when you receive the Holy Spirit, you will receive his power.

And that's incredibly important for you and I.

See, pride can blind us like nothing else.

Pride will deter you, disorient you, distract you, and convince you that you don't need the Holy Spirit of God.

Pride will cause you to flex your own spiritual six-pack and talk about how much Bible reading that you're doing and how much scripture you have memorized and all the good things that you do and how you serve and how you give, and all of those things are all things that you feel like God wants from you.

But in the reality, those are all things that you can do on your own.

But God sent the Holy Spirit of God down to earth so that we could receive and experience his power, not our own power.

That is the command toward the Holy Spirit in our lives.

See, humility says that I know that God has a plan for me.

I know he has a purpose and a will for my life, to be conformed into the image of his son and apart from the Holy Spirit of God, doing a work in my life on a daily basis.

I will never see that.

Whether your day is overwhelming or overwhelmingly routine, whether your circumstances are chaotic or completely under control, whether your life is falling apart or your life is falling right into place.

You need the Holy Spirit in your life.

And in order to experience the power of God moving through you, you have to have humility.

You have to humble your own definition of what good is because you and I are not capable of defining good itself.

And you have to humble yourself under the power of the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, direct, and fulfill your promise.

That is what the Bible is saying here.

See, humility is absolutely vital to living in the middle.

And it actually promises that we would have two things, that the Holy Spirit of God provides two things.

Provides us hope, and that you don't have to depend on yourself.

That it's not all on you.

What a relief.

And it also provides help.

The Holy Spirit is interceding on our behalf.

The Holy Spirit of God is going to bat for you to God in heaven.

My old pastor used to say this all the time, and it messed me up every time he said it.

But God is looking down on you from heaven.

And because of the finished work of the cross, and because of the intercessory power of the Holy Spirit, he no longer sees you, but he sees you through a different lens.

And that lens is way better than the first lens.

Because he doesn't see your sin and your brokenness and your deceit and your dysfunctionality and all of those things.

Instead, he sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ and the intercessory work of the Holy Spirit.

There's power in humility.

If you're a believer in the room, if you don't hear me say anything else, hear me say this.

Humble yourself before God.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

Because God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.

Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and at the right time he will lift you up.

God in heaven crowns those who clothe themselves in humility with victory.

You have to have humility.

Not only do you need to live a life of a higher perspective, you also have to live a life of humility.

See, while we're in the middle, we are challenged to have a higher perspective.

And perspective oftentimes is distance, right?

And we're also called to have humility, believing that God's promise is true and that the process by which They're at the store and they're all excited because they've got their Christmas money and all that stuff and whatever.

And what they're doing is they're they're looking at all the boxes and they know that every box represents a promise.

And their assumption is that you can complete anything that is on the front of this box based on the promise that the box is making.

This box represents a promise to them.

And when they go check out, they see it and they're giving their money.

They're trusting that whenever everything that they need to fulfill this promise is inside of the box.

They're trusting that it's 3,955 pieces in order to make this happen, and that all 3,955 are in this box.

Not 3,954, but all of them are in this box.

And then they get home, and this might just be my kids, but probably not.

They'll kind of start putting it together and they'll get about halfway or a little bit of the way through, and they'll just get frustrated.

And it's as a dad, it's the most hilarious thing ever.

For them, not so much.

But they're frustrated because they're they're thinking like these pieces don't match this.

Because why do I have all these pieces?

That's not what it looks like.

And oh wait, now I'm getting toward the end of it, and I have all these extra pieces.

What do I do with that?

Or they get toward the end and they have not enough pieces and they realize that they messed something up along the way.

And and dad, I think I lost a piece.

Where is that piece at?

And as a dad, you know, your response is great, and you just say, Well, you opened the box like a gorilla.

So that's a little bit, that's kind of on you.

You need to figure it out.

But what they're doing is while they're in the middle of this process, they're they're looking, and it's not adding up to the promise.

It's not adding up to what they see, it's not adding up to the front of the box.

And so what happens in their little hearts is that they begin to doubt the process.

And they're looking at all of the pieces and they're doubting the process, which inevitably will lead to them doubting the promise.

If there's something missing, and I'm not going to be able to complete that anymore because there's something missing from the process.

And they start looking and they get stressed and they're doubting the process, and and they're doubting the promise.

And how often is that true of our relationship with God?

That you and I we're we're so immersed in the process and we see that we we know that there's a promise that he's gonna work things together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose, and we will be conformed into the image of his son.

However, we're so consumed with all of the suffering and all the pain and all of the negative stuff that is going on in our lives, and all the junk and the seat and the brokenness and all of these things that we become so fixated on that.

We become so fixated on our own pain and our own suffering that we forget that God is still in control of this piece of my story too.

And that God has a promise for this piece of my story.

And in reality, we become so focused on this, and and it hurts, and and I understand it's real and it is painful.

And God, why am I having to deal with this?

