The Cost is a Joy To Me | Pastor Adrian Vega | Overflow Church

Amen.

Amen.

Can we give him some glory this morning?

Can we give him some glory this morning?

Man, you guys can say hi to a few people that are around you this morning.

Amen and amen.

Man, excited to be in the room today.

Man, as we were just in that time of worship, you know, I was I jotted this down, and man, this is a scripture that I heard, and this is why we give him worship.

You know, in Jude 1.24 it says, now to him who is able to keep you.

Man, tell your neighbor, keep you.

He's here to keep you.

Go ahead, say it.

He's here to keep you from stumbling and from falling.

That's what he's here to do.

He's here to keep you from stumbling and to keep you from falling.

How many know we serve a faithful God today?

Amen.

Can we get an amen this morning?

All right, man.

Am I on the right church today?

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I got you, Frankie.

I see you.

We're together.

Well, guys, good morning today, man.

I'm excited to be in the room today.

Uh, are you guys excited to be in the room today?

Hey, let's act like we're excited today, okay?

Let's act like it.

Amen.

Well, if you're here today and you're visiting maybe for the first time, we're glad that you're here.

Man, I truly believe that finding a home church is challenging.

Uh, but what I pray is that you feel the presence of God today, you feel his love, his peace, and know today that your family in the room.

Amen.

Man, I typically like to start with the best thing I heard this week.

And uh man, I always feel like every week I hear so many different things that that man just inspire me or challenge me, but but something that really caught my attention uh this this week was uh man, this excerpt in something I was listening to, but it says, uh, man, it takes time to catch cold on fire.

Have you ever have you ever tried to do like a little, like a, like a charcoal fire, right?

Not propane, right?

I know the propane, like just click it on, okay?

And it just fires immediately, right?

Uh, but if you ever try to do a coal fire, anybody ever try to do a cold fire here?

Okay, thank you.

I got some people that let's keep it real, okay?

We ain't always have propane.

Uh, I'll tell you what, the other day I thought I got uh probably maybe like a month or two ago, it was around 4th of July.

I was like, you know what, we're gonna do like a some a charcoal fire, you know?

And and I was like, oh, this is gonna be easy, you know.

So I got all the brick cats, man.

I, you know, you gotta put the little, you know, like the little, you know, the the gas, right, to get it going.

Uh it's so I man, I'm I'm soaking it up.

I'm like, man, we're gonna get this thing right right away.

And man, I lit that thing up and it was like a bomb.

Uh, right, all these flames.

Uh, and immediately uh it went up and then it just kind of went away.

I'm like, yo, what just and so I threw some more gas on this thing, and I'm like, yo, this thing is it takes forever to get going.

But but what I can tell you about a coal fire, and what they were talking about was, man, when you get that coal fire going, man, it releases an aroma.

Right?

It's a little bit different, right?

If you ever cooked on on charcoal, man, it just is different.

It leaves an aroma, it gives off an aroma that fills the room.

And what the speaker was saying was this, man, we should be like the coals that are set on fire together.

That when we're in the room together, there's an aroma that we let off.

And that aroma is a pure heart, it's holiness, it's righteousness, man.

That people can, man, when they get in the room, they just man, they can feel something's different.

Amen.

But then he said, Man, it's something about a coal fire, though.

Man, when you see all the burquettes, they're burning, you know, the the the ones that that aren't on fire, they start turning gray.

You know, they're not on fire, but they're close enough, but they're not burning.

You know, sometimes what we have is a lot of people that are in church and they they become like the gray coal.

Like they're close enough to the fire, but they're not on fire.

And the challenge was, hey man, uh, let's not be the gray coal, man.

Let's let's get where the fire is at.

Let's get close enough where we catch on fire.

Amen.

I don't know about you guys, I want to be on fire.

Amen.

Man, we're gonna get on this and we're gonna pray uh this morning before we get into the word.

Lord God, we thank you this morning uh for your word.

We thank you today that your presence is in the room today.

And I pray today that you give us ears to hear.

Uh Lord God, your word today.

I pray right now, Lord God, that uh let your word mark us today, let your word change us and transform us, let your word meet us today in our circumstance, in our situation.

I pray that this word is a seeking word that would find us.

If not today, find us tomorrow or sometime this week.

Let this word hit us today where we need it today.

I pray, Lord God, that I would simply be a vessel and a vehicle that you could work through, Lord God.

Not my words, but your words today.

We thank you today, Lord God.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Let's go.

Uh man, I was thinking about today's word, and and it was actually funny.

We we had a chance to kind of get together as a team uh a couple days ago, and and it just so happened, uh, my boy Macho over there was like, man, I want to watch some Toy Story 3, right?

So we put some Toy Story 3 for my boy, right?

And and and it was funny because we went and we were like in a different room, and at some point when we wrapped up, the the movie was still going, and I kind of stepped into a scene of the movie.

You guys know Toy Story, right?

Don't act like you ain't never seen a Toy Story, okay?

You guys know Toy Story?

Okay, okay.

Marco's like, I don't I don't do Toy Story.

Okay, I see you.

I don't you gotta do girls.

Uh anyways, uh so anyways, in the in the premise of Toy Story 3, uh, right, you know, the the toys are uh in this moment, it's kind of toward the end, and uh they're they've fallen into the and this is the one with like the lotso hugging bear, okay?

So you got episode uh Toy Story Three, Toy Story Three, uh to give you some context, right?

So they're in this incinerator, and they're trying to, they're they're fighting for their lives, right?

Uh you guys know the scene I'm talking about, okay?

