Participants: John Dinzey (Host), Jamie Kowlessar
Series Code: FDOF
Program Code: FDOF000005A
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00:17 Welcome to Foundation of Our Faith.
00:20 My name is John Dinzey, 00:21 for me it's the privilege to come before you 00:24 to present this powerful program, 00:27 and we hope you'd join us during this hour 00:29 and study God's word together. 00:32 We have a four part series with Pastor Jaime Kowlessar 00:38 and we encourage you to watch and listen 00:40 to every single one of these powerful messages 00:44 because we are depending on the Holy Spirit. 00:46 Amen? 00:47 Amen. 00:49 Today it is the first topic, The Diminished Chord, 00:54 next will be Access Granted, 00:57 number three, Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game 01:01 and number four, 01:02 A Little Prayer That Made a Big Difference. 01:06 I'd like to share a little bit with you 01:08 about Pastor Kowlessar. 01:10 He graduated from Atlantic Union Collage, 01:14 and completed his Master of Divinity at Andrews University. 01:19 And he is currently pursuing a doctoral degree 01:23 in social justice and political activism. 01:27 He is a happily married man with his wife, Carlene, 01:30 has two daughters, Katelynn and Amber. 01:34 And he loves his family and he loves the Lord. 01:38 God has used him in many ways. 01:40 He began his ministry in New York City 01:44 where he is a native of, 01:46 and the Lord called him eventually 01:50 to the Bethany SDA Church, 01:54 where the attendance was 27, 01:58 but the pastor depended upon the Lord, 02:02 and the Lord blessed with a mighty harvest, 02:04 300 people eventually filled that church 02:09 through the ministry of Pastor Kowlessar. 02:11 And so we are depending upon the Lord to use him again, 02:15 and we're going to pray in a moment, 02:17 but we want to encourage you to gather a pen, your Bible 02:20 and study God's word together. 02:23 Before he preaches we are also blessed to have 02:26 the music of Sister Sherice Tomlin. 02:28 And Sister Sherice Tomlin... 02:31 the Lord had blessed her with a talent 02:33 and she has a melodious voice 02:36 and the Lord has also blessed her so far 02:38 to produce three albums, 02:41 Without, You Lord, One Day and Just Like Heaven. 02:47 And she believes in ministry, 02:50 she is one of those that has found a ministry 02:53 in opening her home to foster children, 02:57 and this has been a great blessing to her and her family. 03:01 She will be coming in a moment 03:03 to share music with you, 03:05 and the song is entitled Lord I Believe in You. 03:12 Amen? 03:13 This is a message in song that will prepare our hearts, 03:16 lift our hearts towards heaven, 03:18 to hear the message for this evening. 03:20 Right now I'd like to invite you to join me in prayer, 03:23 so if it's possible for you to stand, 03:25 we like to approach God's throne of grace. 03:31 Let us pray together. 03:34 "Our loving Heavenly Father, 03:36 we paused this moment to ask for Your blessing 03:41 upon Pastor Kowlessar and Sister Sherice. 03:45 We pray that You will bless them with Your Holy Spirit. 03:47 We pray that as they lift their voice 03:51 in song and to preach Your word, 03:55 Your Holy Spirit will accompany them. 03:57 And we pray for a blessing upon everyone here 04:00 and everyone that is joining us wherever they may be, 04:03 whether it be in the hospital, in their homes, in prison, 04:07 we pray that wherever they are you will reach them, 04:10 reach them with Your message of hope and salvation. 04:14 And we thank You for listening to our prayer 04:17 for we bring it to You in Jesus name, Amen. 04:21 Amen. 04:22 You may be seated. 04:23 I like to invite Sister Sherice to come forward 04:27 and bring us to God's throne of grace in music. 04:30 God bless you. 04:56 Though I can't see 05:01 Your holy face 05:07 And Your throne in Heaven above 05:12 It seems so far away 05:20 Though I can't touch 05:24 Can't touch Your nail pierced hands 05:30 I have a deep and unspeakable joy 05:36 That makes my faith to stand 05:42 Lord, I believe in You 05:47 I'll always believe in You 05:54 Though I can't see You with my eyes 06:00 Deep in my heart, Your presence I find 06:06 Lord, I believe in You 06:11 And I place my trust in You 06:18 Let the whole world say what they may 06:24 No one can take this joy away 06:30 Lord, I believe 06:45 Born from above 06:49 You are God's only chosen one 06:55 You're the way and only true way 07:00 Way to the Father's heart 07:08 You died for all sin 07:12 And then You rose and now live again 07:19 Conquering death and the grave 07:24 So that I might live 07:30 Lord, I believe in You 07:35 I'll always believe in You 07:42 Though I can't see You with my eyes 07:48 Deep in my heart, Your presence I find 07:54 Lord, I believe in You 07:59 And I'll put my trust in You 08:06 Let the whole world say what they may 08:12 Nobody can take this joy away 08:18 Lord, I believe 08:29 Oh, Lord, I believe in You 08:35 I'll always believe in You 08:42 Though I can't see You with my eyes 08:48 Deep in my heart, Your presence I find 08:54 Lord, I believe in You 08:59 And I'll place my trust in You 09:05 Let the whole world say what they may 09:12 No one can take this joy away 09:23 Lord, I believe 09:32 I believe always 09:57 Good evening, brothers and sisters. 10:01 Thank the Lord for this opportunity to be here, 10:03 on this evening and to speak His words. 10:06 And to speak it His way 10:07 and what He would like for you to receive. 10:11 And so on this evening 10:12 we're gonna look at the passage found in 2 Kings 4:18-37. 10:18 2 Kings 4:18-37, 10:22 and I'm reading you'll be hearing. 10:24 Word of God says, "And the child grew. 10:26 Now it happened one day 10:28 that he went out to his father, to the reapers. 10:31 And he said to his father, 'My head, my head!' 10:34 And so he said to a servant, 'Carry him to his mother.' 10:38 And when he had taken him and brought him to his mother, 10:41 he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 10:45 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, 10:48 shut the door upon him, and went out. 10:50 Then she called to her husband, 10:52 and said, 'Please send me one of the young men 10:55 and one of the donkeys 10:56 that I may run to the man of God and come back.' 10:59 So he said, 'Why are you going to him today? 11:03 It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.' 11:05 And she said, 'It is well.' 11:08 Then she saddled a donkey, 11:09 and said to her servant, 'Drive, and go forward, 11:12 do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.' 11:16 And so she departed, 11:17 and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. 11:20 And so it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, 11:23 that he said to his servant Gehazi, 11:25 'Look, the Shunammite woman! 11:28 Please run now to meet her, and say to her, 11:30 'Is it well with you? 11:32 Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?'' 11:35 And she answered, 'It is well.' 11:38 Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, 11:41 she caught him by the feet, 11:43 but Gehazi came near to push her away. 11:46 But the man of God said, 11:47 'Let her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, 11:50 and the Lord has hidden it from me, 11:52 and has not told me.' 11:53 So she said, 'Did I ask a son of my lord? 11:58 Did I not say, 'Do not deceive me?'' 12:01 Then he said to Gehazi, 'Get yourself ready, 12:03 and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. 