Patterns and Precedents

All of you today. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 8. It tells us, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. Everybody say the same. The same. One other passage of scripture, Acts chapter 10, verses 34 and 35. This is following the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the Gentiles for the first time, and Peter is looking around trying to make sense of what he is seeing, and this is his response. It says, "Peter opened his mouth and said, 'Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him.'" Two principles we find in these scriptures that I want to draw from today. The first is the simple understanding that God does not change. God does not change. Seasons may change. Culture may change. Relationships may change, but I am grateful that we serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the second principle that we see here is that God is no respecter of persons. He does not qualify who can and cannot receive from him. In other words, it doesn't matter your gender, it doesn't matter your age, it doesn't matter your race or your ethnicity. The only thing that is the qualifier, he is a respecter of faith. But as long as you have faith to believe that he is able, God says, "I am willing to work in your life." Mhm. I believe he has a something he desires to do in this room this morning. For a few moments I want to preach to us from the simple subject, patterns and precedents. Patterns and precedents.

Would you pray with me one more time over the service? Lord, we thank you for your spirit that is already in this place. I believe God that there has been healing that has happened even through the worship this morning, but I do not believe that you are done yet. I thank you for this incredible church and these sweet people. Today, Lord, I pray that your word would do what only it can do, that your word would go forth, and that it would accomplish a divine work in this service. I do believe that there are miracles in this room. I believe that anyone who has not been filled with the baptism of your spirit can have that life-changing experience in this room today, that we do not have to leave the same. But God, you are no respecter of persons, and you know never change. At the end of this all, we'll give you glory in the name of Jesus. Everybody say amen. You may be seated.

A few years ago, I had the privilege of sitting down with a man that was living in, in the area that I was in. He was a pastor, but on the side, he was also a master carpenter. And I don't remember what brought us to the point of this conversation, but I remember that on this particular day, somehow we got into a conversation about his side gig. And he was not only a master carpenter, but he specialized in building fences. He was using this as an illustration for something that he was dealing with in, in pastoring, but this is what he told me. He said, "Caleb, there is very much a right way and a really wrong way to build a good fence." Anybody ever built a fence in this room today? I've never built a fence before, so this was all news to me. He begins to detail this, this right way and this wrong way. He said, "Caleb, I've, I've at times worked with some amateur carpenters, and if they're not careful, there is a temptation for an amateur carpenter to go and get all the supplies, and get ready to build this fence. And so, they have their boards all laid out, and so they pick up their first board, and they cut that board to size. And then they take the second board, and they put it up against the first board, and they cut that board to size. But then they throw the first board away, and instead of using the first board again, they use board two to be the pattern for board three. And the pattern continues, that board two gets thrown in a pile, and then board three becomes the pattern for board four, and board four for board five. He said, "Much to the dismay of that amateur carpenter, whenever he would set up his fence, there is a high probability that as he looked over the top of that fence, that he would see a variance in the fence. Whereas he began to cut each board based on the board prior, as centimeters here, and, and maybe just a quarter of an inch here or there, at all the sudden the fence was not an exact alignment that he had desired for the fence to be. He said, "But a master carpenter understands that the most important cut you make is the first one." He said, "Whenever I go to build a fence, the first thing I do is I cut my first board to size, and then I take a marker, and I write on this board, pattern." He said, "So then when I get board two, I bring it, and I put it up against the pattern, and I cut board two according to the specifications of the pattern. Then board three, I bring it, and I cut it according to the pattern. Board four, according to the pattern.

Because when you use a pattern, you can ensure an expected result." We understand this concept of a pattern. A pattern is a form proposed for imitation. A pattern is an original design used as a model for producing the same thing time and time again. We would understand that most everything we see today was produced based on some kind of pattern. Everything from the car that you drive, to the clothes that you wear, to the phone that you use, was manufactured based on a pattern. It is a mold or a guideline used to replicate or dup- duplicate something over and over again. When you follow the pattern, you can ensure an expected result.

