Core Vs. Image // Nick Serban III

Core Vs. Image __ Nick Serban III

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

lord, god, church, people, core, jesus, gap, speaks, image, worship, grave clothes, moment, morning, sanctification, wash, disciples, youth group, years, lazarus, dealing

So a couple weeks ago, I was up in my, my office and usually I get here early on Sunday mornings and, and there's a, there's a snare drum snare every night what a drum snare is. It's the, it's the drum that most drummers play right in front of them. And there's a switch on the snares that helps it to resonate a certain way. And everybody following me so far, it kind of jingles a kind of jangles, he kind of has this really cool sound. And it was in my office, and when the worship team began to practice down here, for some reason, they didn't use that snare on that particular Sunday, and it was sitting at just a certain way. And every time a certain note got to a certain place in in the worship team here, that snare in my office would begin to kind of have a little snare sound, it kind of start rattling a little bit. And at first, it kind of startled me, I'll be honest with you, I'm like, Lord, Yes, Lord, I'm here. But it was it was it was rattling on figuring out ways that sound, you know, it was kind of behind the door, and I hadn't really kept my eyes on it. And I was reminded in that, in that moment, of, you know, there's certain frequencies in sound, I'm not a doctor, and I have a doctorate. But there are certain sounds that happen, that will resonate in someone else. If you think of a mom, with a baby, if you think about a father with a baby, even when it's in the womb, when that the that speaks with a mom speaks, sometimes the baby moves, and or when the baby is born, that certain sound brings peace and comfort in moments to that child, so when it's when the child hears the sound of the Father, that maybe the deep sound, you know, Hello, son, hello, daughter, that there's something that kind of perks up and something that kind of comes within them, and just kind of unfolding it and kind of pulling pulling the salt apart, that I truly believe now, maybe I'll write a paper on it one day, maybe it'll be in one of the chapters of my book, if I ever write it is that I truly believe that there's a sound that we all somehow here or somehow receive, when the Scripture tells us that before we were in our mother's womb, God had prepared us. And if you could go with me just for a moment to think that your residency first was in heaven. Every with me, your residency was in heaven first before you entered in through the womb to the world. And I just think there's sound sometimes like realistic sounds like when worship when we're spending time in worship. And when there's, when there's a certain sound, there's this resignation, I believe that kind of happens. Another way to think of it too is, if you're in a circumstance or a situation where you're just kind of, maybe you're hanging out, maybe you're talking to somebody, maybe you're just just kind of navigating. And there's like something in your spirit that resonates. Like there's something good here or the opposite. Like something's wrong here, something's different here, something something, I'm not quite sure what's going on here. And so this morning, for the next next few moments, as we share, as we look into God's word I'm going to share, I'm going to share two passages of Scripture and two stories of how God how God moves, that if we would purpose in our hearts for the next few moments, just to be open to whatever God would say to us. And that somehow, you know, beyond the, the critics beyond the signs, you know, whether whether I'm going to speak, you know, on a level from one to 10, I hit hit a two or hit a nine or hit an aide or hit or whatever, that we would just be open to the Spirit speaking and resonating in our hearts, because here's what happens when we begin to open up the Word of God. And when we begin to speak truth, what happens is, it lands in different places, and there's residency that takes place in our hearts. And this kind of kind of moves. It's kind of like, oh, that's, that's why on a Sunday morning, we must stand around and it'd be like, Wow, God was speaking to me here in this area, or God was speaking to me here in this area. And so my words will just fall flat. Unless the power of the Holy Spirit comes in. And, and it's, you know, every, every Sunday, it's one of those moments, Lord, we just need you. You could be anywhere today. There are those here in this room, there are those watching online, this this message will go around the country, even around the world that people will watch and I'm just believing this morning for the next few moments that residency takes place and it resounds in our hearts of God's truth and God's purpose. Three things we want to we want to talk about this morning. The first is this, the core the second is our image and the third is our gap. Our core, our image, our gap ever sat around I'm on a cloudy, gloomy day and kind of begin to think about like, who am I really? I mean, on a sunny day like today, you know, I mean, but have you ever just