← ArchiveSunday, January 4, 2015DateJanuary 4, 2015Speaker—TextMatthew 5Passages in this sermonJohn 112:26Matthew 5:610:19Matthew 512:54John 11:3521:42Luke 9:6224:57Luke 10:3726:42Luke 11:129:38John 14:1231:45John 1532:13John 15:1834:10TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00thank you Greg thank you worship staff thank you so much for just keep bringing them it doesn't matter I won't stop me from preaching I leaned over to Brad just a moment ago I said this sermon has been brewing in my heart for about a month so you better buckle up I've been ready to preach0:26this sermon for about a month I've been preaching it in my heart for about a month and now I'm about ready to deliver it deliver it to you so you best buckle up if you have your sermon outland you grab those because I want you to follow along with me I do not believe that there's a a greater opportunity for a church than Bethel Baptist Church in the life at this moment in this time in the life in the of0:51this hit of this church we have the greatest opportunity to make an impact during this transition time greater than any of the churches that I've served as you know this is my eighth intentional interim and I I can tell you I've served some great churches and we've had some great fun and every one of them we've seen some great growth in every one of them but I don't know of a church that has a greater opportunity to make a bigger impact than Bethel Baptist Church and I just think that we1:20are on the right on the brink of explosion growth right on the brink of making something special happen I want us to evaluate in this room today who we are in this room we're going to look at the story of the boy Lazarus now he's an interesting breed of animal and as we unpack these 44 verses of and as we look at the scripture I want you to evaluate who you are in this room there are three kind of1:47people there are dead people in this room there are defeated people in this room and there are some dangerous people in this room you say wait a minute I'm looking around this room I don't see any dead people in this room there are some spiritually dead people in this room there are some spiritually defeated people2:10in this room and there are some spiritually dangerous people in this room the story of Lazarus is told in John chapter 11 beginning with the first verse now a certain man was ill Lazarus of Bethany the village of Mary and her sister Martha and it was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair whose brother Lazarus was ill so the sisters sent to him saying Lord he whom you love is ill2:40but when Jesus heard it he said this illness does not end it to death it is for the glory of God so that the son of God may be glorified through it now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus and when he heard that that Lazarus was ill he stayed two days longer in the place where he was then after this3:05he said to the disciples let us go to Judea again the disciples said to him Rabbi the Jews were just now seeking to stone you and you're going there again and Jesus answered are there not 12 hours in the day if anyone walks in the day he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world but if anyone walks in the night he stumbles because the light is not in him excuse me and after these things he said to3:35them our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep but I go to awaken him the disciples said to him Lord if he's fallen asleep he'll recover now Jesus have spoken of his death but they thought he meant taking a rest in sleep then Jesus told them plainly Lazarus is die has died one translation says Lazarus is dead and for your sake I'm glad that I was a4:02not there so that you may believe but let us go to him and so Thomas called the twin said to his fellow disciples let us go also that we might die with him now let me set the tone here Lazarus had two sisters Martha and Mary for their righteousness are very very well known not for their wealthiness not for4:31their prominence in the community but for their righteousness they're very well known and Jesus loved Lazarus Martha and Mary loved them deeply he was a two-day journey away he stayed when he heard that Lazarus had gotten sick actually Lazarus had literally died Lazarus was dead he was deep six checked out 86 he was out of here he was dead the word dead found in Webster's collegiate dictionary is defined as this motionless5:00without life without life that is what Lazarus was he was motionless without life I want you to look at the message truth quickly the truth is the foundation for spiritual life deliverance and freedom we must be honest with ourselves in this room there are three identified type people in this room there are some spiritually dead people motionless5:25spiritually without life there are some dispiriously defeated people in this room and there are some spiritually dangerous people in this room so I want us to evaluate who we are when I was growing up in trustful my parents were one of the first families and I think it was because my dad worked for the Alabama power company and they had the appliance store that he could buy appliances through5:41to have color television yes students back in the day it used to be black and white and it wasn't one of those big flat screen 55 65 inch hanging on the wall television sets5:57it was in a piece of furniture it was like a huge piece of