Rooted & Grounded In Love | 30Jun2024

 

Pastor West: [00:00:00] Well. Good morning. Welcome. Let's give all of our visitors a wonderful hand. We're so glad that you're here with us this morning. Amen. We're always thrilled, you know, about. You know, I think we're going to read it in just a moment. You know, God only has one family, doesn't he? Amen. That's right. Someone's in heaven. Some is on earth, but it's just one family. But the day will come where the whole family is going to come together. Amen. How about that? Amen. Y'all going, aren't you?

 

Congregation: [00:00:25] Amen. Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:00:26] You going? Amen. I said at one time, this minister. He said he raised his hand. And the minister, even the minister, he said. He said. They said, pastor, you mean you don't want to go to heaven? He says, oh, yeah. He said, I thought you would get up a busload of go right now. So let me get my phone here. Just a moment, I forgot it. Are we on? We're on. Well. Hey, y'all. Praise the Lord. We're on YouTube and Facebook and whatever look so. Amen. I want to tell you a little story. Joke. It'll tie into where we're headed this morning. Let me get to where I need to get to with that. Uh, you know, you're supposed to be. I don't know if you're supposed to be smarter than a smartphone. It is. I may be in trouble. Okay. I need my picture now. If you got it. Can you see those? It's not real clear that you ever wake up feeling like that. Well, this is Janet and Art. I want you to meet Janet and Art. And this is. Janet was lying in bed one night and Art was falling asleep, and. But Janet was in a romantic mood, and she wanted to talk. She said, you used to hold my hand when we were courting. Weirdly, he reached across, held her hand for a second, and tried to get back to sleep.

 

Pastor West: [00:01:45] A few moments later she said, you used to kiss me. Mildly irritated, he reached across, gave her a peck on the cheek and settled down to sleep. 30s later she said, then you used to nibble my neck? No. Angrily, Art threw back the bed clothes and got out of the bed. She said, where are you going? He said, I've got to go get my teeth. Well, I may not tie in exactly to what we want to go, but. Amen. I got a scripture during that last song. Um, can we look at this? Uh, um. Psalms 126. This is the let's look at both those. Let's look at King James first. But then I was reading it in the The Passion Translation, which is really good. I don't have the King James in front of me, so if you'll put up, I'll read it from the screen. It says, when the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion. We were like them, that dream. And our mouth was filled with laughter and our. Our tongue with what? Singing. And they said, among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them. Well, how many know the Lord has done great things for us? He said, when the Lord turned your captivity.

 

Congregation: [00:02:55] That's right.

 

Pastor West: [00:02:56] I want to share with y'all just a little bit what happened in prayer back there this morning. I can't even put it in words. Would have back this morning. Um. Uh, this is the last day of June. I didn't think about it this way. And then he talked about a brand new day and a brand new beginning, almost like it was a, he said, more than a new year, more than a new month, more than a new week, more than, you know, stepping into. Well, July 1st starts the second half of the year, but that's not what he said to me. Can I just tell you what I believe? I heard him say to me. He said, it's a whole new life today.

 

Congregation: [00:03:27] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:03:28] He said, today marks the end of the half of this year to tomorrow. You can step into our brand new. I'm glad three of y'all got really excited about that.

 

Pastor West: [00:03:36] But let me read to you Psalms 126 out of the Passion Translation. So in other words, it was a it was a day when Moses passed. They stayed and they grieved 30, 30 days. And the Lord had to shake him up. And he said, hey, Moses, Moses is dead. They said, he is. No, I mean, but he said, you've been here long enough. He said, Moses is gone. He said, you got new leadership. He said, it's time to go for what you're supposed to go for a long time ago. Amen. You know, sometimes you could even be in a great place. But, you know, God told Moses one time, he said, you dwell on this mountain long enough. And if you're if you like the mountain, you know, we're not going to try to pull you off of it, or if you like, where you are. But how many know there's somewhere greater to go? Amen. How many of you haven't seen everything, experienced everything that God has for you? How many of you believe there's more and want more glory? Can I get a better?

 

Congregation: [00:04:28] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:04:29] How many? If there is more and God wants you to have it, you're signing up for it.

 

Congregation: [00:04:33] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:04:33] I don't know what this means. Uh, Dennis and Carol. The Lord said you've been faithful. And that which was small and that which was greater. He said, now you come into the double. He said, you're. He said, you're faithfulness to me demands it.

 

Congregation: [00:04:49] Amen. Amen. Glory to God. Thank you Lord.

 

Pastor West: [00:04:54] Psalms 126. In the Passion Translation said, it was like a dream come true when you freed us from bondage and brought us back to Zion. We laughed and laughed and overflowed with gladness. No, say it didn't say sadness rhymes. But it's not sadness. It's what gladness. We were. We were left shouting for joy and singing your praise. Amen. And all the nations saw it and joined in, saying, the Lord hath done great miracles for them. Yes, he did great miracles, and we are overjoyed now, Lord, do it again. No, the Lord sometimes don't have to do something new. He's. You know, you're at that time. But it was so good. Just do it again.

 

Congregation: [00:05:37] Yeah.

 

Pastor West: [00:05:38] Now, we're not going to tell him to beat us, but he can just. Pete and And repeat. Right. Restore us to our former glory. May streams of your refreshing flow over us. Until our dry hearts are drenched again. Those who sow their tears of seeds will reap a harvest. With joyful shouts of glee. They may weep as they go out. Carrying their seed to sow. But they will return with joyful laughter. And.

 

Congregation: [00:06:08] Lord God, Lord.

 

Pastor West: [00:06:11] Y'all forgive me. I'm just. I'm like. I'm just like reading the Bible. Well, wouldn't it be awesome if the Bible was true?

 

Congregation: [00:06:18] Yes yes, yes.

 

Pastor West: [00:06:19] Think about that a moment. Is it true? Yeah. They may weep out as they go carrying their seed or so, but they were returned with joyful laughter and shouting with gladness as they bring back armloads of blessings.

 

Congregation: [00:06:33] Man oh man.

 

Pastor West: [00:06:37] Yeah, in a harvest.

 

Congregation: [00:06:41] Glory, glory.

 

Pastor West: [00:06:45] The Bible said God shall supply all your need. Now I can make someone really mad right here so I won't do it. Might as well I'll do it on the front end. I wouldn't waste a whole lot of prayers asking the Lord to supply your knee. Because he said he would.

 

Congregation: [00:07:01] Yeah.

 

Pastor West: [00:07:01] If you're if you're if you're not going to take care of children, don't have them. If you're not going to feed them and clothe them and take care of them, then don't have them. Amen. God has children.

 

Congregation: [00:07:10] Amen. Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:07:11] Lord, don't make us put you on child support. You understand what I'm saying? In the spirit of what I'm saying. Well, you don't have to. You don't have to cover that with him. Why? Because he's a loving father. He's a good, good father. A good, good, good father. Yes. The Lord wants more for you than you've ever wanted for yourself.

 

Congregation: [00:07:30] Yes. Yes, Lord.

 

Pastor West: [00:07:32] Your head is somewhere this year. I mean, I believe I'm speaking by the spirit. Your head is somewhere. This year. Many of you will have to pinch yourself to see if it's real. What you see is this. I mean, you look in the mirror and say, it looks like me, but it's a whole new life. Glory.

 

Congregation: [00:07:45] Amen. Amen. Hallelujah! Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:07:48] Is that. What's that cartoon or that kids show? It's a whole new world. That mermaid or who was it? Aladdin. Aladdin. I took a step back, didn't I? Raising four kids. Do you know how many times I saw Aladdin? I mean, I had Aladdin in my dreams and my sleep. Well, I want you to go to Ephesians chapter three. We're still in the series. I could have disconnected and gave it a different name I'm not really good at. I don't think I'm really good at naming things. Um, I don't know if the name really does anything or not, but we send we send the broadcast every week. As many of you know, um, I say we I don't actually do any of it, but Elliott does all of it. So he'll take the he'll take this, which, you know, you can watch on simultaneously on YouTube or Facebook, but then that'll be taken and put into an audio. And the audio will will be on three, 4 or 5 different, you know, podcasts, you might say, and it goes to 40 countries in the world. We never intended to do that. Actually, I didn't ever want to do that. I never wanted a camera. Would you want one? Do you think if you had a camera and a microphone, one day you might say something you wished you didn't say and you can't and you can't get a jerk? I call, you can't get a jerk.

