Where Restoration Starts (Robert Madu)

Mark chapter two. As a matter of fact, could you stand to honor the reading of God's word. I know you were standing earlier. It feels like spiritual aerobics, but it's the only one. I'm asking you to stand up for every other one that's on you. Mark chapter two and I'm gonna look at verses twenty three through twenty eight, and then we'll probably read down into chapter number three as well. When you're ready to read it, say yeah. If you're not ready, say hold up. I heard faint.

Hold up, And I'm await for you to find the gospel. According to Mark chapter two, and it says, starting in verse twenty three. One sabbath, Jesus was going through the grain fields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. No Pharisee said to him, look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath? And he answered, have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? And in the days of abth are the high priest.

He entered the House of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions, and he said to them, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath. Another time, Jesus went into the synagogue and a man with a shriveled hand another version says withered hand was there, and some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if

he would heal him on the Sabbath. And Jesus said to the man with a shriveled hand, stand up in front of everyone. And Jesus asked them, which is lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life, or to kill. But they remained silent and looked around at them in anger and deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, and said to the man, stretch out your hand. He stretched it out and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began

to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus. Ooo, pauls, I don't want to preach before I preach, but in that interesting how two people can be in the same environment but have two totally different experiences. Here's a man's hand who has been completely restored. I imagine to your place erupted giving God praise. But not the Pharisees. They saw this man's healing as an opportunity to begin a plot to kill Jesus. This man's healing was the impetus.

It was the catalyst for the plot that put Jesus on the cross. I was playing around with titles before I preached this. I almost started to call this message when healing you is killing me. That would have been a good title. That would have been good a tie. That's not my title. And some of y'all ain't been saved your whole life, and uh, you've been a vegas. So I almost titled this message, almost tied to this message how to win with a bad hand. Some of

you get that tomorrow. You don't like that, you're like that, but uh, it's not my title today. It's not my title today. I am amazed the ability of our Savior to completely restore his hand, completely restore. Our God is a god of restoration. I want to appreciated ay, just using this as a title, where restoration starts. Where restoration starts, would you bow your heads with me, Ephaan, wherever you are Some of y'all still in your bathrobe listening to

this message. Father, thank you for your word. Speak to us today. Amen. He may be seated in the presence of the Lord where restoration starts. Elevation, fam. I'm fully aware that we are immersed in a new year in twenty twenty one. If I'm honest with you, there are some lessons that I learned in twenty twenty that I am still walking out today. Twenty twenty. Tell me some lessons it taught me a myriad of lessons. Matter of fact,

first lesson I learned in twenty twenty. First lesson I learned in twenty twenty as I was sheltered in place for several months with our three little humans who are six, four, and three. The first lesson that I learned in twenty as I was sheltered in place couldn't go nowhere with our six year old, four year old and three year old. First lesson I learned in twenty twenty, who is that our teachers are grossly underpaid? Grossly under pay. I'm telling you,

if you got a stimulus check, send it to a teacher. Okay, this is hard out here in these streets. That's the first lesson I learned in twenty twenty. The second lesson I learned in twenty twenty is that sometimes your greatest ability is your adaptability, your ability to adapt. How many know, God can use somebody that knows how to pivot, that knows how to shift, somebody that's not so married to what has been and what was that they don't know

how to move into what God is doing. Now. I'm telling you God can use you if you understand the power of adaptability. The third thing I got from twenty twenty that I didn't really learn, but I was reminded of that is that the Church of the Living God is not optional, it is a necessity. The Church is essential. How mean you know we need the church. I know it looks crazy in the world right now, and it's dark days, and that has reminded me of the truth and the fact that we need the Church of the

Living God. We need something that will be light in the midst of this darkness. We need people that will stand up and declare the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm telling you we need the church. Oh, this is essential. It is essential. I can live with the bad barber. I'll just have a bad haircut. I can live with the bad dentist. I'll just have a bad toothache. I can live with the bad plumber. It'll just mess up my house. But I need a church

that's alive. I can't have a dead church. I need a church that's alive, that will stand up for truth and speak. God is telling you to speak. Oh, I'm telling you, I love the Church of the Living God. I was reminded of that. I'm thankful for the church. I'm thankful for the Word of God. In fact, it was awesome today just being able to worship with you today. I'm telling you should have heard y'all singing I'm gonna see your victory. Some of I were off key, but

it was cool. I loved it because there's something about when the church comes together in worships. I'm be honest with you, I'm I'm lonely on this stage. I am lonely. Ain't nobody but me and you, bro We're the only ones,

only ones up here. It's lonely on the stage, but it is not as lonely as it was during the pandemic last year, when I was preaching to empty sanctuary, just looking to the lens of a camera, speaking into the abyss of darkness, hoping that what I was saying was resonating on the other sea side of the screen. I'm just so glad that there are people in here.