Now, this is not my message, but I pause here briefly this morning to say that if you've been around this church for any number of days, weeks, or years, no doubt you have heard men of God stand in this pulpit, and there are certain things that they have preached over and over again. Without question, there are men of God who have stood in this pulpit and have declared to you that there is only one God, and his name is Jesus Christ. They have declared that the Father is Jesus, and the Son is Jesus, and the Holy Ghost is Jesus. No, you have heard men stand in this pulpit and declare that you must repent of your sins. You must be baptized in that saving name of Jesus Christ, and for the remission of those sins, and be filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. They stood in this pulpit, and they preached these truths to you, not because they needed a good message on a Sunday or a Wednesday. It wasn't because this was some clever idea that came up in their own mind, and said, "This will preach real good." No, it's because they're using the Bible as their pattern. It's because they are trusting the pattern. And I'm just crazy enough to believe that if we are willing to preach what the apostles preached, and we're willing to live like the apostles lived, and we're willing to give like they gave, and serve like they served, and worship like they worshiped, and sacrifice like they sacrificed, we can expect to see what they saw. Because as we sit in this church on this Sunday morning, we are not some knockoff version of that early apostolic church, but everything that they experienced, and everything that they saw, is our inheritance. And so if they saw miracles, if we're following the pattern, we can see miracles. If they saw hundreds filled with the Holy Ghost, if we're following the pattern, we can see hundreds filled with the Holy Ghost. Because when you follow the pattern, you can ensure an expected result.

A similar thought, slightly different, is this concept of precedent. Precedent is a legal term used in American law, and, and most of us in this room would be familiar. Precedent is simply a previous action, situation, or decision that can be used as a reason or example for a similar action or decision at a later time. A simple explanation of this is, when a court case arises that is similar to one that has been decided before, the judge will rule on the basis of precedent, saying that if that's how they decided this before, then the law says that this is how I need to decide it today. To put it even more plainly, precedent simply says that if it happened before, then it can happen again. And so on this Sunday morning, I've come with a simple word, just to try to elevate somebody's faith, and remind you that you serve a God of pattern and precedent. It doesn't matter right now if you're facing unprecedented circumstances. It doesn't matter if over the last year and a half, your life has been completely upended, because no matter what you may face, you've got a God that is not, that is not blind to what you are going through. And you have a God that, while it may be unprecedented for you, it is not unprecedented for him. And if he's done it before, then he can do it again. And if he did it for them, then he can do it for you, because you serve a God that never changes. A God that is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And a God who is no respecter of persons. I wonder if you just give the Lord a hand clap of praise this morning.

In Matthew chapter 14 and Mark chapter 6, we read a familiar story. We find that, following the news of his cousin John the Baptist's death, that Jesus departs from where he was. And the Bible tells us that he set sail for what scripture refers to as a desert place. Now, we must understand that it's likely that Jesus, being touched with every emotion that we face, and thus feeling a great sense of loss and grief, is desiring to separate himself from the crowds, and mourn the death of his trusted, faithful friend. However, upon hearing that Jesus was sailing close, and either not understanding the circumstances, or simply just not caring that he had just suffered a great loss, scripture says that word begins to travel, that Jesus is going to be in their area. Before we know it, before Jesus' boat has hit the shores of the seaside, we find that there are multitudes, thousands if not tens of thousands of men and women, who have gathered along the shoreline, where Jesus and.

His disciples would be. As Jesus approaches the shore, the Bible says he steps to the bow of the boat, and he sees the great multitude of men and women who had traveled so desperately to see him. In Matthew chapter 14, verse 14, the scripture says that Jesus went forth. He saw a great multitude. He was moved with compassion, and he healed their sick. Another telling of the same account in Mark chapter 6, verse 34, tells us that Jesus, when he came out, saw much people. He was moved with compassion towards them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things. There was something about the desperate desire of these people, that caused Jesus to forget about whatever pain he must have, have been experiencing, and being moved with compassion, he begins to minister to their needs, healing their sick, and teaching the people. The last part of Max Mark 6:34 tells us, he began to teach them many things.