 

Pastor West: [00:09:09] You back in time. Like, take that back. And I just didn't really want to do that. But I kind of kilconly, you know, and screamingly like, you know, like a cat, you know, trying to put it in the bath. I went in the water but didn't want to do it. And, uh, so when Covid came, y'all remember that? It's what it's what freed our nation. It's what freed our nation. To see if you could think right or let someone else think for you. I most out there because I could step off into a lot of stuff, right? So it was a great revealer in a lot of bad things happened. A lot of our we had friends that are that are not with us today. And so what we mean, I mean no disrespect by that whatsoever. I'm talking about things that maybe people didn't think about, like the freedom and liberties to somebody else wasn't free for someone to tell you this is what you can and can't do with your life in this nation. And if they can get by with that in a test, then they know what they can do in the future. So I said I was really proud of little Jameson down here, because when Governor Ivey's she gave the thing on a Friday and said, this is the new numbers and you can do this, and if you're meeting like a church together, you can meet by ten.

 

Pastor West: [00:10:27] Well, um, I try to call down here, but it's Friday afternoon. There was no one talked to that could answer my question. We went ahead and did what we were doing anyway. You know, we're using common sense, of course. And but on Monday, I called and I didn't talk to the mayor, but I talked to the, uh, someone in the courthouse, the administrator, and he said, we talked about some things. He said, well, you know, the governor gave permission for you to meet. I said, no, she gave permission for ten people to meet. And I said, that's right. And and I said, so. He said, but I think what you want to ask me is where the policemen stop and come into the church and count people. He says. And I says, well, some version of that. And he said, well, the answer's no. He said, the mayor said, if anyone if any policeman, deputy sheriff does that, he's fired. He said, but really, the reason is because we have no authority whatsoever to do that. He said, you have more authority than Walmart. He said, we can't shut you down. The National Guard can't do it. The Navy Seals can't do it. He said he said the military can't shut you down.

 

Pastor West: [00:11:26] He said, I hope you won't do this, but y'all can sit three in a chair and lick each other's face if you wanted to. There's nothing we really. We can do that. And I was proud a little bit of Jameson, and I said, well, thank you. I said, I knew that. I just need to know if y'all knew that. But mainly just willingly gave up their rights. That someone paid a dear price. And we'll be thinking about that, you know, next week in July 4th. Freedom. But at what cost? Freedom. But at what cost? And for many, they paid the ultimate price. And you you know, I don't there's there's not enough thank you's to say whatever. And if you don't have someone like that in your life and your family, I mean, you could say thank you, but it may not be as, you know, as personal as to someone who did. I mean, I have a son that that served and some who served, but I have a son who served as a marine and came back and he had issues. And he's he's with us today. So we can help you. Well, he's young to have those issues, but he saw what a 20 year old should never saw. He did what no one should ever have to do. So I wasn't there, and I didn't do what he did, or have to do what he did to to have freedom.

 

Pastor West: [00:12:42] But, you know, the family is highly involved. I remember the, the morning because I knew the next day I wasn't supposed to know this. I wasn't supposed to know it. But I remember he called us and he said I could be in trouble. But tomorrow, you know, he's 19 at this point. He said, dad, tomorrow we're attacking Marjah in Afghanistan. He said, it'll be it'll be door to door. He says, you are praying for me, aren't you? And I said, oh, yeah. And he said, uh, he said, well, I'm trained, but I'm scared to death. He's 19, he's 19. The next day he said, you'll probably hear about it on the news. We turned on the news and it says the Marines have attacked marjah and said how many people were lost or killed and that in that city, the count that they had and they said 13 Marines died. And out of just impulse, I picked up my phone to text him, you know, like, oh, oh, I can't text him. Like, oh, I can't call 13 Marines. Oh, he's a marine. Uh. You know what that feels like? It's awful. So for a lot of people, it's a holiday at the beach. But. But someone gave you that freedom for that?

 

Congregation: [00:14:05] That's right. Yes.

 

Pastor West: [00:14:07] Today we're going to talk about someone who gave a greater freedom than that.

 

Congregation: [00:14:10] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:14:11] A much greater amen. So, uh, this is one of these things that I just way it works me most time. Didn't used to do this for years. Didn't do this. Um, I just kind of hear the Holy Spirit preach to me. And so then I write things down. I didn't do that for many years. I don't know why it's like this. It's almost like it's in book form. So I have to go back and read what I wrote, to know what I wrote. Then I go back and read it to actually see if it's actually scriptural, which is a good thing to do, by the way. Right. And so we've been we've been talking about the wisdom of God. And we, we prayed, um, well, the, the Paul, uh, said he was praying for the church at Ephesus. Well, you know, this is the New Testament prayer. Well, if Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus, inspired by the Holy Ghost, then this prayer is still for us today, isn't it? So there's two prayers in Ephesians. Ephesians chapter one, verse 16 to 23, Ephesians chapter 314 to the end of the chapter. And, uh, for sake of time and, you know, generally I have more scriptures than I did that because two years ago I asked the Lord, it seemed like things aren't working. I mean, what's happened? Like things aren't going as they should be. I don't know what's wrong here.

 

Pastor West: [00:15:26] And he said, he told me, he said, check up on your preaching. I said, I mean, the problem could be me. I mean, I mean moi, moi. No, no, there's no way it could be that he said, check up on your preaching. And what the long and short of that was. He says you have more commentary than than you do Scripture, and you have more commentary and you can speak out of experiences. It may not be that they're all wrong, but they may not be all right, he said. I came to confirm my word, not yours, and I said, okay. So I went about to fix that. So sometimes you wonder like, man, why are we going through much scripture? Because it's his word. Yeah, really, you could just take all preaching out of it. Not that you should or will or I will, but you could really just, you know, revelation says, blessed is he who reads this book. I thought I was glad that it didn't say blessed who reads it and understands it. When I first read that years ago, I was like, you know, I was like, I understand the Book of Maps sometimes better. Well, he's giving me more revelation on that. But blessed is he that read it. So we're going to dive into Ephesians chapter three. Uh, and I'm in the, um, I don't know what translation that you have at this. I think I have the ESV.

 

Pastor West: [00:16:42] Yeah, English Standard version. And I'm going to start with Ephesians. Uh, when you have time, go back and read the whole chapter because it helps you. We don't have that much time here together, so I had to move kind of rapidly. But when you put it in, that's what happens with a lot of times you get scriptures taken out of context, and when you take them out of context, you say, make it say anything. So if you make it say anything out of context, it's usually a con because it wasn't putting in context. But we won't do any hurt to this. So this is a prayer that Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to pray for the church at Ephesus, which means just the same thing with you today. So when you go back and read, read Ephesians chapter 116 to the end of the chapter, you can pray it over yourself. You can pray it over your family, your loved ones. You know the spirit of wisdom and revelation, the knowledge of him, the eyes of their understanding being enlightened, that they would know what the hope of his colony is, and what is the glory of his inheritance in the saints? What is the exceeding greatness of his power to all who believe, according to those on and on, on to get the end of the chapter. So Paul prayed in Ephesians chapter one. Before we get here, he prayed for three things that our eyes would be open to, what we would have a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, that the eyes of your understanding, your spirit, your soul, your mind would be open to what the hope to which you are called.

 

Pastor West: [00:18:02] Amen. That's the number one thing Christians want to know. I mean, what am I really called? What am I really here for? What's my purpose? So Paul said, pray that their eyes would be open to that. Number two, that they would know there was an inheritance for them, the glory of their inheritance as a saint. Number three, the greatness of his power, his power to us. Ward. So you're know why you're here. You know what? The plan. You know what the purpose is. Know that you have an inheritance to get it done. Number three, power is being supplied to you. That's not a bad thing. And I put that in context. Paul prayed that we would our eyes would be open to know what God had already done. Now, if you don't listen to this, you won't understand much of anything I ever preach. Judge that for whatever it's worth. But Paul wanted us to know what God Jesus had already done for you. And because it's like Andrew Wommack says, sometimes he says, most Christians believe God can do anything, but they don't think he's done very much.

