Be honest Lord God we’ve done enough in our lives to keep us from being alive today but you Lord God have kept us from hurt harm and danger youve preserved us Lord God you’ve lifted us you’ve covered us God you’ve sustained us father so we can’t help but give you glory in fact
God our praise ain’t because somebody asked us to our praise CU When we think back over our lives and every Mountain you brought us over every Valley you brought us through our soul God Cries Out Hallelujah thank you Lord God for your love now I pray as we lord have
Been together in this place we have sung we’ve worshiped we’ve praised Lord God we’ve given Lord and swed into this ministry Lord God we’ve prayed and had Fellowship I pray that all of those things have been pleasing in your sight that you have received them with the authenticity that we’ve given them to
You and now in this time of sacred contemplation I pray that you Lord God would give us father God some sacred truth that might transform us Lord God we pray for revelation knowledge this ancient word that still speaks today God let it speak to us this day Lord as we
Preach and teach in principle God make specific what you want your children to hear so give me a clear voice that everything I say can be easily understood and can be applied immediately and I thank you for these things in the strong matchless Mighty and ever so sweet name of Jesus and
Every glad heart with a big voice shout it amen come on shout amen one more time Hallelujah God bless you you can have your seats in the presence of God if you have not seen this film it’s called Black Nativity it is an absolutely amazing film I’d never seen it and and
I’d heard so much about it when it was released and just for whatever reason had not had the occasion to watch and in and in times when we were trying to prepare for this series it came up as one of the films that we should use to
Tell these sacred stories and so let me give you a snapshot of what happens in this particular story out of that scene and then hopefully make some connections to our story today um this story is about a young man who finds himself dealing with the issues of life but if
You understand The Narrative of this story it is actually pretty accurate in this depiction that often times the things that emerge in our lives are not simply the fabrication of just our misgivings but the context in which we come out of the ways in which we are
Born into this world some of the issues surrounding kind of our Parenthood or the those who have invested in US tend to have an impact on how we show up in culture so The Story Goes that this young woman whose named Naima finds herself in a bit of a predicament she’s
Attempting to navigate life on her own and at onset you don’t understand quite why this is happening she has a son a young man this man’s name is Langston and we find Langston and his mother attempting to deal with life in the city of Baltimore well times get much much
Too hard and it’s in her mind that the best way for her to solve or attempt to kind of make well their situation is to send Lanson to live with her parents now you got to understand something this woman has not talked to her parents in
Quite a long time so much so that Langston her son has no idea who her grandparents his grandparents are so as The Story Goes she attempts to work it out sends Langston to be with his grandparents and there’s this awkwardness in him trying to find a way to connect and them as Grandparents
Trying to embrace this new child they’ve never had the time or experience to have you know engagement with as The Story Goes Langston finds himself in trouble he got in trouble in Baltimore but finds himself now in the big city of New York where his grandfather is a pastor and he
Gets in more trouble before I get to the trouble that he’s in one of his first days in town he gets robbed by another little boy and finds himself trying to figure out how to actively engage in what’s happening around him he goes to his grandparents house and they love him
As best they can can but lanston is trying to find a way to solve the issue that he is experiencing his mother is in a place of Brokenness and poverty and he wants to be back home so he’s trying to make a dollar as quickly as he possibly
Can at one point he’s made aware of this locket that his grandfather was given by Dr Martin Luther King I told you a moment ago that his grandfather was a pastor and as a young man he found himself in the presence of Dr King because his father and Dr King were
Friends when he shows Langston this locket he says to him or this pocket watch he says to him Langston one day this will be yours well Langston gets a bright idea I’m going to take the watch now and Hawk it and if I Hawk it I’ll
Get the money I need to take care of my mama so I can go back home well the blessing of God is that when he gets to the pawn shop the man that works there actually attends the church that Langston’s grandfather pastors and he
Looks l in the eye and says how in the world did you get this watch he gives it back to him and tries to encourage him not to find himself in any more trouble now here’s what I didn’t say along the way Langston finds himself being charged
With taking a man’s wallet and ends up sitting in jail on his first day in New York he encounters a man that he has a bit of a turst kind of interaction with and this man shows up played by Tyrese at several points throughout this story
As we come to the close of this narrative things have gotten so hard that Naima decides she’s going to come back to New York and get her child but at this time we find out that Langston is made aware that Tyrese who he’s had these interactions with in fact who he
Tried to Rob is actually his daddy well his daddy tells him that the reason you’re in this situation is because your grandfather paid me to stay out of the life of you and your mother and this is where our story really gets good it’s when they get to church I’m telling
Something right now if any drama pops off in my family I show hope we don’t talk about it in front of the congregation in church but as this story goes Langston shows up in church his daddy is with him the police dropped them off NAA just gets out the taxi the