sat around like, you know, what has God made me for? what's what? What am I going through life? I mean, we all have a life expectancy of I don't know, we're all gonna die, right? It's sort of that way. All right? Welcome to full life. We're all at some point, at some point, you know, our life is gonna, according to the Lord, in his perfect timing, you know, there's time for everything, and there's time to die, and, but ever thought about what's the core, what is God called me to what is God's purpose in my life, who we really are. And that's what I want to talk to about for the next few moments. I think that there's a promise for all of us, in God's word, and God's purpose. And there is a core of me, that desires and should desire. And again, here's the residency, that you would know God more. I want to know you more, I want to reflect you more. We had four people who got baptized today said, You know what, I'm going to make him Lord of my life, I'm going to live for him, I'm publicly declaring he is Lord of my life. But the core of you is the stuff in you, that could come out depending on circumstances. So if you're riding along in a car, and someone cuts you off, what comes out from the core of you may not be all that applaudable to the Lord. You know, if you tend to cuss and curse and chew, and go, the girls would do in that moment, or is it that person cut me off? You know, and it's kind of like, you're just driving along and say, Oh, God bless them. They, they must have had to get somewhere quicker than I did. You know, or maybe they have something on their, on their mind in their heart. But to the core, how will respond to things to the core of, and I've had to as a minister of the gospel for 30 something years, I still have to evaluate on a daily basis, a weekly basis, a monthly basis on what I say and how I say it, and how I respond. So we have the core. But then we have the image, the image, the image is what everyone sees. Or shall I say the images what you want people to think about you. So I've got good news, and some Okay, news. The image comes down to what you decided to put on today to wear what you decided to write in today. What you decided to put your best foot forward in today. Now don't get me wrong. I don't think it's bad that you know, I in fact, I think it smells really good in here today. I mean, all the beautiful Cologne and perfume that is here. And by the way, you look return to the person next to you right now, would you tell them right now, you look amazing today. The Bible teaches us that we're made up of body, soul and spirit. And that's the only hands what you don't have back there. It says May your whole spirit of verse five, chapter five, verse 23, may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of the Lord. So we're speaking to three different pieces. But when it all comes down to it, our spirit speaks of the same inner life and relationship our Spirit speaks to the faith, the hope, the love, the character, the perseverance that were to walk in, and our soul speaks to our mind, our will our heart, our imagination, and the two are to come together but so many times they're separated. And sometimes we think we can act this way. Image wise, and then not take care of the the the real spirit purpose in our lives of love, hope, faith, character, and perseverance. We can read books, you know, the Raise your hand if you've ever read a book, how to better your image. I probably no one's read a book like that here, or watched 10 steps on Instagram, how to be a better person, how to make people believe this or believe that. But uniquely, we have a core we have an image and whatever often happens is we're pressed. We are pushed. We are then revealed of truly what's at the core of our being, and maturity in Christ, and maturity and the Lord is, is how we learn to get through circumstances situation. maturity in the Lord and character in The Lord is when we learn to put him first and we succumb to him and we embrace him. Sometimes we have to be an encourager to others in this, sometimes we have to strengthen others. And sometimes really, there's truly a huge fighting that takes place. Now, here's the here's the neat play place, I spoke about the, the core, the image, but then there's the gap, the gap between the two, now, just take a deep breath, and just just hold on here, I want you to, I want you to capture this, every one of us have a gap. And I know for some of you you think, you know, not me, Pastor, let me let me just tell you, you got a gap, okay, we all have a gap. And here's what the gap is. The gap is something called and this is kind of a spiritual word. It's a it's, it's something that if you really don't capture it, it may you may think it goes over your head, but it's a word called sanctification, where we are trying to grow and where we are working to grow, and so that our image is in conjunction with our core. So the things that are core comes out in the image of who we are. But so far too many times the in the gap. That's where the struggle is, I want to do this. And yet I end up doing this sanctification to sanctify an object means to wash the cleanse, to consecrate or set aside for special