Touched Or Transformed
Pastor David T. Elms 11/23/2025
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58:19
Summary
Pastor David Elms explores the healing of the ten lepers to illustrate the difference between religious tradition and a transformative relationship with Jesus, urging believers to reject cultural divisions and find their identity solely at the foot of the cross.
Key points
- •The distinction between being 'touched' (receiving a temporary miracle or religious experience) and being 'transformed' (a total shift in identity and relationship with Christ).
- •The danger of 'identity religion' and ethnicity-based divisions within the church, highlighting that racism and prejudice are sin problems that should be surrendered at the cross.
- •The necessity of 'praising in the middle' of the battle, acting in faith before the evidence of a miracle appears, just as the ten lepers were cleansed 'as they went.'
- •The call to set our minds on things above rather than earthly politics, culture, or personal background, finding our true identity hidden in Christ.
Scripture
Transformation vs. Religion
Unity in the Church
Faith through Praise
Identity in Christ
Life application
This week, choose to offer specific praise to God for a situation that currently feels like a 'battle' or a 'valley,' intentionally moving in faith before you see the final resolution.
Reflection questions
- In what areas of my life am I settling for a 'touch' from God rather than seeking a total transformation of my mind and character?
- Are there worldly identities (politics, culture, social status) that I am allowing to fracture my fellowship with other believers?
- How can I follow the example of the one Samaritan leper by returning to God's feet with gratitude, even when my 'world' expects me to move on?
- What does it look like practically for me to 'die to the old man' and have my life 'hidden in Christ' this week?
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Full transcript
0:00I want to be transformed.
0:03My title for today
0:06is touched
0:08or transformed.
0:11Touched
0:12or transformed. Our Bible is a a certain
0:17place for us to build the church. You
0:20know, the church cannot be built
0:24on music.
0:26And I say that as a musician.
0:29It cannot be built on songs.
0:33I say that as a wannabe singer.
0:36I request myself to sing sometimes and I
0:40then I see the request has come in and I
0:42have to give the people what they want.
0:46>> You know,
0:48just because I I can't interpret a song
0:51the same way my wife can doesn't mean I
0:54can't interpret a song. You know,
0:57everybody may not have ears to
0:58appreciate my tonality,
1:02but uh the Lord can hear it.
1:06But the church cannot be built on song.
1:09We have a celebration month already here
1:12and I love December. Uh it is my
1:15favorite time of the year. Actually, my
1:17favorite time of the year starts at
1:19Halloween. Okay, that's that that
1:22literally declares
1:24it's time to have a blast with your
1:28kids, your family, those you love. That
1:31is the declaration of the beginning of
1:33all the joy. And uh I like Halloween. I
1:37don't know about some of y'all. Some of
1:38y'all too spiritual for that.
1:41But uh I went to apostolic church back
1:44in 1966
1:45and we had a lot of Halloween parties.
1:48Um so I don't know how far back you go,
1:50but I predate most of you. Uh because
1:54hell can't have any of my days. No, I'm
1:57not I'm not giving one day
1:59>> to Lucifer. And so we celebrate and I
2:03like it because most of the time in my
2:05neighborhood
2:07uh I'm not what what's Sister Helms is
2:09is talking over here as if she's the
2:11preacher. Do you have something you want
2:13to say?
2:15>> You so we don't celebrate Halloween.
2:17What's all that candy I'm eating?
2:20[laughter]
2:22I mean, I know you're all politically
2:24correct and everything.
2:27>> I appreciate all the tender ears. You
2:29don't want to bother,
2:31but uh it sure is fun.
2:35There's a lot of leftover candy in that
2:37bowl. Okay, I know y'all are all so
2:41spiritual. You throw that in the trash
2:42because you don't want the devil to have
2:44any candy.
2:46>> Listen, he can't even walk in my house.
2:48It's covered by blood.
2:50And uh I've got the blood of Jesus.
2:53You're not going to take my joy from me.
2:54There ain't nobody going to take my joy
2:56from me. There's not a day the devil has
2:59ever won. Not one day has he ever won.
3:03>> And just because there's a bunch of
3:05people that think that's the devil's
3:07holiday, it's only because they've never
3:09walked in the presence of the king.
3:12>> Because when you get in the presence of
3:13the king, you realize there's no
3:16skeletons.
3:17A skeleton is a temporary report.
3:21That's all a skeleton is a temporary
3:23report that your spirit's headed
3:25somewhere.
3:27>> That's all it is. It means somebody once
3:29was and they still are.
3:32>> The spirit returns to God who made it.
3:35>> And so when I see a skeleton, you're not
3:37frightening me. That skeleton might have
3:39been filled with the Holy Ghost.
3:42If that same spirit that raised up
3:44Christ from the dead dwell in you, it
3:46will also quicken your skeleton.
3:51>> It's going to quicken your skeleton.
3:54>> Hallelujah. I'm I'm not here to preach
3:56on Halloween.
3:58Okay. But my wife got me distracted as
4:02she has done for many years. I've been
4:04married to her 36 years, but she's been
4:07distracting me 39 years.
4:10She was distracting me when she didn't
4:11even know I existed.
4:14But that's all right. Look who won.
4:16[clears throat and snorts]
4:18Glory. Thank you.
4:21She did. I knew what y'all were
4:23thinking. I knew what you were thinking.
4:26[cheering]
4:26She won.
4:29>> Ah. Hallelujah.
4:32But I I beginning right there, the joy
4:35starts and we have celebration and and
4:38we enjoy it. We we celebrate it because
4:41of the life that Jesus came to g give
4:43us. And then along rolls Thanksgiving,
4:46which is just awesome. And uh and then
4:50comes Christmas and we have our live
4:53nativity, which means there's a train
4:55that's coming. And I don't know if you
4:57know, my nickname is Thomas the Train. I
5:00love trains. I like to travel on trains
5:04and uh we have a train that comes out
5:06here and I get to ride around with my
5:08grandkids on that train and it's it's
5:11fun. Me and my grandchildren, we are on
5:14that train. Now I'm a little wide for
5:15the train.
