If you were here a couple weeks ago, I started, which I didn't know was going to be a series at the time, but a message called holding patterns. And what I kicked it off with is God began to speak to me a couple years ago on the plane to Nicaragua about holding patterns and that it wasn't about planes, it was about people. And the last message was really about going from immaturity to maturity as a believer that moving forward into things that we weren't lost, that most people aren't lost, they're just circling and there's some things that's keeping them from landing. So last week, Pastor Fred was preaching a message and yeah, so if you're not caught up, this is a picture of a holding pattern.
The location down there is where the plane's going to land, but like I said, it's not lost, it's just not clear to land yet. So it circles until it gets to clearance. So that's a little gist of the holding pattern. So last week, Pastor Fred brought a powerful word and it's still rocking me to my core, but it was out of Luke 7.
So I'm going to touch on Luke 7, but I have a lot of teaching today. So I hope you're ready. If you're ready, say I'm ready. Here's what I'm going to ask of you as your pastor, lock in today.
My family says lock in when we want something to get done and get serious. I have a lot to say today and so I'm going to encourage you to lock in, take notes. I'm going to keep moving, but it's going to be great. But he spoke on forgiveness last week.
As he was preaching, there was this moment when he began to talk about certain topics and then he started to bring up about serving others and it got quiet just like it did last week. I'm telling you church, something shifted in the room when he began to speak about it. He gave us a visual that I'm going to talk about here in a moment. But when I say I got quiet, you could feel it.
Like he began to lock me into this moment that really began to spoke to my heart to say, God, I really felt impressed that he said, hey, there's a holding pattern here. So I learned a long time ago from my good friend here, asked better questions. So I began to ask God, God, what are you talking about? What's happening here?
And I felt like the Holy Spirit just started highlighting things to me. And the message was great on forgiveness and about, we've received forgiveness, but we're stuck in our walk because we haven't let that forgiveness become fuel for love. For humility and for service. And that's what led me to say in this passage.
And so I'm not going to go deep into it. I'm going to briefly catch this up, but I'm going to hit the ground running on some topics that I feel like God really put on my heart to help us get out of this to break free from some of these holding patterns that we're in. So let's catch you up. Luke 7, Jesus is invited to dinner by a Pharisee named Simon.
Did y'all get that last week? Hey church, listen, help me out. Did y'all get last week that he was going to dinner at a Pharisees house? There we go.
Okay. So it was interesting because it's not really a sincere invite. It's more like Simon wants to observe Jesus. He wants to test him.
He, he's sizing him up if that registers. And while Jesus is reclined at the table, a woman known in the city as a sinner in her lifestyle that she's in and all that good stuff, walks in uninvited. She broke, she breaks open a jar of perfume, weeps at Jesus' feet, wipes them with her hair and anoints him with her tears. And judges both the woman and Jesus.
But then Jesus tells a parable and flips the whole room upside down. He reveals that the woman who loved much understood grace far more than Simon, who thought he had little to be forgiven of. You know I noticed something when he's preaching and I'm just a weird person, but I'm hearing all the like, yeah, yeah, on all the topics of like forgiveness and stuff that people are like, yeah, I know about it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then when something was a part that was, I've learned it sometimes it sinks in, but then I've also learned that that's a part where there's some unknown, there's no confidence there. And that's when people get, they're all big on the forgiveness and all that other stuff and understand it. But then there's this moment that God led me to. And I believe church, this whole scene, entire scene that was talked about last week that we're going to talk about today is a divine setup that two people under the same roof, one stuck in pride and one breaking through in humility.
There's so much, we were just talking about this, we could stay here forever. But I began to let it rest on me and then the frustration happened. Listen, y'all don't act like you don't know about frustration in your walk. Like I said, when he started talking about serving others, God, quiet.
So the frustration begins to set in. Can we buckle up? This is a challenging message church, but I believe it's from God and I'm going to give it everything I have, everything that we study today. So let's buckle up.
Trying to help someone who doesn't want help. Trying to disciple without transformation. This is the atmosphere that Jesus walks into. With all that in mind, I want to ask a deeper question.