purpose. Sanctification is a Christian teaching about how God transforms a person, how many are grateful for transformation in our lives, amen. And we're still going through it, and you will not be totally sanctified until you stand before God one day. So somebody's following you like hallelujah, you know, finally, I've realized this, but in the process, that doesn't mean you stunt sanctification, meaning that you know what, I've grown this much, I'm feeling pretty good here, I'm gonna take a timeout here on working on the core. And I was gonna worry about my image right now. But sanctification is the two coming together. So that we would be the man of God, He's called us to be the woman of God, He has called us to be where to renew our minds every day, the life of a man by the Spirit. But what happens often is we are oppressed on different sides. Like oftentimes, we act one way, in one situation or circumstance with a certain type of people, then we act another way, with other people in a certain way, and how they may approve. I have good news for you today. God is very patient. I mean, there's should have been like running around the room right now. Not really, God is very patient. And here's here's one other one other one other, I hope you get this, he very rarely exposes the gap. But it's something for us that we have to deal with. Then he'll he'll prod at it, the Holy Spirit will poke at it, put his hand on it. But ultimately, the challenge then is many of us have chosen to live a life from the core to the image. And in the gap period, we've learned to switch on and switch off. As opposed to dealing with core issues, which ultimately lead to image issues. Maybe there's gaps in your life and ethics, or integrity, or morality, or desire. Appreciate you have the ability. Many of you in this room. You've spoken in tongues, you speak in tongues. And I encourage you that needs to be part of the process, the part of the sanctification, that the Spirit begins to intercede for you even in moments that you don't understand that you should intercede. But at any moment, when you start worrying about your image and you're not worrying about the core. We've lost it. In Mark chapter 10. There's a unique story they have your Bible this morning or your device as you look to it. Mark September 32 We share this share this kind of a cool, crazy story. Mark 1032 They were on their way to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way and the disciples were astonished while those who filed were afraid. Again, he took 12 aside and he told them what was going to happen to him, this is Jesus. We're gonna go to Jerusalem, he said, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will hand over to the Gentiles who will mock Him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later, he will rise. Now, just this, do you see that? Maybe it's a little bit of there's no comedy here. But can you just see like, Hey, we're hanging out with the disciples here. And all sudden, he says, Oh, by the way, this is what's gonna happen to me. He says, He said, they're gonna get arrested, I'm going to be handed over to the Romans, they're going to spit on me. They're going to mock me, they're going to crucify me, and I'm going to die. And then uniquely, in verse 35, of Mark 10, here's what it says. Then James, and John came to him says, Teacher, they said, We want you to do for us, whatever we ask, basically, they're saying, another version is, we want you to do us a favor. We have a favor to ask of you. What do you want from me? He asked, verse 37, they replied, let one of us sit at your right hand and the other at the left in your glory. Does that hit anybody else? Just a little different? Do you think they were dealing with core issues or image issues? Right? They're image issues. Here, their beloved, who are they spending all this time with? Just tells them that he's not going to be around much longer. There wasn't a word of comfort. There wasn't a word of agonizing, there wasn't a moment of saying, Hey, how can we help you here? You know, what can we do here? But they immediately went to this one area of hey, Jesus, when you get there, when you get up there, hey, could one of us sit on one side of you? And the other sit on the other side of you? I mean, is that funny? I mean, is that not crazy? Is that not? Very, very challenging? Where? What? How would God use these men in the future? The image, of course, over here. They're not, maybe they're not hearing exactly what was being said. Maybe they were just worried about, you know, maybe maybe, you know, in painful situations, and I've experienced some of my life, maybe they just, they just kind of went over their head. But let's ask the questions in our own lives, is when the going gets tough. You know, and we go shopping, or when the going gets tough. We come before the Father, and we navigate to the core, the core issues that we need to navigate through. Do us a favor, God. Do us a favor. I don't know what your theology might exactly be like, but I can't remember the last time I've gone before the Lord in all my years And Lord, I need a favor. I have come before him with requests. I have come before