What is Man that You are Mindful of Me?
Pastor David T. Elms 5/17/2026
Loading…
0:00
44:02
Summary
Using the backdrop of modern space exploration and Psalm 8, Pastor Elms explores the profound truth that the Creator of the universe is intimately mindful of every person. He challenges believers to reject worldly labels and identity crises in favor of their divine design as fearfully and wonderfully made children of God.
Key points
- •God remains mindful of humanity despite the vastness of the cosmos and the complexity of modern scientific discovery.
- •Identity crisis is a universal struggle, but labels given by the world, such as victim, success, or loser, are often 'spiritual murder' designed to fence us in.
- •While modern society attempts to redefine human design, God's Word affirms that every person is fearfully and wonderfully made by divine intention.
- •God does not just observe us; He 'visits' us with purposeful, planned appointments to meet us in the middle of our mess.
- •Your value is not determined by your past mistakes, your current situation, or your social labels, but by who God says you are.
Scripture
Identity
God's Creation
Grace
Human Worth
Spiritual Warfare
Life application
This week, consciously reject the labels the world tries to pin on you - whether they are based on your failures or your career status - and spend five minutes each morning reciting who God says you are: chosen, loved, and purposefully created.
Reflection questions
- When you look at the stars or reflect on the vastness of the universe, do you feel significant or insignificant? Why?
- What are some labels you have allowed yourself to wear that keep you from seeing yourself as God sees you?
- Can you recall a time when God 'visited' you unexpectedly in the middle of a difficult or messy season?
- How does knowing that God is 'mindful' of you change the way you approach your work or your family today?
Have a question about this sermon?
Ask our AI and get an answer with citations.
Full transcript
0:00get her back when she comes to see us
0:00in Jesus name.
0:01Hallelujah.
0:03Psalm 8 is
0:06one of the most quoted Psalms in the
0:08Bible.
0:10And it gives us
0:12the amazing contemplations of David.
0:16When he begins by
0:18talking about the name of the Lord and
0:20he ends by talking about the name of the
0:22Lord.
0:23But the
0:25beginning of the peak of the verse
0:28says, "When I consider the heavens,
0:31the sun, the moon, the stars,
0:34I see the work
0:37of your fingers."
0:38The Vera Ru- the Vera C. Rubin
0:41Observatory
0:43is one of the most renowned
0:45scientific research projects on this
0:48earth. It is a network of telescopes
0:51that have mapped out the sky and we have
0:56right now active in the world
0:59three of the most impressive
1:02telescopes looking at the sky that have
1:04ever been created. We have the Hubble
1:08telescope which was placed in the sky
1:11above our atmosphere so it could show us
1:14the sharpest images ever given and
1:17recently, just recently, it has shown us
1:20the sharpest images ever of a planet
1:22nursery that
1:24situated 1,400 light years away from
1:28here
1:29and the pictures that the Hubble is
1:31showing us is forcing scientists to
1:34rewrite how worlds are born.
1:38The James Webb telescope was supposed to
1:40go into the sky in 2007, but because of
1:43the delay of what it takes to put
1:46something that's never been put in the
1:48sky before, it did not fly until
1:51Christmas Day 2021.
1:55But this amazing telescope has keeps
1:59flooding us with millions and millions
2:02of more galaxies and cosmic anomalies
2:06than we can explain. It is literally
2:09breaking our understanding understanding
2:11of physics.
2:13But the star of this year, 2026,
2:16is the Vera Rubin Observatory. It is
2:19rewriting the textbooks. And this year
2:22it has discovered very nearby over
2:2511,000
2:27new asteroids that we never ever knew
2:29existed. And when we look down and
2:32understand the breakdown of these
2:34asteroids, some of them are 10 to 20
2:37times richer in platinum, gold, iron,
2:42cobalt, nickel, titanium, and magnesium
2:46than the most fruitful mines on this
2:49earth.
2:50It is as if they have discovered a new
2:52destination for the latest gold rush.
2:57This Tuesday is the plan.
2:59History is going to be made. Something
3:02historic will happen.
3:03SpaceX is going to be by a plan
3:07blasting off Starship version 3. A
3:11rocket that man has never known before.
