Welcome to the Illuminate Church podcast.
We hope today's message is encouraging to you.
When we started this series, I've been saying this throughout
the series. A little bit nervous.
About how this would go, would y'all stick?
Around for a 12 week. Series on mental.
Health or would you tap out when people leave the church but not
should? Not be to our.
Surprise, God has done amazing. Things during this series if.
It's been helpful to you. Would you just put your hand and
say me yes, Hallelujah me too, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Yeah.
In the middle of a mental health series, the Kingdom of God has
grown. Illuminate Church has grown 20%
attendance. Almost 20% attendance has grown.
But the most important number is that 73 people in the middle of
a mental health series got baptized into the faith and the
by Jesus Christ. That's amazing.
Glory to God. Hundreds were safe.
It's an incredible thing. I want you to to also.
Know. Before we leave the series, we
have a resource page that will live on beyond the.
Series so that I was telling the 1st.
Service Hamilton. You know, Hamilton, I'm not
giving away my. Shot.
You that one, they show it every night, right?
He wrote it once. It took him 7.
Years he wrote it. Once and they show it every
night. We write these messages and they
go once. And they're done forever.
And we're like, that can't be. So we made a resource page for
you so that they live on an eternity.
Here. You got all these things.
You got local numbers. National numbers, you got
biblical. Encouragement right here in the
church that you can take some. Videos you can watch here, some
helpful scriptures to pray stuff about suicide is all here but
then at the top you say view all messages on YouTube and when
you. Click that button, it goes.
To this page right there and then you.
Have all the messages there. For you?
As resources, maybe for you, but maybe also for somebody else,
you're having a like. Dinner or lunch with them and
like, man, I'm really struggling with depression.
Like Oh my goodness, Pastor Christine preached the best
message ever preached on depression last Sunday.
If you were here, I'm saying it the staff.
Is like that is yes Lord. I don't know what that was.
We'll go on. Anyways, these are all here for
you as resources. Don't let them just.
Be gone if you have. A friend.
If you have a need, go back and watch them again.
There's biblical. Truth in there.
That's meant to bring life in the middle of a mental health.
Crisis. Amen.
Well, at the very beginning of this.
I mean, this was August when we started y'all?
When we walked to this. The series we began with a
chorus of a song that inspired the series I want to.
Re bring those lyrics. Back up in front of you so that
you can see them again. The song.
Goes the chorus. I tell you that I'm whole.
But I'm still healing. I tell you that I'm.
Happy, but actually 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 and 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. Is there anyone here who's
spouse or your children or your grandchildren or your Co
workers, your employer, your boss, your neighbors, you think
they could relate to these words?
Or maybe you can relate to these words.
You're waiting for someone to show you what love is.
And I pray and I hope that somewhere through the.
Series you bumped into the. Steadfast love of God, no matter
what you're walking through, you turn, you see He's never left
your side. Never will I leave you never
means never will I leave you. Never.
Will I forsake? You never means never.
I'm with you, I'm with you going through this.
All in week one we talked about the idea that it's.
OK to say you're not OK. The problem with the church is
we fake and put on these masks of Christianese with the
pressure of everyone else looking beautiful and wonderful
around us. Wow, you're everything.
Everything's great for you. So I'm going to fake like
everything's great for me. Blessed and highly favored.
You know you heard the. Words.
I got rainbows and unicorns pouring out my nose.
Everything's great. And it's all a lie.
And we're trying to say in the Church of all places, take off
the mask and just be honest. I'm struggling.
I'm in the fight of my life. I need to be surrounded.
Or I see you're struggling and I'm going to surround you.
The next three weeks we talked about these lies.
The enemies like the. Enemy likes to put on us like
your life has no meaning. Or this devilish lie that if the
truth about what you're going through got out.
You would not be accepted, or worse, you would not be loved,
not just by the church. But.
Your fear is maybe, if God knew what he knows already, would he
love me? Would he accept me?
