Albert Tate l Minor Prophets l Jonah

what's up side that's good huh now Hindman rave got to do that every week uncle ray ray yeah I got a teacher uncle ray ray that moves right there man I am peacock proud and hyena happy to be here with y'all today man I am so excited it's always a joy to open up God's Word and the be back out here at Bayside and I'm a little out of shape because that run hmm man I got work on that so love being back here you know they don't give a brother a long time to preach around here they put the clock on you back there in the back and everything I mean listen I want you to preach for 30 minutes which black people just never do you know what I mean and I don't wanna be stereotypical you know speak for him behalf of all black people but oh we just don't do it we just don't do it and I'm looking at you because you just look like you know a lot of black people Oh like look at this he's got it like this mustard you just look like I won't call you black oh so they're not getting here this time in there like not only thing you'll just have 30 minutes but oh by the way we want you to preach the whole book of johna in 30 minutes so having said that we ain't got a lot of time here's the deal Jonah was told to go he said no thank you let's pray no Book of Jonah chapter 1 is where you can find me Book of Jonah chapter 1 we begin reading at verse 1 Book of Jonah chapter 1 beginning reading at verse 1 hear these words of the Lord the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of a mini I go to the great city Nineveh and preach against it because it's wickedness has come up before me but Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tasha's he went down to Joppa where he found a ship bound for that port after paying the fare he went aboard and sailed for tortious to flee from the Lord let's pray father thank you so much for your word I pray in these next few moments that you would tune our into your voice so that we might hear you ever so clearly father would you turn our hearts to you so that we might experience the fullness of all that you have for us in this place this morning goddess to that end that I ask that you stand in my body think through my mind speak through my vocal cords those things you'd have us say no and do may the words of my mouth the meditation of my heart be acceptable in that side Lord you are my strength you are my Redeemer have your way in this great church today in Jesus name Amen Jonah heard from the Lord III don't want us to pass by that as if it doesn't matter I want us to pause right there Jonah heard from the Lord that that is a big deal many of us are coming in today saying man Lauren I really want to hear from you some of you pay 300 dollars a session with a therapist just so you can try to hear something you know if you get some clarity Jonah heard from the many of us like Lord we look up to heaven like Laura please say something Lord I want to hear something but Jonah had a relationship God knew him he knew God and he actually heard the voice of the Lord not only did he hear the voice of the Lord but when the voice of the Lord spoke he understood what the Lord said some of us when we hit him hard we'd be lying huh I don't even know what that means Lord what is that mean man like like he heard the Lord and he understood him he heard him and he got clarity on what to do the Lord said Jonah arise go to Nineveh the great city and preach against it for it's wickedness has come up against me he got the message he got clarity he got understanding then he got on a ship and went his own way he went and turned and did his own thing he knew enough in his head to listen to the Lord but didn't trust enough in his heart to follow the Lord that was good I'm gonna say that again he knew enough in his head to listen to the Lord many of you know enough in your head to know I need to listen to the Lord that's why you come to a church service on a Sunday morning to listen to the Lord or to find cute girls but you know whatever whatever brought you there you know like man I need to listen to the Lord you know enough in your head to listen to the Lord but the question is do you trust enough in your heart to follow him do you follow his instruction Jonah says no I know I need you I know we I know he spoke but I'm gonna do my own thing I'm gonna go but I'm not gonna go where he said to go I'm gonna go of my own way and how many you know half of half obedience is disobedience half obedience is disobedience Jonah he was trying to go to tosha's he says I want to go because I am fleeing from the Lord the problem is most theologians would argue mostly low Jinsu it would would make the point there's some questions about where Tarsus actually is like where it was or if it even existed and I fall in the camp of Tarsus did not exist did not exist I'm not talking about geographically I'm talking theologically because he says I am fleeing from the Lord I want to go to a place where the Lord does not exist and my brothers and sisters theologically there's no place where God isn't already there he is in a futile pursuit because he's trying to go to a place that doesn't have God and my brothers my sisters that place does not exist so if somehow you found yourself in this worship service today and