Latest / Koinonia Christian Center / The Cost of Covenant | Bishop Rosie S. O’neal

Transcript

The Cost of Covenant | Bishop Rosie S. O’neal · Koinonia Christian Center

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Listen, get your Bibles. We're going
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into the word of God today. Are you
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ready for it? All right. And even though
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the Bible is big, I may still have to
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use my glasses, but when I tell you, do
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not laugh at me. Um because again, Yes.
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Right. I love you, baby. You got to get
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on. All right. Hold it up. Look at that
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thing. Na says big as a cereal box. Say,
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"This is my Bible. This is my Bible. It
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is God's word. It is God's word. It
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reveals to me. It reveals to me God's
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will. God's will. Therefore, therefore,
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it is the final authority. It is a to
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which I submit to which I submit to
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settle all the issues settle all the
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issues of my life of my life. It is the
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standard the standard of my conduct of
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my conduct and the basis the basis of
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all my expectations of all my
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expectations. Shout it out. I am I am
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what it says I am. It says I am. I
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possess I possess what it says I
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possess. It says I possess and I can do.
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I can do absolutely everything.
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Absolutely everything it says I can do.
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It says I can do. Turn and tell your
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neighbor. I know that's right. Yes,
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indeed. Come on, E church, let's do
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this. I want to call your attention
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today, and I am not really totally sure
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of the sermon subject title, but I am
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sure that it's a word from the Lord.
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Um to Matthew chapter
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14 and I will just kind of talk you
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through it. Is that okay?
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Um
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yeah, I'm going to talk you through it.
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That time Herod the tetrarch heard about
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the fame of Jesus and his guilt got to
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him. He said this got to be John the
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Baptist risen and he's showing these
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mighty works because Herod was the one
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that laid hold on John bound him put him
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in prison for Herodious sakes but goes
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on to tell it cuz John said y'all in
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Matthew 14:4 I forgot to tell you. Can
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y'all take the red off that background?
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Red is a beautiful color on people, but
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it irritates me. And I must be a bull or
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something because it is wearing me
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out. The older I get, I notic in so many
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little
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idiosyncrasies. So, see, can you find a
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green or a blue, baby blue would be
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nice. All right. Because So, Herod laid
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laid hands on him because John told him,
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"It's wrong for you to have your
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brother's
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wife." You Oh, okay. Thank you. I like
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that baby blue. Make the whole thing
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blue and we'll be in we'll be in
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business if it's possible. Yes, sir. He
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said it's wrong for you to have your
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brother's wife. His brother wasn't
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dead. Well, y'all passing folk through
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the
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family. He said that's not
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right. And uh if you read Luke 3:1 19,
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Luke also says there were many evils
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that he did that Herod did and so John
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rebuked him for it. Okay? And so you
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know the story and then on Herod's
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birthday um well Herod wanted to kill
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John but he was scared to do it because
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everybody knew he was a prophet. Then
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you know his niece or I guess her
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stepdaughter when Herod's birthday was
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kept the daughter of Herodiius danced
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and pleased him and he said well I give
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you whatever you want up to half the
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kingdom. She said well uh mom what
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should I ask for? Her mom was a villain
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just as hateful and her mom said get
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John the Baptist head. That's what you
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get because he tried to break up this
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relationship and I'm living large now.
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So get him killed. Okay. So when the
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girl told him what he wanted, the king
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was sad, but he was embarrassed in front
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of everybody. So he had to do it. Verse
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10, he sent beheaded John in prison. And
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then the man's head was brought on a
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platter in front of everybody and given
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to the girl and she brought it to her
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mother. There's some sick folks.
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Your mom brought it. I mean that's just
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ridiculous. The disciples came and took
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up the body, buried it, and went and
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told Jesus. For a few minutes, I will
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attempt uh to give this a subject, but
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the Holy Spirit lifted up the cost of
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covenant.
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You know, I was reading the text and I
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got to the part about John got beheaded
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and something about the fact that they
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put his head in a charger on a
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platter and was carrying it around. That
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thing upset me. I said,
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"God, I'm feeling some kind of way about
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this." And he said, "John is a covenant
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man."
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I said, "Well, that's what I'm saying."
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Thank
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y'all. He's a covenant
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man. Well, why you let him Why you let
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it go down like
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this? I mean, you know, we we ran here,
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honey, I got a covenant with God. I'm
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believing for better, more power, all
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this stuff. I say, "And this is how you
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going to let him
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do?" And God checked me again. He was a
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covenant man. Talk to me about the
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covenant. I said, "Well, a covenant is
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oath binding agreement." The way you
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helped me to understand it Jesus was is
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a covenant binding oath and agreement
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between at least two parties and it has
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promises and privileges, rights and
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responsibilities. He said, "That's what
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I'm
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saying. There are
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responsibilities in the covenant."
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Oh,
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there's a statement I make sometimes and
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it is your
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experience shapes your
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theology. What you view the way you view
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God. Your experience shapes your
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theology, the way you view God. And then
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the way you view God and that
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experience, that new perspective now
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influences the way you read scripture.