furniture and the screen was about this big all this furniture and this screen about this big and yes we didn't have u-verse no we didn't have direct tv no we didn't have a dish television no we didn't have cable coming out of the house into the back of the set6:25we had these things called rabbit ears those old people in the room shaking their head they know what I'm talking about they set that thing on top so my dad got the first color television set I think was on our block and so we would sit there and we watched my my parents love the game shows they love the game shows they love the game shows they love to watch the game shows and so every evening the game shows would come on and my dad would watch them and he got all giddy and his favorite6:52one was called to tell the truth it was a great program it was uh he was hosted by a guy by the name of Gary Moore he had these somewhat famous actresses up there as a panel and then it would be someone with an incredible story they would read the affidavit of this particular person he would walk up there would be three contestants to try to stop the panel the7:19panel had the the questions and they would go through the entire process and so we would sit there and watch and so on a bad night like last night one of us me to my brother myself we would get some aluminum foil my mom would call it tin foil and she would put that foil on there so it'd get a better reception and then when it was real bad he would make my dad would make one of us me my brother we would hold that thing and we would be an extension to that7:44television antenna program because I guess we had some kind of electricity so we would sit there and watch these game shows and the guy would walk up and he would say something like this hello my name is billy bob johnson contestant number two would walk up and say hello my name's billy bob johnson contestant number three would walk up and say hello my name is billy bob johnson now i had an idea who the real billy bob johnson was contestant number three right so he would walk up and they read this incredible story and then it asks all these8:14questions and then they would ask the question will the real billy bob johnson please stand up number one would give a little head fake number two would kind of ease i'd say back and number three you jump up and everybody go yes you say i want to baptize that this morning will the real you please stand up will the real you are you dead lost without jesus christ in this room will you be honest and say that's me8:42are you defeated no jesus on your way to heaven but you are overcome you are defeated in this spiritual journey if you're dangerous would you not just stand up and say that'd be me i've got it right here the cam newton deal i've got it super cam that's me super christian no that's not what we're here for i want to ask you the question i want you to evaluate it in your heart will the real you9:09please stand up now as we look at lazarus he was graveyard checked out deep six dead dead he could not get any more dead he was as dead as it gets and jesus stayed away he said we're going to go to where he was and the disciple says time out jesus they were about to stone you yet you want to go there again and then he gives that teaching moment as he always did if you're walking in the light you9:37don't stumble but if you're walking in the dark you're going to stumble and he said but let us go to where he was you see i think there are some characteristics of a dead person that help us us identify who we are number one a spiritually dead person has no spiritual appetite have you ever notice that a spiritually dead person they don't talk about the things of god they don't have an10:02appetite for the things of god all they want to do is complain and moan and gripe all they want to do is hang on to bylaws and constitutions and they don't want to hang on to the word of god you say i believe a spiritually dead person has no spiritual appetite let me prove it matthew chapter five verse six i want you to look what the word of god says matthew chapter five verse six blessed are those who what hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfied a spiritually dead person10:30has no spiritual appetite they do not hunger and thirst for righteousness those of us that are in vocational ministry we know those people we realize those people because they identify themselves by their griping their moaning and complaining about every little bitty thing they gripe about the folders the bunk built has not been folded properly they gripe about something that somebody else did they11:00gripe about the temperature in the room being too hot too cold they write about the car on the carpet i was in a church doing a revival yes i used to travel and do those all the time and i went to a church up in north alabama i'm not going to give you the name because maybe some of you have members in this church and it was one of those three sectional churches brad where we had a center section here and wing sections over here and had two aisles two center aisles and outsider aisles and half the church they had done a remodel right before i got there so they're real thrilled about this and they11:29said oh you get to preach in our newly remodeled renovated worship center i said oh great that's great so i get there and it's one of those churches where you had to sit up on the platform back in the