you've got on track shoes and you are running from the Lord you are running from him you are hiding from him and let me tell you you are in a futile pursuit because there is no place where the love of God can't reach you there is not a place where you can go where God won't come and his relentless pursuit won't overtake you God is his love it never fails it never gives up and it never runs out on you even when you try to run away from him you can't get away from God so for some reason you are in here and you are in a season when you are running resisting let me encourage you take off your shoes don't run from him because he will never give up on you and you are caught in a futile pursuit Jonah was in this futile pursuit he goes to Joppa he gets all the a storm comes on the ship and where is he in the midst of a storm he is asleep you want to know if people are running from God if they are sleep trying to sleep in the midst of the storm that's how you know people how can you sleep at a time like this how can you sleep when your marriage is like how can you sleep when your life is in this how can you sleep when your money is like that how can you sleep in to me how can you sleep at a time like this the storm is raging and Jonah's checked out he's disengaged I don't want to talk to anybody I don't want to deal with anybody even in a storm I'm trying to sleep through it let me tell you you can't sleep through the storm you can't sleep through some you you know it's bad these together the other folks on the ship are by their own admission they are godless heathens they are they are not they don't know God they are heathens they ain't got there all day they are heathens they are not godly people but they are coming in the wake of Jonah you you know you're in a bad situation when he's awaking you up to pray but you know it is pretty jacked up out here if heathens I said man you need to wake up and talk to God man like like imagine your weed smoke a phrase like man dude you need to talk to Jesus man have you prayed about it man like but you know you are bad off Jonah was bad all they even cast lots like they will grow in dice even the dice was like Jonah's you dog it is you dice it lines up against you Jack like but as you look through chapter 1 friends you see everybody prays except Jonah Jonah refuses to talk to the Lord as a matter of fact it gets to a point to where you almost think this was a noble act you almost think it was heroic he says throw me overboard and all will be well that wasn't heroic that wasn't him being heroic that was him being a control freak that was him trying to control the terms he thought that he could control the situation he thought that he would dictate the terms upon which God was going to quiet the storm he thought he was in control even in this he was trying to control it really what he was saying is God before I repent before I say I'm sorry before I give up I'd rather die then repent and go back to Nineveh he wasn't interested in saving his sailboat his sailboat mates if he was interested in saving people he would have gone to Nineveh to begin with because he didn't want to go to number he's not interested in saving people he's interested in saving himself and the only way he was gonna save himself from having to be obedient to God as he said I'll just kill myself so he commits suicide in an attempt to say I'd rather die then forgive or then repent than to say I'm sorry he could've just that Lord I'm sorry go to Nineveh would have stopped he didn't talk to God he gave up on God but what I loved in the last verse of chapter 1 when Jonah gives up on God God refuses to give up on Shana he refuses to give up on Jonah he says he says I will jump in the sea before it before this no they asked him they said who is your God where are you were you from who are your people he says I I served the god of the Hebrews who was the god of the earth and see and then he jumps in the seat of commitment to commit suicide you jumped into what Jonah you dropped in the sea didn't you just say he was the god of the earth and the sea so when he jumped in the sea God had to remind him who he was he says I'm still in control even in the sea and he sent a big old fish to swallow him up in the sea to hold Jonah together until he could get himself together I'm so glad that God is the god of the earth and the sea and even when you jump off and stuff that will destroy you when you jump off an activity that would take you out of here when you jump off and stuff but you ain't got no business being in God is the god of the Seas God even in the stuff that you've gotten yourself into and he provided this fish to hold him together until he could get himself together chapter 2 says he opens his eyes in the belly of a fish have you ever been stuck in a place that you didn't plan to be in didn't know how long you was gonna be there and didn't know how you was gonna get out like Jonah is stuck in the belly of a fish wondering how am I gonna get out of this Ricky would always run out of gas my friend Ricky he he'd always run out I got his mama bought him a brand new 1995 Camaro this is many years ago and he would all and I don't know if he was just trying to figure out how far I could take the thing how close I could get to the edge