Participants: Cory Jackson
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000879
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01:00 It is a pleasure to introduce our next speaker, Pr. Cory 01:05 Jackson. For those of you who were here the other morning you 01:08 heard me say it was only natural for me to introduce him because 01:13 he's my twin brother and I don't say that facetiously. Cory and I 01:18 started the ministry in Grand Rapids, Michigan together. We 01:21 were in different churches. The Lord just knit our hearts 01:25 together. In fact, it was Cory who shared with me. One day he 01:29 said, you know, you're like my twin brother because, he said, 01:32 we want the same thing. We love the Lord. We want to see people 01:36 saved and I want to tell that's a lot, it means a lot coming 01:39 from Cory because as you're going to find out a little bit 01:42 in this presentation. Cory was heading into being a part of the 01:46 black panthers and he wasn't keen on white people. He'll tell 01:50 you that himself. So then to call me his twin brother, you 01:54 know, that's an evidence of the Lord's transforming power. And 01:58 that's going to be Cory's message today, Transformers. 02:01 Now he currently is the pastor of the Detroit Northwest Church 02:05 as well as the Farmington Hills church in the Detroit area. He's 02:09 also the head of the Lazarus project which is a project for 02:14 at risk inner city kids in the Detroit area and I would ask you 02:19 to hold that up in prayer. Now it seems interesting to me that 02:23 every message we have heard so far has been about surrender and 02:27 the transforming power of Jesus Christ in His word. Now Cory is 02:31 going to tell us about transformers. 02:34 I love you Mark. I'm much more handsome than Pastor Howard. 02:43 The other twin, the younger twin always has to be the best 02:51 looking so I'm the best looking between the two of us. But it is 02:58 indeed a pleasure to be here with you today because Howard 03:03 and I have spent our time in the ministry together and we got 03:06 ordained together so I think that's what makes it special. 03:11 The other morning, I should say yesterday morning the message 03:17 was entitled Oh Oh I Should Have Had a V-8. Today is part 2 to 03:24 that, called Transformers. When I was a little boy I didn't grow 03:30 up as a Christian, but when I was a little boy, I used to love 03:34 this particular show. This particular show had a character 03:40 by the name of Optimus Prime and Optimus Prime was a good guy. 03:46 But then when danger came Optimus Prime and his team 03:53 transformed themselves to fight the bad guy. I used to love 03:58 Optimus Prime, but when he transformed into this superhero 04:03 fighting machine you could not tell that he was a truck anymore 04:07 because he had transformed himself to fight off the bad guy 04:12 I was just intrigued by this show because as the truck 04:17 transformed you could not notice anything about the body 04:21 of the truck. And brothers and sisters, I want to tell you 04:26 today it's like that with Christ When He transforms our hearts 04:30 and He transforms our lives there should be nothing at all 04:36 that reminds Him of our old sinful ways. Amen? So as we pray 04:41 together and as we talk about transformers it is my prayer 04:46 that you will see Christ as He wants you to see Him today, amen 04:51 Kneel with me. Our Father in heaven we thank you for this 05:01 time we've had together and this time is no exception to that. 05:06 We're on sacred ground because your presence is with us. And as 05:12 we gather together the Bible says where two or three are 05:16 gathered that you'll be in the midst. We believe you've been 05:19 with us in the singing and the testimonies and the message 05:23 that I've been preaching and even continuing on. So Lord this 05:28 time is about you and not me. This time is about how you 05:32 transform lives for the soul purpose of taking us home with 05:35 you. So we pray for your presence right now. Into your 05:40 hands, Lord, I commend my spirit and ask you Lord that it will be 05:45 your voice that will be heard today. In the mighty name of 05:48 Jesus we pray, Amen. 05:52 I love looking up words and so I looked up the word transformer 05:58 Now in the dictionary, the one I used, it had eight different 06:03 meanings. There are two that I want to share with you today. 06:08 The first one is to change in form, appearance or structure. 06:13 Mmm, I kind of like that one but it's not the cake for me. You 06:17 know you can change in form and appearance and structure. You 06:21 know little boys who grow up. When I was a little boy I 06:24 didn't have all this hair on my face and as I got older the 06:27 appearance has changed, the weight has went off somewhere. 06:32 You guys not supposed to laugh at me. So the appearance has 06:36 changed somewhat. But then I looked at the second definition 06:39 that I enjoy. It says to change in condition, nature or 06:45 character, in other words, converted. I said yeah that's 06:49 the definition that I like. Let me read it to you again. To 06:55 change in condition, nature or character. The second definition 07:01 fit exactly what the word of God teaches, expounds on and most of 07:06 all expects, and that is transformation. 07:11 When you look at the Bible it's filled with stories and 07:15 individuals who have been transformed. In Psalm 51 David 07:19 said create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me. 07:23 John chapter 3, Jesus talking to Nicodemus, He says you must be 07:29 born again. Luke 22:32 Jesus told Peter when thou art 07:32 converted strengthen your brethren. Acts 3:19 07:35 Peter starts preaching 07:36 repent and be converted. 