And the answer is yes. Yes.
Then we went on from there and
did deep dive into issues like self.
Esteem, suicide, anxiety, stress, depression, burnout.
We also brought in Doctor. Wes Beavis, who taught us that
if you will marinate your brain in the scriptures, like put your
head in the Word of God, your brain, physiological brain, will
actually literally be rewired. And these old ruts, these old
patterns that walk you down in these dark places can be
rerouted now into the truth of God's Word.
It can. Be done, it has been done and
for you it will be done. So those.
Are a lot of great messages, but I've been most excited about the
last one. Today's message.
I've been looking forward to preaching it in this what I'm
calling. No one else is calling it but
me. Hope weekend I found out I'm the
only one calling it that. But hey, hope weekend because I.
Believe there's so much hope for you, for your family, for your
friends, for your future. Indeed.
Is there anyone here today, or maybe you're watching online,
who would be honest and admit that somewhere through the
series I recognize I got weeds in my garden?
Come on, if we're going to be candid and.
Honest in the church can you just raise your hand with me and
say yeah, yeah, I've had some stuff yeah, there's stuff in
there I. Told the greeters at the.
Beginning of the series and the ushers.
And the parking. Lot team to use.
This phrase hey. Come on in and we'll.
Help you pick your weed? It got downvoted.
And nobody said anything. But the truth is, as we've been
saying throughout the series, Christine talked about it last
week too. Some of us might be tempted to
think that if we were more spiritual that we would not have
weeds in our garden. However, if you just look
through the Bible, it shows us that even what we would consider
the Super spiritual have from time to time had to navigate.
Some weeds. Deep down in their garden, just
because you are spiritual doesn't mean you're exempt.
If only I spent more time praying and reading my Bible, I
wouldn't have these problems. I got news for you, I am
witness. Just because you are listening
to his voice doesn't mean there are no wolves.
And just because you are. Reading the Bible and doing what
it says doesn't mean that there aren't any storms.
Here's the difference. And what this whole series I'm
hoping would teach us all is that when the storms come, not
if, when they come and when they pass, you will find yourself
still standing in Jesus name. Amen.
Just because you're doing. Spiritual things like we can.
Be spiritual and we can do spiritual just because you do
spiritual. Things also doesn't mean.
You exist, you think maybe if I did more for God, serve more,
saying more gave more than there would be no weeds, I'd be weed
free. But scripture shows us.
Plainly, that some of the most. Spiritually capable and
effective people in the Bible still had weeds in their garden.
You. Know a man named?
Jonah Jonah preached a Holy Spirit empowered message on
repentance and check it out. 120,000 people responded to the
message. And repented.
We're up here like 73 got baptized.
Woo Jonah's like 120 thousand with one message.
Wow. Jonah chapter 4 verse 3.
Right after this, Jonah says, God, would you kill me?
Moses, mighty man of God, he who ushered in the 10 plagues
against Egypt, against Pharaoh, for they had held God's people
for 400 years in slavery, He who parted the Red Sea with his
staff and woven they walked on dry land.
Numbers Chapter 11 verse 15, Moses says.
To God, would you just kill me? I'm overwhelmed.
I'm distraught. Take my life.
These are mighty men of God. It's too hard now.
We read the Bible. We read it like history.
And we forget that these are people who.
Actually felt the depths of despair that they would cry out
to Almighty God. To be killed.
What's going on? John chapter 16, verse 35.
Famous verse in the church. Jesus made a.
Promise that nobody likes. This is the promise in this
world I promise you will have. Trouble.
No matter your spiritual stature, no matter you're the.
Amount of significance that you think you have, you will have
trouble. Then he goes.
On to say. Thanks be to God.
That he's overcome the world and as a result we should take.
Heart all is to say that when you find weeds.
In your garden? Not if.