him. But sometimes when we ask for a favor, it's like as if we did something that he should do something for us. I've done this. Okay, God, I've tied Lord. Where's my where's my sewing? Where's my reaping? given to this? I volunteered for this. But are we dealing with their core? Or image? And could God be in a place where he really wants to minister to the gap? Here's the question for us. Are we really team players? No, no. It's great to see many friends and guests that are here today. What kind of team player are you? Okay. In the church you may attend or the church you want to attend? Will you be a team player? Will you be a bar? Will you be about encouraging somebody speaking life into somebody? Elevating someone else, letting someone else go before you in line? is kind of cool. The scripture goes on the verse in verse 42. It says this when the 10 heard about this, now how many disciples were there? So now 10 They became indignant ever said the word indignant. That's a big word. I mean, it's not like they were a little upset. I mean, they're indignant. They cannot believe that these two guys I've been hanging out with all this time. asking God for favor. Another way to say that they were furious. These men were furious. I think we think that the disciples just kind of hung out You know, kind of like the I don't know how many doors that were, you know, I Oh, I hope it's up to where are the seven doors? And I don't mean to associate the doors and the disciples, but I think sometimes we think that you know everything which is fine and calm. Can you imagine? Can you imagine? You know, Dr. Matthew, you know, and the other disciples saying, Man, he he doesn't know how to put a worm on a hook. I mean he he can't figure out how to fish here. difficulties, different difficult moments. I think they, I think they had challenges with one another. I think they they spoke truth to one another. But I think they they had moments I think they were living with an image, but it was the wrong image. The two of them. In 1991, Kim and I, with a baby, not a baby on the way maybe baby on the way we didn't know it. We interviewed for a church in Niagara Falls New York. And the pastor drove all the way down from Niagara Falls to the Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Valley Forge area, and we were I was gonna be I was a graduating senior and got a unique and Bible schools, Bible colleges, it's kind of like you're looking for a job, you know, who's going to, where are you going to go, some people go there knowing that maybe they're gonna go back to a certain place, but I wasn't quite sure where I was gonna go. And you know, the first few years of school, I mean, we were just heavily involved with ministry, but then the rubber meeting the road is kind of like where we're gonna go now. And so we drove up to Niagara Falls, New York on a weekend, I think it was maybe six hours, seven hours. And I remember, the board of the church was going to interview us, I think we're 20 to 23 years old at the time. And so it was, it was pretty. It was pretty crazy. We're down in the basement of this church. And here's, I don't know, 12 board members and the pastor, and we're getting, I don't think we are grilled. But I mean, they're asking us all kinds of questions what we do here, and they were going to hire me as an associate pastor, I was gonna do youth ministry was my biggest thing. I was gonna help the pastor, I was going to, at some point, maybe lead, lead the choir lead to worship and all those things. And so sure enough, they want to hire me, I still have some time left in school. And I couldn't go there till July. And so we had like, we had like two months to figure out what we were going to do. And then finally we move to Niagara Falls, New York, and we had a U haul truck. And we had a cat at that point. And we had a cat. So I was like, No, that's why I don't like cats anymore, right? There's really no, no more cats. And we moved Niagara Falls in New York, they had a parsonage for us they had a parsonage would be a place that the church owned, that we were able to live in. And so I remember they they finalized when we first got there, our salary was going to be $180 a week, and and we got free housing. And so it all worked out. And back in 1991. We were making it God was good. And we had a baby on the way. And, and so all during this time, when we got there, there was no real youth group. There's about 1215 kids left. I remember we began to work really, really hard. And you'll just hold on to the story with me. We began to work really, really hard. And we put our heart, mind and soul into everything. And my my my greatest desire was the help that Pastor look like a million dollars to the church in the community. That pretty much has always been my my hope and desire when it comes to come around somebody. And so for the next five years, we were there and we gave everything. We were there when the church was open to the church was done. They get Sunday morning, Sunday evening service Wednesday service. I had youth service on Wednesday and Fridays. We did outreaches we, by the time we left in five years, we had over 100 students attending that that youth