Clarity Comes Through Intimacy

Welcome to Tribe's podcast. Hey, we just wanna say thank you for making this message a part of your week. Our prayer is that these messages will inspire you to make the name of Jesus famous in your life and to the uttermost bounds of the earth. If you're ever in Jackson Hole, we'd love for you to visit our Tribe fam in person. To learn more about us, you can find us online or at Facebook by searching tribejh.com.

Welcome to Tribe's podcast. Hey, we just wanna say thank you for making this message a part of your week. Our prayer is that these messages will inspire you to make the name of Jesus famous in your life and to the uttermost bounds of the earth. If you're ever in Jackson Hole, we'd love for you to visit our tribe fam in person. To learn more about us, you can find us online or at Facebook by searching tribejh.com.time.

And students would come in and, you know, we would have, like, you know, video games and different activities and stuff that they could do. And I didn't realize my that there was a calling on my life to lead, love, and shepherd people until I kinda got tricked into youth ministry. But one of the things that I realized that the Lord had given me, equipped me with to do what he had called me to do in youth ministry was, like, the the if you wanted to use a churchy term, it could be the gift of discernment, but I students knew this for better or for worse, but I could look in their eyes and for the most part get a pretty good general sense of where they were at and what was going on in their lives. Not all the time. And there are a lot of great fakers, but for the most part, I could look in their eyes and see how they were doing.

And so I wasn't here last week. We'll talk about Joy in a moment. What a great job she did. But I just need to look in your eyes and see how you're doing, establish that reestablish that connection. Relationship is so important to me, and I really do love and care for you even if this is your very first Sunday here, like, don't even know me.

That's okay. Are y'all doing okay? Keep them on. Keep them on. Keep them on.

And look at Brandon. This is what he gives me. This is why I love this church. Alright. Didn't Joy do a great job last week?

Joy, are you in here or is she in Tribe Kids? Look at her back to back. So last week Joy, who has been like a founding member of the team here at Tribe, stepped up to the plate while I was in town but unavailable, and so Joy stepped up, and let's do a quick test of the teacher, and I would love to hear from you one takeaway that you got from Joy last week, and obviously if you weren't here, you're off the hook. But we have a microphone in the room, and if you hold your hand up, the microphone will come around to you so that we can hear your voice in the room and so that all of our families watching the livestream get to hear as well. So what was one takeaway from what Joy said last week that you got?

Almost every day this week since Joy's talked, the question, did God say to do that or you're just doing it because you think you should do it? Has reigned in my head.

What else?

Jesus said, if you love me, obey my commandments. Well, we love you, Lord. But part of what she taught us was obedience goes hand in hand, can't go without it, according to the Hebrew word, with the word listen. So listen and obey.

Go to listen is synonymous with obey. To listen means it implies action. Yeah. That's super good. Super good.

So we have been in a series of conversations for the last several weeks, really the beginning of the year, a series of conversations, a series of conversations about what I feel like the Lord put on my heart for our family and really with anybody with ears to hear a word for 2024. And what I feel like he put on my heart to share with you and what we need what we've been camped out on for a number of weeks is this idea that in 2024, we can expect an increase of complexity in the world. But with an increase of complexity, God promises that there will be clarity available to us unlike we have ever experienced or stepped into in our life. There ain't never ever ever ever a problem that comes your way that God does not attach one of his amazing transformative promises. That was your first opportunity to either say, or amen, or some type of positive affirmation of what I just said.

There will never ever ever ever be a problem that comes your way that God doesn't say, ah ah ah ah ah before that goes out the door and into your life, that God doesn't attach one of his beautiful transformative promises. That is the God that we serve. God is not the author of evil. He is not the author of harm or pain. He does not disgrace.

He does not he does not inflict injury on us, but we live in a fallen world. But even in the midst of a fallen world where bad things happen to good people, part of his nature and character is I refuse to allow that awful thing for you to walk through that awful thing without me attaching a beautiful, wonderful promise to it. The trick is we have to be trained to look for that promise. The the Bible says in the Valley Of Achor, despair, sorrow, heartache, brokenness, God places a door of hope. Are our eyes and minds trained to be able to see God's promise in the midst of a poopy situation?