They're like on this thing and they're like, yo, we gotta get out of here, and they're trying to find a way out, and they're working together, and then the bad guy in this, right?

The lasso hugging bear, he gets stuck, but they go out of their way, they save this dude.

Uh, and then they're still trying to get out, right?

Uh, and and and how many know, have you ever been in those spaces where I mean you're just trying to find your way out of something?

You're you're struggling, but somehow you just can't get off of the track that you're on.

And in the and then the scene, I'm watching this scene.

You know, God talks to me through movies, guys.

Okay, and and and and in the scene, I just see uh this conveyor belt, and these guys are struggling.

And at some point, you know, the bad guy's like, hey man, we gotta push that button up there, and he's like, help me, and and they they get the the bear on this little ladder, he goes to the top, and he looks at them down below, and he's like, good luck, and leaves them.

And right there, I just think that sometimes we we put our faith in the wrong things, we put our faith in the things that aren't really serving us, that were never for us.

But we we keep giving it a chance, right?

We keep right, and then he kept giving this guy a chance, and this guy just left them high and dry.

And this point, like they they get into the point where they're about to fall into this incinerator.

And I love this because at some point they stop the struggle and they just link arms and they say, you know what, I don't know what's gonna happen, but we're gonna do it together.

And all of a sudden, but I say all of a sudden, this giant claw comes down and pulls them out.

See, they they they they didn't know what was gonna happen next.

But man, they I'm sure, and granted, it's a cartoon, but I'm sure the writer was believing something was gonna happen when they wrote this thing, right?

Uh, but the idea for us is understanding, hey, sometimes we get in those spaces where there's nothing left for us to try to do.

And at some point, it's about closing our eyes and saying, Man, God, I've exhausted all that I can do and I need you.

Amen.

And in the story that I want to talk to you guys about today is found in Acts.

Uh, and I love it, it's called the Acts of the Apostles.

It's not just Acts, it's Acts of the Apostles.

Why it's it's telling them, hey, what did they do?

What were they seeing after Jesus' resurrection?

What was the move of the church?

And and I love this part of the scripture I'm gonna share with you guys, and it's in again Acts chapter 16, verse 26, and I'm reading from the New Living Translation, but it says, suddenly, everybody say suddenly, everybody say suddenly there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations, all the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off.

Acts 16:26

And I love this scripture, right?

I I've talked about this scripture so many different times.

Suddenly, I believe so many of us have romanticized this part of the scripture.

This instantaneous moves of God, the now God moments.

Everyone wants a suddenly.

This quick and this all of a sudden.

Have you ever prayed that, man?

God, I need a suddenly moment.

I mean, come on now.

You ain't been in church if you ain't pretended at some point.

God, I need a suddenly moment, okay?

Let's keep it real today.

We pray, God, meet me in a suddenly moment.

Can I tell you guys?

You can't pray for a suddenly moment.

You produce a suddenly moment.

You can't pray for a suddenly moment, you produce a suddenly moment.

And maybe you're going through it, and maybe the battle you're fighting today is very real, and the chains that are weighing you down are real heavy.

Have you ever been in those moments?

I'll tell you what, man, I've been in those moments where, man, I feel like, man, I don't know how we're gonna get through this.

Man, there's there's some days, some weeks, man, that I'm like, man, God, like I know you're working, but could you work a little quicker?

Have you said that before?

Okay.

I gotta make sure I'm in the right room because everybody looks like, no, I got it right.

I got it all together.

I mean, if you got it all together, please, man.

Talk to me, please.

But what I'm sure is, man, we don't always got it all together.

What I know is sometimes, man, we have more questions than there are answers.

And we're praying and believing, man, God, could you meet me in a suddenly?

And sometimes we look at suddenly on the on the watch and we're like, man, like, man, if you can hit by five, that would be real good today, Jesus.

Because maybe, you know, the battle you're fighting is it is real today, and and the things that you're doing and and you're going through, man, you can feel it.

But can I give you a secret today?

Everybody want a secret?

Who wants a secret today?

Can I tell you what, Paul and Silas, they never prayed for us suddenly?

They never prayed, man, Jesus, meet us.

God, we need you to show up in this situation.

We need you to show up in this circumstance.

That wasn't what they prayed.

See, they didn't concern themselves with an outcome, they didn't pray for an outcome at all.

But what they did was produce one.

See, what they did was produce an outcome.

They weren't praying or believing for one, but what they did in that moment, and we're gonna break down that scripture a little bit, produced something that was unexpected.

What they did provoked a move of heaven.

Many of you simply know that Paul and Silas, they were in jail, and we know they were in jail, and suddenly, and that's that's a story for us.

And then suddenly something happened, and we get the ooh, man, God, I want that.

You know, we always want that, the end of the story.

We want the good part of the story.

Everybody likes to go to the end, like, man, I don't want to know how they got there, but talk to me what happened at the end because I want the end part.

How many of us how many know you want the end part?

Everybody wants it, man.

I don't want to get through the hard parts.

I don't want that part.

I want the end part.

And that's where I feel like, man, sometimes we just over-romanticize this idea of suddenly.

And I believe that God wants to move in and through your life.

I believe that God wants to show up for you.

But can I tell you what?

These guys didn't just end up in jail.

Tell your neighbor they were on assignment.

Tell your neighbor they were on assignment.

Paul and Silas were in Philippi in Macedonia preaching the gospel.

So they didn't just show up in a random place, they were on an assignment.

They were doing a work.

They were believing, hey man, God, you're about to do something in this territory, and God, if you can use somebody, you can use us.

And we're gonna pick this up in Acts chapter 16, verse 16 and 17.