ministry just alone. We put on Christmas cantatas we put on Easter cantata then we know what cantatas are we get the choir. I mean, I let it go. I can lead a choir. I'm telling you. I couldn't read music. But ma'am I just push them I mean Come on sing more, sing more. And Kim Kim actually he would write she would get the musical beforehand. And she would put how long I had to hold the note numerically over the note and go through my music for choir. And and so for all those years we shoveled snow we we hung sheetrock in the church, we built a new church while we were there. I mean, we were involved. We gave everything and we loved it. God then elevated us to another place of youth ministry. There were 250 Kids in the youth group. I was the Minister of Youth In a place called Binghamton, New York. Next thing you know, I was they they wanted to put me on the rotation of the lead the worship at the church. They were one in three services on a Sunday morning, Sunday evening service. I mean, God was just doing amazing things. Next thing, you know, I get elevated to another ministry in southern New England, we moved to Massachusetts, and for five years there, we oversee youth ministry, youth conventions, youth camp, everything we put our hands to God blesses to the nth degree, it was just on stinking believable, if I can say, say it that way. And then in 2002, God spoke to our hearts that we removed to Franklin, Tennessee, Franklin, Tennessee. Now there's, there's not a whole, there's not a whole lot wrong with Franklin, Tennessee, if you know I'm saying this, this Middle Tennessee area, and my dad happened to be pastoring affectionately referred to as pops there in the back. He was pastoring. The church it was on fourth and margin down down the road here down in down in the middle of, of Franklin, historic Franklin. And we came down. And after all the things we're involved with, I mean, we did 1000s of students at youth conventions, we'd have hundreds of students and all these things. I ended up coming here and as a support to my my father, in this little church movement, where there were like three teenagers there in the youth group. And next thing, you know, I was leading the youth group. And actually at one point I could put I could hang my hat on actually lead worship here at this church early on, in, in the ministry, and all these all these grandiose things that I had done. And then I was doing. And I'm going to tell you, there was a there was a major gap issues in Nick Serban IV life of what have I done? What am I doing? How could God use me like this, but now he's using me like this? That's a question for some of you that are hearing this. At one point, you were the Bible scholar. At one point, you were the Sunday School teacher at one point, you were heavily involved in a ministry somewhere and now you find yourself sitting and doing next to nothing. My question to you this day is do you do you push through the gap? Of saying, God, I'll do whatever you asked me to do? Or do you sit back and say, You know what, I'm just going to deal with the image that everything's okay. Inside of me. When internally the core God is saying, You know what, I want more I desire more. I love more. I'd like to use you more. In 2000, for Halloween, Halloween of 2000. Where was anybody here at this church? I mean, we weren't, we were at a we were at a brothel gallery in 2000. For Halloween, there's a couple few people left, we've run everybody else off. But thank you for saying in 2004, I was I was asked to pastor of this church it was it was actually Halloween of 2004 that my dad officially retired and said, if you if you want to keep your name, and you know, and on that Sunday morning, I've shared the story 1000s of times, but on that Sunday morning, we were voted in on there were 29 people at the church at the time. And there were 28 yeses and one no. And at 12 o'clock on that day, I knew that God had opened the door that we were the pastor of this church in Franklin, Tennessee. And so over the years, I can't tell you there's that some some days, some days more in the past, but some days or days of core an image, like what am I doing? God is how you want to use me. And I'm just being honest with you. You know, God bless the god bless the preachers that many people watch across the country that they just see the best of the best on a Sunday morning, or a podcast or an Instagram. But I want to share with you today that there are ups and downs and ministries. There are hurts, there are disappointments, there are moments of feeling of abandonment, in ministry, about eight years ago, and I'm going somewhere here. Eight years ago. We were without a youth pastor for a period of time. And so I decided, You know what, for the guy who used to run youth camps, I'm going to take our students to go to youth camp. And I decided in there I decided I was going to do what I could do to make make the make the time they're the best. And we at that point, we probably had 40 students that went to youth camp that summer. And so we went and I decided, I set aside all the students down and i i basically double dog dared him. And I said this, I'm going to worship harder than any