It's not a. Sign that you're not spiritual
enough. It's not a sign that you're not
significant. Enough or that you are terrible,
no good, very bad person. Instead, it's a sign that you're
human or that you're living in a fallen world.
But take heart. This is the world that Jesus
came to die for. This is the world that Jesus
came to redeem. This is the world that Jesus
came to give life. To and since you're part of the
world, it means Jesus. Came to die for you.
Jesus came to redeem you. Jesus came to give life.
To you, no matter your mental health status.
That deserves a Hallelujah today.
Our message is this. It's.
Not over. I made a T-shirt.
It's. Not actually.
I didn't make it. Natasha made it.
Thanks, Natasha. Are you in here?
Natasha. Nope.
OK, bye. This message is for all those
who have weeds in their garden. This message is for anybody in
here who has loved ones who has weeds in their garden.
This message is for anybody in here right now going through a
troubling situation. You're coming to terms with some
sort of past trauma, you're navigating A devastating
diagnosis, or you're just dealing with the noise between
your ears. This message is for you.
Turn to your neighbor and say it's not over.
Turn to the other neighbor who you don't like as much and say
it's not over. It's clear.
Let me tell you why I know when it's not over.
I may have weeds in my garden for sure, Jesus promised.
But the good? News.
I have and you have a good gardener.
You picking up what I'm putting? Down we serve a God.
Who can turn things around? We serve a God who's caring
enough. Caring enough to notice the
little things and he's strong enough to handle.
All of our troubles. And he's wise enough that he.
Can repurpose and redeem any pain that you are or will walk
through. Because of who he is.
I came today to preach a message of hope.
You may have weeds in your garden, but you have a good
gardener. And because you have a good
gardener, it means it's not over.
They didn't hear me. Let me come.
Over here I came to preach a message of hope.
Today. You may have weeds in your
garden, but because you have a good gardener it means y'all
want a second chance. OK, over here you may have weeds
in your garden, but God's a good gardener, which means mezzanine
online. Hallelujah.
Second Corinthians chapter 1. Don't turn there if you want.
To turn in your Bibles, turn to Acts chapter 16.
We'll get there in just a second.
But I want to. Pit stop in Second Corinthians
chapter 1. Where Paul writes to the.
Church in Corinth, praise be to God and.
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of.
Compassion. And the God of all comfort, who
comforts us. Put your hand right here on you.
He comforts us in all our troubles.
So that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we
ourselves receive from God. Notice this.
God does care. God does.
Comfort. He comes near to those who are
broken hearted, He revised those who are crushed in spirit, and
He's moved to action to come alongside you.
And then God does something that only God does.
God builds a bridge between our pain and the pain that somebody
else is carrying. In the same way that we've been
comfort, then we can comfort one another.
You might have thought that because of what you have gone
through or what you are going through that God couldn't use
you, that you are no help to another person.
But little did you know that your pain was preparing you for
something. Because it's not.
Over, but it is raining. Your troubles just might be the
intro to your testimony. Can I get preachy?
Pastor here. Your struggle is just the
beginning of your story. Your pain is the building of
your platform. Your hurt might just be what is
the healing for somebody else. Your diagnosis might be your
open door to someone's spiritual destiny.
Your trauma might be the ticket to be able to speak into
someone's life. Your oppression might be your
opportunity to show that God is still good.
Hey listen, am I saying to you that the pain is worth it?
No, I can never say that to you. I don't know the pain you're
feeling. I don't know how deep it goes.
What you've lost, What you've. Suffered what you're suffering,
but I can say this to you, God, because it's not over.
God, because of hope, can redeem and repurpose the pain so that
it makes sense and has effect and it's not just wasted.
Amen. Again, you may have weeds in
your garden, but you have a good gardener.
And because you have a good gardener, it's not over.
Remember the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis where we
learned that what the enemy meant for evil, God uses for
good. It means it's never over.