3:14Nothing like it has ever existed. It is
3:17a rocket that stands 40 stories high.
3:22It is two times more powerful than any
3:24rocket that has ever existed.
3:27The thing that's so mind-bending about
3:30the Starship is not the fact that
3:32another rocket is going up. If you dig
3:35down a little deeper to discover the
3:37powerful discoveries of this new rocket.
3:40You'll discover that NASA for years has
3:42gone to space, but they have done it as
3:45government does things, very
3:47inefficiently. In fact, the numbers of
3:51the Starship when compared to the SLS
3:54rocket that just went up are
3:57mind-breaking.
3:59It costs NASA
4:01$45,000
4:05to get one pineapple to space.
4:08SpaceX rocket, when it goes up as it
4:12continues to iterate to the destination
4:14that it's prepared for,
4:16will get a rock a pineapple to space a
4:20thousand times cheaper than NASA has
4:23ever done it before.
4:25The fuel for Starship costs 97 cents a
4:30gallon.
4:31And it takes 1.5 million gallons to fill
4:35the tank.
4:36But NASA, its rocket, it fills the tank
4:39that goes to space, but would you guess
4:42how inefficient government is?
4:44They pay $227
4:47a gallon to get to space.
4:50So, when you see this rocket go up and
4:53listen to the people mock Elon Musk as
4:56if he's some trillionaire that's trying
4:58to rape you from all your money, you
5:01need to tell all those people they are
5:03so ignorant they don't even know what
5:05they're talking about. Because they
5:07would rather us pay $227
5:10a gallon and say, "Oh, it was fair."
5:13than to send a rocket to space for 97
5:16cents a gallon. When it goes up this
5:19week, I will be very be very curious and
5:21very interested. If it blows up, it'll
5:23still be a success because this is not
5:27the final destination. He's already
5:29blown up eight rockets, but what is this
5:32drive that takes us to space? I just
5:34purchased a book that was delivered to
5:36my house on Friday known as Moonport.
5:40It tells us the story of the launch pads
5:43that all have been built throughout
5:45history of how amazingly intricate the
5:48science and the research has gone into
5:52building just the place where the launch
5:56occurs. In fact, the numbers of gallons
5:59of the water deluge that will go forth
6:02on this Tuesday when this rocket goes up
6:05will blow your mind how the launch pad
6:09has been so constructed. I could nerd
6:12out on all of that stuff, but the reason
6:15why I'm telling you this is because it
6:18is the new frontier. It is what my
6:20children and my children's children will
6:23achieve and will conquer and will see as
6:27a brand new gold rush that will
6:30absolutely change the world as we now
6:33know it.
6:35Yet why all this
6:38joy and research for the heavens?
6:42Because the heavens has always
6:43astonished man. When I consider the
6:46heavens, the work of thy fingers, the
6:49sun, the moon, and the stars, my jaw
6:52hits the ground. I cannot go and see at
6:56the great IMAX movie the movie Hubble. I
7:01cannot see that without at the end at
7:03times I have literally shed tears at the
7:06end of the Hubble space research IMAX
7:09movie. To see the grandeur
7:13of the heavens is breathtaking. David in
7:17our song is a more than just a
7:20songwriter. He's not a melan-
7:23melancholic sentimentalist. He is a
7:26warrior king who stares into the abyss
7:29of human nature more deeply than most of
7:32us ever will because he knew the
7:35trickery and the intrigue that occurs
7:38among mankind. He knows what it is to
7:41have a son rebel against him. He knew
7:44the seductions of power. He understood
7:47the raw chaos of the battle battlefield.
7:50In fact, it was David who said, "The
7:52fool hath said in his heart, there is no
7:56God." He was a man who knew the greater
7:59things and the lower things and he could
8:02not imagine anybody on this earth who
8:04thought that there was no order in this
8:07universe. There was no divine
8:09accountability that would happen. So,
8:12David in this text, in this song, is
8:16baffled and he shows his exasperation
8:20by talking about the darkness that hides
8:24in the shadow of humanity. He's looking
8:27up in the night and he asked the
8:29question that walks past every telescope
8:33and every launch and every starship
8:36and every stargazer.