5:17My knees don't exactly fit in the
5:20portion space for the legs to sit, but I
5:24squeeze in and I ride that train. And
5:27Christmas is always a great time of
5:29celebrating one another, enjoying one
5:32another. And of course, this is our
5:34first year without my daddy. And so,
5:36it's one of those things where you're
5:37missing one you've always had. And uh so
5:41it can be also a time of sudden tears,
5:45sudden sorrow, the remembrance of people
5:48you loved. And instead of letting it
5:51take you to a low place, remember all
5:54the joys and remember all the
5:57celebrations and remember all the things
5:59that were wonderful. Remember how they
6:02would do a certain thing around the
6:03holidays. I I you know, our church is
6:07having some special services for
6:08Christmas. And uh I'm going to get to my
6:11sermon in a minute, but um we have a
6:15Sunday in which we're going to be
6:17celebrating a dress up with a Christmas
6:20outfit Sunday. Now uh apparently it was
6:23misannounced as ugly sweater day and my
6:26wife wanted me to correct that. It's not
6:29ugly sweater day, it's beautiful
6:31Christmas celebration day. So, I have
6:35this wonderful friend named Amazon, and
6:38uh I have proceeded to get some shirts
6:42that I plan to wear maybe once, but
6:45because I needed to model them for my
6:48wife yesterday, and you talking about a
6:51double triple eye roll, she didn't seem
6:53to have the same appreciation for these
6:56these shirts that I purchased for uh for
7:00these celebrations. She felt like it was
7:03Las Vegas
7:05on steroids. Um, but you know that's me.
7:09Look at me. I got a vest on today. I
7:11I've got my handkerchief. It's kind of
7:12unleashed right now. My grandson thought
7:15it meant for him to play with. And so
7:18all of these things you you all did this
7:20when you came to church today. You all
7:22got beautiful and presentable and you
7:24knew you were going to see people you
7:26loved and you did it also to come and
7:28worship the Lord. Well, so Christmas,
7:31uh, you're out of control. Get back down
7:33in there. All righty. Okay. If it gets
7:35out of control, just tell me. I'll tuck
7:37it back in. Uh, here here's my point to
7:40you. My point is is we're going to enjoy
7:44living because our God is better than
7:47we've ever imagined.
7:50>> His mercy endureth forever.
7:54His truth endureth to all generations.
7:58Generations may come and generations
8:00will go, but the goodness of God exceeds
8:04our wildest imagination. Eye hath not
8:08seen, ear has not heard, neither has it
8:11entered into the heart of man the things
8:14that God has prepared for them who love
8:18him. Does anybody love the Lord here
8:20today? Is there anybody who came to make
8:24it known I love him?
8:27He is my best friend.
8:30>> He is a friend that seeketh closer than
8:32a brother.
8:35>> What a mighty God we serve. Well, in
8:37getting to know the Lord, we've got to
8:40make sure we teach this generation the
8:42difference between religion
8:45and relationship.
8:47>> Because there's so many people that have
8:48had a negative and a bad relationship,
8:51what they call the church. And so even
8:54though they hijack the true meaning of
8:57church, which essentially means called
8:59out ones, people called out of the
9:02world. That's what the church is. the
9:04church or the world has misinterpreted
9:07the idea of church to where all they're
9:09encountering are people that
9:11misappropriate scripture and use what is
9:14isog Jesus which just means they take
9:16the Bible and they turn it to not mean
9:18what it was intended to mean but they
9:21turn it to mean what they want it to
9:23mean and by so turning it they they use
9:27and defile the word of God
9:30>> that's the reason you can't build a
9:31church on a song you can't build a
9:33church on a personality. You cannot
9:36build a church on the talent. Though
9:38somebody that is there ministering might
9:40be so uber talented that they sweep you
9:44heavenly every time you hear them
9:46testimony preach or I'm not trying to
9:48talk about myself, but
9:52I'm joking. I'm joking for all you
9:54guests here. I'm joking. Uh my key my
9:58key is this. We've got to build the
10:02church of the living God on the truth.
10:06Nothing but the truth. So help us God.
10:11>> And that's why we've got to have a
10:12relationship with our Bible.
10:14>> You don't need to have somebody else
10:16interpret it for you and then tell you
10:18that's what it means. No, you've got a
10:20wonderful mind. You know how to open
10:23email. That means you know how to read
10:25the word of God.
10:29If you can figure out Gmail, don't tell
10:32me you can't figure out the Bible.
10:35>> Gmail.
10:36>> And so that's not God's mail, by the
10:38way. I want to let you know that.
10:41And so when I bring you to the
10:43scripture, I'm bringing you to this
10:45amazing moment that Jesus reveals more
10:48about himself. And he also teaches us
10:52how to distinguish the difference
10:54between religion and relationship,
10:56between what people call religiosity or
10:59church. Babe, I use those quotes again.
11:02How many times am I allowed to do that?
11:05Not many more. Okay. You can tell in all
11:08these years she's been working on me
11:09with my quotes. You know, I'll say,
11:11"Well, you said,
11:14man, it doesn't really work good in in a
11:17fuss." It doesn't. It doesn't work out.
11:19It hadn't worked out yet.
11:23But Jesus is teaching the difference
11:26between religion and relationship. And
11:30when you have a relationship with just
11:32religion, then you will be led astray by
11:37traditions of men and what the Bible in
11:40the King James calls the rudiments of
11:42this world. That essentially means the
11:45ways people interpret that you are
11:48supposed to be. Now it doesn't mean that
11:50I'm not concerned what people think but
11:52what matters to me is not the doctrine
11:54of men. I want to know what is the
11:57doctrine of God.
11:58>> What does the word of God say that I
12:01must do?
12:02>> And so here we are and we find this
12:04stunning
12:06story in the book of Luke, the Gospel of
12:09Luke, the 17th chapter, the 11th verse.
12:11And Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. He
12:15is on his way to where he's going to be
12:17crucified. In fact, he says it in the
12:19ninth chapter uh the 51 verse that he
12:23straightway set his face to go towards
12:26Jerusalem. In other words, it was the
12:28beginning of his journey to Calvary. And
12:30here we are in the 17th chapter. Seven
12:34chapters back, he started to Jerusalem.
12:37Now, geographically, you may not be
12:39familiar with the map of Israel, but
12:42Galilee sits at the very top of Israel
12:45up near the Sea of Galilee. It's in the
12:48north sector. Then there's this bad
12:50lands or this sector in between Galilee
12:53and Jerusalem, which is more central.