Remember when Romans chapter 8 verse 28, when God says I'm
going to take all things good and bad and use them for good,
that means it's never over. It's never over.
Second Corinthians chapter one verse 8.
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and
sisters. About all the weeds that we.
Experienced in the province of. Asia, we were under great.
Pressure far beyond our ability. To endure so that.
Here we go again. We, the spirit of life.
Itself. They don't want to live.
Indeed, we felt we have received the sentence of death, but this
happened that we might not. Rely on ourselves, but on God.
Who raises the dead? Check that out.
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. Paul is.
Saying God removed our weeds. All of these weeds that we.
Experienced in the province. Of Asia, he has LED us.
Through it, he has done it. Before.
And so the promise is he will do it.
Again, because it's not. Over God can redeem the pain of
having weeds in your garden and what he does is he teaches us to
move from self dependence to dependence on Him.
Without pain we don't learn these great words like He is our
rock, He is our shelter, He is our great defender, He is our
Redeemer. We know that because we were in
pain and then God redeemed the pain.
He defended us from the pain. He built a rock under our feet
when we thought we were going to collapse.
The power that God. Has put in your life.
To. Redeem the pain of your life,
Romans chapter 8 verse 11 tells. US is the very same power.
That raised Jesus from the dead. Think about that if.
Jesus has handled your sin. If Jesus has redeemed you as
Jesus has given you new life, from death to life, from
darkness to light, if Jesus has handled your eternity, certainly
he can handle the weeds in your. Garden, it's not over.
Can I read this verse? I hope again maybe didn't know
this verse. Existed.
It is fabulous. 2nd Corinthians chapter one verse 10 He, God 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. Now Acts chapter 16 in Acts
chapter 16. We're walking with Paul.
And Silas. They're both missionary church.
Planners of the original Church way.
Back 2000 years ago. They travel to 1.
Town and there they realize, man, we need to pray some.
We need to get away from these people.
Ever know what ever felt like that?
I need to pray and get away from these people.
No one raised their hand. OK.
I do so they decided to go outside of the.
Town to find a place to pray, and on their way there they meet
a woman named. Lydia and the scripture notes
that Lydia is a. Worshipper of God, but she knows
nothing of Jesus. She's stuck in the religious
cycle. And the Scripture records that
the Lord opens her heart to receive.
Paul's message and Paul's message is the message of the
cross, the message of Jesus. And we read that.
She gets saved, she gets baptized, and not just her, but
her entire household. I pray this over.
Your household if you're the. First one to be saved there that
your family is following after you soon in Jesus name Amen
another. Time they're going out to the
place. Of prayer and they come.
Along another woman. This woman is demon.
Possessed and a slave. The possession that she has, the
spirit that she has, gives her the.
Ability to tell the future and so her slave owners.
Pimp her out, they say. Hey listen, you're going to make
money for us. We want you to stand on the
street corner and we'll people pay some shekels and then you'll
tell them the future. This is our gravy train, this
demon possessed slave girl. But Paul and Silas come walking
by. And because she can.
See in the spirit realm. She begins to confess.
This she says. These men, Paul and Silas, I'm
using Disney fingers. Did you see that?
That just happened. These men are from God, listen
to everything they tell you and she don't say it once.
She says it incessantly. These men are from God.
Listen to everything that they're saying to you.
These men are from God. They're speaking the truth.
These men are from God. These men are from God.
And Paul's like I'm trying to
pray I'm. Trying to get away from people
and this lady keeps everywhere they went.
These men are from God. Listen to everything they tell
you. And I don't know if Paul was in
the spirit or in the flesh, but he turned around.
Finally he's like demon come out in the name of Jesus rebukes
her, the demon comes out. And then she's normal.
She's. Whole.
She's just sitting there and the slave owners are like, what did
you just do? You stole our Piggy Bank.
What? The money train is over.
So what do they do? They take.
