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00:00:00 (upbeat music)
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00:00:05 (upbeat music)
00:00:34 - Let's send Matthew's Gospel, chapter 14.
00:00:37 And Matthew is indeed quite precise
00:00:41 in correlating his didactic or teaching narratives
00:00:48 with the parables, allegorical illustrations,
00:00:52 and literal truth.
00:01:03 He's a master at interweaving the plot
00:01:07 of the encounters with Jesus, with the teachings of Jesus.
00:01:11 In Matthew, chapter 14, following chapter 13,
00:01:17 where the parables have been presented with such precision,
00:01:21 becomes stories that endorse and embellish
00:01:26 the presentation of the parables.
00:01:32 Thank you for the big writing, Bible.
00:01:35 Amen, big, huge letters.
00:01:37 Verse 22, he brings us into the fourth of three stories
00:01:44 that are presented in Matthew 14.
00:01:50 And I'm visiting this in light of faith as self-identity,
00:01:55 in light of the redefinition of faith for the future.
00:02:00 The redefinition of faith from a psychological point of view
00:02:04 not just philosophical, but from a psychological
00:02:07 point of view, to see how it is that self
00:02:10 becomes more prolific in faith because it identifies
00:02:18 with the object of faith which is, in our case, Jesus Christ.
00:02:24 And to notice how, and it's always good to revisit things,
00:02:30 to see whether I've grown or not, to see whether I'm,
00:02:34 I got more revelation, not necessarily more revelation,
00:02:37 but oftentimes different revelation,
00:02:40 and see whether or not something else might show up
00:02:44 in what I already decided was familiar.
00:02:47 And maybe there's something you miss,
00:02:51 that's why I don't put notes in my Bible,
00:02:53 because when you put notes in your Bible,
00:02:55 you automatically gravitate towards what the note said.
00:02:59 The note may have been 10 years old,
00:03:02 and you might need to rethink and let God revisit
00:03:07 the text through your spirit.
00:03:12 But in the fourth presentation, verse 22,
00:03:16 in straightway, Jesus constrained his disciples
00:03:21 to get into a ship and to go before him onto the other side
00:03:25 while he sent the multitudes away.
00:03:30 And when he had sent the multitudes away,
00:03:33 he went up into a mountain apart to pray,
00:03:37 and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
00:03:41 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea,
00:03:45 tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary,
00:03:51 and in the fourth watch of the night,
00:03:53 Jesus went unto them walking on the sea.
00:03:57 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea,
00:04:00 they were troubled, saying, "It is a spirit."
00:04:04 And they cried out for fear.
00:04:06 But straightway Jesus speak unto them, saying,
00:04:09 "Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid."
00:04:12 And Peter answered him and said,
00:04:15 "Lord, if it be thou bid me come unto thee on the water."
00:04:19 And he said, "Come."
00:04:22 And when Peter was come down out of the ship,
00:04:25 he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
00:04:27 But when he saw the wind boisterous,
00:04:30 he was afraid and beginning to sink,
00:04:32 cried out, saying, "Lord, save me."
00:04:36 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand,
00:04:38 caught him and said unto him, "O thou of little faith,
00:04:43 "wherefore didst thou doubt?"
00:04:46 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
00:04:51 Then they that were in the ship came,
00:04:54 worshiped him, saying, "Of a truth,
00:04:57 "thou art the Son of God."
00:04:59 Amen, look at somebody and tell them,
00:05:02 "Your faith will get you through the storm."
00:05:06 Touch somebody else and say, "Walk in your storm."
00:05:12 Amen, whatever you do, don't stop walking.
00:05:16 It is critical to notice the association
00:05:21 between the subject, the object, Jesus,
00:05:24 and in this particular case, Peter.
00:05:28 And it is true then that faith becomes
00:05:33 the act of the whole personality.
00:05:38 In any circumstance, in any situation,
00:05:42 it is the whole person.
00:05:47 Because it's obvious that in this particular case,
00:05:51 faith has put Peter's very life in jeopardy.
00:05:56 He is stepping out because he wants to identify
00:06:04 with the object of his faith.
00:06:10 In this case, it's Jesus.
00:06:14 And when you understand the formulation
00:06:17 of what psychologists call self-theory,
00:06:20 self in faith defines the self now
00:06:25 in the basis of Christ's definition of our humanity.
00:06:32 And when I see myself within the scope
00:06:39 of his definition of who I am,
00:06:44 then it will also unify and it will center
00:06:47 and gather all of the things that are around me
00:06:55 into one powerful self-identity.
00:06:59 See, all of us are influenced to a great extent
00:07:06 by greater and lesser self-identities.
00:07:12 Everybody does not control your thinking about yourself.
00:07:17 Some people you have given great power
00:07:23 and you have allowed them to recognize you
00:07:27 in a certain way and you accept how they recognize you
00:07:33 as the way you really are.
00:07:40 It is very sad when we allow people
00:07:42 who should not have the authority
00:07:46 to control how we think about ourselves,
00:07:52 particularly when they don't think very much about us.
00:07:58 And yet still, in our self-theory, in our self-identity,
00:08:06 we have released ourselves to be recognized
00:08:10 by how they think about us.
00:08:13 And consequently, I am now seeing myself
00:08:18 through the eyes of someone I have empowered
00:08:22 to tell me how I am.
00:08:25 I don't know, have you ever been around somebody
00:08:30 who is so quick to tell you how you are
00:08:34 when they don't even know you?
00:08:37 And to begin to operate and live your life
00:08:41 within the parameters of their thinking
00:08:46 is oftentimes to doom yourself
00:08:49 to a level of self-consciousness
00:08:52 that lowers the capacity that you have
00:08:57 simply because you have empowered somebody
00:09:03 who wants to send you a negative message
00:09:06 to become the sole recognizer of who you are.
00:09:10 So consequently, our battle has been
00:09:17 to identify ourselves within the proper light
00:09:21 of who we are so that we achieve
00:09:24 what God has intended for us to achieve
00:09:28 and it's not limited to the disposition
00:09:32 that people take towards you.