Have you ever tried to help somebody that doesn't want help? If you have, we raise your hand or it's been challenging, it's been frustrating. Am I talking to anybody yet this morning where the frustration sets in or you're pouring everything out and you're not seeing any results and you're frustrated? Ooh, wee, it's going to be a good morning.
Like you saw where they're heading? You offered love, advice, truth, maybe you've even been over backwards. I know you've said that before. I've know you've felt that before.
But nothing changed. Why? Because you can't force hunger. That's why.
Again, church, this is the atmosphere that Jesus walks into. Spiritual circles, one is sucking, the other landing right into freedom. One in a holding pattern of pride and the other breaking through and humility. So before we get to what happened in the house, and y'all, I'm going to need every bit of my hour today.
So I hope you stay with me. But before we get into the house, I got a question that pops up. You need to go back. Why did Jesus even go to Simon's house in the first place?
Luke 736 tells us this. One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. This is going to blow your mind, but Jesus went because he was invited.
We can all go home. But here's the thing. I want to start to break this down, church. Simon didn't invite him to worship.
He didn't invite him over for any of that stuff. But even though Jesus who knows all things and knew it was a setup, Jesus still came. Church has spoke to my heart. Why did he come?
Because Jesus responds to the invitation. Even when motives are mixed. We don't like that, but that's what he does. He enters both humble and prideful places.
This side, don't get it, church. He enters both humble and prideful places. Because that's the God we serve. We don't like to do that.
We'll enter humble places, happy, cheering, yeah, yeah, but there's prideful places, there's prideful people. Phew. That's on them. We're going to see a new side of our Savior today.
He's not intimidated by religious skepticism. He's not afraid to sit where pride thinks it's in control. I want to tell you that most of all what I've seen is that he came to reveal the difference between religion and revelation. That dinner table became a divine collision zone between pride and repentance, performance and posture, someone who evaluated Jesus, and someone who exalted him.
Jesus didn't go just to eat. He came to reveal what true faith, love, and humility really looks like. So here we are in church week two of holding pattern. I'm going to preach from this thought, low enough to land.
Because we're going to see it at the end, and we saw it last week, it wasn't the one seated at the table who walked away changed. It was the one who bowed low and poured it all out. Here's four quick things about Jesus. Like I said, he came because he was invited, even with wrong motives.
He doesn't sit with the desperate. He also sits with the deceived. Two. These are not my points, by the way.
I'm not there yet. He came to reveal the difference between religion and relationship, the difference between head knowledge and heart transformation, religious performance, and relational worship, self-righteousness, and surrendered love. He's Simon represents those who look the part, but misses the person of Jesus. The woman represents someone who did everything wrong, the one thing right for posture.
He went into Simon's house because he was invited, but he went to actually reveal who knew him. Point three. This is the one that got this. This is the one that sought me church.
We put so much focus on her and rightfully so. What he went to reach Simon and to. I don't want us to miss this today. He didn't go just for her.
He went for Simon. Even in Simon's arrogance, he still engaged him with a story, challenged his assumptions, and offered him a chance to see things differently. See, he was extending revelation to Simon. Simon just didn't have the humility to receive it.
I want to tell you something about Jesus is that he'll enter private spaces, but he'll only pour out grace where there's room for it. Church, I want to start bridging this gap or whatever you want to call it to these thoughts that Jesus can do whatever he wants to do. I'm not here to tell you that he can't. If anybody, and I'm not saying you don't, but if anyone believes that, I do.
So I want to get us on the side of thinking together and partnering with that it's not that he can't do it. But we got to start seeing the nature of the Father seen through Jesus to start to figure out all these questions that we have and why we're not receiving, why things aren't happening because it's not that he can't, but like Pastor Fred's been preaching and reteaching so many things about, we're asking the question, why would he? Like, you can stand there and open your mouth, but church, wake up. Do you not remember the teachings of our pastor?
That's the words that aren't going to fall out, right? There's got to be a partnering with this. This mindset that, oh, I'll just sit here. This was a recent one too.