We continue the story in verse 35, when it tells us that when the day was far spent, his disciples came unto him and said, "This is a desert place, and the time is far past. Send the people away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat." Now, track with me what's happening in this story. I've heard this story my entire life, but it wasn't till recently that I really considered what's going on. The Bible says Jesus is teaching the people, and the disciples realized that the day is far spent. And can you imagine, though, being the disciple whose job it is to go and tell Jesus that he was preaching too long? Put yourself in that man's shoes. Imagine the disciples huddled up together, and they're saying, "Hey bro, you got to go tell him. He's, he's going a little, little long today. The people are hungry. They're starting to murmur. They're starting to complain." And they're looking at each other. "I don't want to tell him. You go tell him. It, that doesn't sound like a fun job." And slowly, sheepishly, one of the disciples maybe stands in the back where Jesus is preaching, and he gives him the time out sign. It's like, "Hey, pause. Just 1 second. Jesus, come, come here. Sidebar. Come here." He says, "Lord, I want to preface this just by saying, you're doing a wonderful job today. Your message, it's really on point today. The parables you're sharing are incredibly inspiring. The way that you, the flow of your sermon, the way that you have prepared this, is absolutely phenomenal. Some of your very best work, Jesus, but we've got a little bit of an issue. You're going too long. The people are hungry. The people are starting to get disgruntled." And so they say, "We've got to do something about this. Send them away, that they can get food. Go send them back to their villages, that they may eat." I can't imagine that they expected Jesus' response in verse 37, when it says that he looked at them, he said, "You feed them." Like, if you're going to interrupt my teaching, give them something to eat.

Again, the disciples are huddled up together. They're pulling out their coin purses, and they're counting their money, and they're trying to figure up how much it is to feed 10,000 people. In their minds, they quickly come to a calculation. They say, "Jesus, it would cost us an entire year's salary to try and feed these people. We can't do that." And so we find the story continues in verse 38, that he says to them, "Well, how many loaves do we have? Go and see." And when they knew, they come back and they say, "We've got five loaves and two fish." And he commands them to make everybody sit down by companies upon the green grass. Verse 40 tells us that they sat down in ranks by hundreds and 50s. I have to imagine at this point in the story, the disciples are scratching their head. As they're going to the people, they're saying, "Look, I don't really understand what's going on. I, I, you're hungry." Like a flight, flight attendant that's trying to calm just, just an unruly group of people who've been waiting on the tarmac for too long. They're saying, I get it. I know we want to, want to get there. I know that you're a little bit hungry. I don't understand exactly what's going on. Jesus just said we need to have you sit down in a group. So, let's get a group over here, and let's get a group over there. We really don't know what's about to happen, but we're just along for the ride.

We read then in verse 41, that it says that when Jesus had taken the five loaves, had taken the two fish, he looked up to heaven, he blessed and break the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them. And the two fish and five loaves he divided among them all. And they did all eat and were filled. I would have loved to have been there to watch this happen. In front of those disciples' eyes, and all those who were watching, as he takes two loaves of bread and five fish, and he begins to just break them apart. And as he breaks one piece off, the loaf grows back, and he breaks it off again, and it grows back. The number.

That is listed here. The number later is told us, that the men that were there were 5,000. Many theologians suggest to us that when you counted the women and children, it could have been upwards of 20,000 people that Jesus fed on this day. We find that here it is, in the middle of a desperate, impossible situation, that the disciples witnessed this unprecedented miracle, something they had never seen before, proving to them that some things are only impossible until Jesus gets involved. Some things are only dire until Jesus steps onto the scene. Some things are only impossible until they're not. We know this story as Jesus feeding the 5,000.