I'm glad I can see your right now. Actually kind of got me thinking, because I have an interesting vantage point right here on the stage because I can see you, you can see me. If I look at these incredible screens, I can see myself. What's interesting to me is that you can't see you. Just think about that for a moment, Like you don't have a clue what you look like right now. Even those of your epam like, don't go

to the bathroom in your house. And no, you don't know what you look like right now, but I do. I can see you. You don't have a clue what you look like. You know what you looked like before you came to church. You know what you look like if you stopped in the bathroom before. But you don't know what you look like right now. And I can see you. You can't see you, but I can see you. To think that you would have the nerve, the audacity to say, Ooh, I'm gonna change some things in my life.

I'm telling you this is gonna be a new me. You can't even see you. Hey, you don't talk about there's a new year because you can't see your self. And how many you know? You cannot change what you cannot see see. All change in your life must be preceded by recognition. You have to see something before you can actually change it. Many of us want God to restore some things, but perhaps before the restoration, we actually need recognition of the things in our life that are

broken that we are unaware of. That He wants to restore because you can't see yourself. You don't know what you look like. Come on, not the only one ever experienced this phenomenon where you had a kill salad. You know, you're trying to do better summer, you're trying to do better. You have your kill salad at twelve o'clock in the afternoon.

You get to your house about six o'clock in the evening. Okay, you look in your mirror in your bathroom and see the biggest piece of kill in between your teeth, and you think to yourself, wait a minute, I had that kill salad at twelve o'clock. I talked to sixty three people right after that list did nobody want to tell me? Then I had a big old piece of cant help him my mouth. Oh I need new friends, because you would have got it out if you could see it.

But you cannot change. But you cannot see. I'll never forget talking to a leader, a very influential leader, and I was just asking them all these questions about leadership, and he said, Robert, there's actually a question that I asked other people as a leader that's formed my leadership. I said, man, give me the question. He said, I asked this question of my wife, he said. I asked this question of the people that I lead, he said.

I even asked this question of close friends. I asked them, what is it like to be on the other side of me? What is it like to be on the other side of me? That's a good question, he said. I asked that question because I have blind spots. I don't know what it's like to be on the other side of me. That is the only thing I don't have perspective on. I don't know what it's like to

be on the other side me, he says. So I have to ask people that I love, and then I have to sit back and listen to what they say and not get defensive when they say something that they know this. I have to hear what they say because I can't see myself see some of y'all listen to dis message like, Oh, I don't need this message. I'm good. I'm good. You know my marriage is good. I know this, I know this, I'm a good husband. And I would say to you, how do you know you've never been

married to yourself? This some parents you ever seen parents like, I don't know what's wrong with these kids? These kids have lost their mind. I know one thing. I'm a good parent. Right, y'all got electricity, don't you. I'm a good parent. I know that. How do you know you've never parented yourself. I'm just saying, you don't know what it's like to be on the other side of you

because you can't see yourself. So when God wants to restore something, the first thing you need to ask of God is God, help me to see what I cannot see. Show me the things that are broken in me. Don't let me spend my entire life looking at what's wrong with everybody else that I never take the time to address the things that are wrong with me. Oh God,

help me see me. Don't let me live my life like the Pharisees, who were real good at seeing what was wrong with everybody else, that they could never see what was wrong with them. This is the problem of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were real good at microscopes. You know, microscopes you look with detail at the specimen was wrong with everybody else, But they were horrible with mirrors. They could not look at themselves, but they could see what was wrong with everybody else. I see h I say

what you need to fix. I see what's wrong with you. That's the problem with the pharisees. You know you a pharisee when you're talking about what I see, I see what's wrong with you. That's why they have pharisees. P H A R. I see, I see, I see what you need to fix. And you got a lot of things that are on. It's horrible. When you're really good at microscopes, you're terrible and pulling on Michael Jackson and saying, I'm looking at the man in the mirror. I'm asking