1 John 1:9 simply says if we confess 07:40 our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to 07:45 cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 07:47 So what we see is conversion, transformation. The question you 07:51 got to ask yourself, why is this necessary. Go with me in your 07:55 Bibles to Isaiah 64. Let's look at a couple scriptures that we 08:01 looked at yesterday as part of the review. Isaiah 64 and when 08:06 you're there please just say Amen. Isaiah 64. Isaiah the 64th 08:12 chapter in the Old Testament. Isaiah 64 verse 6 simply says 08:18 For we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness 08:23 are as filthy rags and we do all fade as a leaf and our 08:29 iniquities like the wind have taken us away. So the best that 08:34 you and I can give God is still filthy. No matter how much we 08:39 want to make it up the best we can give God without Him is 08:43 this sinful nature is filthiness Jeremiah 13, just one book over. 08:49 Jeremiah 13, Jeremiah 13 verse 23 and the reason of it is, 08:56 Jeremiah chapter 13 verse 23 the Bible says it this way. Can the 09:01 Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots. Then may 09:06 ye also do good that are accustomed to do what? Evil. So 09:12 we are accustomed to doing that which is wrong anyway. Now I 09:17 didn't eat lunch, not because it wasn't good, but I wanted to 09:22 have a clear mind as I preached. But I can imagine if there were 09:26 come hungry folks that had been waiting to get in line and I can 09:30 imagine someone was just going a little bit slow. Boy, if you 09:34 are hungry and in line and you see that it's to the last and 09:40 that person is scraping the last of your meal that you had 09:44 imagined being in line and you had waited for 20 minutes and 09:49 you see the person scraping it off and looking back, God bless 09:53 you and leaving. I hardly imagine in your mind what you 09:58 begin to think. I don't think you would utter words God bless 10:03 you do dear brother and sister. So in our condition we have a 10:08 tendency to think that which is what? Not good. And the reason 10:14 as Jeremiah 17 verse 9, the Bible says the heart is 10:20 deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know 10:24 it? So understanding that this is our condition, it must mean 10:31 that you and I need a what? Change. I need to let you know 10:35 as you go to Revelation 21, this is one of my favorite 10:39 subjects. My churches in Detroit know that I spend time talking 10:43 about transformation and living a converted life because it's 10:49 very important today. Amen? Revelation 21:27, the chapter 10:54 dealing with heaven, this new earth that we're all looking 11:00 forward to. But the last verse of 21 says: And there shall in 11:06 no wise enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatsoever 11:12 worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they that are written 11:17 in the Lamb's book of life. So we have to understand that when 11:22 Christ comes to get us He has to change us from our what? Present 11:27 state. Are you with me so far? Because nothing that goes to 11:32 heaven will be defiled. Everything connected to God is 11:35 what? Holy. When God comes into a room it is holy. Holy Bible, 11:39 holy tithe, Holy Spirit, Holy angels. He's looking for the 11:43 holy people. Are you with me so far? So Christ came to the earth 11:48 not only to save sinners but to also transform their lives. 11:53 John 1:29 simply says: Behold the Lamb of God, which comes to 11:57 take away the S-I-N of the world not sins, but to take away that 12:02 sinful nature that we all have. He came to take it away because 12:06 in Genesis 3:15 the promise was that I will put enmity between 12:11 the woman and the enemy's seed. Got gave us a mechanism to hate 12:16 that which is what? Sinful. Are you with me so far? All I have 12:21 to do is mention a child who's been molested or a parent who's 12:25 been killed and instantly you'll probably hate the person, but 12:29 not necessarily sin. But God wants us to hate the sin. 12:32 He wants us to hate sin because sin separates us from God. Are 12:40 you with me so far? In Genesis 1:26 He said: Let us make man in 12:48 our image. Christ came to restore man back to God's image, 12:53 to reconcile man back to His image. His image is His 12:59 character. How do people truly know God exists? They'll see it 13:06 in you. They'll see how you live The greatest sermon that can be 13:12 preached is not from this pulpit but it's what's lived. Are you 13:17 with me so far? So let's look at this in Mark chapter 5. One 13:23 of my favorite, if not the most favorite chapter, not to take 13:30 away from John 3:16, but Mark chapter 5. It reveals to me the 13:36 plan of salvation. Because Christ helps a man who's a 13:43 demoniac. He helps a woman who has an issue of blood. He helps 13:47 a child who died. So for me the plan of salvation is revealed in 13:52 Mark chapter 5 when all three are helped. Mark chapter 5. 