When Jesus Comes to You

There're moments in life that you don't schedule. You don't put them on the calendar. You don't get an announcement ahead of time that it's coming down your way. There are no warnings and no preparations. There's no signs that by the end of the day your life could look completely different. More often than not it starts out like any other day, just another morning, just another routine, another burden that you're going to carry, another storm to survive, another empty place to endure. You wake up thinking that it's going to be ordinary, but heaven already knows that today is going to be an unforgettable day for you.

>> >> Sometimes the greatest moments of your life are not the ones you plan. They're the ones when God interrupts your plans. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Sometimes it happens in the middle of chaos. Sometimes it happens in the middle of silence. >> >> Sometimes it happens while you're hurting or you're waiting or you're wondering if anything is ever going to change or if God has just forgotten all about you. And then and then >> >> Jesus comes near. And when Jesus comes near, ordinary moments become eternal.

The things that change inside your life. I'm so thankful when Jesus comes near. The stormy night becomes a revelation that he is still in control on his throne and well able to do all things. A dusty roadside becomes a place where blinded eyes are opened. A lonely well becomes a meeting place of mercy. A sycamore tree becomes a turning point in a sinner's life. A crowded street becomes a place where a desperate woman touches the hem of his garment and is made whole. Because when Jesus comes to you, everything changes.

One of the most amazing things to me when I read through the scripture, especially the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus, is how often times he changed people's lives while he was on a on a on a on a road to somewhere else. They were not the destination. He was simply passing through, but they were became aware of the fact that Jesus was there. He was moving. When someone recognized this moment in life, somebody cried out. Somebody climbed up a little higher. Somebody reached through the crowd.

Somebody started a conversation. Somebody made room for him in their life. And the tragedy is this, Jesus could have passed him by. And they could have missed out on a life-changing occurrence. That is really what I want to preach about today. Not just that Jesus is able. Not that the Not just that Jesus is powerful. Not just that Jesus is merciful. We believe all these things. But today I want to preach about what do you do when Jesus comes to you? What do you do when Jesus comes to you?

Because there are moments when Jesus comes closer than you expected him to be. He comes down into the storm that you thought you were not going to ever survive. You thought you were going to be all alone there. He comes to the wells where you've been trying to satisfy a thirst that life has never been able to fully satisfy. He comes down roads where people have told you that you need to simply just be quiet and keep your place. He walks through crowds where you feel too weak and too broken and too unclean and too forgotten to get his attention.

But the beautiful truth is this, Jesus is still coming to you. >> Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. >> Jesus is still coming to you. Are you still breathing? >> Yes. >> Then there's still an opportunity for Jesus to make a difference in your life. He still comes to the weary. >> Yes. >> He still comes to the wounded. >> Yes. >> He still comes to the desperate. >> Yes. >> He still comes to the overlooked. Am I Am I Am I preaching to anybody today?

Jesus still comes to you. And when Jesus comes, he doesn't come empty-handed. He brings something with him. He brings abundant life. He comes >> Yes. >> and he gives an invitation for you to step out of what you've been involved in so that he can change your life. In Mark chapter 6, what I see here is the disciples are in the middle of the sea. And they're fighting the wind and they're exhausted from rowing and the Bible says that Jesus came walking to them on the water.

Mark gives us this little phrase that almost feels strange. It says this in verse number 46 of chapter 6 in Mark, "And when he had sent them away, he departed to the mountain to pray. Now, when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he was alone on the land. Then he saw them straining at the rowing, for the wind was against them. Now, about the fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking on the sea and would have passed them by." Did you notice that?

He came to them and would have passed them by. This tells me something. There are moments when Jesus comes near, but he's looking for you to respond. He still comes. He's still in the business of meeting you where you're at, but he's looking for you to respond as well. There's something about when I put my faith into action. Not just acknowledging that God is there and not that God is only present, but that God is here for me. Maybe I'll get you on board in a minute.