 

Pastor West: [00:19:01] So Paul wanted us to know what he'd already done, that we would have a revelation. Our understanding would be enlightened to what's already happened. So when I know what's already happened and it belongs to me, then I can access by faith into the grace and where which you stand. In other words, grace supplies. I always say it this way. The city. Jamieson brought a meters to this. This building or to the road there, a water meter there. That's not where the water supply is, but it comes to that meter. But we had to access from the road to bring it into the building. God brought everything that you would need for your life in Jesus, but you have to access that by faith into the grace. Grace is the supply. Faith access is the supply. There's nothing that you don't need that Grace hasn't already supply of his fullness. John, one of his fullness. Have you received? Right. Colossians two. You are complete in him. I don't care what the bumper sticker says. He's still working on me. No, he thinks he's done. And I know there's things that, you know, we haven't worked out, you know, and experienced, but, I mean, he thinks he's through. Yes, he thinks he's through. So we call it a finished work. So now Paul says, let there be an understanding in view of what Jesus has already done, so that you can access these things.

 

Congregation: [00:20:28] Come on now.

 

Pastor West: [00:20:29] But most of the time, the church's position is praying that God would do something. Oh, God help me. Oh, God, heal me well. Well, that's exactly right. And what was the price? Well, he went to the whipping post, didn't he? So will he do that again? No. So what would God have to do to heal you? He's already. He thinks he's already done it. He's already supplied. The provision was already made. Jesus is not going to come back and do that again. So by faith, you'd have to believe and receive what he has already purchased in Jesus Christ. Amen. That's coming to know who you are in him. Yes. But when you're in a nation that's got, I mean, in this nation who has such an identity crisis when you don't even know whether you're a male or a female or which bathroom to go into. You probably don't know who you are in Jesus either. If you're if you're just like, I can't figure out which bathroom to go to, my mama could have figured it out for you quick. If you went in the wrong one, she would have fixed that quick. Now she probably in jail, but I mean, but she. But she would have fixed it. None of us with gray hair has any of those kind of problems. And you don't even have to have gray hair for that.

 

Congregation: [00:21:38] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:21:39] Right. So, uh, anyway, so let's go to Ephesians chapter three, verse 14. Uh, ESV do we have that? We do. Oh, good. This is for this reason. I bow my knees before the father from whom every family, which means fatherhood in heaven on earth, his name, verse 16, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love. That's our title today. Being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, the length, the height, and the depth? And to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be. Is that field a half field.

 

Pastor West: [00:22:29] Filled with all, all, all the fullness of God. See, don't don't just read over stuff. Yeah. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than we can ask or think according to the power that works in us. Um, let me read 17 and 18. Well, let me read 17, I think, uh, yeah, in the past. Translation 17 to the end of the chapter it says then by this is the passion, verse 17. Then by constantly using your faith, watch your the life of Christ will be released deep inside you. And the resting place of his love will become the very source and the root of your life. Verse 18. Then, then you will be empowered to discover what every Holy One experiences, the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far reaching is his love, how endearing and inclusive it is. Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding. This extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God. Verse 20 never doubt God's mighty power to work in you to accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, even more unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination. He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power is constantly energizing you. We quote Ephesians 320, right more than the rest of it, but you have to read it in context. Ephesians is my probably favorite epistle. I like all of them, but it's probably my favorite epistle. It's so much of the love of God.

 

Pastor West: [00:24:30] You know, Paul, Paul's revelation of grace. I mean, it is absolutely rich, but a lot of times you people go to Ephesians chapter six and they're talking about the armor of God, which we need. We need to understand of that. But then Paul uses the terms finally, brother. Well, this is a letter. Do you start a letter with finally or in conclusion? No, you have to read it in context. So he tells us the Ephesians 320 exceedingly, boldly above. But you have to go back up a little bit. And and what is what is actually the subject of this prayer that we would come, that we would be rooted and grounded in what? Love. In other words, this is the foundation of what Ephesians 320 can or will not work out of. We're understanding God's really his purpose for all this. We're understanding. So this works. We have to get it, you know, vertically, right, so that we can walk it out, experiment and experiment horizontally. If this is not right, this never will be. It'll be good days, bad days. So we're going to talk about the love of God, because it is the motivation for everything that God does and everything you know. Why is God doing this? If we forget the why C we'll just go to the how and the wind and the where when we try to put it to work. But but why is God doing this? What is his purpose? Everything he's ever done, everything he ever will do, is really motivated by what? Love. He is love.

 

Pastor West: [00:26:03] He is love, isn't he? Now, these are just some things that came to me yesterday. Actually, I was just. I'm just listening. I'm just writing down. So I want us to go to first John four, uh, 14 through 20, and I'll be in the ESV. Christian. Still, while you're doing that, uh, rooted and grounded in the love means to build under you a deep and stable foundation of knowing and understanding the love of God to you. In other words, the knowledge of God's love to you is the foundational truth which any other truth must be built upon. It must be built upon them. Now, uh uh, first John 414 through 20 and ESV. I call this the love motive. And it says this. And we have seen and testify that the father has sent his son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and He in God. So we have come to know and to believe that love that God has for us. He wants you to know and believe. Know this and then believe this. To believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in him, and God abides in him. By this, by this, what knowledge and understanding is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we. When we get to heaven. Oh, that's right. I didn't say that, did it? It says, as he is, so are we.

 

Pastor West: [00:27:42] Where? You mean that would be right here? I mean, that'd be right. You sit in this chair. Does the Lord know this? Does the Lord know this is Chilton County? Oh, am I as he is, so are you. Where in this world. Well, how is he? Is he well? Is he seeing a psychiatrist? Is the Lord got so much going on? They got him on heavy medication. He's on anxiety pills. Is his blood pressure a little bit too high? There's his sugar. Go high or does it drop? You say, well, that runs in my family. Okay, run it out. That's what the Lord told me. One time I went, he said, well, now you ought to take this. He said, now your mama, you know, she she liked this. And your dad, I mean, my records, he said. And I said I was thinking, well, yeah, I guess they both did have that on the way car, he says. So that's how you're going to end that conversation. I said, well, no, he says, I said, but it is true. I said, it runs in our family. And then I heard this as plainly. He said, well, then run it out. He said, take my name, my authority and run it out. He said, did you know? He said, did you? He said, well, your father this or whatever. He said, did you know you got born again? You got re fathered. There's actually that's a scripture in another translation he said, we have been re fathered. You've been re dad. Oh, that's good news. Huh?

 

Pastor West: [00:29:06] What's his blood type? Royalty. Right. So here we are.

 

Pastor West: [00:29:14] Am I doing okay? Y'all? Am I boring y'all? No. Okay. Don't don't let me know if I am okay. Just. I mean, just don't let me believe it's all good. What verse was we are 17, so let's go to 18. There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment. And whoever fears has not been perfected in love. Or what does that mean? If you have, we have fear in our life. That means we're simply not matured in the God, the love that God has for us. Well, there's babies, and naturally we have a nursery right now. There's small kids in there when they're real small, you know, we've strapped diapers on them and put a pastor in their mouth or give them a bottle or whatever.

 

Pastor West: [00:30:03] But you know, that's that's for a season, right? We all started that way. But, you know, if your mom's having to change your underwear and you're 50, that's just kind of sad, don't you think? Yeah. And so here we are. He said he wants you to be matured in love, perfected in love. Grow up into him. He said, if you have fear, it's because you haven't been matured in this love. Now here it is, verse 19. We love. Why? Because he first loved us. Religion has you trying to do enough for God that he'll he'll take a liking to you. Why you. You've been to church three times this week. I mean, three times this month. He said, surely the Lord's going to reward you for that. Why? You volunteered and gave blood at the Blue Cross. I believe the Lord's going to take a better shine into you. They used to say, granny, you say shine. And you know it's good to help people. It's good to do good things. But it has nothing to do with the love of God. Amen. See, there's not God. And then God loves. There's God, who is love. Amen. God is good whether we're good or not. Amen. It's just his nature. It's just his essence. It's who he is. He's just good. If we never did anything to deserve anything, which we we we didn't. But he would still be good. No matter what we do or we don't do, he would still be good. As the born again believer, there's nothing that you can do to make God love you anymore.

