Crossing family. It is so good to be here with
you this weekend, I have missed you.
It is one of my great Joys to be one of the pastors at this
church. As we try to make this the
hardest place on planet Earth to get to Hell from.
I want to welcome you joining from all of our different
locations online and inside and are also want to welcome those
of you who are joining us for the first time or maybe the
first time in a long time. Let me in Encourage you to use
the QR code, on the seat in front of you at any point in
time during the service. So you can engage with our
church family in a variety of ways.
And on behalf of all the people who call The Crossing home, I
want you to know that we love you and that we are in your
corner. Life gets complicated, would you
agree? And life can be hard at times.
Would you agree? But I want you to hear this
promise. We do not have to do it alone.
Today, we are finishing up a sermon series called weeds in my
garden. When we started this sir.
In series, I was a little nervous about what would happen.
Would people leave our church would people get mad.
What's going to go on with the sermon series?
Be too long? Well, I've been amazed at what
God has done during this sermon series.
In fact, our church has grown through this sermon series and I
found out so far. During the street sermon series
147, people have been baptized and that doesn't even include
what's going to be happening this weekend.
There have been emails from people all across Sr region and
from across the country who watch online, who have been
stepping into these areas, many of you have received help and
hope others of you have listened intently.
So that way you could offer help and hope to those that you love
that are in a battle, I want to read an email that was passed on
to me by one of our parents who attend one of our different
locations and they receive this email from the teacher of one of
their kids. I'm going to call him jack.
Although after service he came. Up to me and said, my name is
Johnny so I guess we can use Johnny.
I have to tell you something funny.
That's how the email begins two days ago.
I was doing my usual bouncing from Kid to Kid in the resource
center forming plans for what they are doing.
What's missing Etc? It can be exhausting at times,
especially with difficult kids. It is a large class after all,
Johnny was sitting next to our para and he said she needs to go
to my church and listen to the sermons on how to weed your
garden. She had to tell me later and he
said, you look stressed. You need to weed your garden.
He went on to explain the sermon series a little bit more.
I told him that he was so kind and that he was watching out for
me and he offered a great suggestion.
I also told him it's just part of the job.
I may look stressed but I'm trying to work quickly to you
make sure that everything gets started on something.
So I also let him know that I thought it was great that he was
listening and applying these things.
He heard from the sermon. I thought you might like to Hear
this too. He's a great kid.
We're going to have a fun year. How cool is that email?
As we're getting ready to start this series?
There's a couple things are this in.
Start this sermon. There's a couple things I want
to do, and I was about ready to cut this going into this
message. But then I had just a
heartbreaking conversation with a girl, in the lobby, who came
up to me? Whose friend is going through a
really dark time. And so, I'm just, I'm really
glad that it got kind of used that to kind of create space,
because I was about ready to cut all of this.
When we started the sermon series, there were resources
that we put together. And one of the resources is kind
of like low end is, are weeds in my garden playlist on Spotify,
and if you don't have Spotify, I apologize.
But this is just where we figured it out.
And the reason why I want you to have access to, this is because
there's going to be times where you need to kind of recenter
yourself. There's gonna be times where
you're going to find yourself, maybe a little overwhelmed, a
little stressed out. And you just kind of need to
speak the name of Jesus, over your situation and recenter
yourself on the goodness of our God.
And this playlist will help you do that.
The second thing and this is you may have need to re-watch one of
these sermons or maybe you want to catch up on one of the
sermons or God may put you in a position where you over hear
somebody talking about something and you're going, you know what
I have. Something for you.
You can catch all of these sermons on our website or you
can watch them on YouTube. But the thing that's the most
important that we did during the sermon series, is we created a
resource page, it has access to all the sermons.
It also has coaching from a psychologist on what you can do
to provide help and hope as well as resources that you can look
at questions, you can ask and the national and Regional
resources. This girl came up to me and she
said, my friend is having deep dark thoughts, and I don't know
what to do. And I said, go to this site and
do what it says. And tears were just welling up
in her eyes and there may be a moment where you find yourself
in a situation, you're going. I'm not a psychologist.
I don't know how to navigate this.
This will tell you exactly what you should be doing on your end
because you don't have to carry this and walk through this all
on your own. When we started the sermon
series, I talked to you about the course of a song that
impacted me, deeply. In fact, you just heard it
saying at all of our different locations but I want to walk you
through it. I tell you that I'm whole but
I'm still healing. I Tell you that I'm happy.