day you know had that furniture sitting up there and had all the greenery and all this kind of stuff and i'm sitting up there in front of god and everybody you know like viewing the body you know and i'm sitting up there and all of a sudden i'm sitting there looking and i noticed that only half of the church had pew cushions the other half of the church had no pew cushions i couldn't help it i had to11:56ask i leaned to the pastor said pastor why did you only cushion half of the church when you remodeled he said well we had a business meeting i said enough said right there he said we had a business meeting and we voted and only half the church voted for cushions so we only cushions the half of the12:21church so the people who voted for the cushioned church sat in the cushions and the ones who didn't want to spend the money sat on the hardwood that is a spiritually dead bunch of people amen they have no spiritual appetite blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness the second12:44characteristic of a spiritually dead person they have no spiritual activity matthew 5 verse 16 my life verse and in the same way jesus said let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven folks let me tell you something a spiritually dead person13:07has no spiritual activity they never share their story they never give a dime for the cause of christ they don't show up they're not involved they're not committed to the cause of christ all their business is is they want to damage the cause of christ they have no spiritual activity they have no spiritual appetite13:32let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and give god all the glory a spiritually dead person has no spiritual appetite has no spiritual activity a spiritually dead person has no spiritual awareness but seek first but seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you14:00a spiritually dead person has no spiritual awareness about them you know what dead people that are spiritually dead act like spiritually dead people it bugs me when people who said they're spiritually alive act like spiritually dead people i wish we would just be honest be honest if you're dead say i'm dead if you're defeated say you're defeated14:27i'd rather guys stand up and say dan i am lost without jesus you know what i'd say thank you for being honest if we could just get the defeated people say they're not dangerous anymore folks let me tell you something it is a day and age where the new testament church is dying in north america i saw an alarming post from lifeway recently where churches 300 and below in the next five years will no longer exist14:55because we have so many spiritually dead people saying they're dangerous we have so many spiritually defeated people who say they're dangerous because the cause of christ is not happening there's no spiritual appetite there's no spiritual activity and there is no spiritual awareness about a dead person lazarus was graveyard deep six checked out can't get any more dead15:24than lazarus i love doing funerals i really do i'd rather do a funeral than a wedding any day of the week i mean weddings are okay it takes too long to get to a short period of time all the prep do the rehearsal the rehearsal dinner everybody's got to be smiling and the only two people who aren't smiling are those who are getting married15:50why because all of us tell them what they ought to do but i love funerals because especially if you're doing a funeral of someone we know that has a spiritually live person who is spending all of eternity in heaven with jesus you know why i love funerals because the food's better i mean we get to go eat chicken and humming roast beef and pot roast and got pies and cakes and it's awesome16:17and we get to celebrate them going to be with jesus for all of eternity my great uncle oscar he was a peanut farmer he was a postman for 25 or 30 years and a peanut farmer and he never married he was a bachelor he died about 10 years ago and my cousin who's a pastor and i were invited to come and do the service i said man that's great we're going to the country we're going to get to eat some good food we're going to have it and so we get there a little early16:45and you know they had the coffin there in the baptist church that he was a member of and there he lay lit up and he's laying there now my great uncle oscar i never knew him to ever wear a suit and tie ever in my life only time i ever saw him if he wasn't in his male outfit his his postal outfit he was in bib overalls and an old work shirt and a john deere cap on that's the only time i ever saw him17:14and so we get there trent we get there and it's up there in limestone county we get up there and we walk in and me and barry my cousin who we walk in we're the only two people and there he lay in that box and we walk in and what's he laying in a suit and tie i lean over to barry i said barry my goodness have you ever seen oscar in a suit and tie he says no man i ever saw him was in a in bib overalls and that old john deere cap that smelled awful because he never washed it he said it was awful17:41what's it i said where where you got that suit you reckon that boy stole it right before he died we knew oscar was a born-again believer and he was in heaven with jesus we were there to celebrate that day and i looked down there closely and there was this huge i learned this word corsage attached to the lapel of his