Man of God has just finished preaching his best Christmas Story sermon and all of this now collides when the young man now makes a demand on all of those who have participated in his development story pops up you hear what he says his mother is so upset because
She knows that her father never approved of the man she was with and meddled in her life so she’s trying to leave the man that’s playing Tyrese his name is tyt in the story finds himself in the pickle knew that it was his son didn’t know how to navigate it Granddad and
Grandma of course you know Angela basted who is just absolutely amazing ain’t it just like a woman to be the glue that holds everything together she’s trying to make everything work doing her best to participate as a good wife as a good grandmother as a good mother and the Father the grandfather
Has to make an Omission about the mistakes that he has made but all of this tends to happen not because each of them independently come to their senses it’s not as if Naima has the courage or forgiveness to go back home to make amends with her parents it’s not that
Tyson the father has the wherewithal to find ways to bring his family back together it’s not that Granddad who is a preacher has the intestinal fortitude to find ways to bring this fragmented family it’s this little boy who’s found himself as the victim of this circumstance that rises to a place of
Being the single force that calls everyone back together again and this for me is an incredible Testament of the way in which God does his best best work in fact I could read you probably 50 stories found in the pages of scripture where the individual who finds himself in a series of
Seasonal struggles and troubles are elevated to a place of being the perpetuator of redemption and restitution I I can tell you a thousand stories of people who people counted out who thought were marginalized who didn’t have what it took who weren’t the premier or individuals who were the most
Like to succeed that God likes to pick up those people and bring them to center stage and say I’m going to use them for my glory and for your good and the story is true because we find it in the Book of Luke Luke is interesting because as I
Read for you all last week Luke is the only of the four gospels that goes into great details of establishing the way in which we see Jesus emerge on the scene from inception tells in great detail what happens relative to Mary but he also tells the story of shepherds he
Tells a story of shepherds as scriptures says I read in a moment who find themselves out in the fields as a song I sang as a child watching their flocks by night and these Shepherds these despised Shepherds these Shepherds that do not have social status these Shepherds who
Often time are seen as those who ought to be on the outskirts who are often times uh people are paranoid about them who don’t necessarily find themselves in the greatest Graces of Civil Society are brought center stage and placed right at the Apex of The Greatest Story Ever Told
If you go on your Bibles to Luke Chapter 2 allow me to read for you verses 8 and I’m going to probably read through verse 20 but if I feel good that we got the concept I might stop a little bit early but Luke chapter 2 verse 8 here’s what
It says and there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the L the glory of the Lord Shone around them and they were terrified but the angel said to themo not be afraid I bring you good
News that will cause great joy for all people today in the town of David a savior has been born to you he is the Messiah the Lord this will be a sign to you you will find a baby wrapped in cloth and laying in a manger and
Suddenly a company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying glory to God in the highest heaven and on Earth peace to those on whom his favor rest 15 when the angel had left them and gone into heaven the Shepherds said to one another let’s go
Somebody shout let’s go let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about so they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the the baby who was lying in the manger when they had seen him they spread the word concerning what had been
Told them about this child and all who heard it all who heard it were amazed at what the Shepherds said to them all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherd said to them but Mary treasured all all of these things and pondered them in her heart the Shepherds returned glorifying and
Praising God for all the things they had heard and seen which were just as they had been told do me a favor turn to your neighbor and just say to your neighbor don’t count me out just yet talk to other neighbor CU they count you out
Already just turn to just say say don’t count me out not not yet just yeah the parallel I see between the story of young Langston and the story of these Shepherds is a story of context a story of what it looks like to be an individual who finds themselves
Sometimes at the mercy of their experience now this is not for me to suggest I you know I’m not a non-accountability preacher I I I preach that God has called us to be conscious of our decisions and the ways in which we can actively engage from an empower
Standpoint to make our Preferred Future a reality I I I fundamentally believe that all of us have been given free moral agency that God has not robbed us of valtion that when he breathed into us the breath of life we became living Souls with the capacity to make
Decisions and to do the things that God has required of us hear me child of God I believe that God would never make requests or command us without us having the capacity to do and adhere to that which God has established for us to do
But can we talk for a minute sometimes I think it’s very healthy for us to recognize that sometimes the narratives that have emerged in our lives don’t just come out of thin air but the context of Our Lives can inform and sometimes facilitate the ways in which
We show up in life you’re not saying amen quite yet because you don’t want to tell on yourself but I’m going to talk just for a minute for many of us in this place if we would be honest there are things that have happened to us and
