WEBVTT

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 Mark said, I love mountaintops.

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 I love mountains.

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 We lived here and then we moved away.

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! Where we lived, they tried their best to make a mountain out of

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!

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 We were away and we'd come back and visit and we'd say we didn't

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 know what we had, you know.

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 Didn't enjoy it like we should have.

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 I've seen some of the bigger mountains out west.

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 I stuck my toe in the Switzerland Alps earlier this year and I love

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 them all.

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 I also love spiritual mountaintops.

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 Our foothills are covered with spiritual retreat centers where

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 mountaintop experiences take place and possibly many of you as

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 well as many of our kids have had life-changing experiences in

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 those atmospheres.

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 Now you don't have to be on a mountain for God to have a

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 powerful move in your life.

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 Don't misunderstand me about that.

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 I've been in worship experiences on flat land where God moved

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 mountains.

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 And I've had those times with God's people and I've had

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 those times alone.

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 And I love them all.

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 A warning.

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 Be careful when you leave the mountain because the valleys can

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 be rough.

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 I don't mean the beauty in the valleys.

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 I love them too.

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 I mean the spiritual valleys that can hit sometimes right after a

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 mountaintop experience.

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 And that's what happens in Mark chapter 9.

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 The transfiguration has just taken place.

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 For Peter, James, and John it was an unbelievable experience.

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 However, as soon as they descended, they go into a valley of

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 disruption, a valley of disturbance, a valley of

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 disagreement.

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 I want you to see this.

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 It's in Mark chapter 9 beginning in verse 14.

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 It says this.

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 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd

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 around them.

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 Now when it says they came to the disciples, remember that Peter,

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 James, John, and Jesus was on top of the mount with the mount of

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 transfiguration.

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 And as they come down, they meet the other nine disciples.

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 That's what's happening here.

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 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw them, were greatly amazed and

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 ran up to them and greeted them.

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 And he asked them, what are you arguing about?

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 And someone from the crowd answered him and said, teacher, I brought my son to

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 you for he has a spirit that makes him mute.

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 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down.

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 And he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.

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 So I ask your disciples to cast it out.

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 And they were not able.

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 And he answered them, oh, faithless generation, how long am I to be with you?

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 How long am I to bear with you?

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 Bring him to me.

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 And they brought the boy to him.

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 And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy.

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 And he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

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 And Jesus asked his father, how long has this been happening to him?

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 He said, from childhood.

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 And has often cast him into fire and into water to destroy him.

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 But if you can do anything, have compassion on him and help us.

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 And Jesus said to him, if you can, all things are possible for one who believes.

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 And immediately the father of the child cried out and said, I believe.

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 Help my unbelief.

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 And when Jesus saw a crowd coming, running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, you mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter into him again.

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 And after crying out and convulsing terribly, it came out.

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 And the boy was like a corpse.

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 So that most of them said he's dead.

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 But Jesus took him by the hand, lifted him up, and he arose.

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 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, why could we not cast it out?

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 And he said to them, this kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.

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 And he said to them, this kind of thing.

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 People are excited to get to Christ and the disciples, but there's a disappointment because with those disciples who have remained at the bottom of the mountain because it just didn't happen.

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 And when they get there, spiritual folks are arguing.

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 The sick and the needy are desperate.

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 It is a confusing chaos.

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 And God never is in the chaos.

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 He's not the author of confusion.

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 He don't cause chaos.

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 He speaks peace and calms the storm.

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 He spoke into chaos and created the earth.

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 I mean, he's not in chaos.

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 Jesus comes on the scene and he settles it.

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 However, what we see here is far greater than the event itself.

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 And I'm not taking anything away from the fact that that young man's life was completely changed that day.

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 But it teaches us much more than that.

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 When I look at this, what I see is three kinds of faith.

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 I want you to notice this.

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 First, there is a lacking faith.

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 The disciples earlier had been given authority over evil spirits.

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 Mark 6, verse 7 that we looked at a few weeks ago says,

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 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two.

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 And listen, gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

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 Then in verses 12 through 13, in response to that, it says,

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 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.

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 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

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 So what we have here is not a bunch of disciples that do not know what they're doing

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 or are just trying to mimic Christ of sorts.

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 They've had experience doing this.

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 And they have seen it work with great power.

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 However, they leaned, I believe, in this passage,

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 they leaned on their previous experience believing that because they had done it before,

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 that they could now do it again.

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 And they could not.

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 In reality, they couldn't do it the first time.

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 It was only by the power of God that it was done.

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 And they're leaning on the authority that was granted them by the Holy Spirit.