12:07 If you meet anyone, do not greet him, 12:10 and if anyone greets you, do not answer him, 12:12 but lay my staff on the face of the child.' 12:16 And the mother of the child said, 12:18 'As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, 12:21 I will not leave you.' 12:23 So he arose and followed her. 12:25 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, 12:28 and laid the staff on the face of the child, 12:30 but there was neither voice nor hearing. 12:32 Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, 12:35 'The child has not awakened.' 12:38 When Elisha came into the house, 12:40 there was the child, lying dead on his bed. 12:43 And he went in therefore, 12:45 shut the door behind the two of them, 12:47 and prayed to the Lord. 12:48 And he went up and lay on the child, 12:50 and put his mouth on his mouth, 12:52 and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands, 12:55 and he stretched himself out on the child, 12:56 and the flesh of the child became warm. 12:59 He returned and walked back and forth in the house, 13:01 and again went up and stretched himself out on him, 13:04 then the child sneezed seven times, 13:08 and the child opened his eyes. 13:09 And he called Gehazi and said, 13:11 'Call this Shunammite woman.' 13:13 So he called her. 13:14 And when she came in to him, he said, 13:16 'Pick up your son.' 13:17 So she went in, fell at his feet, 13:20 and bowed to the ground, 13:22 then she picked up her son and went out." 13:25 Which our prayers this evening, 13:27 I want to speak to you on the topic 13:29 entitled The Diminished Chord. 13:31 Let us pray. 13:33 "Lord, God Almighty, 13:35 now I thank You so much for this opportunity 13:37 to speak Your words, 13:39 and I pray God that You would touch my tongue with a hot coal 13:41 from Your altar, 13:43 and now I also ask Lord that I may not be seen, 13:45 but that You may be seen, and that You'll be lifted up, 13:48 and that by the end of this sermon Lord, 13:51 that we'd know and understand 13:52 that You are in control of all things. 13:55 And that You run all things 13:56 and that You are the master of our lives, 13:59 so bless us Lord, we pray once again, 14:01 we ask this in Your name Jesus Christ. 14:03 Amen. 14:05 There is a need within all of us 14:07 to have control over our lives 14:10 and the pattern by which these events happen, 14:13 and after all because of our limitations as human beings, 14:17 we can't afford to have things 14:19 go other than the way we planned it. 14:23 Psychology calls it the need for synchronicity. 14:26 That everything we do and possess 14:29 should fall into place 14:31 and culminate to the conclusion 14:33 and provide a meaningful experience. 14:36 But such as the case with life 14:39 there is ever hardly synchronicity. 14:42 I guess it's safe to say 14:43 that you can compare life to the game of baseball, 14:47 that as you stand in the batter's box 14:49 every now and then, 14:50 the pitcher may throw you a curve ball 14:53 and throw you one that you did not see 14:55 and it can mess up everything that you've been trying to do. 14:59 You see, I could never forget as I was a young budding, 15:03 theology major at AUC in Atlantic Union Collage. 15:07 And I entertain the idea of taking the preaching engagement 15:10 in Natick, Massachusetts. 15:12 I remember taking the engagement 15:14 four weeks in advance, 15:15 and I remember a study 15:17 and I remember practicing before the mirror, 15:20 how I would speak in, 15:22 how I would deliver this message? 15:24 It was my first sermon as a theology major. 15:28 And so excited to take the engagement, 15:30 I accepted, 15:32 you see there is nothing better than for a young theology major 15:35 to get an opportunity to put into practice 15:37 what you've been studying, 15:39 to make it meaningful, to make it-- 15:41 make it seem like you're actually doing something 15:43 and that what you've studied is gonna be good 15:46 for what other people need to hear. 15:48 And I knew that God had ordained this moment 15:53 and this invitation, 15:54 I was confident that God was calling me to do this 15:58 because He wanted to use me. 16:00 And so I used my time in between classes 16:02 to prepare the sermon 16:04 and since I didn't have a car, 16:05 I made sure that I secured my ride 16:09 in advance to the church early. 16:11 And so my friend obliged to do favor for me. 16:14 And as weeks went on it was finally time to preach, 16:17 and unfortunately in my excitement 16:20 I failed to write down the address of the church. 16:24 But no need to worry, there was a handbook 16:27 which had the locations of all the churches 16:29 in the Southern New England Conference. 16:32 And so as the day came 8:30 in the morning, 16:36 we ensure that we'd get there for Sabbath School 16:38 because I wanted to sit in the congregation 16:40 and get a feel for the church 16:43 and who I would be speaking to. 16:45 I needed that morning to be perfect, 16:47 I needed the car to be filled with gas, 16:49 I needed directions to be printed out, 16:51 I needed to make sure that my sermon was written well, 16:54 and it was ready to be preached. 16:56 And we located the church in the handbook 16:58 and made our journey 17:00 and I shared with my friends the point of my sermon 17:03 and all the things I was gonna say in 17:05 through good conversation 17:06 and talking about the Lord, 17:08 it was to our surprise that we had the wrong address. 17:14 And when we pulled up to the church, 17:16 it was only to discover an abandoned building. 17:20 Perplexed and confused, 17:22 I wondered why in the world 17:24 would God allow something like this to happen. 17:28 I mean why would God allow me to write a sermon, 17:32 excite me about an opportunity to preach at a church, 17:35 why would God allow me 17:37 to miss the opportunity to call somebody to repent this. 17:40 Why would God allow things to go so smoothly 17:44 and then all of a sudden and unexcited, 17:47 uninvited event presents itself 17:49 and we are left to deal with it by ourselves, 17:53 I was livid. 17:56 Because I needed synchronicity, 17:59 I needed everything to fall in place, 18:00 I needed that day to be exactly and perfectly right 18:04 because after all 18:05 I had planed the day out four weeks in advance 18:07 and I needed this thing to go the way that it did. 18:10 And so as I thought about that day 18:12 and I thought about this text, 18:14 I said, 'that's what this woman is having in this text. 18:18 Here is a woman, a Shunammite woman 18:21 that's what the Bible refers to her. 18:22 Scholars suggest 18:24 that the word of her name means peaceable or pacified. 18:28 So she is a wealthy peaceable and pacified woman. 18:33 Everything is going perfect for her. 18:35 Everything is fine for her. Everything is wonderful. 18:38 She enjoys her synchronicity. 18:40 Things just work out well for this Shunammite woman. 