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Do you understand that? Who said I had a
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late night, too? Say it again. Okay,
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here it is. All right. What you have
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been through, your
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experience shapes the way you view
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things.
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Okay, let's look at the people back in
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Exodus. They had been in bondage. They
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had been making bricks with no straw. It
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was hot. They were tired. And the Bible
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says that God gave them promise. I'm
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bringing you out of Egypt and I'm going
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to take you to the promised land. Well,
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when they got to the first place that
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looked like Hawaii,
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read your Bible. It said they came to a
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place where there were 12 wells of w
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water and palm trees that they sat down
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there. And guess what the name of it
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was? Sin.
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What is God showing it? It wasn't they
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weren't bad people, but because of what
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they had been through, they just they
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were like, "You know what? This is good
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right here." That's why that's why
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that's why the world wants you to stop
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at you first. You get some nice clothes.
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You get you a nice ride. You may not
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have any money in the bank. You may not
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own anything. But they say that's more
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important. Where your money instead of
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have your money. That's stopping at the
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12 wells of water.
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But nudge your neighbor. Say that's not
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the promised land. That's not the
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promised land. Yeah. That's not the
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promise. Okay. Here's another one. I've
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shared it before. You remember the
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verse. Uh give and it shall be given
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unto you. Good measure. Pressed down,
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shaken together, and what? running over
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shall men give into your bosom. For with
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the same measure you meet with all it
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shall be measured you again. Here's the
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thing. If you grew up and didn't have
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anything.
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Chances are when you read that verse or
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hear that verse, what stands out to you?
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Honey, God getting ready to get raise
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somebody up to bless me.
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Very smooth. Right? That's what hits
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you. Good to see you, Elder Mary. You
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understand what I'm saying? That's what
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that's what hits you because your
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experience has now shaped you in a way
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that right now because all you've been
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through you just looking you on the
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wanting to be on the receiving end.
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But as I shared with you, if you're not
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careful, your experience will make you
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put yourself in the wrong place in that
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verse.
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I don't want to be m I don't want to be
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in the part of the verse talking about
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give and it'll be given unto you. I
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don't want somebody to have to. Now,
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thank God. Feel free to give me some
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today. I'll stand right here today. But
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that's not the ideal because Jesus said
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it's more blessed to give to be the one
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giving.
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And here's the thing. If I look at Luke
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6:38, I don't want to be given to be
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given unto you. I don't want to be that
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you.
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Amen. I mean, if I have to start there,
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but that's not my desire. My desire is
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when he said give and it be given unto
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you. Good men press down say sh together
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shall men give into your I want to be
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that person. I want to be the one that
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can give into people's bosom. Nancy so
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much overflowing and still have all the
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money I want.
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But do you see what I'm saying? Our
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experiences
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shape the way we see stuff and then we
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turn that on scripture and can put
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ourselves in the wrong part of the
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verse.
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And so what hit me when we were talking
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about covenant, I said, "But Lord, this
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seemed like a sorry way to die, to be a
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covenant man."
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And what I realized
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is, you know, we always talk Jesus is
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our representative. Jesus, I thank you,
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Lord. He cut covenant on our behalf
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while we were asleep. Y'all know the
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example in Genesis 15. Oh, he cut
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covenant on our behalf.
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Somehow our experiences I think maybe
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have shifted something. We say he's our
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representative but we live like he's my
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representative.
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Seem like a small shift
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but it's not small mother the Lord
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because what it means is we think that
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being in co honey I got a covenant with
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God and we act like it's just me and
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God.
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But Jesus was our representative. So if
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he cut covenant on our behalf, I'm just
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as connected to you as I am him almost.
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When did it get to be so personal?
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Your bodies are the temple. And we said,
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"No, I'm the temple." Wait a minute. How
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do we go from the group to just you? How
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do we
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stop looking at the Bible? He raised us
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up together talking about God, when you
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going to raise me up?
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I done lost you, huh? Okay.
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Perhaps you and I have become blinded by
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blessings.
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Perhaps it does not directly there are
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things around us that don't affect us so
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we don't say nothing about it. John
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spoke up and got his head taken off. So
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my question was I
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wonder would
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John look back and say you wrong for
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that Jesus.
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That's really the question that made me
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come to church this morning.
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I was going to come worship, but I would
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don't have to say nothing cuz I'm
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sleep. E church, I'm not sleepy. I'm
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sleep. This is AI. No, I'm
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joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm
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joking. But I wondered when I looked at
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that, I just thought that was that's how
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you going to let the man of God
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die. That was in covenant. Is this how
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the covenant ends?
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I got a covenant. And then he ends up
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with his head. I mean, not even a smooth
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death. Not even just a I mean, Julian
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just be cut his head off and give it to
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a kid to take to her mama
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recently in the news.
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Lord pray as I President
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Ibraim
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Throwway they're gonna put him
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him he is president one of the cap of
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Burkina
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Faso okay where we have a church Bishop
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Kamboo and Prophet
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Desantel he his thing has been trending
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because and you should well I wanted to
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show
12:30
He spent about eight
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minutes
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respectfully but very
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clearly speaking to the Pope. Can y'all
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believe we have an American pope? Wow.