But I'm grieving thought I was a fighter.
I'm still in the fire. But if I'm being honest, I'm not
being honest. I'll give you roses.
Just hoping you don't see the weeds in my garden.
If I'm being honest. I'm at my darkest.
I'm sitting here, waiting and praying for someone to show me
what love is. I'm just being honest.
I wonder how many of our spouses kids.
Grandchildren, employees, co-workers bosses, find
themselves relating to these words.
I can't help but wonder how many of you and week one.
We talked about. It's okay to not be okay.
That you can be messed up and still be part of this church.
And then we talked about the three lies that Satan tries to
tell you. That if the truth about you were
found out or when you find out that you're navigating weeds in
your garden, that somehow your life loses, its meaning that if
people knew everything about you, that they wouldn't accept
you and that God wouldn't love you.
And we dispelled those lies and then we did a deep dive into
issues related to self-esteem suicide anxiety.
Stress burnout worry and depression and then we brought
in dr. Wes Beavis, you has Pastors all
across the country as well as 10 to 15 percent of the staff here
at the Crossing and he gave us practical steps that we can take
on Mental Health. We talked about the four
buckets. Where mental health issues,
reside in there's the spiritual bucket.
You have an enemy who's trying to steal and kill and destroy.
There's the biological bucket. Each of us were kind of made
differently and uniquely. Which means that there's going
to be different and unique challenges that we are going to
have to face and we talked about the situational bucket,
sometimes you're just going to find yourself.
Elf in tragic circumstances and then there's the clinical
budget, our bucket where you're going to have to have help from
other people to help you chart a path forward.
However, from the very beginning of this sermon series, I've been
looking forward to preaching this message.
I called it hope weekend because I believe that there is so much
hope for you, your family, your friends and for your future is
there anyone here at any of our locations?
Watching online or inside. That would be willing to be a
little bit honest. And admit that they have some
weeds in their Garden. Okay, I want to have been bad.
If I came to preach this sermon to the wrong group of people
during our first service today, as people were walking into the
auditorium. There was a greeter going.
Did you get your weed yet? And I was thinking to myself all
across this region, people are going to be going at the
Crossing this weekend. They were passing out weed at
the doors before you walked into the church.
God, protect us. There might be some of you
tempted to think that if you were more spiritual, you
wouldn't have weeds in your garden.
The maybe if you just prayed a little longer, read a little
harder. You wouldn't have some of the
weeds. However, just a simple look
through the Bible. Shows us that even the super
spiritual from time to time, had to navigate the weeds and their
Garden. Just because your spiritual
doesn't mean you're exempt from Weeds.
If only, I spent more time, I wouldn't have these problems but
just because you're listening to The Shepherd's voice, doesn't
mean that there aren't wolves who will try to bite just
because you've read the Bible and done what it says doesn't
mean your life won't have storms.
It just means that after the storm you're still standing just
because you're doing spiritual things, doesn't mean that you
are exempt from Weeds. Maybe if I did more for God, Or
maybe if I served more saying louder gave more, then I
wouldn't have these weeds in my garden.
But if you were to look through Scripture, its chapters are
dripping with stories of people who are spiritual and doing
spiritual things that still had to navigate weeds in their
Garden. It was Jonah who preached a
sermon and 120,000 people the entire town, repented and turned
to God, I've preached a lot of sermons and never change the
city. In fact, I don't know anybody
who's preached a sermon that had greater effect than Jonah and
right after that sermon, he begged God to let him die.
It was Moses who led the people out of captivity descended, the
ten plagues on the Egyptians walked across the Dead Sea who
finds himself overwhelmed and distraught in Exodus 11 and said
I can't do this any more. It just might mean that when you
try to do things for God and walk with God, the more
susceptible you might be. Become to weeds because Satan
will do anything. He can to stop the work that God
is trying to do through you and in you and on your behalf hear
me. I came today to preach a sermon.
That when you find weeds in your garden, it is not a sign that
you are not spiritual. It is not a sign that you are
not significant. It is a sign that you are human
living in a And world that Jesus came to die for redeem and
prepare a heaven for my sermon today is called, It's Not Over.
It is not over just so I wouldn't forget it.
I made a shirt that said it this message is for all of you who
have weeds in your garden. This sermon is a message.