He's looking for somebody that makes their mind up, "I'm not going to let him pass by today." >> >> Now, I don't know what you're carrying in the room today, but I guarantee you that somebody's carrying a burden today. Somebody's carrying a a circumstance, a situation, a frustration, something something that's not the way you want it to be. You you brought it in the back doors of this sanctuary. It's sitting with you in the pew right now. You don't have to raise your hand and acknowledge it.

I wouldn't embarrass anybody, but I want you to know this, Jesus is here. And he's passing by right now. And I want to know if anybody's desperate for him. >> >> Is anybody willing to exercise a little bit of faith today and say, "You know what? I came in here broken, but I'm going to leave mended." >> [applause and cheering] >> I I in here burdened down, but I want to leave this place being able to dance in the spirit and say, "You know what?

My God has lifted me up out OF THE MIRY CLAY." >> >> MAYBE IT'S JUST ONE OR TWO OF YOU. MAYBE EVERYBODY else has got it together, but for the one or two that are here, I WANT YOU TO KNOW JESUS IS HERE TODAY, AND HE'S PASSING BY THIS PLACE. AND IF I WERE YOU, I'D BE HUNGRY ENOUGH, I'D BE DESPERATE ENOUGH, I'D BE WILLING TO SAY, "DON'T PASS ME BY, JESUS." MAYBE NOBODY ELSE WANTS YOU HERE TODAY, BUT I NEED A CHANGE IN MY LIFE.

MY FAMILY NEEDS YOU. MY HEALTH NEEDS YOU. MY FINANCES, WHATEVER IT IS, he's passing by today. Don't just talk about the fact that Jesus was at church today. Be willing to walk out of this place and say, "Not only was he there, but he touched me. I left changed." He comes to you in your storm. Bible says, he saw them toiling and rowing, for the wind was contrary to them. Anybody ever been there in that boat? Anybody had a dark night of the soul? Anybody been desperate?

Lord, are you even paying attention to what I'm going through in my life? Can you see how hard it is for me to make any mo- mo- motion moving forward, any momentum? God, do you even notice that I'm I want you to know he does. It says, he saw them toiling and rowing, and that the wind was contrary to them. They were in the storm, but they were not out of his sight. They were in the dark, but they were not hidden from God. That ought to give somebody some hope today.

Somebody needs to hear just because you're in a storm does not mean that Jesus has lost sight of you. He knows where you're at. He knows what you're going through. He sees the struggle. He sees the pressure. He sees the tears. He sees the exhaustion. He sees the frustrations and the failures. The disciples were not in the storm because they were out of the will of God. Who was it that sent them into the storm? It was Jesus. Jesus said, "Get in the boat. I'll meet you on the other side." Those were instructions from him.

So, I want you to know sometimes even being in the will of God doesn't prevent storms from happening in your life. The Bible says it was about the fourth watch of the night and he came to them walking upon the seas. The fourth watch means it was late. They've been fighting the storm for a few hours. They were tired when Jesus showed up. Why isn't that the way it happens a lot of times? Right about the time that you're at your breaking point. All of a sudden he seems to enter the equation.

Why is that? Cuz he had to get you convinced that it has this problem was bigger than you. It was more than you could handle. And when he came, he came walking on the very thing that they had been fighting. The storm was over their heads, but it was under his feet. When Jesus comes to you in the storm, he comes walking on top of what you thought was going to take you under. It may be over your head, but it's still under his feet. He is more than able.

>> >> I love how it says he would have passed them by. He came near and would have passed them by. This tells me that Jesus comes close enough to reveal himself to you, but you got to do the reaching out. There needs to be a response on your part. It says this in verse 49, "And when they saw him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost and cried out. For they all saw him and were troubled, but immediately he talked with them and said to them, 'Be of good cheer.

It is I. Do not be afraid.'" Now, ain't that ain't that ain't this interesting here? You know what? I found something. Fear misinterpreted what faith should have recognized. Fear misinterpreted what faith They They There should have been They had been with him long enough that they should have recognized who it was. Who was it that told them to get in the boat? And he said what? I'll I'll meet you on the other side. Now, if Jesus tells you he's going to meet you on the side, guess what he's going to do?