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And I know you say we don't. You're
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right. I get you. But I'm saying the
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Catholic Church.
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He wrote and spoke so eloquently but so
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clearly, not angrily but very
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seriously about the
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injustices of the church uh and their
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silence and the way we have allowed and
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I say we he's talking about the the
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church as a whole Africa to be stripped
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and raped. Amen. He used his voice and
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his platform to speak out against
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centuries old
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injustices in Africa. And as soon as he
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did now, he wrote to the Pope and to
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this Pope's
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credit, he spent 35 minutes apologizing.
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See, we don't even know what. See,
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that's shocking. You didn't even know it
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was shocking.
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Um, but it's
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shocking. But he responded to this man.
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But what took me over was the courage of
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this gentleman.
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The eloquence,
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the fact that he was
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unapologetic but not angry in the way he
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said it, but he's clearly upset and
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rightly so.
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And of course, as soon as he did it, and
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I'm not dealing with the fact that the
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Pope responded, but what blew me away is
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that as soon as that happened, he
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started getting attacked on every hand,
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worse than they were already going
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through. Because speaking up
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against
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injustice will cost you something.
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And as covenant
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people, we don't necessarily have a
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right to
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hide amidst the blessings that our
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covenant has provided and not see
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ourselves connected to others who may
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are facing injustices that we should be
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helping them with.
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[Applause]
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You know, I didn't get a chance to tell
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John about my
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lesson. I tried to say a few things, but
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that was just yesterday. But he pulled
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up the perfect
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clip. A
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17-year-old requiring
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and and and and I'm William. What she
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said was it's not that it was
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unforgivable. It was unacceptable. Not
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that it was impossible to forget. It's
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unacceptable to forget.
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You know, as covenant people, we do not
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have the right.
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We do not have the right to see things
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happen and see people
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mistreated and see
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blatant
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violations against people with no voice
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and we not say something.
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And you say, "But
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Bishop, look what happened to John. I
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got you.
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But there's a cost to covenant.
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Because Jesus did not die on a pole.
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He died
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on a cross. What did he die on? He died
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on a cross which says just as much as I
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must be connected vertically, I have a
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responsibility horizontally. And I
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cannot be right with God and be wrong
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with y'all.
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[Applause]
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I cannot get out of my cute truck, which
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you know the you know new media people
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said I had a Bentley. I don't know. Did
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you get me one? You ain't saying nothing
16:53
about it. I
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ain't right. I can't get out of my
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truck and drive
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around and frolic and see people hungry
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or or or see systemic racism
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where maybe my voice adds to it.
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I tell you, I was in a meeting one time
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and in case you want to go and turn to a
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verse, I know y'all like a lot of
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verses. I'm here for you. Luke 4:18 will
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be
17:27
next. I was in a
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meeting and it was a United Way meeting.
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I was on the board of United Way many
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years ago. Danielle was there with me.
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Um and somebody of um you know it's so
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funny because like in Greek in Greece
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you're Greek or you're
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not. The other the color part is not the
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biggest issue.
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It's it's you know, are you Greek or
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not?
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Well, I was there and there was someone
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of a different race than I am. Either
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one of the ones that I am is different.
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And so, you didn't have to laugh at
18:07
that, Derek. I heard
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it. And they went on to say
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basically that because there had been a
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couple things and they said that the
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black people were causing all of this
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crime.
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So, I'm sitting in the meeting. I didn't
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I don't like meetings because I have
18:24
short attention span. So, I struggle at
18:27
stuff like that. And then people say,
18:28
"Oh, let me
18:30
piggyback. If you ever see me pick up my
18:33
phone in a meeting, I'm playing
18:35
skip." I just can't I can't stay locked
18:38
into that with everybody just resaying
18:39
the same thing.
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So, I sat there for a second. up said,
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"Now I know good and well he did not
18:45
just say and black people because of all
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the so I'm sitting in there. We're all
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in a
18:52
square and I said sit here for a second
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and see is anybody going to say
19:00
anything and you know I gave it a good
19:03
40
19:07
seconds and a nobody said nothing." I
19:10
said, "Um, excuse me. I'm going to need
19:12
to say something." Which, you know,
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again, I know I get in trouble for
19:16
because I have the my spiritual gift is
19:18
not giving like people think. It's
19:20
prophecy, which means the need to tell
19:23
someone something. So, it's hard for me
19:25
to see something and not say something.
19:28
But, I'm learning. I'm learning. Bail
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say, "Did they ask
19:33
you?" Right? And I struggle with that.
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Right? I struggle with that. They didn't
19:39
ask me, but I would want you to tell me.
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So, but that doesn't work all the time.
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So, anyway, so I'm sitting there and I
19:48
said, "Wait a hold on, please. I'm I
19:51
don't understand why we just roll past
19:53
that
19:54
comment." I said, "But that's only you
19:57
only think that because that's the way
20:00
the media puts things out."