him to change his ways. The Pharisees couldn't see themselves, so Jesus had this incredible, uncanny ability to help them see themselves, and they hated it. They couldn't stand that Jesus would show themselves to themselves. That's what made them angry and mad. And that is what is in my text today. Are y'all good? I feel like preaching this message before before I even start talking about the pharisees

who cause detension in our text today. I also find it intriguing that nobody ever type cast themselves as a pharisee in the Bible. Have you noticed that, like you ain't never in your life while reading the Bible said that's me, that's me. I'm a pharisee. And't that funny? And it's funny that the people that regularly attended church, people who today regularly attend church, never think they're like the pharisee. Come on, you always the person with the

withered had. Come on, You're the woman with the issue of blood. You're the one that just got issues that if you could just get to Jesus, he would fix it. You're never you never say I'm the pharisee. Come on, the Pharisees are like your caters who don't agree with you, But you never say I'm the Pharisee. But I'm gonna remind you you can't see yourself. So perhaps another question you should ask, besides what's it like to be on the other side of me, is could the pharisee be me?

Nobody type casts themselves at the Pharisees, and the Pharisees couldn't see themselves, and Jesus would show them to themselves and Jesus is interesting their problem with Jesus. They had a lot of problems with Jesus. But you don'ts that at the root of their problem they were jealous. They were jealous of Jesus. Ooh, jealousy is something else. How many you know, when you are effective at doing what God has called you to do, people are gonna be jealous.

I don't know who this is for today, but somebody is stepping into the effulgence of your purpose and you're getting a lot of negativity, and you're getting a lot of haters and get a lot of critics, and they blogging about you, texting about you and tweeting about you. And you're about to shrink back from the call of God on your life because you got some resistance, because you got some jealousy. But God told me to tell you you need to walk in the totality of what

He's called you to be. When you are doing what God has called you to do, people are gonna hate. People are gonna be jealous, people are gonna talk about you. Learn to live with the criticism. The only people that don't get criticized are the people that never say anything, never do anything, and never become anything. But if you'll start stepping in your call, people are going to be jealous. Just learn to live with it. Get you some tough skin and keep a soft heart. I'm telling you people

will be jealous. One writer said that jealousy is the trophy that mediocrity gives to excellence. Woo, I'm saying it again, so maybe you could tweet it later. Jealousy is the trophy that mediocrity gives to excellence, because when you are excellent and flowing in your call, people get jealous. They were jealous of Jesus. Not only that they didn't like the claims of Jesus, because Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, the son of the living God. They're like,

hold on, Jesus, nothing good comes out of Nazareth. We know where you came from. You ever met those people, then anytime you start stepping in your call, they remind you of where you came from and remind you of who you were. Oh, didn't like the claims of Jesus. They also didn't like who Jesus hung out with. Do you know Jesus had a reputation. He had a reputation for hanging out with people that had bad reputations. And

Pharisees was like, huh, if he was really holy? He was really a man of God, he would know how terrible and deplorable and despicable those people are, and he wouldn't hang with him. Oh, they had so many issues, but none of those aforementioned issues or what God, Jesus on the cross. You know what, God, I'm on the cross. You know what their hot button issue with Jesus was. They couldn't stand that he kept doing stuff on the Sabbath. That's it. That's what got him crucified, is that he

kept doing stuff on the Sabbath. Read your Bible. The only time they got all hot headed and all madsten Jesus kept doing miracles on the Sabbath. They got so frustrated all throughout his ministry. They're like, what can't you just heal people on another day and leave our Sabbath alone. That was the issue that got him on the cross, is that he kept doing stuff on It's almost like he did it on purpose, Like, yeah, I remember store stuff on the Sabbath because I know it's gonna make

you mad. They didn't like it. How many know the Pharisees took the Sabbath serious. They had been given a mandate by Moses on the Sabbath, which means to cease from work to rest. Promise. Moses didn't say what did that look like? So they started adding rules, adding rules because that's what religion will always do. It adds rules because religion needs a mark that says if I do this, this, and this, then God will accept me. But Grace doesn't

say that. Grace says, you are the recipient of something that you don't discern. You are the recipient of somebody that paid a price for your life, that lived the life you were supposed to live, and died the death you were supposed to die, and you don't have to deal with karma. That's what Grace says. Grace says, even though I'm messed up, because of the blood of Jesus, I can receive. Oh they didn't like it. They were mad because they have added all kinds of rules and

regulations to the Sabbath. They're like, Jesus, if you gonna heal somebody, do it on another day beside the Sabbath. Ooh they took the sabbath serious. Oh you'll sit down. We're just talking home. You know. Juice today still keep the Sabbath very serious. I learned this the hard way. I learned this hard way elevation fam I went to I went to Israel. I went to Holy Land, and