8:38David is saying, "When I consider the
8:42heavens, the work of thy fingers, the
8:45moon and stars which thou hast ordained,
8:49something interrupts my mind.
8:53When I see that jaw-dropping,
8:56breath-taking,
8:58forever,
8:59I have to stop and ask, "What is man
9:04that thou art mindful of him and the son
9:06of man that thou visitest him?" David
9:10never had a telescope. He knew what it
9:13was to sing, "Twinkle, twinkle, little
9:14star, how I wonder where you are. Up
9:18above the world's so high, like a
9:20diamond in the sky." He knew that the
9:23firmament would sing and the stars told
9:26of the glory. He said, "Day unto day
9:29uttereth speech and night unto night
9:32showeth knowledge." He heard the
9:34sunshine talking to him. And when the
9:38sun set low, he saw knowledge that blew
9:42HIS BRAIN. BUT WAIT A MINUTE before you
9:45get caught up chasing the cosmic stars,
9:49I want you to think what it does to me,
9:51said David. "The stars make me think of
9:55the cosmic insignificance of humanity. I
9:59am but a speck. I am transient. I am not
10:03transcendent. I am frail. I am not
10:06strong. I am fragile. I am not powerful.
10:11What in the world, oh God, are you doing
10:15to consider me in light of all of this?
10:20This could be the most important sermon
10:22you'll ever hear
10:23because today is a confrontation with
10:26the greatest lie the enemy has ever told
10:29you.
10:29Every one of us are constantly in an
10:32identity crisis trying to figure out who
10:35we are. You don't do it once, you do it
10:38every day. Who am I? I'm continually
10:41trying to discover who am I to my wife
10:44or who am I to my children. I know what
10:47I have been, but the question is what am
10:49I going to be today? I'm trying to
10:52figure out who I am to my mother, to my
10:55brother and my sister. There's an
10:57identity crisis that comes upon us all.
11:00Who am I to the boss? Who am I to the
11:02corporate office? WHO AM I TO MY
11:05VENDORS? WHO AM I TO my clients? Who am
11:08I today to my neighbors? I was a good
11:10neighbor the last hurricane that came
11:12through, but after I saw the way they
11:14pulled into their driveway, I need to
11:17figure out is there something else I
11:19need to figure out? Who am I? Is the
11:22identity crisis that all of us
11:24continually have to discover. And the
11:27thing that the devil does is he tries to
11:29put a cheap label on you, some stigma
11:32that's sent to steal your soul, that is
11:35crafted by hell and it's applied by men
11:38to fence you in and shut you down and
11:41cast you out. Some days you are the
11:43oppressor, you're the big boss man.
11:46You're the one who's the sergeant over
11:48them all. You're the one who walks in
11:50the room and now you're the one who they
11:53look at through a slanted eye. But to
11:56another, now you are the oppressed. And
11:58so which label do you get to wear today?
12:01Some days you're the privileged one in
12:03the room, but other days you're the
12:05marginalized one in the room. When the
12:07room changes, the label changes. One day
12:11in the gym, you are oppressed because
12:13you saw the one who can really throw the
12:15weights around. But then you go to
12:17algebra crap class and now you're the
12:20oppressor because you're the one who
12:22knows all the formulas. WHAT'S GOING ON?
12:25You who were Alpha Phi Alpha, you
12:27thought you were the big dog daddy,
12:29didn't you? And then who was Sigma Chi,
12:32you thought you were the forgotten ones.
12:34Those of you who are no longer treated
12:37as a person, you move to labels. And
12:40when you move to labels, they can put
12:42you in a category. And now that they've
12:44got you in a category, it is referred to
12:47from my heart as spiritual murder
12:49because you are never to be a label.
12:55You are never to be a category.
12:58Some people have been labeled a victim
13:01and they wear the deceitful cloak of
13:03victimhood. And when you wear the cloak
13:05of victimhood, resentment begins to feel
13:08righteous and you're so wonderfully made
13:11to feel good because nothing feels
13:14better than being told that your
13:16failures are someone else's fault. And
13:18so, you put on the cloak of victimhood.