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 Because when God moves and works in a mighty way,

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 we should never believe that we did it.

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 God-sized things only happen when God does it.

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 Man tries his best to manufacture it sometimes.

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 But that don't mean it's of God.

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 The disciples' spiritual authority is nothing unless God has given them that authority

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 at the time of the work.

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 Now, don't misunderstand me.

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 They had authority.

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 But understand, that authority was based upon their dependence upon God.

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 We often think someone lacks faith, and that looks like unbelief.

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 And many times it does.

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 However, sometimes a lack of faith is due to an overconfidence of self.

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 You know, I've done this before.

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 I can do it again.

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 No.

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 They had not done this before.

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 God had done it through them.

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 And that may not sound like a big deal, but it's a huge deal.

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 It's the difference in it working and it not working.

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 And I'm sure that when God used them in the past, the word got out.

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 Therefore, this father brings his son,

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 who's having what some of these symptoms appear to be an epileptic seizure.

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 And he brings him to have the boy healed.

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 Now, I say it appears to be,

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 because there are things that the deafness and the muteness,

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 those are things that don't necessarily align with that.

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 But I say it appears to be, because epilepsy is what it sounds like.

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 However, that's not what it is.

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 And I can say that with authority.

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 How do you know that?

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 Well, I know that because Jesus, in verse 25, calls it a demon.

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 And I know that because in verse 26, the demon came out.

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 Now, that identifies what's going on here, okay?

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 That's clearly.

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 If it was a disease, he could have healed it,

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 but he wouldn't have called it a demon.

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 Now, he's done that.

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 He's healed the disease.

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 We've seen that in Scripture.

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 No, this was a demon.

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 He would not address a disease as a demon.

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 And I've spoken before about the wickedness of the world

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 and the confusion that comes forth from that.

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 We live in an interesting time now,

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 and I don't know if it's much different,

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 but, boy, it sure is interesting now.

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 We have a lot of serious mental illness around us

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 that's due to anything from a chemical makeup

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 to a traumatic experience.

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 It can cause all kinds of problems.

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 We also have a lot of drug use that scrambles the mind

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 and deviates the path.

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 We also have Satan, the prince of the air,

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 swirling around our world.

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 And just quite frankly, it's sometimes difficult

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 to tell the difference in one or the other

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 or how, this is the key, how one affects the other

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 because I truly believe there are connections to there.

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 Now, no one size fits all.

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 I'm not throwing everybody in the same basket.

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 Don't misunderstand me at all.

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 There's a lot of us that none of us know,

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 but I know one who does, and that's Jesus.

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 And Jesus will call it as he sees it.

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 He does it here.

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 He does it every time.

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 He does it in my life.

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 He does it in your life.

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 He does it in this boy's life.

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 He was a demon.

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 And only by the power of God is that defeated

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 because Christ is the one that makes the difference.

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 So Jesus sees these embarrassed, confused disciples.

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 He sees a spiritually dead, he sees spiritually dead church leaders.

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 Those Pharisees are nearby arguing about the whole thing.

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 He sees people surrounding him that are filled with needs,

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 some of them misappropriated.

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 They're not really concerned about following Christ.

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 They want Christ to do what Christ can do for them

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 in whatever they feel like their need is.

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 He sees all of that, and in response to that,

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 he says, oh, faithless generation,

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 how long have I been here for you to learn from me?

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 So the question is, who's he talking to?

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 And who's he not talking to?

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 He asked the disciples who had faith,

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 but they put it in the wrong place.

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 They put faith in their own abilities.

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 And I want to be clear about something.

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 Our faith is only as strong as who we put it in.

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 I hear people talk about seeds of faith.

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 You'll just have a seed of faith.

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 A seed of faith does you no good

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 if you plant it in the wrong place.

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 Period.

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 He had a crowd that had enough faith to want,

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 but not really enough to believe.

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 They had that ballgame kind of faith, you know.

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 Oh, God, let him make the kick.

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 Let him make the kick, Lord.

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 You know, let us pull through.

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 I'll go to church tomorrow if we win this ballgame, you know.

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 They got that lottery faith, you know.

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 I'm going to claim it.

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 I'm going to make a sacrifice.

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 I'm laying down $2 and chance for it to get a billion.

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 They got that Yahtzee faith.

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 That bless the dice roll, Lord, you know.

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 And I said Yahtzee because some of y'all ain't playing Yahtzee.

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 You're playing other games.

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 You don't need to be playing.

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 So what we see here is a lack of faith

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 in a lot of different kind of people.

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 They had seeds of faith, but they had them planted

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 in the wrong place.

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 But then we see one with a struggling faith.

