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Hallelujah, give that. 
Can't clap it to the Lord. 

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I'm thankful. 
Jesus. 

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Thank you, Lord, you are mighty.
Oh Jesus, he's too good. 

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He's too good. 
I was thinking of as sister 

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McGee was speaking to things and
and talking about situations, 

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and I was thinking a song came 
to mind. 

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Go figure me song came to mind. 
Song came to mind that I truly I

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love and adore. 
And it's a very just this is a 

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very sweet song and it's it's 
one of those that I turn to when

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when I need to know that it's 
going to keep going. 

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It's going to keep going. 
It's it's one of those things we

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get in, we get in seasons of 
life and it feels like 

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everything is is happening and 
we have difficulty, have 

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difficulty with that. 
And understanding that it's not 

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over is important. 
And I just want, I just want to 

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sing a few of these, these bars 
of this song here because it 

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goes, it's not over. 
It's not finished. 

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It's only the beginning. 
When God is in Him, all things 

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are new. 
Oh, I know it's darkest just 

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before the dawn. 
I know this may be the hardest 

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season you've experienced. 
I know it hurts. 

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I know it hurts. 
You're closer than you think you

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are. 
You're closer than you've been 

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before. 
So look to the sky guys, help is

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on the way. 
It's not over, it's not 

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finished, it's not ending, for 
it's holy the beginning when God

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is in end all things hardly. 
It's not over. 

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She's she's so good. 
Just to be reminded sometimes 

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through things like that it's 
not over. 

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Understanding that sometimes can
be a difficult thing for us to 

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to come to and understanding 
that we have to endure more, but

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knowing that when he is in it, 
all things are new. 

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Knowing that we're closer than 
we've been before, all things 

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are new. 
Amen, Amen. 

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Sweet presence of the Lord in 
this place. 

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I, I come tonight, I hope to 
encourage, I hope to encourage 

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you tonight. 
If you will stand for the 

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reading of the word, turn to 
Isaiah 5 chapter #1 or Isaiah 5 

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verse #1. 
Excuse me. 

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Thankful for pastoring his wife,
their love and support. 

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They are great mentors and we 
appreciate them so much. 

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Thankful for Bishop and his wife
and so thankful for the love 

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that they show the church 
people. 

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So thankful for what they strive
to, they strive to still do. 

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And sometimes we have to tell 
them, do you really need to be 

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doing that? 
And then they'll do it anyways 

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and that's okay. 
We love that we love them for 

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it. 
I grateful for brother and 

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sister Mason, my parents. 
I'm so thankful for them and all

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that they do and the varying 
facets that they have and bring 

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to the table of this church that
we are blessed with. 

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And I'm so, so grateful for my 
precious wife. 

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So thankful. 
And I don't know what I would do

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without her. 
She is, she is my life partner. 

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She is the one that helps me, 
directs me. 

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Maybe she she is the absolute 
best. 

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I love her so much. 
Isaiah 5 chapter 1, reading a 

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few verses here, says Now will I
sing to my well beloved the song

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of my beloved touching his 
vineyard? 

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My well beloved, hath a vineyard
in a very fruitful hill. 

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And he fenced it, and gathered 
out the stones thereof, and 

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planted it with the choicest 
vine, and built a tower in the 

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midst of it, and also made a 
wine press therein. 

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And he looked that it should 
bring forth grapes, and it 

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brought forth wild grapes. 
And now, O inhabitants of 

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Jerusalem and men of Judah, I 
judge, pray, I pray you betwixt 

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me and my vineyard. 
What could have been done more 

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to my vineyard that I have not 
done it, done in it? 

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Wherefore when I looked that it 
should bring forth grapes, 

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brought it forth wild grapes. 
And now go to I will tell you 

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what I will do to my vineyard. 
I will take away the hedge 

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thereof, and it shall be eaten 
up, and break down the wall 

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thereof, and it shall be trodden
down, and I will lay it waste, 

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and it it shall not be pruned 
nor digged, but there shall come

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up berries and thorns. 
And I will also command the 

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clouds that they rain, no rain 
upon it. 

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For the vineyard of the Lord of 
hosts is in the House of Israel 

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and the men of Judah, his 
pleasant plant. 