I'm kind of running through them and God's just going to show up, right? No, he's looking for the one that's going to step in and partner with what's already been done. So what I'm not saying today, church, is that God can't do these things, but I want to start to really figure this out, that why would he pour it out if there's no room for what he has to pour out? It's not that he can't, I'm not saying that, I'm asking why.
And then when we see stories like this, why are the revelations of them not getting us to step in to action with what we're learning through who our Savior is and what he's teaching us? Ooh, I'm excited, church. Four, because where he goes, revelation follows. He didn't go there for comfort.
He went to confront the conditions of hearts. The house became, like I said, a divine collision zone between pride and brokenness, religion and relationship, human judgment and divine mercy. I think I put this up here for you. Next slide.
Maybe it isn't. Revelation, here's my first point, revelation comes through humility. I'm going to say this a couple of different ways. Revelation comes through humility.
No humility, church, no landing. We're talking about being held in a holding pattern. No humility, no landing. The altitude of grace is low.
Revelation doesn't fly with pride. You have to come down to see him clearly. Humility is the landing gear of revelation. You can't get fresh grace with a proud face.
That was just me being fun. Church, that is bars. Thank you. God won't lift what pride refuses to lower.
And revelation does not ride shotgun with ego. Here's a few scriptures that's just going to back my point on Proverbs 11, 2 says this. When pride comes, then comes disgrace. But with humility comes wisdom.
Isaiah 66, 2 says this. These are the ones I look on with favor. These are the ones I look on with favor. Those who are humble and contrite in spirit and who tremble at my word.
Matthew 5, 3 says bless are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. These verses, church, show us humility is the starting point for revelation. Wisdom and favor from God. Is the scriptures and the word that God speak and point in you to the person?
Is the revelation that we're getting through the word? Is it transforming us because it's pointing us to the things that we're trying to ultimately see? Like we are seeing these scriptures and what he's speaking that the revelation, the revelation of who he is should lead us to humility. When pride comes, then comes disgrace.
But with humility comes wisdom. Are you seeing the word for what's being spoken, church? James 4, 6 says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. See this verse is a part of a passage.
James is addressing conflict, selfish ambition, and pride amongst believers. Are you all awake, church? Okay, just want to, this side, you guys wait, you good? Okay, because I'm trying to take us somewhere but I need you, I need you awake.
See I think he draws a line in the sand here that God literally resists the proud. Meaning he stands in opposition to them. That word opposes in Greek as a military term, implying that God sets himself against pride because pride always tries to elevate self where only God should be exalted. He says, listen, God himself sets himself against it.
Does anything when reading that make you want to be like, well, whoa, maybe I should want to set myself against it because if he does, why would I not? I knew this was going to be difficult today, help me out, church. Here's the good news, I mean, I've thrown some good news because I know it's going to be challenging. Grace flows where humility grows.
God's grace isn't just a pardon from sin, it's empowerment for change. I think he releases it to those who lower themselves, acknowledge their needs and surrender their agendas. And that's why I think the woman in Luke 7 received grace freely. She humbled herself completely.
She just busted into the room that she wasn't invited into. Isn't that wild to y'all? Did y'all catch anything from last week when he was teaching on that? It was blowing me away.
See, Sonim was proud and closed off. She was broken, surrendered and wide open. Only one was opposed, Church, and the other was graced. See, spiritual holding patterns.
I think the key is what I'm saying here is that humility. I'm not saying this is for all things, but I'm saying I think that humility here is the difference of staying circling or landing. We're talking about being stuck, holding patterns. We're stuck.
We can't land. It's not clear. But I think I see here clearly that humility of the girl actually brings the plane down. And the one that stayed circling.
Did y'all see when he did the thing up here? And I like was blown away, but I'm not going to lay down. I might not get back up. But he laid down.
He always, y'all make fun of me for walking back and forth, but I've seen this man on the ground more than anybody. I remembered it. He was laying down like he said because they reclined, right? And culturally they reclined at the table.