For those of you with loved ones who have weeds in their Garden,
this message is for those of you in a troubling situation, coming
to terms with the past, trauma, navigating a devastating
diagnosis and those of you fighting for your life, with a
battle between your ears, the sermons called, It's Not Over
turn to your neighbor and say It's Not Over.
Turn to your other neighbor. The one you like the least?
Tell them it's not over. Say it say it just a little bit
louder so hell knows. You're paying attention.
It's not. Say it a little bit louder so
God knows we're serious. It's not over.
Let me tell you why, it's not over.
I may have weeds in my garden. Weeds that have been in my life,
my whole life. And weeds that just sprung up.
Weeds that I've picked before and weeds, I can't remove.
Weeds, I thought were behind me and weeds that keep showing up.
I may have weeds in my garden but my promises I have a good
Gardener and if you have a good Gardener, it's not over.
We serve a God who can turn things around.
We serve a god, who's caring enough to notice the little
things. And strong enough to handle the
big ones and wise enough know how to repurpose and redeem our
pain. Jane.
I came to preach a very simple message to you today.
I may have a weeds in my garden, but I have a good Gardener.
And if I have a good gardener, Second Corinthians says, praise
be to the God and father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the father
of compassion, and the God of All Comfort, who comforts Us in
all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the Comfort. We ourselves receive from god,
notice God cares. And God Comforts, he feels it
with you and he is moved to action on your behalf.
Behalf. Then he does something that only
God can do. He takes our troubles and he
turns them into bridges into the pain of other people's lives.
The sermon is simple. I may have a weeds in my garden,
but I have a good Gardener and because I have a good Gardener,
It's Not Over. You might be tempted to think
that, because of what you've been through that.
God could never use you. But little did you know that
your pain Was preparing you? Like I said, It's not over your
troubles. Just might be the intro to your
testimony because it's not over. Your struggle is just the
beginning of your story because it's not over.
You're paying just might be building your platform, you're
hurt. Just might be what God starts
using to bring healing into somebody else's life.
Your trauma, just might be your ticket to speak to someone's
life. Your diagnosis.
Just might be the open door that God is using to change.
Somebody's Destiny, your oppression, just might be your
opportunity. tunity just show that God is still good Crossing
Church, you may have weeds in your garden but you have a good
Gardener and because he's your gardener It's Not Over.
Second Corinthians. Paul writes, me and I want you
to be uninformed brothers and sisters about the troubles.
We experienced in the province of Asia we were under great
pressure, far beyond our ability to endure so that we despaired
of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received
the sentence of death, but this happened that we might not rely
on ourselves but on God who raises the Dead.
Notice this. He has delivered us from such, a
deadly Peril and he will deliver us again on him.
We have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.
Do you notice what they're saying?
They're saying God's pulled weeds in my past.
And he'll pull weeds again. He'll remove things in my past
and he'll remove them again, but you'll also, if he doesn't
remove it, he'll redeem it. Paul is trying to tell you and
me and everybody who will read that passage of scripture, you
may have weeds in your garden, put take hope you have a good
gardener. God can redeem the pain of weeds
in our garden to move us from dependence on our self to
dependence on him. For he is our Rock, our shelter,
our great defender and Redeemer the power that he has in your
life and over your story to bring purpose out of your pain
is the same power that he used to raised Jesus from the grave.
And Romans tells us this that that same spirit that has that
same power. Lives in you turn to your
neighbor and say It's Not Over. Hear me.
When I say this, if Jesus can handle your sin, if he can
resurrect you make you new handle your eternity.
Prepare a place for you and write your name in the Lamb's
Book of Life. Is there anything that he can't
do? You may have weeds in your
garden but you have a good Gardener and because you have a
good Gardener, it's not over. I could tell you the story of
Elijah who went and overcame the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel
and he demonstrated In strated, the goodness and power and
sufficiency of God, and as soon as he was done doing your great
thing for God, all he wanted to do was die.
However God reminded him. That God wasn't done and that he
wasn't alone and so we sent Elijah to raise up Elijah and
Elisha prayed a simple prayer. Give me a double portion of
Elijah and Elisha went on to do 2 times the ministry of Elijah
and others. Art's, you may have weeds in
your garden but you have a good Gardener because you have a good
Gardener. It's not over Elijah went on to
bring a woman's son back to life.
He brought a man, who'd been buried a long time.
Back from the dead, he cleans the water that was making a
community sick and impacting their Crop Production.
He stepped in and kept a woman from losing her two sons to
slavery to pay for unpaid debts. He went on to feed over 100 men
who were hungry with only a little bit of bread.