18:43 It's amazing that the Bible goes out of the way 18:45 to call her Shunammite woman 18:47 because they want us to identify with who she is. 18:51 Sometimes in scripture 18:52 it just refers to individuals as a certain woman 18:55 or a certain man. 18:56 But this one names her as a Shunammite woman 18:58 it's where she from. 18:59 And the chapter tells us 19:01 that because God has shown favor towards her, 19:04 and that she would reciprocate 19:06 some of those same blessings on to this prophet. 19:09 She realizes that it is a privilege 19:12 to show kindness toward true servant of God, 19:14 that there was something that impressed her about Elisha. 19:17 Perhaps it was because he was a no nonsense preacher. 19:20 Perhaps she knew that he was trained by Elijah 19:24 and that he had been cut from the same fabric. 19:27 Perhaps she had just admired the way he did things 19:30 that he didn't bend his back 19:32 and that he had a backbone of steel 19:34 and that he would stand for righteousness. 19:37 I mean we may not know exactly, what it was, 19:41 but the story tell us that she observes 19:44 Elisha's commitment drive passion for the living God. 19:48 She suggest that he should come inside 19:51 and have some food with our family, 19:53 with my husband and I, 19:54 and I don't know what was on the menu, 19:56 and I don't know what they were serving, 19:59 but obviously it had to be good. 20:01 They often say that, 20:02 ''The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.'' 20:04 And so she went to Elisha 20:06 thought if she cook some wonderful food for him, 20:09 and not know that it was wonderful 20:11 because the Bible tells us 20:12 that he would frequent their house from time to time, 20:15 in so much that she says to her husband, 20:19 let's make a small room for him upstairs, 20:22 and a bed with desk, 20:23 so that when he passes by, he can have somewhere to rest 20:26 because ministry is hard work 20:28 and doing the work of God is not easy 20:30 and we want to make sure that this man of God 20:33 has a place to study the word, 20:35 and a place to prepare for what he is doing. 20:37 And because he works so hard, 20:39 we should be a blessing to the man of God. 20:41 And it's obvious from the text that her husband obliged 20:44 and that they began to get the saw 20:46 and the hammer and the nails 20:47 and they built a one bedroom for Elisha. 20:51 And the word tells us that the next time Elisha came by, 20:54 he would take a nap and he looked at his servant 20:57 and tells him to call the Shunammite woman in. 20:59 She comes into the room 21:01 and he begins to have a conversation with the woman, 21:03 and he says, "Since you've gone beyond the call of duty 21:06 in taking good care of us, 21:08 what can we do for you? 21:10 How in the world can we return the favor?" 21:13 Elisha says, you know, I have a hook upon earth, 21:15 I know a Heavenly Father, 21:17 I can ask Him for things 21:18 and we can get something working out for you, 21:21 I know the king, the commander of the army, 21:23 but her answer is amazing, 21:26 she says, "I dwell amongst my own people." 21:29 In other words the question and the answer suggest 21:33 that Elisha is asking her 21:35 if she wants some sort of reward or relocation. 21:38 The text suggest that Elisha is asking her, 21:41 if she wants to move out of this neighborhood 21:43 and probably into a much better neighborhood 21:45 with a better zip code, 21:47 gated community, high rise with the door men, central airing, 21:51 all the amenities that she could dream of, 21:54 but her answer of course is, "I dwell among my own people." 21:58 In other words 21:59 she wants no recompense for the good she has done. 22:02 She wants nothing to do with the court of the king. 22:04 She wants nothing to do with the great ones of this world. 22:07 She has no desire for higher things 22:09 because she is a peaceful and passable woman. 22:12 And I'm gonna park here parenthetically for a moment 22:15 because you have some folk out there 22:17 that will only do things for people 22:19 because deep down inside, 22:21 they are doing it for their own personal gain and promotion. 22:24 They only do it for a photo walk as to say, 22:27 'Hey, look at me, I did something good for somebody, 22:30 look at me I want to cover other gleaner, 22:32 look at me, I got a article in a magazine 22:35 and they are not doing it to help those 22:37 that can't help themselves, 22:38 they are doing it just to help themselves by using people, 22:42 and you got to watch out for folk like that. 22:44 You got to watch out for people 22:45 that will attach themselves to you 22:47 because they're only doing it to make themselves feel good. 22:51 And you got to pray that God surrounds you with people 22:54 that will be the kind of people 22:56 that want to help those that can't help themselves. 23:00 You got to pray that God chooses your friends for you. 23:02 You got to pray that God puts a spirit, 23:05 a heart within you, 23:06 to want to serve people 23:08 not because of what you can get from people, 23:10 but to serve people 23:11 because that's what Jesus Christ 23:14 would have done for everybody on this earth. 23:17 And so you got to understand it, 23:19 this woman wants to just help Elisha. 23:21 And you got to love those people 23:23 that do God's work in the background, 23:25 that those folks they don't look for their name 23:27 on a program or on the screen. 23:29 But those people who make things work, 23:31 because you have some people that once they get a title, 23:33 they feel like they are entitled. 23:35 Once you give them a set of keys, 23:37 they think that they are large and in charge. 23:39 But you got to thank God for the people 23:41 that do things behind the scenes 23:43 to make sure that things operate properly, 23:45 to make sure that the cameras are on, 23:47 to make sure that the lights are on, 23:49 to make sure that the program is running well, 23:51 even though you may never see their face, 23:54 those are the people that make things work 23:57 and those are the kinds of people 23:58 that I love to be around. 24:00 And so all in this text, 24:02 and although she says, 24:03 she does not want anything or need anything, 24:06 Gehazi notices that she has no son. 24:08 And that her husband is old. 24:10 And with no hesitation Elisha says, 24:12 a year from now you will be nursing an infant. 24:16 And although she lacked a son 24:18 that which was essential 24:19 to the honor and happiness of a Israeli wife, 24:22 yet still she was okay. 24:24 And no word of complaint passed her lips 24:26 which was a sign of great contentment, 24:28 but the Lord according to His grace and truth 24:31 He remembers even the wishes that we cherish in silence 24:34 and that we do not express before men. 24:37 And He often gives to those who yield to His Holy will 24:40 without murmurs or complaints 24:42 that just which they have long endeared to hope for. 24:45 Because I love it, 24:47 God wanted to give you your heart's desire, 24:49 but you got to keep on doing 24:50 what the Lord commands you to do. 24:52 And I promise you, 24:53 if the desires of your heart 24:55 are in accordance with His will, 24:57 then my God will and shall provide whatever it is 25:01 and it shall come to pass. 25:02 It is clear that she had stop hoping for a son. 25:05 She had given up on the idea 25:07 because all the odds were against her. 25:08 She is old now, her husband is old and now-- 25:12 look Elisha comes and says, 25:13 "I'm going to say that in a year 25:16 you'll have the son." 25:17 And I love the text because she says, 25:19 "No, my lord. 25:20 Don't lie to me, don't play me, 25:22 don't come here around here, handing out blesses." 