20:03
I said, "Because whether it's just an
20:05
accusation or somebody thought about it
20:07
last week, they're going to put our
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picture." And I say, "Our don't don't
20:10
start. Don't do that to me. Y'all always
20:13
picking me." I said, "They're going to
20:14
put the black person's picture up
20:16
there."
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I said, "But there are more people
20:20
committing crime than black." We aren't
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We're only like 10% of the population
20:26
now. We do too much.
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Oh. Oh.
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God help me if I could be media.
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I would now if I could if I thought
20:38
y'all that's why I retire in six months.
20:40
But listen to me.
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We're doing far too much and we need to
20:44
jack each other up for this
20:47
foolishness and start requiring that we
20:49
do better. But the point of that meeting
20:54
was there is no way that's
20:56
true and I can't sit here and let you
21:00
just go on with that.
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That's right. So I mean I don't have to
21:05
be up here. I didn't want to be on the
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thing to start with.
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No offense. I love United Way, but I
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don't like meetings.
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But I'm not going to be able to be here
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if you respect me enough that you would
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ask me to be here. then don't think you
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gonna disrespect me while I'm here.
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Now, why is that important?
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Because as covenant
21:30
people, we should be following the heart
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of Jesus.
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Following the heart of who? Jesus. Luke
21:38
4:18. Come on. The spirit of the Lord is
21:40
upon me. This is what he says. Because
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he hath anointed me to preach the gospel
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to the poor. Who Jesus get anointed to
21:47
preach the gospel to?
21:49
Not because poor people are better or
21:52
more spiritual or No, no, no, no. But
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they were poor because of they were
21:57
being oppressed. There's a difference
21:59
between being poor because you're lazy.
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Being poor, y'all not talking to me.
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Okay. Because you are ignorant and just
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don't know better. And being poor
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because everything has been stacked
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against you.
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How many of you all have ever played the
22:17
game step to the line?
22:21
How many don't have a clue what I'm
22:22
talking about? See?
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Okay. There's a line. Veronica, who else
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can I get? Who else can I get? I don't
22:31
want to mess with people if I don't call
22:32
and know your story. Come here, Ar. All
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right. Come. That's right. Nisha, come
22:37
on up here since you pastor. Look at her
22:39
preacher thing. No, not nature. No, I'm
22:41
not going to bring the prophet up I'm
22:42
not bringing the prophet up here cuz you
22:44
going to know what I was going to ask
22:45
anyway. I'm just playing. All right. So
22:47
y'all come here. Come stand right here.
22:49
Hurry. Hurry cuz my sermon at least they
22:51
change. I love that blue projection
22:54
ministry. Y'all going to get something
22:55
today. All right. So this is how they do
22:58
this. They say imagine that we are in a
23:02
race and we are racing to get to that
23:05
that wall back there. Everybody with me?
23:09
All right. Then they add stuff. this
23:10
kind of stuff Pastor Trey will be doing
23:12
to us.
23:14
They say, "How many people have never
23:17
had to worry about money in your home?
23:21
Take a step
23:23
forward." I was an only child. I didn't
23:26
both my parents did really well. I never
23:27
had to think about it. I stole from them
23:29
and gave it to poor people. That's a
23:31
fact. My mama tell you right now. All
23:34
right. Then it's something like this.
23:37
How many people of this group both your
23:41
parents went to
23:45
college? How many people of this group
23:47
both your parents graduated from
23:51
college? Okay. They say, "Okay, of this
23:55
group, how many people were exposed to
23:58
financial information around the the
24:00
household table?" Take a step forward.
24:06
Okay. How many people of this group had
24:11
access to transportation? Whether the
24:13
family had vehicles or you had bus
24:16
routes and could get to libraries and
24:18
things very easily, take a step
24:22
forward.
24:25
Now, the point is, if we're getting
24:27
ready to race,
24:30
I'm already near about a two a third of
24:32
the way to it. So before they even start
24:36
the bell, I'm already ahead because I
24:39
have not had to face the things that
24:41
they have faced.
24:43
[Applause]
24:44
If they grew up in situations where they
24:47
did not have access to education and you
24:50
say, "Well, that could
24:53
you live in the country, how you going
24:54
to get to the city?" That's right.
24:58
With no car and no bus route. Well, it's
25:01
their fault for moving out there. But if
25:03
I cannot be given a job that takes into
25:07
account my abilities, it it's systemic.
25:09
You got to And I'm not talking about us
25:11
looking or people looking to always make
25:13
excuses because there are some people
25:14
didn't I tell you there were some people
25:16
that would let them poke cuz they lazy.
25:18
But y'all, that's not everybody. Amen.
25:20
That's just like everybody ain't
25:22
divorced because something wrong with
25:23
them. There are a few folk that married
25:26
nuts.
25:29
God knows I'm preaching. I I just
25:35
So if there was food insecurity,
25:39
okay. All right. Transportation issues.