Ed and he cured Naaman from leprosy.
There's a man named Naaman who was cured of leprosy by a guy
that was raised up by a dude who wanted to quit.
In other words, it's not over God can still redeem and
repurpose your pain. The story I wanted to tell you
when I preach the sermon on suicide I held off to this very
moment because this just might be my new favorite story in
scripture, pay attention. Paul and Silas went to a town
called Philippi. When they arrived in the town,
they were looking for a place to prayer.
They didn't find the prey. They didn't find one.
So they they went to another spot down by the river, and they
met a woman named Lydia. She was a worshiper of God but
not a follower of Jesus. God opened up her heart while
they were speaking to her and she and all of the members of
our house were baptized and she invited them to come and stay
with her in her house a little bit after that as Paul and Silas
were going to a place to pray. They were met by a slave.
Girl who had a spirit that gave her the ability to tell the
future. She earned a great deal of money
for her master's by fortune. Telling she was following Paul
and Silas and she was proclaiming out loud.
These are men of God who are telling you the way to be saved.
But Paul in the name of Jesus Christ, commanded the spirit to
come out of her. Her owners realizing that their
ability to make profits in the future had been compromised
immediately seized Paul and Silas drag them in front of the
authorities. They were misrepresented
stripped, beaten with rods, after being severely beaten,
they were placed in the Inner Cell of the jail and their feet
were fastened in stocks, this allowed them to keep Paul and
Silas in a painful position resulting in stretching and
cramping muscles. but at midnight in that inner jail
cell, While their legs were stretched.
Apart Paul and Silas were found praying.
And singing to God, in the midst of a weedy situation, they were
proclaiming that God is a good Gardener.
And in that moment, an earthquake hit the jail and the
doors flew open and the shackles came loose off their feet and
let's pick up the story in Acts 16, the Jailer woke up and when
he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about out
to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had
escaped. But Paul's shouted, don't harm
yourself. We are all here.
The Jailer called for lights rushed in, and felt trembling
before Paul, and Silas that he brought them out and asked sirs,
what must I do to be saved? They replied believe in the Lord
Jesus and you will be saved you and your household.
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the
others in his house. At that hour of the night, the
Jailer took them and wash their wounds.
And then immediately he and all his household were baptized the,
Jailer brought them into his house and said a meal before
them. He was filled with joy because
he had come to believe. In God, he and his whole
household. if you don't believe my sermon yet, you better
believe it now. Because God took a man who was
on the brink of suicide and turned him into a spiritual
leader in his home, he took a man who is about to end his life
and gave him eternal life. And that man along with that
woman became the founders of a church in Philippi.
And years later, Paul writes to this church, founded by a woman
in a suicidal man we call that book Philippians and it is from
the words in Philippians that for centuries, Christians
worldwide have found a source of strength for it's in this book.
In Philippians that Paul writes these words Being confident of
this that he who began a good work in you.
Will be faithful to carry it on to completion and other words,
Paul writes to them. You may have weeds in your
garden. But you have a good Gardener and
when you have a good Gardener, it's not over Paul.
Goes on to tell them that God is repurposing.
His pain for God's glory. He says this to this church,
founded by a woman in a suicidal jailer.
Now I want you to know brothers and sisters.
What has happened to me? The weeds that have been put in
my life, have actually served to advance the gospel as a result,
it's become clear throughout the whole Palace guard.
And to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ, and
because of my chains because of my weeds, most of the brothers,
and sisters, have become competent in the Lord, and dare
to proclaim the gospel without fear.
In other words, Paul saying God's using my weedy situation
to inspire other people to proclaim, the goodness of God,
Paul writes to this church and says you may have weeds in your
garden but we have a good Gardener and because we have a
good Gardener it's not over. He's saying there's hope Paul
writes to this very Church in chapter 3 but whatever we're my
gains to me. I now consider loss for the sake
of Christ. What is Consider everything a
loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus.
My Lord and Savior for whose sake, I have lost all things.
I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in
him not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the
law, but that which is through faith in Christ.
The righteousness that comes from God, on the basis of faith,
I want to know Christ. Yes.
To know the power of his resurrection and participation
in his sufferings Earrings becoming like him in his death
and so somehow attaining to the resurrection of the Dead, not
that I have already obtained, all this or already arrived at
my goal here. This, but I press on to take
hold of that for which Christ took hold of me brothers and
sisters. I do not consider myself yet to
have taken. Hold of it.