No one else is having to deal with this.

God, why did you take that person away from me?

God, why weren't we able to have kids?

God, why?

Why am I lost?

Why is this going on in my life?

And and we become so focused on everything that represents our pain and our suffering and our turmoil and our brokenness and our disappointment.

Meanwhile, God will fulfill his promise and work that piece together to fulfill the promise that he originally said to conform us into the image of what he had told us he would do in the very beginning.

That's the promise over your life that if you are a believer in Christ Jesus, he is gonna take your pain, he is gonna take your suffering, he is gonna take your hurt, he is gonna take your brokenness, and he is going to work it together in such a way where you look back and he's gonna take that pain and he's gonna work it towards something, and you'll take a step back and you'll realize I don't even know where that pain got worked in, but all I see is the fulfillment of the promise of God in my life.

We doubt the promise.

And we can we can doubt the promise, we doubt the God of the promise.

You have to trust while you're in the middle.

Even when you're in the middle and you've got all these pieces, and you don't understand.

I don't understand how all these are supposed to work together to fulfill this promise.

But God knows from the end, from the beginning.

And I have to choose to trust.

We also know something else, right?

That a promise is only as good as the one who makes it.

Right?

It's not a Christian thing, that's just a person thing.

A promise is only as good as the one who makes it.

Am I right?

I don't know if you caught the last word that I read in verse 30.

It was glorified.

And that verse talks about those who he foreknew have been called, and those who have been called have been justified, and those who have been justified have been glorified.

But that hadn't happened yet, has it?

That hadn't happened in your life, has it?

Because we're in the middle.

And so why would the Bible say that it's finished whenever it's not finished, and we can't see that?

It's because it's God's promise.

And God chose his words very, very carefully.

And he says, it's as good as done.

I do know the end from the beginning, and I know how I'm gonna get there.

And I know exactly how I'm going to work all things together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.

I know how I'm gonna conform you into the image of my Son.

God is the only one who can talk about a future event in the past tense.

You and I can't do that.

It's his promise, and it's only as good as the one who makes it.

And God knows something about how to take something that was meant for bad and turn it for good.

You need evidence.

Look at the cross of Jesus Christ.

Where Jesus, who uh was not a good man, he was a perfect man, and he was sent down from heaven to this earth, and he he bled, and at the cross, he was ridiculed and rejected and betrayed and beaten and bloodied, and and he was being prepared for execution.

Go back to Genesis 3, and then what happens?

He he took the brokenness of us on us with our sins, and then he took the brokenness of the world upon him.

Thorn and thistle will rise up from the earth.

And Jesus, when he went to the cross, was wearing a crown of thorns that represented all of the brokenness of this world, and he took it upon himself, and he died on the cross, and for three days he was buried in a tomb.

And on the third day, he rose from the dead.

He wasn't asleep and then woke up, he was dead and then became alive.

And he says in his word that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you believe it in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved.

So God knows a little something about taking what was meant for bad.

The cross itself, a symbol of brutality and execution and public humiliation.

And you know what that cross means to me?

It means it's my hope, it's my mercy, it's my grace, it's the love of God over my life, even when I did not deserve it.

It is all hope that I could ever ask for on this side of heaven.

It is God who did not want to have a heaven without me.

It is God doing everything that was necessary for me to have right standing with him in heaven.

I did nothing to deserve heaven and everything to deserve hell, and yet Jesus, because of the cross, bridged the gap, crossed the divide for me to have hope that doesn't just sit here on this earth but last throughout all of eternity.

That's my cross.

What was meant for bad works for my good.

You gotta trust.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe, trust, if you trust in your heart that Jesus really did raise from the dead, you will be saved.

And this promise will be over your life too.

You know, the only way to get this promise that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose, whether it be on this side of eternity or in eternity, is that you profess Jesus as Lord.

You believe it in your heart.

So this morning, if you want that promise over your life, all I can tell you is give your life to Jesus.

Humble yourself.

Humble what you think you know about Christianity, humble what you think you know about your relationship with God.

Allow your perspective to be changed, not from earthly to but to eternal.

And give your life to Him.

If that's you today, and you would say, Dave, you know what?

Um I want that promise over my life.

You know, I don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, but I'd like one.

I don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, but I'd like to talk to somebody about that.

You know, Dave, I've never experienced what you've experienced.

Of God just changing every single thing about me for his good and for his glory.

I don't have that.

I'll tell you everything you need to know to get it.

Place your faith and your trust and your hope in Jesus.

Today, if you'd like to give your life to Jesus, I just want you to I just want to ask you to make eye contact with me.

You don't have to raise your hand or anything like that.

Just look up and find my eyes a little bit.

Oh, that's awesome, man.

You mean that this morning?

Praise God.

You mean that?

Hey, that's a big deal, man.

It's awesome.

I'm proud of you.

Thanks for being bold.

Back there, you mean that?

Yeah, I see you.

You mean that?