of us students here this week. I'm going to pray harder than any of you students this week. I'm going to I'm going to give an all this week you just you just keep up with me. And so every night there's probably 500 students at this camp. Worship starts and the whole crew comes forward to the front of the altar area. And they're in the altar area. And here they are. They're in this place of worship starts and people do start worshiping. And when I say worship, it wasn't just, I mean, it's like, here we go. I mean, it's like we're jumping. I mean, I lost a lot of weight that we committed as a high, I lost a lot of weight. And I'm I'm not, I'm not necessarily the dancer. But man, I got people on each side of me, our whole youth group, that week, we would go early, we would take our seats, we'd get there early, we'd have the, we have all the front seats, because we want to be the closest to the altar. I mean, it was like, we eat dinner, we were in line, I had gone on early, I printed reserved signs, because I used to do this, or I go in there, and I put the reserve side down. And so we get in there and like pasture, this, the seats are reserved on like there for us, you know, and we go sit. Worship starts. I mean, we're worshiping I mean, and we were all I mean, it was it was unbelievable. And and so I thought, you know, this was this was a great week here. This is I mean, it was it was a powerful week, I gotta tell you, I don't know if anybody here was was was part of that time. But I remember, there was a leader meeting on the last day they were going to be there they have, we had one more evening to go. And they shared that on this particular night, they were going to do something that was I'm not really used to I didn't grow up in a church that necessarily highlighted this area. Are you ready for this? On this last night of camp, they were going to do something called foot washing. And we don't talk about it's in the Bible of your Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, but so I'm thinking to myself, you know, I'm the leader here, and I can wash, I can wash these kids feed this, it'd be it'd be great. And so they had all organized, very organized, it was very well done. And I remember I mean, God moved during worship. I mean, we're just, I mean, it was, it was just unbelievable. And we come to this time around the altar. And we put a chair in the middle, we had such a big group, we've kind of off to the side by ourselves. And we had some other leaders, I was kind of like the chaperone, I stayed with the guys in the in the lodge and all that, but here we were. And so I really empowered our leaders, you know, and so the girls were the girls, and the guys are the guys. And, and so we encourage them to do more than just, you know, little, little scrub and whatever. But I don't even know, I've never really been taught how to do foot washing. But uh, we'll figure that one out. Anyway. So here they are, they're washing feet, and the leaders ready for this beginning to prophesied over the students. And I'm just like, if you haven't figured out yet, I kind of cry very, very easily. And I'm like, I'm, like bawling my eyes out on the side like this is and the words that these leaders are saying to the students are like, unbelievable. I'm just like, You got to be I mean, where's this coming from? I know where it's coming from. But I mean, God is resignation is taking place. These kids, their kids wailing and sobbing and crying. I mean, it just powerful, powerful, powerful moment. So they so I'm saying the same thing and pictures. I'm the video guy. Hey, we have shows on Sunday morning, you know, type of deal. So next thing, you know, one of the leaders comes over to me and says this pastor Nick, we want to wash your feet. And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no, you guys, you guys are doing so so great. And they're like, no, no, we we want to wash we want to wash your feet. And I'm thinking to myself, you know, God, I I've done a lot for you. You know, almost like I'm trying to bargain with God at this point, saying, you know, almost like our two boys saying, Hey, do me a favor. God Get me out of this right now. And I don't know what it is. I don't I maybe I just don't like people touching my feet. I don't know. Maybe I didn't cut my toenails that week. I don't know what the deal was. But there was like everything inside of me. It's like no, no, no, I'm not doing that. I am not letting these kids wash my you know, you did a great job. Let's leave it at that. We're gonna we're gonna celebrate. I don't know we want to wash your feet. And I'm like, No. No, I like all kinds of looking at me and I'm just I'm just like yep, I guess you're gonna have to wash my feet here. I remember remember going to the chair and sitting there. And it's very emotional. Have you ever had your feet washed? We could do it if you want. And oh my. I remember I was just bawling like a baby. As I unlaced a sneaker, pulled my sock off. And these kids prayed over me, maybe one of the most powerful prayers. I don't remember what they pray, but it was powerful compared to anything I've ever experienced quite like that transformation. But you know