Acts 16:16

It says, one day.

Everybody say one day.

As we were going down to the place of prayer.

I love that expression going down.

Why?

Because prayer is always about submission.

Prayer is about man, uh, a posture that you take in, and that language is so important.

It says they weren't going down to a place of prayer.

It says we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future.

She earned a lot of money from her masters by telling fortunes.

Verse 17.

She followed Paul and the rest of us.

And when I say the rest of us, what does that mean?

At some point in this journey, Paul and Silas are ministering, they're preaching, they're talking to people.

So, who is the rest of us?

It's the people that say, Man, this sounds good.

I like this.

I don't know what they're talking about, but man, I want to keep listening.

So, what happens is Paul and Silas are moving in it and they're attracting a crowd behind them.

And this young lady shouting begins to speak and says, These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.

And in one context, you can look at it and say, What's bad about that?

But it wasn't like, oh man, they're here to tell you how to get saved.

It was a mocking, ah, they're here to tell you how to get like, oh, like this ain't even a truth.

And and and this lady is following them and just mocking the work of God.

How many know sometimes you're gonna meet people when you're on assignment and they're not gonna be for you?

Can I tell you there's people that are always gonna come to interrupt you when you're trying to do something right?

How many know, like every time you're trying to do the right thing, there's always an interruption?

Every time you're like, well, you know what, man?

I'm I'm this is the this is it.

This is that, this is that Sunday.

I'm locking in, and I'm getting here every Sunday from today to the rest of the year.

Can I tell you what, man, next Saturday?

Somebody come.

Something's gonna happen.

There's a distraction, there's something that's gonna come to deter you.

Why?

Because just like these men that were on assignment, man, something came as an interruption.

This girl was working, and it was, and it says that there was a spirit.

Can I tell you it was an evil spirit that was at work?

And there are people that come on assignment to disrupt you.

And the sad thing is, can I tell you, sometimes it's the people you know?

It's not the stranger, it's the people you know.

Because you know, I I I you know, it's I would say it's like an unfortunate truth that man, sometimes when you're trying to do right things, man, there's just people that that don't want to see you succeed for some reason.

Like that, they're like they're for you, but they're for you as long as we're together down here.

But the moment you start moving and the moment you start changing, the moment things that they're they're finding ways.

Oh, you see, I told you that doesn't work.

Man, I told you, don't do that thing.

Why are you doing that?

Man, why are you believing for that thing?

And can I tell you those are the subtle whispers that the enemy uses to pull you down, to mock you.

We gotta begin to discern, man, who's in your circle?

Who's really for you, who's moving you forward, who's pushing you forward?

Now, I don't know about you guys, but I wanted the right people behind me.

I want the right people that are championing me on.

Amen.

In verse 18, it says, uh, this went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, I command you in the name of Jesus to come out of her.

And instantly it left her.

Come on now, let's talk.

We're some power right there.

How long will you go being okay with harassment?

Man, to your assignment.

Man, how long are you gonna stay with the people that keep trying to bring you down?

How long are you gonna allow the people that are surrounding you to keep being that negative voice in your life?

And then this is what this represents is this lady was day after day.

They would wake up and this lady would just show up.

And and and the question is, man, how long will you be on assignment and or trying to do the right things?

And how long will you are gonna continue to allow the people around you to keep pulling you down, to keep being the distraction?

Can I give you a tip?

I'll tell you what, guys, everyone here has the power to stop harassment.

Amen.

Why you can stand in your authority.

We are people under authority, and we are people with authority.

We are people with authority.

Tell your neighbor, I got some authority.

But say it nice, like don't say it like you I'm gonna let you know how it goes.

But what, man, we're people with authority, and let me show you what this means in Luke chapter 10, verse 19 and 20, in the amplified version, and I just added the scripture so it would not be up there.

Luke 10:19

Uh Luke chapter 10, verse 19 and 20, it says, listen carefully.

Luke 10:19

I have given you authority.

Everybody say authority, authority, everybody say authority that you now possess.

When do I have when do I possess it?

Now, everybody say I got authority now.

But say like you don't say like I got authority now.

Like say with conviction, I got authority now.

There we go.

To tread on serpents and scorpions and the ability to exercise that authority.

And that authority gives me all power over the enemy.

And nothing, everybody say nothing, nothing will harm you.

Verse 20 says, Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, meaning, hey man, that's that's authority that I've given you.

Meaning, what, man?

I can I can speak to my situations, I can speak in authority to what I'm going through and say, man, in the name of Jesus, man, I believe you're gonna turn this thing around.

That's authority, amen.

But understand that authority.

But I love this because in verse 20, Jesus says, Hey man, that's powerful, and I've given you this authority.

Why?

Because I have authority and I extend this authority to you, but man, let's not get excited about that.

It says, Don't rejoice at this, but rejoice at or rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.

What is he saying?

Hey man, I've given you authority over your situation.

You're not subject to what you're going through.

You have authority to speak to your situation.

What happens?

Well, we come into every situation, we come into circumstances victimized.

Oh man, Lord, I'm going through it today.

Jesus, help me.

And it's how we approach it every day.

Oh man, God.

Man, it's a rough one, Jesus.

But here he says, Man, you've given, I've given you authority.

So what does that mean?

When we get up in the morning and we begin to pray, you know how I exercise that authority?

I say, man, today in the name of Jesus.

You know, the word of God says that we can command our day.

Man, God, I speak today.

I'm gonna I'm gonna find blessing today.

Man, I begin to speak.

What am I doing?

I'm speaking with authority over my day, over my circumstances, over my situation.

I'm believing today, man, God, you know what?