And the girl sitting behind Jesus, and then the Pharisee sitting over here, and he said that if the Pharisee didn't just overlook Jesus and see her for who she truly was but could look through Jesus, then he had see her. Not for what she did, but he had see her for who she was. Did you see that, Church? Was I the only one?
Because I had to bring it back up because he showed me that, but he showed me something even more. This girl was on invited. I'm getting ahead of myself. I don't even make sure I don't go too far ahead.
I'm getting so ahead of myself. I'm just going with it. So listen, she was sitting there, right? Pharisee sitting there judging the woman and Jesus, as we just went over all that.
He's evaluating Jesus and the woman. Jesus is there because he was invited. She's there because she's uninvited. He already ran through why she's there, how loud it was, all that stuff.
I'm now trying to talk about why Jesus is in the room and why he came and why she busted in. And Jesus, no, and she was going to come in and like I was saying, it's for Simon, but when she's laying down and she's sitting there and the Pharisee's there, how many of you can see the picture now that Pastor Fred was talking about that if he could see the Pharisee, I don't know, maybe this is you today, are you seeing people through Jesus? Are you seeing them? Are you seeing what they do?
And then this is what he showed me. All of this is crashing down and I'm like, holy cow, this is interesting. Jesus went because he was invited, but he was going to a dinner that he probably didn't want to be at. You're going to act like you've never done that.
You all better help me out this morning, Jesus, I need some honest people in the room. You all want help today? Jesus is sitting at somebody's house. He don't want to be at.
He's not going to eat the food probably. And he's laying down reclined in the entire time that he's laying there. The reason he's there is for the one. Both of them.
He knew she was going to come. He didn't. Jesus came, laid down at his table laying there and what did Jesus bring? The table was set for Jesus.
Okay? Pharisee's sitting there. Y'all we serve a God that you can't make somebody hungry, right? But he said, but you can always set the table.
Here's the Savior who's laying down who brought his own dish that when he set it with grace, the table came running. And the Pharisee's house that he's in that he don't want to be at gives him a live example of the thing that he needs most to get to him to where he needs the revelation of who he is. He brings a woman out of nowhere that was uninvited to the table that was already set for the purpose to catch Jesus. And church this is bless my heart.
I hope you're following me. I hope you're following me because this right here started to challenge my heart about some of the things we as believers say. Actually it started to really challenge me about how easy we give up and how he showed me here that it doesn't matter what the other person brings to the table. A, it matters that you got an invitation to the table.
And B, no matter what set, what you bring is more important. And that even though the table was set and he had his wrong motives, the mixed motives, Jesus came in, sat down and knew what was about to be interrupted so the Pharisee could get a live look at what real humility, real revelation of who he was. Like all of the things, these were the people of the time that were the smartest religious people but was missing the Savior right in front of them. So what's he doing instead of give up or say the things like we say, I can't want it more for them than they want it for themselves.
All right. I'm going to try this talk because these people are super holy. You ever said, I can't want it more for them. They got to want it.
Man, the Lord grabbed my heart church because you know how many times I've said that and I'm just going to be transparent with you. It's a choice sure but they got to want it. I can't do nothing about that. And that's when God said, I'm sitting right there and he said, hey, you can't force hunger but you can set the table.
And I said, God, thank you. That Jesus went to a place that he was invited to that he didn't want to be at. He didn't care to be there. I'm lying down but I want to.
But he's laying there and he did not want to be there. But he said, I'm going to bring something to the table church, something that when I set that down the grace, someone's going to come running that really wants it and is going to show this person who needs it the most, what they need more than anything. And it's going to be a live in person example of her crying at the feet and pouring everything out, tears everything out to show this person what they need. And he said, I don't care if I'm going for the wrong reason.
What I bring to the table is so much greater than anything. Like I said, listen, we don't want to sit at the table where we think prize and control. Jesus said, I ain't worried about the control of pride. My grace trumps that.
He laid down the trump card. You ever play cards? My family's ruined the cards right now. And I tell you what, when you're holding that, you're waiting for that last card and you get it.