00:09:34 You have got to then remove the significance
00:09:39 of who you allow to identify you
00:09:42 and place your faith in a power
00:09:46 that does not restrict or minimize
00:09:50 but puts your faith in the power of God
00:09:56 that elevates, embellishes, enhances,
00:09:59 strengthens, and takes you to another level.
00:10:03 I want to take my time with this.
00:10:05 It's a critical piece.
00:10:07 You see, that's why faith is created
00:10:11 by the word of God
00:10:12 and it is definitely a determination
00:10:17 of the whole self-determining man.
00:10:20 And I say it that way because once I have faith
00:10:26 and once I have stood on the word of God,
00:10:30 then the word of God releases me to become
00:10:33 whatever I believe I can become
00:10:38 within the parameters of that word.
00:10:43 Notice what he says in many instances.
00:10:45 As he speaks to people, he says,
00:10:48 "Be it so according to your faith."
00:10:51 I have given you a presentation.
00:10:55 I have laid it out before you
00:10:58 and now it's left to you
00:11:01 according to the measure of your faith
00:11:05 to become what it is that I have placed before you.
00:11:09 I have all power, all powers in my hand.
00:11:14 And when I think about that,
00:11:16 I think about the man who wanted his son healed
00:11:19 and the disciples couldn't do it.
00:11:22 Remember the story, Jesus is on the mountain.
00:11:25 And when he came, he said to the Lord,
00:11:28 he said, "Now, Lord, whatever you do,
00:11:33 "if you can just do anything,
00:11:36 "I need you to do it for me."
00:11:39 Jesus says, "Now, if thou canst believe,"
00:11:42 he said, "all things are possible."
00:11:46 I want you to see what's happening.
00:11:49 I am coming to a supply that is unlimited
00:11:53 because he has all power
00:11:55 and the capacity to do whatever he wants.
00:12:00 He has broached it to me.
00:12:03 He has presented it to me that when you come to me,
00:12:07 you come to an all-powerful God.
00:12:10 Now, it is left up to me to ask for anything
00:12:14 or all things because I am a self-determining man,
00:12:23 which means now that when I approach him,
00:12:25 I have to release myself into himself.
00:12:28 The subject has to release into the object of faith.
00:12:35 And when I release into the object of faith,
00:12:41 now I have his power to become whatever it is.
00:12:44 He's got the capacity to make me.
00:12:50 You see, many times because we have released ourselves
00:12:55 to lesser entities, we have not become all
00:12:58 that we should become.
00:13:02 I've got news for you.
00:13:05 It's good to have people around you,
00:13:07 especially significant people,
00:13:10 who no matter how great you become,
00:13:13 it doesn't bother them.
00:13:16 I was saying on my governing board,
00:13:20 I have one billionaire, I have a couple of millionaires,
00:13:23 and three or four or five.
00:13:25 And somebody says, "Well, why you have people like that?"
00:13:28 Well, the answer's really simple.
00:13:30 And that is they're not bothered by what I do.
00:13:34 They're not bothered by what I make.
00:13:37 They're not bothered by what my capacity is
00:13:40 because they've already been there, they've done that,
00:13:43 and they ain't worried about what it is you have
00:13:46 because I already have what I have,
00:13:48 and I have a considerable amount more
00:13:50 than you probably will ever have in your life.
00:13:53 So whatever you do is pocket money to me,
00:13:55 so just go and enjoy yourself, and let's go about it.
00:13:58 You see, but when you deal with people
00:14:01 who don't have what you have, how do you grow?
00:14:05 I play chess all the time, and if I play with people
00:14:10 I can beat all the time, then I can never improve.
00:14:14 I have to get in the company of someone
00:14:18 who is a master so that he already figured my move out
00:14:23 10 or 20 times before I made it.
00:14:25 You see, when you put your faith in somebody,
00:14:29 you need to put your faith in somebody
00:14:33 that once they become a part of you,
00:14:36 it doesn't take you down, but rather it takes you up.
00:14:41 I wish I could talk.
00:14:43 Oh God, I feel it.
00:14:45 Because it's only in having something,
00:14:48 an object above you that you reach.
00:14:51 You don't reach for something that's below you.
00:14:56 If something's below you, you bend down.
00:15:00 Well, ain't you sick and tired of bending?
00:15:03 (audience cheering)
00:15:06 Amen, it's time to reach.
00:15:09 And so the power then of the Almighty
00:15:14 is always consistent.
00:15:15 It will do what it is requested.
00:15:19 The idiosyncratic response is the individual
00:15:25 who is standing around all this power
00:15:30 and will not utilize the power
00:15:34 because he or she will not release themselves
00:15:38 into the power of God to the extent that they should.
00:15:43 In other words, I'm simply saying
00:15:46 you need to open the valve.
00:15:48 There's water there, but you got to open the pipe.
00:15:52 If you just open the pipe,
00:15:54 some things would flow through you
00:15:57 that you never ever thought could flow through you.
00:16:01 But when you meet Jesus, you got to change
00:16:05 the way you recognize yourself.
00:16:07 I'm going to preach this thing until the devil gets mad.
00:16:12 I was closing on Wednesday night,
00:16:15 and it was interesting as I was closing
00:16:18 that the Lord gave me another revelatory experience
00:16:22 as I was closing.
00:16:23 And it's interesting that I can look in the mirror.
00:16:26 I can go and look in the mirror at myself
00:16:30 and feel pretty good about myself.
00:16:34 But nobody ever comes to self-identity
00:16:37 without others around them.
00:16:41 And I look and I, hey, that guy's all right in the mirror.
00:16:45 But now if I hang around some folk
00:16:48 who don't think that I am all that,
00:16:53 and they have their little discussions,
00:16:57 and somehow it gets around to me
00:16:59 that, you know, and looks in the eyes of the beholder anyway
00:17:03 and folk decide that you ain't all that.
00:17:07 And if I begin to allow them significance
00:17:12 in their opinion about me,
00:17:15 then they will begin to alter how I feel about myself.
00:17:20 You know, I put it this way.
00:17:25 It's all right to be ugly.
00:17:28 It's fine.
00:17:29 If you're ugly, you're just ugly.