13:22Well, I am because who my daddy was. I
13:25am who that because of the neighborhood
13:28I grew up in. I I am because of the
13:30culture that I am a part of. But now,
13:33the label becomes your cage. You have
13:36decided that your situation gets to
13:39define your destiny. I've come with a
13:42different word today.
13:45Sometimes you've been called a loser.
13:48Sometimes you've been called a success.
13:50You're not either one.
13:52Some days you've been called a
13:53troublemaker. Other days you've been
13:55called a saint. You're not either one.
13:58None of them are final. It's just what
14:01you are today. Well, I'm an overcomer in
14:04Christ Jesus, but tomorrow, I've got to
14:07rediscover who I am. I am an honorable
14:11husband, but tomorrow, I've got to
14:13decide what I'm going to be. It's
14:15something that continues to march down
14:18the road. Some people like the label.
14:21They own a shirt, they can put it on,
14:23and supposedly everybody's supposed to
14:25believe that's who I am. But the truth
14:28is not that. The truth is you were
14:31fearfully and wonderfully made. And you
14:35are a person who God made, and he formed
14:38you. Sometimes you accept the label
14:41because it feels like the truth. It
14:43feels like the truth because you've
14:45heard it so much in your life. And when
14:47it feels like it's the truth, it feels
14:49so familiar, and hell has been
14:51instigating an isolation over you to
14:54diminish you and deconstruct you, and
14:57ultimately to destroy you. But I am
15:00tired of watching souls settle too low,
15:03sell out too cheap. I know haters are
15:06going to hate. SATAN HATES WHAT GOD
15:08CALLED YOU TO BE, BUT hell wants to
15:11label you and say you'll never be a
15:13prayer warrior. You'll learn how to
15:15pray, but you'll never be a prayer
15:17warrior. Hell says you'll learn how to
15:19worship, but you'll never be a
15:21worshiper. Hell says you'll learn be
15:24around tongue talkers, but you'll never
15:26be one that gives forth in other
15:28tongues. Hell wants to label you, FITS
15:31YOU IN, AND SHUTS YOU DOWN, BUT I'VE
15:34COME TO break forth chains ON YOU TODAY
15:37AND SAY GOD HAS COME TO TELL YOU YOU ARE
15:41more than a conqueror through him who
15:44called you and MADE YOU. HE CALLED YOU
15:47OUT OF DARKNESS INTO his marvelous
15:49light.
15:52>> [cheering]
15:53>> Oh, hallelujah.
15:56>> [applause]
15:58>> Our text, what does it mean? What what
16:00what what is here?
16:01Psalm 8 is a if you break it down, it's
16:03an amazing song. It begins and ends the
16:06same. Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent
16:08is thy name in all the earth. In fact,
16:10if you want to get the people who love
16:12God to listen to you, it's always good
16:15to start and finish by talking about the
16:17name. Because the people who love God
16:20will always love his name. There is a
16:22name I love to hear. I love to sing its
16:24worth. It sounds like music to my ear.
16:26It's the sweetest name on earth. Jesus
16:30is the sweetest name on earth. Oh, WHAT
16:33A NAME. WHAT A LOVELY NAME the name OF
16:36JESUS. SWEETER, HIGHER, FAR THAN THE
16:38brightest star. Sweeter than the songs
16:41they SING IN HEAVEN. OH, LET THE EARTH
16:44proclaim what a lovely name. If you want
16:48to hear God's people and get their
16:50attention, YOU JUST START WITH THE NAME.
16:53AND David plays that card. He says, "I
16:56don't know who's about to listen to me,
16:58but whoever does listen to me, I know
17:00they're people of God who love the ways
17:03of God. Oh, LORD OUR LORD, HOW EXCELLENT
17:07IS THY NAME IN ALL THE EARTH. I DON'T
17:11KNOW IF THEY'RE GOING TO LISTEN TO WHAT
17:12I'm about to say, BUT WHOEVER'S ABOUT TO
17:15LISTEN to me, I'm going to say, "Oh,
17:17Lord our Lord, HOW EXCELLENT IS THY NAME
17:21IN ALL THE EARTH."