He's going to meet you on the other side. Now, he didn't say it's going to be smooth sailing. Nor did he say, "Boys, I think you ought to put your life jacket on." He didn't tell them it was going to be good. And he didn't tell them it was going to be bad. He didn't tell them it was going to be smooth sailing, and he didn't tell them it was going to be rough seas. He gave them the information that they needed. I'll meet you on the other side.

God doesn't always give you all the details. Quite often he's he's really good about leaving those things out, but he gives you what you need to get you to where you're supposed to be going. I will meet you on the other side. I'm trying to remind someone today of the promises that God's already spoke over to you. Some of you have packed those promises up and put them in the closet because it doesn't seem like they're ever going to come to pass. If God gave you the promise, it will come to pass.

So, I'm encouraging you to go to the closet today and open the door and dust the box off and get the promise back out because if God said it's going to happen, you can bet it's going to happen. >> >> God doesn't give empty promises. God doesn't waste his words. His words are true. Be of good cheer, it is I. Don't be afraid. That's a word for somebody today. It's Jesus. It's Jesus. It's Jesus. What else do you need? What else? If I gave you a million dollars today, is that better than Jesus?

If I gave you a billion, if I gave you a trillion, right? Is that better than Jesus? Now, some of you are like, "Well, I don't know. A trillion's a lot of money, Pastor Keith." No, no, no, no, no. You're thinking about things that are temporary. I'm talking about eternal. There's something more than just this earth we're on right now. There's a better thing that's coming down. If we're willing to hang on, there's better than just the moment living in right now. Don't be stuck in the boat when what you need is walking on top of your problem right now.

CRY OUT to him. Lord, if you're going TO DO ANYTHING, DON'T PASS BY MY BOAT. >> [applause and cheering] >> I SEE YOU OUT THERE. You gave me a promise to meet me on the other side. How about you get in the boat and ride with me? >> [applause and cheering] >> Don't just admire Jesus from the boat. Invite him in. Cuz when Jesus comes in your boat, he comes with peace and power and a reminder that what you've been fighting has never been bigger than him.

It has never been bigger than him. He also comes to you in your emptiness. John chapter 4, verse number 3. He left Judea and departed again to Galilee, but he needed to go through Samaria. Everybody say he needed. He needed. Now, I don't know about you, but I've never known the Lord needed anything. You ever thought about that? But that's what it says. That he needed. There was something that he was aware of that nobody else was. He had to go through there purposefully. There was a woman there and he was coming for her.

But she was not looking for Jesus on that day. This is just a ordinary day for her. She just came to draw some water. Just another day, just another routine, just another trip to the well. But what she did not know is that heaven had put an appointment on her calendar. I love when God has a divine interruption in my life. I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in divine interruptions. I don't believe in being lucky. I believe in a God who loves me. She was just there like any other day.

But sometimes Jesus comes to you when you least expect him. She came at noon at the hottest part of the day. Most scholars believe that she came then because she was avoiding people. She had a past. She had failed relationships. Matter of fact, there was at least five that were documented that didn't work out the way they're supposed to. Living in a broken situation, carrying shame, carrying disappointment, carrying emptiness. Isn't that how a lot of people are living today? Brokenness all around us. Dealing with a lot of stuff, a lot of a lot of bad decisions, a lot of a lot of brokenness, a lot of broken relationships, a lot of hurt and pain both self-inflicted and had been induced by other people.

Going through the motions, carrying buckets of pain, trying to fill what keeps running dry, but Jesus sat down at her well, and I love this. He didn't wait for her at the temple. He met her at the place of her routine. He met her at the place of her emptiness. She came thirsty. She came needing. Am I speaking to somebody today? Maybe you're here today and you're needing something. You're needing Maybe Maybe you're empty today and you need to be filled up. I want you to know you're in the right place because Jesus is here today.