but he's oh it was nothing to see him with a gas can walking down the street walking from the gas stations it up there goes Ricky again getting some gas mother's car you know like he would always run out of gas I never forget we were at this church convention and we were there and I walk outside and I see Ricky literally wrestling with our good friend Greg Greg has tears running down his face and they are in this brutal Russell and I'm sorry I don't know which I'll do it based on we just don't wrestle in between services in our church that's like we just don't get down on down-low what uncle ray ray got going on over here and what kind of activities y'all got between services but I mean we just don't do that so I walk out I see them wrestling immediately I I break it up you know I try to get in and break it up but they they show me with the little force and they're not receptive to my intervention they say they tossed me out the way man and I can't realize so then I see Ricky trying to show me something and I look over in the corner and in the ground there is an empty pill bottle and I'm beginning to connect the dots Greg had overdosed the bottle full of pills Ricky was trying to force Greg into the back seat of his red Camaro to get him to the hospital of course I joined forces with Ricky we overtake Greg we push him into the back seat and we hit 90 miles an hour man we've gone to the emergency room we pull up to the emergency room we pull up to the hospital we'd get Greg out of the car Greg ain't saying nothing he's not explained himself he's not speaking at all tears are streaming down his face he jumps in he gets in the wheelchair we are rolling him in the emergency room and the nurse begins to ask me and Ricky question aside what did he take and we didn't know leave to stop the what we thought the bottle was we told her and she said oh he can't kill himself from that angle do nothing to it immediately Greg here's that jumps out the wheelchair and walks outside and just to say I was already failing at life now I have failed at taking my life this is just a jacked up day you know what I mean he storms out man he's walking around man Ricky I like this is the most awkward thing we have ever experienced in our life I mean this is just weird you know what I mean so we walk around we don't know what to do so we just say alright let's just get back in the car and go back to church you know what I mean so Greg wasn't talking we didn't know what is this thing can we load up Greg's in the back seat Ricky's driving I'm gonna pass him we're rolling he cranks the car up hits the gas pedal and guess what happens we run out of freakin gas man I'm looking for guy said dude you have a problem man why don't you put gas in this thing what's wrong with you so we run out of gas and now we're out the car walking around we gotta wait on somebody to bring us a gas can Greg's on the side thinking this is a jacked up day I mean it's just terrible so he's sitting on the curb the nurses and the doctors come out and say what is wrong with these confused children out here so they come out and they talk to Greg and they convinced Greg to come inside so they can let's talk to him find out what's what's going on with this kid they get him inside they be gonna ask questions and we're gonna inquire about what he took and turns out me and Ricky guessed wrong what we thought he took so he actually didn't take when he did in fact take it was literally shutting down his liver and in the process of slowly taking his life if we would have gotten back in their car and going back to church Greg would have died that day they pumped his stomach and for the next three days he recovered in the hospital and ultimately his life was saved because the 1995 rare Camaro ran gasps Gregg had a plan that day but God interrupted his plans I'm so glad that we've got a god that's just downright rude he will send a grace that will interrupt your plans in to rupture agenda interrupts all of your regularly scheduled program he will sin a grace Jonah had planned for his life to have one chapter in one chapter only he wanted his story to end with chapter 1 and as Jonah was writing the conclusion to his story God took the pen out of his hand wrote in a great fish and interrupted his plans grace interrupted his plans and he used the fish to do it God use a Camaro for Greg use the fish for Jonah what did God use for you what is God you what grace has he sent you in your life and it mayst be a grace that looks like a place when you're stuck in I didn't expect to be here I didn't know how I got here I don't know where now and I never scheduled I would never intentionally come here but now that I'm here could this place be a place of grace that God has sent me to interrupt my plan so that he might interject his plans you need to understand the Book of Jonah is not about a fish it's about a God who will use even a fish to save somebody's life the Book of Jonah is not about Jonah getting out of a fish it's about God getting into Jonah the Book of Jonah is not about Jonah being safe from a fish it's about Jonah being saved from himself what is God writing in your story and what grace is he using to help your narrative fly God speaks to Jonah and he sends this fish that's called grace he