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And he looked for judgment, but 
behold oppression for 

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righteousness, but behold a cry.
I have a very simple thought 

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focusing on on these these first
few verses that I read the first

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four in particular in this 
reading about this this vineyard

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very simple. 
Tonight I hope to encourage you.

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It is stay in the press, stay in
the press. 

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You put your Bibles down and 
help me pray. 

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Father, I ask you just to move 
in this place today. 

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Lord, we have felt your presence
so strongly and sweet Lord, I 

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ask that you would just to move.
Lord, touch hearts and minds as 

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a planting ground for your word 
that it would fall upon fertile 

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soil. 
God touched me. 

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00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:48,840
Lord, anoint my lips of clay 
that I would speak what needs to

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be spoken tonight. 
Encourage your people tonight, 

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Lord, through your servant God, 
I ask that you would just to 

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move, Lord, throughout this 
place. 

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Lord, that your will would be 
done and that you would get all 

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the glory and the honor and the 
praise for it. 

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In the mighty name of Jesus I 
pray and everyone said Amen. 

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You may be seated tonight. 
Hey, man, stay in the press. 

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We we come to this segment of 
Scripture in Isaiah and it's 

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it's beginning here with chapter
5 is beginning with the song. 

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It's, it's, this is the care of 
the vine dresser and, and it, 

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and it says, you know, I'll sing
to you, my well beloved, to sing

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a song of joy, beloved touching 
his vineyard. 

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And, and this is a picture, if 
you will, these first 2 verses, 

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seeing the care that's being 
taken to this vineyard. 

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The vine dresser is taking forth
and, and, and moving stones and 

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putting up a watchtower. 
We're seeing this as a picture 

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of God's love for us. 
And, and he has, he has, he's 

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cleared obstacles in, in the 
path. 

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He's, he's planted his, his word
in our heart. 

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He has, he has done the things 
to protect us from harm and, and

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he's poured out unto us because 
he sees the potential, he sees 

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the, the growth opportunity and 
he knows what you're capable of 

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even when you don't. 
The vine dresser works to set up

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the success of the grapes. 
He chooses the best location. 

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The the vineyard was planted on 
a fertile hillside, perfect 

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conditions for growth. 
The vine dresser didn't stop at 

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just the best location though. 
He, he dug up the ground, he 

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removed, he removed the stones, 
anything that would hinder 

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growth. 
He planted the best vines. 

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He, he didn't settle for second 
best and and he also built the 

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watchtower to protect and to 
guard the vineyard. 

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And then he prepared a wine 
press. 

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He planted for the grapes to be 
pressed and transformed into 

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wine. 
Everything that this vine 

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dresser has done has done for 
success, for transformation of 

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grapes into wine, for precious 
grapes, good sweet grapes to be 

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grown and for them to be pressed
in a wine press for wine. 

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He planned it all out. 
He did everything for the basic 

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success of the grapes being 
fruitful. 

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The issue we have when we get to
verse 3 and 4 is the 

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disappointment of wild grapes. 
He he is, he's done all this 

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tender care and, and done all of
these different things that you 

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would think while he has done 
it, this is going to be, this is

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going to be some of the best 
grapes you've seen because he 

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has not, he's not only thought 
of of just built, you know, 

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going into a fertile hill. 
He didn't just think of going 

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and using the best vines, but he
also thought of removing stones.

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00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:16,880
He also thought of building a 
watchtower for this vineyard. 

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00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:24,600
We hear this vine dresser's 
heartbreak in verse three and 

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four and and it's it's he's 
like, what could have been done 

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00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:32,920
more? 
What more could I have done? 

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00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:39,440
This vine dresser is at a loss 
of what on earth could I have 

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done more? 
And the wild grapes, they're not

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just rotten, they are untamed. 
They, they grow without 

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submitting to the, the vine 
dressers care. 

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They, they, they are sour, they 
are unusable for wine and they 

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are wasted. 
What causes wild grapes? 

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Well, the, the the grape vines, 
they need to be pruned and and 

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00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:05,720
produce good to produce good 
fruit without pruning. 