Paul and Silas in front of the city judges, the officials, the
magistrates there, and they put on a fake trial, fake news, this
whole thing unjustifiably, unceremonially declared guilty.
They stripped them, beat them and put them in prison, which is
all you read in the scripture. But have you thought about that
scene for Paul and Silas? Have you slowed down to take it
into your spirit? They did nothing wrong.
And here they are stripped, beaten and not just put in
prison. They're put into like the
dungeon of the prison. It says the inner part of the
prison. And once there, they lock their
feet in stocks. Yeah, stocks are those things
when you go to a. Miniature puck puck course
pirates Cove you stick your head and arms through you know like I
don't know why I'm doing this but take a picture you.
Know what I'm talking about? Because nobody's saying nothing.
I'm just. Looking like a fool, but these
were for their feet and then so they kind of sit up off the
ground. So you can imagine sitting on
the ground with. Your feet up and you're locked
in these wooden stocks. And then the scripture tells us
about midnight, Paul and Silas begin to speak to God, and they
say, God, we've done so much for you.
We have served you. We have led people to Jesus in
the face of beatings and whippings.
We have given you our all and here we are in prison.
Make this make sense, Daddy. It shouldn't be like.
This we are. Spiritual and we've done
spiritual things. How could we be in prison for
you? Is that how the story goes?
Maybe like I don't. Know I've never heard the story.
I'm on the edge of my seat. Tell me more, what actually
happens at midnight? Is Paul and Silas raise their
voices and begin to sing a worship song to the Lord?
Covered in weeds, enshrouded by darkness.
It's so dark, you. Can't even see in this place.
Dark, dark. And you know what they saying?
Our God is an awesome gardener. He reigns.
Yeah. I mean, I just made that up.
Of course they begin to worship the Lord.
The Spirit of God comes on that place and shakes it.
There's an earthquake on the prison and the doors fly off of
their hinges and their. Shackles burst off of their
feet. Let's pick it up in the
scripture verse 27, the jailer wakes up.
I wonder why their whole building shaking.
And when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword.
And was about to kill himself. He became suicidal in a moment.
Because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted. Don't harm yourself.
We're all here. It's so dark.
You can't see, right? The jailer called for lights.
Rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
He brought. He then brought them out and
asked Sirs what's what must. I do to be saved he's.
Put it all together like these guys are in prison.
They've been beaten and whipped and they're in here.
And then they started worshiping.
I can hear a worshipy. They're singing to this God.
They're singing to Jesus. And the prison went boom and
their feet went pagged and all of a sudden, right.
And he's like, Oh my goodness, these guys are connected to
Jesus. Sirs, what must I do to be
saved? They replied.
Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.
Look at this again, you and your household.
Then they spoke the word. Of the Lord to him, and to all
the others in this. House at that.
Hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their
wounds, and immediately he and all his household were baptized.
What a story. Instead of complaining, they're
praising God, right? And the jailer?
Gets saved and his family you'll meet.
The jailer one day in. Heaven be like.
What was it like? Like it was amazing later in his
life. Follow me here.
Maybe you've drifted away, locked back in.
Later in his life. Paul writes a letter to a brand
new church plant. In this church plant are lots of
people including 31 Lydia, 2 the slave girl who was demon
possessed and three the suicidal jailer.
All of these happened in Philippi and the letter that
Paul. Wrote.
We still have to this. Day it's.
Called the letter to the Philippians found in your
Bibles. If you want to turn there now
would be good. Just flip to the right.
If you're already in Acts, you'll run into Go eat popcorn.
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians.
You're welcome. Paul writes a letter of weed
killer to these people who have had some weeds.
The weed of religion, the weed of demonic oppression, the weed
of fear and suicide. And he writes.
This letter that to. This day still stands, by the
way. Raise your hand if you need a
Bible. I should have said something.
Sorry, Allison. She's about to throw a Bible at
me. If you need a Bible, we'll bring
you one. You can have that Bible.