Around us or before us that have impacted the way in which we show up I’ve often said be very careful before you judge what a person chose when you don’t understand what their options were and there’s some people if you’d be honest they find themselves in situations where so much Brokenness was
Happening around them so much fragmentation was a part of their upbringing so many things were absent and so many issues were malfunctioning that some times they find themselves uh uh really living within the context or framework of the life they were born into now this is not an excuse I know
How some of our brothers and sisters get upset when we talk like this cuz we try to say well you had the same options that we had and this is a free country and all that other kind of stuff but until you have walked in somebody’s
Shoes and seen what they have seen I got a buddy of mine that I know he’s walked such a difficult life sometimes people have a problem with how he emerged but I’ve heard his story I know what happened when he was a child I know the
Things that took place I know the places he has been I know what he saw that he should never have seen I know what he experienced that he should never have experience I know the Betrayal of his innocence I know him being pushed into adulthood at a level and an age when he
Was too young to deal what he dealt with and sometimes those issues those things tend to have impact and certainly we believe that God can’t do anything but can we pause for a moment before we get to the place of holding people to a higher standard and empathize with where
They came from they came from a broken home they came from drug addiction in their family they came sometimes from mental illness around them they came from institutions and systems that were set against you ain’t goingon to help me preach but I’m feeling real good right
Now they came from things that try to work against their Destiny and let me tell you something they may not be the best you think they ought to be but if you knew where they came from you give God glory they’re here at all in fact can we pause parenthetically is there
Anybody in the house that says I ain’t necessarily where I’m going to be but if you knew where I came from you give God praise that I came this far already oh God you’re making it hard for me to preach Jesus Langston in this story is one such
Child the Shepherds actually fit a similar description can I explain to you why and while there certainly is a bit of contention relative to the place socially of shepherds I I would have to say if if history serves to be a teacher of the ways in which society structure
Themselves the narratives that shepherds are often times despised in the context of those communities does make sense to me why because shepherds are individuals who spend most of their lives outside of society and anytime people are far from other people the people on the inside are always paranoid about the people on
The outside he not going to help me Teach when when people are far off when you don’t do life with them every day in fact distance can breed a level of contention when folk are far and you don’t know what they’ve been doing or where they’ve been you sometimes become
Suspicious of those people in fact what I’ve heard is in the context of that time Shepherds were looked at as individuals who were not of the standard the Upper Crust of society they didn’t have the same so social standing of those that were on the inside and you
Know how that happens even in church you ain’t going to say Amen you got the In Crowd Clicks in church and then you got the other people in church y’all playing like y’all know what I’m talking about you don’t be surprised about the Shepherds we do this in our families you
Got the part of the family that’s the cool accepted the ones who are doing well and the ones that don’t have the same pedigree or the same level of living they don’t live in the same neighborhoods at us we invite them to the party but we wish they wouldn’t show
Up you’re not going to say Amen to me cuz I’m telling your business but the fact is there’s something about population something about people I don’t care how you align a group group of folk there are people who start to click together and when they decide
They’re of a certain class and a certain Echelon can I go there and get on your real nerves real bad you know how sororities are you know how fraternities are you know how the talented tth is you ain’t going to say nothing you know how the educated folk are you know the black
Bouis you know the aristocrats you know who I’m talking about the people you know you’ve been the Jack and Jew you ain’t going to say nothing to me you’ve been a part of these Crews and I’m not hating know all of them but can we talk
There some of them that start to smell themselves preach Pastor Jeremy cuz I have met everybody on the left side M preach Pastor there folk that’s start you know how church folk get okay say you know how the Holiness Church is we holy ain’t nobody else got Jesus but us
You know how the Baptists are we got the real word and all y’all are delusional we love to click up and the thing about clicking up and being special is that if for me to to be special that means that you can’t be special and I know the same
Thing is true for these Shepherds because they weren’t a part of the click of society they found themselves often times being gazed upon with suspicious eyes but the other truth is simply this the type of work they did the type of work they lived out in the fields with
Animals they live day and night taking care of sheep it was a dirty life it was a life of wandering it was a nomadic life their life was about ground and dirt and stuff and brushing animals it it was a life that wasn’t refined it was
A life that wasn’t clean and you know how we are we we have sometimes this H that we have when we deal with folk that do jobs that we think are beneath us I am preaching some of my best work right now and people okay let me say it this
Way some of us have an idea you remember while ago there was a young lady that was on the Internet or the IG and she was talking about how she wasn’t going to date no man that was a trash man you ain’t going to say Amen to me we we have
These things about how we think certain jobs are beneath us and certain things are not on our level because we feel like somehow a person’s profession is reflective of their value preach Pastor Jeremy God you are teaching in here today and and here’s the problem I’m