Dude, that's amazing.

Wow.

You mean that right there?

Yeah, praise God.

You mean that?

You want to give your life to Jesus today?

Wow.

It's awesome, man.

The greatest decision you ever make.

About right here in the middle.

Just make eye contact with me.

Just find my eyes.

Today, I've got some suffering.

I'm hurting.

Today I want to give my life to Jesus.

You mean that?

You want to give your life to Christ?

It's awesome.

You mean that?

It's a big deal.

I'm proud of you.

Be bold.

You mean that?

Back there?

You want to give your life to Jesus?

Never done it before, don't really know what it's about.

You want to talk to somebody about it?

It's awesome.

Praise God.

About this side over here.

Just make eye contact with me.

Today I want to give my life to Jesus.

You mean that?

Back in the back.

Are you looking at me?

It's awesome.

Proud of you.

Is the person right next to you looking at me too?

Praise God.

It's awesome.

I see you back there.

Hey, if that's you, I'm not trying to be a weirdo.

Um, I've just been where you are.

And if I could go back, I would have made a bigger deal about talking to somebody about it.

And so if you just made eye contact with me, just all of you who made eye contact with me, look up one more time.

Just find my eyes.

Jesus did something bold for you.

And I just, I'm just trusting that he's doing something bold in your life right now, and I'm gonna call you to do something bold.

So if that's you, I just want you to stand up right now.

Get bold.

Praise God.

Back there, you mean it?

Praise God.

Middle section.

You just stand up if you want to give your life to Jesus.

That's awesome.

Time to be bold.

Want to give your life to Christ today?

Not trying to be a weirdo.

This side over here, awesome.

Praise God.

Hey, if that's you, I want you to, if you're standing up, I just want you to go to someone on our team right now.

We're gonna pray with you.

Okay, we want to pray with you this morning.

Please go find somebody.

I'm not I'm not trying to make this super weird or draw it out too much or anything like that, but if you're nervous, a couple of you are nervous, and that's okay, grab the hand of the person you're sitting next to and just say, let's just go talk to that person.

Anybody else?

Alright, if you're here today and and you would just say, Dave, simply, I've just got a little bit of suffering going on in my life, and it's tough, and I I'm not having a good time with it, but I'm suffering.

Will you just raise your hand?

I'm gonna pray over you here in just a minute.

Hands everywhere.

Just keep it up.

You got some suffering going on in your life.

I see you, I see you, I see you, I see you.

Hey, God is the God who wants to meet you in the middle.

He just is, he loves you.

And if that if that was you, just had your hand raised, all the people that are standing up at the front of this room, um they they are called to pray for you.

So this is what they do.

So I if if you need prayer today, I just want you to go ahead and stand up.

And you can come down forward.

We're gonna we're all gonna stand here in just a minute and worship for a little bit.

Lastly, if you're a Christian in the room, you've given your life to Jesus, I want you to look at me.

Alright.

We have the message of hope for the world.

And there's a lot of people, I just watched it happen.

There's a lot of people around us in this room and a lot outside of this room that are suffering.

And they're in the middle.

And I know we're in the middle too, but we're in the middle with hope and they're in the middle without it.

And so, could it be that God would want you to go and be the hope in the middle for them?

To tell them about Jesus.

According to the Bible, it's not optional, it's a calling over our lives.

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus, we're so thankful for who you are and God, who you've called us to be.

I thank you so much for those who stood up and gave their lives to you just a couple minutes ago.

I pray for every person in this room that's currently walking through suffering.

God, I pray in the name of Jesus that they would find you.

God, I pray that even as they are in the middle, they would look to you.

God, for those that looked up at me but maybe felt uncomfortable to stand up and all of that.

I pray that you would give them boldness now.

God, as we start singing, that they would walk forward and just tell somebody, I want I want to give my life to Jesus.

God, thank you for meeting us in the middle.

Thank you for doing for us what we could never do for ourselves.

We're so thankful for you.

We're grateful for you.

God, I pray that you would move in power.

I pray that we would humble ourselves before your Holy Spirit.

That God, if you are moving in us, that we would be humble enough to receive it.

God, thank you for your grace, your love, and your mercy.

Thank you for the cross that symbolizes so much more.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

Church, let's stand up.

We're gonna sing a song.

What an incredible message.

Hey, if you made a decision today to give your life to Jesus, we'd love to know about it.

We'd love to celebrate with you.

We'd even love to pray with you.

And so if you made that decision, would you text next to 55498?

And someone from our team would love to follow up with you.

In the meantime, I would love to pray with you even right now as God continues to do things in your heart.

And so, Jesus, we love you so much.

We say thank you for the truth of your word.

Thank you for uh still showing up in people's lives, still doing all the things you can do.

Jesus, I bring you continue with your hearts and your lives.

Bring peace to mind.

It's been so funny.

We'd love you to follow up on YouTube.

We'd love to be the end personal.

All right, right back to you.