17:25Start with the name.
17:28But then David has been fighting bears
17:30and lions.
17:32He has conquered Goliath and dealt with
17:34palace intrigue, and he learned that
17:35leadership is tricky
17:37and people are fickle.
17:39So, he says, "When I behold the heavens,
17:42I find myself
17:44distracted by something.
17:46I just want to see the heavens.
17:49It takes my breath away,
17:51but there is a chaos that constantly
17:54crowds into my brain.
17:56It's the news. It's the reports. It's
17:58what's going on at work. It's what's
18:00going on in the palace. It's what's
18:01going on in the kingdom. It's what's
18:03going on with my kids. It's what's going
18:05on with my wife. I'm constantly I just
18:08want to see the Big Dipper, but while
18:10I'm up there trying to find the great
18:12awesomeness of God, an exasperation
18:15sneaks up on me.
18:17And I can't even find peace in the
18:19middle of my midnight because I'VE GOT
18:21THE TRAUMA FROM PEOPLE all around. David
18:25has stared down lions, giants, and
18:27palace intrigue. He knew the games that
18:30people played. The whisper networks in
18:32the palace, the daggers that were around
18:34him veiled by velvet. David had watched
18:37liars and betrayers and power-hungry
18:40soldiers, and he had dealt with
18:42manipulators from Saul to Absalom, from
18:45Abner to Michal, his wife who mocked him
18:48in praise. And yet when he looked in the
18:50sky, and he said, "When I consider the
18:53heavens,
18:54it makes me wonder
18:56how the heavens shrink.
18:59They cannot even tell the story because
19:02I see something all-inspiring.
19:05But I'm surrounded with something that's
19:07nothing more than exasperation.
19:10And I think, "Oh, Lord.
19:13What is
19:15all of this mess
19:18that you
19:20are mindful?
19:25Your mind IS FULL
19:28OF ALL THESE MESSY PEOPLE.
19:31AND NOT ONLY IS YOUR MIND FULL OF THEM,
19:35but you visit them.
19:38YOU DON'T JUST STAY UP THERE IN THE
19:39GLORIES OF THE STARS and the sun and the
19:42moon, BUT YOU COME DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF
19:45OUR MUCK.
19:47AND YOU WALK DOWN WHERE THERE'S A MESS.
19:50And you woo and you pull and you touch
19:53and you love and you care and you listen
19:56and you're constantly fickle people, hot
19:59one day, COLD ANOTHER. LOVE YOU A LOT
20:02NOW, CUSSING like a sailor then. ALL
20:05THESE PEOPLE PLAYING LIKE THE hell on
20:08Friday night and acting like heaven on
20:10Sunday morning. What in the world ARE
20:15YOU DOING DOWN HERE?
20:20MINDFUL, that word in the Hebrew means
20:21God can't get you off of his mind.
20:25>> [snorts]
20:28>> That word visit is him. It means that
20:30it's purposeful and it's planned. It's
20:32not a drive-by stopover. It's not a
20:36It is not a casual drop-in, but God
20:39schedules appointments where he said,
20:41"Well, I got to go there today." Boom,
20:43and he shows [clears throat] up.
20:45God doesn't just think of you.
20:47He visits you.
20:49If I took the time to tell the stories
20:51of people in this church right now
20:53who I know you and you didn't deserve
20:55it.
20:55But God still
20:58visited
20:59you.
21:00You were living like a hellion.
21:02And yet God showed up in the middle of
21:04your sleep. And he said,
21:07"Do you know how much I love you?"
21:10You were out there listening to rap
21:11music that was so defiling that you
21:13wouldn't play it in front of children.
21:15And yet God walks up to you and he sits
21:18down while you're playing that vile and
21:21he said, "You know I love you."