25:43
Okay. Sometimes. Okay. No car. Mother
25:47
didn't drive. No car. Mother didn't
25:50
drive. So I'm way up here getting ready
25:53
to start my race. Then I'mma run. I'mma
25:56
get here first and then I'm going to
25:58
say, "What's wrong with y'all?" See? See
26:00
what's wrong with y'all? How come y'all
26:02
can't do it? I did it.
26:10
Thank
26:12
[Applause]
26:14
y'all. Jesus said the spirit of the Lord
26:18
was upon him. He anointed him to preach
26:21
the gospel to the poor. He sent him to
26:24
heal the brokenhearted, preach
26:25
deliverance to the captives, the
26:27
recovering of sight to the blind, and to
26:29
set at liberty the people who were
26:31
chained up from so much oppression.
26:37
Go with me in your Bibles to Micah 6. I
26:40
know those that have old school Bibles
26:42
are hurting right
26:43
now cuz where in the name of Jesus is
26:50
Micah? I don't hear no pages flipping.
26:52
You ain't giving
26:55
up. You can look on the screen for time.
26:58
This is a very famous verse, but it's
27:00
very clear. Says, "He has showed thee,
27:03
oh man, what is good and what does God
27:06
require of you? But to be about
27:09
justice."
27:11
Uh-uh. Two claps, one holler. to be
27:14
about justice and to love mercy
27:20
and to walk humbly with your God.
27:24
We have to have changes. I've I've said
27:27
um you know our current president has um
27:30
done so many things. Lord,
27:34
there have to be changes though. So I
27:37
try to look at things very openly and I
27:40
try to say when I think things were good
27:44
that is probably the thing that needs to
27:45
happen right now. But one of the things
27:47
that I do not have any now I still don't
27:50
trust why it's happening
27:52
cuz I can see I see hearts now you know
27:54
but anyway it's not in there. But
27:57
uh as a as a former immigrant myself had
28:01
a blue green card alien registration
28:04
card. I'm now a cit a citizen of this
28:07
country. Amen. Praise God. Cuz right
28:11
about now,
28:13
what is not okay? It's it's Hey, I agree
28:16
that we cannot just say, "Oh, this
28:19
anybody and everybody
28:21
if you don't have structure,
28:24
I we got structure in the church.
28:27
We can't you just can't bring this many
28:29
people in a room and don't have
28:30
structure."
28:33
Okay. So you have to have some rules.
28:35
But the way they were busing people and
28:37
dropping them off at folks houses that
28:39
show you they don't care about these
28:42
people. Now what do the church what does
28:45
what should a Christian do? What should
28:46
the church do? We can't just sit around
28:49
and not say anything not do anything not
28:52
talk about not vote not do there has to
28:54
be some response. says, "Because if you
28:56
really look at it, what God is looking
28:58
for, you do right, you do justice, love
29:01
mercy, care about somebody besides
29:03
yourself,
29:04
and walk humbly with God." Come on.
29:07
Let's go on some more. Let's go some
29:09
more. Let's go some more. Get me. Uh
29:11
Isaiah
29:12
1. Isaiah
29:14
1.
29:15
Hurry.
29:17
Hurry. Isaiah 1 verse 14- 18. Read that.
29:21
Your new moons and your appointed feasts
29:23
my soul hated. God say, "I'm so sick of
29:25
y'all with these deep church services. I
29:27
don't know what in the world to do."
29:28
Read. They are trouble unto me. They
29:30
wear me out. I am weary to bear them.
29:33
This is what God is saying. Keep going.
29:35
And ye spread forth your hands. I will
29:38
hide my He said you doing all this. He
29:39
said, "I can't hardly hear nothing you
29:41
saying." Yay. When you make many
29:43
prayers, I will not hear you. He said,
29:45
"I can't hear you." Not because you're
29:47
not standing and sitting when it's
29:49
appropriate. Not because you don't have
29:51
your little altar thing. He said, "But I
29:53
can't get past what you do when you
29:54
ain't on your prayer altar. I can't get
29:57
past the way you are systemically making
29:59
sure that people don't have or that
30:02
people are missing out." Now, I don't
30:04
you know, war is the whole war thing is
30:06
probably beyond my intellectual
30:07
understanding at this point. I'll have
30:09
to ask Pastor Hutchkins when he gets
30:10
home. But what I do
30:12
know is if we got enough food to at
30:15
least send some food so the folk ain't
30:17
starve. But y'all ain't gonna let the
30:19
people eat. I know you fighting and
30:20
think but this is really and what are we
30:22
fighting over again? What are we doing?
30:27
You know when we are we are
30:30
purposefully robbing countries of their
30:35
goods, gold, uranium, all the things
30:37
that they have and other places as well.
30:40
We're doing all of this and we set
30:41
things in place. I know we want to be a
30:43
strong nation. We do. But
30:46
folks, there's going to be a price to
30:49
pay
30:50
for mistreating people.
30:53
God said, "I can't stand a faulty
30:55
scale." You understand what I'm saying?