 

Pastor West: [00:31:44] Well, if that's true, then let me say the next thing. If you're a born again believer, there's nothing that you can do that's not so great that make him love you the less. Now, religion would not agree with that statement because it only says that God loves you, because you you do it all right and you got it all perfect. And you didn't make a mistake. Well, that's not that's that's that would be more of the agape love, wouldn't it. Based on I mean, you love me, I love you. You're kind to me. I kind of you. You bless me, I'll bless you. You cuss me, I'll cuss you slap me, I'll slap you. So tit for tat. Well, thank God that's not who our God is. He's loving no matter what you do. Amen. Amen. Now, that's not an excuse to just go do anything, is it? No. What is that? That's that's that's amazing love. Amazing grace. How sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me. I used the word wreck sometimes because back then, I was a wreck. Well, so God's love for you is motivational. I put it that way. God's love is the reason for us to love. Very simple, but yet it's profound that we love because he loved us first. In other words, God believed of God believes in sowing and reaping. He believed that we would reciprocate if he sowed it, if he gave it. So he gave it when we didn't deserve it.

 

Congregation: [00:33:12] That's right.

 

Pastor West: [00:33:14] He he he. Gave it when we would have been the ones that called and said, crucify him. He said, well, I wouldn't have done that. You think? Well, I wouldn't have done with Adam and Eve did. You don't think so? People do it all the time. People do it all the time. Now it's kind of just the world they was in. I mean, I don't know what the people say. It's an apple. I don't know where we get an apple from, but if it's an apple, I don't really care. But I'd hate I'd hate to fall for an apple. Maybe some ice cream or a doughnut or something like. But but but an apple. Well, they couldn't either one have an affair, could they? So they weren't going to go wrong there. Adam told Eve one time. He said, you're the best looking woman in the world. She said, that don't mean nothing. She was the only woman in the world, right? Then they got blame shifting and all that kind of stuff. Adam got mad here one day. He said, what's your fault? He said, you're the one that's out of house and home. Well, she said, but she was. You was holding down the lamp so I could pick it. So then God had to come tell him. He said. He said, who told you you was naked? Did did they take the when they ate of the fruit and they saw did they did they go get undressed? No, they were never dressed.

 

Pastor West: [00:34:38] Not as we are. Right. But they were clothed out in fine linen called the glory of God. But when sin came, they lost all that. They were spiritually dead. Now they had so much life. I mean, they had so much of the life of God in them. You couldn't hardly kill them. Get them off the planet. I mean, these folks are running 900 years old, spiritually dead. That's just how much life they had in them. That's. That's hard to kill. If someone lives 900, I mean, Social Security didn't want to pay you to your 900. They just don't. That's called getting more than you deserve. That's called going to the buffet. And it's $12, but you eat $37 worth of food, you ate their profit, and the next three people will come to the door. That's why they don't want to open a bunch of them in the South. Come down to the trough. Anyway, praise the Lord. So why would he love us? Well, you might say, because he made us. Do you like things that you make? Well, we generally do, right? Well, God likes what he made. If you go back to Genesis chapter one, it says, And God said and spoke and create, and God said, and God saying, God said, and God said, then it says, what? And God saw. What did he see? He said he saw what he said. And then he said he liked it. He said, it's good, it's good. It's like Andy Griffith.

 

Pastor West: [00:36:01] He's good, he's good. I'm borrowing that from Kim Clark. How do we say it's good? Good? Yeah. It's good. So he believed it was good. He liked what he did. And it's just simply the nature of God. Because God is love. But we we don't need to generalize that statement. God's love. We need to personalize it. Personalize it. Romans five six through eight in the ESV. Still, it says, while we were still weak at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. Verse seven says, for one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would even dare to die. But verse eight says, But God shows his love for us, say me, while we were still sinners. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Still sinners, still lost, still enemies of God, still unworthy. Christ died while we were unworthy. He died for us when we were dead. Wrong headed to a devil's hell. Let me say this another way. He he he loved you and gave himself when we were dead. Wrong. So now you have a picture of how to treat others when they're dead wrong, and they do it to you, not somebody down the block. What do you do? How do you treat someone who treats you in there? And you know God knows. Jesus knows the Holy Ghost and the devil knows it's wrong. How do you handle that? How did he handle you? And you was dead wrong? We're talking about being rooted and grounded in love.

 

Pastor West: [00:37:46] Right? To know the breadth, the height, the depth of this love. So that you can know what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us. Ward who believe. So the love of God, being rooted and grounded like you would a plant or a tree. I mean a tree. I mean, I don't know, I guess it's true. I've heard the root system is at least as much as it is tall. I mean, we have a we have a fig tree in our backyard that I guess when my mother moved there, was it there already? It was. Do you know how many times that tree has been tried to be destroyed? Oh, I mean, she my mother brought more figs in this church when she was still alive. That I know than. And then, uh, she wanted to get rid of it because she couldn't stand the fact that there was fruit on it, and she couldn't get up there and pick it. And on the top, it was just a bunch of yellow jackets, and they thought it was a great day, but she'd bring them all the time and all the time. Then she'd want me to come up there and pick them. I said, I don't have time for all that. She says, well, I want to take some of the church. So I'd be up there picking. And she told me one day she said, uh, you better put on these rubber gloves up here.

 

Pastor West: [00:38:50] I said, I don't need that. I never picked figs. She said, you better put on. You better put on them gloves, I said. Are they have to pick them? It wasn't. No longer are your picked figs off the tree? Oh, yes. A lot of fun. And I started scratching and itching. It's like. It's like working in insulation. And I had it on my neck and it was all over my arm. And then I got thinking, man, when Adam and Eve sinned and they hid from God, they covered themselves up with figs. I thought, oh, that was terrible. It was more than just naked and afraid. They were flat hurting. Wrap up your loins with insulation. They pull some down. Y'all try it. So my mother told me one day. She said, your dad's gone. She said, I want you to come up here and you got decent fuel. I said, no, she said, I want you to go get some decent fuel. I said before she pleases, go, mister, I'll tell you. Decent for you. I'll tell you why. I said, what would my mother need with decent fuel? She said, your dad's gone. She said I want, I want, I want this tree to die. She said he won't. She said he don't care about the figs. She said, you know, he he just wants the whole house covered so you can't see nothing. No one can see him. Ground cover, I said. Yeah, yeah.

 

Pastor West: [00:40:03] I know she says, so I can't cut it down. So she said, I'm going to kill it with diesel fuel. I said, so you want me to be a culprit to that? She says, just bring the diesel fuel. So I brought it. Of course, it's right over the septic tank. And she poured diesel fuel on the roots of that big tree. And I never saw a tree grow so good in my life. If you want to grow good thick, get you some diesel fuel. It apparently it loves it. So. So I had all kinds of septic issues after I was in the house, and I've cut that tree down at least a dozen times. I was cutting grass three days ago and I looked down and there's three. There's like, it's like we want to live, but we want to live. I am the great great grandchild of you know, who? I was like, oh gosh, I mean, this thing wants to live. You can't hardly kill it. Why? Because it got rooted. It got rooted It got rooted. You want to exceed the above? Get rooted. If you don't like your fruit in your life, check your root. Everybody's trying to make the fruit just right. But check the root. It's not a mystery, is it? I mean, do you understand? Basic. You know, farming. Check the roots.

 

Congregation: [00:41:16] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:41:17] It's not a real popular message. Now, no one wants to buy the series. You understand? Today we're going to preach about what you need to do and get your act straight. Now I want to hear about overflow. Well, it's connected to overflow. Yeah. We'll just let me know. Call me when you get there. I understand, but it's all together. So he died for us when we were dead. Wrong. Now, I'm going to skip over this because I actually quoted this a while ago. Uh, da da da da da da da da. So God's love, uh, loved you intensely and motivated by his love for you. Uh, not not a general, but a personal love for you. Uh, I think it's important if we just say God loves us because we agree with that. But yet people don't live with a consciousness of how much God truly loves them. Him. I don't know that we can really understand the father than that. Even though we agreed to it, we read it, we see it, but we don't really understand the depths of that. Even the person who hurt someone, either the person, someone who who murders someone that God even loves, the murderer. The one who brought so much hurt into someone else's life that God loves them just as much.