00:17:31 But it ain't all right to feel ugly.
00:17:35 I want to dance on that.
00:17:38 Y'all excuse me, let me get a shout it.
00:17:40 You see, because faith, if you understand it,
00:17:45 in self-identity, what faith becomes
00:17:49 are certain hypothesis, certain, yes,
00:17:53 certain propositions that a person holds
00:17:58 with a great degree of certainty.
00:18:00 And that is, if you tell me based on the power of God
00:18:05 that he can achieve this or that in my life,
00:18:09 now faith says I'm going to hold on to this proposition.
00:18:14 It hasn't happened yet, so it's hypothetical.
00:18:17 But yet still, I hold on to the hypothesis
00:18:21 with such a certainty that I now conform myself
00:18:26 to the object that I have my faith in.
00:18:32 If I have my faith in the assessment
00:18:35 of people who don't like me
00:18:39 and want to spread the negative to me,
00:18:42 then I'll soon turn on myself.
00:18:46 And you will make me feel inadequate,
00:18:49 feel incompetent, feel ugly, feel,
00:18:54 because I identify who I am
00:18:59 through the eyes of other people.
00:19:01 It's a critical thing because now faith
00:19:05 has a psychological impression on me.
00:19:10 And the object of my faith, I must be very careful
00:19:13 who I allow myself to trust.
00:19:18 I need to trust truth, I feel it here,
00:19:22 because trusting a lie is trusting nothing.
00:19:27 And lies are used to manipulate,
00:19:30 truth is used to set you free.
00:19:34 I'm going to have a little church, I feel it coming on.
00:19:38 It's critical here now because self-identity
00:19:43 is what gives me that self-understanding,
00:19:47 and it carries within it self-knowledge
00:19:50 about the reference to which one defines him or herself.
00:19:55 So now faith as self-identity integrates some things.
00:20:00 What it does is it integrates subjective self-understanding
00:20:05 and with the objective fact,
00:20:10 and it brings it together in an existential whole.
00:20:14 It brings everything together.
00:20:16 When I am a man of faith, it is not just me,
00:20:20 it's who I believe in, I feel it here.
00:20:23 If I have faith in you, it's not just me,
00:20:28 because my faith in you has brought you into my space.
00:20:34 I don't only have faith in myself.
00:20:38 When you have a prayer partner,
00:20:40 you have faith that your prayer partner can talk to God.
00:20:45 That's why, and so you bring that prayer partner
00:20:48 into your space.
00:20:51 Now here's what Jesus says when you two come together.
00:20:55 He says, "If two or three come together in my name,
00:21:00 "now we got four."
00:21:03 I wish I could talk to you here.
00:21:04 If two agree, then you bring him in.
00:21:10 So now it's not just you and your prayer partner,
00:21:16 it's you, your prayer partner,
00:21:18 and the object who you believe.
00:21:23 And so now when I talk, now that Jesus is here,
00:21:27 it's not just me talking,
00:21:30 but it's Jesus and I who are speaking.
00:21:34 But the voice he is using is mine,
00:21:38 because he is a spirit,
00:21:41 and I have brought the object into my spirit,
00:21:46 and now the object and the subject
00:21:49 is one as extensual whole.
00:21:53 So if you come against my faith,
00:21:56 you don't come against just me,
00:21:59 you come against the object of my faith.
00:22:03 Because he and I are wrapped in here together.
00:22:09 Oh, I feel like having church.
00:22:10 That's why folk don't want you to step your belief up,
00:22:16 because when you step your belief up, you move up.
00:22:21 And a whole lot of folk no longer can control you,
00:22:26 because you're out of their reach.
00:22:30 I wish I could preach this thing, see.
00:22:32 All right, we're somewhere there.
00:22:37 You see, Browning says this, and here's what Browning says.
00:22:40 He says, and I quote, "Faith contains this subjective
00:22:45 "and objective pole in reference to one's significant other,
00:22:50 "or what sociologists might call
00:22:54 "one's reference group or individual.
00:22:57 "The point is that faith, as a matter of self-identity,
00:23:01 "contains feeling propositions about both
00:23:05 "the reference object and the self."
00:23:08 Unquote.
00:23:09 I have been having faith in folk,
00:23:12 and I haven't checked them out right.
00:23:16 I've just let myself go to folk,
00:23:20 and I haven't probed enough to see whether or not
00:23:25 this object is worthy of my faith,
00:23:30 because once I believe, I bring them into my space,
00:23:34 and they either strengthen me or weaken me.
00:23:39 I wish I could understand this.
00:23:42 Oh, I feel it here.
00:23:43 You got faith in a woman.
00:23:46 Let's say you just, you know, it's relational.
00:23:48 Hey, you done put your faith in this woman,
00:23:53 and now you have brought her into your space,
00:23:58 and so the object subject is no longer a polarity.
00:24:02 We're not jumping from one pole to the other.
00:24:05 My faith in you has taken my whole being.
00:24:11 You got the whole concept here,
00:24:12 because all of my anthropological capacities
00:24:16 is now unified to be given to the object of my faith.
00:24:21 That's why in marriage, the two shall become one,
00:24:27 because subject, object have faith in each other,
00:24:30 giving vows of fidelity and trust.
00:24:35 Oh, Jesus.
00:24:36 And immediately, the two have become one.
00:24:40 Now, if two going to become one,
00:24:43 you better check somebody's credit,
00:24:45 because whatever their credit situation is
00:24:50 is now going to become yours.
00:24:54 I wish I could preach this thing
00:24:55 so somebody can understand it.
00:24:57 You going to move like that,
00:25:00 you better check somebody's health,
00:25:02 because whatever they got, you fixing to get.
00:25:09 If you got that kind of faith,
00:25:12 I feel like having church.
00:25:14 If you have faith in a robber,
00:25:17 you're going to pretty soon be a part in an abetment,
00:25:21 or whatever that thing is,
00:25:23 you're going to be a part of whatever they do,
00:25:25 because who you have faith in
00:25:28 is not separate from you any longer.
00:25:31 You have brought them into your space,
00:25:35 and the object and the subject have come together.