12:56And that space is where the Samaritans
12:58lived. So Jesus is leaving Galilee which
13:02was where he was a lot of his mis
13:04ministry happened in Galilee the regions
13:06roundabout Galilee and he's walking
13:09geographically imagine your the mind of
13:12uh the the the geography of Israel with
13:14me if you will he's walking down and
13:16he's only gotten seven chapters after he
13:19started to Jerusalem he has only gotten
13:22here to what the Bible says is the
13:24border between Galilee and Samaria. So
13:28he's not even on the Jerusalem side of
13:30the journey. He started that way. And
13:32we've got all these descriptions of
13:34things that are happening on their on
13:36the way. When he gets to this border
13:38region, which is more or less a
13:40dangerous no man's land, a place where
13:43outcasts would live, a place where those
13:46who were on the edges of society, that's
13:49where they would be. Those who were on
13:51the insiders of the Samaritan culture,
13:54they would have not been in this region.
13:56Same thing with those Galileans. They
13:58would have not stood in this liinal,
14:01this m middle area where Jesus was
14:04having to go through. It was known as a
14:06border region. And when he's walking
14:08through, he encounters 10 lepers. Now,
14:12we're not as acquainted with lepers.
14:13Now, stay with me as I lay my
14:15foundation. We're not as acquainted with
14:17lepers. Leprosy was a a disease that
14:20would kill and it would literally eat
14:22away people's ability to feel. It killed
14:25and destroyed the nervous system so that
14:28you wouldn't even know what was painful
14:30and it would lead to tremendous death
14:33and it was most most fearful disease.
14:36But it when you hear of lepers described
14:39it's also including people who had skin
14:42diseases. Uh maybe they had condition
14:45like rashes or boils or soarses. If they
14:48were confirmed infectious, according to
14:51the priests, the family would start
14:53noticing these skin things. They would
14:55have it inspected by the priests and
14:57then if it was infectious, they would
14:59send them outside of the city away from
15:03the people and there they would have to
15:05live a certain uh kind of rule system.
15:09They had to dwell away from home. They
15:11could not sleep at home. They could not
15:12sleep with their family. They couldn't
15:14sleep in the city. They had to go out in
15:16the wilderness and then they also had to
15:19have torn clothes. They had to leave
15:21their hair unkempt or disheveled. They
15:25had to cover their upper lip with a
15:28cloth. And when anyone came close by,
15:31they had to cry out unclean.
15:34Unclean. Now these were the rules to
15:37keep the infectious diseases at bay in
15:40that day. And in fact, the book of
15:42Leviticus gives us very clear process
15:45that if you have one of these diseases,
15:48this is how you are to live. Leviticus
15:5114 also details what should happen if
15:55there is reinstatement. Say for an
15:58example that the diagnosis was wrong and
16:00things clear up and so the the the the
16:04sore or the swelling or the boil or the
16:06skin disease starts cleansing or being
16:09gone. Then what would happen outside the
16:12camp there would be a ritual that
16:14occurred. They would summons the priest.
16:16The priests were like the doctors in
16:18that city. There were certain priests
16:20that were specialists in diagnosing the
16:23skin disease. And the priests would have
16:25to be summoned and go outside of the
16:28camp, outside of the city limits, out
16:30where the wilderness was. And they
16:32followed a very rigorous ritual. I know
16:35these are details folks, but I want you
16:37to understand the details because it's
16:40important for you to understand the
16:42story. So these details were if you were
16:46uh potentially healed, whether it be
16:49like by a slow process or by a sudden
16:51miracle, you still had to follow a
16:54ritual by meeting a priest outside the
16:56city walls. Then they would bring two
16:58birds and one would be killed and the
17:00other one would be dipped in blood and
17:03released to fly away with cedarwood, a
17:05scarlet yarn and hissup. Then they would
17:08shave the entire body, wash all the
17:11clothes and wash the body and they would
17:14wait seven days. Then they would offer
17:17an offering of lambs, grain and oil. or
17:20if you were so poor, your family was
17:22poor, they had alternatives that were
17:25not expensive, but they were still a
17:28statement that I am walking in obedience
17:31to the way of the Lord in this. And over
17:33these eight days, they would watch you.
17:36If at on the eighth day you were clean,
17:39that that eighth day you could go back
17:42with an anointing of blood and oil and
17:45be reinstated
17:47to your family. Now, back to the story.
17:51You needed to know the details if you're
17:54going to understand the story. And so,
17:56Jesus is coming to pass and he comes and
18:00encounters 10 lepers. This is one of the
18:04largest groups of lepers. In fact, it's
18:06the largest group anywhere in the entire
18:08scripture. And the Bible says, "Standing
18:10aar off, they heard that he was coming
18:14and they appealed to him. Jesus,
18:18have mercy on us.
18:22And as they were going, the Bible said,
18:26"Go your way because you've asked, you
18:30are healed. Go show yourself to the
18:34priest." In other words, you've got to
18:36initiate this 8day
18:39reintegration process that the law says
18:42everybody's got to have. You've got to
18:45go show yourself to the priest. And the
18:48Bible says specifically, "And as they
18:50were going, they were cleansed." In
18:53other words, and when they were standing
18:54there, they still had it. He said, "Go."
18:58They're still they have it. But when
19:00they turn around and start heading to
19:03the priest as they were going, listen
19:07ladies and gentlemen, as a side note to
19:09this message, there are things that you
19:12have been asking for in your prayer and
19:14you have not seen the evidence of what
19:16you have asked God to give to you. I
19:19want to tell you, if you've asked in
19:21faith believing, you need to start
19:23acting as if God has already
19:26commissioned an answer.
19:31I know it's hard when you don't have
19:33anything to go on, but when you've got
19:35the Lord saying, "Go your way," then
19:39start believing. The Bible said, "Faith
19:42is the promise of things hoped for, the
19:45evidence of things not seen." When I
19:48operate on faith, that's the reason I
19:50start praising him before I have my
19:52answer. That's the reason I start
19:54singing when I still have tears in my
19:57eyes. That's the reason we will rejoice
19:59even in the middle of my sorrow.
20:03>> Oh, hallelujah.
20:05This isn't a church. This is not a
20:07church that's going to wait until the
20:10battle's over before we're going to
20:12praise the Lord. If you're even in the
20:14middle of your battle, you need to start
20:17praising the Lord right now as if the
20:20battle has already been won.