30:58
Like I tell people when I got to go buy
30:59
a vehicle, you can make some money cuz
31:02
you got a family to feed, but you ain't
31:05
sitting all send all of them on a cruise
31:08
on me. This got to be win-win.
31:12
You want to resolve things in a winwin.
31:15
In a what kind of fashion?
31:17
God said, "You're doing all this
31:18
prayer." He said, "It makes me sick."
31:20
Come on. Your hands are full of blood.
31:22
Yeah. Wash you, make you clean. Put away
31:25
the evil of your doings from before mine
31:27
eyes. Cease to do evil. Cease to do
31:30
evil. Verse 17. Learn to do well. And do
31:33
what? Seek judgment. Yes. Seek justice.
31:36
Do what else? Relieve the oppressed and
31:39
do what else? Judge the fatherless.
31:40
That's right. That don't mean put them
31:42
in court. That means take care of them.
31:44
Look at the situations. Put things in
31:46
place and cry out for the widow.
31:50
Don't nobody care
31:52
about That's that lack of sleep. Did you
31:54
see it that came on me so fast? Girl
31:57
said, "Don't nobody care about your
31:58
shoes and your bag,
32:00
your rims. Your grandmama's floor is
32:03
about to cave in.
32:05
[Applause]
32:10
Come all up from the hea na. Interpret
32:13
your own time. Let me interpret them for
32:14
you. Do it again. Hea na na. God said
32:17
take some of that stuff and go pay their
32:18
bills cuz this is a mess.
32:21
Sayeth the Lord. Come on. Come on. Come
32:24
on. Amen. This is the cost of covenant.
32:29
Give me verse 18. Come now and let us
32:32
reason together. He said, "Come on.
32:34
Though your sins be as scarlet, they
32:36
shall be as white as snow. Though they
32:38
be red like crimson, they shall be as
32:41
white. God says, see, here's the thing.
32:42
I want to work through this. He said,
32:44
because it is a lot easier to get into
32:47
the ritual element of our faith than the
32:50
actual relationship and walking it out.
32:54
It's a lot easier to come to church than
32:56
not cuss at somebody
32:59
when they upset you.
33:02
Come on, y'all. Don't fall out now. No,
33:05
it's a lot easier.
33:08
He said, "But this is what I expect."
33:10
Give me Proverbs 31. Come on. Proverbs
33:14
31. As covenant people, open thy mouth.
33:17
Wait a minute. As covenant people,
33:20
Proverbs 31:8-9, we have a
33:23
responsibility. Sometimes it's speaking
33:25
out like the president, like that young
33:27
man did. He did it in a respectful way.
33:31
He called him your holiness, your
33:33
imminence, whatever all he said. But
33:34
when I tell you he did not cut punches
33:36
on what he
33:39
said, said this is the
33:42
time. And I was so impressed that his
33:46
passion for his
33:48
country motivated him to use his
33:51
platform. But that ain't nothing new.
33:54
That's what John the Baptist did, too.
33:56
Come on. Proverbs 31. Open thy mouth for
33:59
the dumb. in the cause of all such as
34:02
are appointed to destruction. Come on.
34:04
Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and
34:07
plead the cause of the poor and needy.
34:09
Let me tell you something. I remember
34:11
telling our boys early on, you remember
34:14
going to school? I said, "Now, you
34:16
better not be in school fighting
34:21
cuz the fight you get in when you get
34:23
home, I know you going to lose that one
34:28
unless
34:30
you are standing up for somebody
34:36
now you see and it happened um had a
34:39
little fell I can't remember that guy's
34:40
name you remember the little boy that
34:41
had the braces on his legs I know you
34:44
remember well whatever his name was
34:47
sweet baby you know they pushed him down
34:51
and knocked his books
34:53
down TJ
34:56
being the child like his mama
35:00
Now he jumped in
35:02
it. So, oh no. And was so gentle. See
35:06
this? It was a
35:08
picture. You don't get in a fight cuz
35:10
somebody call you something. Whatever.
35:13
You walk on. You understand? You ain't
35:15
paying no bills at the house. Don't you
35:18
nobody care what you talking about? You
35:20
fat or whatever. I'm going to get a
35:22
donut. Right. I mean, I don't care about
35:23
you.
35:25
I mean, I'm not trying to be ugly, but
35:27
that is an inappropriate use of being
35:29
upset. That's an inappropriate use of me
35:32
taking my energy. God did not give us
35:35
breath and life and strength and
35:37
intelligence for us to dump it on people
35:39
who have no lasting influence on our
35:42
lives.
35:44
But if I'm going to raise up, I'm going
35:47
to raise up for somebody that you are
35:49
trying to hurt or violate. And if they
35:51
don't have a voice, well, guess what?
35:54
I got one.
35:57
And that has to be our posture.
36:01
The late and great Reverend Dr. Martin
36:03
Luther King Jr. said, "Injustice
36:04
anywhere is a threat to justice
36:06
everywhere."
36:09
Let me give you a little bit more,
36:10
y'all. Y'all, we I still got Oh, I still
36:12
got five minutes. My God. Thank you,
36:15
Jesus. Zechariah 7. I'm putting them
36:19
Bibles to work. Zechariah 7.