Jesus knows where to find us. He knows where to the where we keep going to try to fill what only he can satisfy. Verse number seven. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." It started with just a simple conversation. But before it was over, he exposed her pain. He revealed her past, and he offered something greater. He said in verse 13, "Whosoever drinks of this water will thirst again." Everything this world tries to offer you is just going to leave you thirsty.

It doesn't It doesn't satisfy. There might be a temporary moment of of of pleasure, but it never fully satisfies. Anybody ever made the mistake, and I've made this mistake many many times, about deciding to eat pizza about 6:00 in the evening? And then about bedtime, around 10:00, all of a sudden, it's like your mouth is a salt lick. Anybody know what I'm talking about? And it's like you can't get enough water. And And you know what I'm talking about being thirsty? Do y'all know what I'm talking about being thirsty?

They don't know about this over here. They don't eat pizza late at night. They're good folks. Anybody been thirsty in your soul? Oh, I mean like really thirsty. Dry, barren place. I love when Jesus walks into the situations. Everything this world has to offer leaves you thirsty again. Money leave you thirsty. Relationships leave you thirsty. Success leaves you thirsty. Pleasure leaves you thirsty again and again and again. But when Jesus comes to you, he offers something the world can't give you. He offers living water. Living water.

Here's what's so powerful. Jesus knew everything about her before he ever spoke to her. Now now stay with me for just a minute. Pay pay close attention, all right? Jesus knew everything about her before he ever opened up his mouth to talk to her. Her past did not surprise him. Her failures did not scare him. Her mess did not disqualify her from the water. Some people think Jesus comes to expose them so that he can condemn them. But instead he tries to reveal the things in your life so that he can then heal them.

Too many people come into the house of God and they feel conviction in their life and they clamp down because the enemy's like, "See, I told you you're disqualified. God doesn't love you." I mean, it's quite the opposite. He reveals the thing inside of you so that you can be aware of it so he can fix it. Often times we've done a real good job about lying to ourselves about how good we really are. But we're not that good. You're not. But don't let that thing keep you from reaching out to God.

I'm here to tell you he's standing at the well looking for you now cuz he knows how thirsty you are. Instead of letting it be shame, there's therefore now no condemnation according to the word of God. If he's revealing it from you or to you, it's because he's willing to take it from you. You sometimes you don't even know it's there. So whatever it is he's speaking to you right now, I'm here to tell you bring it to God. He wasn't put off by it. He's not surprised by it.

There's nothing going on in your life that he's going to I didn't know that was going on. I promise you he knows everything you've ever thought or done. He's aware of it, AND YET HE'S STILL PASSING BY looking for you to engage with him. HOW WONDERFULLY GOOD IS OUR GOD? >> >> HE UNCOVERS what is broken so he can restore it. He's pointing out the things that are empty in your life because he desires to fill it. Some come for water, but after meeting Jesus, she forgot about the whole thing that she needed because he began to fill her up, and all of a sudden she left and became a living testimony.

Went out and told everybody about what God had done. She She came empty, but she left overflowing. She came to shame, but left being a witness. That's what happens when Jesus comes to your emptiness. He comes to satisfy what this world can never give you. I don't wonder today what wells have you been going back to in your life. What have you been drawing from that keeps leaving you empty time and time again? What bad relationship do you need to walk away from? What addiction do you need to bring into his holy light so they can be identified and he can deal with it?

What is it you keeping in the shadows of your life that you need to bring in to where he is because he's here. He's not put off by it. He's not ashamed of that. He doesn't like what you've done, but he's here to fill you with living water. He's meeting you where you are. Are you willing to have a conversation with him? And she could have pushed away. She could have dismissed him, but there was something about his presence that was so disarming that she became vulnerable.

I wonder if there's anybody willing to be vulnerable today. Not to me. I'm not asking you to confess anything to me, but but there's going to come a moment here in just a few minutes. There's going to be an opportunity to allow God to do a work on you. I wonder if you're willing to be vulnerable today. Anybody willing to be vulnerable? Don't let him pass you by. He comes passing by. Luke 18. Then it happened as he was coming near Jericho that a certain blind man sat by the roadside begging.