I love going to church where the preacher can say poopy. In a similar way in a similar way, I feel and I you you don't have to be a prophet to to to get a sense of what's coming down the pipe in 2024. Right? Increasing I I believe that in your in your own world to to some measure, regionally, nationally, and globally, we will see an increase of complexity within the course of one year unlike we have seen perhaps in this generation or even longer. And here's what most people will get caught up in, just the complexity.

They will get confused, disillusioned, caught off guard by complexity. Far be it from our tribe fam and anyone else with ears to hear that they would only be caught up in the complexity without looking for and being able to recognize, distill, grab a hold of the clarity. Everybody wants the clarity. What's god's will for my life? What is his purpose for me?

Where am I? Do you want me to go to grad school or not? Do you want me to try to buy a home here? Like, we all want clarity on a variety of things, but few of us are willing to put the effort in to sort through complexity in order to get that clarity. I mean, who wouldn't want the clarity without the complexity?

But that's just not how the way the universe works. And so for the last few weeks, I have been trying to impart to you, set you up for success, train you, equip you with the ability to take stories from the bible that we have read, and we see them as simple and straightforward because we have the benefit of the perspective of history. We know how the story turns out. But reexamine several stories and and be able to reintroduce the actual probable real life complexity swirling around these stories. Because how many of you in in your life does your life play out just like maybe a simple proverb or a simple parable of Jesus or a straightforward bible story?

Meaning, how many of you have ever actually encountered a physical burning bush with the spirit of the Lord in it? Right. Right. Like, life is more complex. It would be great if it were just so simple and distilled, but life is nuanced and complex.

And when we can see and reintroduce some of the complexities into the stories that we've read and then stop and then pull out the clarity, hopefully, it allows you to translate things that are going on in the Bible into your own life, everyday real experiences, so that in your own everyday life real experiences, you can be like, oh, I'm seeing some clarity in the midst of the complexity of my life. If you're following me, you can shake your head this way. Oh, that's so good. Okay. We've also talked about equipping you with how do you gain more clarity for your life in this already complex world.

So week one I don't have a keynote this morning. It didn't come through, so you're just gonna have to listen and take notes. Week one of this series of conversations, we've talked about we talked about how clarity comes through simplicity. Week two, we talked about how clarity comes through worship. Instead of getting busier trying to figure things out, what if you were to just set time aside and just worship the lord?

Week three, we talked about how clarity comes through simple obedience, and Joy touched on that. Week four, which was last week, we talked about how clarity comes from removing yourself from the cacophony of noise to hear and obey his voice.

The

last week? Week four. Week four. Clarity comes from removing yourself from the cacophony of noise, and I wouldn't know how to spell it either if Siri didn't help me. To hear his voice of clarity and obey.

So this week, we're going to talk about how clarity comes through intimacy. At the top of your notes this morning, you can write the word for twenty twenty four 'Clarity in Complexity Week five' Clarity comes through intimacy. If you have your bible with you this morning, would you click on Mark chapter 14? For those of you who called Tribe home, you've been with us here at the Virginian for a while, maybe this is your first Sunday, maybe ever at Tribe or maybe ever to go to church in a bar. Welcome.

One of the other distinctives about our church family is that if you've heard me use that word conversation, it is because I really do want this to be a conversation. I want it to be a dialogue, diet two, and not just a monologue, mono, one. I want to hear from you. I grow and am challenged just as much from hearing you as you might be from me. And so you've already seen Lanisha, John spoke up.

I would love to I would love for you to participate in today's conversation. If you have questions, comments, or connections, we really do want to hear from you. And as I mentioned before, the mic will go around the room, not only so that we can hear your voice here in the room, but all of the families that are watching on livestream and people that are traveling hither and thither will be able to get to participate and engage with the service as well. With that in mind, could I ask somebody to read out loud in the mic? Mark what'd I say?

Mark fourteen one through nine. Brie, I love to hear your voice. She's like, oh, and I'm pulling it out right now. Why? She just let you off the hook.

But you we'll come back to you. Thank you, Brie.

After two days, it was the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread, and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might make take him by trickery and put him to death. But they said, Not during a feast, lest there be an uproar of the people. And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spiccanard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on his head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves and said, why was this fragrant oil wasted?