sends a Camaro that's called grace Greg Greg Greg is now many years later he's now a gospel preacher preaching telling the goodness of Jesus Christ every single Sunday living for God's glory because God sent the grace of a Camaro in his have to save it what grace is God gonna use in your life could it be at the very place you're in that's causing frustration you I'm stuck in this plate could it be that this is a space for the grace of God to do a work in your life Jonah wrote a check in chapter one that he can cash in chapter 2 he wrote himself into something that he couldn't get himself out of but God sent to Grace and in that grace Jonah says in my distress I cried out to the Lord and the Lord heard my cry the Lord met him in that fish and in Jonah chapter 2 verse 4 Jonah says I will look again to you God he he goes to this place and he finally prays a chapter later he prays for the Lord and he says I will look again I will hope again I will believe again I will trust again God I will love you enough to reach for you as you have reached for me I will look again hear these words Jonah chapter 2 verse 4 listen to what he says he says I said I have been banished from your sight yet I will look again toward your holy temple the engulfing waters threaten me the deep surrounded me it's almost as if Jonah says when I look again and when I begin to hope again and when I begin to look for God to move again I see all the stuff that I've got to overcome he says I opened up my eyes and I saw the water and gunk I saw seized I saw all the stuff that I've got oh yeah I'm not getting it means let me do this way come here so when you help me out you with the arms folded hunk wondering why I'm asking you questions sorry would you come here help me out come on up sir would you come help me so would you come on up help me sir right there would you come help me out with the red adidas you just look like you want to be in come on in come on come on oh come on come on come on yeah on stage yeah there you go come in you come up here alright you face right here alright you come stand stand right here face in like that yeah on the side there you go right there you go come here stand right there hey don't act like we didn't practice this all right right there right there all right are you saying right there all right just right there all right all right now you you you you were John all right everyone else not Jonah yeah great raise your hands in the air and wave them side to side you can tell who's never been to a club this is terrible all right keep waving from side to side he was he was like me so this is what it says we we verse four he says Jonah says yet I will look again but when I look all I see is the engulfing waters threatened me the deep surrounded me see we he was wrapped around my head so the roots of the mountains I sank down the earth beneath me barred me in forever it's almost as if some of us that are going through hard times some of us that are going through challenges when you think about hoping again when you think about believing again when you think about trusting again all you see are the obstacles that you've got to overcome all you see now the waters that are raging against you in the hard work you've got to do to get back to the place where you left from to get back to the place where God wants you to be all you see and it can be discouraging but listen to what Jonah says Jonah says verse six to the roots of the mountains I sang down the earth beneath barred me and forever but you Lord my god brought my life up from the pit if you won't get out of this it's not gonna because you got yourself out of this if you don't get out of this it's gonna be because you've got a God that loves you so much that has so much passion so much grace for you he is going to get in the midst of your stuff and he is gonna grab you and he's gonna bring you out of the waves he's gonna do the work you're gonna do the trustor what do y'all go and keep waving what are you doing kick them hit the one that way that way that way he says he says listen you are not gonna bring yourself he says you are not gonna bring yourself up out of this God is gonna do the work I don't care what's your face I don't care what you're in he said the power of the Living God is gonna bring you up out to a place of victory I don't care what you're going through I don't care what you're facing I don't care what kind of obstacles or mountains you have in front of you don't you leave another day don't you live another day thinking I've got to overcome that Mountain Jesus Christ died on the cross so that you don't have to overcome the mountain he's gonna do the work and you do the resting in the work that he's already completed on Calvary's cross it ain't show work to do it's your glory that praise and a gift to him when you rest in the work that he's already done listen y'all keep away keep away milky way when he when he's with I want you to see this I want you to see the power of God him is Jonah is in the belly of a fish he is underwater the waves are still there so I'm not talking about some psychological denial know this we are still we are underwater this is bad we have got some situations going on we are under water just I don't need your help we are we are under