And he heard a multitude passing by and he asked what all this means. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by and he cried out saying, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me." Then those who went before him warned him that he should be quiet, but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me." This story This gets my heart every time. This may be the heart of my message today because sometimes Jesus doesn't not stop directly in front of you.

Sometimes he passes by and when he passes by you have to decide if you're going to let this moment pass or if you're going to respond. It's what happened to Bartimaeus. The Bible says he was sitting on the roadside when somebody told him that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. That's all he needed to hear. His opportunity was passing by. This is the This is a cry of somebody who was desperate. This isn't somebody who's learned to accommodate the frustrations in their life. Isn't it amazing what we get used to?

Isn't it amazing what we can convince ourselves is just normal? It's not normal. You're not meant to be bound. You're not meant to be held captive. You're not meant to be blind. He could have just sat by there, you know, I got a good spot by him. I'm here on the main drag. I'm not doing too bad on my collections. He He could have convinced himself, you know what? This isn't such a bad life. Isn't it interesting what we can live with? But there was something inside of him that said, "You know what?

I'm I'm sick of this. I'm tired of living this way. I don't like my circumstances. I don't like being I DON'T LIKE BEING BLIND." HOW MANY OF YOU ARE spiritually blind in this room today? How many of you are less than what God really desires for your life? You're not living to the full potential that God has for you. And you've convinced yourself it's never going to change. But I want you to know that Jesus is passing by. He's in this room today. He's here bringing hope.

If you're interested in that and if you're willing to be like Bartimaeus, don't let him pass you by. Cry out to God. Reach out for him. He is here. Don't let your circumstances go with you when you leave this place. Change. It requires you enacting your faith. Bartimaeus understood something powerful. If Jesus is close enough to hear me, he's close enough to change me. Mhm. So, he cried out, "Son of David, have mercy on me." The crowd tried to silence him cuz there's always going to be somebody who opposes your faith.

Don't let them convince you that you shouldn't cry out to God. Jesus is here. Voices say it may be too late or it's too far gone. You've missed your chance. Don't make a scene. Just stay where you are. But Bartimaeus refused to be quiet. He cried out all the more. Again, I can't force you to do this. I can't have your relationship with God for you. But I will tell you this, there's something about the desperate cry of a broken heart that gets the attention of heaven every time.

My desperation is going to be louder than my opposition. Woo. My desperation is going to be louder than my opposition. I'm not going to allow them to silence me. When Jesus is passing by, desperation has to become louder than opposition. The crowd could not heal him. The crowd couldn't open his eyes. The crowd couldn't change his life. So, why would you listen to someone who can't fix your problem when the one who holds life in his hands is here today in this place? Why would you let some embarrassment or let let let some naysayer, somebody who try to convince you to let them that that God's not going to do it.

Why would you be silenced by someone who can't help you? Sometimes you have to stop listening and and crying out to God. The Bible says something incredible in verse number 40. So, Jesus stood still. Leave that verse up there for just a minute, Patrick. I want you to look at that. The creator of life stood still because one blind man was hungry enough was desperate enough to cry out for mercy. I'm here to tell you, when you cry out with a hungry heart, heaven will stop and hear your voice.

>> Hallelujah. >> Listen to me say that again. If you're desperate and hungry enough and you cry out, heaven will stop and hear your voice. Bartimaeus' life was changed not because he gave in to the crowd, but because he opposed what the crowd was trying to say. One desperate voice halted the movement of heaven. Noises all around, but one man's faith cut through the crowd. His life changed because he refused to let Jesus pass without responding. That wasn't time to be casual. This is not a moment to be passive.

This is a moment to not let fear or pride or anybody else keep you away because one cry of faith can stop him right where you are. Does anybody need Jesus to stop today? He comes within reach. Mark chapter 5. Now, certain woman had a flow of blood for 12 years and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had was no better, but rather grew worse. And when she heard about Jesus, she came behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.

