Deliverance With A Side Of Dirt

I'm going to be taking your attention to the book of 2 Kings chapter 5 the book of 2 Kings chapter 5. What an honor it is to stand before you this morning and what an underscored honor to be here on Father's Day the house of God is a great place to be on Father's Day. Amen I salute every father in this house every grandfather every great-grandfather most certainly thankful for my father, and I am honored to be here today with you I honor your bishop and family I honor your pastor and family I salute them this morning. And it's my first time here so I'm a firsttime guest and I'm just taking everything in I pulled onto the campus actually that's a lie U I'm really not a diva. But I did have an Uber Aaron brought me this morning so I didn't even he drove me, and we pulled into campus and I just begin to see everything for the first time.

And begin to see all of you so many smiling faces so many friendly faces, and I got the impression that this is not. Just a church it's a church family it's a family and I'm so grateful for brother Wesley Stevens good friend of mine we're going to be spending a lot of time together this week at Youth Camp. And so y'all be praying for us we'll see if we're still family by the end of the week. So if you just feel a special abiding intercession over you then then we're probably on the brink of letting some Old Testament cuss wordss out. So you just you just go ahead and extend those prayers to us I want the Lord to use me today. But I also want the Lord to use you I want the Lord to use each, and every single one of us and it was just actually a few months ago I was in Canada I was I had been preaching at a youth event.

And I stepped off the platform into the altar area and a young man came up to me, and he said brother Landon can I share a testimony with you and I said absolutely yes I love hearing testimonies we know that God moves collectively in services. Like this but sometimes we miss the Nuance of what God is doing specifically so I said God yes I want to I want to know. What God has done for you I want to know what God's done in your life tell me this testimony he said well lately the Lord has just been dealing with me about stepping out. And being more bold and just doing some things for the kingdom that I just I just. Don't know if I can do and I told the Lord Lord I'm just I'm just a little weird I'm a little Ecentric I'm just different, and he said, but then I heard you preach.

And tonight in this service I said Lord if you can use him I know you can use me so I put on my fake smile, and I said thank you so very much for your testimony you can walk away at any moment. But that is my prayer my prayer is that the Lord would use me and that the Lord would use you, and so I just believe that the Lord is going to use all of us I believe the Lord's going to speak to us on Father's. Day amen I believe that the Lord can speak to marriages and families and to teenagers, and to every singular soul in this house and so that's my prayer. So I'm going to take your attention to the word of the Lord 2 Kings chapter 5 Second Kings chap 5, and verse 10 2 Kings chapter 5 and verse 10.

If you're there say Amen if you're looking on the screen say Amen if you're just saying. Amen to say Amen say amen I appreciate your honesty and Elisha sent a messenger unto him saying go, and wash in Jordan seven times and your flesh shall. Come again and be clean but nonon was wroth he went away and said behold I thought he would surely. Come to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place and recover the leper is not these rivers of damaska better than all the Waters of Israel may I not wash in them and be clean. So he turned and he went away in Rage his servants came near and spake unto him and said my father. If the prophet had B thee to do a great thing would you not have done it how much rather than when he just said to you wash and be clean.

Then he went down and he dipped himself seven times in the Jordan according to the saying of the man of God and his flesh came. Again, like unto the Flesh of a little child and he was clean he returned to the man of God, and all his company and he came and he stood before him and he said behold. Now, I know that there is no God in all the Earth, but in Israel. Now, therefore I pray thee take a blessing of thy servant, but he said as the Lord liveth before whom I stand I will receive none, and so he urged him to take it but he refused last verse. And nonon said shall there not then I pray thee be given to your servant Two Mules burden of Earth he said if you will not receive anything from me then I want something from you I want two mules loaded down with Earth.

So for the next few moments I just want to preach to you I want to teach to you I want to talk to you I want to scream at you just a little bit on this simple subject Deliverance with the side of dirt Deliverance. With the side of dirt would you turn to your neighbor and would you tell them those words Deliverance with a side of dirt. Now, would you turn to your other neighbor the one you just rejected very awkwardly, and would you tell them those self-same words and before you're seated would you just pray with me one more time that the Lord would bless the next few moments of our time. Together God I thank you for the body of Christ that is here this morning I thank you for my new family, and friends I thank you for my brothers and sisters in the household of faith God.

Let my mouth be your megaphone let the angels of the Lord minister to the HS of Salvation, And I pray pray that you would do what only you can get credit for on this Father's Day Sunday I believe that you can heal I believe. That you can solidify I believe that you can confirm I believe that you can deliver I believe in the next few moments you can do what only you can do, and so by faith I thank you for it I believe it I declare it in the name. Of Jesus Christ somebody say in jesus' name somebody shout in Jesus name and just as one more exercise of faith. If you really believe that prayer would you just if you don't believe the prayer, and you were just going through protocol you're exempt from clapping. But if you really believe God heard you and more importantly you believe that God is going to confirm his word would you just would you just clap your hands one more time.