00:25:39 That's why when I redefine myself,
00:25:43 what I've done is I've just taken the object
00:25:47 and changed the object.
00:25:50 I say, I used to believe in you,
00:25:53 but now I believe in God.
00:25:57 That don't mean I'm through with you,
00:25:59 it just means he'll give me the power to handle you
00:26:04 when you couldn't give me the power to handle myself.
00:26:08 Oh, I feel the whole space moving.
00:26:11 Oh, I'm trying to work it.
00:26:14 This empowerment then in the integration of self,
00:26:18 and self-understanding now is developed against
00:26:23 a background and a history of uncertainty and conflict.
00:26:28 That's why God consistently pulls us
00:26:32 into this place of uncertainty and conflict,
00:26:36 because that's where faith is developed.
00:26:40 It's not developed, if you would,
00:26:42 when everything is going well,
00:26:45 but it's developed in face of conflict and uncertainty,
00:26:50 because that's where faith has to show itself.
00:26:55 It's got to show up when things are unstable.
00:26:59 It's got to show up when things are difficult,
00:27:03 because if everything is going well,
00:27:06 we can't see a distinction of faith.
00:27:10 We can't see something that spectacular
00:27:12 against the background of what you're going through,
00:27:17 because if my whole life is just a wonderful color red,
00:27:21 and my faith is color red,
00:27:24 then I don't see any distinction.
00:27:26 I tell you when I can tell.
00:27:29 It's when my whole life is the color white,
00:27:33 and all of a sudden I have this distinct color red.
00:27:38 I've got red against a white background.
00:27:40 Now I see distinction.
00:27:43 It's when everybody around you
00:27:46 have recognized you as a failure,
00:27:50 and in your spirit you know God has seen you as success.
00:27:55 Now you can take that faith,
00:27:58 and put it against the background
00:28:01 of what other people think,
00:28:03 and show them it ain't about what you think,
00:28:07 but it's how God feels about me.
00:28:10 I am who God has made me.
00:28:14 Can I preach like I feel it?
00:28:17 It's here then that the child of God must understand
00:28:22 that there's always going to be conflict
00:28:26 for your next growth.
00:28:28 Oh, I feel it.
00:28:30 You step right here, these steps.
00:28:33 When you're going down, you ain't got a problem on those steps.
00:28:37 Uh-uh, it's not a problem,
00:28:38 because at the very worst you'll just slide on down.
00:28:41 You'll just come down quicker.
00:28:44 But when you're going up, you've got to be careful,
00:28:47 because if you don't cover the step, it'll trip you.
00:28:52 You see, what God wants to do is take you to a next level,
00:28:57 but in order to take you to the next level,
00:29:01 he's got to put something in front of you
00:29:04 that you either step up on or trip over.
00:29:08 I feel it in here.
00:29:10 When you trip, it's because you're doubting.
00:29:14 When you step, it's because you believe.
00:29:18 So I'm not running from conflict,
00:29:21 because conflict says my next level is about to take place.
00:29:26 And as much conflict as you have is as many steps.
00:29:31 (audience cheering)
00:29:33 I feel like shouting here.
00:29:36 Before the conflict, I was down there.
00:29:39 After the conflict, I am up here.
00:29:43 So bring on the conflict, devil,
00:29:45 'cause you're bringing on my blessing.
00:29:49 Oh, I feel like shouting.
00:29:51 I suggest to you then that every now and then
00:29:55 you give God praise for your enemies,
00:29:59 'cause your enemy is just another step.
00:30:02 (audience cheering)
00:30:04 Oh, I feel it here.
00:30:07 It's critical then to see how God then orchestrates
00:30:12 the circumstance in the text,
00:30:15 because he understands that the empowerment here,
00:30:19 well, yes, is a situation that has to be brought
00:30:23 under conflict.
00:30:25 The problem now is that the moment of uncertainty
00:30:29 is the place where you dissolve the old identity.
00:30:34 And yes, you've got to dissolve the old identity,
00:30:39 no matter how partial, no matter how trivial it is.
00:30:43 And now you've got to deal with the engendering,
00:30:46 the testing, and the validating of the new self propositions.
00:30:51 I don't begin by what I do.
00:30:54 I begin by how I think.
00:30:57 And it's how I think about myself
00:31:01 that will bring on what happens around me.
00:31:05 I feel it here.
00:31:06 It ain't other people.
00:31:08 What goes on around me, if it's confusion around me,
00:31:11 and I've got some drama,
00:31:13 it's because I think dramatically.
00:31:16 I wish I could talk to you about that.
00:31:18 I'll get some counseling later.
00:31:20 But the point is, if you've got peace around you,
00:31:25 it's because you think peaceful.
00:31:28 If you've got power around you,
00:31:32 it's because you think power.
00:31:35 Oh God, if you're positive and smiling
00:31:37 with the energy of this choir,
00:31:40 it's because you're feeling good about yourself.
00:31:44 And when you move then to the next level,
00:31:48 there's always going to be an engendering,
00:31:51 a testing, a validating of self,
00:31:55 because experiences in changing
00:31:59 always send flashes of doubt.
00:32:02 There's no way that you can move to another level
00:32:06 and give up the comfort of where you used to be
00:32:09 and not be moved with some flashes of doubt.
00:32:15 But doubt is to be mastered
00:32:19 and not to control you.
00:32:21 And what it says is, when there's some doubt somewhere,
00:32:26 it says you're going somewhere that you ain't never been.
00:32:31 So I ain't certain about the outcome.
00:32:34 I just believe that's my next step.
00:32:37 And I'm going to take it even if I'm nervous,
00:32:41 because God will soon show me
00:32:44 that you ain't taking it by yourself.
00:32:48 I'm taking it with you.
00:32:50 Oh, I feel like having church.
00:32:53 Have I told you touch a neighbor yet?
00:32:54 Well, we'll do that later.
00:32:57 And so no matter how certain and stable
00:33:00 our identity has become,
00:33:03 we never move beyond the necessity
00:33:06 of making partial alterations
00:33:10 in our self definitions,
00:33:13 because there's new challenges.