jacket i leaned over to brad about barry i said brad i said to him i said barry what's that boy got that flower on his chest for is he going to the prom or something i mean what's18:10this all about he said man don't get me started i'll get tickled i won't be able to get this sermon done don't get me started i said i said something else bothers me now i wear contacts i wear glasses but i wear contacts when i preach because those glasses bother but i got my contacts in but oh oscar wore glasses and i mean he had them big old horn-rimmed jobs you know not like they're all coming back now but them suckers are that big and there he lay in that stolen suit and a flower pinned to his chest and he had his glasses on and i leaned over to barry i said why does he got them glasses on what do you18:40reckon that boy's looking at about that time one of the little blue-haired women in the church i know them ladies they go every friday get the hair done blue you know what i'm talking about they come to the church she was wider than she was tall she comes wild enough she was a sweet saint and she came wild enough i think she was sweet on old oscar because she came up she had tears she was slinging stuff all over the place i mean it was running there was more fluids coming out of her eyes and nose than we should ever know you19:09you know it was just coming out and she came up and she said i just loved him so much and she was patting that old cold hand and she was leaning over and i was trying to console her and barry was laughing under his brownies i was trying to console because we had just cut on over our brother lost her there and she leaned over she said this and i've never heard it before she said don't he look so natural natural he's graveyard dead he's got makeup on he's stolen19:33suit a flower and glasses of all things you see we have people walk into the church building every sunday brad that our graveyard did and we pat them on the shoulder and say don't they look so natural we shake their hands and they are so kind and sweet but they're on their way to hell20:00because they've never truly invited jesus christ into their lives lazarus was dead but not only was lazarus dead he was defeated now picking up the story in verse 17 now when jesus came he found that lazarus had already been dead in the tomb for four days but bethany was near jerusalem about two miles off and many of the jews had come to martha and20:29married to console them concerning their brother so when martha heard that jesus was coming she went and met him and mary remained seated in the house martha said to jesus lord if you'd have been here my brother would not have died but i know that i know that whatever you ask of god god will give you and jesus said your brother shall rise again and martha said to him i know that he will rise again in the20:57resurrection on the last day and jesus said i'm the resurrection and the life he whoever believes in me though he though he die shall yet yet yet shall he live and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die do you believe this and she said yes lord i believe you are the christ the son of god who is coming into the world and martha did that and mary basically said the same thing and jesus sees21:24all this weeping and all these people that are concerned and he says please take me where the tomb of lazarus was and he sees all those people consoling them and jesus now if you want to start memorizing the scripture 2015 john 11 35 is the one you ought to jesus wept it ought to be easy to memorize jesus wept because of all those people that were weeping21:51over lazarus and jesus said take me to the tomb of where it was in first 38 deeply moved he came up to the tomb in a cave and a stone lying against it and he said take away the stone and martha the deceased of the man who was with him said lord by this time there will be an odor i love what king james says there'll be a stench he's been dead four days and jesus said did i not tell you that if you believe you will see the22:19glory of god so they took away the stone and jesus lifted up his eyes and said father i thank you that you have heard me i knew that you've always heard me but i said it that on account of the people standing around that they may believe that you sent me and when he said these things he cried out in a loud voice lazarus come forth i love what the old baptist preacher said one time aren't you glad he named him22:45by name because he stood at that tomb and said come forth the entire graveyard would have gotten up and walked out but he said lazarus come forth and the bible says in verse 44 the man who had died lazarus came out hands and feet bound with strips of linen and his face wrapped with a cloth and jesus said unbind him and let him go take off those grave clothes one translation says and turn him loose23:13you see not only was lazarus dead but lazarus was defeated you see i believe the word defeated in webster's collegian dictionary renders it this way over come i believe there are some people here that are bound up with the dead grave clothes still you're saved by his glorious grace23:40yet you're still walking in this world a defeated person is walking around with the grave clothes on jesus says i've come to set the captives free i've come that you might have life and life more abundant in this room today you can have those grave clothes completely taken off you see