20:25I'm talking about the power of praise.
20:28I'm talking about the power of worship.
20:31I bless you, oh Lord. [applause]
20:35[cheering]
20:36Years ago, I preached a message entitled
20:38The Storms of Satan. And in that
20:41message, I talked about how the enemy at
20:43Pharaoh was chasing the children of
20:45Israel. And when they got to the Red Sea
20:48with mountains on either side, the Lord
20:51opened the Red Sea. But Pharaoh was
20:53coming behind them. And the Bible said
20:55the Lord sent a cloud to Pharaoh and it
20:59was a light unto the children of God,
21:02but it was a storm unto the army of
21:05Pharaoh. In other words, these people
21:08thought, "Boy, this is helping us out."
21:11But the enemy thought, "Man, this is
21:13slowing me down." It was the same batch
21:16of clouds. But the outcome was different
21:20and it confused the enemy. When you walk
21:23in this house like you did today, I
21:25already know many of you fought just to
21:29get here this morning. I don't need to
21:31interview you to know how many excuses
21:33walked past you on your way to church
21:36today to tell you why you didn't come.
21:38But you decided to dismiss every excuse.
21:42And not one of them was good enough to
21:45keep you from coming. And then you came
21:48and they started singing. And the devil
21:51started saying, "You don't need to sing.
21:54You just need to look around. You just
21:57need to watch everybody." But you
21:59couldn't stop the song. And so you
22:02opened up your mouth and you began to
22:04sing. And the devil said, "Don't lift
22:07your hands. Don't worship." And you sat
22:10there and thought, "Well, if they're
22:12clapping, and if they're clapping, I
22:14know I've got victory, so I'm going to
22:21[applause]
22:22Hallelujah.
22:25[cheering]
22:28And as they were going,
22:32they were cleansed. If you've never
22:34received the Holy Ghost with the
22:35evidence of speaking with other tongues,
22:37first of all, let me biblically tell
22:39you, it is for you.
22:41>> It's for your children.
22:43>> It's for all that are a far off, even as
22:46many as the Lord our God shall call.
22:49>> But nobody's going to teach you how to
22:51talk in tongues.
22:53>> Not in a Bible church. Because the Bible
22:56says they began to speak as the spirit
22:59gave them the utterance. They spoke as
23:03the spirit gave them what to say. So
23:06you're saying, "Well, that sounds hard
23:07to me." Listen, I took Spanish.
23:11My wife doesn't believe me. [snorts]
23:27>> [cheering]
23:32>> Listen, I took it two years.
23:37[laughter]
23:44I have sent my wife down to Where did
23:46you go?
23:48Guatemala.
23:50I sent her twice.
23:53I sent you.
23:55I got to make them think I'm in charge.
23:57Okay, listen. I got to let them think
24:00that.
24:02And she went down there in a livein
24:05uh she lived with the chickens. Listen,
24:07she had a chicken wake her up beside her
24:09head every morning. I was so impressed.
24:12I don't think I would have done that. I
24:15went down to San Jose for my graduate
24:17school, but I stayed in a nice hotel.
24:20[laughter]
24:21I didn't think I need a rooster waking
24:23me up in the morning.
24:26I was proud of her. But when we go to
24:29order at a at a Mexican restaurant, I'll
24:32break out my dialect and my I speak with
24:37confidence
24:39even though I have a muikito.
24:46espanol.
24:52>> See,
24:58my wife has got all this training and
25:01gone to all that school and she'll say
25:03it complete sentences, but she does it
25:05like this. There's
25:09I thought if I'd gone to a school like
25:11that, I'd be out there. Hey, hey, hey.
25:14Chiba baby.
25:25When you get the Holy Ghost, you're
25:26going to speak a language nobody taught
25:28you. And that's weird.
25:30>> That's weird. [cheering] Can I be honest
25:32with you? It's weird.
25:35>> When I got the Holy Ghost, I was a
25:37child. It's a lot easier for a child
25:38than it is for an adult because we got
25:40our logic all locked in. We get our
25:42logic and we think, "Oh, am I making
25:43that up? Am I make Well, is are is your
25:45child making up when they say ba?"
25:49>> My all my children said ba and dad
25:52first. First, did any of them say mama
25:55first? No. Don't ask her. Don't ask her.
25:58Don't ask her.
26:04What is this? You're learning how to
26:06communicate. When you get the Holy
26:07Ghost, you're going to feel an utterance
26:09that come on you and you're like, "Did I
26:10just make that up? Was I carnal? Was
26:13that I'll tell you what it is. If you're
26:15in the spirit and you're praying with
26:17intensity and integrity and honesty of
26:21your heart and you're not begging,
26:23here's the point I want to make you. You
26:25can't get the Holy Ghost begging.
26:28>> Please, please." I have never seen
26:32anybody get the Holy Ghost begging for
26:34it. You will receive the Holy Ghost when
26:37you enter into praise.
26:41Praise leads the way. Thank you, Jesus.
26:45Hallelujah. I worship you. I magnify
26:49you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I
26:52bless the name of the Lord. And while
26:54you praise him,
26:57that's when the utterance comes out.
27:00>> Why is it hap Why does it happen like
27:02that? Because somewhere we see a a hint
27:05in this scripture. The Bible says, "And
27:07as they were going, they were cleansed."
27:11It happened in the movement of what was
27:15coming. Listen, their power of life and
27:17death is in the tongue. If your child is
27:20having a rough week, why don't you speak
27:22life to them? If things are finding that
27:25it's rough for them, instead of saying,
27:27"Well, I told you it was going to be
27:28that way.
27:33You can stop it and correct yourself
27:37and say, "I remember when I was there.
27:41I remember when I got my first bad
27:43grade. I remember when I had that one
27:46teacher that I just couldn't get along
27:48with." And mama wouldn't just come and
27:50change me from class to class. I learned
27:53how to deal with that teacher that just
27:55didn't see that me like my parents saw
27:57me. Because life is not going to show up
28:01fair. So as it doesn't come fair, you
28:04learn how to walk through it
28:07>> and still keep your joy.
28:09>> No one is going to get access to my joy
28:12juice.
28:13>> And I'm not talking about Jim Beam.