I'm perusing the Holy Land, having a good time. And I'm walking around and I wanted to see everything, walking around the wole land and drinking a lot of water. It was hot, and I missed the bathroom break. Can I missed the bathroom break? That's on me. I was having a moment in Bethlehem and I missed the bathroom break. And get back to the hotel and I got to go. I got to go. And I run into the hotel and go to the elevator. The elevator opens and I'm like on the ninth floor, on the ninth floor. I

walk into the elevator. This elevator, I kid you not stopped on the first floor, stopped on the second floor, stopped on the third floor, stopped on the fourth floor, stopped on the fifth floor, on the sixth floor, I passed out. Stop on the seventh floor. Afol. It finally gets to the ninth floor. I get off an exasperation, go into my hotel, come back out, catch the same elevator all the way back down. Stop on every single floor. By the time I got to the lobby, I had

an attitude. Okay, there was no fruit of the spirits in my life. I was mad. I said, where is the manager? I paid a whole lot of money to walk where Jesus walked, and they can't fix the elevator in this hotel. It's stopping on every single floor. Got talk to the manager immediately, and so I'm walking to talk to the manager. And somebody from our tour was like, Robert, where are you going? I said, I'm going to talk to the manager because that elevator stopped on every single one.

You don't want to know what happened to me on that seventh floor by the elevator and it stopped on every single one. They said, Robert, it's the Sabbath. I said, I don't care what day it is. They need to get a technician to fix that elevator. They said, no, Robert, Robert, that's the Shabbat elevator. I said, I don't care if it's the Shazam elevator. Somebody needs to do something and

fix it. It stopped for a single floor. They said, Robert, no, bro it's the Sabbath, and and and the reason is stopped on every floor is because to push a button would be worked, and you have to cease from work on the sabbath. Oh, you think that's crazy. You need to see all the rules the Pharisees added in the day of Jesus. Oh my, they had all constable people. You could only take one nine hundred and ninety nine steps on the Sabbath. You took that two thousand step,

that was work. You couldn't carry anything that weighed more than a fig on the Sabbath. If you do something in the air, you better catch you with the other hand, because if you caught it with the same hand, that was work on the Sabbath. You couldn't light a candle on the Sabbath. You couldn't write a letter on the Sabbath. You couldn't take a bath because you might spill water and try to clean it up. You walking around musty

because you're trying to keep the Sabbath holy. They had all kinds of rules and regulations they have added to the Sabbath. And how mean you know you sure couldn't heal anybody on the Sabbath. You sure couldn't restore anybody on the Sabbath. You sure couldn't open up blind eyes on the Sabbath. And here comes Jesus in the midst of all of their rules and all their regulations, and says, I am God. I'll heal who I want to heal.

I restore who I want to restore. I know you got your rules, but I came to seek and save that which is lost. And anytime I see something broken, I'm gonna bring restoration in spite of whether you think it's right or wrong. Has ever had God restore something in your life? I tell you to take ten seconds and give him some praise, like you know he restores? Oh? Come on, you know your marriage wasn't always like that. You know your kids weren't always saved. You know you

didn't always have the money. But how many are thankful that God step damn and restores. I feel like preaching he restores. He can't help himself. That's what he does. If something is broken, he has to bring restoration. He's attracted to the brokenness. How dare you hide your brokenness in the presence of our God? How dare you walk in with shame thinking God can't restore or redeem your life? That's what he specializes in. He specializes in taking broken things.

It brings restoration. So the Pharisees couldn't understand why does he keep breaking the rules on the Sabbath. Some you need to change your perspective of God because you think that God is in heaven waiting to hit you upside the head when you break a rule. It's not the Jesus of the Bible. He broke rules to restore you. He broke rules to redeem you. He restores, He restores. Its interesting you peruse the pages of your Bible, you see that he does it on the Sabbath on purpose.