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00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:10,240
They they grow wild and But 
sometimes the grapes can resist 

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pruning process just as we do 
it. 

153
00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:19,280
Sometimes our vine dresser comes
to give some pruning and we 

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resist. 
Wild grapes are a result of 

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00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:29,480
neglect, but in our situation, 
our vine dresser is not 

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00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:33,560
neglecting us. 
If anything, we're like a block 

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of marble. 
To a sculptor it the sculptor 

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just chiseling away and and 
hitting and striking to remove 

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what doesn't belong. 
And to us, the marble as the 

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marble, we might feel like it is
destruction and what on earth is

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going on, but to the sculptor, 
the sculptor sees the 

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masterpiece within. 
This vine dresser saw the 

163
00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:04,920
masterpiece within, was aghast 
and just not understanding. 

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00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:10,800
Why are there wild grapes? 
I say that more often than not, 

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when there are wild grapes, it 
is because we neglected 

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00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:17,080
relationship with the vine 
dresser. 

167
00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:22,200
When we get in those situations,
we neglect relationship with the

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00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:24,040
vine dresser. 
The vine dresser is trying to 

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00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:33,920
prune and we resist the purpose 
after we have the purpose of the

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00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:37,360
pressing. 
The wine press is is where the 

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grapes are crushed their juice. 
At first glance, just like the 

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sculptor, it looks destructive. 
It looks, it looks very 

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destructive. 
Some something whole is now 

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00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:52,880
being broken apart. 
But the pressing is not 

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destruction mind you, it is 
transformation. 

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The value of the grape even 
isn't in its outer appearance, 

177
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it is in what was on the inside 
and only. 

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00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:11,960
The only way to access the value
that is on the inside is through

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the press. 
The transformation requires 

180
00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:21,200
pressure. 
It requires, just like coal 

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00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,240
requires pressure to make 
diamonds. 

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00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:27,160
Grapes do not turn into wine on 
their own. 

183
00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:32,040
And let's be honest, nobody 
likes the pressure. 

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00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:35,400
No one likes the pressing. 
I did it. 

185
00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:40,880
It's uncomfortable, it's messy, 
it's often painful. 

186
00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:44,920
It is painful to you, not only 
your physical body. 

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00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:50,560
It is painful to your spirit 
when life feels like it's 

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pressing you from every 
direction. 

189
00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:54,880
It is natural to question God's 
purpose. 

190
00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:56,720
It is natural. 
But. 

191
00:14:56,840 --> 00:14:59,560
But here is the truth that we 
have to accept. 

192
00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:04,080
And sometimes it is difficult. 
The pressing isn't punishment. 

193
00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:08,560
It is preparation. 
Preparation. 

194
00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,520
Pressing can take many forms of 
preparation. 

195
00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:15,880
It might look like waiting on 
God for a promise that seems 

196
00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:18,760
delayed. 
It might look like a financial 

197
00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:21,240
struggle that detests your 
faith. 

198
00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:25,240
It might look like a conflict in
relationships in your life where

199
00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:28,240
you're forced to confront your 
own flaws. 

200
00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:33,120
In those moments, it's easy to 
feel like God has abandoned you 

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00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:36,840
and he's just putting his thumb 
on you, if you will, just to see

202
00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,280
what happens. 
He's not trying to see what 

203
00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:42,080
happens. 
The Vine dresser cares deeply 

204
00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:45,520
about every single detail. 
He wouldn't be pressing if he 

205
00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:48,360
didn't know that it was time to 
press. 

206
00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,920
What if the pressing is his way 
to prepare you for something 

207
00:15:56,160 --> 00:16:00,720
greater? 
And we ask why? 

208
00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:07,000
Why is it is a very famous one 
word sentence? 

209
00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:11,480
Why hear kids say it all the 
time? 

210
00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:16,600
Why I'll give an assignment and 
the kids at school will be like,

211
00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:20,000
but why is it because we're 
doing the assignment? 

212
00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:24,520
I said so, but why just do your 
work? 

213
00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:30,880
No, but why does God press us? 
We we have questions, rightfully

214
00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:31,760
so. 
I get it. 

215
00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,760
We have questions, but it's to 
release what's inside. 