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 Jesus asked his father, how long has this been happening?

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 And the father said, since childhood.

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 And then the father said, if you can,

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 if you have compassion on us and help us.

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 And Jesus said to him, if you can,

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 all things are possible for one who believes.

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 I mean, you're hanging on a fringe for anything.

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 And I'm telling you that when you believe,

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 all things are possible.

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 And immediately in verse 24,

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 immediately the father of the child cried out and said,

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 I believe, help my unbelief.

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 I'm just going to be honest with you.

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 I love that old boy's prayer.

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 I understand that prayer.

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 I've been there.

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 Lord, I believe, but it's not enough.

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 I mean, I got it in me, but it isn't where it needs to be.

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 Now, I want to clarify something.

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 Faith changes things, but God's will determines things.

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 So the key to get our faith tied to God's will,

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 the key is to get our faith tied to God's will.

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 Then we begin to see wonders.

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 But sometimes we're not there.

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 Sometimes we got the I believe, but.

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 You know, I believe, but.

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 And that's a struggling faith.

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 That's a struggling faith.

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 It's a faith, but it's struggling.

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 And do you know what affected this father?

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 He had watched those disciples fail to succeed

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 because their faith was more in their previous accomplishments

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 than in their present reality.

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 Their present reality was one that they needed to lean upon God

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 like they were when they nervously did it the first time

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 when he called them out in Mark chapter 6.

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 They needed to do the same here.

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 Our faith is only as strong as who is tied to.

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 And because the faith, the father had seen them fail

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 and seen his son struggling, he said to Christ,

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 if you can do anything and Christ responds, all things are possible.

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 Now, there's a difference between anything and all things.

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 And Jesus makes that clear.

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 Not only can God do something, God can do anything.

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 And we need to believe that, folks.

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 And that leads to a third kind of faith, and that is real faith.

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 And that's what Jesus had.

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 And we see it here, but we've seen it before.

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 And I've talked about it extensively.

00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:04.299
 When he was in the desert, he looked Satan in the eye.

00:18:04.559 --> 00:18:07.600
 He quoted Scripture to him during a season of prayer and fasting.

00:18:09.600 --> 00:18:11.819
 Went in the garden about to go to the cross.

00:18:12.140 --> 00:18:14.840
 He prayed that the cup would pass from him,

00:18:14.839 --> 00:18:18.539
 but it was not about his will, but about God's will be done.

00:18:19.139 --> 00:18:22.019
 He submitted to the will of God without hesitation.

00:18:22.179 --> 00:18:22.720
 Listen to me.

00:18:23.139 --> 00:18:25.359
 During a season of prayer.

00:18:25.980 --> 00:18:28.319
 Here, when the disciples failed to change lives,

00:18:28.539 --> 00:18:31.720
 he told them how to succeed in seeing God move mightily.

00:18:31.939 --> 00:18:37.139
 He said this kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.

00:18:37.740 --> 00:18:40.619
 It's all connected to prayer.

00:18:40.819 --> 00:18:42.759
 Now, let's get some definitions straight.

00:18:42.759 --> 00:18:46.279
 Hebrews 11, verse 1 tells us what faith is.

00:18:46.879 --> 00:18:49.579
 It says faith is the assurance of things hoped for,

00:18:50.180 --> 00:18:53.859
 the conviction of things not seen.

00:18:54.980 --> 00:19:01.400
 What makes for real faith versus failing faith

00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:05.819
 is who we have our assurance in.

00:19:05.819 --> 00:19:13.399
 Who are we convicted to trust?

00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:20.740
 And there's a difference in one who claims something in prayer

00:19:20.740 --> 00:19:27.359
 as if they hold authority over heaven

00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:37.379
 and one who submits their request to all the authority in heaven.

00:19:39.659 --> 00:19:40.939
 There's a difference.

00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:48.219
 Christ shows us that real faith works through prayer.

00:19:48.740 --> 00:19:50.399
 Charles Spurgeon said it this way.

00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:55.800
 He said real prayer is going with your heart to the unseen God

00:19:55.800 --> 00:19:59.440
 and tell him what you feel and what you want

00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:03.960
 and trusting him to supply your wants and help you.

00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:08.320
 It's a dependence.

00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:13.859
 It's not a declaration.

00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:22.579
 It's not a claim by some authority that you have.

00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:24.200
 It's not that at all.

00:20:26.099 --> 00:20:27.559
 Wayne Grudman put it this way.

00:20:27.639 --> 00:20:31.359
 He said prayer is faith turned to God.

00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:38.059
 Douglas O'Donnell said prayer is simply faith breathing.