Just a little louder just a little longer hallelujah hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah God bless you may be seated this morning the kids would say that nonon was the goat he is the greatest of all time. If you follow him on Instagram he's probably got the goat Emoji in his bio nonon is respected nonon is revered nonon has military prowess nonon is a commander nonon is a leader nonon is a warrior. And nonon is a winner how many likes to win I like to win how many likes to lose. See, you don't want to admit it this morning, but some of you like to lose you're the person that will play chess with someone, and start feeling guilty about Midway through and you'll. Just let them win you're that person that if we're playing ball together at Youth Camp ah. If we win we win if we don't it's all fun it is not fun.

If you are not winning if you can have a good time losing I want to go to heaven with you I do not want to be on the same team with you there's some of you probably here that you like to go fishing you come. Back didn't catch anything hey what'd you get oh man caught a good time liar liar liar I want to fish more importantly I want to catch, and if I am not catching I'm not having a good time I want to win I want to win. Again, and if you'll let me win I will not feel bad I will still enjoy winning nonon is a winner think about it every battle he walks into he walks out of he's been through Blood. And Guts and skirmishes and battles and yet he has always emerged the Victor he has always emerged the champion even the people of God in their frail carnal State have been overcome, and conquered by non non is winning publicly.

But he is losing privately because it does not matter how many battles that we win in life at some moment we will always face a losing battle that we cannot win in our own Ingenuity. And our own strength and our own intellect with our bank account with our pedigree or our resource hces the Bible says that non a great man a mighty man of Valor has leprosy it is a it is a disease that is horrific in Bible. Times for there is there is no cure it is a disease that will slowly kill him from the inside out it is a disease that will literally take from him not only figuratively. But literally but I want you to understand something nonon goes back home and beyond the cape, and behind the armor he is losing a battle with Leprosy nonon name is a leader he tells people.

What to do he commands servants and they do it, but leprosy won't listen so it is he finds himself facing a losing battle. But the Bible says there is a little maid in non's house and she hears that nonon has leprosy, and she does what I would not have done. Now, can I confess to you this morning oh no no no no what I mean is can I confess, and you not judge me I need to know that I can be transparent with you and you not hold it against me I need ushers. To get signatures I need I need to know that you're going to judge me you're going to judge me you have to realize she is a slave she is a hostage she has been taken from her land she has been taken from her family. She has been taken from everything known and familiar in her life and yet when she hears that nonon has leprosy she doesn't do what I would have done this is the part where I confess you don't judge me non has leprosy shout.

Now, God is a prayer answering God you're judging me she what's your name what's her name what's her name tat on her no no hererra Sierra is judging me right. Now, next time you have a chance to judge Sierra please judge her I'm not passive aggressive at all Jehovah is a prayer answering God I'm going back home I'm going back to my family non has leprosy. But that's not what she does she is in Exile, but she becomes an evangelist she begins to testify about a God that has not fully answered her prayer oh it's Father's day. But is it all right if I preach to somebody this morning she does not have everything figured out, and solidified in her life she does not understand the details and the nuances of why she is where she is, but she begins to testify about a God.

That she does not fully understand and I think it's safe to deduce that you're probably not going to testify about a God that you're mad at she should be jaded she should be cynical she should be prayerless. But in beautiful irony I think it's quite opposite I think she's praying in non's kitchen I think she is singing songs heavenward, and she has made up in her mind that she will not lose relational value with the lover of her soul. And the maker of every molecule even in a context that is that is full of contradiction she still has the ability to testify that there is a God that can deliver and heal. And transform it reminds me of the words of the Apostle Paul when he said the word of God is not bound he wrote it when he was bound. But my limitations are not his limitations I want to say it again I am fragile he is not I can be confused.

But he is not I may be overwhelmed, but he is not I may be bound. But the word of God is not bound she begins to testify about a God that can heal non she begins to testify about a God. Who has not fully answered her prayers she begins to testify about a God that she does not fully understand his ways, and yet she seems to acknowledge that his ways are indeed higher than her ways. And here I want you to see the story play out I think is amazing non believes her she has validity in what she is saying, and now non goes back to the people of God. And I doubt they are very happy that non is back in town there is no confetti there is no fruit punch there is no kazoo there is no welcome back name, and yo hide your kids hide your dog hide your pet lizard non is back.