13:58 In chapter 4, Jesus has spent all day teaching parables, 14:04 teaching about the kingdom of God. He gets close to the end of 14:08 the chapter and He says let's cross over to the other side. 14:11 To the other side was about seven miles away. And you know 14:15 in the midst of Him crossing to the other side there's a storm 14:19 that came and Jesus is in the boat asleep. And the disciples 14:22 are so scared and they forgot that Jesus was in the boat and 14:26 and they wake the Master to try to rebuke Him; don't you care 14:30 that we live or die. Jesus awakes and tells the sea to be 14:34 still. What they did not understand was that Jesus had a 14:38 child on the other side that He had to tend to. Chapter 5 verse 14:43 1. And the Bible says: And they came unto the other side of the 14:47 sea into the country of the Gadarenes and He was come out 14:53 of the ship and immediately there met him out of the tombs 14:58 a man with an unclean spirit who had his dwelling among the tombs 15:03 and no man could bind him, no, not with chains because that he 15:09 had been often bound with fetters and chains and the 15:13 chains had been plucked asunder by him and the fetters broken 15:17 in pieces. Neither could any man tame him. And always night and 15:21 day he was in the mountains in the tombs crying and cutting 15:26 himself. Now I don't know about you. I'm from the city of 15:31 Chicago and it's not much that I have not seen. But I don't 15:35 know about you but being in a boat, crossed to the other side 15:40 and immediately you get out you see a man ahhhh! scream. Now 15:46 I don't know about you, I don't know what gun could help him to 15:52 scare him off. Screaming, hollering. The Bible says in 15:57 Luke that he was nude, naked. Now that really would scare me. 16:02 Not only is he screaming and hollering but he's naked. 16:10 I would be scared to death and as it was the disciples ran and 16:20 as soon as they touched shore I can imagine them brothers 16:23 racing, running. John, I'm going to get to the shore before you. 16:27 I got to get away from here. I don't know what's going on now. 16:30 We just survived a storm on the sea. Now we got a storm on land. 16:36 Well the church members fled when they say a crazy, deranged 16:42 man. But this man lived in a cave. This man was 16:50 uncontrollable. How do you know? Chains couldn't hold him on his 16:54 feet or on his arms. Now I used to be a juvenile probation 16:59 officer and we had "dangerous" kids we had to transport and we 17:05 had to shackle them from head to toe. Basically arms are shackled 17:09 to here and they'd walk like this. Now I've seen some of them 17:13 try to break that chain and you know you sit there laughing at 17:17 them because all they're doing is hurting themselves. Trying to 17:22 part that thing. But this guy, pow! Mmm! I would be scared to 17:26 death because the shackles were still on him but they were 17:32 broken. Screaming, cutting himself and most of all he's 17:39 possessed by demons. This man is a psychopath. Let me see you 17:45 vote him into your church. Let me see the pastor introduce him 17:52 to your congregation. Not only does he have the fetters on, but 17:58 he's naked before the church. You would probably kick the 18:04 pastor out. He's utterly dangerous and there's no mental 18:09 institution that can hold him. He's a danger to society. He's 18:16 the very ones that we don't want to deal with. Now we have a 18:20 church, one of my churches, is in the inner city of Detroit and 18:25 it's a place that most folk don't want to come down to. 18:30 It's a place with a lot of good folk. Let me say that. But those 18:34 who give Detroit a bad name... It's a place where there are good 18:38 folk but it's also a place with bad folk. And the place where 18:43 my church is it's one of the most violent precincts in all of 18:47 Detroit. When we go into church we go in as groups. When we 18:52 leave church we leave as a group Our air conditioners on top of 18:57 the roof, somebody came on top of the roof and stole them. Cars 19:02 have been stolen and so when you see somebody walking by you give 19:08 them that this may be the one. But all in all God has taken 19:14 care of His church and His people. But there's not too many 19:18 folk who want to come down to the inner city of Detroit and do 19:23 ministry because they are afraid of the atmosphere. So I can 19:27 understand what Jesus is dealing with right here when there are 19:31 those who are afraid of the very ones that's created just like 19:36 them. And they're afraid to come into contact with people. 19:40 So I can understand what Jesus is going through in this mind 19:47 frame because we in society get afraid of the inner city. So as 19:53 His disciples ran Jesus is here face to face with the demon and 20:00 verse 6 said that he ran to Jesus. Perhaps to lunge at him, 20:06 perhaps to attack, perhaps to put him a choke hold. I can 20:13 imagine Jesus being cool, calm and collected standing there as 20:18 he's running. And he gets to him and he just rrrr! stops and 20:25 Jesus looking at him not afraid one bit. The Bible says that the 20:33 man began to worship Him. And even in the midst of the worship 20:39 the devil does not want to let go. In verse 7 he says: And he 20:44 cried with a loud voice and said what have I to do with thee 20:49 Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God. I adjure thee by God that 20:54 that you do not torment me. Jesus simply tells the evil 21:00 spirit come on out, just come on out! Just come on out! And we 21:04 see, you read the rest of it where this evil spirit went into 21:11 the swine and all of a sudden, in verse 15, as Peter got the 21:16 courage to come back the Bible says in verse 15: And they come 21:24 the legion sitting, and clothed, in his right mind and they were 21:32 still what? It's amazing to me how we get afraid when 21:37 conversion has started. Amen. They were still afraid. Now look 21:41 at the picture; before he was naked, he was cutting himself, 21:46 he was screaming, but now the Bible says he's in his right 21:50 mind and Jesus just purchased him some clothes, just like that 21:53 he got clothes on and he's sitting with Jesus quiet. And 21:59 they're still afraid. Transformation with 22:06 Jesus happens as this man had a contact with Jesus and put 22:10 clothes back on his body. This man had a transformation with 22:13 Jesus. Didn't have to take no psycho medications, 22:17 psychotropic medications, but all he had to do was come in 22:20 contact and boom his mind came back. All he had to do was have 22:23 have contact with Jesus. He went from being nude, having nothing 22:26 to having clothes and having something. This man went 22:32 perhaps to hurt Jesus, to harm Jesus and he went from hurting 22:37 and harming to sitting and listening. Transformation. 