 

Pastor West: [00:42:32] Uh, the people generally don't. They took the life of a loved one. But. But God values the murderer as much as he. Not because of their action, but he loves them just as much. We don't generally live at that level of love. That's why we don't really understand grace a whole lot. Because the world system doesn't work on grace. If you go work 40 hours next week, they don't pay you for 70. Of course, I was always in management for ministry, so I always worked 70 and got paid, you know. I was discouraged when I used to manage dollar stores and family dollars and Fred's and all that kind of stuff, and then, um, you know, got into business, other kind of businesses. I look at my salary, I divide it by the hours. It got depressing. It was like, I don't even make minimum wage. I mean, it's just way out there. And so we think grace works this way. So we do everything based on performance. I did this so that should generate this response. Well, really you're God is responding not to you on what you're doing. Our faith should be responding to what he already did.

 

Congregation: [00:43:45] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:43:45] Amen. He said, well, if I just had enough faith, God would, you know, I'd get God's response. No faith. Your faith, which is his faith in you, is your responding to what he already did. Now, I don't know if you know how big that statement is, but it's huge.

 

Congregation: [00:44:00] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:44:01] Your faith is simply his faith living in you. And then you by. Faith, responding to something he already did. And so humility, sometimes a lot of times, many times, is simply this believing more about yourself because of who he believes about you. It's not being high minded. See, some people call humility, and it's pride. Oh, I'm just nothing. Well, that's. To me, that's pride. When you. When you tell me you're nothing, you're worthless. Then you're belittling the work of Jesus. You're belittling the blood of Jesus. See, he thinks he's valuable, and he thinks his blood made you that.

 

Congregation: [00:44:42] Yes.

 

Pastor West: [00:44:42] So until you identify with who he says you are, you say, well, you don't know my life. I'm not looking at your life. I'm looking at him. So you're in Christ. Christ didn't. Christ didn't jump in gym and become Jimmy. Jimmy number two. No. You're in Christ. You are a new creation. Yes. You have a new nature. You've been born again. Amen. I went to Bible school with a guy that we didn't know it, but, you know, I was telling Dennis about this Wednesday night before you left Bible school. You had to do a little 15 minute sermon, uh, just to say I put one together. And he said, you may never you may never minister like this way, but if you're going to graduate, you're going to do it one time. So you had to put something together with three points, and you had you had to you had to preach. You had to do it in 15 minutes. You had three points. And then in conclusion, I would fail that class today. I can't even give you my title in 15 minutes. And but so this person, uh, he got up here to preach, and he's a big guy. I mean, I mean, big guy. He's probably about six, five, six, six. Name was Sandy and, uh, football player in his day. And so we didn't know if this was just some kind of illustration.

 

Pastor West: [00:45:53] You're not supposed to tell a lie or you're not supposed to be, you know, fabricate some type of whatever he says. Well, many years ago, he said I was I was a homosexual. And the whole class, there's 100/50 in the class. And he's like, you know, he's trying to preach like he said, no, really. He said, but I thought I was born that way. I was told I was born that way. I cried out to God, and I did all this. And he said, but I thought I was born that way. So there were people who came to him and they said, was that true? I mean, you he said, oh, yeah. He said, I struggled with it for years and years and years. He then he told me, he said, but this is how I got delivered. I mean, it was only through the word of God and by the love of God that I got delivered. And I found out that wasn't God's plan for my life. They said, well, they said, well, yeah, I got friends. But their biggest thing is they struggle with it. They just feel like they got born that way. Well, that was mine too. He says, so what should I tell them? He said, well, same thing I did. They said, what's that? He said, if you felt like you was born that way, just get born again.

 

Congregation: [00:46:53] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:46:55] If it didn't take you, don't think on the first time he said get. Get a redo. Get born again. Amen. That's right. Because in Christ you're one man. He that's joined the Lord is one spirit. Yes. That's right. One translation says, these spirits swallowed up your spirit and then you became one. The Scripture says, you are the offspring of God.

 

Congregation: [00:47:18] Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:47:20] Ain't that good?

 

Congregation: [00:47:21] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:47:22] What do these things do? They help us in our identity. They help us in our thinking. They help us to know who we are in him. That's not pride. That's. That's just accepting who Jesus has made you. That's right. That's what Paul is praying that you would come to the understanding of what God has already done. That's why, Philemon. Or if I'm hungry, I go filet mignon. Philemon says, he said, if you want your faith to become effectual, he said. He said, how you do it. He said, you begin to acknowledge every good thing which is in you, which is in Christ. Now see? Now. Now, what does that do with your faith? That means you have to purposely acknowledge you. The Bible says you are not how you feel. Yes, sir. See the others called flesh. The the others called your five senses. Your five senses has a whole nother story. You have no sense. Have you ever had your body talk to you? Now, if you're 12 years old, you don't know what I'm talking about. But. But there'll be a day to come. That your body will. It'll grow a voice. I remember when I used to work sometimes in the church. I mean, I started when I was 33 years old. I'd be working at church and I'd jump off the tailgate. They'd none of me going to jump off. No tailgate now. Flat footed. I mean, it's like just go ahead and bury him right there. Like, I mean, that even that even hurts to think about it. But, you know, I didn't think nothing about it when I was 30 years old.

 

Pastor West: [00:48:44] Just, you know, whatever. I jumped up. I used to cut the grass at the church and camp for years, and, uh, and I one day the lawnmower or something happened to it. Flat tire or whatever. It was in the way. And I was like, well, it's kind of heavy. And I said, I ain't got time. And someone said, I'll be there in a few minutes, I'm busy and I'll help you move it. I said, I'm thinking I ain't got no few minutes. And I reached down. I grabbed that lawnmower and it did well. I found out two weeks later I had a hernia from. So for weeks, have you ever had a hernia? There's not a lot of fun. They. Can you tie your shoes this misery. So I asked, Lord, what do you want me to do here? He says, what do you want to do? I said, well, I want to be healed. He said, how do you how do you want to do it? I said, well, I mean, I'd rather just, you know. So I had to check it out. I said, is this a hernia or whatever? And they said, oh yeah, that's a hernia. I said, well, can it just heal if I take it easy? I said, no, no, you've torn the, you know, the intestinal wall and you know you can't leave it that way. I mean, toxins can get over there. You can actually kill yourself doing that. And I said, so what do you got to do? He said, well, we just have to, you know, build a mesh wall and do it all the time.

 

Pastor West: [00:49:55] And I said, how long it takes to. I said, well, you know, a month, two months, whatever. You need to take it easy after that. I said, so I can't just take it easy and this stuff grow back. He said, oh no, it don't work that way. So, uh, if I'd have had something I would have had to do strenuous, then I don't know that, you know, that would have been the way to do it. But every day I just took a book of healing scriptures, and I just began to meditate on them scriptures when I had time, probably 15, 20 minutes, 2 or 3 times a day for three weeks. One day I woke up three weeks later, didn't even know it. I didn't even realize it. Didn't even know what happened. But the hernia had disappeared. It was gone. Well, how did it do that? Well, God's word is life is medicine. Yes, Amen. Well, isn't that good? Amen. You say? Well, boy. But you excited? Yeah. I'm not telling you for man. I'm telling you. For you. Amen. I'm telling you for your benefit. That's why Proverbs says, my son. Which also means my daughter. Attend to my words. Incline your ears to my sayings, for these sayings are life, and to those who find them in health. Medicine to all your flesh. All I did a real extensive study on the word all. You know what it meant. You got it. It meant all Greek, Hebrew lexicon, Dead sea scrolls.

 

Pastor West: [00:51:10] I mean, I dug down into the Mediterranean, met all. All the word of God is medicine to all. All your flesh. Okay, let me wind up right here. Give you all hope. I love you. Praise God. The love of God towards us. Towards us. So not just generally, but personally. That's where the child song fits in. Jesus loves me. Remember that. Remember seeing that in growing up as a kid? Sunday school, right? Jesus loved me. If I could sing, I'd just put it on right here. But it wouldn't be a blessing if I did. But Jesus loves me. What? This, I hope. Know this I know for the Reader's Digest. What? For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong. We were weak, but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so. That's personalized. We know generally he loves us. But I told Michelle one day, I said, uh, she said, when's the last time you told me that you loved me? I said, well, why don't you just tell me? Because I think you know the answer. When I was young, I used to say, oh, try to answer all the questions. And I said, well, I got one better than that for you. She said, well, I said, well, you know I love you. She says, okay, but I said, I even like you. You know, some people say they love people, but do you like them? Did you know the Lord is in strong like with you?