Boom. Set them back. You see a whole different person come out of my wife. But church, I'm telling you, if we would begin to see the nature of our Savior and if we would begin to walk in this, it doesn't matter what anybody else brings.
It doesn't matter what they set the table with. We can sit down. We know that what we bring is so much greater. And it's the compassion that touched me in this story that he had to reach the Pharisee.
Like that kind of love church blows me away to see in our Savior. The people we begin to instantly write off. The things that we stop short of and serving others. And I'm not saying it's not challenging, but what I'm saying is are we learning from our Savior that's given us like these stories and parables church aren't just for fun.
He's trying to reveal something to us. And yes, the one who is in humility and lowers herself, but think about the genius of the Savior because this woman just out of nowhere comes in. He knows no one else does. She busts into a house uninvited to show the Pharisee who invited him for the wrong reason.
The love, the physical love of what true worship looks like to who he really is. What real, you ready? What real revelation of the Father will call you into action to do. I don't know, but I wasn't even there church and it made me be like, oh my gosh.
There's a lack of engagement in the action of the revelation of Jesus that I've received. Like I spoke this morning with those verses that creation has to respond. That when we got a revelation, I asked all the time, hey, has God done anything in your life and people raised their head all the time? And I'm like, okay, what's not keeping us to go further in it?
How is the revelation not starting us into action to respond to the thing that we've seen or we've witnessed or he's done in our lives? And I'm telling you church. We begin to open our eyes. See, humility walks into the natural and respond from the spiritual.
She saw Jesus more than just a teacher. He was a Savior. And her response wasn't about appearances. It was about a desperate recognition of his word.
Like she busts in the room, bust opens her fume, crying, falling at his feet, her fume. I know I said that, wow, y'all are going to make fun of me later. And just like the response, isn't it? Wow, the response.
Do you guys see that? That she understood him. And her response, I'm going to have to. Her response is to get down because there's such a revelation of the worth of who this man is that she's received, that she's followed him around, she's been around, she knew where he was going to be, she busts into that room.
I don't care. She didn't have permission. She didn't need permission. She didn't care.
She didn't need a microphone. She didn't need anything. She busted in because she had a revelation. And she sat down and she weaped in her tears.
And so much of who he has wiped it with her hair. Church, this is a revelation that God has shown us to know that who he is, how much of who he is. And it's a picture of the two people that understand and the people that battle with relationship and religion. One of the greatest religious people of the time, Pharisees, knowing all things, struggled to understand the truth that was right in front of them.
He's trying to show us a picture. There's a difference, Church. There's a difference when you have a relationship because you understand the Father, you don't care about it. You get down on the ground, you'll cry at his feet because you know that he's the one and only one.
He's the King of Kings. He's the Lord of Lords. He's the one who we get out to, but we don't see. We don't make the connection.
But all the things he's done from us, from draw us to him to get us to see this is who he truly is. Forgiveness. We have all been forgiven, Church. How is it not drawing us to respond to who he is?
How do we start to sit and evaluate Jesus and other people? How do we stay over here and keep doing that instead of seeing who he truly is? Even when he's trying to show us something so great about somebody else, we just begin to judge them and judge him and evaluate him and all those things. How do we get stuck there?
How are we stuck there? I think revelation is something we admire from afar. It's something that should move us to the feet. In Church, I believe this, when we're truly moved, we stop waiting for someone else to respond and we take ownership of our pursuit.
That leads me to my next point. Love carries what they can't yet see. I want to tell somebody today, I felt led to put this in here that you've seen too much to walk away. This is personal to me because Jesus didn't wait for me to get it right.
He came out and was still running. I'm learning Church that love shows up even when nothing shows back. I want to help some people today to say that you're right in saying that it's not your job to be their Savior. That's another one we say.
But I want to encourage you with this. Don't stop being their servant. You can't force longer, but you can set the table. If you've seen Grace Church, you carry responsibility.
I can't stress that enough. Luke 1520 says, but while he was still a long way off, his father saw how he was going to heal him and was filled with compassion. Second Peter 3, 9, says, the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Galatians 6, 9, says, let us not become weary and doin' good. See, these scriptures, Church, reinforce God's unwavering pursuit in how we're called as believers to reflect this. That if that's his pursuit, what should ours look like? Church, what are you modeling?