216
00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:41,920
The juice inside the grape can't
be released until the grape has 

217
00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:46,800
been crushed. 
In the same way, the gifts and 

218
00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:51,840
potential that God has placed in
your life often remain hidden, 

219
00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:56,080
sometimes until you have gone 
through a season of pressing. 

220
00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:59,880
It is there to transform us. 
Grapes can't turn into wine on 

221
00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:01,880
their own. 
Like I said, they must go 

222
00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:04,960
through that pressing and 
fermenting and refining process.

223
00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:10,160
And it it shows us that God 
presses us not to destroy us, 

224
00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:14,440
but to do that transforming. 
To do that transforming into 

225
00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:19,560
something more valuable. 
It makes us useful. 

226
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Unpressed grapes may look good 
on the vine, but they can't 

227
00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:29,400
nourish anyone long term. 
What God presses and breaks in 

228
00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:34,600
you may be the very thing that 
God uses to minister to others 

229
00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:39,000
around you. 
The pressing is about 

230
00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,440
overflowing. 
When you have a a whole cluster 

231
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of grapes and it's pressing, it 
starts to overflow. 

232
00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:51,360
It's not just for you, it's for 
the person sitting next to you. 

233
00:17:51,360 --> 00:17:54,280
It's for the person that you 
meet at the grocery store. 

234
00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:57,840
It is for others. 
I know it may not feel like that

235
00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:00,320
right now. 
I know it may feel like you're 

236
00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:04,280
all alone, but understand the 
pressing brings forth ministry 

237
00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:13,200
after the fact. 
People that that endured 

238
00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:19,160
pressing in the Bible, Joseph 
was betrayed by his brothers, he

239
00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:22,920
was sold into slavery, he was 
thrown into prison for years, 

240
00:18:23,120 --> 00:18:26,800
and it looked like Joseph's life
was being crushed. 

241
00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:31,160
He was under all the pressure, 
but God was using each and 

242
00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:34,640
everything that he was going 
through that was pressing him 

243
00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:38,440
and it felt like an elephant was
on his chest to prepare him. 

244
00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:42,800
When Joseph finally stood before
Pharaoh, he was no longer the 

245
00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:47,120
naive teenager who was bragging 
about his dreams. 

246
00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:52,600
He was a wise He was a humble 
man ready to save nations. 

247
00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:57,880
Paul endured shipwrecks. 
He endured beatings. 

248
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He endured imprisonment. 
Yet he declared. 

249
00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:05,000
In Second Corinthians 48 and 9, 
he said, we are troubled on 

250
00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:09,240
every side, yet not distressed. 
We are perplexed but not in 

251
00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:13,800
despair, persecuted but not 
forsaken, cast down but not 

252
00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:16,400
destroyed. 
Paul understood that the press 

253
00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:21,280
was temporary, but the fruit 
what produced was eternal. 

254
00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:25,080
The fruit the pressing produces 
is eternal. 

255
00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:28,040
Ruth, her life was marked by 
loss. 

256
00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:32,120
Her husband died. 
A childless widow in a foreign 

257
00:19:32,120 --> 00:19:37,080
land could have returned home 
and started over, but stayed 

258
00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:40,200
with her mother-in-law. 
She she stayed in the press. 

259
00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,600
She she was there in the field. 
She was getting scraps to 

260
00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:47,840
survive while while trusting in 
God's provision and by staying 

261
00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:52,000
in the press she was positioned 
to meet Boaz and redeem her 

262
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:55,600
families legacy and become a 
part of the lineage of Jesus 

263
00:19:55,600 --> 00:20:01,120
Christ. 
Jeremiah was called to be a 

264
00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:03,920
prophet during one of the 
darkest times in Israel's 

265
00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:08,720
history, being rejected, being 
ridiculed, imprisoned and thrown

266
00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:11,680
into cistern to die. 
He struggled with 

267
00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:15,480
discouragement. 
He even he the even to wishing 

268
00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:19,840
he had not been born and but he 
couldn't walk away from the 

269
00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:22,640
press. 
And it produced a prophetic 

270
00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:26,280
ministry that pointed to the 
coming of Christ and to the 

271
00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:30,800
restoration of God's people. 
And a popular one that we go, 

272
00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:33,320
when we go through difficult 
things that we like to turn to 

273
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,280
is the story of Job. 
And we turn to Job and we go and

274
00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:40,400
he, he has gone through a lot 
and we're going through things. 