25:25 And you know God ain't gonna give me 25:26 and I could imagine 25:27 she probably had the neck motion going on and the finger, 25:30 don't come around here doing all this and that 25:33 because my husband is old, don't give me no false dreams. 25:36 But isn't that like the God we serve 25:38 that He blesses you 25:39 when everything around you is working against you. 25:42 That God has a way of taking a loss 25:45 and turning that into a profit. 25:47 He has a way of taking things that are down and out 25:51 and raising them up 25:52 and showing them out in a way that's amazing. 25:55 Because isn't that like the God we serves, 25:57 He will wait until it seems like you are finished 26:00 and He will open up a unexpected door 26:03 that will bless you at a unexpected time 26:05 with an unexpected gift to bless you unexpectedly. 26:08 I have discovered that it is those unexpected, 26:11 unwarranted gratitude to his gifts 26:14 that finds the most meaning in our lives. 26:16 It is those times when you ask God, 26:18 let me pass this grass, 26:19 just give me a seed so I can pass the grass, 26:22 and then God turns around and gives you an aim. 26:25 I have seen it those times when you ask God to give me a job 26:28 and then He blesses you with another one 26:30 that you were making more money in the first place. 26:33 It is those times when you ask God 26:35 to give me strength to deal with this sickness, 26:37 but God not only gives you strength 26:38 to deal with the sickness, 26:40 God cures you off the sickness. 26:42 Because God blesses us 26:44 in unexpected ways with unexpected gifts 26:47 so that we could give Him unexpected praise. 26:49 And I love the God that we serve. 26:51 And I'm sure I have a witness in here 26:53 that there's somebody in here or somebody in TV lens 26:56 that understands that God is blessing them in a way 27:00 that they would have never imagined. 27:02 And so picture this woman's synchronicity. 27:05 Let them examine the events of her life. 27:08 The series of unrelated events, 27:09 that resulted in a meaningful experience. 27:12 She feeds Elisha, 27:13 then she makes the room for him, 27:15 he asks her what can I do for you? 27:17 She response by saying nothing, 27:19 then Gehazi says, she has no son 27:21 and then in a year she will have a son 27:24 that she will be nursing. 27:25 So the Bible says that she has a son, a year passes by. 27:29 And he is out one day working with his father, 27:32 and he cries out "My head, my head is hurting me." 27:36 The father probably too old to do anything, 27:38 tells the servant to take his boy to his momma. 27:41 And then in verse 18 it says, 27:44 "When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, 27:47 he sat on her knees till noon, and then he died." 27:53 Her synchronicity had come to a certain halt. 27:55 Her wonderful wealthy life had just become 27:58 morally poor and destitute. 28:00 Her only son that she had long for, 28:01 yet still that she did not even ask for in the place for 28:04 had died on her lap. 28:06 In my minds that tells me 28:08 that she sat on the chair holding her son 28:11 and as she laid her head back on her chest 28:14 she fell a sleep and never woke up again. 28:21 So may be some of you listening to me today, 28:25 you don't have children 28:27 and you probably can't really understand 28:28 what this mother is feeling, 28:30 but I'm sure that there are parents in here today, 28:33 our parents listening to me on TV who have lost the child, 28:37 that it's a pain that I would not wish on any person, 28:41 that here a beautiful beginning 28:43 has appeared to have ended in a terrible and sad way. 28:47 But isn't this like life? 28:49 And I'm sure this woman must have felt 28:51 the same way I would-- 28:52 I felt when I could not make it to that preaching engagement. 28:55 It may not be to the same degree, 28:57 but you may ask yourself the question 28:59 every now and then, 29:00 why would God set me up to fail? 29:02 Why would God give me this gift 29:05 only to have him snatch it away from me? 29:07 There are some of us that are listening to me today 29:11 that may not have an ordeal like this, 29:13 but you've had some interruptions in your life. 29:16 That can you press the reset button 29:19 and stop this nightmare and start it all over, 29:21 I don't know what it is, may be it was a death, 29:24 may be it was a heart break, 29:25 may be or may be you just lost your job 29:28 that you so desperately needed. 29:29 You've been audited by the IRIS 29:32 and now you got more bills 29:34 than you could have ever thought about in your life 29:36 and everything has hit you at the same time 29:40 because bad news has a way 29:42 of hitting you like a ton of bricks. 29:44 It was like somebody said, "Life is like-- 29:46 life is like being on in the waters 29:48 and problems are like waves 29:50 and wave after wave keeps coming and coming 29:54 and the more waves that come, 29:55 the larger the waves are that crashes on you 29:58 and that's how life is sometimes. 29:59 After you get through one wave, 30:01 it seems like there is another wave that is crashing over you. 30:05 And as I thought about this text throughout the week, 30:08 and I was arrested 30:09 when I was reminded of a conversation I had 30:11 with some of my musicians. 30:13 And in that conversation they brought up 30:15 what is called The Diminished Chord, 30:17 and I did my research 30:18 and I learned that a skilled composer 30:20 would intentionally 30:22 insert a Diminished Chord into a musical piece, 30:25 it's called consonance and dissonance, 30:27 and a skill composer would intentionally insert 30:30 a discordant note 30:32 that does not sound harmonious 30:34 to the other notes in the score. 30:35 You see the goal of course is to accentuate 30:39 the purity and flawlessness of the music 30:42 surrounding the diminished chord. 30:44 In other words, to make the good notes stand out, 30:47 a composer would insert a bad note 30:50 that draws your attention to how pure the sound was 30:54 before the diminished note, 30:55 and to how flawless the music is 30:58 after the diminished note. 30:59 You see why in the world would a composer do that 31:02 is because the temptation 31:04 is that the listener would become so adjusted 31:07 to hearing good music 31:09 that they will take for granted 31:11 the notes that they are hearing, 31:12 that the listener would begin to believe 31:14 that every note that follows 31:16 is supposed to be as perfect as the ones that preceded it. 31:20 so the composer doesn't want the air to fall asleep 31:23 and become so acclimated to the things sounding so well, 31:27 they insert a diminished chord somewhere in the musical score, 31:32 it does not fit, 31:33 it clashes against the notes before and after 31:35 so that when they hear that diminished chord 31:38 it shakes the confidence of the leader, 31:41 it moves the mind to wake up and realize 31:44 that there are transitions 31:45 and moves that I need to appreciate. 