In town who why is non back who made non mad I'm telling you well non non is on the way non's on the way to the throne room okay okay. Let the King deal with this he gets to the he gets to the throne room, and I want you to understand the irony the king receives a message we heard heard that healing is in your land we heard that Deliverance is in your land. We heard that there is a supernatural solution to a natural impossibility so we've sent name to you, and I want you to notice the response of royalty Panic. Who told non that we have transformation who told non that we had delivering power. Who we don't even like Nam even if we could heal him we wouldn't we're Petty we're salty. But even if we wanted to We Can't a slave girl has more faith than a king.

So tell me why you need opulence and you need Perfection and you need to have everything together in your life to have faith even while fragile you can still have faith even. When you cannot discern everything around you can still have faith your life does not go your life is not to go by what appears to be your life goes by what is appointed to be, and we walk by faith not by sight. So even when the logic doesn't match up and even when the data is skewed and even. When the analytics are off and even when my brain is discombobulated I still walk by faith I worship in faith I pray in faith I go to church in faith. Because my faith is not based upon me my faith is based upon him the uncreated one the one. Who was before time out of time yet always always in time somebody just clap your hands to the object of your faith he is the object of my faith not my personality not my skill set not my bank account not my retirement not my job.

Position he is the object of my faith and so it is a king looks at nonon, and says we have no hope for you we have no answer for you we're going to send you to the prophet we're going to send you to the man. Of God non's back in the streets why where's non going tell me where is non he better not be headed to our fam our crib our Hood nonon. Don't you dare he's saying to the prophet why is he going to the prophet he's going to the Pro the prophet better show him he's going to the prophet we all know we all know we all stink. And know what happens when people go to the prophet they get in the presence of God, and the Supernatural he non's about to get healed. Isn't he okay God nonon doesn't deserve that he doesn't deserve his past remitted he doesn't he doesn't deserve another chance?

But when did I and when did you and when did any of us deserve the unmar grace, and mercy of God name's got hiso on Tage he shows up to the prophet's house can I preach. Just a few minutes longer are you with me you think non is Savage wait until you meet the prophet. Because you ain't going to meet the prophet he don't even come out of his house he sends out the junior prophet name name I've been wanting to meet you for so long hash notot you killed have my fam tell my cousin I love her i' love. To see her again amen am it so H the prophets ah sir sir don't kill me sir you are intimidating sir the prophet said to tell you hey. What you what you what you say to tell them can, but if he does that he'll be healed.

So tell I can't tell him he he's going to die come on strike him with thunder okay I got it all right sir sir the prophet told me to tell you sir go was seven times in the Muddy River Jordan sir. And non is rough that's King James code language for non is not happy non. Who lives in opulence non who lives in a Al nonon who is a commander has just been told to go wash seven times in the Muddy River Jordan that does not make sense you know. What I've learned about God some of y'all got God figured out not me God does not make sense oh y'all judging me again Sierra are you judging me again curl feeling the glares. Just come from this section I'm just saying God does not make sense y'all can fix this in Bible class Wednesday or next Sunday morning I I'm just being honest can I just be hon can I just can I just be real no no I I'm trying.

To be real some of y'all need to take off your fake Halo need unplug it go home, and burn it I ain't preaching angels I'm preaching to real people God does not always make sense that is annoying. And wildly wonderful because God has the luxury to not make sense God Makes Miracles David said I am as a Wonder unto many he said I make people scratch their head they don't understand. How I got here God does not have to make sense and I am frustrated by that, and grateful for that because if our life made sense we would not be here. But God is in the miracle making business and you are not here because anything else. But the miraculous power of God but he still doesn't make sense sometimes non said I thought I thought the prophet would have walked out he would have waved his hand over me and the leprosy would have left.

And now a past Paradigm and a past reference is inhibiting non from a new thing that the Lord is about to perform I thought can I tell you how many chapters in my life have beg with those words I thought that God's thoughts should. Look, a whole lot more like my thoughts than his thoughts so I thought I don't know. How bold you are in your prayers but I just I just let the Lord know a few times I think I could help you out on being God oh y'all. Just going to keep judging me I thought he should have done it like this, and I thought he should have answered my prayer in this way in this timing and I thought that his ways should. Look, exactly like my ways but in reality his ways are higher than my ways, and maybe you already know that, but I have to be reminded of that and the Bible says that non is about to walk away from his Deliverance.