For it might have sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. And they criticized her sharply.

But Jesus replied, leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time.

I tell you the truth. Wherever the good news is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be remembered and discussed.

There are a lot of stories in the four gospels. These are different accounts of Jesus' life and ministry. And there are only just a few stories that are mentioned in all four gospels. Pretty important. This is one of them.

Okay. Instead of me instead of you coming to church and sitting in your pews and opening your mouth like this, and then I come around and and feed you. It's gross, Yeah. I I believe more out of you and expect more out of you. Right?

So I'd like you to look at the text that we just read, and I'd love for you to consider what sort of complexities do you see in this scene playing out. You have the words here. We don't have any, like like, you know, security cam footage. We've got people like the producers of The Chosen that do an amazing job of of of kind of recreating their their the ideas of some of the stories, but we need to read the text and engage our sanctified, holy, imagine god given imaginations, and consider if you were at that in that room and you saw that scene just play out, what sort of complexities or conflicts would be going through your mind, or what could you see play out in the subtleties? Where do you see complexity in this scene?

Raise your hand and we'll we'll we'll come to you. I'd love to hear what you have to say. Matt's got one.

The first thing that I see is that they were scheming. I don't like that that they were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly.

Who?

The Pharisees. The the yeah. The chief priests.

Scandal brewing. You can't have a scandal without complexity. So you see the complexity as the Pharisees and religious leaders have decided that he's a threat to their way of life and their system, and their solution is to the threat. Has some complexity there. Yes.

That's really good, Matt. What else do you see? Kat has her running cowboy boots on this morning.

I see mass complexity. Just the fact that the Pharisees, the big dogs were there, that that They just exude intimidation. And then the lady with the perfume, what a bold move, courageous. She wasn't even thinking about herself. Yeah.

No. She I don't know. The Holy Spirit must have put it on her heart or she really wanted to do it, but she did what she felt she was supposed to do in the presence of intimidation. And then the other thing I see is the guy the dude with leprosy that was healed. It's like, man, this is full of complexity.

There's a lot going on. I love that you're you're you're seeing these details. Caleb.

Oh, sorry, Caleb. In verse three, my favorite part of the story, every time I read it is, and he was reclining at the table. They were just having a fun, relaxing time at this house with Simon. They were probably catching up, like, there's no sores. How's your skin looking?

Like, just having a good time during the special

Can you picture Jesus being like, go ahead, Simon. Stand up. Come on, dude. Come on. Let's see.

Take that shirt off, brother. And I'm like

not Jesus. One of the reasons why the Pharisees are also in the room as well, because they're like, oh, let's go see this Simon guy that Jesus healed, and once again doing something that's not within the law. Yeah. And how there's so much complexity in that because they were just probably talking, doing what men at that time do, sit around, and the women probably weren't right beside kneeling like that because that would be immodest. So the fact that she came in, immediately walked past all the Pharisees and went to the feet of Jesus, kneeling in front of him at just a random dinner party, because I would be confused if a random man came into my dinner party unannounced.

Mhmm.

So so we're talking about political complexity with the Pharisees, the plot to assassinate Jesus. We're talking about cultural complexities. And then Jesus, he just kicked back, surfing all of this.

That's exactly what I was gonna say. But thanks, Lanisha. But I I saw it in just the other point I want to make is that not only was he reclining relaxing, but he was reclining relaxing while people were plotting to kill him. So what are we doing in life when things are complex is kind of what I see there. What's our posture?

Posture? Kate

and you're you're on it. You're fine. You're fine. Janine and then Kate. I

well, in the middle of this party, in the middle of the celebration of, you know, Simon being healed and all this happening, you have Jesus saying, she's anointed my body for burial ahead of time. Like, I'm what would you be saying? Like, what what would you be thinking if you heard someone say that? Like, what do you mean you're gonna die? What do you mean you're preparing him for burial?

Blink blink what? Yeah. Did you say burial Jesus? What? No.

You've come into Jerusalem. You're about to come into Jerusalem as a conquering king and free us from the oppressive Romans and establish your rule and reign. All of the Old Testament prophets have talked about it. You have described yourself as the son of man, the Messiah. Do we believe it?