22:41 You can't explain it. You can't explain how it happens. All we 22:46 can say is boom, Jesus takes care of us and that's it. The 22:50 woman with an issue of blood for 12 years; all of a sudden she 22:54 has a contact with Jesus and now she's smelling like Bath and 23:01 Body. Simply having a contact with Jesus. See 2 Corinthians 23:08 5:17 which was mentioned earlier It simply says: Therefore if any 23:12 man be in Christ, he is a new creation. What's passed away? 23:17 Old things are passed away. So see the problem that takes place 23:23 is we'll come to Jesus but we'll not give Jesus all of us. So 23:29 Jesus you got to take me how I am. You know the saying, how it 23:34 goes: Jesus excepts you how you are but He doesn't expect you to 23:40 stay that way. Amen? There's progress when it comes to Christ 23:44 He can't accept you as a cusser and then take you to the kingdom 23:50 and you cuss him out. He can't take you as being selfish and 23:55 keep you there. He can't take you as a racist to the kingdom 24:00 because then you'll think that we're supposed to be on 24:04 different sides of heaven. Are you with me so far? There's 24:10 no inner city in heaven. There's no suburbs in the kingdom. 24:18 We have a contact with Christ. He expects change to take place. 24:25 He expects what to take place? Because we are experiencing Him 24:31 daily. Are you with me so far? Romans chapter 6, Romans chapter 24:37 6. We're going to get a little deeper into it. Can I challenge 24:42 you today in your thinking. Romans chapter 6. Because I'm 24:46 pretty sure what Pastor Howard said about me about what 24:50 I did not like in terms of a certain people, AKA, Caucasians. 24:55 I'm pretty sure there are some who didn't like me as a black 24:59 person if we're honest with ourselves. But see 25:02 when transformation happens you got to _ which you did 25:05 not like. Amen. Because that's in the past. So I don't mind 25:08 telling you what I did not like and what I did not care for. I 25:12 don't mind at all because I'm not that way no more, at least 25:18 my hope. Romans chapter 6. This man had an experience with 25:25 Christ. An experience that changed his life. Romans chapter 25:31 6, familiar text, verse 4 says: Therefore we are buried with Him 25:35 by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the 25:39 dead by the glory of the Father even so we should walk in 25:43 newness of life. So that old life that kept Christ at a 25:48 distance cannot be walked with any more. Verse 5 says: For if 25:53 we have been united together in the likeness of His death, we 25:57 shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this, 26:02 that our old man is crucified with Him that the body of sin 26:07 might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve 26:10 sin. You with me so far? So when Christ comes into my life I 26:16 begin to lose that desire for sinful things. Are you with me 26:22 so far? Are you sure? You're answering mighty quick. You 26:27 don't know what's coming next from this point. Colossians, 26:32 Colossians chapter 3, Colossians chapter 3. The Bible says we 26:39 are to walk in newness of life That the old man is gone. 26:45 There's a new man. You walk different, talk different, you 26:50 act different. All those things are different about you. You 26:55 don't handle conflict the same way you used to. Colossians 27:00 chapter 3, verse 8. First start with verse 7. He's talking about 27:07 verses 5, 6 and verse 7: In the which you also walked some time, 27:14 when you lived in them. But now ye also put off all these: anger 27:20 wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 27:25 Lie not one to another, seeing that you have put off the old 27:29 man with his deeds; and have put on the new man which is renewed 27:33 in knowledge after the image of Him that what? Created Him. 27:37 Verse 12 says: Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and 27:42 beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, 27:47 meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and 27:52 forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against you; 27:56 even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. So the Bible begins 28:00 telling me how I need to start acting. Amen? He needs to show 28:05 me that things are different about me, that that old man that 28:09 quick-tempered man, that man that did not like Christ begins 28:12 to serve Christ and his heart becomes softened to Christ. 28:16 You know I told you yesterday that for some of you when I was 28:20 growing up... My mother's here and she raised my brother and I 28:24 to the best of her ability taking nothing away when my 28:27 father left. There's something about the inner city, there's 28:31 something about boys who don't have a father like with the 28:34 things they take on and as I grew up there were things that I 28:38 began to inherit that she did not teach me, my mother that is. 28:41 Negative things because my mother would love us and 28:43 sacrifice for us and do all those things because of an 28:46 element of my life that was missing and that was my father 28:49 and it made me grow angry. So then I started looking at the 28:53 ills of society, the woes in our community and how there were a 28:57 lot of mothers like my mother who didn't have a man around 29:02 and I began to get angry and I began subscribing to various 29:07 things that promoted my anger and encouraged my anger and even 29:11 got me to blame my anger. So as I got older I got into 29:17 college and this young boy coming from Chicago from this 29:20 all black community comes to Grand Rapids, Michigan where 29:24 the population of black folks is only 13 percent. And at the 29:27 college that I attended it was only 4 percent. You now I had 29:31 struggles. So a band of us would get together and we would talk 29:35 about things we'd want to do and so we began to talk about how 29:39 it would be essential for us to take out a white man because he 29:43 was the problem to all out woes and we just needed to the 29:47 opportunity. See we weren't dumb You know, we couldn't just go 29:52 out and devise a scheme because that's murder one. That's 25 to 29:58 life, but we had a just cause. Maybe we'll get manslaughter. 