28:19>> The joy that I have, the world didn't
28:21give to me and the world will not take
28:25away. I will worship him in plenty and I
28:29will praise him in times of want. I will
28:32love him when I'm sick and I will
28:35rejoice when I'm well. Nothing around me
28:38is going to determine my responses
28:41because I know if God [screaming] is for
28:43me. Tell me who who can be against me.
28:48You can kill my body, but you can't kill
28:51my soul.
28:52>> [cheering]
28:52>> You can tell me I'm no good, but you
28:54can't take my God away from me. Throw me
28:57in a lion's den. But I [screaming] have
29:00a God who made the lions to sleep.
29:05[applause and cheering]
29:10>> Oh,
29:12>> I'm going to praise him even in the
29:14middle of my [screaming] battle.
29:16>> I'm going to praise him when I don't see
29:18a way out. When I don't know how
29:20[screaming] I'm going to get through,
29:22I'm going to still get my praise and
29:25say, "I worship you."
29:30[applause]
29:32[cheering]
29:32Hallelujah.
29:36>> Some of the worst days you'll ever have
29:39is your greatest opportunity to stop.
29:43And the world has its assignments for
29:45you. what you you should do on your
29:48worst day. Well, I don't have a reason
29:52to tell you what to do on your worst day
29:55because the world will do that for you.
29:58But what I say is that on your worst day
30:01is your greatest opportunity to say,
30:04"Lord, I've not had this opportunity
30:07before.
30:08I don't want to have it much anymore,
30:11but right now in everything,
30:15>> I'm going to give you thanks.
30:18>> In the good times,
30:20>> I'll praise your name.
30:22>> But I'm not done yet. I'm not finished.
30:25In the bad times, I'll also praise your
30:29name.
30:30>> I may not have many opportunities to
30:34praise you in a day like this. And so
30:36since it's looking bad [screaming]
30:38outside,
30:40I'm going to say I praise you, Lord,
30:43because I know you're going to bring
30:45[screaming] me through.
30:47[applause and cheering]
30:52>> So as they were going,
30:56they were cleansed.
30:58>> Praise him no matter your circumstance.
31:02>> Praise him if you don't even know the
31:04miracle's on its way.
31:06Praise him when it looks like your best
31:08friend just turned their back on you.
31:10>> Praise him when you don't know how
31:11you're going to figure out the family
31:13dilemma.
31:14>> Praise him when your brother just ran
31:16away in his spirit and mind and you
31:18don't understand how he's thinking.
31:20Praise the Lord when it seems like all
31:23is against you. Praise the Lord when the
31:26corporate just told you to box up your
31:28desk and head home. Praise him when you
31:31just got the no on your last hope for a
31:34resume. Praise him when you're in
31:36extended valley. Praise him when the bad
31:39seems to get to worse and the worst
31:42seems to get even on top of that lower.
31:45Praise him no matter what it seems like.
31:48Because I can guarantee you one thing.
31:50If God is for you, [applause]
31:55>> somebody said, "Oh, everything's going
31:57to be all right."
32:00>> Everything's going to be all right.
32:02>> Ah. Uh, please be patient with me. God
32:07is not through with me yet.
32:10>> But when God gets through with me,
32:13>> I shall come forth as pure gold. I might
32:17be in the furnace, but be patient with
32:20me.
32:21>> I might be going through it, but be
32:23patient with me. It may look like I'm
32:26forgotten, but be patient for a moment
32:29because I know if God be for me, no one
32:34can take me down.
32:37>> Now, in this verse, there's a few
32:40surprises in this story.
32:43>> The first is that there are very few
32:46things in the Bible that surprise Jesus.
32:48He he he knows many times what they're
32:50thinking. Many times he knows already
32:53what they thought before they even have
32:55thought it. He he says knowing what they
32:57were thinking, he said and he would
32:59answer things. But here in verse 17,
33:03it's as if the Lord is surprised.
33:07And he said, "Uh, were there not 10
33:11that were cleansed?
33:15But where are the nine?"
33:20I don't like to just hurry through
33:22scripture. I like to preach it. But
33:24sometimes you need to sit and think, why
33:27would the Lord ask that question?
33:29Why is he surprised? He knows what's in
33:31man.
33:34There are not found
33:37that return to give glory to God
33:41save this
33:43foreigner.
33:45Okay, that's a that's a pretty packed
33:47word. Who are you going to walk up and
33:49call him a foreigner today?
33:55I mean, come on, let's be real.
33:58If you do, you're probably not very
33:59wise.
34:01Walk up and say, "Hey, foreigner."
34:05Probably not going to it's not going to
34:06work out very good. That relationship
34:09might have started off on the wrong
34:10foot.
34:13And here is the Lord
34:15embracing an ethnical
34:19moment
34:21charged
34:22with looking at outer
34:25realizations.
34:28I'm about to pastor.
34:32As if it wasn't enough to be a leper.
34:37We know nothing about the ethnicity of
34:40this band of 10 lepers
34:44until they're healed.
34:49And what stuns Jesus
34:51and stuns me
34:54is that twothirds through this story,
34:58the Lord grabs
35:00ethnicity,
35:02which when I was growing up, it was
35:05different than it's looked at now in
35:072025.
35:10And I am going to pastor church that is
35:12biblical in its worldview.
35:16No matter what American worldview may be
35:18or a cultural worldview or an ethnic
35:22worldview or what all the worldviews
35:25that are out there that come from the
35:27various places, I was born again of
35:30water and spirit.
35:32>> That means I've got to be transformed.
35:34How? By the renewing of my mind. That
35:38means I've got to get out of my mind the
35:41ethnicity of this culture and get in it
35:44the ethnicity of the cross
35:48>> because as long as they're lepers,
35:51nobody's distinguishing ethnicity.
35:55But wait,
35:57this is not just a leper, but he's also
36:01a Samaritan, which doesn't mean very
36:03much to you and me, but I've tried to uh
36:05make sure people knew the charged uh
36:08accusations that were based on facts and
36:12historical truths that existed between
36:15the Samaritans and the Jews. They were
36:17not false truths. They were not
36:19imaginary problems. Listen to this.
36:21There were disputes over water.
36:24Who gets to drink at the fountain?
36:28That was in the Bible day. That's the
36:30reason when Jesus went at noon to get
36:32water, he came across a Samaritan woman.