275
00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,520
We go to Job because we know how
the story ends. 

276
00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:46,960
Well, that's great. 
Maybe we can learn what Job did.

277
00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:50,720
He stayed in the press. 
His wealth was gone, his 

278
00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:52,960
children was gone, his health 
was gone. 

279
00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:57,560
He stayed in the press until the
end and there was restoration 

280
00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:00,800
that God ended up blessing 
doubly because of his 

281
00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:04,080
faithfulness of staying in the 
press. 

282
00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:11,160
There there. 
There are many other examples we

283
00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:14,920
could go through and I thought 
about, but the point is, when 

284
00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:18,520
you choose to stay in the press,
transformation can happen. 

285
00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:22,960
The key that we have to 
understand is grapes aren't 

286
00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:25,920
pressed to destroy, they're 
pressed to create. 

287
00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,200
Wine in Scripture is a symbol of
joy. 

288
00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:35,040
It's a symbol of covenant, it's 
a symbol of celebration, but it 

289
00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:40,520
can't exist without pressing. 
Think about your life. 

290
00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:45,480
What if the very challenges you 
are facing right now, today, the

291
00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:50,720
struggles, the tears, the 
unanswered prayers are the means

292
00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:53,680
by which God is transforming you
into something greater? 

293
00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:58,960
What if? 
What if this pressing that you 

294
00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:03,080
are experiencing or just is just
a prerequisite, if you will, to 

295
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:06,320
something beyond where you are 
right now? 

296
00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:16,680
The question we have to ask 
ourselves, will you stay in the 

297
00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:21,680
press? 
This is where the decision comes

298
00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:25,480
in because the many people could
say that from experience. 

299
00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:29,040
I feel like I have gone through 
those different seasons in life 

300
00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:31,600
and I can say with experience 
that it is not easy. 

301
00:22:33,360 --> 00:22:38,720
It's tempting to walk away. 
It's tempting to walk away from 

302
00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:42,160
the things that you know, the 
church family that loves you. 

303
00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:49,680
When the weight feels too heavy,
it's easy to walk away. 

304
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,720
And the question we have to ask 
ourselves is why do we struggle 

305
00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:57,640
to stay in the press? 
It's easy to ask why me, right? 

306
00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:02,560
It's all unfair. 
Out of everyone on earth, why me

307
00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:07,000
in this certain situation? 
But the truth is, the vine 

308
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,320
dresser only presses because he 
sees value. 

309
00:23:13,120 --> 00:23:15,440
He's not going and pressing the 
wild grapes. 

310
00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:21,200
He is pressing the grapes that 
have stayed. 

311
00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:25,520
He is pressing the grapes that 
have grown and into beauty and 

312
00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:28,760
sweetness. 
And he's pressing because he 

313
00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:32,560
sees the value in and he's like,
there's more in there that I 

314
00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:36,920
need out. 
He doesn't waste time pressing 

315
00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:38,800
something that won't produce 
anything. 

316
00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:43,120
If if there's pressing, that 
means our Vine dresser might 

317
00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:49,760
just see something in you. 
Waiting on God can feel 

318
00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:54,320
unbearable at times. 
But God's timing is perfect. 

319
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:58,360
And I know we say it and it 
feels so difficult sometimes to 

320
00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:02,320
to accept it. 
I've said it sometimes and I 

321
00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:09,160
have to convince myself gone 
through seasons I do not 

322
00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:14,760
understand until afterwards, and
in those seasons I'm just like, 

323
00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:18,880
God knows his timing's perfect 
man. 