What are you going after? What should we become more the way you were created to be? If we're going to read these scriptures, I want us to draw closer. If he has an unwavering pursuit, shouldn't ours be?
Shouldn't we have such a pursuit for people that when things happen, there's a compassion that rises up in us because that's the nature of our Father. Not giving up. That's not who he is. That's not what we read.
We shouldn't walk away when things get hard. See Simon wanted credit. She wanted change. She knew she needed him.
She didn't need an applause. She didn't need any of those things. She had a revelation church. And it moved her.
We're going to go back in. I'm trying to balance this out. You ever try to drag someone to Jesus? I'm going to get low on this one.
Try to disciple someone who's not hungry. Try to make them hungry. You ever report so much? I'll just stay the exact same.
Like you've spent five years with him and haven't seen nothing different. You try harder, right? Anybody ever get burned out? Thank you for your honesty.
This is where I got ahead of myself. We can't want it more than they do. Church, I want to tell you that sounds super wise. I even up until last Sunday, just being honest with you, I thought it was one of the wisest things that I ever learned in ministry.
But then I've seen that that's something Jesus never said. Church, everyone has ever raised their hand about Jesus going something for them. And if you've ever read your word or said one of these church services to talk about how Jesus paid for sin once and for all time, how he did it 2,000 years ago for us at that time. And if you've said, hey, he's done something for me, you have said Jesus has wanted it for me before you ever knew you needed it.
So that poses the question is how do we say I can't want it more for them? When the one we love says we love because he first loved us. We say these scriptures and respond to them. But then when it comes to certain topics, we're talking about serving others.
For some reason, we switch the cart background because we're not comfortable with it. But if we understand and we're okay to receive that Jesus did it for us and wanted it more for us, why do we stop short when we're like, man, yeah, anybody ever said I feel like I'm beating my head off the wall? Because I'm trying to, I'm beating my head off the wall because I want, there's the hurt, right? Some people are laughing.
I want to say Jesus pursued me in my rebellion. He interceded for me in my ignorance. He died for me church before I ever wanted to live for him. For I mean it's 5, 8, 1 of everyone's favorite scriptures says, well, we were still sinners.
Christ died for us. Why we were still sinners. Christ died for us. Here's what's happening in church.
When we say those things, we're not speaking from revelation. We're speaking from fatigue. We're giving ourselves permission to give up. We're putting the ball back in their court and walking off the court.
We're excusing our lack of pursuit by disguising it with wisdom. Church, I know this is going to be challenging today, but I'm telling you, here's the truth. We should want it more than they do because we've seen what they haven't. We've received the grace.
We've encountered the truth. We've tasted freedom. I think that means we should carry the burden for those who haven't yet stepped into it. You can't make them hungry, but by God, you can set the table.
You can go to an invitation and don't care what's set, and you can reset the table with grace. And that's what Jesus shows us. That's what He did. He didn't force Simon into anything.
He didn't beg in the bow down. He just set the table with grace. And we saw who walked away changed. I want to tell somebody today.
Please, don't stop showing up. Don't stop praying. Don't stop loving. Don't stop setting the table.
You may be church, the only person. You may be church, the only person that's going to set that table for them. And if you've ever sat down at a table that's been prepared for you, by Godly, that should have called you into a place to want to set that table for somebody else. Church revelation demands a response.
It should make us step into this. It should just kick us into action. See, we'll stop just seeing parts of the story that we want to see and focusing on that it's just about the girl and she got what she left and it's a great story and all that stuff. But we'll start to see the full picture and the nature of the father who we're supposed to be reflecting.
And that was that he actually came for him and used her. And he did something so awesome because he loved so much that he went to a place to lay down, to bring a live performance of what he needed to see. And that church is some of the things that we need to start stepping into. That's the love.
That's the love that's been shown to us. And I hope that this is challenging you to what are you doing with the revelation you've received? What situation in your life right now is the table been set and how and what are you doing with those relationships in your life that the table's been set but you said I can't help or I can't go there. I can't want it for them more than they want it for themselves.