Who remember Luke Chapter thirteen, there's a woman who has a spirit of infirmity. Don't miss that. It's a spirit of infirmity that is affecting her physical body, which means there are some things that manifest in your body that's starting the spirit. Oh, I'm thankful for doctors. I'm thankful for all of it. I go to doctors, I got a counselor, I got a therapist. I love it all. But there's some stuff you don't need a doctor for. You need deliverance. There's some things that gotta be cast

out Can I preach this like I feel it? The Bible says she had a spirit of infirmity, and that spirit was affecting her physical body to the point that for eighteen years she's crippled, bowed over. Can you imagine for eighteen years not being able to pull yourself up, not being able to stand up straight. I think it's a picture of humanity because how many know you can't pull yourself up, you can't get yourself together. Have you not figured this out yet? How many New Years' resolutions

you gotta break? Diget you can't fix you. You want to hashtag jack up to fix yourself. That's why you need a savior. Eighteen years spirit of infirmity affecting her physical body until Jesus says, daughter, be freed from your suffering, and this woman stands up straight for the first time

in eighteen years. Only problem was he healed her. On the seven John, chapter five, there is a man who sits by a pool, A layman who sits by a pool called Bethesda, And every so often the waters would be stirred, and whoever God in first would get their healing. And for thirty eighty years this man missed his moment. I don't know who this is fortyday, but some of you right now have that feeling, that weight of I've

missed my moment. The enemy is loud in your ear, saying, oh, God could have done a miracle last year, maybe the year before last, but now now sorry, you've missed your moment. Thirty eight years, this man sat by the pool and never got his healing, never got his breakthrough. Now I'm gonna keep one hundred with you and tell you a little story. I preached this text before, like when I was young, and I think God Discernon is not on YouTube because I preach his tics with the attitude, with attitude,

because I didn't have no empathy for this dude. I'm like, homie, thirty eight years, like you couldn't get close to the pool for thirty eight I'm like, thirty a year, you could at least shimmied your way close to the pool. Oh. I had no compassion for homeboy. I was like, come on, And I even preach that Jesus talked to him with an attitude. Oh, because you know, we don't get vocal intonation in the Bible, so I preach Jesus comes to

him and says, do you want to get well? So I preach it like Jesus had attitude and came up to him like, do you want to get well? Do you even want to get well? Like Jesus was annoyed with the people that he was about to heal. Oh, I preached that when I was young. But now I'm coming up on thirty eight, and I know what it's like, So you're not gonna be real to have some issues that you're like, yeah, it's me again. Lord, you know

I'm still trying to figure this out. I got grace, I got compassion now because I'm getting close to thirty eight, I know what it's like to have some stuff you're still working out. So I'm so thankful that God didn't look at that man. Jesus didn't look at that man with the vocal intonation of annoyance, telling out do you want to get well? He spoke to him in the vocal intonation of expectation, saying do you want to get well?

Because I know you think you missed your moment, but when it comes to me, you can never miss your moment because I'm the god that can restore the years that the enemy took from you because I bring restoration. Somebody ought to praise him if you're thankful that he can restore even the years that you wasted. God's the only one that can redeem time. He thought he missed his moment. So Jesus says, do you want to get well? Get up and take your man. He gets up, takes

his man, He starts walking. The problem was he was walking on the seven you boy, ye John chapter nine, there's another man. The Bible says, it's born. He's born blind. And who Jesus and the disciples roll up on this man? And the disciples, Oh, the church staff members asked the most asinine question of this man. Who is born blin the dumbest question to ask. They say, Jesus, who's sinned? Who sin him? Or his parents for him to be born blind? Jeez? Which one? You see how narrow that question?