Do we not? And now you're talking about a burial?

Yeah, what hits me is the emotional complexity. I mean here we have Jesus fully God, fully man. The plot is being laid to murder him. So there is an increasing agony, pain growing in him knowing what's approaching and this lady is the only person in the room who gets it. And whoever she gets in her head, she gets it in her heart and God is in God is complete.

He's in need of nothing but he desires us to feel as he feels and so the emotional complexity is very simple but no one else in

the room got it. Keep the mic because I have a question for you. What two people and of this whole scene had clarity?

Jesus and the lady who

And the lady. Jesus and the lady. What is the the the title of our conversation this morning, clarity comes through intimacy. Now we don't have time to talk all about what led up to her expression at that moment. We're gonna touch on it because we're gonna look at this story from one more perspective in a moment.

But because of her intimacy with Jesus, she was the only one in the room that had the clarity for that demonstration of extravagance. Who were some other people in the room that were in close association with Jesus that even they missed it? The disciples. So proximity uh-oh. I feel a coming on after I say this.

Proximity does not necessarily equal intimacy. And every husband and wife couple who sleep in the same bed every night together but can still misconnecting with each other because, like, schedules and life is hectic and, you know, the baby is on a weird sleep schedule. No. No. No.

No. Like, you know what I'm saying. Right? Proximity does not necessarily equal intimacy, but she got it. She understood the assignment.

Say it in the mic then

subsequent to that there's a price, but that price doesn't matter. That might have been all she owned. We don't know the background to that.

Let's look, at one key to intimacy after you share this comment. Cat's coming. And then we're gonna move to the same story from a different perspective. Yes.

The fact that this woman was not named, and that she was pretty much a nobody in the room tells me that for the job of anointing him and preparing his body for burial was pretty important, that none of us have to hold a certain title to be used for so important task because she's never named.

And with that, we close our bibles and we go right into. It wasn't king Herod that came in. It wasn't an old testament prophet that came in. It wasn't some celebrities of Jerusalem that came in. In this particular pericope.

Now in in other stories, we get a few more in a few different details, but in this story, if this story is all you had, she was a no name, nothing special, and Jesus was so blessed and honored by it. Woah. That's so powerful. Okay. One key to intimacy is vulnerability.

One key to intimacy is vulnerability. At the risk of being mocked and scorned, she placed herself in a vulnerable position as an expression of intimacy. Very hard to be intimate, to see somebody close face to face without vulnerability. Have you ever tried to be vulnerable with somebody and their response is guarded and plastic guarded and and fake fake or or contrived? Contrived, your natural reaction is, oh, that's how you're gonna play it.

Alright. And you just kinda, like, reel it back in. Because why would I be vulnerable if you're not gonna be vulnerable? I'm extending intimacy of of of fellowship and conversation with you, and and you're not reciprocating. Okay, I'll just pick up my ball and go home.

This is normal and natural. But a key to intimacy is vulnerability. Can we be vulnerable with Jesus? I would submit to you that he is the single most trustworthy person in the entire universe that you can be honest and vulnerable with. Never once has he replied sarcastically or plastically plastically?

Write that down. Let's look at another story. Luke chapter seven. Did I tell y'all that we're gonna do communion together this morning? Okay.

We're gonna do communion together this morning. We'll get to practice intimacy and vulnerability. Alright. Let's take a Luke chapter seven. We'll look at, let's read verse 36 through 50, and we'll hand the mic.

We'll pass the mic around. Luke chapter seven verse 36, and we'll go to 50. What? Who? Oh, not yet.

No? No. Whoever's got the mic. Thank you, Ella.

One of the pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the pharisees house and reclined at the table. Now there was a woman in the city who was known as a sinner, and she found out that he was reclining at the table in a pharisees house, and she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind him at his feet weeping, she began wetting his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.

Okay. Pause. Mhmm. You're reading that completely adequately, but read it one more time as if it were like bison tenderloin, perfectly seasoned, cooked to perfection. Uh-huh.

And it's your birthday.

Fair. One of the pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the pharisees house and reclined at the table. Now there was a woman in the city who was known as a sinner. And when she found out that he was reclining at the table in the pharisees house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume. And standing behind him at his feet weeping, she began wetting his feet with her tears.