31:48 And can I suggest for a second 31:51 that this diminished chord is here to remind us 31:55 that things will not always be smooth for us. 31:58 It is done to shake us off our seats, 32:01 and to break us from the place of comfort and expectancy 32:04 that everything from now on is supposed to be easy sailing. 32:09 We all know that God is the composer of our lives, 32:12 and we all know that God is the one 32:14 who write in the musical score of our human experience. 32:17 And may I suggest to you every now and then 32:20 that God inserts diminished chords in our lives. 32:25 See, wouldn't it be great if the musical score 32:28 that described our lives had no diminished chords in it. 32:31 Wouldn't it be great if God didn't insert any 32:34 hard clashing notes in our daily walk with Him. 32:38 But the God that we serve, 32:39 the creative composer of our journey 32:42 includes diminished chords in our lives to tell us 32:45 that life isn't always gonna go the way you planned it to go. 32:49 Life isn't always going to be how you expected it to be. 32:53 Now He inserts diminished chords in our lives 32:55 because God does not want you to fall asleep. 32:58 God does not want you to think 32:59 that just because you love Jesus 33:01 and Jesus loves you 33:03 that you will not have difficult days ahead. 33:05 Now God allows these diminished chords to enter our lives, 33:09 because God wants you to appreciate the musical score. 33:12 God allows some things to die, 33:15 some things to live, some things to walk away, 33:17 some things you have to lose 33:19 in order to hear the wonderful music that God has planned. 33:23 Yes, God will allow some bad news in your life, 33:27 God will allow some people to get sick, 33:29 God will allow some people to die, 33:31 God will allow diminished chords to play 33:34 in the existence of our lives 33:36 because you already know 33:37 that not everything you lose is a lost, 33:40 but sometimes you have to lose some things 33:43 before you can gain something better. 33:45 So my question today is, I want to know, 33:49 are you having a diminished chord experience 33:51 in life right now? 33:52 I want to know who is having that clashing chord experience 33:55 in their walk with God. 33:57 I need to know, you probably think that just because 33:59 you are going through something tough and rough 34:01 that in some way you imagine 34:03 that God does not love you any more, 34:04 that you are not special 34:06 and that God has no use for you that unpleasant note, 34:10 that inconsistent clashing chord 34:12 that bang against what was perfect, 34:15 pleasant and pleasing in your life 34:17 and could it be that God send these diminished chords 34:20 and His notes to wake us up 34:23 that God is calling us not to sleep 34:25 but could it be that these diminished chords 34:27 that we have to learn to appreciate them 34:30 and thank God 34:31 that you have some diminished chords in your life. 34:34 Because you got to thank God, 34:35 that God brought you out of some relationships 34:37 that you had no business being in the first place. 34:40 You got to thank God 34:41 that God allowed you to leave a job 34:43 or to get fired from a job 34:45 because that probably wasn't the job that you wanted 34:47 that God wanted you to have in the first place. 34:49 You got to thank God, 34:51 that God delivered you from some things 34:53 that if you did not fail 34:55 test after test after test after test, 34:58 then you probably wouldn't have appreciate the victory 35:01 when you finally pass the test. 35:03 Yeah, you got to thank God 35:04 for those diminished chords sometimes. 35:06 You got to thank God sometimes that 35:08 when there is trouble in your life, 35:10 that peace will come out at the other end. 35:12 You got to thank God sometimes that even if it-- 35:14 because you had told me that I was ugly 35:17 and that I'll never amount to being anything, 35:19 but it was the force that drove me to go closer to God 35:22 and to be the person that I'm today 35:24 because that's what diminished chords do. 35:27 They wake you up so that you can stay on the track with God 35:30 that you can stay moving with God 35:32 and so that you can have a good outcome at the end. 35:35 And so here is this woman as we begin to wrap this thing up. 35:39 She loses the one thing that is dear to her, 35:41 and her diminished note was the death of her son, 35:44 but it wasn't-- 35:45 but is what she does with her diminished chord 35:48 that makes the difference. 35:49 She saddled up the donkey, 35:51 got up and went to the man of God. 35:53 She was determined not to give up. 35:55 She knew in her heart 35:57 that although it had appeared to be over, 35:59 she had to hear it from the man of God. 36:02 You see, although problematic destitutes are inevitable 36:07 and although diminished chords are a part of our life, 36:09 you have to make up in your mind 36:11 that I will not allow myself to become a victim. 36:14 Problems are a part of my life, 36:16 but becoming and acting like a victim is a choice, 36:19 but I choose to be a conqueror. 36:21 As a matter of fact, God says, 36:22 "I'm more than a conqueror through Him that loves us." 36:25 And so the question is, 36:26 what will you do with your diminished chord? 36:28 Do you turn the music off or do you keep on listening 36:32 because you know God's got something better. 36:34 You see the thing about diminished chords 36:35 is not as this 36:37 that not everybody hears them 36:39 and knows what to do with them. 36:42 You see often times some people hear diminished chords 36:45 and they certainly turn off the song, 36:48 because when they hear the diminished chord, 36:50 they say that does not sound too good to my ear 36:53 and so they turn the song off 36:54 and they try to listen to something else. 36:56 But most people don't understand 36:58 that when you hear a diminished chord 37:00 is to bless you 37:01 because something good is coming next. 37:04 So you got to realize that God inserts diminished chords 37:07 because He uses spaces and places to help us grow. 37:10 You see, you got to understand 37:11 that God puts us in some situations 37:14 because it is strengthening us 37:16 to become stronger for the situation. 37:18 You see, I've never been a person that goes to the gym, 37:21 but often times I do try to take myself there. 37:24 And when I force myself to go to the gym, 37:26 I'm what you call the pretty boy. 37:28 And so I come into the gym with a head band, wrist bands, 37:31 you know, all sorts of bands that don't need to be on me, 37:34 that's gonna help me push weights. 37:35 And so I get on the treadmill 37:37 and I start running for about 10 minutes 37:40 and then after I finish running for 10 minutes, 37:42 I wipe the sweat off of my brow 37:44 and I start hunching over 37:45 and I feel like I have just done 37:47 a meaningful and healthy workout. 