36:36>> Why? She wasn't allowed at the well at
36:39certain time of the day.
36:40>> Now, we're going to get in the Bible,
36:42folks.
36:43>> I know it gets tight in here, but on
36:46this week of Thanksgiving, I want to
36:47bring us back in alignment with the
36:49word.
36:50>> And so, there was disputes over the
36:52water. There was disputes over roads.
36:54Good Samaritan was the one on the road
36:57that came after the Jews. He was
36:59traveling a different time of the day.
37:01You see that story and you see the three
37:03travelers, but you don't see when
37:05they're traveling.
37:07The first one came Jew, the second one
37:09came Jew, the third one came was a
37:11Samaritan.
37:12They had access to the roads at a hotter
37:15part of the day.
37:18The other thing, and this was built on
37:20factual, historical, recorded truths
37:23between the ethnicities of the Jews and
37:27the Samaritans. There were logistical
37:30irregularities.
37:31There was the battle between them
37:33theologically. Some said, "We worship at
37:36Mount Zion." And the Samaritans said,
37:38"No, we have celebrations on the top of
37:41Mount Jerism." There were schisms in
37:44their temple destructions. There were
37:46times that the Jews came back to rebuild
37:48the temple of Zerubbabel and the
37:50Samaritans said, "We're your brothers.
37:52We want to help you build it." And the
37:53Jews said, "You're not helping us. You
37:55guys are a bunch of heathens. You're
37:57synchronistic world mixers.
38:01They would not allow them." And so it
38:03began to build up this battle between
38:06ethnicities.
38:08And when the building uh uh uh when when
38:11the the the Jews refu refused, then it
38:14started this angst. When Jesus was 6
38:16years old in the middle of the night
38:18during Passover, the Samaritans went to
38:20Jerusalem and carried a bunch of bones
38:22with them and they scattered them in the
38:25temple because bones and dead things
38:28were not allowed in the temple. It
38:30defiled the entire temple and this was
38:33historically recorded. And they took and
38:35scattered them in the porticos and
38:36scattered big old bones and carcasses
38:39through the the temple courts. And when
38:41that happened in the week of Passover,
38:43they could not celebrate Passover in the
38:46temple. Jesus was six years old. They
38:49couldn't celebrate Passover in the
38:51temple because the Samaritans were so
38:53angry [clears throat]
38:54that the Jews thought they were
38:57something special.
38:59And the Samaritans uh would also the the
39:02Jews went back and destroyed and burnt
39:04one of the Samaritans temples later on.
39:08In other words, the ethnicity
39:11had fractured
39:13a people.
39:16It's in the Bible.
39:20And I am afraid
39:22that there is a new rise
39:25of gospels of ethnicity
39:28that are only working to fracture the
39:31church of the living God. Now, I know
39:34it's not in this house, but I'm telling
39:36you, it's hovering all around it.
39:38>> Oh, Lord, forgive us if we think we've
39:40got to go to church with people that
39:42only look like us.
39:44>> God, forgive us if I am a Cuban and I
39:47will only go to church with Cubans.
39:49>> Or if I'm a Jamaican and I will only go
39:51to church with Jamaicans, or if I'm a
39:53Californian and I will only go to church
39:55with people who think like Californians.
39:59Because here's the point Jesus was
40:00making. When everybody understands we're
40:04a sinner,
40:05>> we're dying. We need a help. They worked
40:09together.
40:11>> But all of a sudden, when they got well,
40:15now ethnicity entered the story.
40:19>> The nine were not of the Samaritan band.
40:23>> It was okay to work with him when we're
40:26all just sinners out here. But now we're
40:29saved. The ethnicity separated them. The
40:32Samaritan couldn't go to the church
40:35house of separation and exclusivity. He
40:39had no priests that would minister to
40:41him from there. They looked down as
40:43their nose at him. While they were
40:44dying, they walked with him. But now
40:47they're well. All of the other nine were
40:50going to get world back as they had it.
40:55>> They wanted the world because now I'm
40:57I'm doing pretty good. I know where my
40:59blesser is. I know where the blessing
41:01is. I got a pretty good job. I've got a
41:04pretty good car. I'm living in a good
41:06neighborhood. But I now I'm getting more
41:09attuned to these ethnicities.
41:12>> And that was the problem with the Jews
41:16and the Samaritans had similar similar
41:18challenges. It's not just one way.
41:20Whenever you see racism, it's always
41:23both ways because you know what racism
41:25is? It's a sin problem. It's not a skin
41:29problem.
41:30>> It's a sin problem. It's not a culture
41:33problem.
41:36>> And that fracturing of the church is
41:39trying to walk into modernday
41:41Christianity right now to fracture
41:44people groups. And it sneaks in through
41:46politics. That's the reason I've taken
41:48such a stand at this church that we're
41:49not going to be promoting uh p political
41:52groups in this church. Now, if the
41:54politician wants to come by, I'll greet
41:55them. I'll I'll welcome in. We're going
41:57to be kind. We're going to be kind. But
42:00we're not going to stand up here and
42:01tell people how to vote to go to heaven.
42:05>> Because when you start pushing pushing
42:08identity politics,
42:11which turns into identity church,
42:15identity religion, then you have gotten
42:18out of the word of God.
42:19>> Because the word of God said, "For all
42:21have sinned." Yeah.
42:23>> If you think because you're a certain
42:24color, you haven't sinned, you're wrong.
42:27If you're a certain culture, you haven't
42:28sinned, you're wrong. Your problem is
42:31not your culture, it's your character.
42:34For all have sinned and fallen short of
42:37the glory of God.
42:41All [screaming]
42:42need Jesus. All of us are dying and we
42:46need a savior. [cheering]
42:50>> [applause]
42:52>> Colossians the 3r chapter the 2 verse
42:55follow me closely says set your mind on
42:58things above.
43:00>> I promise you if you read the news media
43:02you're going to hate some kind of
43:03people.
43:04>> You're going to start hating some
43:06they'll be turning you one way to hate
43:08somebody. It's going to be hate this,
43:10hate that or hate the other. But it's
43:12all hate. No. Set your mind on things
43:16what?
43:18>> Above. You better get your eyes on
43:20Jesus. That's the reason when I come to
43:22this house, we're going to start with
43:24praise. We're going to start with
43:25worship. We're going to get into his
43:27presence. I'm going to say, "I need
43:29thee. Oh, I need thee every hour. I need
43:33you. There's nobody I cannot love.