Well done.

And wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet as an act signifying both the affection and submission, and anointing them with the perfume. Now when Simon the pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, and that she is a notorious sinner and outcast devoted to sin.

Wow.

Jesus replied to him, Simon, I have something to say to you.

He said Woah.

Can you imagine that moment? Simon. Do you think there was a lump in his throat, or do you think maybe he was, like, arrogant? Go ahead.

Go ahead, teacher.

Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. He said, say it, teacher. I think he was arrogant.

A creditor had two debt debtors, one owed 500 diary and the other 50. Since they could not pay it back, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more? Simon answered, I suppose the one he forgave more. Yep.

Judge correctly, he told him. Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she hasn't stopped kissing my feet since I came in.

You didn't anoint my head with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven. That's why she loved much. But the one who forgives little, loves little. Then he said to her, your sins are forgiven.

Those who are at the table with him begin to say among themselves, who is this man who even forgives sins? And he said to the woman, your faith has saved you. Go in peace.

In one story, just we'll we'll let's go ahead and name this. In one story, the previous story that we just read, where was the expensive anointing oil applied? His head. In this story, where? His feet.

Some would say these are separate instances. Some try to make them one. Why couldn't his head and his feet be anointed? One particular biographer makes mention and notice of the anointing of the head, another one of the feet. Like, let's not get into the weeds about that, but it's worth identifying.

How about the complexity in this story? The Pharisees completely confused the identity of the woman. The Pharisees said that she was a sinner. She got a reputation all around town and just blanket covered that over her. Jesus didn't deny it, but he honored her by saying, Simon, do you see this what did he call her?

A a woman, who she was. Not do you see this terrible person? Do you see this scum? Do you see this damaged goods? He called her a woman.

He was not confused by her identity, but the Pharisee was. What else was the Pharisee confused about? And yeah. You can come up here. Hold on to that.

Hold on the question I just asked because I'd love to hear from Clay.

Jesus showed authority. The others showed ego. They could not see through their egotistical daily I mean, what they dealt with every day, they could not see it from a spiritual standpoint. Mhmm. And Jesus handled it through his authority, his sovereignty.

He spoke with authority and clarity. Have you

ever we've all been students, but the teacher calls on you to give an answer, and you give your answer in the form of a question? 87? Right? The the Pharisee answered Jesus' question. He was like, and he goes, I suppose was that a way of protecting his ego?

A lot of complexity going on here. The Pharisee also misidentified the identity of Jesus. In the complexity of the situation, he was like, who is this? They said, 49, the men at the table said among themselves, who is this man that he goes around forgiving sins? But, again, we see this woman, her act of devotion as an expression of intimacy, really, perhaps even as an overflow of clarity.

But those two, like a reciprocal feedback loop, intimacy and clarity and clarity and intimacy and intimacy and clarity. But within this story, I wanna share with you one last key to intimacy, and that is of transparency. A key to intimacy is vulnerability another key to intimacy is transparency. Transparency means being honest with yourself and others. Isn't it funny that we would try to fool God?

But we do it all the time. He didn't see that. Hopefully, he didn't hear that. Oh, he knows. Oh, he knows.

He knows that you're sleeping with your boyfriend. He knows that you're sleeping with your girlfriend. He knows. It doesn't matter how many times you clear that cache. He knows.

He knows the brokenness and the pain that you try to mask when you come to church. He knows. He knows my hypocrisy. He knows my frailty. He knows your insecurities.

If he already knows, and he still wants to hang out with you, what does that say about him? He must see something in him that perhaps you might not be very good at seeing in yourself. But in a year and in a heading into a season of increasing complexity, clarity is so valuable and important. And clarity comes through intimacy. And two keys to intimacy that we've just read in these stories.

One of them is vulnerability, taking a risk. Another key to intimacy is transparency. When Jesus said, like, yeah, like, I've also heard that she has a reputation. She didn't try to be like, that that's not true. I mean, that was only once in high school.

Like, She was transparent. She didn't wait for she didn't wait around the block for Jesus to leave the dinner party and say, hey, I wanted to do this, but I didn't know if it was appropriate at the time. But but now where there's less risk, I would like to pour out a demonstration of my affection and my devotion towards you. Transparent, right out there in front of the whole world to see. If we want clarity in the midst of complexity, we have to strive for intimacy.