324
00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:27,760
In the back of my mind, wine is 
not something that is made in an

325
00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:31,800
instant. 
We have to realize that it is 

326
00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:36,880
something that takes time. 
Even after the pressing, it 

327
00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:41,600
takes fermentation, it takes, it
takes, it takes all of this time

328
00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:46,280
to, to make it just right 
because the vine dresser takes 

329
00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:53,280
care after, after the pressing. 
It takes time and understanding 

330
00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:57,760
that God's timing is perfect 
after we're pressed and and 

331
00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:00,800
maybe some weight is lifted and 
it's like, oh, that doesn't mean

332
00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:04,920
it's always the IT. 
It may mean something new's 

333
00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:10,600
coming on the horizon. 
The pressing reveals our 

334
00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:15,400
weaknesses, which we don't like.
No one likes their weaknesses 

335
00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:17,560
being revealed. 
I get it. 

336
00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:22,000
No one wants to be vulnerable to
confront our areas, the areas of

337
00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,680
our lives that we would rather 
ignore because we're already 

338
00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:30,560
dealing with too much deepest 
work. 

339
00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:33,640
If we would allow him in the in 
the press, when we're we're 

340
00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,520
going through it and there are 
weaknesses. 

341
00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:37,720
There are things that are 
revealed in our lives that we 

342
00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:42,080
could work on. 
Now is good as time is any if 

343
00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:45,080
you're going to come out better 
on this side, why not work on 

344
00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:51,040
yourself? 
So what happens if you stay in 

345
00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:53,960
the press, You stay under the 
pressure. 

346
00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:57,960
If you don't give up, don't walk
away, right? 

347
00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,920
Because there are those that 
have walked away because the 

348
00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:03,840
pressure happened and God was 
trying to do something beautiful

349
00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:07,920
and they walked away. 
And it just so happens that they

350
00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:10,160
may never see the finish line of
that. 

351
00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:14,960
They, they, they left the press 
because the, the press was too 

352
00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:18,720
much and, and, and it was 
something that was going to be 

353
00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:21,680
beautiful and it was going to be
a glory to God. 

354
00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:26,600
But they left too soon. 
They walked away too soon. 

355
00:26:27,120 --> 00:26:30,880
They didn't stay in the press. 
What happens if you stay in the 

356
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,120
press? 
Well, your experience, joy, I 

357
00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:36,400
know, may not feel like it right
now, but you'll experience joy. 

358
00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:41,600
Psalm 35, it says wiping may 
endure for a night, but joy 

359
00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:47,080
cometh in the morning. 
You'll discover your purpose or 

360
00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:51,720
rediscover your purpose. 
In Romans 828 it says we all and

361
00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:56,400
we know that all things work 
together for good to them that 

362
00:26:56,400 --> 00:27:02,200
love God to them who are the 
called according to his purpose,

363
00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:08,120
and you'll produce abundance. 
Pressed grapes don't just 

364
00:27:08,120 --> 00:27:13,520
produce enough for just one day.
They produce an overflow that 

365
00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:17,760
blesses beyond just the single 
day of the press. 

366
00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,320
If you walk away now, you may 
never see the fullness of what 

367
00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:25,520
God is doing and understand 
this. 

368
00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:32,640
The vine dresser never produces 
partially pressed grapes. 

369
00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:37,120
You decide whether or not you're
going to walk around as a 

370
00:27:37,120 --> 00:27:43,200
partially pressed grape. 
You decide whether or not you're

371
00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:48,240
going to fall off the press and 
not see the finish line because 

372
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:50,040
our vine dresser doesn't do 
that. 

373
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,800
He's not pressing just to press 
and then just see you be crushed

374
00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:56,760
a little bit. 
He, he wants to see it through 

375
00:27:56,760 --> 00:28:00,480
the end. 
He does not produce these 

376
00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:03,720
partially pressed grapes. 
And you have to decide whether 

377
00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:07,280
you're going to stay through the
pressing or walk away partially.

378
00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:11,120
And when you walk away 
partially, you have no room to 

379
00:28:11,120 --> 00:28:13,560
blame God for being partially 
pressed. 

380
00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:20,520
It is all your decision because 
our God as Vine dresser, a Vine 

381
00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:23,920
dresser, has chosen the best 
location for you. 

382
00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:26,720
It wasn't happenstance or an 
accident. 

383
00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:31,000
The Vine dresser carefully chose
the best place for you in the 

384
00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:33,240
vineyard and his vineyard to 
thrive. 