Paul keeps riding, but one thing I do, I do forgetting.
What is behind and straining toward what is ahead?
I press on toward the goal to win the prize, which God has
called me heavenward in Christ. Jesus.
He's saying, even though you have weeds in your garden, Press
On, Because you have a good Gardener press on keep walking,
hold on. And the one you're holding on to
it's good. He can either remove the weed or
redeem the weed, but don't let go press on.
He writes to this church and Philippians chapter 3.
The church that was founded by woman in a suicidal Jailer.
Our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly await a savior from
there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Who by the The power that
enables him to bring everything, under his control will transform
our lowly bodies. So that we will be like his
glorious body. He's saying, our citizenship is
in heaven, no matter how many weeds are in your garden, your
position in Christ is steadfast its strong.
Satan can't touch it. You can't lose it.
He has a hold on, you Philippians chapter 4.
He says this for I have learned to be content.
ENT, whatever the circumstances, I know what it is to be in need
and I know what it is to have plenty, I have learned the
secret of being content in any and every situation, no matter
how many weeds are in my garden. I have a good Gardener because I
can do all of this through Christ who gives me strength.
He says, this, for those of you who are doubting that, God can
handle your weeds. He says this in Philippians 4:19
and this same God who takes care of me, will supply, all your
needs through his glorious riches, which have been given to
us in Christ Jesus no matter how many weeds you have.
God has given you everything you need to Stand, everything you
need to keep going, are yours and they have been purchased in
Christ in Philippians chapter 2. He writes to this church.
You wouldn't have this letter. If it wasn't for a suicidal,
Jailer who got saved. In your relationships with one
another. Have the same mindset as Christ
Jesus who being in the very nature, God did not consider
equality with God. Something to be used for his own
Advantage, rather. He made himself Nothing by
taking the very nature of a servant.
And being made in human likeness and being found in appearance.
As a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even
death on a cross. Therefore God, exalted him to
the highest place and gave him. The name.
That is above every name that at the name of Jesus.
Every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth and under the
Earth. And every tongue acknowledge
that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father it is
here in these pages of scripture that we realize that God is
using us and using the weeds for his glory.
And for his purpose, he says to this church, do everything
without grumbling or arguing so that you may become blameless
and pure You know, I love you. Some of you because of the weeds
in your garden, you've been grumbling and arguing.
He's saying, don't Grumble, don't argue, so that you may
become blameless and pure children of God without fault in
a warped and crooked generation. Here's why then you will shine
among them, like, stars in the night sky, as you hold firmly to
the word of life, no matter how dark it gets, no matter how long
the night it is used standing. I'm clinging to your good
Gardener while you navigate the weeds in your garden, that will
give the people around you. Hope it will give them something
to fix their eyes on. There is a star shining in the
night and that star is lit up by Christ himself.
It is perhaps why Paul writes in 2nd Corinthians chapter 12?
Therefore in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was
given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment
me. Three times, I pleaded with the
Lord to take it away from me, but he said, to me, my grace is
sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.
Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses
so that Christ's power May rest on me.
That is why for Christ's sake. I Delight in weaknesses in
insults, in hardships, in persecutions in difficulties.
Paul saying I got weeds, some of you, you're listening to me and
you're in a spear, a period of weakness, you're navigating
insults, you find yourself in the midst of hardships, You're
going through persecutions, you're in difficult situations,
but Paul is clinging to the truth of the gardener, for when
I am weak, then I am Say it With Me, Maybe instead of asking God
to remove our weeds, we would humbly pray that God would
redeem them for his glory. And for his purpose, I came to
just tell you one thing, Crossing family.
You may have weeds in your garden but you have a good
Gardener and if you have a good Gardener, it's not over.
We're moving to a time of decision.
This is a special moment for me because I'm getting the
opportunity to speak to all of you at all of our different
locations. I wanted this moment with all of
you because I know that There are many of you.
Who right now? Your garden has no gardener.
And the weeds in your garden are going to choke out all the fruit
and growth in your life. It will steal from your future,
your family and your purpose. The reason I'm calling this hope
weekend is because there is hope.
Not hope has a name. And it is the name of Jesus.
There has never been anyone like him.