36:23
Thus speak Wait, wait. You got to let
36:26
Doc You can tell he has a phone. You can
36:29
tell that, can't you? Yeah. He ain't he
36:31
ain't flipping no scriptures that that
36:34
fast. Just going to put that on out
36:37
there. Zechariah 7 verse 9 and 10. Start
36:42
at verse eight.
36:44
And the word of the Lord came unto
36:46
Zachchariah saying, Yes. Thus speaketh
36:49
the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true
36:51
judgment, and do what else? And show
36:53
mercy and compassion, every man to his
36:56
brother, and oppress not the widow, nor
36:58
the fatherless, don't do it. The
37:00
stranger, nope. Nor the poor, don't do
37:02
it. And let none of you imagine evil
37:04
against his brother in your heart.
37:07
Underline that one. Highlight that one.
37:10
Put that one on the back of the car.
37:15
No. If I'm in covenant with God, then
37:18
remember he didn't die on a what? Pole.
37:20
He died on a And that means I have a
37:23
responsibility because of how good he is
37:26
to me. Because of what he's doing in my
37:28
life, I ought to reach out and help
37:30
somebody myself. I'm Listen, you're not
37:32
going to care about most of the things
37:34
that you think about when it comes time
37:36
to die.
37:40
I have stood there. I have a file and
37:42
right in the side of my bottom drawer
37:44
this thick of people that have died over
37:46
the past 35 years
37:48
and I have been there for many of them
37:51
and they didn't care nothing about that
37:53
stuff.
37:55
If you can help somebody as you travel
37:58
along, if you can cheer somebody with a
38:02
word or a song, if you can show some
38:04
traveler they're traveling wrong, then
38:07
your living is not in vain. I can't I
38:11
can't live good myself and then see
38:13
somebody dog and somebody old and think
38:15
that's okay. Both of my children,
38:18
they're strong. But what about
38:19
somebody's child that has special needs?
38:21
I'm not going to let you roll over them.
38:25
And maybe maybe the parents aren't as
38:26
articulate as I am. I'll be glad to say
38:29
it for you.
38:37
In
38:38
Matthew, John said, "It is wrong for you
38:41
to have your brother Philip's wife." It
38:43
wasn't just that, y'all. Again, Luke
38:45
3:19 said it was a lot of stuff. It was
38:47
an abuse of power. What was it? Abuse of
38:51
power. And what he said
38:53
is, "You can't do that. That's wrong."
38:56
That's what this guy said. He said, "We
38:59
are no, we are tired." And this is not
39:01
necessarily He was talking for Africa.
39:05
We don't live in Africa.
39:07
Okay. This is bigger than black.
39:12
No, this is bigger than black. Now, this
39:14
is black is important. Black lives do
39:17
matter.
39:19
Well, all lives matter. See, to even say
39:21
that is an ongoing refusal to accept
39:26
that we have systemically made it seem
39:28
like they didn't matter.
39:32
They can't all matter till at least that
39:34
one matter.
39:36
You can't wear the necklace if you got
39:38
one of the links that's still broken.
39:44
So, but this is bigger than that. It
39:47
could be somebody in your community
39:49
that's being mistreated.
39:53
Could be somebody on the job.
39:57
John the Baptist said to him, "It's
40:00
wrong for you to have this." John the
40:03
Baptist was a prominent prophet. He
40:06
could have easily he could have done the
40:08
same thing that Esther almost did.
40:12
See, all kind of folk that confronted
40:14
people that stood up for justice in the
40:16
Bible. Nathan confronted David.
40:19
He said about adultery. Now, watch this.
40:22
This is not a sermon to say that you
40:24
need to be on your Facebook, your your
40:26
social media platform trying to call
40:28
everybody out. That is not what I'm
40:30
saying.
40:34
[Applause]
40:35
The reason Nathan came at David wasn't
40:38
just the issue of adultery. Notice the
40:41
story he told. He said, "Then what was a
40:44
rich man that had all he needed, but he
40:47
wasn't satisfied to have his and use
40:49
his. He wanted to take the little bit
40:51
that the poor man had. It wasn't really
40:54
about adultery as much as it was. How is
40:57
it that you can't ever be satisfied and
41:00
are willing at all cost to protect your
41:02
will wealth and let everybody else go
41:05
dead broke?
41:08
Read your Bible.
41:12
He came up against it. Elijah confronted
41:14
I'm going to get back to Esther. Elijah
41:16
confronted Ahab and Jezebel about their
41:18
idolatry and oppressive political abuse.
41:21
But what it caused was a nationwide
41:23
revival. When Nathan confronted David,
41:26
it caused him to repent. Moses
41:28
confronted Pharaoh, risked everything,
41:29
and had to live in exile. But he spoke
41:32
up because it's what God told him to do.
41:35
Moses could have shut his mouth and
41:37
stayed in the palace grinning and
41:38
blinking.
41:40
He looked close enough to him,
41:44
but he didn't do it. Amen. He spoke up.