 

Congregation: [00:52:44] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:52:46] In some ways, that's some people. That's better. He has your picture. And his throne room right on the wall. He looks up and smiles. And there's your picture. Amen. The Lord likes you. He loves you, right? That's personalize it now. So he. How does he do that? Well, he he's good and he's love. He's not a God who can or will love. He is love. He's love. Top to bottom, bottom to top, inside out, outside in. If you squeeze him like a squeeze toy, he would squeeze only love.

 

Congregation: [00:53:19] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:53:20] If you could squeeze him like an orange. Like an orange, he would squeeze liquid love. Other people say he's. Sometimes he's mad, he's vindictive, he's intolerant. And he's a payback. God. But he's not paying you back. He sent Jesus to pay you up. Amen. Glory. You're paid up. He's actually. He overpaid. You had a debt of sin that you couldn't pay. And Jesus was without sin, but took your place. The unguilty for the guilty. The only true saint for the sinner. You owed no debt, but he willingly laid down. Or you owed all debt, and he owed no debt. But he willingly laid down his life for each of us. Why? Because he was motivated to die for our sins. He was only. His only motivation was love, not worldly love. God's love. Agape love. Without it, we would be doomed forever. Amen. The Apostle Paul gave instructions. Go to Colossians chapter three, if you can. Do we have the NLT? Yes. Oh, y'all got to see this. This is so good. We may have to receive a second offering. I don't generally hardly ever do that. But if it's this good, we may have to do that. Y'all know I'm kidding. But the apostle Paul gave instructions how we are to love and forgive others even when they offend you, even when you know it's not your fault. In Colossians chapter three, verses 12 through 14 NLT. Look at this. Since God. Y'all ready? Who's ready? Since God chose you to be his holy people, he loves, you must clothe yourself with tender tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility and gentleness and patience.

 

Pastor West: [00:55:00] Look at the next verse. Make allowance for each other's faults and forgive anyone, anyone, anyone, everyone. Anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others also. Can I read that one more time? Make allowance for each other's faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember? Hey, remember. Remember? Remember the Lord. What? Oh, he forgave you. So now you go give out. What? What he gave you when you was dead wrong. So I had this happened to me years ago. Even as a pastor, I got not mad. I got hurt by a pastor. They got hurt. Someone who I would consider a mentor to me. I highly respected, and he's in heaven now. And, uh, I remember. I can't believe he did this. I just can't believe he did this. And I knew he got into a bad situation and that motivated it. But I can't believe he did this. I was more hurt and I was telling this story. That's I mean, it's been years and years ago, and I was telling it to another friend of mine who the Lord told him he was coming to preach for us, and the Lord actually told him. He actually told him who the person was and what he had done, and how I had helped him with thousands of dollars that he needed. And he'll get it back in ten days. But he never gave back. But, you know, it was only about $15,000, so it wasn't that much.

 

Pastor West: [00:56:49] And I was, but I was more hurt than I was mad. He was old enough to be my father. And I said, uh, I said, sitting there, and this guy was coming to preach for us. The next day we was I made him up in Birmingham to eat, and I and he said, well, the Lord told me that so and so did this. I said, well, it had to be, because I ain't no one knows but my wife and me and the Lord. He says, well, I'm unusual, is it? And I said, well, no. And uh, and I said, well, when he did it, I said, I said, man, I Samad. I just want to Jackie's jaw. Well, he let me go for about 15 minutes and he said, ask you a question. I said, yeah, he said a while ago that you said when that happened, he said you were so you were so mad that you wanted to Jackie's jaw. And I said, yeah. He said, uh, can I ask you a question? I said, yeah. He said, who's you? I said, um, he said, would that be the new man in Christ? I said, would that be the born again? Would that be the hidden man of the heart? Would that if you know any scriptures at all, I was drowning. And then with no life raft. That's true. And so when I saw it, I was so emotionally I knew I was about to lose the most. I can't explain this, but I went to the bathroom.

 

Pastor West: [00:58:13] We said, Ralph and Cuckoo. I'm a cuckoo. Yeah. You ever had any black and alligator tail? Come on somebody. And I was in the bathroom, and all of a sudden, just all of a sudden, like a like a movie picture, like a video. I saw what I had said to a dear friend of mine, a minister, a friend of mine, and I was so far away from where I should have been in what I'm preaching to you about. But I was so far away I didn't even realize it. I did not even know I had heard her. I didn't even know I'd said these things. I didn't even know he was hurt. I was wondering, like, I wonder where so and so was. I never seen him go, never seen him. And then all of a sudden, I could see the video of me saying these things. And now I'm sitting there thinking, I can't believe I said that to him. Uh, it must have hurt him terribly. I mean, it was so I was I'm just telling you, I mean, I was so deceived at that place in that area that I didn't even see how I'd hurt this person. But see, I'm over here carrying this hurt and want to jack somebody's jaw. And when he said, who's you? And I was like, well, what are you going to say? So I'd have to identify with my flesh as me, not the spirit man, right? So when I saw this, I was in the bathroom.

 

Pastor West: [00:59:40] And I was wiping tears. I said, God, I can't believe I did this. I said, would you forgive me? Would you please forgive me? I said, as soon as I can get to him, I will. I will fix this. But will you forgive me right now? And then I was just like, I can't believe I did something like that. I cannot believe I did something like that, I said. But as soon as I get to him and whether the Lord forgave me, of course. Right. I mean, I asked him to, so I couldn't get to my friend. So the next morning we have a 2 or 3 day meeting with this guy and my friend who I had hurt, which I'm just now seeing it for the first time in months. I've known, like, I don't know why I don't come around anymore. Well, I can tell you. Why me? He walks in the door and coming to our special, special meeting. When he did, I said, oh, hey, uh, so I asked him to come into my office, and I remember getting down on my knees while he was standing up and I said, I am so sorry. I think this I don't know, word for word, but I think this is what I said to you in my mind. This is what I was meaning, I said, but now that I hear me say this, I said, Lord, actually, let me hear what I said to you. I said, he must have been so hurtful. He started crying. He said, he said, yeah, I mean, you hurt me terribly. And, uh, so he was crying and I was crying. He's crying, I was crying. He said, I'm just a good glad to have my friend back. Well, we talked about that a thousand times since then. Well, I'm actually I'm out of time, so most of y'all know the story, but. So now I have borrowed money to remodel the building in Clanton, and we were at the last place to where we were meeting downstairs, and we had pulled the ceiling out. We we'd taken paneling off the walls. They're going to sheetrock everything. We're going to recarpet everything but the ceilings out, the grids out. They're going to put a new grid, new ceiling tiles, new lights, everything. And we're meeting downstairs. Well, I needed $15,000 to finish it, but you know what my $15,000 was? It's gone. So I went to the pastor who did this, and. And the Lord told me what to do, and I was like, okay, wow, we're going to need a miracle. Then. And I went to go talk to him, but he he wasn't there. So I drove to his house. I could see him outside, but I didn't go in his yard. I could see him from the road. And I called him, and I could watch him pick up his phone and look at my call, and then put it back in his pocket. And I know why he would do it, because he he don't know how he's going to repay me. And I mean, this is like to me, it's like closer than I mean, at this time it was closer to than my natural father. So, see, I was hurt. But I also.

 

Pastor West: [01:02:29] Uh. I can't ask the church to help. They already borrowed the money, right? It would be wrong anyway. I can't go back to the bank and get any more money. And now we're ready to go do something. Okay. So. And the Lord said he doesn't have the money to pay you. He said. He said forgive him of the debt. He said forgive him by the debt. And he said, just trust me. And I said, no, I'm my options is none. And I said, okay. So I told his son in law, he said, well, he may be gone all day. Well, his son in law knew. Who was that? And I said, well, I'll just call his son in law Frank. I said, Frank, this is so important that I can't leave here. I'll stay here if I have to sit here for two more days, and I'll be here Sunday morning when you open the door, because I know he'll be here, then it's that important. So he said, I'll be back in a minute. So I knew what he did as he went and called him, and he said, he's not leaving. So he pulls up. 15 minutes later, he just somehow got back. So he gets out and he starts walking toward me. And, uh, and he was he looked like Burt Reynolds, but he's built bigger. And he had his head down. And I walked up to him and he said, I'm just.