What has stepped you away from continuing to love? I want to bring a quick little clarity to some of this because I don't want people taking it wrong. We can't force people to change. And I'm not telling you to ignore their choices.
I know someone's going to fact check me. But Jesus did tell his disciples later on in Luke to shake the dust off through their feet when people rejected the message. I want to tell you something, church, I believe that's about releasing control and trusting God of the outcome. See, church shaking the dust doesn't mean stop caring.
I want to say this. I think a lot of times we've read that and we've done the excuse that I'm talking about and keep us moving but that's what it doesn't say. It doesn't say to never go back. It says shake the dust and keep it moving.
It's kind of saying hey not right now but it's not saying never return. It's not saying that you're not ever going to have dust on your feet again. It says shake off the dust and keep moving but it doesn't say don't return. Church, I think you recognize the season.
You recognize the posture. You recognize you discern what's going on at the time. I think people have got themselves into places where they're not tender, hard, no more. That because of fatigue, because we've gotten tired, we've given ourselves an excuse to quit, that we've got ourselves into these places.
We've stopped posturing our heart and prayer. We've stopped drawing closer to the one that's going to keep us in position to reflect the nature of who he is and we've walked away. We just walked away from it. It's about staying in that place, not being disconnected.
Don't confuse healthy boundaries with spiritual apathy. There's a huge difference, Church, in honoring someone's know and giving up on the burden altogether. What do we do with the revelation we carry? I think this is why we stop short of seeing transformation.
We need to learn. This is my, are you guys on all right? I'm going to run through these last two points. Serve from revelation, not obligation.
Stop wasting what you've seen. Reelation has a job to do. It was revealed to you to be released. Revelation isn't just for information.
It's a divine invitation. Church has your encounter with God in real to you. Great. I want to move past that then.
Is it being real through you? If you've had such an encounter in revelation of God and it's real to you, my next question is, is it being real through you? Is it calling you to something? Are you responding to something?
Because if it's been real to you, it's got to get real through you. It has to continue. From 13, 14 and 15 say this, now that I, your Lord and teacher, have lost your feet. You also should wash one another's feet.
And listen, I already know y'all. I'm the last person that's going near anyone's feet. But what I'm saying is that this is trying to show us that, hey, there should be a response. If you can receive something but can't release something, there's a disconnect.
There's a disconnect here. First John 4 19 says, we love because he first loved us. I told you that earlier. Ephesians 5, 1 through 2 says, follow God's example and walk in the way of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.
All of these scriptures support the call to live out revelation by serving with the same love we've received. See, we're not meant just to have revelation church. We're meant to live from it. So many of us are living from a place of duty.
I should love them. But real love flows out of knowing how deeply loved we are. Whoever is forgiven, loves little. Jesus was saying, wasn't saying she had more sin, but saying she had more awareness.
I believe that when you're truly aware of what he's done for you, your response just can't be casual. It can't be normal. Again church, we had a picture, a live show of the understanding of it and not understanding it. And the two different responses are completely different.
And I believe too that not even the comments of, well, that's just how I was raised or who I am. Listen, just who you were, how you were raised, never encountered the greatest thing they'll ever encounter in their life. It will demand a response that nothing you've done or seen in the natural, like church, we're saying you encountered the one true living God. He's done something so powerful in your life that you can still respond casually, like, because you've grown cold to how certain things you've encountered in the world from people that just haven't represented Christ accurately.
How do you compare the two? You can't church. You can't. You can actually know so much about, you can be so theologically sound and know so much about scripture, how to pull up to every address, all of those things.
You can know all of that and still sit and look right over the Savior. Like you can do all of that. But what's the disconnect? Why are we disconnected church?
Why are we given real pictures and scripture and things of how we grow and how these things flow and how we get to these places but then we're stuck circling in holding patterns. You're not just going to respond casually. When he's touched your life, it's going to just draw you to a different place. Our pastor said something that just blew me away.