This This story is a little different. In the storm, Jesus came to them. At the well, Jesus came to her. Passing by Bartimaeus, Jesus was within earshot. But here, Jesus is close, yet the woman has to reach for him. The Bible says that she had an issue of blood for 12 years. 12 years of suffering. 12 years of disappointment. 12 years of spending everything she had and only got worse instead of better. And now he's passing by, but he wasn't passing by for her. The word of God says he was going to Jairus' house.

He was going to take care of somebody else's need. Let that settle in for just a minute. Somebody else is going to get a miracle. Jesus was on the way to take care of somebody else's problem. But there was something inside of her that was a little bit different about this situation. Something about this that she began to think about, you know what? I've tried everything I know to do. I've spent all the money that I have to spend. I've tried to reason and deduct within my own intellect and how I can possibly change this situation.

I've sought out counsel. I've tried to get help from my friends. I've tried to do everything that I know to do within inside my power, yet I have not gotten any better. I've only gotten worse. But somehow the story of Jesus had come to her. So she seeks him out. And he happened to be passing in the direction where she was at. Yet he he was going to take care of somebody else's issue and problem, but she determined if I can just get to him. If I can somehow just get to where I can touch him.

And now Jesus is passing by because Jesus isn't coming to heal me doesn't mean that he still can't touch my life. That's something very powerful. I'm going to read it again. Just because he isn't coming for you doesn't mean he can't still heal you. Some people disqualify themselves because they think he's working on somebody else. He's answering their prayer. Or they're getting their touch right now and then they all through God's working on them and their situation. Somehow he's not there for you, but faith says if he's close enough, then he is enough." >> Amen.

If he's close enough, then he is enough. Verse 28, "For she said, 'If only I may touch his clothes, I shall be made well.'" Notice, she was not expecting to get his full attention. She just needed contact. Uh you're not hearing me. She wasn't trying to get his full attention. She was just trying to touch. Make contact with where he was at. So, she pressed through the crowd. Sometimes when Jesus comes near, you cannot wait for him to stop. You have to press through and reach.

And here's the contrast. Everybody in the crowd was touching him. But only one person touched him by faith. There's a lot of people that experience the presence of God, but not everybody reaches out with faith. I know I've gotten a little bit quieter and went into more of a teaching mode, but that doesn't mean that God's not doing something right now. There's a lot of people that feel the presence of God, but not everybody reaches out and engages their faith in what God's trying to do.

Not everybody's desperate to push through, regardless of what everybody else is thinking to say to themselves, "You know what? I'm not going to leave here without at least touching the hem of his garment." At least just give me one piece If I can just contact one piece, my life will be different. There's something about that faith that she was putting in operation. There's something about her mindset that was just different that Hey, I got nothing to lose. And when she touched him, Jesus stopped and said, "Who touched me?" The disciples are like, "What do you mean, 'Who touched you?' Like, there's all these people around you.

There's people touching you." He's like, "No, you don't understand. Somebody touched me. I felt virtue leave my body. Somebody enacted their faith when they reached out, knowing full well that I had all capability and power to change their life." Anybody desperate to touch Jesus today? When Jesus comes within reach, faith has to move, ladies and gentlemen. Now, here's where I'm going to get to. I'm I'm getting ready to bring this to a close because I feel like it's important that we talk about them the different ways that he's passing by, but also to understand when there's there's there's there's something to be considered when it comes to not touching him when he comes by.

When I look at all these stories, one thing becomes clear. That Jesus does not always come the same way. Sometimes he comes in the storm. Sometimes he comes at the well. Sometimes he's just passing by. Sometimes he's close enough to touch, but every time he comes, there's one thing in common. There has to be a response. He's still passing by today. Last Sunday of June 2026, he's he's not stopped passing by. He's still moving. He's still walking in the storms. He's still meeting people in empty places.

He's still passing by broken lives. He's still moving through crowded rooms. He's still doing things, but the danger for us today is that you can be close to Jesus and still miss your moment. None of them did. Why? Because they responded, and because they responded, everything changed their life. Their ordinary day become extraordinary. They left different. Why? Because they determined, "I'm not going to miss my encounter with Jesus." I believe that he's he's near to us right now. You can be close to Jesus and still miss your moment.