It had to be one of those two. You see how narrow that question is. And Jesus looking at him like dummies neither. It has nothing to do with his sin or his parents sin. See. This is why you have to be careful when you're going through suffering, because when you go through suffering, the trick of the enemy will make you think that your suffering is a direct result of something that you did, so you'll expe countless nights thinking the reason I'm facing this is because I

didn't do that. And the reason I'm facing this is because I'm messed up over here. Your suffering is not always the direct result of your personal sin. That is not true. Oh, don't believe that lie of the enemy. Now, Sometimes it is amen. Yeah, sometimes your suffering is a direct result of your sin. Sometimes you blame the devil, and the devil's looking at you like, no, that wasn't me, that was you. Now, you replied to that, DM, I didn't do that. You typed it. You typed. Remember it

was Saturday night, you was lonely, you did that. So there's some things that's you. Jesus says, that's not the case. Here. We live in a broken world. He said, mean, guess what, even though this happened, this happens so the glory of God can be revealed in this that. Yes, he's going through it. He didn't do anything to cause it, but I'm still gonna use it. I'm still gonna get the

glory out of it. Come on, say anybody that can testify that you're going through something right now that you you know, when it's all set in time, God is going to get the glory out of it. So you know what Jesus does. This dude spits in some mud, breaks all kinds of COVID nineteen rules, and just splits it all in the man's eyes, tells him to go wash off, And that man washed off and got his sight for the first time in his life. Only problem was he got a site on the So the Pharisees

are noticing a trend. He keeps doing stuff on the seventh obviously doesn't care about our rules. So they took it upon themselves. They said, well, we're just gonna watch them. We're gonna follow them and make sure he doesn't do any more healings on the Sabbath. Now I'm to my text. Oh that was my intro. So in my text, you gotta see this. They're in a grain field, in a greenfield, following Jesus and his disciples in a grainfield. They're stalking

Jesus and his disciple integrate stalks. They are literally stalking. It's trying to wake somebody. Hell, they're stalking him in a grainfield? Can you say him in a grainfield? Stalking Jesus, following him and his disciples. But this one made me laugh is that they don't like him. They don't like him, but they're following him. They don't like him, but they're following him. You know, there's nothing new under the sun.

And it's funny how today, how people won't like you, but yet they still following you, like you pushed the follow button. I didn't ask you to follow me, but you're following me and you don't like that I'm follow boo, Why are you following me if you don't like me? When that funny, Oh, people won't like you, they still follow you. They speak quiet face looking frustrated, constepated, like they've been sucking on lemons all day. And I'm being extra cause I'm trying to paint a picture because I

want you to see. Don't miss this religion versus relationship. They're speak quiet, stalking Jesus and disciples. Meanwhile Jesus disciples are having the time of their lives. They're just chilling Jesus. Hey, hey, Jesus, you are preaching today on that mount. Oh you can preach, you can preach now you long within it, you long within it, but man, you'll get pressed. Jesus, we don't even get no food. You're preachings hello. And she's like, when we're in a gray field, if you're hungry, get

some food. Like, okay, there's your own ladies eating gray having a good time. Do you see relationship? You understand that the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy. Some of y'all need to get your joy back. You cry too many tears last year. God wants to restore your joy. They're having a good tongue eating grain. Right when they eat that grain, the pharisees pop up. Ah, I see and this and something like have y'all been

here the whole time? Like, yes, we have, and we see and I can literally see the disciples they still got food in the matter. Like and she's like, don't worry about them. I got them yet, Chip, Peter, calm down, Let me get them, let me get them back up, back up, I got them. See. I mean, know, this is the season to know what to respond to and what not to respond to. This is season know what to type back into an email and what not to say back to an email. You gotta let the Lord

fight your battles. If you keep stepping in to fight the battle, you're leaving God out of the equation. Sometimes you got to sit back and let him fight for you. See, y'all, y'all back up. I got this, I got this and Jesu gos Have you not read? Have you not read in the days of anbf are the High Priest when David and his companions were hungry and the aid of the consecrated bread that was set apart for the high Priest? Have you not read that I love Jesus because he

is throwing shape? Because of course they read it. They got it memorized, the whole first five books of the Old Testament memorized. You still skip Leviticus and your one you're reading Bible play. They got this thing memorized. Of course they know it. What is he calling out? He's calling out their interpretation of the word. He's calling out the fact that you know the letter of the law, but you've forgotten the spirit of the law. He's calling out the fact that you know the word, but you

don't know the author. And because you know the word and not the author, you have elevated your human tradition over people. You're more concerned with people keeping a code of conduct than you are with having compassion and human need transcends human tradition. I came to seek and save that which is lost, not for people to keep a conduct coate. You're so busy keeping the code of conduct