00:33:16 And whenever there's a new challenge,
00:33:19 it brings about a new definition.
00:33:22 How can I put it this way?
00:33:24 Some of you have said to yourself,
00:33:27 I never knew I could ever handle that.
00:33:31 But now I find that I can master it without difficulty.
00:33:36 But if there was not a new experience,
00:33:41 you couldn't have a new definition of who you are.
00:33:46 And sometimes you fear something
00:33:49 only to get in it and find out
00:33:51 it ain't nothing to be afraid of.
00:33:54 So now I redefine who I am
00:33:58 by what I just went through.
00:34:01 Oh, I feel like preaching here.
00:34:03 Sometimes you go through hell with somebody
00:34:07 and then you have to redefine yourself.
00:34:11 When you come to the conclusion,
00:34:13 I ain't got to take this.
00:34:15 I just redefined myself.
00:34:18 It used to be I thought I had to live like this,
00:34:22 but I've just redefined myself and I'm out.
00:34:27 I feel like having church.
00:34:30 It's critical now because these boys have been defined.
00:34:35 When I look at the definition that had been with these boys,
00:34:40 and I wish I had the time
00:34:41 because the first and the second story here,
00:34:45 and that's rejection at Nazareth, beheading of John,
00:34:49 that deals with the first soil.
00:34:51 The middle soil is number three and four,
00:34:54 and that is where the disciples
00:34:56 wouldn't want to feed the folk.
00:34:58 And the fourthly, where Peter believed,
00:35:01 but then he didn't believe
00:35:02 because he was caught now in the next soil,
00:35:05 and that is where the plant began to grow
00:35:08 and then it was choked.
00:35:09 The fifth story, of course, is total faith,
00:35:14 and that was the Janeseret pagans.
00:35:17 They believed God totally.
00:35:19 But I want you to see the self-definition of the disciples
00:35:24 and look at it from that point of view
00:35:28 because here are a group of men who are on the inside,
00:35:33 the privilege of knowing the mysteries of the kingdom
00:35:37 and has been given unto you,
00:35:40 but to them that are without, they haven't been given.
00:35:44 And so they have received the revelation of who Jesus is.
00:35:49 And the Lord said, "My father gave you that revelation,"
00:35:53 which means don't brag in who you are
00:35:57 because you didn't acquire it by your cognitive,
00:36:00 intellectual, anthropological capacities.
00:36:04 You simply got it because it was given.
00:36:08 I wish I could talk about that for a minute.
00:36:10 You see, some of you are here simply because it was given.
00:36:15 God just gave it to you.
00:36:18 And when you're in that state,
00:36:20 you're generally sheltered and you're sequestered.
00:36:23 And it's a time now of shielding
00:36:26 because Jesus is covering his little church.
00:36:31 And in covering them,
00:36:33 they are now defined with him just as companions,
00:36:38 but they don't have the challenges in order for them to grow
00:36:44 because nobody grows when they're sequestered.
00:36:49 I have a daughter, she's 30 years old,
00:36:52 and she calls her father all the time
00:36:56 because she knows her father is her backup.
00:36:59 You know, "Dad, I need you to make a donation
00:37:04 "to the Tiffany Jones Foundation this week."
00:37:07 And, you know, "I really don't wanna ask you, Dad,
00:37:11 "but I don't know what else to do."
00:37:13 You know that kind of stuff?
00:37:15 That's a setup, you know.
00:37:17 And as long as she's got daddy covering her,
00:37:20 she don't have to care about her bills.
00:37:23 You take a sister out here, you got a good man,
00:37:26 and he covers you, you know.
00:37:29 You spend and you just did just everlastingly too much
00:37:34 at Neiman the last time you were there.
00:37:38 You just overdid it.
00:37:40 And, but you got a good man, so, you know, it's all right.
00:37:45 And your friend's saying, "Girl, you done got in trouble."
00:37:48 No, it's all right, he'll fuss a little bit,
00:37:50 but he gonna pay it anyway.
00:37:52 It ain't no problem.
00:37:53 As you know, I get by the fussing.
00:37:55 I won't trip when he's fussing 'cause he gonna fuss,
00:37:58 but he gonna pay, don't worry.
00:37:59 He gonna pay.
00:38:01 I just dropped one of them tears on him,
00:38:02 and of course, he'll go to pay it.
00:38:06 She can do what she wants.
00:38:07 He gonna take care of the gas, gonna clean the car up,
00:38:11 gonna make sure that the engine's working.
00:38:13 Hear a little knock in the car, little,
00:38:15 oh, he said, "Now, let me take that in, baby.
00:38:17 "I don't need you out in the street,
00:38:19 "riding like that car ain't working right."
00:38:21 He talks to the mechanic for you.
00:38:24 I mean, he just goes and tells the mechanic,
00:38:26 "Now, you fixing this car, this my car.
00:38:30 "Now, she's driving it, but it's mine.
00:38:32 "I don't need you playing with her.
00:38:34 "I need you to fix it right, and don't charge it."
00:38:36 Because, you know, folk take advantage of folk
00:38:39 who aren't covered.
00:38:41 I wish I could talk.
00:38:42 Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
00:38:45 You know you're going on a long trip,
00:38:47 and you get behind the wheel.
00:38:49 Before you get to the city limits, you sleepy.
00:38:52 So, you say, "Now, baby, you got to drive.
00:38:54 "I'm tired."
00:38:55 Well, we just left home together.
00:38:56 It ain't 20 minutes, and you tired already.
00:38:59 I'm tired.
00:39:00 Now, he gets behind the wheel
00:39:02 and pulls the load all the way to San Francisco
00:39:06 while you just snoring over the sound of the music
00:39:10 and just got to turn the radio up on full
00:39:14 to keep that (snoring)
00:39:17 from messing with everything going on.
00:39:19 You're covered.
00:39:20 You're sheltered.
00:39:21 You're sequestered.
00:39:22 You can walk around without even thinking
00:39:26 about certain things.
00:39:28 But that other lady that's got to get up every morning
00:39:31 and got to wipe the sleep out of her eyes
00:39:35 and just go to turn the sleep out
00:39:37 and got to make it up and got to fix it up and set it up
00:39:42 and got to get out there and get behind the wheel.