I don't know what I don't care what happened yesterday, but today what I believe is I'm gonna find open doors.

Today, what I'm gonna find is favor today.

Man, God, I command my day.

I speak with authority.

Everybody say authority, we got authority.

So, in that same authority, Paul begins to say, you know what?

I'm tired of this.

How many are getting tired of some things in life?

What are you saying to it?

Because the moment he got tired, he said, Man, I'm tired of listening to this girl.

And I don't know how old, I mean, it says she was a girl, but I don't know.

She could have been an older lady, I don't know.

But it said he got tired.

And he immediately, at some point, like, you know what?

I'm done.

I'm done.

And he rebuked that spirit out of her, and you know what?

Man, she got liberated.

How many know sometimes man you be speaking to things and it just stirs some stuff up?

When you begin to believe for stuff, man, it just stirs some stuff up.

God, sometimes I believe for stuff and and and then like I end up in some crazy stuff.

I'm like, God, like I'm I'm, you know, we're on the same team, Jesus.

Like I'm I'm like I'm I'm part of the you know, I'm I'm you know, I'm not saying I'm a starting five, but you know, I'm I'm on the time, I'm uh you know, I'm coming first off the bench at least.

Like I'm on your team.

But how many sometimes you're doing right things, but hard things happen.

How many know you can be doing right things?

But hard things happen.

And that's what I want to speak to today.

Man, sometimes we're trying to do right things, but that doesn't exclude us from the hard moments of life.

And what happens, man?

Paul, who's out there on assignment, remember what I said on assignment?

He's on an assignment.

He's working.

He's like, man, God, I'm out here trying to do your work.

I'm Jesus, I'm doing all the things that you told me to do.

And this girl come up on me, and immediately he begins to rebuke the spirit off her life.

He said, Okay, man, I got some peace now.

But how many know the moment he began to exercise authority, some stuff got stirred up?

And in Acts 16, verse 29, one, we're gonna we're gonna uh uh fast forward a little bit uh in the story because the the people that that her it says that her masters, man, they got upset because they're like, yo, that's my cash cow.

Acts 16:29

Like she was making money for us, and now she can't do what she was doing.

Why?

Because she got set free.

And in verse 21, it says, like, they they they they got the police.

I mean, we get the police involved, it's always not a good situation.

Anyways, so so they reach out and it says in verse 21, they're teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.

They're trying to get them in trouble.

In verse 22, a mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods.

Number 23.

They were severely beaten.

Remember, I say severely beaten.

But say with conviction.

Severely beaten.

And then they were thrown into prison.

The jailer was ordered to take them and make sure they did not escape.

So the jailer put them in the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in stocks from hero to zero.

Just like that.

You guys heard that song.

Come on, you don't know.

But what happens in this moment?

Man, you got Paul and Silas, man, they're doing the work of God.

Man, God is moving in a powerful way.

People are starting to follow them and they're leaning in and they're listening.

But how many know?

Just as quickly as they lean and listen, man, they become the mob that will tear you down.

They will be the same mob that will tear you down because it says here, man, a mob began to form.

If they did it to Jesus, why wouldn't they do it to Paul and Silas?

Because the same God, this the same people that began to throw the palm branches and say, Hosanna, Hosanna, what does that mean?

Save us, Lord, save us, Lord, are the same people that said, crucify him a couple days later.

So here we are, Paul and Silas on assignment.

Everybody say on assignment.

But what happened?

A bad thing happened.

I I feel like it's fair to say when you get stripped and beaten by wooden rods, it's that severely beaten.

It wasn't like you know, pop out like, you know.

They got beat.

And some of these depictions, they got beat within inches of their life and thrown in prison.

But everybody say, man, but they were doing good things.

Man, but didn't God send them?

Guys, hard things happen.

Challenging things happen in life.

But these don't, these things don't come to dismay us, these things don't come to pull us away.

These these things don't come to to, you know, sometimes we say, oh man, well, God must not be in this because it's not easy.

I don't know in the Bible, has anyone ever found the scripture, but I have yet to see it?

That it was gonna be easy.

Have you guys seen that scripture yet?

No, I haven't either.

And I've read the Bible a couple times already.

And different versions too.

I mean, like, I'm not just like different versions.

And no version I have found that said this was going to be easy.

But somehow we get we get complex when we we confront challenges in life.

We get complex when, like, oh God, but this is not easy.

Ma'am, God, why am I running into so many challenges?

But God, I'm doing good things, ma'am, but God, I'm serving, but man, God, I'm doing this or I'm doing that.

And hard things come.

And how do I know that hard things come because they happen to everyone else?

Ask Joseph.

We talked about Joseph a couple weeks ago.

And what happened to Joseph?

Man, he had a dream.

God ministered, spoke to him.

He told his brothers, man, again, I thought about this a couple weeks ago.

Man, be careful who you're telling stuff to.

And what happened?

His brothers sold him into slavery.

They threw him in a pit.

I don't know about you guys, but that don't sound good.

None of it.

I mean, throw me in the pit, I'm already out.

Like, yo, God, what happened?

He got thrown in jail at some point.

Ask Moses.

His life was no easier.

At some point, man, late in his life, God calls him, and everything that God asked him to do was hard.

Everybody say hard.

David, hard.

God said, Man, I'm anointing you king.

And then the actual king was pursuing him for years, trying to kill my man.

Everybody say hard.

And I tell you what, David didn't ask to be king.

He was anointed king.

God chose him.

That's the thing.

As God comes out, he chooses us.

He chooses us, he sees you.

He sees you and he's chosen you.

He's marked your life.