Going get to the sermon in a minute I’m doing some early work till before I get there uh uh and we have this issue and we find ourselves when we like to put people in categories we put titles on them and we label them and we determine
The demarcation of their life and what’s crazy about this is that once we fix the frame once we say who’s in that place it’s like there’s nothing they can do to get out of the frame that they’re in and watch this and here’s what makes it work
Wor is that not only do we put them in the frame based on what we know then we decide there’s nothing they could do that operates outside so we don’t want to have anything to do what they have to say we determine their wisdom their experience their KN how they can’t teach
Us nothing they can’t say nothing y’all Ain going to say Amen to me they can’t say nothing to us none of that stuff why because they are not on our level why in the world would they think that we had any desire to hear anything they had to say because
They don’t operate at the level that we do but I love the Holy Ghost because God sent the Holy Ghost and I just believe that God said to the Holy Ghost I want you to find the people that nobody else is looking for preach Pastor I want you
To search for the folk that have been cast out and marginalized and thrown to the side in fact he said I want you to open up the yearbooks and find folk who are most likely not to succeed and then I want you to place your glory on the
Inside of them and use them in my name is there anybody in the house that can lift your voice because folk didn’t think you had anything to offer they looked over you they talked about you they excluded you but thanks be to God the Holy Ghost jumped down on the inside
Of you and put you in a place to bring glory and outon of to God’s name tell your neighbor don’t count me out just yet I may not look the part I may not smell the part I don’t have the pedigree I don’t have the degree I didn’t come from your neighborhood I
Didn’t go to your school I don’t drive your type of car I don’t do what you do I don’t have your network I don’t have your next worth but don’t you count me out just yet don’t you think that God can’t use me cuz I don’t look like what
You think I need to be there is a God that takes the foolish things to confound the wise is there anybody in the Center of Hope that can praise God cuz you ought not be counted out just yet let let’s go home on this and so I begin to ask myself this
Question I said self well why should people not count us out just yet and he showed me in the text well look at what happened with the Shepherds now I want you I want you to sense this well I’m about to say to you are things that you
Watch this have to appreciate about yourself you got to watch this what I said before service started was this it’s not necessarily what people call you it’s what you answer to so I want to suggest to you that this conversation is not about acceptance it’s not about
Getting people to see your value your worth or trying to convince them to believe that God’s got his hands on you this conversation is for me to affirm in you that the same God that used the Shepherds is the same God that wants to use you well watch this but you have to
Believe that that God wants to use you it’s not so much my God the Box they put you in it’s your refusal to tear down walls and walk out into what God has assigned to your life so can we talk for a minute five things I want to suggest
To you I’m going to say them in the first person and I hope that you will adopt these concepts for your life the re reason that you ought not count Jeremy out just yet is because I am not afraid the Bible say the shepherd were minding their own business they were
Tending the flock they were handling the things that God had assigned to them and at a moment Angels appeared to them to have a conversation scripture says the Shepherds were terrified but the angel before he got into any other part of the conversation he stood firm looked them
In the eye and said do not be afraid and I’ve came to tell somebody that God is asking you if you want to walk in what God has assigned to your life you have to affirm I am not afraid preach Pastor Jeremy I’m not afraid of what you think
About me I’m not afraid of my past I’m not afraid of your low expectations I’m not afraid of the uncertainty of the path before me I have decided I’m not afraid but do you fear do you feel fear absolutely but when I say I am not
Afraid what I am saying is I’m not going to live by my feelings I’m going to walk in the fullness that if I determine not to be subject to fear God will meet me at the point of that risk and will animate my being so family of God you
Have to start telling the devil and everybody else I just refuse to be afraid I know where I came from I know what disqualifies me I know what they think about me me I know they won’t accept what I have to say at times but I
Refuse to be afraid I’m not afraid to step out into a place of letting God use me cuz I’m worried that someone is going to bring up my past guess what I am not afraid I am not afraid of doing what God Said and some folks saying that you are
Disqualified and have no value I am not afraid I am not afraid that somehow God is going to start me and then leave me in the middle when I get in the heat of I am not afraid I refuse to live life in fear for one more day and I hope I’m
Talking to somebody because for many of you it’s not about God’s power it’s not about your aptitude it’s not about the path before you it’s that your fear of what might happen has held you captive that you won’t chase God down what God’s assigned to your life but I dare
Somebody with the fullness of your lungs to lift your voice and Shout I am not afraid I’m about to do this I’m about to chase this dream down I’m going to pursue everything that God’s assigned to my life I am not afraid of you I’m not
Afraid of my past I’m not afraid of the future I’m not afraid of some pain I’m not afraid of being misunderstood I’m not afraid of being misjudged I’m not afraid if they close their ears I’m not afraid if they call me a fool I’m not