21:25THE VISITS OF GOD THAT STOPPED MY PEOPLE
21:28and I know if I handed this mic around
21:30to different individuals in this church,
21:32whereby miraculous stops, God walks into
21:35your world and you knew it was him. You
21:38didn't know he was coming. You didn't
21:40plan on him coming. You may not have
21:42even wanted him to come. But in that
21:44moment that YOU DIDN'T REALIZE HOW MUCH
21:46YOU WOULD NEED HIM, GOD SHOWS UP AND
21:48HE'S BEEN HAVING YOU ON HIS MIND AND HE
21:52PUTS YOU ON HIS SCHEDULE AND NOBODY CAN
21:55TELL YOU IT wasn't God. I SAID NOBODY
21:57CAN TELL YOU IT WASN'T GOD. THEY MAY ACT
22:01LIKE IT WASN'T GOD, BUT THEY WEREN'T
22:03THERE. THEY'RE NOT IN YOUR SHOES. THEY
22:06DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN YOUR MIND.
22:08GOD HAD YOU ON HIS MIND.
22:13>> [cheering and applause]
22:18>> It wasn't ambiguous.
22:20And yet in our world, there's so many
22:21living
22:22with an identity crisis
22:24that is manufactured by the enemy.
22:27One of the things that I'm happy about
22:29today
22:30is you know,
22:31in our world, they're trying to label
22:33people as homosexual.
22:35You're once you're born a homosexual,
22:36you're homosexual.
22:38Or
22:39uh you're an adulterer.
22:41Or you're
22:42you're a fornicator.
22:44These are all labels
22:45that are straight from hell that try to
22:48put you in a place
22:50where you're born a boy
22:51but somebody's got you convinced you're
22:53a girl.
22:54Well, it's a lie.
22:56And the true science is coming out how
22:58many lies are involved in this
22:59transitioning movement.
23:01And just Friday
23:03this past Friday the largest children's
23:05hospital in Texas
23:07known as Chet Texas Children's Hospital
23:08in Houston reached a landmark settlement
23:10because
23:11the administration sued them
23:13for misuse of science
23:16and twisting the truth.
23:18And it's been found and proven
23:20and so this hospital agreed that they
23:22would fire
23:23the five most active doctors in this
23:26transitioning of children
23:28out of what they were born as.
23:32>> [applause]
23:34>> And so tomorrow five doctors will be
23:36fired who had been performing gender
23:39transition procedures on children.
23:42And that was this is the other shocking
23:45part is that for the first time in
23:47America, God forbid this is true.
23:50They have opened the nation's first
23:53de-transition
23:54clinic. I can't believe there's not one
23:56of those.
23:57I cannot believe with all the lies that
23:58have been told and it's being reported
24:01more and more and more and more the the
24:02lies of the science that they're saying
24:04about this. They have been they have
24:06agreed to open the nation's first
24:08de-transition clinic and to provide that
24:11restorative care free for charge to all
24:14the children for the next five years. If
24:16you ask me, they need to do it free for
24:19the next 50 years because once they have
24:21mutilated your body and put things in
24:24your blood and in your body to freeze up
24:26what you are. Listen, children don't
24:29understand that life is full of hills
24:31and valleys. Somebody got around them
24:33because they were having a bad day
24:34feeling a certain kind of way because
24:36they wanted to play with dolls one day.
24:38All of a sudden said, "Oh, we need to
24:39de- we need to transition you." When
24:41that is such a lie from hell. It is such
24:44a lie from hell. I have come to proclaim
24:47to you the way you were born was
24:49perfect. You're fearfully and you're
24:52wonderfully made.
24:55>> [applause]
24:55>> You are born perfect.
24:57>> [cheering]
24:58>> I know you're going to feel like commit
25:00suicide some days and I know you're
25:02going to cut yourself some DAYS AND I
25:05KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO DO SOME THINGS
25:06CRAZY SOME days but get in the back of a
25:09LONG LINE BECAUSE THAT COMES WITH THE
25:11hills and the valleys of life. And when
25:14you're surrounded with mature spiritual
25:16people, they'll walk with you through
25:18those moments and they'll say, "HEY,
25:21YOU'RE ALL RIGHT. WE CAN MAKE IT THROUGH
25:23THIS."
25:24>> [applause]
25:28>> OUR SOCIETY HAS TRIED TO make
25:30homosexuality like something you're born
25:32as. Let me tell you something. You're
25:34born a sinner.