And there's an assignment.

And just like David, there was an assignment on his life.

And if that doesn't qualify anything, look at Jesus.

I can fairly say his was not easy either.

So when we look at all of these things, what I see is people that have gone from challenge to challenge, hard things to hard things, but they were doing the right things.

I mean, unless that's your testimony, please share that one because I want to hear that story.

But I don't think so.

What happened in this moment?

That same group is the ones that are against them now.

The people receive them in one moment, shift the next.

Somehow we get surprised when the people you think that are for you instantly are against you.

So let's recap where we are in this.

So we got two guys, Paul and Silas.

They're on assignment.

Check.

Man, they're being used by God.

Check.

Then they're standing in their authority.

Check.

Why?

Because not only are people, how do I know how does authority work?

Man, not only are they influencing people, why?

Because people start coming.

Man, he began to speak, he set this girl free.

Authority.

But somehow all of these good things lead them to a moment where they're stripped and beaten within an inch of their life.

I don't know if we want to check that, but it happened.

That wasn't part of like the bingo card.

I always say when stuff starts going wrong, I'm like, man, who's playing Jumanji out there?

Because it's not working out for me.

Because sometimes, man, life just throws things at you.

And in this moment, now these guys end up in jail.

I don't think they were there for prison ministry, I'll tell you what.

But you know what?

No one is exempt of the hard.

So, what does this become?

For many people, this becomes a derailer of your faith.

For some people, man, these challenges come and you're like, oh, that I'm done.

I'm out.

I mean, granted, you get stripped and beaten.

I mean, you it's tough to be like, no, God, you you here with me.

No, it's hard.

When the challenges of life come, it's hard sometimes to stand in faith.

But, you know, I I said this time and time again, man, but when you when you're truly pursuing God at some point, I feel like this in my life personally, man.

At some point, man, I'm so far out in the have you been like out in the ocean?

Or okay, let's say, have you ever seen a movie where someone is out in the ocean?

And if you look around, you're like, yo, I don't see nothing.

It all looks the same.

Blue everywhere I go.

So where do I go?

See, sometimes I feel like when you're pursuing, when you're truly pursuing God at some point, you get so far that I don't, there's nowhere else to go, God.

You're it.

In my life, I'm just like, hey God, I you're it.

I mean, I got nowhere else to go.

That's why some of us, man, we're we're trying to pursue God, but we say, okay, God, but I'm only gonna go this far because I can still see the sand.

Oh God, I only want to go this far, God, because you know, I'm I still want to be close enough to my friends and oh man, God, but I want to still feel like I'm in control of my life.

So I want to stay close enough to the sand, close enough to the shore.

And God is saying, hey, man, but I want you to come a little bit further out.

You gotta trust me.

You gotta trust me.

And sometimes, man, we we we're like, oh no, I want to be in control, but man, sometimes what being in control may look like is the undercurrent that you didn't know was coming begins to pull you and pull you.

And before you know, because you're like, oh man, I'm good, I'm in control, I know what's going on.

And you've been in the beach before.

I hope you've been in the beach before.

If not, please go to the beach.

Uh you know, we're in Florida.

But you know, you're what happens?

You you look up and you look like, hey, where are we?

You know, I've been there where like you're just like, oh man, we're I'm doing all the things, we're having fun, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

And at some point you're like, Where is that?

And then I just start looking at like buildings.

I think that's the hotel down there.

Have you ever been there?

Why?

Because the currents of life will pull you away too.

But God invites us, no, but if you go deeper, man, let me take you, let me pull you out.

And at some point, and they're living this life where Paul and Silas, man, they're so far out, it's only Jesus.

So we pick up the story in Acts 16, 25, and in verse 25 it says, around midnight.

Everybody say around midnight.

Everybody say around midnight.

Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.

And this sounds so powerful.

I quoted this scripture many a times myself.

But you know, I was thinking about this as I was reading through this, as we were I was preparing for this message, and and I began to think about, I think for the first time ever, man, it says around midnight, but but how many hours were they in there?

Man, it says that they were beaten, thrown in the deep, deep part of the prison.

Their feet were shackled together.

And I'm thinking, well, I mean, was it early in the day?

And I and I said, man, what if what if they got like stripped and beaten like around four o'clock?

Man, they were in there for about eight hours, nine hours.

Now think about that.

At midnight.

So, whatever time they got in there, what happened from the time they got in there to around midnight?

What I believe is the same same things that we experience today.

At some point, they were in there, and I don't know, man.

I've never been beaten with an inch in my life, but I'm sure they were hurting.

They were tired.

I'm sure at some point there was there were questions.

They're questioning themselves.

Man, God, did you did you did you really want us to be here?

And why do I say that?

Because before they got to Macedonia, if you go a little bit further back in in Acts, it says that they would they try to go to two other places, and the spirit said, No, don't go there and don't go there, go here.

God, you sent me here.

Think about that.

God, you sent me to this.

Maybe that's our one.

I'm sure.

I mean, the only time I can talk about beatings, I mean, my my my dad, you know, he was not afraid of using the belt out there.

He did not spare the rod.

So I've been in, I've been in a couple beatings out there, and I'll tell you what, it was it was definitely some tears.

So here they are, hour after hour, contemplating, wondering.

It doesn't say that they were talking, it doesn't say anything.

I'm sure they were just like, God, where are you in this?

You know, sometimes we find ourselves in these hours.

God, I don't understand.

Why is this so hard?

Man, God, but you you told me to come here.

God, you told me to do this.

Why is this so hard?

Man, God, why am I so challenged?

Why is this happening to me?

Why is this?