Afraid if they laugh at me I just refuse to be in fear I refuse to be incarcerated by the fear that tells me not to try cuz it might not work God told me to tell somebody to lift your voice every single morning that you open
Up your eyes Satan will whisper in your ear that something’s going to break you or hurt you or bondage you but I dare somebody when you open your eyes in your bed the first thing out of your mouth is thank you Lord and the second thing is I
Am not afraid when you brush your teeth look your black self in the mirror and say I am not afraid when you get in your car on your way to work put your hands on that wheel and say I am not afraid when you walk in that job walk those
Halls with a bounce in your step and say I am not afraid bless the Holy Spirit that’s number one don’t count me out just yet have cuz I ain’t scared here’s number two don’t count me out just yet oh God because everything before this thing was just rehearsal don’t count me
Out because everything before this thing was just rehearsal now I’mma tell a story that has nothing to do with this sermon cuz it’s funny and just popped into my mind a couple years ago we were having an event we putting on a production and you know
How we’d like to do nice Productions and uh um one of our production key people I was out of town they just finished rehearsal and they said we got to have a call so I said all right Brandon let’s get I was on the plane talking to him
Trying to talk before they telling me to put your phone away I said as soon as I land we’ll set up a zoom sister Jimmy and uh I got to town where I was going we jumped on a zoom call and it was me and two people and uh he said listen
G that’s what they call me he said uh you know how when we do big Productions and the last rehearsal it seems like everything falls apart and then on the day of the production it’s as if everything just comes back together again said yeah with enthusiasm he said Gee this is not
That we had to have some more meetings to fix things but the interesting thing about rehearsal is that you never judge a thing at the rehears you missed that um if there’s a big production on the scene the critics don’t come and write the story about rehearsals they come to the performance
And at the performance they make their assessment because in the rehearsal things are not official yet they’re notes being given things being translated and transitioned and so you don’t get in a knot because of the rehearsal you wait until it’s time for the show can I tell you two things about
This uh here’s the first thing the Bible says these men were shepherds in fields near Bethlehem which was also near Jerusalem The Narrative goes that these Shepherds most likely were the Shepherds that were keeping the flock that would be used for the sacrifices I say it again uh these
Shepherds were keeping the flock in the fields by night but because of their proximity to the place of sacrifice most believe that the Sheep they were keeping were the sheep that were going to be used for the sacrifice see see there was a temple that was established years and years ago and the
Temple was a place where people came to make sacrifice and they would make sacrifice to atone for their sins you know the story they would bring an animal to the priest and the priest would cut the animal’s neck and would drain the blood and the blood from the
Animal would be sprinkled and it was as if the Sheep was now taking your place your sins were placed on the sheep and instead of you dying because the wages of sin are death it was the sheep that died in your place you’ll get it in a
Minute and what I want to suggest to you is this what the word teaches us is this that while there were many sacrifices being made before Christ comes Jesus came as the once and for all sacrific that whereas he gave his life now you didn’t have to nurture sheep anymore
That they would then be in the place of us for sin because Christ pops on the scene and does at one point what hundreds of thousands if not million of sheep have been doing for a lifetime and God came to help told me to tell you this that in the same way those
Shepherds had to raise those sheep to be sacrificed they were just practicing with sheep that would one day go away because the sacrifice would no longer be needed but one day the angel came and said I know you’ve been rehearsing with the sheep that you got right now but I’m
Going to send you to a lamb Jesus that was slain for the sins of the world and you used to talk about little sheep but now I’m going to s to the big sheep you ought to lift your voice and praise God cuz everything before this was just
Rehearsal but can I show you something else um um these same Fields Pastor right right um these Bethlehem fields that these sheep R in are actually the same Bethlehem fields that David tended his sheep in that’s why it’s called the city of David the Bible says I want to say in 1
Samuel 17 around verse 15 that there is this issue that arises with Goliath and the children of Israel and David enters in to a season of fisticuffs but when he gets there he comes from the fields where he tended his father’s sheep you got to get this
But here’s what I love about this some of y’all know the story scripture says that God tells Samuel to elect a new king because Saul was now being replaced I love this my God the word is so good and what the word of God shows us is
This that Samuel goes down to Jesse’s house and when he gets to Jesse’s house he inquires because God told him that the King was there Jesus this is such good stuff he gets to the house and jeffro begins I mean Jesse begins to parade all of the likely suspects y’all
Don’t want to tee this with me he he begins to bring son after son before Samuel saying that this could be the king and you know how we do the Bible teaches us that man looks on the outside but God sees the heart and so I imagine
When Jesse was told that one of his sons would be anointed he began to bring the sons in one by one from greatest to least assuming that the ones he brought in will be the one that God had anointed and he brought the first boy in Sam said
That ain’t him he brought second boy in s said that ain’t him and he brought boy after boy in said there’s got to be one that’s King and he said Samuel said is there anybody else Jesus help me preachers and I just feel like in my spirit that there’s some people that