I'm bringing this to a close. Bartimaeus could have stayed silent. He could have, and he'd still be blind Bartimaeus. The woman at the well could have walked away. The woman with the issue of blood could have let the crowd stop her. The disciples could have let him walk right on by because they were afraid it was just a ghost. But none of them did. They all responded and because they responded everything changed. There's one more that I want to talk about. There was Judas. Judas walked with Jesus.

He heard his teaching. He saw the miracles. He watched the blind eyes open. He watched the dead raised. He watched the lame walk. He watched the storms obey. He sat at the table. He broke bread with him. He was close enough to touch Jesus. Yet still far enough away to betray him. That ought to shake us. Because proximity is not the same as surrender. What I'm afraid of is there's a lot of people that I feel like we're going to find out that they're no different than Judas.

They'll know the stories. They'll have seen the miracles. They will have experienced his presence on a regular basis, but yet >> >> it didn't change them. They didn't engage. They didn't respond. Instead, they got very comfortable with just knowing that I can still feel him move. I want to I want to I want to I want to tell you, church, just because you feel God moving in the place doesn't mean you're where you need to be with God. Woo. He's a God of mercy and he's a God of love and he's still going to pass you by, but you got to do something on your part.

You got to learn how to respond. You got to learn how not to be so caught up in your own circumstances that you don't realize when God's doing a work. You got to be pushed past your feelings to know >> >> that there's something much larger at play. >> >> He's passing by today. Are you going to be satisfied with just another service where you came in and the choir took us to a place where we could feel God's move in our our little gauge says, you know what?

I felt God today. I felt him move by. Is that Is that all you need? Is that Is that how you pacify yourself? Is that that I I can still feel his presence move? You know, Bartimaeus was still able to know his presence passed by. The woman at the well could still see him that he was there. The disciples could see him walking on the very problem they were struggling in, but each one of them had to engage >> >> with him. Let it never be said that we're content to just come and sit on a church pew and simply just feel his presence.

Judas felt it. Judas talked to him. Jesus said Judas sat at the table and broke bread with him, yet >> >> somewhere along the way he didn't allow God to change him. It's not about wearing a T-shirt that says I live for God or having a bumper sticker. >> >> It's not about you just carrying your Bible around or reading a devotional once a day. >> >> There's something about the mindset of every time you pass by, God, I'm going to touch you.

I'm going to engage with you. So, here's the reality and I say this from time to time from this pulpit. >> >> You're not good enough on your own to not have a daily encounter with God. >> >> Neither am I. Neither am I. But what I'm afraid of is that we can get so used to sitting at his table that when comes time will end up unknowingly selling our self out to something far less than >> >> what we've been given. You think about that.

He is with Jesus. Yet somehow he didn't think anything about 30 pieces of silver. How? How does that happen? Because proximity is not the same as surrender. You can sit near him and still not submit to him. You can hear him and still harden your heart. You can walk with him and never fully yield to him. >> >> Judas teaches us that being around Jesus does not automatically mean you belong to him. At some point there had to be submission. At some point there has to be surrender.

At some point there has to be response. So the question I have because I love to ask you questions >> >> is what will you do now that Jesus is here? What will you do? Will you cry out? >> >> Will you reach? Will you open your heart? Will you invite him into the boat? >> >> Cuz if he is near this is your moment. Come now. Reach out. Cry out. Don't let this moment pass you by. I love you, God. I'm so thankful that you are here right now in this place.

>> >> I feel you. I know that you are here to change lives today. >> >> Lord, you and I spoke earlier this morning the desires that you have for this service. For some this may be just an ordinary Sunday, but I know that there are >> >> those in this room today that they need an extraordinary day. So God, I pray that you would give them the courage to take a step and to reach for you today. To cry out to you today.

To determine I'm not going to leave this place the same way I came. Not today. Not today. I won't let you pass me by. >> >> In Jesus name. This altar is open today for anybody who's hungry. For anybody who desires. >> >> Will you come?