00:39:44 And it's knocking, but she can't do nothing about it.
00:39:48 She got to get up and make food for herself
00:39:51 and watch out for her kids
00:39:53 and try to remember not to buy gas at 11.30 at night
00:39:58 and try to do the right thing.
00:40:00 Why?
00:40:01 'Cause she ain't sheltered.
00:40:02 I wish I could talk to you.
00:40:04 But when life's crisis arises and trials come,
00:40:11 it ain't the one that's been sheltered
00:40:14 that can stand up and fight life.
00:40:16 (congregation cheering)
00:40:20 But it's that one that knows how to survive
00:40:25 when everything is going crazy.
00:40:28 That's the one you want in the trenches,
00:40:30 which I feel like preaching in here.
00:40:34 The disciples, you all sit down.
00:40:36 Do I have a little time?
00:40:37 Do I have a little?
00:40:38 The disciples, they were sheltered.
00:40:41 And yet they witnessed his omnipotent behavior
00:40:45 and his miraculous display of power.
00:40:49 And they seem to be farthest
00:40:51 from the mainstream of divine exhibition,
00:40:55 particularly when it came to self-identity with Jesus.
00:41:00 We just hang with him, but they were nothing like him
00:41:04 because to have faith is to conform
00:41:07 to the object that you have faith in.
00:41:11 I feel it here.
00:41:12 They had none of his graces.
00:41:14 They had none of his qualities
00:41:19 because when you have faith,
00:41:21 you absorb the qualities of the person
00:41:25 that is object of your faith.
00:41:28 So they were full of traditional pride
00:41:31 and organizational superiority.
00:41:34 They were sheltered like some of the saints
00:41:37 who's got all kinds of amenities.
00:41:40 You see, everybody doesn't have a parking space.
00:41:45 Some folk in here have to fight
00:41:48 to get here early to get a seat.
00:41:51 Some folk don't know who to call to say,
00:41:55 save me a seat this Sunday, please.
00:41:58 I got five or 10 people.
00:42:00 They got to fight their way in.
00:42:03 And then they're not even upset.
00:42:05 They ain't tripping over it
00:42:07 because I didn't come because of a position.
00:42:11 I came because I needed a blessing from the Lord.
00:42:16 My faith has got to overcome.
00:42:20 I feel this thing.
00:42:22 So their definition, they're defined in my sight
00:42:25 as a group of sheltered disciples
00:42:28 who would send the 5,000 away hungry.
00:42:31 They would keep the children from coming to Jesus.
00:42:37 Had none of his qualities.
00:42:38 They would keep Jesus from the woman at the well.
00:42:42 They would keep him from Zacchaeus' house.
00:42:45 And they tried to run the Syrophoenician Canaanite woman off.
00:42:50 They accused Jesus of not caring,
00:42:53 unable to heal the man's son
00:42:56 when Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration.
00:43:00 And yet still all their little debate was,
00:43:03 who is greatest among us?
00:43:06 If you were busy serving,
00:43:09 you wouldn't be busy trying to figure out who you are.
00:43:14 I feel like having church in here.
00:43:17 If you were busy helping somebody,
00:43:20 you wouldn't be sitting around in little groups
00:43:23 trying to see who's a big shot and who's significant.
00:43:28 Because when you're serving,
00:43:31 roll up your sleeve like Jesus.
00:43:34 Now power will be jumping all off you.
00:43:38 Oh, I feel the Holy Ghost.
00:43:40 They're enjoying the corporate privilege
00:43:44 and the inner circle sanctum.
00:43:46 And they don't have any hunger but for power.
00:43:49 And no thirst but for personal aggrandizement.
00:43:53 Looking not to praise God, looking to praise themselves.
00:43:58 No need but for recognition.
00:44:01 Don't forget to call my name.
00:44:03 And now that's just a front for a good test.
00:44:08 I need your help.
00:44:10 Now touch your neighbor and tell your neighbor,
00:44:12 I hope you ain't frontin' for a good test.
00:44:17 I feel it here.
00:44:19 'Cause God's getting ready to pull the shelter off
00:44:23 so he can take you to the next level of self-identification.
00:44:28 I feel something pushing me here.
00:44:32 Oh God, I feel your presence.
00:44:35 And so now the time of shelter
00:44:38 is now coming to a place where
00:44:41 revelation now is going to be
00:44:44 revelation in a situation of need.
00:44:48 In other words, I'm going to make them need something
00:44:52 in order to get 'em to where I want 'em to go.
00:44:56 So now here's what I'm going to do.
00:44:59 I'm not going to let them enjoy the accolades
00:45:03 of me feeding 5,000 people.
00:45:06 Uh-uh, you ain't gonna walk through the crowd.
00:45:08 I hope you're doing well and Jesus and I took care of you.
00:45:11 And I hope to see you next time.
00:45:14 And oh, aren't we something?
00:45:15 Yes, we are.
00:45:17 We're just so marvelous.
00:45:18 And anytime, just stop by Jesus
00:45:20 and I will take care of your business.
00:45:23 No, no, I want you fellas to go ahead of me,
00:45:27 get in the boat and go to the other side.
00:45:31 Now because of his omniscience,
00:45:33 he knew that they were going to get in some trouble.
00:45:38 And every now and then, he lets us get into some trouble.
00:45:43 I feel it here, especially when you think
00:45:47 you got it all together.
00:45:49 And you're the cat's meow and the dog's bow wow.
00:45:53 And oh, I'm so blessed.
00:45:55 You know where I'm going on vacation?
00:45:57 I'm just blessed.
00:45:58 You know what I drive?
00:46:00 I'm just blessed.
00:46:02 Do you need anything?
00:46:02 Oh no, no.
00:46:03 Oh no, I'm just, just everything is going my way.
00:46:08 And the Lord said, and I ain't that just a front
00:46:12 for a good test.
00:46:14 Oh yeah, I'm getting ready to show them.
00:46:18 Anybody in here ever been through something?
00:46:20 Did it change your definition of yourself?