43:36There's nobody I will not reach. There's
43:39nobody that I'm above." Because we all
43:42need Jesus. [cheering]
43:45Set your mind on things above, not on
43:48things. Follow closely on where?
43:51>> The earth. For you died.
43:54You died. What happens when you repent?
43:56You die to this world.
43:59>> That's what repentance is. It's killing
44:01the old man. It's destroying the old
44:04thoughts, the old prejudices, the old
44:06judgments that you had.
44:09>> Killing them and saying, "Wait just a
44:11minute. Lead me to Calvary.
44:15>> Take me to the cross.
44:18>> There at the cross
44:20>> where my savior died.
44:23>> There where for cleansing to him I
44:27cried.
44:28>> There Jesus came
44:31>> and his
44:33>> blood applied.
44:35>> Glory to his name. The only thing
44:39that'll change me is not what state I
44:41was born in, what culture I was born in,
44:44what food I like to eat. None of that
44:47will save me. I like banana pudding. I'm
44:49not I'm not going to hide it from you,
44:51Sister Leonard. I like your banana
44:52pudding. It's not a secret. I'm not
44:54going to keep that secret from you. I
44:56like black eyed peas. Okay? But listen,
45:00none of that's going to save me. None of
45:02that. I also got sea mass. Is that what
45:05you make me, Brother Eric? Yes, sir.
45:06>> Semass. Who ever heard of that crazy
45:08junk?
45:09>> Listen, listen. I will go home and drink
45:13that like it's the greatest thing since
45:15uh slurpee.
45:18I didn't know what in the world seam
45:20mass was. I still don't know. I think
45:21it's a big word that just covers urchins
45:23and and seaweed. I don't know what it
45:26is. Brother Eric brings me sea mass and
45:28I got some for after church.
45:31>> Is that what you call it? Sea mass.
45:34>> Sea moss.
45:36>> [laughter]
45:39>> See, apparently I don't speak Jamaican
45:41either.
45:44>> See moss.
45:46>> Oh, is moss seaweed?
45:49>> That's seaweed. Okay. In San Diego, the
45:53seaweed comes up on the beach and just
45:55it fills the beach. And it's a whole
45:57different revelation of seaweed than in
45:59some other places. Just everywhere lays
46:02around big old balls. It's like good
46:03night. You want to move it off, but I
46:07guess we eat it. That's what we do.
46:10I'm having fun. Please understand what
46:13I'm saying. I'm trying to drive a point
46:14home because in this hour where people
46:18are groups and even preachers, God
46:20forgive them, are trying to fracture the
46:23church and they're promoting language of
46:25hate that if somebody doesn't vote like
46:28them or talk like them or or walk like
46:30them, then they should not be a part of
46:32the beloved. No. Let me tell you the
46:35standard. We are all sinners and we need
46:38to be saved by grace. We need to go to
46:41the cross because I want to have my mind
46:44on things above, not on the things on
46:46earth. For you died and my life is
46:49hidden where?
46:52>> Not in a political party.
46:54>> Not in how I voted.
46:56>> It's not hidden that I'm a Caucasian
46:58male.
47:01No, my [screaming] life is hidden in
47:05Christ. When you see me, I don't want
47:07you to see a Caucasian male.
47:11>> I know that's what you see if your eyes
47:12are shallow. But if you hang around me a
47:15little bit, you'll understand. Christ
47:18alone will I glory.
47:21>> For I have no hope in myself. I look
47:25only to him. If it's not crimson blood
47:27on me, I have no hope. I don't care if I
47:30was born in one country or born in
47:32another country. It matters not what
47:34country you're born in. The only country
47:36that matters were you born again. Are
47:38you born of the water and of the spirit?
47:41I don't care what citizenship you have.
47:43What I want to know is have you been
47:45born at the cross? At the cross where I
47:48first saw the light. I don't want to
47:50hear about where you were born. I want
47:53to hear where you born again.
47:54[screaming]
47:56[applause]
48:00When Christ who is our life, Sister
48:02Elms, come help me play slow this thing
48:04down by playing that music up here. When
48:07Christ who is our life appears, then you
48:10also will appear with him in glory.
48:14Therefore, what are we supposed to do?
48:16Put to death your members which are on
48:20this earth. Now, obviously, you know,
48:22that's not literal. This is another one
48:24of those things where if you're going to
48:25serve God, you've got to walk in that
48:27stress point between the literal and the
48:29figurative.
48:31You know, when you when you die out to
48:34this world, it's not by uh killing
48:38yourself.
48:39This is metaphorical. This is which is
48:42harder than killing yourself.
48:45Honestly,
48:46it's harder to live for God than to die
48:49for him sometimes
48:51because there's the constant grind of
48:54hell trying to chip away at your mind.
48:57You You don't like that one. You don't
48:59like this one. Do you see what that one
49:00got by with? Do you know what they did
49:02to us? And all of those prejudices
49:04didn't matter when they were all lepers.
49:07>> When they were all lepers, none of this
49:10historical angst was bothering these 10
49:13lepers. But when they were well,
49:18>> the nine said, "I want to go back to
49:20life as I had it. Let me start this
49:23process with the priest." But the
49:25Samaritan
49:27knew, "I can't go back to life as I had
49:30it." Not that the Samaritans didn't have
49:32some good things in their life. They
49:34absolutely did. In fact, Jesus brags on
49:36them so much in his Bible because he's
49:39saying, "You Jews are caught up in the
49:42prejudice of who you are." And this man
49:45realized that the real blessing is not
49:48in the healing. It is in the becoming
49:51whole.
49:53>> The King James said, "They were healed,
49:57but because of your faith, you shall be
50:01made whole." That's where my title comes
50:04from.
50:05When you come to church, are you just
50:06wanting to touch
50:08or are you wanting to be transformed?
50:14>> We have church and we pray that it's
50:16kind of church that touches you.
50:18>> But if you think, "Wow, I got my touch
50:20for the week. You've missed the whole
50:22point of this church.
50:25>> This church isn't a happy factory.
50:28>> It's a place where you don't just get a
50:30miracle. You are the miracle.
50:33You don't just get a blessing and a
50:36testimony, but you are the testimony.