Because of dirt and because of mud and because of preference and because of his fleshly Instinct, and a servant a servant runs up to non it must have been Father's Day I guess he said my father. Listen, hear me right now if the prophet would have asked you to do a great thing you would have done it, but all he asked you to do was go wash seven times in the Muddy River Jordan I always. Just thought I guess my brain glitched I just I just always thought that going, and washing in the Muddy River Jordan was just too complex of a question it was too big of a demand it's not that it was so big it was too. Small it's not that nobody could do it it's that anybody could do it and nonon was willing to do a great thing he was not willing to do a lesser thing oh you want 10,000 camels got you fam you want stalk.

And Tesla got you man of God but the prophet didn't ask him to do a great thing he just asked him to do a small thing. But non had accountability he had somebody in his life to get up in his grill, and be real with him and say yo hear me out you know you would have flexed on him if he would asked you to do something big. But you are about to walk away from your Miracle not because he asked you to do something too big he asked you to do something too little it's that still Small Voice that speaks to us on a Monday it's not. So far that we can't hear it it's so close we miss it it's that still Small Voice that leads, and guides us it was that voice that spoke to the people of God in the Old Testament.

And he said I'm going to drive out your enemies and I'm going to bring you Victory and dominion and you know. How I'm going to do it little by little you know what I've learned I hope I help I'm helping. Somebody on Father's Day this is what I've learned not everything Supernatural is spectacular that's a word for somebody sometimes the Supernatural is super natural we want to have bagels with Jesus every morning we want to see 10 angels He five prophets say the same. Thing and then if brother Wesley will do a cartwheel after the second song We'll know it was God. Why do we limit God to the dramatic why do we limit God to the spectacular I believe in angels I believe in the instantaneous. But you know what I've also seen I've seen God work in the great, but I've also seen him work in the granular I've seen God do things on Sunday.

But you know what I've also seen Monday Miracles when nobody is watching and when nobody sees God is not. Just the god of the seismic God is the god of the little of the small of the granular musicians. Come I'm not done I just I want everyone to think I'm done name says okay okay all right, and he goes to the Muddy River Jordan I think this is the picture of discipleship. Because that servant goes with him that servant loves him too much to let him go back home to a losing battle he goes to the edge of the Muddy River Jordan are you with me can I preach a few more minutes musicians. Aren't even here yet they're slow watch I think non's probably a narcissist the Lord's you know still working on them he walks up to the Muddy River Jordan he looks for his reflection in the Muddy River Jordan ain't no reflection looking back in the Muddy.

River Jordan and now this man who has walked through Blood and Guts and war is now dipping his toe in D mud your pride is not logical our pride is not logical you ever felt that still small voice prompt you to give a little. Extra in the offering and you become the most Financial business savvy person you have ever been not in the budget God God is not in the budget, and then on a random Tuesday you were just scrolling through Amazon. And now you have binge bought $350 worth of stuff oh I got too real in the house of the Lord our pride lies our pride is not logical it's the same Pride that says why would you get undignified in the presence of God God. Does not need your emotionalism and hype and then you get the pay raate ra, and you get really emotional and there's some hype I our pride lies to us non's used to telling people.

What to do you know what I need you to do is I need you to step into the Muddy River Jordan for me, but you can't subcontract the voice of God in your life you can't delegate personal responsibility it's got to become personal. So now he steps in ankle deep and steps in knee deep and there somebody on the shore that loves him too much to let him go home to a losing battle, and so now he steps in Waist Deep. And now he steps in knee deep it's gross it stinks I can't do this I can't do you can do it nonon this is gross I did it I did it I did it n non yeah I appreciate that slow clap. Let's let's give non a slow clap very awkward no no very awkward awkward slow clap y'all. Just can't even be awkward you're so cool oh n you got to go down.

Again, I got this i got this I don't got this notice the slower I do it the more dramatic it is what are we on are we on five I think we're on five four. Or five let's just go with the higher number duh this is all right six times, and this is where we stop this is where North American Christianity normally gets stuck. Because now I've done it more than I have it and as long as I can compare myself to somebody else's lack of obedience I can justify my own Disobedience oh. Don't look at what I haven't done do you know what he hasn't done do you know. What he has done you know what she done did girl, but anything less than complete obedience does not lead to complete deliverance. What do you do when your experiences do not match the word of God this is what you'll do you will either lower the word of God to your experience or you will raise your experience to the word of God does not matter.

How lifted up in preference or Pride you feel the word of God will not. Come down to your preference but it does not matter how decadent how dark how dormant your life is it can all always be raised in the newness of Christ you can always. Come higher not through Dogma not through legalism not through preference, but by the word of almighty God stand with me all across this house it's the seventh time non. Come on it's the seventh time it's the seventh time and the Bible says that non goes down for the seventh time there's mud in his ears there's mud in between his fingers there's mud underneath his toenails he can't. See, but he's went down for the seventh time he's coughing he's spitting, but the servant can see the servant name name name it my boy name it name open your eyes name it open your eyes am it all things are passed away behold behold.