37:49 And I feel like I have done what I need to do 37:52 in order to make me stronger, 37:53 but the sad reality 37:55 is that a lot of us come to church like that. 37:57 We come all dressed up for the part. 37:59 We look better than the part, 38:01 but we're not really exercising and working our faith in God 38:05 to make us stronger when trials come. 38:07 And so that's what happens, 38:08 that's why sometimes we fall by the wayside so easily, 38:12 that's why we end up turning off the music 38:15 in our life so easily 38:17 because we are not training in the word of God 38:20 and training in prayer 38:21 so that we can make it through tough situations. 38:24 And so I love this woman, 38:25 because this woman trains in the word of God. 38:28 This woman is committed to God 38:29 and she goes and she seeks out the man of God. 38:33 and as she is going to seek out the man of God, 38:35 and she is getting closer to her, 38:37 her husband tries to discourage her. 38:39 He says it's not the New Moon or a Sabbath, 38:42 why are going to the man of God? 38:44 You need to stay home and let's deal with this situation. 38:47 But she said, this is one of those days 38:48 when the wife has made an executive decision, 38:51 and say, honey, I'm not going to listen to you, 38:53 I'm going to see the man of God. 38:55 I know wives have done that a few times. 38:56 My wife has done it to me a few times 38:58 in the case of other where she says I'm gonna make a decision. 39:02 And so she goes and she goes to see the man of God. 39:04 And as she is getting closer to the mountain, 39:06 she sees Gehazi and Elisha sees, 39:09 and Gehazi goes to see her, 39:10 and Gehazi ask her is it okay with your husband? 39:13 Is it okay with your son? 39:14 And she simply says "It is well." 39:18 You see the text tells me that there are moments 39:21 when everybody doesn't need to be all up in your business. 39:24 Folk don't need to know what you're going through, 39:27 and what has happened to you, that's none of their business. 39:30 Maybe the Shunammite woman knew something about Gehazi 39:33 that could not have been trusted 39:35 and that probably would have discouraged her 39:37 just like her husband did. 39:38 May be she perceived that Gehazi would have told her 39:41 that there is nothing we could do for you, go back home. 39:43 But she said, I'm not focused on you, 39:46 I'm focused on seeing the man of God. 39:48 Because that's the goal ahead of me, 39:50 to see the man of God, 39:51 and I'm going to do everything in my power 39:53 not to accept victim status 39:55 unless I know what the man of God has to say. 39:58 Because at the end of the day, let me tell you this, 40:00 that no doctor has the final word, 40:03 no man on earth has the final word, 40:05 only God has the final word. 40:07 As the matter of fact my favorite preacher says this, 40:09 he says "Don't ever put periods where God puts commas. 40:13 Where you think there is a period, 40:15 God's always got a comma 40:16 because "Weeping may endure for a night, 40:19 but joy cometh in the morning." 40:21 He says, know-- 40:22 hear what does he say, there is another text that says, 40:25 "Satan desires to sift you like wheat, 40:27 but I have prayed for you." 40:29 You got to always thank God for the commas in your life. 40:32 Because what, there was a old cartoon 40:34 that some of you might remember, 40:36 if you grew up like me, you remember, it's called 40:38 "Conjunction Junction, what's your function?" 40:41 And in that cartoon it explained 40:43 what conjunctions were. 40:45 And so and would mean that is connected 40:47 what comes prior to it to what is gonna come after it 40:51 or says that I'm gonna give you an option, 40:54 you can have this or you can have that. 40:56 But when the conjunction but is in a sentence, 40:59 the but often nullifies what comes before it 41:02 and it helps you look forward to what comes after it. 41:06 And so I thank God because God puts buts in our lives, 41:09 God inserts buts in our lives. 41:11 And so even when you think 41:13 the beginning part of your life was bad, 41:15 God says, but I'm gonna turn this thing around. 41:18 God says, but I'm gonna bless you in a way, 41:20 and so she is focused on God, 41:22 she is focused to make it to Him. 41:24 She is focused to find out what the answer is 41:27 and what I'm telling you this evening is stay focused on God 41:31 and let God give you the final benediction. 41:34 Let God tell you what He has to say, 41:36 just make sure that even as life 41:38 shakes and bounces before you, 41:40 that your stay focus on the God that you serve. 41:43 I'll tell you another story. 41:45 As we went over to Honduras, a group of young adults, 41:48 we were going over there 41:49 with Maranatha Missions to build the school. 41:51 We had to take a boat over to a smaller island, 41:54 just so that we can do the work 41:56 and as we got on the boat, 41:58 the young man, there was a small narrow boat, 42:00 the young man that was leading the ship, 42:02 leading the boat, was not a ship, 42:03 it was a little boat, leading the boat, 42:05 told us that the waters will rock from left to right. 42:08 As a matter of fact it was a windy and cloudy day, 42:11 and I was scared out of mind 42:12 because I didn't want to die in Honduras, 42:14 I wanted to live to come back home, to tell the story. 42:17 And so I'm holding on to the boat, 42:19 but the young man said something 42:20 that blessed my heart. 42:22 He said that if you-- 42:23 if you feel like you're getting sick 42:25 or you feel worried? 42:26 Just focus on those rocks that are ahead of you. 42:29 Once you focus on something steady, 42:31 it will keep your mind steady 42:33 and you won't even realize that 42:35 but you'll be at your destination 42:37 sooner than you thought you would. 42:38 And I said to myself that's a blessing right there, 42:41 that's a wonderful thing. 42:42 Because I understand that in this life that we live 42:45 that it will rock us from left to right 42:47 from time to time, 42:48 but if I focused on the rock which is Jesus Christ 42:52 that I will make it to my destination 42:54 and I'll make it there in one piece. 42:56 And so I love this woman because she was focused 42:59 and she was determined to go and see the man of God. 43:02 Don't ever seek advice from men 43:04 before you seek the advice of God. 43:07 But ask God to lead you to the right people to talk to. 43:10 Don't let an elder, don't let a deacon, 43:12 no usher, no singer, no preacher, 43:15 no member keep you from petitioning the throne of God, 43:18 just say, nothing in my hands I bring, 43:20 but simply to the cross I cling. 43:23 Nobody on earth has the final word, 43:25 but only God has the final word 43:27 and when you feel like you can't make it no more, 43:30 just know that God has something for you. 43:32 As a matter of fact one of my favorite preacher says, 43:35 "I have found God's address, it's at the end of my road." 43:39 Have you ever been to the end of your road 43:41 because that's where God 43:42 is ready and willing to meet you right there." 43:44 And so she says to Elisha, 43:46 "I didn't ask for no son, 43:47 I believe the attitudes started coming out again, 43:49 I ain't ask you for no son, I didn't want none, 43:52 but you spoke one into my life, 43:53 now he is dead and you got to do something." 43:56 She didn't want anyone else's hand so but from God. 43:59 And so Elisha sends Gehazi to go a head of them. 44:04 And as it with the staff, but it is powerless 44:06 and Elisha goes and he saw the boy motionless on the bed, 44:10 and so he locked the door 44:11 with only him and the boy in the room, 44:13 and he proceeds to do a strange miracle 44:16 of divine intervention on his behalf. 