you don't even have a heart for people. He leaves them with it and then goes into the synagogue to preach, and they're standing there like, well, well, still a Sabbath. He gets in the synagogue and he's preaching, and I see the Pharisees following him into the synagogue, and I see them scanning the synagogue the day, perhaps to see broken people, because they know if there's broken people, he's gonna heal them. I can see them scanning, looking through

the sanctuary for people that are broken. Oh no, she got both her eyes good, he got both his legs, he got yeah, how man, you know, they're supposed to be broken people in the church. They're supposed I don't know when the church became a place of a museum of perfection. No, you're supposed to have some people that are still working some stuff out. You're supposed to have some people that you're like, did I just catch secondhand

high from hugging hand you're supposed to have? Some people got some stuff on their breath that you're wondering what it is. This is what the church is for. It's a hospital for broken people. This ain't a museum for perfect people. This is a place where people who are broken and hurting know where the bread of life is, not because we got it all figured out, because we know we need him. I can see him scanning the crowd all of a sudden, in the back he walks in.

They go, oh, got one wether phise. He's like, who right there? Third girl from the back. He always comes in lane like who is that? You know who that is? That's Willy. Willy, Yeah, WILLI with the withered hand, that's him. He always come back like it's like, oh, that is with me. I'm like that you laughed at that, because isn't that what we do? We identify people by their issue, which, by the way, his name is not really Willing. For those who knew the church e fan around the world,

I want you to leave here saying passtory. I preaid that message on Mark chapter two about Willy and the Bible I just I made that up. His name is I read Will. Some want to clarify. It's funny how people will define you by your dysfunction to the point that you think you are what you did. And I came to tell you more than your mistake. Stop defining yourself by your dysfunction. Some of you have let other people define you by your mistake said what you did.

Willy with the withered hand. They don't call him the man with one good hand or a man with two good legs. No, it's the man with the withered hand, because people will define you by your dysfunction. And really walks in late because he doesn't want anybody to see. And I don't think Willy was expecting a miracle that day, just like some of you. You're not expecting a miracle. He said, I'm just gonna tune in the elevation. I ain't expecting I'll see some of you came in and

there you want to expect. I don't think he was expecting a miracle, because read your Bible. Every person that got in the presence of Jesus, they knew he's ten for ten. He didn't miss miracles. They said something whether it's a woman in an issue of blood. She pressed her way through. Remember ghetto Bartimaeus, who was all loud, saying Lord son of David. He was blind, Lord Son of David, had mercy on me, and people around here were like, calm down, be quiet. He's like, oh, y'all

can see Lord son of Dave and have mussy. He was loud because he knew Jesus would do something about it. He didn't say anything. You know why. He wasn't expecting the miracle. Withered hand is different. It's not a lame leg. It's not a blond eye. Your withered hand represents the thing that you've learned to live with, the thing that you've lost hope. You just saying, God, you can't restore that. And God sent me on a sign of delevation to

tell somebody today he wants to restore that thing. The marriage you think is hopeless, the business that you think the pandemic has completely shut down, and God can't use you in the business world ever known. He wants to restore the thing that you've learned to live with. And Jesus notices Willy and I can see the Pharisees noticing Jesus, notice Willy and I can say Jesus noticing the Pharisees noticing him, noticing. Really, I can see this conversation with

their eyes. I can see the Pharisees looking like, you better not heal him. You see Jesus looking like, oh, you don't think I'll heal he really? Huh? Stand up, calls them in front of everybody, and then he turns to the Pharisees and ask them a question, what are you doing Jesus? Where he's about to do a miracle? And you need to understand when you're a god that can heal all kinds of diseases any kind of way. If you heal a unique way, that means you are

teaching us something with the way you are doing that. Healing. Every miracle is a parable. When you can heal all kinds of ways, the specific way in which you heal, it's teaching something. What are you teaching Jesus? What does he do? Tells him to stand up and looks at the Pharisees and ask them a question. I love it. They came to trap Jesus. Jesus flips the script and traps through says, is it lawful? To do good or evil on the Sabbath, to save the life or the kill.