But Paul writes this. Letter and to this.
Day worldwide. Christians find strength and
hope in this letter. Some of these.
Verses you've heard before didn't know where their
addresses. Are they turn out to be in the
book of Philippians that Paul writes to these three people and
more and he writes to us. Today verses like this.
Philippians chapter one, verse 6.
Being confident of this that he who began a good work in you
will carry it on to. Completion Lydia carried on to
completion. Demonic slave girl, now
redeemed, carried on to completion.
Suicidal jailer who's now walking free with Jesus.
In other words, Paul says weeds won't stop what God has started.
Eventually you will find. Your victory in Jesus name
Philippines chapter one, verse 12.
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has
happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.
As a result, that has been come clear throughout the whole
palace. Guard and to everyone.
Else that I am in chains, in these weeds for Christ, and
because of my chains most of the brothers and sisters have become
confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the
gospel without fear. Hallelujah.
Paul tells the church here that God is repurposing his.
Pain God is. Repurposing His chains.
God is repurposing our weeds. It's what He does.
This whole scripture here in this whole series is really
about perspective. How am I seeing what I'm going
through? And who is on my?
Side to help me Philippians chapter 3 but whatever regains
is verse 7, but whatever regains to me I now consider loss for
the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider.
Everything a. Loss because of the surpassing
worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, 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 doing everything right, but
that which is through Christ, 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 the participation in his weeds,
becoming like him in his death, and so somehow attaining to the
resurrection from the dead. Not that I've already attained
all this, or I've already arrived at my goal, but I press
on, says Paul in the middle of his weedy garden.
To take hold of that for which Christ Jesus has taken hold of
me. Brothers and sisters, I do not
consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.
But one thing I do Forgetting what is behind and straining
toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize
for which God has called me heavenward.
In Christ Jesus, Paul's telling us, press on.
You may be in the middle of it right now, but keep walking.
The Lord will either remove the weed or He will redeem the weed.
Make purpose from it Philippians chapter 4 verse 11 I'm.
Skipping over the most famous verse, the truth, the.
Peace that passes understanding. I'm going straight to verse 11
for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances,
Paul. I know what it is to be in need,
and I know what it is to have punty.
I've learned the secret of being content in any and every
situation, whether well fed or hunger, whether living in plenty
or in want. I can do all things through him
who gives me strength. Paul is saying.
No matter how many weeds I'm going to make it, I am content
in the strength of God because he's a good God.
He's a good good. Gardener, and he's a.
Good God too, I keep saying. Good God I'm from Boston,
Philippians 4. 19 And this same God who takes care of me will.
Also supply. All your needs from his.
Glorious riches which have. Been given to us in Christ Jesus
everything you need to endure a can and will be provided to you
Philippians back up to Philippians chapter 2 last
verse. You're not going to like this
one. Do everything everything without
grumbling or arguing. Lord help us.
Lord, help me so that you may become blameless and pure
children of God without fault. In a warped and crooked
generation. Then you will shine among them
like stars in the sky. Are we in a?
Crooked and warped generation Jesus if you want to, stick out
if you want to. Shine the light of.
My son Jesus. Right then as you're walking.
Through your valleys. Don't grumble and don't argue.
I don't like this verse. It's a hard verse.
Verse 16, I won't have it on the screen.
It says you can do this if you. Will hold fast to the word of
life. God, I'm struggling.
I will hold fast to your word and I'm not going to complain.
I'm not going to argue. I'm going to shine.
Like a bright light. In the midst of this darkness,
because you're a good gardener, I'm going to endure for the sake
of your name. No matter how dark the night, no
matter how long the night, I will endure.
Maybe instead of asking God to remove our weeds, we could pray
that God would use our weeds for His glory.
That'll redeem it. I want to show you a man who did
not have the weed removed that he hoped.
And yet he shines like a star in the dark sky.