44:19 Elisha decides to move into the danger zone, 44:22 Elisha knows that Levitical law 44:25 that is forbidden to touch the body of a dead person, 44:29 it is if you will become ceremonial unclean. 44:32 But he understands that it is his will to restore life. 44:36 Elisha understands that if it is our job to heal 44:40 spiritually dead boys and girls, 44:43 then we cannot just speak to them from afar, 44:45 but we got to get close to them. 44:47 As the matter of fact, 44:48 we have to be willing to put ourselves into danger zone 44:52 and risk the ridicule of being called out, 44:54 but to God be the glory, 44:56 at least the child will be brought back to life, 44:59 that calls for us sometimes to leave our humble abodes 45:02 and walk into some of the most destitute places on this earth 45:07 to find those boys that are dead, 45:09 that are sleeping in the alley. 45:10 To find those girls that are dead, 45:12 that are sleeping on a street corner, 45:14 to find these young men and women 45:16 who need to be healed 45:18 and not just talk to them from behind the microphone, 45:21 not just talk to them from inside the church, 45:23 but bring the church to them, lay on them, 45:26 touch their hands and pick them up. 45:28 And so Elisha goes to the house of the young man, 45:31 he could have spoke a blessing from the mountain, 45:33 but Elisha said, no I'm going to the danger zone, 45:36 I'm going where it's called ceremonial unclean, 45:40 I'm gonna touch something 45:41 that other people ordinarily would not touch, 45:44 I'm gonna look at the drug addict, 45:46 I'm gonna talk to the alcoholic, 45:48 I'm gonna hug the person that is down and out. 45:51 And I'm going to heal them. 45:52 And so Elisha goes to this little boy, 45:55 twice he puts his eyes to his eyes, 45:57 his mouth to his mouth 45:58 and his hands on his hands, 46:00 see what I see, hear what I hear, 46:03 feel what I feel, 46:04 and as he did it, the boy began to sneeze, 46:07 his mother came back in the room, 46:09 she picked up the boy and bowed in reverent awe because why? 46:13 A dead young man has been brought to life. 46:16 And that's my word to somebody in here today. 46:19 You may have a son or a daughter who is dead. 46:22 You may have a son or a daughter 46:24 who is out there walking around 46:26 as if life means nothing to them. 46:28 But I serve a God, who sits high and looks low. 46:32 I serve a God who looks beyond our faults 46:34 and He sees our needs. 46:35 I serve a God that realizes that people are not dead, 46:39 they are simply asleep, and He can pick you up, 46:42 turn you around and plant your feet on solid ground. 46:46 And so as we begin to wrap this thing up, 46:48 I left this part for the last 46:50 because I thought that this thing really blessed me 46:53 and I hope that it blesses you as well. 46:55 As I was having a conversation with my musicians, 46:58 my keyboarder has told me two things, 47:00 he said that in the Apostolic and Baptist churches 47:03 when they hear a diminished chord, 47:05 they know that something good is about to come, 47:08 so when you see them dancing and shouting, 47:11 you probably don't realize 47:13 that before there was a shout and dancing 47:16 there was a diminished chord, 47:17 and so they start praising after the diminish-- 47:20 they don't start praising after the diminished chord, 47:23 they start praising during the diminished chord. 47:26 And that's what I want to know this evening. 47:28 Can you praise God in the midst of your diminished chord? 47:31 Can you still dance? 47:32 Can you still raise your hands? 47:34 Can you still call out text and say 47:36 my God is a very present in help in a time of trouble. 47:39 Because you got to understand 47:40 it is important to give God praise in the ups 47:43 and to give God praise in the downs. 47:45 When I was younger, we would go to great adventure, 47:48 my group of friends and I. 47:50 And as we have great adventure, 47:52 we would line up to go 47:53 on the front of the rollercoaster. 47:55 Now, the agreement about 47:56 going on to front of a rollercoaster was this, 47:59 that when you get on the front, 48:01 you have to put your hands up in the air. 48:04 You cannot get on the front and do not put your hands up 48:07 because if we get off this rollercoaster and we realized, 48:10 you didn't put your hands up, 48:11 you were gonna hear it for the rest of the time 48:13 at great adventure. 48:14 But the beautiful thing about putting your hands up 48:17 when you're on the rollercoaster 48:19 is suggested that the bar that's in front of me 48:21 is gonna hold me down 48:23 even when the rollercoaster is going up and down, 48:26 that I'm gonna put trust in this little thing called a bar, 48:30 I'm gonna put faith in it 48:31 saying that you gonna hold me down 48:33 and you gonna keep me even while it's going up and down. 48:37 And so sometimes we got to understand 48:39 that when we raise our hands, we are surrendering to God 48:42 and we are surrendering and saying, 48:44 God, I got faith in you, 48:46 that You gonna hold me down even as life goes up and down. 48:49 I got faith in you and I trust that in Your word You said, 48:53 that You will keep me, 48:54 that You will never cause me to fall. 48:56 But the beautiful thing about raising your hands 48:59 is that you don't raise your hands 49:01 when you are going up the rollercoaster, 49:03 you always raise your hand when you're going down. 49:05 And all I'm saying this evening is can you raise your hands 49:09 when you feel like you are going down. 49:11 Can you raise your hands and give God praise, 49:14 even when the bank account is low, 49:16 even when there is no food in the cupboard, 49:18 even when you lose your job, 49:20 even when you're faced with divorce papers, 49:23 even when you get a eviction notice, 49:25 even when everything around you is against you, 49:28 can you still praise God for what you are going through. 49:32 I'm reminded of the story of the lady as we begin to close, 49:36 and she said, 49:37 every morning she would come out on her front step 49:40 and she would raise her hands and say, 49:42 hallelujah, thank You, Jesus, 49:43 thank You for waking me up this morning. 49:45 Where everybody in the neighborhood knew 49:47 that she didn't have a job, 49:49 she didn't have money to pay her rent 49:51 and that she had no food inside of her house, 49:54 but every morning she would come out 49:56 and raise her hands and say, 49:57 hallelujah, thank You, Jesus, 49:59 for all You've done for me. 50:01 Well, it turns out 50:02 that her neighbor didn't appreciate the fact 50:04 that she was always praising God, 50:06 even though she was having the bad situation. 50:08 And so that neighbor said, 50:09 I'm gonna go and buy that lady groceries 50:12 and I'm going to put it on her front step, 50:14 and so the next morning came he went a hour before, 50:18 he brought groceries 50:19 and he put those two bags of groceries on her-- 50:22 on her front step. 50:23 And the women came out 50:24 and she started praising God the same chant, 50:27 she said, hallelujah, thank You, Jesus, 50:29 I have groceries in front of me praising God, 50:31 and the man jumped out from behind the bush, 50:34 and he said, God didn't buy you those groceries, 50:37 I brought you those groceries, 50:38 why are you praising God for? 50:40 And she said, I'm still praising God 50:42 because the devil used-- 50:44 because God used the devil to buy me some groceries. 