 

Pastor West: [01:03:41] I'm just so sorry. I just. And I said, hey, I just want to say thank you for everything that you have invested into me, into my life, how you've helped me, how you've helped my church, how you went out of your way time and time again as a young, young minister. You know who didn't, as you say in Texas. Don't know. Come on, from Sikkim. Thank you. I could never repay that. He says, well, it's just it was wrong. I just thought I would have. I said, I know, I get it. I said, it's okay, it's all right. I said, I forgive you the debt. He says, well, shit never happened. I said, it doesn't matter. It's over. He said, well, as soon as I get the money, I said, you don't owe me a dime. You don't need to repay me at all. He said, well, I said, well, if the Lord gives you all that, then you do what you want to do or bless someone else. You don't owe me a dime. And he started weeping, and I did, and we stood hugging each other one another. And then, you know, that felt really great, right? Then I had 100 miles drive home, and I thought, then the guy called me and he said, we're ready now to golf this job. Ready to start your job. Are you ready? I said. You know, we're through hugging now in the phones ringing.

 

Pastor West: [01:04:54] Them euphoria feelings, They're gone. He said we can be there Monday. You ready? I said, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I heard down here. Yeah. Yes. And I had to go with what I knew in my spirit. So, uh, I got instructions from the Lord. Amen. Can you put up Luke 638 so they can see this? Because this scripture gets used out of context all the time. Nothing wrong with it, I can't remember how far back we need to go before 38. I'll be through in less than ten minutes. Go to Luke chapter six in the amplified I'm sorry, am PC classic. It's a classic to. Just put it up to chapter and I can I can run us through it real quick. Luke six amplified classic. This is what the Lord gave me. I thought I would share it with you. All right. Back up to, I don't know, 30. Huh?

 

Congregation: [01:05:51] About 27.

 

Pastor West: [01:05:52] 27. He would know. So this is what the Lord told me to do about this. But I say unto you who are listening now to me in order to heed, make it a practice to love your enemies. Treat well, do good, to act nobly towards those who detest you and pursue you with hatred. Now this is what the Lord. This is what the Lord told me to do when the $15,000 was gone. This is what he told me to turn in the Bible. I mean, can you see? Can you see? I have a problem. And now the guy wants to, like, this is Friday. We'll be there Monday. I know, I'm sorry it took us this long. I'm thinking. Uh huh. All right. Next verse. I'll watch you. Watch you invoke blessings upon and pray for the happiness for those who curse you, implore God's blessings, favor upon those who abuse you, who revile, reproach you, disparage you, high handedly. Misuse you. Oh, to the one who strikes you on the jaw or cheek. Offer the other jaw cheek from whom takes away the outer garment. Go in next person. Give away to everyone who begs you. Of you. Who's in want of necessities and of him who takes away from your goods. Do not demand to require them back again. And as you would like and desire that men would do to you, do exactly to them. Mhm. If you merely love those who love you, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? For even the very sinners love their their lovers. You went a little bit too fast.

 

Pastor West: [01:07:21] Those who love them. Next verse. Thank you. If you are kind and good and do favors and benefit those who are kind and good, and do favors to, to and benefit you. What quality credit thanks is that to you for even the presumably sinful do the same? Let's go a little bit. Uh, and if you lend money at interest to those after whom you hope to receive, what quality of credit and thanks is that to you? Even the tourist centers lend money at interest to sinners so as to recover as much again. But love your enemies, be kind and do good favors to them. Some benefit derives from them and lend expecting and hoping for nothing in return. But considering nothing is lost. Oh, and despairing of no one. And then recompense, your reward will be great, rich, strong, intense, abundant, and you will be sons of the Most High. For he is kind and charitable and good to the ungrateful and the selfish and the wicked. Oh, he is oh, so be merciful, sympathetic, tender, responsive, and compassionate, even as your father in all these. Judge not. Here goes. Judge not neither. He was dead wrong. I mean, that is the story he wanted to borrow for a week. He said. Maybe not even in a week. Now we're past six weeks. Okay, so judge not neither pronouncing judgment and subject to censure, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and pronounce them guilty, and you will not be condemned and pronounced guilty. Acquit, forgive and release. Give up your resentment. Let it drop. When I read that verse.

 

Pastor West: [01:09:04] Let it drop, boy. It's like okay, let it drop. Give up your hurt. Give up your anger. Give up your resentment. Let it drop and you will be acquitted and forgiven and released. But now remember, the Lord showed me all this. And has someone gives him a word of knowledge and tells him who the person is, how much money it is, who. And only my wife and I and God knows this. Can you say he can send me help? Then he shows me a good a really good, dear friend of mine whom I've hurt. So now I've become this guy. Can you see this? You say? Yeah. Well, how are you going to get $15,000 back? I'm fixing to tell you. Let it drop. Give Now, now, now, here's the verse that we that we received. The offering of give and gifts will be given unto you. Ah, but good measure. Shaken down, running over. You know they were pouring into the pouch for him, you know. Give, and it shall be given good measure. Pressed down, shaken together, running over. Shall men give into your bosom. That's that's the verse that we receive. But what's it connected to? Love. And how and how you treat other people. The whole motivation behind it. So he had to show me I'm just as guilty, if not more guilty than the one who's done me wrong. So now I fixed this situation. So he said give and it will be. What? Measure how it will be pressed down. Is that where it's at? The next verse? Yeah, I fixed it. Watch. Is it on there?

 

Pastor West: [01:10:35] No. It's just wonderful to have 12 megs of internet. It's just awesome. But they got. They got it out here. We're fixing to tap into a bunch of it. Believe it or not, I may move my house right here when they do it. Give and gifts will be given to you. Watch you. Good measure. Pressed down, shaken together. Running over. Will they pour into the palace formed by the bosom of your robe used as a bag? For with the measure that you deal out with, the measure you use will confer benefits on others, so it will be measured back to you. So here's what the Lord told me. He said, next three days, while they're working on the building, I want you to go to the church. Don't leave the church while they're there. I said, do you want me to help them? He said, no, I want you to be at the church. Don't leave the church. This had never happened to me before since. So I go to the church and I'm just sitting there and I'm thinking, I don't even know what I'm doing here. I mean, we got we got sheetrock dust. We got everything going on. They're ripping things out. My mind's thinking, oh, boy. Say $15,000 every day is $5,000. I don't have five, five and five. And, you know, and I believe, I believe, I believe, I believe. Mental mental mental mental. And so, uh, the first day someone brought, they said, they said, pastor, I don't know why I'm here other than the Lord told me to bring this right now. He said, I don't know if it's something you need right now. But he said, do not wait till the next harvest and brought me $2,000.

 

Congregation: [01:11:56] Whoa! Huh?

 

Pastor West: [01:11:59] Well, that's that's. I never had that happen. So, Kenny, wait till the next service. Well, I've actually been there, but they didn't hear it. But anyway, uh, then the the next day, someone brought a thousand. So now I got 3000. But I need 15. The third day I was there, someone came by and brought the $12,000 and said, I don't even know why I'm here. I mean, I mean, I don't know if I'm, I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't do anything, I can't work, I can't do anything. All I knew was to go get $12,000 and get it here. He said, you know, like there's no tomorrow. And I said, wow, so they don't know the story. So now I'm sitting there looking at $15,000. Well, the next morning he's finishing up and I'm there to pay him like, oh yeah, we got the money and and I had the money, right. Right? So the guy who gave me the $12,000, I'm at the church and they're all gone. Sanctuary looks beautiful. Looking around, all the new sheetrock, the new canister lights and everything, I was like, out here. I'll go open the door. And it's the guy who gave me the $12,000. He said, pastor, I just I'm gonna ask you, would you please forgive me? I said, I'm thinking I can't think of anything at the moment. I mean, but but obviously you're here, right? He said, I didn't do what the Lord told me to do.