50:40They don't have to hear what God did for
50:42you 5 years ago. They can see how you're
50:45walking right now in the middle of
50:47whatever you're in. They see you on good
50:50days and there you are praising God.
50:52They see you on bad times and there you
50:55are praising God. They see you when you
50:57got all your friends, there you are
50:59praising God.
51:01And for all my singles in the house,
51:06on the day when the girl tells you
51:11you will never have a chance.
51:19He told me never
51:26listen
51:29on that day. You have a chance
51:33to walk back into his presence. I can't
51:36get anybody to like me. Lord,
51:39I did it. I know what I'm talking about.
51:43The only one I wanted to like me won't
51:44like me. Lord,
51:47she told me never.
51:50Y'all have heard it a thousand times. I
51:51don't want to bore you.
51:53It's a chance on that day
51:58to walk into church,
52:01take off your long face,
52:04take all the reports that tell you
52:05you're not valuable,
52:07you're not precious, you're not loved,
52:11you're not hirable,
52:13you're supposed to be broke your whole
52:14life. All those [music] reports and walk
52:17in his presence and nobody knows what
52:19you're doing. Nobody has a clue what
52:21you've been carrying all week, but you
52:24walk into his presence. Some of you are
52:26about to do it when I open this altar.
52:28They don't know what in the world you're
52:30walking through. They don't have a clue.
52:32Nobody around you has a clue what every
52:34step's going to mean.
52:35>> But what you're saying is, I heard all
52:38those things, but Lord, you are my
52:42supply.
52:44>> And as they were going, they were
52:46cleansed. And some only wanted to be
52:49touched. And so they returned back to
52:52their world as they wanted to interpret
52:54it. But one said, "Oh no, I'm not
52:58wanting to go back to the old way. I'm
53:00not trying to get back to that old old
53:03mindset of ethnicity. Give me a mindset
53:07of the cross to where come one, come
53:11all, come worship. Let me sit beside
53:14you. Let me stand with you." We have
53:17Maseratis beside mud pits.
53:22Our parking lot has every economic
53:26strata.
53:27And nobody's strutting like they're
53:29somebody or leaving like they're a
53:31nobody. If you are, come back and hear
53:34some more preaching.
53:35>> Because it matters not who you are,
53:38where you are, where you are now. What
53:41matters is who do you belong to? When
53:45that man fell at Jesus's feet, he fell
53:48down
53:50and said, "I
53:52thank thee, God.
53:55I give glory." The Bible said he gave
53:57glory to God at the feet of Jesus.
54:01>> 10 went their or nine went their way,
54:04but one came back to praise God. The
54:09Samaritan,
54:10the one that was the supposed outsider.
54:13I've come to tell [music] you, amazing
54:16grace
54:17shall always be my song of praise.
54:22For it was grace
54:25>> that bought my
54:27liberty.
54:29>> Not because I'm a white man. Not because
54:32you are whatever you are. That didn't
54:34buy my liberty.
54:37Come on.
54:38>> I'm only free
54:40because grace bought my liberty.
54:44>> I do not know
54:47why he came to love me so,
54:49>> but he looked beyond
54:52>> my faults and saw my need. Stand
54:57together with me all over this building.
54:59I don't know what in the world you've
55:00been going through, but I want to tell
55:02you the Lord knows where you're [music]
55:06at. And he knows if you will praise him
55:10in the middle of your trial, [music] in
55:12the middle of your setback. Thanksgiving
55:15is always in order. Some are going to
55:17enter this Thanksgiving and they're not
55:19going to be thankful. Oh, they'll
55:21remember to eat the Thanksgiving meal.
55:24They'll remember to see the Thanksgiving
55:26parades. They'll remember to watch
55:28football on Thanksgiving. They'll
55:30remember Black Friday on the day after
55:32Thanksgiving, but they won't remember
55:35why they ought to be thankful. Let it
55:38not be said of me
55:40>> in this week that I wasn't thankful for
55:44all that he's done for me in a world
55:47that wants to chase the ethnicity. We've
55:49already got a young lady already coming
55:50to the altar. Come on up, baby girl.
55:53That's right. This is what I want the
55:55whole church to do. exactly what you're
55:56doing right there. Show them it's easy.
55:59Show them how easy it is to come up to
56:01this altar. It's easy, isn't it,
56:04darling? Oh, what is that all about?
56:07It's about just walking through your
56:09stuff and saying, "Oh, Lord, they don't
56:11know. They have no clue. But I'm walking
56:14to my provision. I'm walking to my
56:16provider. I'm walking to my God. And I'm
56:19going to stretch up my hands. And I'm
56:21going to give him praise. And I'm going
56:24to give him gratitude because he's
56:26worthy of my [music] praise.
56:30>> Oh Lord, while I've preached, you've
56:32been speaking to people in this house.
56:34Oh Lord, you have spoken specifically to
56:37individuals and they have wrestled
56:40through so many things that the Holy
56:41Ghost lightened to their eyes today. Oh
56:44Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ,
56:47[music] I pray that you will take the
56:48fracture and the fissure of our
56:51generation and push it far away from
56:53this house and let the unity that only
56:56comes by Calvar's cross by the blood
56:59that Jesus shed cover us today. For
57:02we've come back like the one and we bow
57:05at your feet and we say, "Thank you.
57:10Thank you. I thank you for saving
57:13[music] me. I thank you for keeping me.
57:17I thank you for restoring me. I thank
57:20you for rebuilding me. I thank you for
57:22saving my soul in Jesus' name. As they
57:26begin to sing, I'm opening this front.
57:28It's our [music] custom to come and pray
57:30for a while. Why don't you come and join
57:32us to offer your thanksgiving to the
57:35Lord? I want [music] to be transformed,
57:38Lord. I don't want to just be touched. I
57:41want a new mind. [music] Create in me a
57:43new heart. Renew a right spirit in me.
57:47Oh, cast me not away from thy holy
57:51presence.
57:52Oh Lord, I want you to be my shepherd.
57:56[music] I want you to be my king. I want
57:59you to help me love everybody. [music] I
58:02want you to help me pray for everybody.
58:05I want you to help me push [music]
58:06through this generation of so much hate
58:11and anger,
58:13oh Lord, and say, "We're all sinners.
58:17>> And we need [music] you, Jesus.