in the biblical days they didn't have the nice suit and the flower and of course and the makeup and the beautiful glasses to24:08be buried in they had strips of linen and they would wrap it around and every so often they would come pour oil to keep the stints down but four days into a body decaying the stints and the odor begins they didn't have the embalming techniques that we have today and so they said jesus he's been there four days and he said roll away the stone and he said lazarus come forth and the bible says that he who had died came forward and bowed hand and foot he can try to walk out he was kind of mummified24:38and jesus said take off those grave clothes and turn him loose i think a characteristic of a spiritually defeated person is this they have no commitment to the faith no commitment to the faith i love what luke chapter 9 verse 62 says let no one jesus said no one who puts his hand to the plow and look back25:08looks back is fit for the kingdom of god greg there's a song in the old songs of the yesteryear that we used to sing growing up but we don't sing it anymore and i know the reason why not because it's an old song is that we don't live it and don't believe it it goes something like this we'll work till jesus comes we'll work you know why we don't sing it25:33not because it's an old song it's because we don't believe it we'll work till it gets hard then we sit it says let no one put his shoulder to the plow and looks back is for fit for the kingdom folks let me tell you something in 2015 to have a heart for one we're going to get tired we're going to get weary we're going to get frustrated but god's called every one of us and many have already displayed this array of people right here he has called us to reach one each one reach one for the glory of god25:48it says let no one put his shoulder to the plow and looks back is for fit for the kingdom folks let me tell you something in 2015 to have a heart for one we're going to get tired we're going to get weary we're going to get frustrated but god's called every one of us and many have already displayed this array of people right here he has called us to reach one each one reach one for the glory of god the glory of god that means we got to put our shoulder to the plow and we can't look back the author perfecter26:16of our faith who for the joy sat before us endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of god folks we need to keep our eyes fixed on jesus the author and perfecter of our faith you see a spiritually defeated person has no commitment to the faith a spiritually defeated person has no compassion with the fallen luke chapter 10 verse 37 and he said the one who showed mercy26:42he said to him go you go and do likewise it's the story the parable of the good samaritan he comes along while that person is lying at the edge of the road he's beaten up robbers had taken off and he takes him and takes him to a hotel so to speak it says here i have compassion for this man i want you to take some money here take care of him and if they if we ring up a bill anymore i'll be back by in a few27:08days and pay the tab folks let me tell you something spiritually defeated people have no compassion with the fallen folks let me tell you something what i've learned about bethel baptist church if you're a guest here today thank you for staying but we're gonna get real honest on my watch we're gonna get real honest let me tell you what i've learned about bethel baptist church in the short time i've been here since august we are not a hotel for holiness we're a hospital for hurting people27:39this church is a hospital for hurting people here's what happens hurting people sometimes enjoy living in the world of hurt and it's time for us to move forward now i'm all about taking care of people i'm all about compassion but it's folks let me tell you something a spiritually defeated person likes to waller sometimes around in their non-compassional lifestyle a spiritually defeated person has no compassion28:08with the fallen folks let me tell you something i'm compassionate but it's time for us to move forward amen we lost our pastor okay you don't think god's got another one out there for us he absolutely does he's already got him picked out it's our responsibility to pray and it's four five six eight ten guys on that team to work to get them here god's already got the guy we don't need to worry about it amen28:35spiritually defeated people aren't compassionate we'll start pointing fingers to each other we're a hospital for hurting people not a hotel for holiness a spiritually combat a defeated person has no commitment to the faith has no compassion to follow and number three they have no communion with the father i began this wednesday night in the worst in the dining hall at the clc29:01at 6 30 brother james is going to allow me to take some of the time in that prayer time prayer meeting time in the dining hall we call it coffee get brad's going to promote it a little bit more do a better job coffee and cake with dan and i'm going to start teaching on lord teach us to pray we want to say lord teach us how to build great youth ministries29:26lord teach us how to build great sunday schools lord teach us how to build great buildings no he said lord teach us how to pray look what luke chapter 11 verse 1 says jesus praying in a certain place and when he finished speaking to said to him lord teach us