00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:44.399
 And that reminds me of those times when we want to lay something down

00:20:44.399 --> 00:20:46.500
 before the Lord and we don't even know how to pray for it.

00:20:47.159 --> 00:20:48.039
 We don't know how to pray.

00:20:48.899 --> 00:20:49.899
 We don't know what to say.

00:20:51.240 --> 00:20:52.479
 We know we've got a burden.

00:20:52.599 --> 00:20:53.899
 We know we've got somebody on our mind.

00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:56.899
 We know we've got some matter that is heavy upon us.

00:20:56.899 --> 00:21:01.119
 And we want to turn that over to God.

00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:02.259
 We want God to intervene.

00:21:02.379 --> 00:21:03.759
 We want to see him move in a mighty way.

00:21:03.959 --> 00:21:05.839
 We don't exactly know how to pray that.

00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:07.039
 We don't know what to do.

00:21:07.259 --> 00:21:10.619
 And I love what Romans 8, verse 26 and 27 says.

00:21:10.939 --> 00:21:12.459
 You can hang your hat on this, friend.

00:21:12.959 --> 00:21:15.319
 Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

00:21:15.659 --> 00:21:17.839
 For we don't know what to pray for as we ought.

00:21:17.959 --> 00:21:20.439
 But the Spirit enters himself and intercedes for us

00:21:20.439 --> 00:21:22.759
 with groans too deep for words.

00:21:23.239 --> 00:21:28.959
 And he who searches hearts knows what is in the mind of the Spirit

00:21:28.960 --> 00:21:35.220
 because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

00:21:39.220 --> 00:21:44.740
 You don't have to worry about the articulation of your prayer before the Father.

00:21:45.600 --> 00:21:49.980
 You don't have to concern yourself with the authenticity of your prayer.

00:21:49.980 --> 00:22:00.000
 When I was working on my doctorate, when I would write a chapter,

00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:05.120
 I had a couple of people that I sent it to for them to read it

00:22:05.120 --> 00:22:09.500
 because they were good at grammar.

00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:12.819
 And as you know, I'm not.

00:22:12.819 --> 00:22:15.939
 So I would send it to them.

00:22:16.759 --> 00:22:18.759
 They would tell me what I messed up on.

00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:20.720
 They would send it back to me.

00:22:25.419 --> 00:22:29.279
 I don't have to submit my prayer to somebody else to get them to clean it up.

00:22:29.419 --> 00:22:31.779
 And the Holy Spirit does all that for me.

00:22:32.379 --> 00:22:33.079
 He takes care.

00:22:33.220 --> 00:22:34.399
 He takes care of all that.

00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:41.200
 The Spirit helps us in our weakness.

00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:50.420
 And genuine brokenness and a yielded will is what God honors.

00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:53.540
 I believe, God.

00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:54.220
 Help me.

00:22:54.860 --> 00:22:56.580
 Help me, Lord, with my unbelief.

00:22:58.100 --> 00:23:00.660
 And move mightily in accordance with your will.

00:23:00.660 --> 00:23:04.380
 I believe, God.

00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:05.860
 I want you to understand this.

00:23:08.900 --> 00:23:11.019
 Because I have to remind myself of this.

00:23:11.160 --> 00:23:14.740
 Prayer is not about getting our will done in heaven.

00:23:17.019 --> 00:23:22.720
 It's about getting God's will done on earth through our yielded hearts to him.

00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:25.600
 It makes all the difference.

00:23:27.060 --> 00:23:28.640
 And I want you to notice one more thing.

00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:32.640
 It says the boy was like a corpse.

00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:36.440
 That most thought he was dead.

00:23:38.060 --> 00:23:40.800
 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up.

00:23:41.360 --> 00:23:42.519
 And he arose.

00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:46.740
 That reminds me that Jesus was dead.

00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:50.660
 And three days later, he lifted himself up from the grave.

00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:52.200
 And arose.

00:23:52.200 --> 00:23:56.420
 And the same resurrection power that raised Christ.

00:23:56.420 --> 00:24:02.799
 And the same resurrection power that brings life to the dead when we pray.

00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:05.360
 The spiritually dead when we pray.

00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:09.779
 He's the same power that heals the broken when we pray.

00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:13.840
 It's the same power that calms the storms when we pray.

00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:19.419
 And whatever we need in our life, if we'll bring that to Christ.

00:24:19.639 --> 00:24:20.379
 And hear me.

00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.819
 And trust him with it.

00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:26.899
 Don't tell him how to handle it.

00:24:28.799 --> 00:24:33.000
 Don't declare by some authority that you have what you want done.

00:24:33.000 --> 00:24:36.460
 Trust him with it.