385
00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:37,680
The same way God has planted you
where you are with the purpose, 

386
00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:40,360
your family, your church, your 
community. 

387
00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:44,920
He wants you where you have the 
best opportunity to grow. 

388
00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:48,600
The question is, are we 
embracing where God has planted 

389
00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:50,360
us? 
Think about the gardener who 

390
00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:54,400
plants the roses in the sunniest
spot in their yard. 

391
00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:58,480
If the Rose Bush could think, it
might not understand why it's 

392
00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:03,720
placed in this intense heat, but
the gardener knows the sunlight 

393
00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:06,000
is what is needed for it to 
bloom. 

394
00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:10,440
Sometimes where God places us 
feels uncomfortable, but it's 

395
00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:14,680
exactly what we need. 
I know it may be difficult thing

396
00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:18,080
to come to terms with, but it is
the truth. 

397
00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:26,080
Our vine dresser clears the way.
How many times has God removed 

398
00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:29,480
situations and obstacles from 
your path? 

399
00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:33,920
Maybe He closed doors that 
weren't good for you or took you

400
00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:36,960
out of harmful situations and 
relationships. 

401
00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:41,120
God works tirelessly to clear 
the way for us to grow. 

402
00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:46,920
He plants the best vines. 
What does that mean? 

403
00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:49,320
Well, it means you were meant 
for more. 

404
00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:53,040
You were meant for more. 
God has placed something in you,

405
00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:58,280
something that you were called 
to to fulfill and be pressed to 

406
00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:05,440
minister out. 
Our vine dresser watches over us

407
00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:08,600
like a parent watching a child 
at the playground. 

408
00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:12,640
The child might not see the 
parent, but the parent is always

409
00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:15,840
ready to step in if danger 
arises. 

410
00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:20,040
And that's how he is. 
He doesn't just plant and walk 

411
00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:22,560
away. 
He builds a watchtower, if you 

412
00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:27,160
will, to keep watch over us 
during the times of the press. 

413
00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:31,480
And he is prepared, a wine 
press. 

414
00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:33,880
He doesn't just prepare us just 
for growth. 

415
00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:36,800
He prepares us for pressing 
because he knows that your 

416
00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:41,080
transformation goes through 
going through the press. 

417
00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:47,560
Music can come. 
We can stand tonight. 

418
00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:56,440
I hope. 
I hope this is a courage and I 

419
00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,520
want you to walk away knowing 
that God does not produce 

420
00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:07,800
partially compressed grapes. 
I encourage you to stay in the 

421
00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:10,480
press. 
Don't walk away from it. 

422
00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:15,920
It's difficult. 
God will open doors for you. 

423
00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:20,040
God will do things that you 
can't do on your own, that you 

424
00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:25,440
can't understand. 
Pressing isn't just the end. 

425
00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:32,640
What you're going through isn't 
just the it's not over, it's not

426
00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:36,400
finished, it's only the 
beginning. 

427
00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:44,200
If anything ranged more true, 
then comparing that to grapes, 

428
00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:53,440
grapes are just the beginning of
that process. 2nd Corinthians 

429
00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:58,920
417 says for our light 
affliction, which is but for a 

430
00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:07,080
moment worketh for us far more 
exceedingly, an eternal weight 

431
00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:14,000
of glory staying in the press. 
It's just a moment. 

432
00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:20,480
It's just a blimp on the radar, 
understanding that it's not the 

433
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:25,360
end and it it works far 
exceedingly and eternal. 

434
00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:30,480
That's what we have to focus on 
when we are in moments of 

435
00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:35,480
pressure in our lives. 
These altars are open tonight. 

436
00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:39,200
And if you, if you're in the 
press, I encouraged you, I 

437
00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,720
encourage everyone to come to 
these altars tonight. 

438
00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:49,440
Stay in the press, Trust the 
process. 

439
00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:54,000
Let God turn your life into 
something extraordinary. 

440
00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:58,600
He isn't crushing you just to 
destroy you. 

441
00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:06,960
He's pressing to transform you. 
Stay in the press and watch what

442
00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:10,800
He will do. 
He is not finished with you yet.

443
00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:13,080
He's not finished with you yet.