to pray as john taught his despite disciples we pray this way father hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth29:54as it is in heaven folks let me tell you something a defeated person has no commitment to the faith has no compassion to the fallen and has no communion with the father if you ever notice that dangerous person they're always running up there telling you well let me tell you what god's teaching me in my prayer life spiritually dangerous person comes up and says let me tell you about that person i shared my faith with we have become a consumer-based ministry not just bethel church the north american church30:24we got more bells and whistles and smoke mirrors and all kinds of stuff going on to try to be attractional folks let me tell you something we get back to the basics of preaching and teaching god's word and sharing our story lives will be radically changed and we can enjoy all the smoke and mirrors and all the other stuff that go along with it amen but a spiritually defeated person has no compassion with the fallen you see i believe there are some30:53spiritually dead people in this room i think there are some spiritually defeated people in this room and i think there are some spiritually dangerous people in this room i looked in webster's dictionary again webster's dictionary defines the word dangerous as this hazardous i i started thinking about that man am i hazardous am am i a hazard to satan am i dangerous31:22over the holiday season i got on my face a number of times early in the morning late in the evening i was down in my study god i want 2015 to be the year that i'm so dangerous that the demons of hell shudder because of my lifestyle dangerous people i love what john chapter 14 verse 12 said most assuredly31:45i say to you he who believes in me the works that i do will also do and greater works than these will he do because i go to my father a spiritually dangerous person is defined by these characteristics they pray with abiding intimacy i love what john chapter 15 i think this is one of the greatest32:13passages in all the word of god the vineyard passage as it's factually known as it was the upper room scenario jesus had the upper room did the lord's supper brought down the the stairs to the mount of all by the mount of olives to the valley of kidron and he broke off that branch and he did that beautiful discord of teaching and i believe what he said in verse seven is so appropriate for us he said if you32:37keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as i have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love church let me tell you something when we are spiritually dangerous where our prayer life we are abiding in intimacy we have that love and that intimate fellowship with jesus a dangerous person prays with abiding intimacy secondly a dangerous person obeys with loving joy33:07look what it says in verse 10 if you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as i've kept my father's commandments and abide in his loves these things i have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full this is my commandment that you love33:31one another as i have loved you let me ask you this how is that loving your brother and your neighbor how is that loving your neighbor working for you if that's not true and maybe today you need to recommit your life to christ maybe today you need to say i want to be that dangerous person i want to obey with33:54loving joy and the final characteristics of a spiritually dangerous person is they stay with persevering faith john chapter 15 verse 18 jesus gives them a straight word if the world hates you know that it is it has hated me before it hated you if you were of the world the world would love you as its own34:21but because you are not of the world but i chose you out of the world therefore the world hates you remember the word that i said to you a servant is not greater than his master if they persecuted me they will also persecute you if you keep my word they will all they will also keep yours church let me34:48tell you something the world's not going to like you that's going to be damaging to some of you all of some of you are saying i want everybody to like me i had a problem with that i thought everybody ought to like dan moran i i really did and i came to the realization several years ago that not shocking revelation that not everybody liked dan moran it shocked me35:19my wife was the holy spirit using that she said look bro not everybody likes you i said oh honey you're wrong everybody loves me she said no i don't like you most of the time but i love you unconditionally folks let me tell you something we stand firm on the word of god students let me tell you something there's going to be some kids at moody high school st clare county high school at your school35:45they're not going to like you but do you want to be liked by jesus and be called a friend of god or do you want to be called the friend of this world adults there's going to be some people at your job when you make a stand for jesus they're not going to like you but i'd rather be liked by god i'll be honest with you i think that's a better deal because those people that don't like me are not determining my eternal security36:14my savior who died on the cross determine my eternal security a spiritually dangerous person prays with abiding intimacy obeys with loving joy and they stay with