41:46
He said, "What you're doing, God ain't
41:48
for this foolishness, and he's not
41:50
playing with you. It cost him
41:53
exile. There's all kind of people."
41:55
Jesus spoke up.
41:58
All this stuff that they were doing, all
42:00
this religious hypocrisy, he said,
42:01
"Y'all up here with these long gowns on
42:03
you look so deep and you look so holy."
42:05
He said, "I can't hardly beat you. You
42:07
out praying me."
42:10
He said, "You doing all of this stuff.
42:11
You're just the deepest thing I've ever
42:13
seen. You paying tithe of mint, you go
42:15
to the This is what Jesus said. Y'all go
42:17
buy sugar and divide it into 10 and
42:20
bring one row of it like cocaine almost.
42:22
Bring one row of it to the church.
42:23
That's how funny you are about tithing.
42:25
But you will walk right past somebody
42:27
that you did wrong.
42:31
[Applause]
42:35
Esther and Mori
42:38
also beautiful example. Esther was in a
42:40
place of privilege. Mori, not really.
42:43
They both used what they had to speak
42:47
out against it. So when I look at this
42:50
text I was reading, I said, "God, I'm
42:52
just trying to say looked like to me
42:55
this was a beat up way for a covenant
42:57
man to die." So I asked, I said, "I
42:59
wonder if John would be mad about the
43:02
way he died." I mean, I really I really
43:04
do wonder about that. God, would would
43:06
John John, how would you feel about
43:08
that?
43:10
how would you feel? What I realized
43:14
was now I don't think he'd be
43:17
upset because he understands you're in a
43:20
covenant with God and there are
43:23
privileges and promises and there are
43:26
rights but there are responsibilities.
43:30
And if we are to fulfill those that
43:34
means we got to speak up just like this
43:36
man did.
43:39
We got to be willing to use responsively
43:42
and respectedly in a respectful manner
43:46
our
43:47
platforms whether it's talking to
43:49
somebody whether it is a social media
43:51
post whether it is voting which we all
43:55
ought to be but voting with justice in
43:58
mind
43:59
not just your own self interest but
44:02
what's really
44:05
right I don't believe he would be mad
44:08
Dr. James Conn said true faith man
44:10
manifests itself in social
44:13
[Music]
44:14
concern and MLK Jr. said the church is
44:17
not the master or the servant of the
44:20
state. We are to be the conscience
44:23
of the state.
44:26
You see somebody walking past laughing
44:28
at somebody said doc don't don't do
44:31
that. What if they hit you? You should
44:34
have stayed out of it. You know,
44:35
sometime we use these little slang that
44:37
statements that we like. I ain't got now
44:39
nickel in that dime. Well, get
44:42
one because you do because they if they
44:46
could laugh at them.
44:49
I told you I was in school in high
44:50
school and I'm about done. I was in
44:52
school in high school and there was a
44:53
guy who's completely gay just, you know,
44:56
not even a question. It's a little white
44:59
fellow and he was walking down the hall
45:02
and somebody proceeded to take what do
45:06
you call it? Matt the um
45:10
lighter and and and started doing stuff
45:12
burning at his head.
45:15
Now I don't even remember his name. I
45:18
might not have known his name at the
45:20
time but something said something about
45:23
this is just terrible.
45:26
So, of course, what' I do?
45:29
I jumped in it because in my
45:34
mind, what what kind of person am I if I
45:39
can stand by and watch
45:42
people do other people like that? Cuz
45:44
let me tell you, if you don't know, I
45:46
hear you, Pastor Trev, get out my ear.
45:48
The same dog that'll bring a bone will
45:51
carry one.
45:53
And if they come at them today, all you
45:55
got to do is turn your face wrong one
45:57
time and they will come for you. No, you
46:00
ain't coming for no. That's why I told
46:01
that little that little prophet fell was
46:02
doing all that stuff, raping these
46:03
churches, using my name. So no, doc,
46:06
you're not f to do that. Not in
46:07
Greenville.
46:10
And everybody looked at me like I was
46:12
mean cuz I put him in the newspaper.
46:15
Cuz I told him, I said, "Stop using my
46:17
name or I'm putting you on blast." He
46:20
didn't believe me. He opened the
46:21
newspaper and a halfpage ad had been
46:23
paid for with his name and and I told
46:26
him and I got the money to fight you in
46:27
court. Get
46:32
your custommade suits and your gator
46:36
shoes and get your butt out of our
46:39
county. You're not doing it here now.
46:42
Why? Because we got to protect I got to
46:46
protect the pastors that got 23 members.
46:49
I got to protect them cuz they're
46:51
working just as hard as I am to obey
46:54
God. And I'm not going to let them come
46:55
in and rape that
47:00
church.
47:02
So Dr. King finally says, "Our lives
47:06
begin to end the day we become silent
47:09
about things that matter."
47:13
So, I don't think John the Baptist got
47:17
mad. I think he knew that the cost of
47:21
covenant is
47:23
caring. And caring will make you stand
47:26
up. Amen. Amen.