That's a great question we ask ourselves all the time.

And we ask the Lord, man, God, why me?

And at that same time, you see everyone else, they're like winning.

And you look on social media and you see every highlight reel.

Like you're going through it, and they're like, you know, on a cruise, and they're like, oh man, best life, best time ever.

And you're going through it.

I mean, that's not their testimony because they're just in prison.

It's dark, I'm sure it's dingy.

This ain't like our kind of prison.

This is like bricks and probably some hay on the floor.

I don't know, probably really dirty.

And they're just on these cold stones and they're just wondering why, God.

Hour after hour after hour.

For us, sometimes it's day after day, maybe it's week after week.

We're in these moments of contemplation.

We're in these moments of like, man, God, I don't understand it.

God, why are we going through this?

I've been in these moments.

Where I'm like, man, God, like, man, I feel like we did this right thing, and man, God, but you said to do this and we did it, but I'm not, I don't see it.

Have you ever been there where you just don't see it?

And you're looking.

I mean, how many know when you're like going through, you looking?

Like, God, give me a sign, like any sign.

I mean, I'll take like a billboard, whatever you want to use today, God.

I I will use it.

But God, what what's going on?

Hours they spent.

But at some point, hours later.

Tell your neighbor at some point.

Tell your neighbor at some point.

In the middle of the heart, in the middle of the pain, in the middle of the questions, they shifted their attention.

They shifted their eyes, they shifted their mindset.

And maybe, yeah, they were they were feeling broken, deflated, defeated, not seen, forgotten.

Have you guys ever felt those things?

Let's take a poll right now.

Have you ever felt broken before?

I'm gonna keep my red, because I've been I've been in all these.

Have you ever felt deflated before?

Have you ever felt defeated before?

Have you ever felt not seen before?

Have you ever felt forgotten before?

Okay, you're in the right room today.

And what what is the response for other people?

Not not here, you guys are very holy people, I can tell.

About other people in other churches.

The immediate response is what?

Man, I need a break.

Man, I I gotta do something else.

I need a vacation.

I need to pull away.

I need, I need, I need.

What I need to do is this, right?

Fill in the blank.

And that's what happens in a lot of instances.

We we we we begin to shift our course, but our shifting of the course is we begin to take our eyes off of him and say, no, well, I need to do something different because this is gonna fix my problem.

Or this is the solution.

Man, I remember not too long ago I was talking to somebody, and I was like, Man, you know, you know, I I want to I want to connect in prayer on these different things, and and and and and my thoughts are like, man, they're going through some different challenges, and so my my eyes are always like, hey man, we don't have any answers, we gotta go to where the answers are.

Amen.

And there and the response was, oh well, I'm gonna go, and I got these other things kind of planned, and I'm gonna hope, you know, maybe like some good vibes.

And in mind, I was like, brother, I don't think good vibes are gonna help you.

But that becomes the answer.

But it's not an answer.

Tell your neighbor it's just a band-aid.

Tell your neighbor it's just a band-aid.

And we put these band-aids and we pretend like, oh, this is the I'm okay now.

I'm okay.

But what happens is these aren't even like good band-aids, right?

Have you heard like the other day I put some band-aids on?

I'm like, where do we get these band-aids?

Like some dollar store situation, like I put it on like 20 minutes later, it fell off.

I'm like, what?

But these are the band-aids that we put on in our life.

Oh, this is the answer.

But you know what?

Yeah, oh, I'm gonna go party for like two days, but you know what?

When I get back, I'm deeper than I was before.

It's harder than it was before.

That was not what I needed.

I felt more lost than I did before.

Because we operate from what I need.

But in this moment, Paul and Silas were not in the I need.

They shifted in the midst of their hard situation when the testing came.

We're gonna read this again in verse 25.

Everybody say around midnight.

Paul and Silas began to pray.

And they began to sing hymns to God.

And it just so happened as they're doing that, there's other prisoners that were listening.

How many know sometimes you might be praying and you might start believing and you might start building up a little bit of hope around you, but you don't know who's around you.

That are being imprisoned by their challenges, that are imprisoned by what they're going through.

And there's something about the joy that's on your life that they begin to say, Man, what are you doing?

Like, man, I remember I this one quick testimony I give you.

I remember one time I this is when I was a much younger, I mean, I'm I'm I'm only like 20 something.

But anyways, uh much younger, but at some point I'm going through it.

Life is life, and and I'll tell you what, in in hindsight, yeah, man, I had it.

I mean, I if I can think of anything that could go wrong, it was really going wrong.

But man, inside of me, there was just a joy and a peace.

Like, I don't know what I'm gonna do.

Amen, but but God's got me.

And I remember literally a friend of mine's he came over to my house, and and just to give you a little bit of context, like I totaled my car, like I mean, it was like multiple things piled all at one time.

How many have that be happened?

Where like all the things happened, because it never just happened spread apart.

It always all happened together, like it's all waiting.

Like, hey, you in today?

I'm in today.

You in today?

Okay, okay, let's jack up his life today.

Okay, I got some, I got I'm in the right room.

And it all piled in one shot.

And I was just in in peace.

I don't even know how I was in, I mean, I know how, it was just God.

And and my friend walks to the door, he he's he's like, yo, man, what's what's going on?

Like, what are you gonna do?

And I said, I'll be honest with you, I have no idea, but man, I believe that God is gonna help me through this situation.

And he's like, God, what are you talking about?

I said, Man, God's got a plan.

And I don't have every answer right now, but you know what?

I'm gonna believe that God is going to show me the answer.

And we had an exchange.

Can I tell you that night?