Chose some other people before they chose you they had an image of who ought to be in the place and I hear God saying from glory is there any anybody else and there’s one boy but he’s out in the Bethlehem Fields tending the sheep and
Said bring that boy in and the oil of the anointing was poured on David’s hand you want to lift your voice because there were other folk in line before you but God has a way of looking for people in the field that nobody else wanted and putting them sin stage it was all
Rehearsal it was all preparation it was all God getting things ready it was you got to watch this which means that everything before now was designed to serve what God has taking you into can I just say that this is why you can’t be so hard on yourself and your past
Because some of the stuff that you came through some of the things that you did and had to deal with were things that God used to help make you who he wanted you to be that he could use you for his glory can I also say this and sometimes
God chose you because he knew you were jacked up and there’s something funny about jacked up people when jacked up people get used in most cases they don’t get all high minded and hay because they know where they were when God chose them they know what they were they know that
They don’t belong they know they don’t deserve it but it’s the grace and mercy of God so God said I didn’t mind bringing you out the mud because I know you would praise me different you you worship different you you would scream different you wouldn’t take the glory
You give it to me you would say I’ve come this far by faith it was nothing but the grace and mercy is there about 17 people in the house and I’ll be number 18 that can open up our mouth and say Lord thank you for doing it and
Rehearsing so for bringing me through for changing my mind for getting me right that one day you would use Me For Your Glory oh God here’s here’s number three I love this one here’s number three you know number four is my favorite but here’s number three uh number three
Number three is is not just that you’re not afraid don’t count me out cuz everything before the day was rehearsal if you want to judge me in rehearsal that ain’t Fair it wasn’t a big show yet so don’t count me out cuz rehearsal was bad cuz we had gotten to the show yet
But here’s number three don’t count me out just yet because I have been given Divine sight oh Jesus now you got to get this here here here’s the sub narrative in the text Bible says Elder Gil that the Angels say to the Shepherds watch this
Glory to God you know born to you this day right good news for you and everybody else this great king the Messiah though right it’s exciting sign he says this he says and here’s how you know who I’m talking about you’re going to go to a manger and see a
Baby wrapped in swaddling clothing you missed it uh he says they say hey big news King has come the Messiah is here the one who will make all things things right the one who on his shoulders shall the government government be seated and to his government there shall be no this
The one the prince of peces here the Mighty God the the the wonderful counsel the one the big news everybody it’s going to be great the biggest baddest thing ever to touch the Earth has just arrived and they say great God where is this King he said here’s how you know
Who he is go down to a Manger this big king this great God of creation this this this ruler this this incarnate one this one who will R in in Victory this king who will reestablish the the the the the headship of the children of Israel this one who who will
Be the great deliverer this this one who grew up with power and might has come they say great where where is he he said go down to a Manger he’s he’s in a Manger he’s wrapped he’s a baby he’s wrapped in swall clo he’s W but he’s
He’s big yeah I know but he’s he’s a he’s a manger and he’s a baby and he’s wrapped but you get excited why but it’s a baby wrapped in a manger and in swalling clothing and see here’s what I love about God why he hasn’t counted us
Out because he knows that we can see what nobody else can see see when some people see circumstances that don’t look like what they expect God to do they turn it off and tune out and assume that God hasn’t done it but those of us who have been
Chosen by God can look at a mess can look at a a terrible situation and see the glory of God percolated is there anybody in the house that’s got Divine sight it don’t look good other folk counted it out they said it can’t happen it won’t be it’s going to fail it’s not
Big enough bad enough strong enough but you have something that you see in the spirit Jesus help me that your eyes are not Earthly eyes your eyes are not fleshly eyes but you look at what other folk are looking at and while they see that which is small and insignificant
And can’t go nowhere you see the glory of God about to burst forth on the scene this is why when all hell breaks loose you can still shout and give God praise because you know if hell is breaking loose that must mean that heaven is on
The way and so is there anybody in the house and say Lord I see what you see I know what they said but but I got eyes that are seated in Heavenly places with the most high god oh I’m preaching much better than you saying amen Divine sight I’m almost done two
More but here here here’s my here’s my favorite one here’s my favorite one you know number four seemingly always my favorite um here’s why you shouldn’t count me out number one uh because I ain’t afraid here don’t count me out number two cuz everything before today was a rehearsal don’t count me out
Number three because I’ve been given Divine sight here here’s number four don’t count me out because I’ve got the faith to go can I just tell you how much it bothers me when people in fact I have to check myself because I’m like why I’m there’s something called the um the the
Strength finder it’s it’s an assessment and it tells you what naturally recurring um Talent themes emerging one of them is something called an activator and and when I tested um I have I have five one you activator too we’re act and and doesn’t it make you mad when you see