water here's the beauty now watch this he's underwater but he's still breathing he's drowning but he still got breath in his body he still got life and he can still look up to heaven some of you you come to church and you got a nice smile on your face and you got your heart you all look but you're drowning you're underwater you're overwhelmed but my brother my sister I need you to be encouraged you're still breathing you've got breath in your body God is still good God's got a plan for your life and he is gonna pull you up out of the water you ain't gotta tread water you ain't got to try to pull yourself out the power of the Living God is gonna pull you up and bring you out to the place that he's destined for you to be in amen thank you guys thank Chapter three the word of the Lord comes to Jonah a second time somebody say a second time I'm so glad God gives us a second chance a third chance a fourth chance after a while you just got to say another chance because in my life God has given me one chance after another because there have been times when I have not been faithful to him but he has been faithful to me I have to say Lord greatest our faithfulness morning by morning new mercies I see all I needed thy hand hath provided great is thy faithfulness Oh Lord on to me God is a faithful God God is a loving God and I love it because even when we're not faithful to him he is still good to some folks you got to time to tick them off and that they are done with you forever forever forever forever ever but God ain't like that I'm like that sometimes you got you got two times and send me a candy crush requests and then after that I am NOT you are dismissed friend after that you are you you are not coming back on my timeline ever again but God man God will give you a second chance he gives John a second chance y'all Jonah gets a second chance I love chapter three opens up and it says and the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time and what did John to say uh yeah yeah yes Lord I will go yes I will go Jonah said I will go to Joppa I will preach to nineveh jonah goes and watch this God uses jonah so amazing it's so amazingly heatless he preaches what would be one of the greatest revivals in all of biblical history like he preaches and this is the thing that messes with me as a preacher he only uses three verses three words three three lines three minute sermon and the whole city repents Billy Graham ain't got nothing on this dude Jack I'm telling you like he preached the whole city repents this is a big deal because the Assyrians were evil evil people they they were known for that great ability to torture people they would take their nurse they're enemies they would hang them in the public square leaving them with breath in their body and they would literally mutilate their bodies cutting off limbs they figured out a way to peel the very skin off of a human while they were still alive they would always leave the right arm and the right hand attached attached to the body dangling there in the City Square because at the moment of their death they would want all of the city to see them extend them the right hand and they would shake the right hand of the person as they would breathe their last breath evil dark people so when you talk about these evil people it says the king the word of the Lord reached the king he got up off of his throne took off of his robe and put on sackcloth and ashes and he repented that's the power or the redemptive restorative work of Jesus Christ that's why let me tell you I don't care how dark your life's may be I don't care how dark the guilt how doctor shame how far you feel from God I'm telling you the Word of God he wants to come and bring restoration and redemption to your life all you got to do is get off your throne take off your robe your your identity this is Who I am take all of that off and put on repentance and the Lord will restore you I don't care how far you've strayed I don't care how bad you think you've messed up the redemption of God is real it's present and it's ready and available for you today the whole city repents the Bible says when one person comes from the Lord comes to the Lord all of heaven rejoices can you imagine the whole city I mean they was about to partay these popping bottles cooling the gang is doing sound check in the City Square like they are about today about to set it off I'm sorry set it off the party's about to commence in a way that is gonna be with greatest ubers an inspiration and jovial time so they are partying but chapter 4 opens up and it literally paints this picture of Jonah standing up on the hill outside of the city looking over at the city with his arms folded and the Bible says chapter 4 that Jonah was angry angry number one you just preached a great revival and if anybody shouldn't have been preaching to revive its you you still got seaweed breath like you just fresh from up under the ocean like you just got out of trouble with God you just got out of one of the biggest time outs in biblical history like it's anybody should be grateful it should just be you but here you are see we breath and all and you are angry how are you angry it turns out Jonah knew God's hand of grace but he didn't know he didn't have God's heart of grace Jonah