I didn't know that I was talking to a prisoner, but I was talking to a prisoner, and that night.

He went home.

And he says that at some point in a midnight hour, I'm sure it was late.

But he said, Man, I began to walk up my steps.

He got a two-story house, and he says, God, I don't know.

The God that my friend Adrian knows, but I want to know that God.

And literally, this guy has an encounter with Jesus in his house that day.

And his life is, I mean, radically transformed.

And that's not, that has nothing to do with me.

That simply means, man, at some point I chose, hey, I'm going to pray.

I'm going to just worship a little bit.

I'm going to believe God is going to show up.

But there's other prisoners that are listening, that are watching, that see how you respond to the hard things you're going through.

And what happens, man, at some point, Paul and Silas shifted.

Shifted their eyes to the Lord.

Hard places should always lead you back to Him.

And in that moment, they weren't looking for an outcome.

The scripture doesn't say they began to pray and intercede for a miracle.

It doesn't say that they began to pray and declare for a suddenly.

No, it says they just began to pray.

In the midst of their situation.

Why?

Because in that moment they just wanted to be close to him.

They say, Man, God, I don't know what's going on, but man, I gotta believe you're still good today.

And I could hear Paul maybe in his little corner and say, Man, God, I worship you today in this place.

God, I thank you because you see us even right now.

You're with us even right now.

God, man, I believe that you're you're working in this.

And I got Silas on the other side, and he's praying.

And he says, Man, yes, Lord.

Man, I believe that your kingdom is meeting us right here in this place.

Let this become, man, the place of prayer that we were trying to go to earlier this week.

Man, turn this jail into a place of worship.

And they're just communing with God.

They were not there looking for an outcome, they weren't looking for a miracle, they were just simply seeking the presence of God.

Everybody say, Amen.

Every wound is worth it today.

I'm sure that's what they were thinking in their mind.

Like, man, God, it's all worth it today.

Every step of faith that we've taken is worth it today.

Thank you, God, that we that we got to be used by you.

You see the outcomes.

And they're just praying.

And they're drawing close to the Father.

And they begin to, and it says that they begin to sing hymns.

And I don't know what kind of hymns they were singing back in them days.

But I was reminded, and we, you know, it was funny because we sang that song that we sang a little bit earlier today, last week, and it was just that song was just ruminating in the house all week.

At some point, Pastor Michelle was kind of hymning it along the way, and and at some point I'm catching it a little bit, and uh Gata's singing a little bit, Alana is singing a little bit, and everybody knows you start singing a song, and at some point someone else starts singing it.

He said, Who put that song in my head?

That's it, was like going around, like it was like the flute, like we just giving it to each other.

And we and the song was The Cost is a joy to me.

The cost is a joy to me.

And I think this just fits so beautifully because I'm sure Paul and Silas, who were sent by God on a mission, were met right here in a jail cell that they did not expect to be in.

They were beaten to inches of their life, they did not plan to be here.

Man, they were they were shackled in this lower part of the prison, they did not plan to be there.

But at some point, in the midst of their prayers, at some point in the midst of just trying to connect with God, they began to worship.

And I could just imagine, man, God, the cost is a joy to me.

Whatever I've gained, I counted, all lost.

The cost is a joy to me.

It's not just a portion.

Take all that I've got.

The cost is a joy to me.

And if I just have Jesus, I've got it all.

The cost is a joy to me.

For the joy set before him, he took the cross.

Oh, the cost is a joy to me.

And I can just imagine them singing this song.

The cost is a joy to me.

I'm not gonna sing it for you guys.

I'm gonna mess with the flow.

The cost is a joy to me there, and they're just worshiping in their jail cell.

And I can I can hear them, man.

God, man, the joy set before him.

Man, you took the cross.

That's the hard part.

He took the cross.

That was the hard part.

Man, this cost, man, is a joy to me.

The hard things that I travail, man, that cost is a joy to me.

I don't know, man.

Sometimes I always say we forget where we started at, but I'll tell you what, man, man, I never forget where I started at.

Man, I was an empty guy, man.

I needed something, and nothing can fill the void of my life.

And the moment he filled my life, man, every day I say, God, the cost is a joy to me.

Man, God, this is hard this week, but the cost is a joy to me.

Why?

Because you took the cross, you really paid the price.

So, whatever I do, man, this cost is a joy to me.

And they're singing this song, and what happens is something begins to brew in the jail.

Because they weren't alone.

And I can imagine just the people that are on the other side of these walls.

Maybe the ones that were across from them.

That maybe have been there for a long time.

But they're hearing this.

And they're like, man, how can these guys find joy in this moment?

I mean, these are the aren't those, man.

I'm hearing something.

Are those the two guys that just came in here beaten a couple hours ago?

What are they singing?

What are they saying?

You see, God moved not because they were expecting a miracle.

God moved because they moved God's heart.

Let me say that again.

God didn't move because they were expecting a miracle.

God moved because they moved God's heart.

Man, how many know?

Man, sometimes we're in hard spaces, and all we got to do is begin to lift up our voice and begin to cry out to Jesus, and that's all he's waiting for.

That's all he's been waiting for.

And then he's gonna be like, Man, oh now you now you're getting it.

Man, now you and I literally say this all the time, man.

God, I I provoke a move from heaven, God.

Well, I want I want to pray in such a way that I I want to entice him to show up for me.

And that's what they were doing.

They just began to worship him, began to praise him.

And and man, there's these moments that man, you gotta find yourself maybe in your car when it's hard.

And you just put on some worship music.

And man, I'll tell you what, man, a lot of people must think I'm crazy on the street.