00:46:25 (audience cheering)
00:46:28 Oh, I feel the Holy Ghost.
00:46:30 And so he realizes now that he knows what he's going to do.
00:46:35 So he creates the need by sending them
00:46:40 into these contrary winds.
00:46:42 And then instead of rushing to them,
00:46:45 he went up somewhere to pray.
00:46:47 And so now the time is passing
00:46:50 and they're in the midst of the water.
00:46:53 He's fixed it so they can't go back
00:46:56 because it's just as short going forward
00:47:00 as it is going back.
00:47:02 I don't know about you, but he's put me out there
00:47:06 where I couldn't go back.
00:47:08 He shut the door behind me.
00:47:11 And he says, you're going to have to learn
00:47:13 some new behavior because the old one ain't no good no more.
00:47:19 You're going to have to define yourself
00:47:22 in light of where you're going
00:47:25 and not in light of where you're coming from
00:47:28 because I'm fixing it so that this storm
00:47:32 going to catch you in the middle.
00:47:35 I feel like preaching in here.
00:47:37 I have been there where I said,
00:47:40 I wish I didn't start out on this journey
00:47:43 because if I hadn't started this thing,
00:47:46 I would cancel it right now.
00:47:48 But God said, I got you in the middle.
00:47:51 You can't cancel it.
00:47:53 You got to see it to the end.
00:47:56 I feel like preaching in here.
00:47:57 I'm talking to somebody that put some money out in business.
00:48:02 You can't get your money back.
00:48:03 You got to see it to the end.
00:48:06 I feel like preaching in here.
00:48:09 I don't know, I'm tired, but I must be a good time
00:48:12 because I feel the power of the Holy Ghost.
00:48:16 Give somebody high five.
00:48:18 Say, I'm too far out to turn around now.
00:48:22 Ah, I got to see it to the end.
00:48:25 I got to go all the way with this one.
00:48:31 It's easy now when you've been sheltered for a while
00:48:36 and you just know the Lord is coming in a hurry.
00:48:40 And so you know you got a little egg nest.
00:48:42 My daddy calls it.
00:48:43 You know you got your little bank account.
00:48:46 And even though the winds are blowing financially,
00:48:49 you still have your savings, you know.
00:48:52 So, you know I'm spending a little money,
00:48:54 but I believe before it gets down halfway,
00:48:58 the Lord's going to inject me with another dose of some cash.
00:49:02 Then as it starts dwindling, you ain't nervous yet
00:49:08 because you've got enough laid aside
00:49:09 for at least a good year.
00:49:12 So now I'm stepping out by faith.
00:49:14 Oh yeah, you are.
00:49:16 But you got my backup just in case.
00:49:19 And I got some friends.
00:49:21 And I got some folk who owe me some money
00:49:23 that I can reach for.
00:49:25 But let the winds keep blowing.
00:49:28 Let those winds blow until now
00:49:31 the money dwindling a little bit.
00:49:33 It's getting down close to where you now feel
00:49:36 a little knot growing in your stomach.
00:49:39 I feel like preaching to somebody here.
00:49:42 You know, the winds are blowing
00:49:45 and you're getting a little anxious now
00:49:47 because you're spending more than you're bringing in.
00:49:51 And now what used to be,
00:49:54 what looked to you like five years of money
00:49:58 is now looking like five months of money.
00:50:02 And oh, you got to start calling now
00:50:05 because now I got to start calling who owes me
00:50:09 so I can see can I get some money back.
00:50:12 Now, hello, I would not be calling you.
00:50:14 No, I haven't called you about my money
00:50:17 in about five years.
00:50:19 And I wouldn't be calling you now,
00:50:21 but some things come up.
00:50:24 The wind is blowing, that's what it is.
00:50:27 The wind has just come up.
00:50:29 And I need you to see about my money right about now.
00:50:34 Only to find out they ain't got it.
00:50:38 And now the knot is coming and the winds keep blowing.
00:50:43 Now you ran out of who owe you money.
00:50:46 Now you got to call who you think loves you.
00:50:50 I got to call some of my friends.
00:50:52 Can you help me?
00:50:54 And they sent a little bit and they sent a little bit.
00:50:58 But the winds keep on blowing.
00:51:00 And before long, the winds have blew that away
00:51:03 and is now eating down on the thing
00:51:06 that's getting down to zero.
00:51:08 And the winds just keep on blowing.
00:51:12 Right about now, your blood pressure is all the way up.
00:51:16 Because folk now won't call you back
00:51:19 'cause your number coming up on that identity thing.
00:51:24 Or call a ID.
00:51:26 And folks say, "Uh-uh, I ain't going to be bothered.
00:51:28 "Not today.
00:51:30 "I don't want to hear that complaint today.
00:51:32 "I ain't listening to none of that hard luck stuff.
00:51:36 "I got my own business to take care of.
00:51:39 "And I'm struggling by myself.
00:51:41 "And who's calling?
00:51:42 "Click.
00:51:43 "I'm going through too much myself."
00:51:47 By now, you're about to panic
00:51:49 because now you're rowing for your life.
00:51:53 I don't know, have you ever been there?
00:51:55 But now, Mr. Shelter, now you discovered,
00:52:00 if the Lord don't bring me out now,
00:52:04 I'll never make it.
00:52:07 If the Lord don't turn it around,
00:52:10 I'll never come out of this situation.
00:52:14 If the Lord don't bring me out,
00:52:17 it's done, I'm finished.
00:52:19 I feel the Holy Ghost in here.
00:52:22 Give somebody a high five.
00:52:24 And say the Lord knows when to come your way.
00:52:29 He waits until you have the biggest obstacle in your face.
00:52:34 Until mama can't do it.
00:52:38 Until daddy can't do it.
00:52:40 Until the folk around you can't do it.
00:52:43 Here come Jesus, walking on the water
00:52:48 with great deliverance in his hand.
00:52:52 I feel the Holy Ghost in here.
00:52:55 I'm talking to somebody.
00:52:57 And the Lord told me to tell you,
00:52:59 today is your last crying payment.
00:53:04 This is your last cry.
00:53:07 'Cause I'm already in root.