Simple question that demands a simple answer. This is what God does. See, the Pharisees were real good at religion. Religion always takes that which is simple and makes it complex. It adds rules, it adds regulations. Religion will always take that which is simple and make it complex. But look at what Grace does. Grace takes that which is complex

and it makes it so simple. He asks a simple question because he is the personification of grace, and Grace takes that which is complex and it makes it simple. Come on, That's what he did with the ten commandments. He said, if you're struggling with all ten and you can't even memorize them, then just take it to two. And love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strained. And love your neighbor as yourself. If you take care of those two, those two will take

care of the ten. Because Grace always takes that witch is complex and it makes it simple. Hallelujah. He's this, Which one is it? Do good or evil? Save a life or destroy life? Simple question. They remain silent. Really, Pharisees, you ain't got nothing to say. You were real loud about them picking grain, but you don't have anything to say about brokenness. You know you're a pharisee. We're you're loud about certain issues, but you're quiet on other issues.

When people are hurting and broken. Oh, God, give us a church that'll be loud about every issue that faces humanity, not just the issues that we want to be loud about, but anytime they're hurting and broken and suffering and lost people. God, give us a church that will stand up and say, we're gonna be loud about everything. Because everybody was created and the image of God that carries me among o day and you are valuable to him. God, help must

be loud about what you're loved about. It remains silent. You had nothing to say. And he marveled that they're stubborn hearts. They're stubborn hearts. They're stubborn hearts. Oh, I see what you're doing, Jesus. They've got withered hearts, and he's got a withered hand. Their hearts have become hard as his hand. That man's hand was injured to an accident. The Greek tells us this wasn't born this way. Something happened in his past that now carries residue in his present.

And in the same way. They started with good intentions to uphold the long and keep it holy. Their hearts have become so hard now that they've lost compassion, no wonder he looked at them first. He wanted to do two miracles that day. He wanted to heal and restore their heart and hearts, and restore that man's hand. Oh no, miss the message. He loves them too. He loves the Pharisees too. He wanted to heal their heart in that man's hand. You know why because your heart in your

hand are connected. Anything you reach for with your hand first started in your heart. Your heart in your hand are connected. But since they refused, he asked the man to do what he wanted their hearts to do. Stretch forth your hand, reach out again. I can see the man going, Jesus. If I could reach out, I would have done it by now. Stretch forth your hand, Jesus. You don't know how long I'm good, Jesus, I can

get around. Stretch forth your hand, Jesus, I can't. If I would have stretched it, I would have done it. Five years ago. If you've been healed this marriage, you would have done it years ago. If you could have he doing this child, you would have done Stretch forth your hand. But I tried before. I know you tried before. But it's different now because I'm commanding you to do it. And anytime God commands you to do something, how many you know within the commandment will come the empowerment for

you to do it. So, if he's telling you to stretch, stretch, If he's telling you to take a step of faith, take a step of faith. As he stretched, restoration came to his hand. And what happened to that man's hand could have happened to their hearts. They would have stretched. Your heart and your hand are connected. Where does the restoration start? Starts in your heart? Some of you, this has been a difficult season to believe again, to dream again.

And I'm wondering if you've been complaining about the thing in your hand. But God actually wants to restore your heart. He wants to give you a new heart. Heart. They can believe again, heart, they can hope again, heart, they can trust again. I know you lost some things last year. I'm not belittling what you've been through, but God saying, can you stretch your heart to believe? A kid? H you walk away just like the Pharisees and miss the miracle that was right in front of you. How many

has heads be bound and os be closed? Father, Today I'm asking you to restore hearts. God give us new hearts, hearts that believe again, hearts that trust again. Jesus, restore our hearts because God, I know if you restore our hearts, then healing will come to our hands. If you restore what's on the inside, it will affect everything on the outside. This is what you do, Jesus, You heal us from the inside out. God. I pray for my brother and

my sister. I was having trouble believing again or hoping again. Holy Spirit, bring life back into their hearts. Matter of fact, just right where you are, just lift up your hands. I sense the presence of God in this place. He's restoring your heart to trust him again, to believe again. If He heals your heart, it will take care of your hand whither our hands are lifted because we want you to do and inner work. Heal us from the inside out. Where does restoration start? And it starts in

our hearts, so we receive it today. God, I pray for the person who's never surrendered their heart to you today and the enemy is lied to them and made them think that their issue is their identity. Father, thank you that because of your finished work on the Cross, all things are made. Now we can always come home. I thank you for it today, Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry. Is because of you that this ministry is possible.

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