Sometimes I'll be driving and I got one hand on the wheel, one hand lifted up, one eye open, the other eye closed.

And I'm like, God, I don't know how I'm gonna get where I'm going, but I'm gonna get there, God.

But I'm gonna I'm not gonna stop my worship in the middle.

Why, man?

Because I know the cost is a joy to me.

What I know is that God is speaking, God is moving.

And in this moment, man, their pursuit of him shifted the room, it shifted the circumstances, it shifted the perspective, it shifted their faith, it shifted their pain.

I don't know what you guys are believing for, but as we're closing out this morning, man, I don't know what you're going through, I don't know what you've been through.

But I think it's simply about taking these moments in the middle of pain, in the middle of the heart, in the middle of moments that we felt, or maybe before you're feeling this today, feeling defeated, and just raising up your voice.

And and sometimes it is a prayer, and sometimes it's prayer, and sometimes it's worship, and sometimes it's it's just doing that on repeat, and sometimes the answer is simply every day.

I gotta show up, and every day I choose to worship you, I choose to cry out your name, I choose man to speak over my situations.

I don't forget that I got authority, I don't forget that you're not that you're with me in every day and every moment, God, and and begin to pray and worship.

Today, we can I want to just invite you guys to stand to your feet.

I just invite you guys to close your eyes for a moment.

Let's lift up our hands today.

Remember, I said a little earlier today, man, when we lift up our hands, it's simply a response of surrender.

When we lift up our hands, it's simply saying, Man, God, I need you in my heart, I need you in in these moments of defeat, I need you in these moments where I've been so challenged.

I don't have the answers to give, I don't know what to do.

Man, when I wrote this word, I know it's for somebody today.

And let's pray right now in the name of Jesus.

Let's believe that God is wanting to shift things in your life, beginning to, he wants to shift some things in your heart today.

Man, God wants to set you free today of the things that are holding you down.

Because, man, out of this prayer, out of these moments of worship, what the unexpected thing was was where we started this morning.

It was the suddenly, again, the suddenly wasn't prayed for, the suddenly was produced.

And what I want to do is help you produce suddenly in your life.

Let's stop praying for a suddenly moment and let's start producing the suddenly moments.

Well, how do we produce a suddenly moment?

Man, just lift up your mouth and lift up your voice and begin to declare the name of Jesus over your situation.

Begin to declare today.

I don't know what you're going through, I don't know what you're believing for, but what I can tell you is the moment you lift up your head and begin to open up your mouth and begin to cry out the name of Jesus, you immediately begin to spark something to happen in the midst of you.

God wants to meet you where you are today.

Can I tell you it's it's time to step into that moment where you take your authority?

And can I tell you, sometimes it's about warfare, and warfare is not always about uh you shouting in some kind of intense prayer.

Sometimes your warfare is simply worship.

Sometimes your warfare is worship, sometimes it's cranking of that music and just saying, God, I choose to worship you today.

Maybe your warfare today is forgiveness, and you've been holding grudges, and God is saying, Man, just give forgiveness, release forgiveness.

That's your warfare today.

Maybe your warfare today is giving a tithe, maybe it's giving and surrendering your finances.

That might be warfare to you today.

Maybe your warfare today is simply thanking God, giving him glory today.

Man, sometimes we're going through it and we withhold glory, we withhold thanks, we withhold why?

Because we we have like this grudge like God did something.

But how many know God was setting up Paul and Silas for a miracle that they didn't know was about to happen?

And how do I know it's so important?

Because we're still talking about it today.

Man, that when you're going through it, all you have to do is cry out his name, and you can produce a suddenly moment.

I'm not looking for them, I want to produce them, I want to produce them, I want to pray and believe, and I want to shake the heavens, and I want to move God in such a way that man, he begins to break things off my life, he begins to break things off of you, he begins to shift your situation, he begins to open up doors that you thought were closed, and you can then say, God, the cost was a joy to me.

The cost was a joy to me right now in the name of Jesus.

I begin to declare over this room, Lord God.

Today, Lord God, that you're meeting people where they are.

Maybe that is you today, and I want to invite you.

I want to pray with you up here today.

Maybe today, you're like, man, God, man, I gotta do something, I gotta shift something.

God, I want to pray something different, I want to believe different.

Man, if that's you, I want to invite you here because man, I want to believe that God is gonna meet you in this space this morning.

I would say, don't think, just do.

Don't think, just do.

Man, today, Lord God, I'm believing, Lord God.

You're showing up in power today, you're showing up in might today, Lord God.

I begin to declare today over this room today, Lord God, that you're healing, that you're renewing today, Lord God, that you're setting captives free today.

Lord God, that suddenly set captives free and set prisoners free today, Lord God.

Those that were in bondage were set free in that very hour today, God.

And I pray in this hour you would meet us in the same hour and in the same authority today, Lord God.

We declare your word today, we declare your truth today, God.

I thank you today because you're in the room today, God, and this room is where change happens, Lord God.

Maybe you're in the room today, you're like, man, I don't know the Jesus that this pastor's talking about.

Or maybe you're like, man, God, I just keep walking away and I keep walking away.

Man, but God, I want to get it right this time.

Then I want to invite you all to pray this prayer with me.

Jesus says in Luke 9, 23, if anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself.

Following Jesus begins with surrender, it begins with a decision.

In Romans 10, 13, it says, Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

I want you guys to repeat with me today, Father God.

I come to you.

Repeat, I come to you in Jesus' name.

I confess my sin.

I need your grace.

I believe Jesus died for me and rose again.

Forgive me, make me new, be Lord of my life.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.