00:24:39.140 --> 00:24:43.359
 Whoever you are, bring it to Jesus.

00:24:44.980 --> 00:24:46.759
 Bring yourself to Jesus.

00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:52.700
 Whatever questions you have, bring them to Jesus.

00:24:52.700 --> 00:25:02.620
 Bring your unbelief to Jesus with a full faith that I don't know the right answers.

00:25:03.340 --> 00:25:04.480
 But you do, God.

00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:07.440
 I don't have the authority, but you do.

00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:16.640
 Bring your unbelief to Jesus with full faith that he can change your life.

00:25:17.539 --> 00:25:19.680
 That's when faith gets real.

00:25:20.680 --> 00:25:22.340
 And that's when mountains move.

00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:27.660
 That is real faith.

00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:32.200
 Whatever you have bowed, whatever I close, I ask you today,

00:25:33.039 --> 00:25:37.080
 what is it that you need to give over to the Lord today?

00:25:39.860 --> 00:25:41.120
 It might be your life.

00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:45.220
 Maybe you've never surrendered your life to follow Christ.

00:25:46.059 --> 00:25:48.080
 And if you haven't, I encourage you to do that today.

00:25:48.079 --> 00:26:00.359
 If there's an unction within you to consider Christ, you didn't come up with that on your own.

00:26:00.359 --> 00:26:05.319
 God's giving you that.

00:26:05.319 --> 00:26:06.579
 He's reaching out to you.

00:26:08.699 --> 00:26:10.439
 So you respond and follow him.

00:26:10.440 --> 00:26:17.799
 Maybe you're here this morning and there's just burdens in your life.

00:26:17.799 --> 00:26:25.359
 There's matters that you're trying to clear up and you're trying to fix and you can't do it.

00:26:27.059 --> 00:26:28.339
 It might be in you.

00:26:28.460 --> 00:26:29.960
 It might be in someone you love.

00:26:29.960 --> 00:26:38.019
 To the point that sometimes when you pray for certain things that don't happen or you don't even know how to pray for it.

00:26:38.019 --> 00:26:44.339
 I'd just lay it at his feet if I were you.

00:26:46.379 --> 00:26:47.720
 I'd just turn it over to him.

00:26:50.279 --> 00:26:53.339
 I'll warn you, you'll try to pick it back up, very possibly.

00:26:54.039 --> 00:26:55.779
 But when you do, just lay it right back down.

00:26:59.119 --> 00:27:00.559
 That's how he works in you.

00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:04.000
 Not only in the situation you're praying about, that's how he works in you.

00:27:04.879 --> 00:27:06.879
 As you lay those things down before him.

00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:14.200
 Maybe God's leading you to Pickens First Baptist Church and this is the place you'd have to place your life.

00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:15.779
 If that's the case, you come.

00:27:15.859 --> 00:27:17.139
 We'll be happy to guide you in that.

00:27:20.559 --> 00:27:22.519
 I know there's burdened people in this room.

00:27:25.940 --> 00:27:27.660
 I don't know what those burdens are.

00:27:29.059 --> 00:27:30.039
 Very few of them.

00:27:31.879 --> 00:27:33.379
 But I know there's burdens here.

00:27:33.380 --> 00:27:39.500
 And I ask you to lay that before the Lord today.

00:27:41.340 --> 00:27:43.360
 You can do that where you stand in just a moment.

00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:44.460
 You can do it at this altar.

00:27:44.600 --> 00:27:46.040
 You can do it with a pastor praying for you.

00:27:46.039 --> 00:27:49.619
 However God tells you to do it.

00:27:49.680 --> 00:27:50.019
 You do it.

00:27:50.180 --> 00:27:50.859
 Just trust him.

00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:52.180
 Just trust him.

00:27:53.200 --> 00:27:53.779
 Trust him.

00:27:55.460 --> 00:27:56.039
 Trust him.

00:27:56.440 --> 00:27:57.159
 It's real faith.

00:27:57.160 --> 00:28:00.140
 Lord Jesus, I love you.

00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:04.120
 And thank you for how you allow us to learn from other people's experiences.

00:28:05.460 --> 00:28:07.980
 Help us not to have to go through the same thing, Father.

00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:11.400
 Because we rely upon you with real faith.

00:28:12.940 --> 00:28:14.500
 Lead us now, oh God, I pray.

00:28:15.160 --> 00:28:16.519
 In Jesus' precious name.

00:28:17.140 --> 00:28:17.400
 Amen.

00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:17.519
 Amen.

00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:17.840
 Amen.

00:28:17.840 --> 00:28:17.900
 Amen.