Somebody with all of the things that they need to be successful and they just won’t get up and it I’m talking about I have to literally stop myself from fussing them out I got there’s something in me that gets hostile I I thinking what what else do you want and I’ll be I
Don’t even want to talk to them no more I’m just like all right well go I pray for you go find somebody else to waste their time because if you are not going to do what God’s assigned to your life why are you complaining about your predicament preach Pastor Jeremy but
There there’s something in me now here you got to understand Bible says that that the Angels come and they make a declaration then there’s a great host that begins to sing and dance and they’re excited because they are talking about what just has happened and that’s
All wonderful but here is the Lynch pan to the story the Bible says that after all the music settled down after the host went back to heaven to finish their work after the angels went on to somebody else to do their job the Bible says that the Shepherds said to each
Other let’s get up and go see what God Said is there and I came to yell in somebody’s Spirit right now I don’t know what you are waiting for but here’s the deal we don’t want to count you out but the only way that we cannot count you
Out is if if you will get up and go see what God has said there’s something waiting on you there’s something that is hoping that you have enough Faith to jump up and Chase it down nobody is bringing it to you the Bible did not say
They were going to pick up this baby in a manger and translated where the the Shepherds were Jesus was not coming to the fields to show himself to the Shepherds the Shepherds had to leave where they were they had to put down the staff they had to dislocate themselves
From the Sheep that are disengaged from their regularly scheduled programming and go after what God Said was available to them and I came to tell somebody here’s why you should not count Jeremy out yet cuz I’ve seen what God has said will be my portion and this next year of
2024 I’m going to get up and go and get everything that God said belong to me and I wish I had about 45 people that had the same function on the inside that you tired of waiting on around and wondering and hoping and wishing but you’re in a season of life right now
Where you say you know what I’m not going to stay here another moment I’m about to run toward my destiny and go see if God can do what he said he can do don’t count me out I got the faith get up and go get it here here’s the
Last one don’t count me out you ready don’t count me out because you are going to want to hear what I got to say Bible say um well let me say this way Langston in this story has all sorts of things he’s he’s the child of the narrative there’s a
Grandparent there their parents there other deacons there people there’s so many people who um are at least from an external Vantage Point better seated suited and positioned to share what is essential in the moment there are other people there are other players that have at least you would believe what it takes
To to bring awareness or Clarity but but but it’s amazing that this little boy Langston is the one the central figure that begins to really preach the gospel he says wait a minute I’m not going to let you make this about you this is a moment Jesus help me I know who I’m
Talking to and and it might be my voice in your life right now you I’m say this right here is a moment this is a moment I I don’t know I don’t know where you are I know what’s happening geopolitically I know what’s happening in the market I know what’s happening in
The culture I know what’s happening but I want to tell somebody this right here December 10th of 2023 is a moment you and I are in a moment you and I are in a place where the water has been troubled and the heavens have been rened and the spirit
Of God is ready to do something in our lives that we’ve never seen before the culture is in chaos hearts are hungry people are looking for a manifestation of the power of God the devil is busy IPS are dancing demons are pursuing witches are showing up to church why
Because we are in a moment that’s why folk are checking out of here that’s why it seem like there’s chaos in your mind and in your heart because we are in a moment but thanks be to God the same thing was true 2,000 years ago there was turmoil in the culture Society had
Dropped to a place of abject dysfunction and so when the shepherd showed up as unlikely candidates they came to her a sacred truth they said I know it’s been held on Earth I know we’ve been waiting for Generations I know it seems like the Roman government
Has its some on our next I know that everything is falling apart but thanks be to God you remember what Isaiah told us long time ago what the prophet said would happen What Zephaniah and haggi and Obadiah what everybody said what Moses discussed what Israel said what
God Said in the garden everything you’ve been waiting for is about to manifest right now and God told me to tell somebody the reason that folk ought not count you out because God has put the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ in your mouth and so on your job they’re waiting
To hear what you got to say in your family they’re waiting to hear what you got to say in our social systems they’re waiting to hear what you got to say so Raise Your Voice shout of God and begin to testify that Christ the King has come
That Jesus Lives and he lives forever more that the same God that raised Jesus from the dead has placed that power on the inside of you that’s why we can’t count you out cuz you a prophet you you’re a preacher you’re a heralder of the Gospel of Jesus so I dare about 35
People to raise your voice in this house and make a declaration that the word of God is in your mouth you had a moment M with an Angelic host that deposited a word on the inside of you and just like the Shepherds you going to run to and fr
To everybody that will have an ear to hear and testify of the Glorious Gospel of an amazing God open up your mouth and give God a shout in here hallelujah oh you want to you want to hear what I got to say cuzz I’m saying that God’s A Healer and and God’s a