what the biggest thing I had to work with in that moment? Obviously, there wasn't a core issue I was dealing with, I'm dealing with an image issue. What are people going to think? Soft pastor Nick? What are people going to think? When I respond? What are people going to think? When I worship, undignified before the Lord, on abandon before what anybody thinks? As if it's normal to worship this way, let me remind you this morning, that we serve a God who sent His Son Jesus as the greatest example, on this earth, who became the high priest, who became the ultimate sacrifice for you and for me. Who died for you, and for me, and rose again, for you and me, so that we could sit here today, and be part of moments like this. He speaks to us. And he challenges us. And he speaks to our image. And he speaks to what we're doing, what we're not doing. I'm gonna admit to you today, that in that moment of saying, you know, I don't want to I don't want somebody to wash my feet. I think I was dealing with pride. I think I was dealing with, you know, wondering what, what, not only the students are gonna think of me or what others may think of me. And I thank God, that he's very rarely exposes the gap. Donna Barrett are a secretary for the sons of God. Nationally, she says this, who you are is what you are. When you are done doing what you do, who you are as what you are, when you're done doing what you do. Think about that. You might the process it, take a picture. Think about it, who you are, is what you are, when you're done doing what you do. Where is God dealing? And where is God moving? And where is God's purpose in our lives today, I want to close with this last story out of the book of John chapter 11. As we navigate through our core, our image and the gap, sanctification, how we how we grow how we change the story in John, chapter 11. And it says, now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary, and her sister, Martha. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love is sick. When he heard this, she said, this sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. And then he said to disciples, let's go back to Judea. So let me just paraphrase. Let me just kind of sum up this incredible passage of scripture. And we're going somewhere with this. Here in this moment, a close friend of Jesus has passed, whether it was unexpectedly or not. But Jesus didn't seem necessarily surprised by it. And then he has to make a decision whether he's going to go back to an area where people were seeking him out and looking for him and trying to maybe even take his life. On arrival, Jesus found in verse 17, that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now, Bethany was listening to miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Mary, Martha to comfort them in the loss of their brother. And so imagine that it's almost like a funeral had already started. It was more of a process. You know, here in this day, we have a celebration of life service. We have a funeral, but here in this moment, there's there's lots of people checking out what was going on with Lazarus. And just scripture and here, here's resignation. We talked about the things that resonate within us. Jesus wants more deeply, deeply moved, verse 38, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. So here's what Jesus says, Take away the stone. But Lord, said Martha, the sister of the dead man By the time by this time, there is a bad odor. Another, another translation says he thinketh All right. So the bad odor. He has been there for four days. Then Jesus said, Did I tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God? Here anybody? Is there anybody here in this church that believes today? believes in the power of the miracle working power of the Lord? Then Jesus said, Did I tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God, so they took away the stone, then Jesus looked up and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me. But I said this for the benefit of this people were standing around me, and they may believe that You sent Me. Then he said, then then he had said this, Jesus called out in a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth, come out. The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped. Get this. He came out his hands and feet, wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. And Jesus said to them, Take off the grave clothes and let him go I want you to get this right now. Resurrected. Was Lazarus resurrect it was this man. And yet he was still bound with grave clothes heard that gap thing we're talking about? A sanctification piece. Image, core and gap. I thought that myself in conclusion today. Then many of us, we are walking in resurrection power. Hallelujah. Death, burial and the resurrection hallelujah. But how many of us today we still have reflows, wrapped around us somewhere somehow resurrected but bound is not free is alive. But he's not free. resurrect him come out. God rarely choses chooses to expose you. He rarely chooses to expose the gap. But maybe you're here to this morning. And there's a there's grave clothes that you've been wearing around, you're resurrected. He still got some