30:04 We were in college. During this time I started beginning to 30:08 study about what it means to be a black panther and what it 30:12 means to be a black Muslim and so all those things began to 30:17 increase and I could not wait to kill me a white man. I couldn't 30:22 wait. My wife can tell you the books I had, talk I had. I told 30:27 her our boy who's here now we would raise him to be another 30:31 Malcom X a militant supreme. My wife is like, no you got the 30:36 wrong lady. Praise the Lord. And I began to tell my mother 30:43 about me studying as a black pan... I didn't tell her 30:45 everything because you know mothers will try to shut things 30:48 down. They'll catch a Greyhound, they'll catch a ride somewhere 30:51 to stop the presses so I gave her as little as possible, I'm 30:54 thinking about becoming a Muslim and a black panther and my 30:57 mother said something to me that shook me. She says, son if you 31:01 do I'm scared you might lose your life. And in my mind I'm 31:05 thinking that's the whole purpose for the cause. So as I'm 31:10 going through this tirade of experience and figuring out who 31:14 I am and what I am and what I'm doing, my anger began to get 31:19 more increased. My temper more increased and my wife would tell 31:24 you that a stared white folks down in a minute and would not 31:28 take my eye off because I'm hoping that they'll say 31:31 something to me that I did 31:32 not like and without anything being said I was swinging and 31:38 commencing to hit and punch and hurt even stomp. Don't 31:44 worry. It'll never happen today. Amen. You guys are secure today. 31:51 But the Lord knew that there was something about me He had a 31:57 change. So long story short this man Rich Max came into my 32:02 life and he started telling me about this man named Jesus. 32:07 And unlike, Rich, I'm not serving no white Jesus. 32:11 Shakespeare 32:12 wrote the Bible anyway. That's what the Muslims were teaching 32:15 me. I'm not serving no white Jesus. He's for the white man. 32:19 I said Mohammad's for the black man and he just kept pouring it 32:23 on and long story short the Lord brought my wife and I to this 32:29 message. There was a struggle. It took them a year and a half 32:34 to deprogram me, to get me back on track to what God wanted 32:39 me. And when He did that I came up out of that water there was 32:44 an element of hate that began to dissolve. And it wasn't until I 32:48 went to the Black Hills Mission College with Pastor Torres that 32:52 I really understood this first angel's message; to every nation 32:56 kindred, tongue and people. Because I would express my 33:00 sentiment to him because he's Puerto Rican you see. And Puerto 33:05 Rican is close to black folk. But he was just light skinned. 33:09 So I knew he would understand my pain. See my grandfather's 33:13 Puerto Rican so I got one. We could start a revolution. I'm 33:19 in the church, you follow me now And He talked to me as many of 33:24 you know Him, He talked to me. And from that moment on I began 33:29 to see things differently. He says Cory Christ sees saints and 33:37 sinners. The devil sees color. And as he began to teach me and 33:45 teach me and teach me the wall began to be broken down. Then 33:49 when God put me in the Conference that I'm in I thought he was 33:54 playing a joke on me. The first person I brought to the church 34:01 was a white female named Dale Fitzpatrick. I said Lord you are 34:07 humorous. But it would not have happened if I had not had 34:12 contact with Christ, willing to give up my beliefs and give it 34:21 to Him. Let me move on. See, see back in Mark chapter 5, the 34:28 Bible says in verse 18, it says: And when he was come into the 34:33 ship he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that 34:39 he might be with him. This very demonic man said Lord let me be 34:44 with you now. I don't want to go nowhere. I just want to 34:48 be with you. 34:49 See when you give yourself to Jesus all you want to do is be 34:51 with Him. Amen. If your spouse walks out it don't bother you 34:55 that much but you still just want to be with Jesus because 34:59 that's the most important man in your life. I don't want to go 35:02 nowhere. But Jesus said no. Verse 19: Jesus suffered him 35:06 not, but saith unto him, go home to thy friends, and tell them 35:09 how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had 35:12 compassion on you. 35:13 And he departed, and began to publish or proclaim in 35:17 Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men 35:20 did marvel. See what you don't understand is when your life 35:24 becomes transformed God has to show off, He has to pray, He 35:27 has to get the kudos for it. He loves to do it. He loves to take 35:31 a sin loving, sin eating man and make him a Bible toting, 35:37 vegemeat eating individual. He loves to change them. He loves 35:41 for others to see them and to see transformation that takes place 35:46 so that when someone asks, Cory what happened. Jesus. What you 35:50 