50:47 And so why I love that story 50:49 is because often times God will use things 50:52 that are unexpected to you 50:53 to bless you in a way that's unimaginable. 50:56 So when you think it's over, God still write a music, 50:59 just make sure 51:00 you sing the songs that brought you out before, 51:02 because they're gonna bring you out again, 51:04 because your redemption draweth nigh. 51:06 Just remember, don't let a diminished chord change, 51:09 cause you to change your pitch or to stay-- 51:12 or stay unfocused, just focus on God, 51:15 you don't need to quote a rap star, 51:17 you don't need to quote an entertainer, 51:19 you just stay on pitch and you say, 51:21 "Pass me not, oh, gentle Savior, 51:23 hear my humble cry, 51:25 while on others thou art calling, 51:28 Do not pass me by." 51:29 Sing "I am Thine, O Lord, 51:32 and I have heard Thy voice, 51:33 And I hold Thy love to me, 51:35 But I long to rise in the arms of faith 51:38 And be drawn closer to Thee. 51:41 Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord, 51:44 To the cross where Thou hast died, 51:46 Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord, 51:49 To Thy precious, bleeding side." 51:51 Here is another good old song, 51:53 "At the cross, at the cross when I first saw the light, 51:56 And the burden of my soul washed away, 51:59 it was there by faith I received my sight, 52:04 and now I am happy all the day. 52:07 When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, 52:10 When sorrows like sea billows keep on rolling, 52:14 Whatever, whatever my lot, 52:16 That was taught me to say, 52:18 it is well, it is well, it is well with my soul. 52:22 This is my story and this is my song, 52:25 I'm praising my Savior all the day long." 52:29 Friends, don't give up on God, 52:31 because He won't give up on you. 52:33 You stay with God and hold on because I believe one day 52:38 He will make everything all right. 52:40 And just no one believe that for some of us 52:43 our diminished chord might last longer than others, 52:46 but if you just stay in the will of God, 52:49 trust Him and believe, 52:51 it will end into a beautiful harmonious note. 52:54 And the final note will be our blessed Savior and Lord, 52:57 and Jesus Christ, 52:59 who will descend in the clouds of heaven 53:02 with a host of angels, 53:03 and He will hear those words. 53:05 Say those words and we will hear. 53:07 Enter now that good and faithful servant 53:10 into the joy of the Lord. 53:12 I don't know about you, 53:13 but that's the note that I want to hear, 53:15 that's the song that I want to hear. 53:17 And I want to sing the song of Moses and the Lamb, 53:20 standing on the sea of glass 53:22 because I know that this diminished chord call earth 53:27 one day will come to pass 53:28 and we will be with our Lord and Savior. 53:31 And so mothers, fathers, young men, young women, 53:35 if you feel like you are dead, 53:37 if you feel like you can't make it anymore, 53:39 just hold on to God's unchanging hand. 53:42 And I promise you'll see the end. 53:45 Let's pray. 53:46 "God, Almighty, 53:48 we do thank You so much 53:50 for being in control of our lives, 53:54 for taking all things 53:56 and for making them into a meaningful experience, 54:00 and as much as Lord that we want to know 54:03 what's gonna happen the next day 54:05 and the next moment or next hour, 54:07 we have to learn to put our faith in You, 54:09 and to trust and believe 54:10 that in Your word you said 54:12 that "Don't worry for tomorrow, 54:15 for tomorrow will worry about itself." 54:17 So God, Almighty, 54:18 I pray right now a word into the lives of those parents, 54:22 Lord, that may have lost a child, 54:25 they may have lost someone that was dear to them, 54:28 enter the lives of those that, 54:30 Lord, that have lost something that they thought 54:32 that they were gonna have forever. 54:34 Who is having a diminished chord experience as we speak, 54:38 God, Almighty, may You play the music louder 54:42 that they will know and understand 54:43 that You're still writing, 54:45 that You have not put your pen down 54:47 that the story will come to end, 54:49 but if we are committed to hold on to You, 54:52 that the final chapter, the final verse 54:55 would be the right lyrics for all of our experience. 54:58 We thank You so much for everything. 55:00 We thank You for being in control 55:02 and we thank You for Your saving grace. 55:04 Bless us and keep us Lord, 55:05 we ask this in your name Jesus Christ. 55:08 Amen and Amen. 55:13 Amen and amen. Praise the Lord. 55:15 Pastor, what a blessing it has been. 55:18 I praise the Lord for this message 55:20 The Diminished Chord. 55:21 I didn't know about the diminished chord, 55:23 but I learned through this message, 55:26 beautiful illustration, helps us to understand 55:30 that even when things look bad, 55:34 there's a blessing on the other side, 55:36 blessing on the other side. 55:37 Praise the Lord. 55:39 I'm looking forward already 55:40 to the next message in this series. 55:42 Four messages, 55:43 four messages in this series with Pastor Kowlessar. 55:47 Pastor Kowlessar, the next message is entitled 55:50 Access Granted. 55:52 Yes. 55:53 Can you give us a little taste 55:54 or what we're gonna be looking at in this next message 55:57 and we want to make sure 55:59 that the people are ready for this message. 56:01 Give us a little taste of what this topic is about? 56:03 Oh, yeah, absolutely. 56:04 In the next sermon 56:05 we'll be looking at the story of blind Bartimaeus, 56:08 about a man who they pushed and ostracized 56:12 to the corners of society. 56:14 But still had the faith and determination 56:16 to call out to Jesus Christ 56:18 and say, Son of Naz-- 56:20 Jesus, Son of David, please bless me and open my eyes. 56:24 And so we'll look at how God gave him access, 56:26 granted him access to a blessing 56:29 that he'd never thought or imagined would have come-- 56:31 come his way, 56:32 even in the midst of other people telling them 56:35 close your mouth, 56:36 Jesus has nothing to do with you. 56:38 And so we're gonna be looking at that tomorrow. 56:40 So I'm looking forward to sharing that with all of you 56:42 and to our viewers. 56:44 And I pray that it will be a blessing. 56:46 Amen. Amen. 56:47 Well, we want to thank you 56:48 for being with us during this hour 56:50 and we want to invite you to continue to tune in 56:53 to the Foundation Of Our Faith program, 56:56 Pastor Kowlessar will be with us in the next program 56:59 Access Granted. 57:01 And God has a message for you 57:03 in God's holy word there are many inspiring stories 57:09 that communicate to us 57:10 something that we need to hang on to 57:13 because through Jesus Christ we have Access Granted. 57:18 And so we want to invite you to tune in next time 57:20 to the Foundation Of Our Faith on the Dare to Dream Network. 57:25 God bless you. |
Revised 2015-04-30