As much as I love this story, amazingly what I love even more is, if we flip one chapter in Matthew, and two chapters in Mark, we read a very similar story with only slightly different details. This time we find that instead of being by the shoreline, Jesus is teaching from a mountainside. We find that instead of 5,000 men plus the women and children, scripture says there are now 4,000 men plus the women and children. We find that instead of the disciples having to give Jesus a time out, and say we need to feed the people, Jesus is proactive, and says, "I want to feed these people." We find that instead of five loaves and two fish, there are now seven loaves and a few fish. And while there are some who would argue that these two stories are actually different accounts of the same happening, I believe that there are too many variances in the detail, when they are recorded by the same author, for that to be the case. There's too much that's different about these two stories. But what is the same is that in both of these stories, the, the fact was, that there was a large group of people who were hungry, and there was not enough food to feed them. Scripture in the second account tells us that after Jesus wants to feed the people, there were some disciples who evidently weren't there the first time, and they're looking around saying, "How are we going to feed the people in the middle of the wilderness?" But just allow me, while scripture doesn't tell this, just allow me to read into this story just a little bit. Because I just have to believe that of all the people who were standing there that day, there had to be at least one disciple who, when he looked at the situation that was in front of them, and he saw the great crowd and the impossible situation, there had to be at least one of those guys in that crowd, that before Jesus asked the question, "How many fish and loaves do we have?" that man already had the answer. That while everybody else was waiting and watching, and saying, "I don't know what's about to happen. I, I haven't seen this before," there had to be some in that crowd who were sitting there and telling other people, "I would be in the same boat you were, if I hadn't been there just a few days prior. I've seen a similar situation. I can tell you how this story is going to end." And I have to believe that as Jesus did it then, then he can do it again right now. I have to believe that if he did it for that group of people, then he can do it for us today. That while sure, there were some there that had never seen the miracle before, for those who knew Jesus, they knew how the story was going to end. And they stood back and watched, as yet again he took the fish and the loaves, he blessed them, he break them, and he provided for the multitude. Precedent and pattern. Once again, they got the loaves into his hands, and he performs a mighty miracle.

Can I just share with somebody this morning, that today we may not be dealing with loaves and fishes, but the pattern and the precedent is still the same. You may have walked into this room feeling like you didn't have much to bring to the foot of Jesus. You may have walked into this room feeling like you were depleted, feeling like you're at the end of your rope, feeling like you don't have much to give. You may feel talentless, and penniless, and worthless, and hopeless, be depleted and bankrupt and drained, financially and spiritually and emotionally. You may feel like you're living on empty. But today I hope somebody understands that there is a precedent that has already been set, and a pattern that has already been established, that you don't have to have a whole lot to bring to Jesus. All it takes is getting what little bit you do have into the hands of the master, and then you can step back and watch as he blesses it. Yes, sometimes he has to break it, but then it begins to multiply in, in more than you could have ever imagined.

We serve a God who specializes in situations where he doesn't have much to work with. We see this from the book of Genesis chapter 1, that in the beginning God creates the heaven and the earth. The earth was without form and void. That Hebrew phrase there means it was chaotic nothingness. Darkness was upon the face of the deep, and God looks into chaotic nothingness, and he says, "That's all I need." He looks into the void, where there is nothing there, and he.

Says, "Yeah, that's good." And he begins to speak, and every word that he speaks, everything that we know and everything that we see, he begins to speak into existence. In the book of Exodus, when he's trying to choose a leader who would stand before Pharaoh and say, "Let my people go," of all the many he could have picked, he picks one that has a speech impediment. If you're looking for somebody bold to stand there and boldly declare, you probably don't pick the guy who maybe stumbles over his words. Yet God says, "That's exactly who I choose to use." Proving you don't have to have it all together. You don't have to have every piece just right in a line. But if you're willing to put your life in the hands of the master, he can use you to do incredible things.

We see it again in the story of Gideon. Why? Why use 30,000 men, Gideon, when I only need 300? It would make a lot more sense in my mind, if you're going to battle. More guys equals a better chance of victory, in my recipe. But for God, he says, "No, 30,000, that's too many." "10,000, that's too many." "Lord, we're left with 300. There are tens of thousands of them." Yeah, that's good. That works for me. A God who doesn't need a whole lot, but can work in the middle of the circumstance.

For the widow that just had a little bit of a flower left, and oil. And the prophet comes and says, "Feed me." And she bakes with, with the little bit that she has. She sacrifices for the man of God. Yet we find that the next morning, when she goes back to that barrel, and she looks in, the God who of little, the God that doesn't need much to work, every time she would go, she'd scoop out a new handful. She'd scoop out a new handful. She'd have more oil in the jug. Why? Cuz God doesn't need a whole lot to work a miracle.

For Elisha, the woman who had just a jug of oil, her sons were about to be sold into captivity to pay for her debt. He says, "What do you have in the house?" She says, "Well, I've just got a pot of oil." He says, "That'll work. We can make that work." Says, "Send your boys, go and get every pot, every vessel, every container you can." And they come, and she begins to pour. And as she begins to pour, the vessels begin to overflow. And she goes to the next one, and begins to pour in, the, that vessel overflows. And, and probably tens, if not hundreds, of vessels are filled that day, proving God doesn't need a whole lot. He just needs what you have in the house. He just needs you to be willing to put what little bit you do have into his hands, and to watch him work a miracle, because God is good at using a little bit to accomplish much.