mean Jesus? I can't tell you that now. It's Jesus. It's all 35:54 it's Jesus. It's that man on Calvary. It's Jesus. That's all 35:58 you can say. Because all the books I've read, he broke that 36:01 thing down and kicked the door down and everything. It was him. 36:06 And this man went back home and can you imagine when he 36:11 walked in the city gates? They said Oh here comes crazy Bob. 36:16 Hide! Hide! I tell you hide! They're all behind the tree and 36:20 he's walking in with a new suit on, walking a certain way. He's 36:23 got a Bible in his hand. Spirit of Prophet in the other hand. 36:26 Just walking around with folks seeing Him. All hail to King 36:29 Jesus and talking about nothing about Christ and Christ 36:34 crucified. Nothing else but Jesus. So those who were once 36:39 afraid now can see Christ just a little bit better. And you 36:43 notice in Mark 7 when He came to the Decapolis there were 36:48 people waiting for Jesus to heal them. Because they had seen the 36:56 healing power of this man who goes nameless. 1 Peter chapter 37:01 2, 1 Peter chapter 2. Let me tell y'all something. The Lord 37:07 loves to brag. I know grandparents love to brag on 37:12 their grandchildren. As bad as their grand kids are they still 37:14 brag on them. You now in Grandma's eyes a grandbaby can 37:19 do no wrong. And they're just as bad and I don't know what. 37:24 That's all right. You get two grandparents together they 37:27 _ about their grandkids But they love to brag about 37:31 their grandkids. I don't care if they got snot nose, I don't care 37:33 if the boys stink, they still brag about grandbabies. Now if 37:38 you can brag about a grandchild what you think God will brag 37:45 about. Are you with me so far? 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 9 37:50 I'm won't read but verse 10 it's continuing from verse 9. It 37:54 says, Which in times past you were not a people, but now are people 37:58 of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained 38:02 mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and 38:06 pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the 38:08 soul; having your conduct honest (or honorable) among the 38:12 Gentiles; that where 38:13 they speak evil against you as evildoers, they may by your good 38:18 works, which they shall behold, glorify who? when they see you 38:23 living the life of a transformed Christian. Amen. My buddies 38:27 who a lot of them are in prison and the ones that's left they 38:32 see me they say maniac Jack did change. He's not the same 38:37 guy he used to be. There's something different about him. 38:39 And one of my partners said I... he said man you think this Jesus 38:44 thing is real. I said yeah. Can't you tell. Look at him. Now 38:49 I don't have to give a Bible study. But they're just watching 38:53 the life. I've never asked to be a preacher, never asked to be a 38:56 pastor, never asked any of those things but God says you got a 39:00 testimony to tell. And there's a transformation that has taken 39:05 place in your life that you have to share with others. The most 39:10 powerful and dangerous man or woman to the devil is a 39:14 transformed man or woman. You are a threat to his kingdom 39:18 because when they see you being transformed now they know that 39:23 there's a power higher, higher than yourself. The atheist will 39:28 will be transformed. All these people that don't serve Christ 39:34 they will be transformed just by seeing you live accordingly. 39:44 James chapter 4, how does this begin? James chapter 4 right 39:49 the book right after Hebrews. James chapter 4: 39:53 It says: Submit yourselves therefore to God, verse 7, 39:59 resist the devil and He will flee from you. Draw near to God, 40:02 and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; 40:05 and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Submission 40:11 surrender, be willing, be willing to submit. Be honest 40:17 with yourself. Be honest of who you are. When you are a 40:23 converted Christian you don't go certain places any more. You 40:27 don't look at certain things on the TV. You don't engage in 40:33 certain conversations. You don't eat like you used to eat. You 40:37 don't talk how you used to talk. Everything that's on the boob 40:40 tube is not to your liking. When you've been transformed there's 40:49 no way you can be racist. There's no way you can be sexist 40:53 There's no way you can have anything negative about you. 40:57 There's no way that you can hold back your love from me because 41:01 from me because I'm a black man. There's no way, brothers and 41:05 sisters, we can be separated by this or that. There's no way 41:08 we shouldn't be able to worship together. There's no way we 41:11 shouldn't be able to serve God together. There's no way. If 41:15 it is it's a problem with your conversion process. Not his, but 41:20 yours in accepting it. Because how I can kiss a black man I can 41:25 kiss a white man. I won't kiss you on the lips, I promise. But 41:29 God is looking for individuals who would live converted lives 41:34 today. That old stuff, is sinful. That old stuff kept me 41:38 back. That old stuff kept me away from Christ. But this new 41:42 life draws me to. It just pulls me and pulls me and I can't help 41:46 it. As soon as I get close I stop cussing. As I get close I 41:50 stop smoking. As I get close I stop drinking. As I get close I 41:52 stop partying. As I get close I start eating right. As I get 41:55 close I stop cheating. As I get close I don't go to casinos, I 42:00 don't play lottery, I don't do any of that. As I get closer I'm 42:04 looking to be transformed. As I get closer I'm not racist. As I 42:08 get closer I'm not sexist. As I get closer I'm who He wants me 42:16 to be. Amen? I'm who He wants me to be. So when I see blacks 42:21 and whites and Asians and Hispanics worshipping together 42:24 it tells me that God is really glorified. They say the most 42:30 segregated times in America is when folk go to their churches. 