Behold all things have become new name you're going to get your peace back you're going to get your joy back your ears going to come back your fingers back name and open your eyes. And the Bible says his flesh was as the flesh of a I can't say that I almost said babies. But I can't say that his flesh was as the Flesh of a little child go back, and read it transformation starts with a little maid and then he transforms into a little child I rebuke the shame that says you have to get it all. Together in one altar call in one service you want to know what the enemy is afraid of you want to know. What that secret sin is afraid of you want to know what your past is afraid of little by little little by little little by little little by little little by little little by little little I'm listening to that still Small Voice little by little.

I'm surrendering my preferences little by little I'm praying more and more little by little middle it's easier to be an extreme than it is to be consistent non's healed non loves. Everybody now ne's healed he's healed he goes back to the prophet he says can I pay you what's your cash at what's your Apple pay what's your vinmo you won't go bars you want stock. And Chick-fil-A I got you fam what you want, but you can't pay for something that's priceless we give tithe and offering. But we're not paying for something that's priceless he said all right you won't receive anything from me then I want something from you I got to go back home home is not perfect home is full of idolatry home is full of unknown I can't. Stay in Israel I wish I could but if you'll let me I want to take a piece of Israel with me you know what's.

So amazing about God moments you move on from those moments, but those moments move on with you and the Miracle. Doesn't stop in this house the miracle of Sunday has to segue into Monday the miracle of this house has to transition to your house. Well, you don't you don't know what kind of home I was born into you didn't get to choose that, but you do get to choose the home that you build I said you do get to choose the home that you build here's. What you need to know if your home was full of demons and devils and drugs, and fear you got to build a spiritual life for yourself. But even if your home was full of angels and prayer and intercession you still have to build a spiritual habitation for yourself. So out come the shovels out come the mules and there's nonon the one that had been on a murdering rampage.

Now, going back people are looking out the blinds non's Got Dirt non's going back home I just wonder maybe this is where my mind gets a little too glitchy I just wonder as the mules were stepping over the rocks. And stepping over the river I wonder if every time they stopped every every time they halted every time they bucked I just wonder. If a little dirt fell down because whether you know it or not somebody's watching you, and whether it was a little Trail I do know it was figurative your life is leaving a trail for somebody else. So the trip to the altar is bigger than you the trip to Sunday church is bigger than you the trip to sacrifice is bigger than you whatever God does in your world you've got to take it to somebody else's world I'm done. But I wonder if you just lift up your hands and I wonder if you would just close your eyes and I wonder.

If you just talk to Jesus for just a moment maybe you're naming today maybe you're that slave girl you know. What I want to say one more thing I want you to look at me just one more one more time I'm sorry this is either being spirit-led or maybe I'm just being add that's where you were supposed to laugh I read stories like this. And I preach this story and I always put myself into the story I think that's good here's where it goes bad I always put myself as the best character. So when I read this story I'm never naming oh I'm the girl that's got a testimony meet me in heaven I'll give you an autograph you know. What I've learned there's a little name in all of us so maybe you're that slave girl, and you're in a situation and God wants to use you if that's you I want you to let it apply to you, but I've also learned there's a little.

Name in all of us I know it's Father's Day we're going to go we're going to wait go have lunch. But before Monday comes I just wonder if there's a little lame if there's a if there's a little name in somewhere you Just Surrender it to God God wants to give us victory in our mind in our home in our spirit in our disciplines. And our decisions in our career and our calling you believe that I believe that so now once more would you lift up your hands as high as you can would you close your eyes this altar is open I want to pray a prayer over you in this. Room I want to pray a prayer over those watching on live stream I'm going to pray a prayer over those that will go back and watch this service. Come on the spirit of God is in this house right now I want you to let him do a work right.

Now, I want you to let him do a work right now before we leave before we go would you let him God by the power of your word, and the authority of your name I speak holistic healing upon your people right. Now, I speak over every man every woman every boy and every girl I speak over every Elder I speak over every prodal I speak over every Widow I speak over every divorcee I speak over every single adult I speak over every teenager I speak. Over every new convert I speak over every gray haired believer I speak over every singular Soul I'm asking the river of your spirit to watch over us right. Now, I'm asking for your cleansing power to make us whole and to make us new in this room right. Now, we don't come to you in our strength we come to you in our weakness we come to you in dependency it is you and nobody else.

But you come on let it all across this house would you enthrone him would you place all dominion, and authority of your life back into his hands wor you would you surrender your finances your parenting your future your insecurity.