stuff wrapped around you. Maybe because of rumors. Maybe because of bad financial decisions. Maybe because of an argument that blew up. Maybe because of a failure. failed business, a failed relationship. Maybe because of pride. Maybe, maybe it's only pride. Maybe there's a maybe because you're more concerned about your image than the core. Maybe the grave clothes are sorrow or remorse. God desires that all the grave clothes come off in the name of Jesus. Here's what I'm gonna do this morning. We're gonna close on a prayer, a very simple prayer. And I want you to do something I'm going to ask. You may some of you may never come back again. And, and some of you may say, You know what I want to be part of I want to be part of something like this. But here's what I want to ask you this morning, I'm going to ask you to do something that maybe you're not used to. Because you want to be all that God has called you to. I'm going to tell you today that God wants grave clothes gone. I'm not asking about your resurrection status. I'm not asking about where you are with the Lord. I'm asking you about the things that generational curse that maybe you're holding on to the thing that the thing that nobody else knows about the thing that you do when you're done doing what you do, is that who you are. It's the core, the core moments, but I want to ask I don't want to pray for God's freedom this morning. I believe that praying for God's freedom. Listen, we can we could conjure up a whole lot of things here. We can do a whole lot of things, but I'm telling you, he is here in our presence, even right now. And whether you're or guests or whether you even you've been coming for years, if you're walking around with a tinge of grave clothes on with, with just just something you've held on to that you've not abandoned to the Lord, we're going to deal with the core. And we're going to ask God right now for deliverance in the name of Jesus. So I'm gonna ask you to stand with me this morning. So I'm gonna ask you to do one last thing and tell you what God's here in the house. And maybe it may be a little challenging for you, but I'm gonna tell you what. He wants us out of the grave this morning. I'm not really a jumper. But for some reason, I just feel like jumping this morning. For some reason, I feel like God wants to do something here this morning and this house in this place right now. You're gonna ask you to do if you there's a tinge. If there's a sense that you've got to agree, you've got great pulls on. There's something that you've held on to you think it's almost gone. But it's not your carry. It's something maybe you've been hurt. Maybe it was on the way to church today. Maybe it was maybe it was a situation circumstance. I'm going to ask you to do something. I'm gonna ask you to come forward. Right now. We're going to do one thing. We're gonna rejoice. You've got something that you need the Lord. You need the Lord to loose in your life right now. Hallelujah. Anybody else? Is there anybody else in this house? Anybody else in this house, something you're holding on to? Maybe you got an addiction, maybe you're holding on to something that nobody else knows about? We're talking about image right now. We're talking about coral right now. We're talking about the gap right now. All I said is freedom here in this house right now. Since freedom in this house right now. We're going to speak to great flows right now. May even hurt. You've been disappointed. He's here right now. I know you can stay where you're at right now. But I'm telling you what, here's a something. There's just something there's just something washed my feet. Because I could ask you to come and wash your feet right now. We could do right now aren't gonna do that. All right. Come on. There's somebody else in this room you're holding on. We're gonna pray something really simple right now. And we're gonna rejoice anybody else in the house right now. Anybody else in the house right now? Come on. Come on, Nicolas. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah. Okay, here we are. Here's we're gonna do again you could stand on here you can stand on your head you can stand on one foot but I'm going to ask you to do so raise your hand so the Lord if you want to receive this out there to receive it raise your hands with the Lord. Here's what I want you to do. Come on there is freedom right now. grave clothes are coming off right now. The stench of death is coming off right now in Jesus name. Showed it about a year about cooler to see in the name of Jesus even right now, Father, here's what I want you to do. Are you ready? Are you ready? Here we go. I'm gonna count the three. Here's what I want you to do. Out of the three and I want you at free. I want you to say your name out loud. I want you to say your name out loud before the before the Lord. Are you ready? not over yet. We just talked about Lazarus. He said Lazarus come forth I can't announce all your names right now. Are you ready? I'm three I want you to shout your name Don't be weird Don't be this whimsy this little you know whatever shout your name before the Lord right now you're ready 123 Come out in Jesus name right now. Receive receive