42:33 Amen? So how does God get the glory when we are in our 42:39 separate huts. How are we so separate? I love soul food. You 42:45 may not love soul food. I love me some soul food. You may not 42:49 even know what that is. Come to my house. We'll tell you. We 42:56 separate ourselves and we become very prejudiced even among 43:03 ourselves. Are you with me so far? Ezekiel 36. See by 43:11 you surrendering you give God the authority to begin to 43:19 transform. As you surrender, you give Him the authority to start 43:24 transforming. As you surrender you give Him the authority to 43:29 start what? Transforming you. In surrendering you have to be 43:32 honest with yourself. I had to come to grips with who I was. I 43:38 had to come to grips of my likes and dislikes. I had to come to 43:43 grips that me being prejudiced would keep me out of the kingdom 43:47 I had to come to grips with it and God had to send me 2000 43:52 miles away from my queen to get me to see it in a valley. 43:56 Because when I went to Black Hills I told the person who was 44:00 supporting me, ain't no black folks in Black Hills so this 44:04 black boy ain't going. He says Cory you need to go. I said no. 44:07 I need some black folk because you know when black folk are 44:10 there I got someone I can lean on, get some soul food with the 44:13 some. When I got there my roommate had a machete on his 44:19 bed and he was a white boy. I called my wife. I said, baby 44:24 the Lord didn't send me down here to get chopped up. And this 44:28 brother and I became the best of friends. He's a missionary today 44:32 We had some very deep conversations. We both had to be 44:36 deprogrammed and so the Lord sent us together. Are you with 44:40 me so far? 44:41 So that's why I can call this shade of a colored man named 44:46 Pastor Howard my twin. Ezekiel 36 verse 26, are you there? 44:52 Verse 24 says For I will take you from among the heathen, and 44:56 gather you out of all countries and will bring you to your land. 44:59 Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean: 45:05 from all you what? Filthiness, and from all your idols, will I 45:09 cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit 45:12 I will put within you and I will take away the stony heart of 45:16 your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh and I will put 45:20 my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and 45:24 you shall keep me judgments and you shall do them. God says I'll 45:28 put a new heart in you. I'll give you a new spirit. I'll give 45:31 you a right frame of mind so that when you're thinking the 45:35 process of thinking is heavenly thinking and not earthly 45:38 thinking. I'll put a new heart in you so you can love now 45:41 unconditionally. You don't have to worry because of the way 45:44 somebody treats you or how they look or this or that. But you 45:48 love because I'm in you. Christ is looking for individuals today 45:53 brothers and sisters, who are transformed from the world into 45:58 His image today. He did it then, He will do it now. He took 46:04 Abraham who was a liar and a polygamist; He took Jacob who 46:09 was a deceiver; He took Moses who was a killer; He took David 46:15 a killer, a cheater and a liar; He took Solomon who had so many 46:21 women it's unheard of; He took Peter who was prejudiced yet 46:25 prideful all at the same time. He took James and John who had 46:30 bad tempers. He took a woman named Mary who would sleep 46:35 with anybody she could sleep with and yet be possessed by 46:40 demons. He took Paul who was a killer. What about you? What 46:45 about you? Will your name be added to the list of 46:48 transformers to complete the story. Have you had experience 46:53 with Him lately that you can say Lord keep transforming me. Now 46:58 it doesn't mean once He starts that it's over. It's a continual 47:02 process called sanctification so it's going to keep on going. 47:06 See I don't have a desire to drink and smoke and all that. 47:10 All that stuff is gone but it doesn't mean I'm perfect. It 47:13 means I'm striving to be perfect in Him. But I have to admit that 47:21 I was. I met a young man. He was part of the MS-13s. MS-13 47:27 is one of the most violent gangs in South America and they have 47:31 come to North America, specifically in LA and some of 47:36 the eastern coast towns. This young boy, 17, 18 years old 47:41 didn't even complete high school and way they kill you when they 47:47 do kill you, they chop you with a machete. Most violent gang in 47:52 the world today. But I had an opportunity to minister to this 47:57 young man. When I first met him he was hard core and I don't say 48:01 that hard core tough stuff. I used to be a probation officer. 