I'll tell you again, like we said at the beginning, there's pattern and precedent for this. If this is your life, I've got good news, because we serve a God who never changes, and a God who is no respecter of persons. So if you're the one who is sitting on the pew this morning, feeling like you don't have enough to offer your savior, let me encourage you today, just put what little bit you do have into his hands, and watch him work a miracle. Could you give the Lord a hand clap of praise?

In Luke chapter 8, we read another familiar story. In verse 43, we find a woman having an issue of blood for 12 years. The Bible tells us she had spent all of her living upon physicians, and nobody could provide for, nobody could bring healing to her. Verse 44 says that she came behind Jesus, and she touched the border of his garment, the hem of his garment, and immediately her issue of blood was taken care of. I love this story, because Jesus looks around. He's standing in a crowded marketplace, and he says, "Who touched me?" And again, I can imagine the look on his disciples' faces, as, as they're trying to just delicately tell him, "Lord, there's hundreds of people here. What do you mean, who touched you? People are bumping into you left and right. There's people who are jarring you left and right, and, and yet you're asking, who touched you?" And he says, "No, no, no, no, you don't understand. This touch wasn't like every other touch, because when this person touched me, virtue flowed out. I felt it. There was something different about this touch. Who, who touched me with that desperate faith?" Uh, the scripture continues in verse 47, when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling and falling down before him. She declared unto him before all the people, what cause why she had touched him, and how she had been healed immediately. And he said unto her, "Daughter, be of good comfort. Thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace." What separated the touch of that woman that day, from the touch of hundreds of other people, was the simple fact that she had desperate faith. Because the touch of a desperate person feels just a little bit different to Jesus, than the touch of somebody who's just indifferent. The touch of somebody who comes to the foot of the master and says, "I've exhausted every other option.

I've spent all of my other resources. I've tried every other thing that I could think to try. I, and now I'm just left here, not holding any other options. Jesus, I am desperate." That feels different to Jesus, than the touch of somebody who just comes and says, "Well, if he does, he does. If he doesn't, he doesn't." Have you ever heard, desperate times call for desperate measures? Desperate people are willing to do crazy things. Desperate people are willing to say, "I'll step out of my comfort zone, if it means I can get my miracle." Desperate people are willing to say, "You can laugh at me if you want. You can mock me if you want, but if this is what it takes for me to get my touch from the master, then I'm willing to do what it takes." Desperate people are willing to do whatever it takes to get the touch of Jesus. According to Jesus, it was that desperate faith that made her whole.

And again, as great as this story is, what I love even more is that a few chapters later, we read in Matthew chapter 14, verses 35 and 36, that Jesus and the disciples have entered into a new town. Verse 35 tells us, "When the men of that place had knowledge of him, they begin to send out into all of the country, and they brought unto him every person they could find that was diseased." And then watch this, verse 36, "They besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment." And as many as touched were made completely and perfectly whole. I asked the question this morning, why on earth would these men beseech Jesus with such a strange request, to touch the hem of his garment? I have to believe that somewhere along the line, there was a story about a little lady who had an issue for 12 years, that when she was walking through the marketplace, she got on her hands and knees, and begin to crawl to the foot of Jesus. And when she reached out her hand, and touched the hem of his garment, she was made perfectly whole. I have to believe that that story begins to get passed from city to city, from country to country. And so when Jesus shows up on the scene, they go and they get every sick person they can, and they say, "Jesus, we want, want you to just let them touch the hem of your garment." Why? Because I believe that if you did it for her, then you can do it for me. If you did it that time, then there's no reason you can't do it this time, because you're a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And you are no respecter of persons. You are no respecter of persons.