believes in enough grace for him but not enough grace for them we even see it Jonah even says it himself heat a rats himself out he tells God listen to how he talks to God chapter 4 he says I knew you were gonna do this I knew this this is why I don't want to leave my house to begin with I knew you was gonna come out here and I was gonna do this and you was gonna be all gracious and all compassionate and all loving he'll be glad I ain't God I would have been like dude die just boom is dead you know what I mean like who does that who talks to God like that like like your dude you just got out of a fish you just be happy you just should just go have some clam chowder and relax you gotta man like if anybody should be chillin it's him but no he's saying god I knew you were gonna do this no you gonna get out here and be all compassionate you know you know something interesting about the Book of Jonah that's different from all the other minor prophets Jonah is the only book that ends with a question mark because his life it's questionable because he didn't put a period behind God's grace he he was left undone unresolved in unfinished because that is what bitterness will do to your life when you are big he hated the Ninevites so much he hated the Syrian people so much that he literally says in Chapter four he says I would rather die and we've seen this temper tantrum before remember who Chapter one we've seen this play before we've seen him played this death card before he says I'd rather die this time he said I'd rather die I'd rather see my own death than to see you forgive the likes of them I'd rather see me die than to see your grace be showered upon the likes of them so the lesson from Jonah is be careful lest your life in in a question mark because the bitterness will show up and it'll leave you undone unresolved and disconnect it from the heart of God bitterness it's like this my my mother she she divorced my dad I need some help here you're not my dad but I said just come back up here to help me out yeah both you guys yeah come on come on yeah yeah you come on all right all right you watch your step you we've done this before this right there my mother she well she divorced my dad when he was when I was in my 20s Oh I was a grown man they got a divorce you wanna know what's crazy she gonna call me and tell me son the message you preach this morning gave me the courage I need to divorce your dad who does that to a kid you know I mean $6,000 and 20 hours of therapy later I finally worked through the process but my dad was a great guy who loves the Lord God's doing some great things in his life but Brooks broke the marriage vows with my mom uh early on and broke those vows so it was one of those things where she was doing what she felt the Lord called her to do but padme's mom was so bitter and so angry and so unforgiving and had such hostility towards my dad she was so focused on this she was like a bro clock you know a broke clock never moves forward in time at the place where she was abused at the place where she was wounded at the place she was broken she never moved forward in time she was stuck in time right there the danger was unforgiveness and bitterness is that you get stuck in everybody else other people move on people you mad at people you mad they move on they date and other people with a on Facebook taking selfies you know hooking it up they look they are living their life and you are at home bitter stuck in time some of us we'd even be bitter and unforgiving and holding people at letting people hold us hostage and their dead and in the grave and we're still held captive by our own unforgiveness and bitterness she was so focused on being angry and so focused on what was done to her and she was a Christian follow Jesus what are you doing here no wife can see you later huh so Jesus who now I'm questioning my casting abilities Jesus was always a part of her life so Jesus was always part of her life but she never brought Jesus into her bitterness she would talk to Jesus about her bitterness she would talk to these about him who could you smite him with your holy smiter could you you don't admit like she would but she never brought Jesus into the bitterness so I never forget the day when she calls me and she says I forgiven your dad what he was like why so I mean they it was real like we'd be sitting all around we're all in the same room and me and Michael being the kids me like what is this this is crazy you know what I mean they talk to each other they're all cordial and in jovial and having a good time and we had a party they was out on the dance floor dance together almost sounds like a we got to put child in separate rooms tonight ain't none of that hanky-panky going on you know the bad thing when your kids got to tell your parents not to make out you know I mean so it's like there's the epitome of awkwardness but if you were to tell her what happened she'll tell you she said one day I finally decided to bring Jesus into my bitterness and what happens is I focused on God and God alone and I focused on his glory for my life his plan for my life his love for my life his joy for my life his peace for my life his purpose is for my life and I became so consumed and so enamored and so and all with his greatness