He knows you, he created you, he puts you together on purpose and
for a purpose and he died on your behalf and there is no
sinner that he can't save. And you might be thinking right
now, but Clayton, not me. I'm too messed up and I just
need you to know. I've been a part of this church
long enough to know that there is somebody sitting in your row
who could testify all day to the goodness of our God.
You might be going but I don't have it all figured out all.
That's why I love this story. The Philippian Jailer How many
times has he been to church? How many sermons had he heard?
How many worship songs had he sang?
You're so far ahead of him. right now, in this moment, he
hasn't attended any Bible studies.
He hadn't read his Bible, he hadn't offered any prayers.
He was just on the brink. He was just done, he was at the
end of his rope. And he learned that ropes don't
save Jesus does you can hold on to a rope, you can hold on to
yourself, you can hold onto your job, you can hold on to your
political party. But the only thing that I'll
never let you down. The only thing that can save,
the only thing that can restore. The only thing that can redeem
is Jesus and there's hope in that and there's hope for you.
Hear me to those of you. Listen to my voice right now?
If you have weeds in your garden, don't you?
Dare give up. And don't you dare let up?
It's not over, God has a purpose for your life.
He can still use you. Your weaknesses are simply an
invitation for the power of God to show off in your life, in the
midst of your weedy Garden. God still good.
In the midst of all of the weeds.
Still got you in the midst of all of your weeds Satan, can't
take anything from you. because your citizenship, Is in heaven.
All you may have weeds in your garden.
But you have a good Gardener and when you have a good Gardener,
it's never over. And so, if you've never started
an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ,
just a few moments, the people around, you are going to stand
and worship and there's going to be people off to the sides of
the stage, more than likely over by where the baptistery is.
And they would love a chance to talk with you about how to start
that relationship with Jesus Christ.
To the rest of you. specifically, those of you who
call The Crossing home, My prayer ever since I wrote this
message. Was that we as a church, would
be so close to the plans and purposes of God, that we would
have the testimony of Paul and Silas that while they suffered,
they still praised. God while all the weeds that
were in their life that they wish were gone in the midst of a
weedy situation. They still gave God praise and
that while they were praising. God, everybody else took notice
because Paul said we are all here.
It wasn't just Paul and Silas that stayed.
Everybody else took notice that when the doors came off their
hinges and the shackles came off their feet, they knew it wasn't
so that they could get out. But so the Jailer could get in
what if we would stop asking God to remove all of the weeds in
our garden? But ask God to let people find
him through our weeds. You know, this.
It's dark out there. It's dark.
To those of you in 48. It's dark in the communities of
Macomb Kirksville and down at 9:29.
It's dark in Pike County, and it's dark in Hannibal, it's dark
and Lima and Mount Sterling and Keokuk.
It's dark in Monmouth, it's dark and Jacksonville.
And we could Grumble and complain about the weeds in our
garden or we could choose to shine like stars and the night
sky and Proclaim that God is still good.
We have we It's in our garden, but we have a good Gardener.
So here's what I'm going to ask you to do all of you.
When you came in, you received some weeds and I know, some of
your, like, these aren't weeds. And I'm not a horticulturalist,
or I only know how to say that word, but hey, when you have a
church, you bring your own we'd say, okay, this is what we got.
There's a spot on there for you to write some stuff down.
We've got pens up at the front at all of our locations.
I want you to write down your weed.
What's the thing in your garden? I want you to come up here and I
just want you to plan it and say, God this belongs to you.
Selfishly God. I want you to remove it but if
you're not going to remove it, please redeem it.
Put your hands so far into the situation that other people are
brought to you because of it got this sweet isn't mine, it's
yours. And then plant it in his garden.
The while you're down here, would you would you pick up one
of the stickers? We have, I want you to take it
with you. I want you to put it somewhere
in your house, somewhere in your car, somewhere, on your Bible
somewhere when you see it, you'll remember.
Because Satan is going to attack you.
He's good at showing off all the weeds and all the areas where
things aren't going the way we want them to go, but I don't
ever want you to lose sight of. Just, one thing you may have
weeds in your garden, but we have the hope of a good Gardener
and because we have a good Gardener.
Well, you know, the answer, it's not over.
Would you stand with me? Heavenly Father, be glorified In
This Moment. Dual work.
That only you can do in a way that only you can do it.
Bring about a change in our hearts and in our lives.
Got our weeds belong to you because we belong to you.
So father, in every single one of the rooms where this prayer
is being carried all across this region, I'm asking you to move
Among Us. And your name.
I pray. Amen.