Deliverer and God’s a way maker and God’s a provider and God’s a keeper and God’s a Defender and God’s a covering you ought to open up your mouth you want to hear what I got to say I may not be the packaging you wanted but the message I got is pure it is
Jesus him alone what’s what’s going to take away the is of this culture is Jesus what what’s going to fix Health Care Jesus what’s going to turn the markets around Jesus what what’s going to end the conflict in the Middle East Jesus what what’s going to heal Brothers in
Africa Jesus what’s going to turn neighborhood Around Jesus what’s going to break drug addiction Jesus what’s going to heal bodies Jesus you want to hear what I got to say we preach no other gospel save the name of Jesus healer ruler deliverer way maker powerful King author and finisher
Of our faith my God it’s Jesus Jesus whom the worlds were formed by it was Jesus and it rotates on the AIS of his word is Jesus we don’t live by bread alone but every word that proceeds from the mouth of Jesus even the Holy Ghost don’t talk for
Himself Bible says the Holy Ghost only going to say what Jesus tells them to say it’s Jesus it’s Jesus it’s Jesus my daddy said Jesus in the morning in the noon day and Jesus Jesus Oh still Jesus you want to hear what I got to say you get therapy
Yes Advocate yes stand in the halls of justice and raise your voice aloud yes when it’s all said and done it’s still Jesus it’s still Jesus it’s Jesus don’t count me out why because of Jesus I ain’t got to say it myself all I got to say is Jesus he is the way
Maker he’s a miracle worker he’s a promis keeper he’s the light in the darkness sir my God that’s who he is stand to your feet I don’t know who I’m talking to but I dare somebody to make the bold declaration don’t you count me out just
Yet I know I come out of some hell I know I’ve been some places I ain’t proud of I know if you dig deep enough you ask enough folk questions you go back far enough y’all acting all sadidi and Sanctified everybody here got a pass don’t count me out just yet cuz I’m
Not afraid just not afraid the road may be rough the going may be tough but he didn’t bring me this far to leave me now don’t count me out cuz I’m Not Afraid God has an amazing way of taking those that no one else thinks is worthy to be
Taken putting them Center Stage to accomplish his Divine will if you’re here today and for whatever reason this word is for you our prayer words are going to the sidewall now two things number one if you’ve never given your life to this Jesus never laid down your will to allow
For him to have full control if you’ve never decided you can’t do it on your own but you need a God the manufacturer of your life to establish your ways if you’re tired of fighting this battle by yourself tired of coming up short tired of the condemnation and shame that you f with
Each passing day there is a savior there is a God who with a single touch can rid you of the condemnation and judgment that you feel who can erase your paths and cast your sins into the sea of forgetfulness who can give you a right to eternal life life through himself I
Want to encourage you in the day that you hear the Lord’s voice hard not heart but if he’s calling for you today I want to encourage you go to the side wall let one of our ministers pray with you that we might help you walk into a loving relationship
With Jesus but number two if you’re here and you just need a touch of Faith walk through a difficult season what I’ve said is an emblematic of your life and you just want to pray it through I’m going to close this service and as I do I’m going to offer this
Moment for you to go to our wall that one of the ministers might stand and pray with you Holly come here for a second let me just give you some more news we’ve been praying for months now um many of you know Sister zna um if you don’t know her name sister
Renee Tara zaa Tara you know her face because she was the brightest she was the brightest one out there on the park in L with with her sign I don’t I don’t think we have a more spirited member of our congregation well this past Tuesday she took her
Flight and now is In the Arms of Jesus and while our hearts are filled with deep sadness because we no longer will see her physical presence we say Amen to the will of the one who made her she belonged to God we had thoughts and ideas of what we would have wanted to
Happen but we don’t we don’t get to choose we pray the prayer of faith and then we trust the sovereignty of God so I would that you would help me pray for their family pray for their loved ones email went out to many of our leaders uh some information about the the funeral
Of both her and Elder Ken I want is Ken on the 22nd or he’s 29th okay so um so on the 22nd we’re having the service for sister Renee at 10:00 a.m. and then on the 29th we’re having the service for Elder Ken Bryan at at also
At 10:00 a.m. so if you can be here these two were just pillars of our family and and my heart Grieves anytime anyone connected to us transition but I gotta be honest and say this one was a little bit harder I think them happening like five days apart from each other and US
Battling with them for so long going back forth to the hospital and praying interceding it’s hard it’s hard for many of you some of you serve with them he’s one of our elders just so much is going on but I want to encourage you let’s be strength to their families and then
Strength to each other amen is that all right come on let’s pray together Eternal God thank you so much for your loving Grace and the privilege of being gathered in your name God as we have cast the seat of this word I pray that you have caused it to find
Good ground in your people I pray Lord that as we have sucked together this day that we will learn not to answer to the restrictions the low expectation or low value appropriation of others but that we will be with immense gratitude willing to step into what you have
Assigned to us so God this day will we we say Amen to you elevating us pushing us forward and will chase down what you’ve placed before us so God I pray that the grace of God and the sweet communion of the holy spirit will rest Rule and abide with us now henceforth
And forever more and every glad heart with a big voice said amen God bless y’all we’ll see you next week
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