And intimacy is fostered when we adopt these two keys of vulnerability and transparency. And we're going to get to practice that this morning by partaking of communion together. So perhaps at the church that you've come from, maybe you did you celebrated communion all the time, maybe, like, every week. Maybe the church that you went to, the guy up here was like you know, like, lifted in your mouth. Great.

Great. Awesome. Maybe you don't have any kind of church experience, and you're like, uh-oh, something's happening. Communion what? What's that?

But Jesus at his at the last supper, which was just about to play out in this story, he celebrated it with his disciples, and it was one of the feasts of the Lord God's family traditions, a season called Passover, and there was a meal that was celebrated. Jesus took that took the Passover meal that Jewish people had been celebrating for thousands of years, and he says, now let me give the final brush stroke to bring the entire picture into a present reality. The whole meal that you Jews have been celebrating for thousands of years, I am the culmination and the the the the capstone of that meal. And he redefined the Passover meal for those disciples that were sitting there, and for two thousand years, we have been commemorating that moment and entering into a specialness, a moment of intimacy with the Lord when we celebrate communion together. And so, Oliver, I'm gonna have you help me.

And, Kat, if I could have that handheld mic. The bible records that on the night that Jesus was betrayed, he was gathered with his disciples in the upper room where they were celebrating a Passover meal together. And he said, how I've longed, eagerly desired to celebrate this meal with you. And then the Bible says that during the meal, Jesus took bread, and he broke it. He blessed it and then gave it to his disciples and said, take and eat.

This is my body, which is given for you. And then after the meal, he took a cup and said, this cup represents my life's blood, which is about to be poured out for you, and it ratifies or confirms a new covenant that I am making with you. And then he said some really beautiful marriage proposal words. And he said, I'll not drink again of this fruit of the vine until I drink it anew with you in my father's kingdom. Behold the cup of salvation, the cup of redemption, the cup of eternal life, the cup of the Lord.

God, I ask that you would perform a miracle right here at this table in this saloon, that you would transform these simple common elements into a sacrament, which is simply a means of grace where we can touch you by faith so that as we partake of in the mystery of this meal, we would have an encounter of intimacy with you. Clarity would be born in our hearts over situations that we are facing, troubles that we are encountering, areas of breakthrough that we're in desperate need of. I just hear this word coming up kind of bubbling into my mind of damaged goods, that maybe somebody in here has their heels dogged by this voice, that anytime maybe they are rejected or they experience loneliness or lonesomeness or having a gray cloudy day that there's this this voice that is nipping at their heels. Well, of course, that happened. Your damaged goods.

Of course, you didn't get that. Your damaged goods. Your damaged goods. That's not what Jesus thought of this woman that is not what he thinks of you. And with the authority of your pastor that Jesus has given me, like we would say to a stray dog that comes up on the porch in Texas, we say, go on.

Get. That voice that would say you are damaged goods is a lie, and it is not true. You are beloved by Jesus. Take take just a moment. It'll be a little bit awkward, but it'll be okay.

And take your right and your left hand and put it on a shoulder to your right and to your left. There you go. There you go. Yeah. That's good.

That's good. That's good. Try try to follow me. You are not damaged goods. You are dearly loved by your heavenly father.

He's crazy about you. He loves you so much. We gotta be honest and transparent with him because he he sees it and knows it already. Yeah. Yeah.

I've messed up. I've blown it, but that doesn't define you. God, I ask that you would release clarity over your tribe fam in this moment of just beautiful intimacy with you. Okay. Back into your own personal space.

Our communion is open to anyone who calls on the name of the Lord to be saved. So here's what that means. That means that if you have invited Jesus into your heart and made him the leader of your life, you are qualified to partake of this meal. And I don't want to be exclusive,

but the bible warns us clearly in scripture that if you have not made Jesus the Lord and leader of your life, you have to sit this one out, and you are not qualified to to

partake partake of of communion. Now I share that with you of love, out of love. Because the Bible says that for any person that partakes of communion that hasn't made Jesus the leader of your life, the bible says that that you are inviting the judgment of God upon yourself. I would much rather you experience the mercy of God. So there there are two ways around this little sticky moment.