Now, today Jesus is not physically in this room, so we can reach out our hand and touch the hem of his garment, but he is in this room. Jesus may not be here in the flesh, but he is here in the spirit. And the spirit has everything that you need, to get your miracle, to be made new, to be redeemed, to get your life back into order. Because when Jesus steps onto the scene, everything begins to change. And if we will just commit to respond with death desperate faith, healing virtue can begin to flow in this room. How do I know this? How do I know this? It's simple, because there are some things that I have found that just work. There's some things, when it comes to living for God, that just work. I can't explain it. I don't understand why it works, but I can tell you, we under shadow of a doubt, that prayer still works. Is there anybody that can testify that prayer still works? Anybody who knows that fasting still works? Anybody who knows that we still have the authority to lay our hands on the sick, and to watch them recover? Anybody know that the name of Jesus still works?

And yet I understand that there might be some in this room, who would be tempted to say, "Yeah, the stories are cool, but I don't think he could do that for me." I'm going to need a little audience participation here for just a moment. I wonder, is there anybody in this room that has ever had a physical healing in your body? You had something that was diagnosed by doctors. Maybe it was incurable. Maybe it was something that was as simple as a, as a cold or a headache, but you have ever experienced the healing power of Jesus Christ. Would you stand to your feet right now? Can I tell you this morning, I've got precedent for this? I've got precedent for this, because if he could heal them, then no matter what you're sitting in this room facing today, you've got a God that can heal you. If it was good enough for them, then it's good enough for you. Sit down for me.

Anybody in this room that ever was going through a financial situation? Maybe the bank account had run low, and it was starting to run dry, and you just didn't know how you were going to get out of the situation, but God made a way where there seemed to be no way. Would you jump to your feet and give God praise? Come on, look around this room this morning. If you're sitting here, and you're in the middle of financial trouble, if.

Covid hasn't been kind to your job or to you, I feel the Holy Ghost right now, if it hasn't been kind to your job or to your family, I've got precedent, that even if you've just got a little, all you've got to do is have faith in God, and say, I'm willing to give you what little bit I, I have. Uh, be seated, more time.

Anybody in this room that's ever had a family member that was lost, far away from church, but you sought the face of God, and you prayed day in and day out, and you fasted for this person, and that somewhere along the line, through an act of God, and God only, do you find that that person has made their way to church? Is there anybody that has ever seen a family member saved? Stand for me. Stand for me. We need the witness. Okay. Look around this room. What am I saying? I'm saying, mama with the backslidden boy, keep praying. Daddy with the backslidden daughter, keep praying. Students with backslidden parents who are no longer in church, you just keep praying, because if God could save them, then there's no reason God can't save yours.

Last one. If you were the one, if you were the one that people thought would never grace the doors of an apostolic church. If you were the one that, it would be said of you, that your life was a wreck, your life was messed up, that you were lost and on your way to hell, but somewhere along the road you had a divine encounter with a savior who has completely changed your life. I wonder if you'd stand to your feet, and begin to give God praise for the work that he has done in your life. Hear me this morning. If you're in this room, and your life is a wreck, and your life is a mess, you don't have to take my word for it. Take their word for it. We've got a God of precedent and pattern, and if he could do it for them, if he could pull them out of their situation, if he could restore their marriage, if he could heal their body, then there is no reason he can't do it for you, too. Come on, would you give the Lord praise right now? Come on, would you give the Lord praise if you believe it? Come on, if you believe that a miracle can happen in this room, would you just begin to lift up your voice right now? Come on, in this moment, in this atmosphere of worship, let faith begin to rise, believing that God is still able to do exceeding abundant above all that we ask or think. Musicians can come. Let's all stand. I've got precedent for it. I've got it. You don't have to take the preacher's word this morning. Take the word of the saints who are sitting in the pew, that bear witness to the fact that we've got a God who is still able. We've got a God who is still merciful. We've got a God.

Undoubtedly, what I know too, is that there are some individuals in this place, then maybe there are some situations that you've walked into this room, and today is not the first day you've struggled with it. This morning is not the first time that you've been tempted to pray over it, and I've asked God that he would work in your situation. Maybe it's been weeks, months, or even years that you've been dealing with this physical ailment. Maybe you've had a backslidden family member for years now, and yet you keep coming back, and you say, "I still believe. I still believe. I still believe." I'll be honest with you, get really transparent right now. From the time I was 2 until today, I've been completely deaf in my right ear. Cannot hear anything. For a long time, I thought that there was hope for having a cochlear implant, that they could, could do something here, that would give me some kind of artificial ability to hear. But I found out, I found out just a couple years ago, that actually what I have is total nerve damage. And I'll be honest with you, that I have been in atmospheres like this time and time again. I have walked through prayer line time and time again. And I will tell you, I am still deaf in my right ear. But my faith has not changed. Amen. Because I've got precedent for this, too.