persevering faith i had the privilege i've had the privilege of meeting some phenomenally great men of god in my lifetime36:41i've just been so blessed i i just can't imagine i mean i i've met phenomenal men of god i mean brad and i mean i've met some great men of god brad's one of them another guy i i was speaking at a college retreat for a church down in south florida and the college pastor and i are close friends been knowing each other for 35 years37:10we surrender ministry about the same time he's a great guy tremendous tremendous pastor and he asked me to come and preach at his college retreat it was a winter retreat in south florida i said yes i didn't even ask the dates i just said yes south florida january mm-hmm i'm gonna show these white legs i'm telling you it's gonna be nice too couldn't wait to go37:40we go off i fly into fort lauderdale we get a bus and we go to this campground we spend three days and come back we have an amazing week on the way back one of the college students says hey my grandfather and my dad are picking me up i left my car in the shop but my grandfather and my dad are picking me up i'd like you to meet my grandfather i went okay i've met a bunch of pawpaws but i can meet another one you know what's this all about he said i want you to meet him i said well that's great because i didn't recognize his name his name38:07was tvigion i didn't recognize him i didn't know who he was he's some greek kid just born again believer and his parents involved in this church and say but i want you to meet my grandfather i said cool and so my buddy he's smiling i said who's his grandfather i had no big deal he's just a he's just another preacher you know it's just meeting another preacher i said oh great meeting another preacher so we get there everybody disperses and all of a sudden this car pulls up38:34and this young man and the college pastor and myself are standing there and this older gentleman gets out and he's got these huge big huge fishing sunglasses on and this florida marlins baseball cap on a golf shirt and and jeans and i said okay here we go he got a preach a fishing preacher that's what i've got to meet here we'll have time with his guy and i started noticing him a little bit and he looked like i recognized him38:59so he comes up and he gets closer to me and he said hey i've been wanting to meet you he sticks his hand out and he's shaking he said my name is billy graham and i went really and he pulls his hat off and takes his glass and i said indeed it is he said you got a minute i said no billy i'm due to eat dinner here in a little bit uh i need to39:28catch a plane here tomorrow i gotta go i ain't got time to talk to you billy graham now if you don't know who billy graham is uh welcome to the 21st century he's probably preached to more people than anybody on the planet ever in christendom and i looked at my college pastor friend i look up and i said scott he said i knew this all along and this is fun so we sit down on this bench out in39:52front of the church in this garden type area and he looks at me and i'm i'm in i'm just speechless i'm in the presence this guy's priest he's met more preachers he's met more he's met the pope i mean he's met him more presidents i mean he's prayed with them all and i didn't recognize but his son-in-law married his daughter billy graham's daughter gigi married dr division who is an elder40:22at coil's ridge presbyterian church and so i'm sitting there and dr graham looked at me and said well tell me about your ministry really you want me to talk about my deal dude who'd you pray with lately i mean that's what i wanted to say what president have you been with but this gracious man of god brand he said i want to know about what you're doing40:49i said man i'm just a struggling old baptist preacher trying to teach people about jesus he said that's awesome and he i said dr graham i've never had i've never asked for an autograph for up from a preacher and i've never had anybody sign my bible because god signed it and i didn't think anybody else ought to but i think if moses was here i'd probably get his but he's not41:13so you would you sign my bible and so my old bible in my study that i study with dr billy graham's signature is in the front of my bible and i said thank you so much thank you for taking time he said son can i pray with you we're late for supper billy i don't know that i've got time for you to start this prayer meeting thing41:39you know i said it would be an honor and i'm thinking dear god you know heavens are going to shake when billy graham prays praise but he leans over and puts that shaking parkinson's hand on my shoulder brad and he prays these words dear lord jesus i pray this young man wherever whatever he does you receive the glory and he stays with persevering faith42:10my encouragement word to you today a dangerous person prays with abiding intimacy a dangerous person obeys with loving joy when god says do it they do it a dangerous person stays with persevering faith regardless of what the world might think42:35i began the sermon by telling you the story of the television program my question begs today in this room there are three kinds of people they're dead people lost without jesus christ there are defeated people saved by his grace but walking43:02around with the gray clothes and there are dangerous people will the real you please stand upMore sermons on Matthew →