00:53:10 I'm already on the water.
00:53:12 And I'm coming your way.
00:53:15 I'm coming your way.
00:53:17 Can I preach like I feel it?
00:53:19 It's at the point of need.
00:53:22 At the point of desperation.
00:53:24 Where God's gonna redefine who we are.
00:53:29 In the middle of the trial.
00:53:32 When everything is going crazy.
00:53:35 That's when he shows up.
00:53:37 Here come Jehovah Jireh.
00:53:40 Here come Jehovah Shalom.
00:53:42 Here come Jehovah Maccadish.
00:53:45 Here come Jehovah Rehah.
00:53:48 Jehovah Rophi.
00:53:50 Jehovah Sikhanou.
00:53:52 Here come Jesus.
00:53:54 But my life is so messed up.
00:53:57 And my psyche is so gone.
00:54:00 That I can't even identify.
00:54:03 That the next thing coming is Jesus.
00:54:07 I've gotten used to so much trouble.
00:54:10 Shake somebody's hand.
00:54:12 And say the next person in your life
00:54:14 ain't coming from the devil.
00:54:16 This is Jesus sending somebody to fix what's broken.
00:54:21 I know you're nervous.
00:54:24 But don't be afraid.
00:54:26 It is I.
00:54:27 Feel the Holy Ghost.
00:54:31 I know you're nervous.
00:54:33 But I told you weeping may endure for a night.
00:54:38 But joy is coming in the morning.
00:54:43 Give somebody a high five.
00:54:45 Say it's morning time.
00:54:48 It's morning time.
00:54:50 It's morning time.
00:54:52 I see a light rising in the east.
00:54:56 The day is about to break.
00:55:00 It's morning time.
00:55:02 (screaming)
00:55:05 It's morning time.
00:55:07 I feel the power of God.
00:55:09 Slap somebody on the shoulder.
00:55:12 And say neighbor, the wind is blowing.
00:55:15 But Jesus is here.
00:55:17 The wind is blowing.
00:55:19 But I hear my Savior's voice.
00:55:22 Because faith cometh by hearing.
00:55:25 And hearing by the word of the Lord.
00:55:27 If it's you Lord.
00:55:30 If it's you.
00:55:31 Can I identify with you?
00:55:34 Can I redefine my ability to navigate in a storm?
00:55:39 Help me.
00:55:41 If it's you.
00:55:43 He said come.
00:55:45 And faith cometh by hearing.
00:55:48 Hearing by the word of the Lord.
00:55:50 And when he stepped out.
00:55:52 It didn't step out on water.
00:55:54 He stepped out on the word.
00:55:57 I feel like preaching in here.
00:55:59 Is there anybody here that's in the middle of a storm?
00:56:04 Who is willing to step on the word?
00:56:08 Step on the word.
00:56:10 In the middle of the storm.
00:56:12 And tell the devil.
00:56:14 You got the storm.
00:56:16 But I got the word.
00:56:18 Thy word.
00:56:20 Have I hid in my heart.
00:56:22 That I might not sit against you.
00:56:26 I will bless the Lord.
00:56:28 At all times.
00:56:31 As grace shall continually be in my mouth.
00:56:36 I'm stepping on the word.
00:56:39 That's why I haven't lost my mind.
00:56:42 I'm stepping on the word.
00:56:44 That's why I still got my integrity.
00:56:47 Stepping on the word.
00:56:49 Touch your neighbor say walk on it.
00:56:51 Walk on it.
00:56:52 Quit looking around.
00:56:54 And just walk.
00:56:56 Quit being nervous.
00:56:58 And just walk.
00:57:00 Quit doubting.
00:57:02 And just walk.
00:57:04 Lord if you walking on the water.
00:57:07 I can.
00:57:09 Lord if you got victory.
00:57:12 Over poverty.
00:57:14 I do too.
00:57:16 Lord if you can defeat.
00:57:19 The devil.
00:57:21 So can I.
00:57:23 Can put your foot.
00:57:25 On my enemies neck.
00:57:27 So can I.
00:57:29 Whatever you can do.
00:57:31 If I got you with me.
00:57:33 Cause I can do.
00:57:35 All things.
00:57:37 I can pay my bills.
00:57:39 I feel like preaching.
00:57:41 I can buy a new house.
00:57:43 I can buy a new car.
00:57:45 I can turn my life around.
00:57:47 Cause I can do all things.
00:57:49 Through Christ.
00:57:51 Let the wind blow.
00:57:53 I'm walking.
00:57:55 Let the storm rise.
00:57:57 I'm walking.
00:57:59 Let my friends leave.
00:58:01 I'm walking.
00:58:03 Let the folk hate me.
00:58:05 I'm walking.
00:58:07 Touch your neighbor.
00:58:09 Say walk on.
00:58:11 Through the storm.
00:58:13 Walk on.
00:58:15 Through the rain.
00:58:17 Walk on.
00:58:19 Through pain.
00:58:21 Walk.
00:58:23 Walk.
00:58:25 Walk.
00:58:27 Walk.
00:58:29 Walk.
00:58:31 I feel the.
00:58:33 I feel the.
00:58:35 I feel the.
00:58:37 I feel the Holy Ghost.
00:58:39 I feel the Holy Ghost.
00:58:41 Shake somebody's hand.
00:58:43 Say I'm in a storm.
00:58:45 But it ain't stopping me.
00:58:47 I'm still gonna lift him.
00:58:49 I'm still gonna give him.
00:58:51 Glory.
00:58:53 As the Lord.
00:58:55 Yea.
00:58:57 Though I walk through the valley.
00:58:59 Of the shadow of death.
00:59:01 I will fear.
00:59:03 No evil.
00:59:05 For valor.
00:59:07 I'm getting ready to close.
00:59:19 Thou art with me.
00:59:21 Shake somebody's hand.
00:59:23 Say the Lord is with me.
00:59:25 Look at me.
00:59:27 The Lord is with me.
00:59:29 Look at me.
00:59:31 I'm crying.
00:59:33 But the Lord is with me.
00:59:35 The Lord is... I'm hurt, but... I'm safe.
00:59:45 [Music]