Number one, you could just sit in your seat. That's fine. Ain't nobody gonna judge you. You do you. Number two, if you're like, I need to get saved, then you should get saved.

In the stillness of your heart, you fall on your knees before Jesus, and you say, I am no different than that woman. But somehow, someway, today, I have encountered a supernatural measure in presence of your love, and I wanna give everything to you. Please forgive me of my sin. Wash my heart clean. Give me a brand new life.

Like, you can take care of that business before you get up here. And then you get to partake.

Even before Brian was sharing about damaged goods, I had a sense of possibly the Lord wanted me to share just a short version of my testimony and twenty six years ago, was at a vineyard in Columbus. I had been raised in a Catholic church home, loved Jesus all my life, but it was not working with him and it that had led me to all kinds of sin. And I was at a worship and healing service and this woman started calling out these words of knowledge and for those of you who don't know what that is, it just means God telling someone about someone's past or present that they could not know except by the spirit of God and she said there's a young woman here tonight and you have long dark hair and you have green eyes and I believe you're sitting in the sixth row the seventh seat over on this side of the room and you've got four sores in your mouth and she pointed to where they were and I've moved because I had a friend who'd come in to church and So now I was at the seventh row, the sixth row, and I fit the description.

I had those sores, but I was trying to catch her on a technicality because I was no longer in that seat. She hung on to the word and she said, I might be wrong about the seat, but is there anyone there who matches that description? And I leaned over to my friend, and I said, do you think maybe she means canker sores? Because I was trying to catch her on another technicality. And she goes, where are they?

And of course, they were in the four spots that she'd said. So I went up to the front, and a woman started praying for me and she was praying for me in tongues and then she would pray in English. And I. Was struggling to believe that God could forgive me for all that I had sinned, all that I had done because I had known it was wrong. I've been raised to know better.

But instead of pointing out where I was and what sin I had committed, this is what she said, something like this, because of course, it's twenty six years ago. So who remembers perfectly? But she said, I see you I see God healing you and I see God. Helping others come to know that they are pure in him because of what he's done in you. I see children living because women who've heard your story are able to confess their abortions for the first time ever and not choose it again.

Then she said, I see children living. She kept saying it again. I see children living because women hear your testimony and decide not to abort their children. Then she said, and I see you interpreting thousands of dreams, and I see you teach a lot of people how to interpret their dreams. And she just started speaking destiny, and here I was damaged goods.

I couldn't receive Jesus' forgiveness because I could only see myself as damaged goods. And instead, she saw not only that I was forgiven, but she saw the redeemed version of me that God had planned from the foundations of the earth. And I don't know what you've struggled with. I don't know who in here this is speaking to, but I just wanna say, God has more. God sees you.

If you receive Jesus, he sees you beyond where you are. Redeemed, sanctified, And he wants to use you in the very thing that you're struggling with. He's gonna help you overcome. And the very thing that you allow him to overcome in you, you will have authority over, and you'll be able to bring light into darkness. So the invitation isn't just about being forgiven.

The invitation is about becoming whole in Jesus.

Would that be alright if I prayed for you before you went out to charge this week? Stand up. When I say you've got this, we'll be dismissed, but it's not the end of service. If there's anything that you need prayer for, John and Kate McKiz will be in the back. They would wave your hands, John and Kate.

They would love to agree with you in prayer, and then we'll just set up a couple of stations. We'll we'll do got Lee and Colleen, if y'all would be up front. So you go any direction. We got you covered in prayer. Alright?

Lord Jesus, thank you so much for this church. Thank you so much for this body of people. Thank you. Like like, really, thank you, Jesus, that I get to go to this church and get to be a part of this church and this community of people. They are so special to me, and I know that they are very special to you.

God, I ask that even this week, they would experience a measure of clarity in their life previously unknown to them. In the midst of all this complexity, just speak a word of clarity right to their heart. We love you. We praise you. And we are so glad, Jesus, that you don't count us as damaged goods, but you love us so very much.

We pray these things in Jesus' name, the strong son of God. And everybody said, amen. I love you. I want you to have a great week. And remember, Kathy Vetter, you got this.