Everybody remember the story of blind Bartimaeus? Blind Bartimaeus, how would you like to be defined by your ailment? Scripture doesn't just call him blind or Bartimaeus. Scripture doesn't just call him by his first or last name. Scripture calls him blind Bartimaeus. A man that was blind from birth, that one day, much like that woman with the issue of blood, he hears that Jesus is going to be in his city. He's heard the stories that have been passed over from city to city, and he's heard what Jesus can do. This man has tried everything. And now his life looks like, every day he goes, and he sits along the side of the road, and he's known as the town beggar.

Who's just asking for alms. This is blind Bartimaeus. Yet when he hears Jesus is going to be in his city, there's something that rises up in him and says, "I've tried everything else. This may be my last shot. I've exhausted every other option, but maybe, just maybe, Jesus can fix my problem." And so we find that on the day Jesus is going to be there, that his mom brings him, and sets him along the side of the street where Jesus would be passing by. Again, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of people there, but he's saying, "I've got to give it a shot. This may be my one opportunity at a miracle." And so I can imagine that not being able to see, he's trusting his sense of hearing, and he's listening at the roars of the crowd, as he can hear, as Jesus is beginning to make his way down the road. He's listening, because in his mind he knows, I need to time this just perfectly, to try and get the attention of Jesus. And so, Jesus gets to the point where he feels like he's standing right in front of him. The Bible says blind Bartimaeus cries out with everything in him, "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me." And the amazing thing that we find is, Jesus keeps walking. Here is a man that, against impossible odds, have, has done what he could to get to the foot of Jesus. And he cries with everything in him, "Jesus, have mercy on me." And Jesus keeps walking. What I love about Bartimaeus though, is that wasn't good enough to stop him, because he says, "No. No, this might be my one shot." And so he rears back his head again, and for the second time he cries even louder. He says, "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me." And it's the second cry that stops Jesus in his tracks, and paves the way for a miracle.

The story of Naaman in the Old Testament. The Bible says he is diseased with leprosy. He, he has an incurable disease, and he comes across the prophet, and the prophet gives him a wild command. He says, "If you want to be healed, here's what you got to do. It's real simple. Go down to the muddy, dirty Jordan River. And I want you to dip seven times. And when you've done that, you will be healed." Naaman, a man of, of prestige, a man of, of popularity, a man with a reputation to uphold. I imagine the internal conflict that's going on in his life, as if he's saying, "What? A man like me go dip in muddy water? That doesn't make any sense." That doesn't make it. I've got servants that do all the heavy lifting for me. I, I shouldn't stoop down to that level. And yet we find that somewhere along the line, he makes his way to the Jordan, and, and he begins to dip. And I imagine the process, that on the first one, in his mind he's wrestling with this, because he's saying, "This is absurd." He said, "Okay, I'll give it a shot." And he dips once. He comes up, and in his mind again, he's, he's looking around just to see if anybody's watching him, cuz he, he knows he looks like a fool, and so he says, "Okay, here we go." And he dips twice. Three times, four times, five times, six times. And on the seventh time, that man gets up, and he is healed.

One last story, the children of Israel standing in front of the impossible walls of the city of Jericho, get a strange command. Joshua tells him, "Here's how we're going to get the victory. We're going to go, and we're going to march in silence around the walls of Jericho, one time every day for 6 days." Then he says, "On the seventh day, we're going to march around it seven times, and we're going to shout with a loud victory." So, for 12 times, 13 times, they're marching around the city. Imagine you've got, got several hundred thousand people, who are marching around the city in silence. You've got mamas and daddies, who are walking with their kids, who are saying, "Look, son, I don't understand. I don't know why we've got to be quiet. I know this is difficult, but we're going to follow what the man of God told us." Day one, they complete it. Day two, they complete it. Day three, they're starting to get tired, but they say, "Okay, if this is what we've got to do to get the miracle, then this is what we're going to do." Six days they walk around. On the seventh day, they begin to walk around six, six times. And when they cross that threshold on the seventh time, and they shout with a loud voice, the walls begin to crumble down.