He said, the greater revelation of Christ, the greater demonstration of His love. I think I put it up there, Freddie T. There he is. The greater the revelation of Christ, the greater demonstration of His love.
If you have gotten a revelation of Jesus, are you living more like Him? If you've seen, see God is love, church. I told you I had a lot of hope you're staying in there with me. He is love.
And if you've received revelation of love, is it stepping you in to responding in love? Here's what I believe the disconnect is. I don't think revelation is the issue at all, church. I've been around people that they've gotten a revelation and their excitement excites me.
Like I get on fire. And then I see him later and I'm like, what happened? I mean, I'm so excited about it. And I didn't get it, sirs.
And here's what I believe with my whole heart. It's not a revelation problem. God never stops speaking. God never stops wanting to reveal Himself to us.
I think it's a stewardship problem. I think it's a lack on our end that God's revealed Himself to us and we've done nothing with it. That's a cool. All right, God, show up and do some cool.
I need you. Just give me the spring clarity. Do all these things. God, I promise you.
And God's like, hey, that thing over there that was really cool. Why'd you drop that? See, church, a revelation is a gift from God. It's Him revealing Himself to creation.
So we draw closer to get a better understanding of who He is. If He's revealed something to you so powerful in your life that it's changed you, why would we not carry it? Why are we not stewarding that thing and carrying it so it grows? It should only get more exciting because we're carrying that much about it.
You don't believe me? The apostle Paul had a crazy encounter, wouldn't you all agree? He was never the same ever again. No, no, you don't get it.
He was never the same. He was killing Christians. Then he came to be in preaching the Word, right in the majority of the New Testament. He was never the same.
He didn't just stop killing Christians. He came to the other side and started preaching and growing and writing and loving and doing all these things because He stewarded the revelation of what God did and encountered in His life. He carried it. He found purpose in it.
And I think just kept growing like children do. They just kept growing. So I'm going to close and don't worry. You can go to lunch.
Pastor Fred said basically that we release to the level of what we received. I believe we see good moments and then not so good moments because we're not releasing filled up. I think we received glimpses and we carried glimpses at times or we get excited to pick it back up but we don't continue to carry it. So all we're doing is releasing little glimpse of what was revealed to us.
And God's like, hey, that thing's cool. I got so much more to add to that thing. But we just keep going around and we're limited and we're plateaued and we're just releasing this little bit of love because it was exciting then and we release it and just keep releasing that. We just five years down the road, we're still releasing this little revelation of love when it should grow and be greater because we're not stewarded.
Revelation that isn't stewarded will become stale insight instead of spirit-led action. I'm going to say one more time, I don't think you heard me. Revelation that isn't stewarded will become stale insight instead of spirit-led action. That Pharisee had the most open live performance, received that in the home, saw that, just didn't steward it.
You can't watch that and deny the fact that he's set there and watch what happened. You can't deny that you supposedly acknowledge the seed thing Christ has done in your life but then left it alone. See, I'm trying to really point us to that we're no different church. We're no different here.
We've all received from Jesus. For some reason we're not releasing what we've received. Are you okay? Oh, that was not okay.
Let me just give me just a couple more minutes. The goal is not just to know Jesus, just to become like him. Jesus love, Jesus forgave, embrace the broken. Jesus wept with the hurting.
Jesus touched the untouchable. If our Revelation church isn't turning into love, it's time to start checking how we're stewarding what he's shown us. Because the more clearly you see him, the more deeply you'll love like him. And this is the full picture.
The moment humility shuts his revelation, it should produce transformation. And when faith finally bows low enough to land, she bows physically, spiritually and emotionally. She laid everything down. Her tears, her dignity, her perfume, her pride.
And Jesus raised her with identity, your faith. He's talking to her, your faith. Forgiveness has saved you and peace, go in peace. Humble yourselves under God's mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time.
That's what happened here. The lowest person in the room left the most lifted. She landed. The one circling and pride stayed stuck.
The one who dropped low in humility church. Touchdown and purpose. Forgiveness and peace. That's the whole point.
You got to get low enough to land church.