with His goodness with his glory with his business with his sufficiency in my life to where I was so filled with the love of God I was so in love with my maker with my creator with my heavenly father that I just didn't have room in my life for anything else it's like the love of God came in my life and sent an eviction notice to my bitterness sent an eviction notice for my unforgiveness said eviction notice to my anger and I didn't have rooms was not like I didn't remember it it's not like I was in denial I just didn't have room in my life to hold on the bitterness because I was so filled with the love of god I didn't have time to be angry I didn't have room to be bitter because the love of God had changed my life so what you have to do thank you for clapping Jesus what you have to do is I'm so consumed with the love of God that I don't even see my past I don't even see that through my own eyes I see it through the eyes of Christ and I don't I don't I don't see I don't I don't see it through my life and through my brokenness I see it through the life of Christ and it changes how I even see my enemies it's not because I'm so good it's not because I became so big it wasn't like I have to get that zero I'm gonna get with a hero no no no it was none of that it was it was that Christ in me transformed me so much how in the world can my heart be filled with God and filled with love and filled with that much bitterness at the same time just an order so I consumed myself with the love of God and I became I consumed myself with the love of God and I became so enamored and so enriched in this love that everything else paled in comparison it's like the great somnus of the 1992 hip-hop group it's that it's the great psalmist of the 1992 hip hip hop group that the question it says you can get with this or you can get with that you can get with this or you can get with that you didn't get with this or you can get with that I think I'll get with this cuz this is where it's at in jail in bed no no no thank you guys thank you that's what Jonah didn't get Jonah chose a question mark and he didn't decide to put a period behind the grace of God he was left undone left bitter and left disconnected from the heart of the Father question is is there bitterness in your life that will leave you in a questionable place with the grace of God would you bow your heads with me and close your eyes if you're in this room today and you say Albert if I was to tell the truth there's bitterness there's unforgiveness in my heart and today I want to invite Jesus into the bitterness I don't want what I want my story to be like Jonah's story I want to know the forgiveness the peace the power of God in my life if that's you I want to pray for you I want to pray with you I'm gonna ask you to do something it's gonna require a little courage but I want to pray for you in this moment if you are ready to let it go if you are ready to trust God and put a period behind this grace and allow the sufficiency of the grace of God to be all you need if you're ready to let it go I want to pray for you if that's you would you just stand up right where you are just stand up right where you are if that's you I've got to move on I've got to let it go I've got to forgive I've got a release bitterness I've got to release anything that would stand in your way from your experiencing the fullness of all that God has for you if that's you just stand up right where you are Alvar by the grace of God I've got to let this go I've got to move on in my life I've been stuck in time if you're here and you're you're wrestling can I just tell you from someone who knows don't wrestle with this guy he's too big for you can I just tell you from someone who's wrestle with them along that you don't fight this God you surrender to this God if that's you and you're ready to let forgiveness rule your heart if you're ready to let it go not because the person gets a pass not because your abuse I don't want you I'm not trying to minimize your problem I'm trying to help you max your God God is bigger than your pain of your past God is bigger than your problem God's grace it's all sufficient and he can bring healing to the deepest broken places of your life God's bigger will you trust him if that's you just stand right where you are if you're ready to trust him if you rather than let go and trust him father in the name of Jesus as people are still standing we stand on the promise of your word we stand on the hope of your grace we stand knowing that we don't stand alone that the power of your spirit its dwelling within and that the power of your spirit is going to complete and do the work in our hearts so father do what we cannot do for ourselves save us set us free bring healing and wholeness to our hearts father we put a period your grace is enough period may our hearts be filled with love and by the power of your Holy Spirit evict bitterness and unforgiveness in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Bayside Church

Views: 9,132

Rating: 4.9183674 out of 5

Keywords: Bayside Church, Ray Johnston, Bible, Hope, Compassion, Love, Jonah (Religious Leader), Twelve Minor Prophets (Religious Text)

Id: 4lKz1e3j-vU

Length: 40min 59sec (2459 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 21 2014