48:05 I dealt with these kinds. I just wanted to get him to talk and 48:10 talk and minister and him listen to be preach the word and all of 48:15 a sudden one day I made an appeal for baptism and I looked 48:20 dead at him and I told him the Lord is calling your life, step 48:24 down. He tried to be cool and turn away but I kept staring 48:29 and the Lord was on him. He came down. The Lord let me baptize 48:34 him. I saw him this last summer. He says Pastor Jackson I'm out 48:38 to finish high school and I'm going to be a medical missionary 48:43 for Jesus. Don't you tell me God can't change a life. Now as you 48:46 close your eyes I want you to think about your own life. Don't 48:51 look at me. Look at yourself for a minute. I want you to think 48:54 about your own life right now. I want you to think about where 48:57 God has stopped in the transformation process in your 49:01 life. See we go to a certain point then we say God I'm good. 49:04 And we're stopped. But God has to keep going with you unless 49:07 some way He stopped with you that you have not let Him 49:11 overcome yet. I don't know. Maybe it's pornography. Maybe 49:15 it's having a bad mouth. Maybe it's having a bad habit. Maybe 49:19 it's smoking and nobody sees you I don't know, I don't care but 49:23 Christ does. You know that the transformation process has 49:30 stopped. You don't see Jesus the same anymore and you don't feel 49:34 way and you get easily intense with anger and it feels like oh 49:38 if I could just choke this person one time I'll do it. 49:42 And you see that you're fading from Him. Yes you once had 49:47 it and the old 49:49 man seemed to be gone but now he seems to have been 49:53 resurrected. And you want to tell Jesus today I need the 49:57 process to continue. I need the process to keep going because 50:02 I won't be there if the transformation is not complete. 50:08 Maybe you're like me, very prejudiced, hateful, despising, 50:15 mean. Because in Matthew chapter 7 many would say to Him at that 50:19 day, Lord I've done this, I've done that and He'll say I never 50:23 knew you. In other words, you don't even look like me. You 50:27 don't act like me, you don't talk like me. And I want to 50:32 challenge you today to be an example and I want you to just 50:37 come down so you can pray right here. You know that the process 50:42 has been slowed by you. And you're saying today to God, Lord 50:47 I need you to transform me like never before. I've stopped it. 50:53 Come down here. Don't sit there You know it better than I do. 50:57 If I can admit being racist to millions of people 51:01 what about you? God leads us today and He wants to continue 51:07 this process today. He doesn't care how old you are. 51:09 He wants you to come down. He wants you 51:13 to come down to His throne today and say Lord I've stopped it. 51:17 There's nothing wrong with His process, it's us y'all. Maybe 51:20 your like me. Is He done with me, of course not. Does He still 51:28 have a work to do? Yes He does. Am I willing to let Him do it? 51:34 I am. Will you come down? Will you be honest today. 51:41 Maybe you see yourself as the demoniac. There's help brothers 51:42 and sister's. 51:44 He says I want to give you a new heart today. I want to give you 51:48 a new spirit today. I don't want you to continue struggling like 51:52 you're struggling. I don't want you to continue asking me this 51:55 and that. I want you to believe that you can be a son of God, 52:00 that you can be a daughter of God. I don't want you to feel 52:04 depressed and angry. I don't want you to feel that way. I've 52:07 come to bring joy. I've come to bring life. I've come to bring 52:11 it more abundantly. Come down and let Him be your all in all. 52:15 No man or woman on this earth can make you as happy as Jesus 52:21 but we have to be honest. We have to be honest about who we 52:27 are, what we are. Don't allow your prejudices, don't allow 52:31 your dislikes, don't allow your own hereditary tendencies to 52:36 keep you from the joy of Jesus. God loves us too much, brothers 52:43 and sisters, to see us suffer. And for the rest of us, why 52:49 don't we kneel together as I pray. You're not here by 52:53 coincidence to this rally. You're here because God has a 52:57 work to do. And when there's work that needs to be 53:01 done. He wants to take you home. Heaven would not be the same if 53:07 you weren't there. See there's a seat that's only reserved for 53:10 you in heaven. Pastor Jackson can't fill your seat, Pastor 53:13 Howard, brother Dwight Hall, sister Debbie Young... 53:17 No one can fill that seat but you. 53:19 And even though He said He'd wipe all the tears away 53:21 that seat that's empty will always be a reminder to Him that you're 53:25 not there. See we may forget, but God will never forget His 53:29 children. And so there's a seat that's reserved that has your 53:34 name on it and nobody else can sit in that seat but you. No one 53:38 else can have that time but you. But He needs you to help Him 53:45 help you get there. Brothers and sisters it's only for you. Would 53:51 you stay faithful so that the seat can be filled and when we 53:57 all get to heaven what a joy it will be. Our Father in heaven, 54:03 we're so thankful for this rally We're so thankful for the word 54:09 of God that transforms lives and will forgive us. We're getting 54:13 to a point where we believe that we're ready to be translated. 54:18 Forgive us Lord for thinking that we've come to a point where 54:22 your services in our lives are no longer needed. Forgive us 54:26 Lord for we have strayed, but Father we're coming back to you 54:32 today. On this day, August 25th let it be a reminder to us of 54:36 plans that we plan to make, Lord. These are your people. 54:42 We are your children. So Lord we come to you on our knees 54:47 with sunken hearts and tears running down our faces knowing 54:52 that upon our getting up, Lord, you've already answered our 54:58 prayers. So as each one of us silently pray Lord help us to 55:05 tell you what we need and what you need from us is surrender. 55:10 But please Lord fell us with your Spirit, fill us with your 55:16 love and help our lives to follow you all the way. 55:21 Transform us in such a way that how we talk, how we live, how we 55:27 think will be different that you will bless us abundantly today. 55:31 Thank you again for Remnant Publications and 3ABN coming 55:36 together for this rally. Bless us and keep us and may this be 55:42 not a temporary fix but an eternal solution that takes 55:46 place. In Jesus' name, Amen. |
Revised 2018-04-11