Here's my question. What would have happened if Bartimaeus would have said, "Well, I'm willing to cry once." He would have said, "Oh, Jesus, just, he didn't answer this time, so that must mean it's not my time for a miracle. Maybe I'm destined to just live this way." What would have happened if Naaman would have only dipped six times, and said, "My, my pride and my ego is too much for me to go down in that Jordan River seven times." What would have happened if the children of Israel would have gotten tired, and said, "We're only going to march 12 times." They would have been one short.

Time away from their miracle. I want to encourage somebody in this room today. You may have been praying for years, but you never know when you're just one prayer away from your miracle. You may have been fasting for years. You may have been seeking the face of God, but today could be your day. Today could be the day that God says, "Okay, the timing, everything is in alignment. So, if you can get your faith into the right place, then just know that I am willing, and I am able today."

So, here's what I want to do this morning. I want to give somebody a chance, to give God a chance, to work a miracle in your life. And so, if you're in this room and you have a need, if you have a need of healing, there's something going on in your body, and you desperately need a touch of, of Jesus, you need the hand of Jesus. I want to invite you to come, and come stand right over here to my left, your right. If you need a, a miracle, you need some, some form of healing in your body. A step of faith. Remember this desperate faith. Desperate faith. If you're in this room, and you've never received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, maybe you've heard about it preached, you've heard that about this gift. It is your inheritance, it is your promise, and God wants nothing more this morning than to fill you with his Spirit. If you need the Holy Ghost, I want to invite you to come and stand over here to my right, your left. My right, your left. Make sure that there's a. So, we're praying for healing right here, we're praying for the Holy Ghost right here, and I'm going to need some ministers to help me here in just a moment. And then, if you're in this room and you know, you look over the last year or year and a half of your life, and maybe today you're just tired. You're just weary. You're at the end of your rope. You, you don't really know what else to do. You don't feel like you have much to offer. If those who want healing, if you can just kind of shift for me right here, and come over just a little bit more towards center. Those who just need a refreshing touch of the Holy Ghost, I want to, I want to invite you just to come, and stand in this part of the altar right here. If you just need to stand in the presence of God, and say, "God, you see everything that's going on, and I don't have all the answers, but I want to be renewed in your spirit." I invite you to come stand over here. Those of you who are in ministry, those that could help, I want to invite you to come. Somebody come help me. We're going to pray. I believe you're going to get the Holy Ghost this morning. I believe you're going to get the Holy Ghost this morning. Those of you who are here praying for healing, I believe that the God who is able to heal is in this place right now. He is able. He is able. The rest of the church family, if you are comfortable, if you know how to pray, I invite you to come down now, and to gather around those who are praying for healing, those who are praying just for a fresh move of the Holy Ghost, those who are praying here. And we're going to begin to pray.

Everybody lift up your hands right now. Lord, right now, God, we come before you in the name of Jesus. God, the first thing I'm going to do, is I'm going to pray a prayer of repentance. I'm going to pray that you would cleanse me. I'm going to pray that you would wash me. I'm going to pray that God, everything in my life that is not of you, that would stop the flow of your spirit, I pray right now that you would allow it to get out of the way. Because God, I believe that this is a prime opportunity for a miracle. Lord, right now, by the authority of the name of Jesus, I stand on the authority of your word, that promises that by your stripes we are healed. Your word says that we have the authority to lay our hands on the sick, and to watch them recover. Your word says that through prayer and through fasting, mountains can be moved. I speak healing into this room right now. I speak healing virtue into this place right now. God, I pray right now that there would be a fresh flow of the Holy Ghost. God, I see desperate faith all over this altar right now. I pray, Lord, like, like the uh lady with the issue of blood, like blind Bartimaeus, that something today, where you would meet this desperate faith, and that virtue would begin to flow, in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. Come on, begin to seek after him. Come on, begin to worship him. Come on, begin to trust that he is in.