On Wednesday at 11:53, AMI got a call from Jenny Call.
She's the wife of one of our elders, Matt Call.
Here's their family here. And she said, Tim, she's almost
breathless. She said Matt is finally with
Jesus. Matt Call is one of our elders
here for 13 years. Really seven years, six years.
As a board. Of directors we were, and then
we became elders. Two years ago, he was diagnosed
with duodenal cancer and he went to fighting, went to praying and
believing. We did as well.
You all here have prayed with me for Matt, Jenny, and that's
Adeline up top in Austin down below.
I want you to know in the entire time that I've known Matt and
the last two years, never once. And when I say never once, you
mean like never what? Never once did I hear him argue
or complain. Bible says elders should be
temperate, self disciplined. You're looking at a self
disciplined, temperate man. I never heard him raise his
voice in 13 years, not once, just even killed.
Remember when EF Hutton speaks, people listen.
You remember that And maybe I'm aging myself.
When Matt call spoke what we listen.
A bunch of the elders and I went a couple weeks ago over to visit
Matt. He's in the hospital and we were
laughing, talking, sharing and at the end I said let's pray and
we went around and prayed and it got to me.
We're all standing around his hospital bed and he's here and
he's holding my hand is like strong as an ox.
It's like 2 weeks ago. And I say.
Amen. And that's like.
Yo, well. He didn't say that.
He would never say yo, but he said can I pray?
And we all looked at him and said, no, yeah, he prayed.
This is the first time and the only time I've ever heard Matt
call, raise his voice, shouting in his hospital bed saying
Jesus. I.
Cannot wait to meet you, Jesus. I cannot wait to see you face to
face no longer in a mirror. I can't wait to sing my praise
to you. He's shouting it in the hotel
the. Hospital room, we're all shook.
I felt like the whole. Hospital shook this past Sunday.
Pastor Kim and I went and visited, spent the afternoon
into the late evening with him there.
He at this point was unresponsive.
In fact, the only thing that he would say occasionally was Ouch.
And really, the doctor said, he's not in pain.
He's he has so much medication, he's not in pain.
It's just his. Brain and it's an outlet.
He has nothing else. That's just.
All he has to say Ouch, almost like a child.
We said goodnight to him. The next day Jenny gives me a
call and she said Tim, I was playing a worship song for Matt.
It's called Good Plans by Red Rocks Worship.
I'm like, I love this song. It's my favorite song right now
happening. He has good plans.
So I will take heart in deserts
and gardens. These are the words and Matt who
at this. Point had been unresponsive.
For multiple days hadn't been speaking.
For multiple days said 2 words out of nowhere.
He said good plans and those are his last words.
Wow, on his way. To heaven, people got saved.
They would come and visit Matt and Matt would lead him to
Jesus. People have rededicated.
Themselves to following Jesus based on what they.
Saw in Matt Call as he travelled this.
Journey with cancer. No arguing, no complaining.
A bright light in the midst of the.
Darkness, even while darkness was crouching at his door.
Then on Wednesday, Jenny, who's APA, she understands medical
things. She saw that he was his
breathing was slowing. And she gave me permission to
share all this because she wants it to be used for God's glory.
She walked over and she put her hand on Matt's chest and she
simply said, Matt, That's how she always talked.
This is hopeful tone. Matt, go to Jesus.
He took one singular more breath, and his next breath was
in heaven. It blessed Jenny so much that
she knew that she knew that she knew that Matt had slipped
peacefully and with the Lord's blessing right into the Father's
presence. Later that day we were talking
on the phone and we recalled Psalm 1/16/15 that says how
precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of one of the
Saints. That could sound weird, like if
he's happy we died. No, Think of it this way.
When you have a relative that's coming to visit you and you know
they're coming to visit you, like you already know what's
going to happen. They're going to walk off that
airplane and come down there. They're going to see you.