 

Pastor West: [01:13:36] And I said, uh, what do you mean? He said, well, come out here. I'm gonna need some help. We went out to the history and his truck had a double cab truck. Big truck, long truck. He pulled. He said the Lord told me yesterday and I didn't go do it. He said, I want you to go, and I want you to buy the best sound system for the church. That he's like, they don't even have a speaker act like they don't even have a microphone. Act like they don't have nothing in the sound booth to work with. He said, I want you to spend whatever it takes to put this church in a, in a very good sound system. So we went out there and I loaded like $25,000. I mean, I had one, it wasn't great, but it's not even on my radar in the first three years of things to do. So we're out there unloading $25,000 with equipment, and a lot of it's still being used today. And he's in heaven. And when it's all I mean, I thanked him. I was like, I'm sitting here thinking, I mean, see, I'm always want to know, why did that happen? How did it happen? And the Lord said, go back and get your your Bible and your office. He said, read the amplified and it said it said, uh, go to verse 38. 37. There it is. He said, now read it.

 

Pastor West: [01:14:51] You will know why it happened. He said, let's just say the guy's name was Tom judge, not Tom. Don't pronounce judgment. This is the guy that didn't pay me back, don't pronounce judgment or censured him. And then you won't be judged. Don't condemn him. Don't pronounce him guilty, and you will not be condemned and pronounced guilty. Acquit. Tom. Forgive. Tom. Release. Tom. Give up your resentment. Let this thing drop with Tom. And forgive and then be forgiven and release, he said. Now the next verse is your answer. He said, when you do that, it'll be given to you. Good measure. Pressed down, shaken together, running over. He said, so the 15 came back. You gave out 15, 15 come back. But because you didn't, he said, this is what he said to me. He said. He said because you didn't judge him. Because you gave him love when he was dead wrong. He said, this is the pressed down, shaken together, running over. And I said, Lord, I mean, this sounds terrible. I told Michelle said, I'm looking for somebody to do me wrong. Use me, use me. I'm going to forgive you with the quickness. Isn't that amazing? Yeah, man. So the sound system that we use now from the from the from the guy that the Lord use, I mean, he come in. Would you forgive me? So that made him give. 25. He gave $37,000. $37,000. That's why I'm preaching this message.

 

Congregation: [01:16:20] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [01:16:21] You want the Ephesians 3:20. He said recent verses before it. Be rooted and grounded in love. Amen. But they've done this to me all my life. It didn't mention that.

 

Congregation: [01:16:35] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [01:16:37] Did you know the scripture said the Lord Jesus is the way, the truth and the life? You know that scripture. You know why that's true? Because you say what? Amen. See, our mind goes. We're searching scriptures out. How do we really know he's the way he said he was?

 

Congregation: [01:16:56] Amen. That's right.

 

Pastor West: [01:16:58] He said he was. There's people in your life today that when I spoke these things that you begin to think about different relationships, right? Yes, sir. Where I actually hurt my friend and I'm. So. I don't even know that I've done it. I mean, I'm not trying to make myself, but I really did. If the Lord hadn't shown me that actually took me to the place that I said these things, and I was so far away from the truth at that point in that area, I didn't even see that what I said was was hurtful to him. And so the Lord just restored that. But when my friend asked me, who come to preach, said, he said, when you said, you know, when he did this to you, you wanted to jacquees y'all. He said. He said, who's you? Who's you? I can't go forward with this person. I can't let this go. This is. Who's you? You. Your real name. Your social security number. Are you the new man in Christ? Amen. Amen. You that Jesus died for when you was dead. Wrong.

 

Congregation: [01:18:07] That's right. That's right. Mm.

 

Pastor West: [01:18:11] So we want to master things. So you want mastery. We want to master love. Amen. We. We want to give out the new creation. Love every sin. Think about this. This is. I'm closing right here. I'm sorry I took this long. Every sin that you can think of. Every one who is actually guilty in prison. If they're if they're there and they and they're guilty, you know why they're guilty? Prison are not prison. I'm just using that as an illustration. What is the what is the seed? Why did they do that? Why did they steal? Why did they rob? Why did they murder? Why did they rape? Why? Why did they do anything? It was so. The seed of all sin is what? Selfishness. They wanted something for self or they wanted to vindicate self. The first thing that happens when you're born again is you die. You die and it's no longer you that lives. It's no longer self. It's now the love of God. But your soul has to be renewed to truth, right? Because this still thinks this other way. Like, I mean, this is about me and I have to get mine out like this.

 

Pastor West: [01:19:27] That's why when they used to have those, uh, what do you call it? Maybe they still have. Right. For Christmas on Friday, we used to call it a Black Friday. And people get up 4:00 in the morning and go to the mall, and there's three of them left, and you got like, 14 women down there, like, oh, my gosh, if we had some mud on the floor, we could have a mud, you know, mud fight. This would be we could make bets. That's a bad joke, but I'm just saying. You ever seen people fight over something in a store? There's only two of them left. Like on black. Man, I wouldn't go to a Black Friday for nothing. Two, I'm not getting up at 4:00 in the morning to buy nothing. Did you know it's actually cheaper after Christmas? Yeah. And if it's cheaper, we can have Christmas. Two days later. It will sho'nuff be merry. Right. So, did you get anything out of this? Did it help you in any way? Just go ahead and get ready to release them.

 

Congregation: [01:20:17] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [01:20:18] Jesus says, bless those who curse you, right? He says, in other words, do something good for him. Amen. Now, that person I can't tell you. I mean, we we, uh, he he he never was able to make the turn with me because I think in his eyes he was like a mentor to me. And I think he was so embarrassed. Even though he was forgiven, he knew he was. Hee hee hee was too uncomfortable around me. And a few years later, his his, uh, his oldest son died. He was he got sick and died. And I went to the funeral. His son was early 40s, and still it was hard for him to look me in the eye. There's nothing much I could do about it. I just tried to show the love of God to him. But he. But he knew. He knew that I forgave him. He knew that the love was genuine. When I a year later, when I knew he was going through some hard times, it was Christmas time and I was in this building praying. And the children's church, the Lord said he needs some help. He said. They have nothing to buy Christmas with. And so I got his number. I'm not telling you because of what I did. I'm just saying. But that's that's the lady in that drop that's released him.

 

Pastor West: [01:21:36] And why? Why was I able to do that? Well, Romans five said the the love of God was shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost. When you got born again, did you hear that? When you got born again, God furnished the love for you to go do this. He's not going to tell you to do this in your mind, in your power, he said. I'm going to furnish you my love. Otherwise, you couldn't even do this. So you say, well, I can't do that. Well, yes you can. You have to love God in you. I want to say some time to say, well, I can't do that, believers. I say, well, I thought you saved. I thought you was born again. Well, I am saved. Well, then you can do it. You had the love of God in you. Now you just have to act on it. Amen. Amen. I had a woman telling me one time being divorced, she's going through a divorce and they're separated. And she said, well, I know I need to forgive him, but, I mean, you want me to just forgive you just like that after he's been doing this for 3 or 4 years? I said, no, there's there's a process of restoration, she said, but I'm supposed to just forgive him. And and he was sitting there saying, she's right.

 

Pastor West: [01:22:29] She has every right in the world not to forgive me. She has every right in the world to leave me. And I said, is this what you want to do? She says, no, I want my marriage restored, and I know it's the right thing to do, and I do, she said. But she says, this sounds terrible. But she said, I want him paid back. He put all this to me and I'm supposed to just forgive him? And it's a great day. I want, I want this man paid back. Can you see where the feelings are? It wasn't what I just read. You and those feelings are real. So there was a restoration process and their marriage is restored and they're doing awesome today. But she had to finally come to the place to where if I'm going to stay here, I'm going to have to forgive. I'm going to have to give him what he don't deserve, the way Jesus gave me what I didn't deserve. Amen. Wow, what a powerful message. You take that to the world. We won't even be able to meet in this place. That's what the world is waiting for. They don't care what you know. They want to know if. Do you really even care about it? Right? You can't fool them. They know.

 

Congregation: [01:23:25] Amen.

 

Pastor West: [01:23:26] And when you do that, and you release that love on them, you give them that kind of love. They'll come back from. They used to say from Mo. From Mo for more.

 

Congregation: [01:23:37] Amen

 

Pastor West: [01:23:39] Be like Jacks. Come back for mo. Mo Mo. Come on back. Come on. Mo mo. mo. 

 

Pastor West: [01:23:44] Amen. Y'all have a blessed day.