You've been anticipating it. It still doesn't matter how much
you thought about it when you actually finally see them,
right? And I just imagine Matt arriving
to heaven through God's eyes and him saying, Matt, so good to see
you come. Here oh.
Good job. You did so good it.
Was so hard and you cling to me. Cling, cling, cling.
And I'm holding Matt. Matt really wanted to meet
Moses. Matt has met Moses.
Wow. What I'm trying to tell you is
that in his life, in his death and now booming, echoing from
heaven, Matt is saying to us, no matter your situation, believe
me, it is not over. This is his testimony.
And we would do well to honor one of our elders and a dear
friend and a husband and a father to live like it's not
over. In fact, at the end we were
talking football with Matt and he said he leaned over in his
bed. He's like, guys, it doesn't
matter. None of it matters.
I sure needed that last night when the Gators were getting
blown out. To those of you who don't know
Jesus yet, I want to gingerly tell you, you have a garden
without a gardener, and the weeds of that garden will choke
out your life. Choke out your fruit, Choke out
your future. Choke out your purpose.
Choke out your identity. You need a gardener.
The reason that this is called Hope weakened is because hope
has a name, and its name is Jesus.
To those of you who still have. Weeds in your garden.
I get it. I just want to tell you, don't
you dare give up because it's not over.
God still has a purpose for your life.
He can still redeem it. Your weakness is an invitation.
For the power of God. To show up in your life, believe
it. And I'll finish by saying this
to those of you who call this church home.
I'm praying that we will be so close to the plans and purposes
of God that we will have the testimony of Paul and.
Silas that though they were surrounded by their weeds, yet
they decided to praise the Lord. And when they praise the Lord,
others took notice. And when the door hinges blew
off and the shackles blew. Off of their feet, it wasn't so
that. They could get out.
It was so the jailer. Could come in, think of that.
I'm not praying that your weakness, your weeds, your
season will go on forever. But while it's going on,
reposition it to say, I'm not getting out of this.
I see it. So I'm going to use it for God's
glory so that others can come in.
In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, let's pray.
Lord, we bless your holy name and we say that you are a good
gardener, that you have the ability to do what no one else
can do, to heal what no one else can heal, to redeem what no one
else can redeem. To save us when no one else and
nothing else can save us. It's just you, only you in
church with your head bowed and your eyes closed.
If you've never received Jesus, you have no gardener in your
garden. You can change that today.
And I invite you, the Lord invites you to change it today.
The Bible says if you will confess with your mouth and
believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, then you will be saved.
Saved from death eternally, saved from darkness and sin and
shame, and saved to the glorious riches of heaven.
Best of all, the presence of the everlasting Father forever and
ever. And all you need to do is
confess and believe. So all the church together,
would you confess this out of your mouth?
Nice and nod, Father. In the name of Jesus.
I recognize that I'm a weedy person.
That I am a Sinner in need of a Savior.
And I confess and I believe that Jesus is Lord, that He is my.
Savior, I receive you into my heart.
And ask that you would live your life.
Through me all the days of my life, you prayed that prayer for
the first time. You are now a born again
believer in Jesus Christ and I'm going to ask you to do one thing
boldly so that I can get something to you that you need
desperately on the count of three.
I'm going to have you. Raise your hand as a new
believer the first time praying this prayer.
As high as you can. So that we can bring something
to you. Let this be a House of faith and
not fear. 123 Anyone believing on Jesus today, Come on all the
way up front here, ushers, Anyone else?
It's hard for me to see. So if someone around you is
raising their hand, let me know. Let an usher know.
Up in the mezzanine. Half the lights are out.
I don't know what happened over there, but anyone else right
back here? Did we get you, Allison?
There you go. Come on, Church.
Would you celebrate with me what God is?
Doing thanks for joining us today.
We hope God is speaking to your heart through this message.
If you'd like to connect with us, you can text connect to
407-588-0115 or visit Illuminate dot church.
Have a great week.