25:38You're not born a homosexual.
25:40You're born a sinner.
25:42Well, I'm attracted to men or I'm
25:43attracted to women.
25:45So what? Everybody in this house is
25:47attracted to things that the Bible says
25:48no.
25:50>> [snorts]
25:51>> Everyone in this place.
25:53And so it doesn't matter what you feel,
25:57what matters is the truth. If you want
25:59to be a sinner,
26:01I'm telling you you're welcome to be a
26:03sinner.
26:04I'm not going to stand up and condemn
26:06you.
26:07I'm not going to stand up and follow you
26:09around and preach. I'm going to shake
26:11your hand and say, "I hope you had a
26:12great week. Did you enjoy your steaks
26:15this week?" I don't care what kind of
26:16sin you want to choose. That's perfectly
26:19fine with me. Just admit one thing. It's
26:22not a label that defines who you were
26:25created to be. It's just a sin that you
26:28want to choose for this season. If you
26:31want to choose it for a year, go have a
26:33time. If you want to choose it for 20
26:34years, go have a a I don't care how long
26:37you want to sin. I pastored a whole
26:39bunch of sinners that are fighting every
26:41day to be separated. Come out from among
26:45them, saith the Lord. Touch not THE
26:48UNCLEAN THING, AND I WILL receive you.
26:53But if you want to touch the unclean
26:54thing, go ahead.
26:57YOU'RE NOT IN TROUBLE WITH ME.
26:59>> [clears throat]
26:59>> GOD'S THE ONE who made the rules.
27:01There's
27:02you know, if you chase this down too
27:05far, you can get a crisis of identity
27:08and then the world will tell you that's
27:09what you are.
27:10You're you're you're not made to be
27:13faithful to one person.
27:15That's what they would all say. That's
27:16the King and I, you know, the song of
27:18Yul Brynner.
27:20His little multi
27:23planning girlfriend song. Yeah, well,
27:25that's all flesh. All flesh is that way.
27:28It doesn't mean that's what you were
27:29created to be. God said you're to be
27:32monogamous. You're to be the husband of
27:34one wife. You're to only have relations
27:36with one person your entire life. You're
27:39to maintain your integrity to marriage,
27:42and that day is the day you celebrate
27:44the holiness of what coming together
27:47really means. That's what God says, and
27:49many have sinned. In fact, the Bible
27:51says all have sinned.
27:54And fallen short of the glory of God. So
27:57when somebody tries to walk up, I
27:58remember I had a lesbian come up to me
28:00in the foyer of this church, and she
28:02said, "Pastor, how long before you throw
28:03me out of the church?"
28:06And I my first time to meet her.
28:08I had no clue.
28:10I said,
28:11you know, I I am kind of
28:13I can be kind of direct sometimes.
28:16And I said,
28:17she caught me off guard, and I I didn't
28:19have a real guarded moment. I said,
28:21"Well, what kind of reason would you
28:23give me
28:25that I would need to have to put you out
28:27of this church?"
28:28See,
28:30that that trapped her in her own words,
28:32because now it's something she was
28:33doing.
28:34And she said, "Well, I'm a lesbian."
28:37I said,
28:38"What does that have to do with being
28:39thrown out of church?"
28:41I said, "I'm a happily married
28:44heterosexual."
28:47"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN WITH COME TO CHURCH
28:48AND BEING THROWN OUT OF IT?"
28:50IT HAS NOTHING to do with coming TO
28:52CHURCH. THIS IS A PLACE WHERE SINNERS
28:55come and wash. Aren't you glad you've
28:58got someplace to wash? AREN'T YOU
29:00THANKFUL YOU GOT SOMEPLACE TO GET CLEAN?
29:04ALL OF US NEED TO BE WASHED [screaming]
29:07IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB.
29:10>> [applause]
29:14>> AND YET THE DEVIL WANTS YOU TO feel
29:15insignificant. He only wants you to see
29:18your mistakes and feel unworthy. He
29:20wants you to define yourself by your
29:21moods and your feelings. He wants to
29:23define yourself BY YOUR SALARY AND your
29:26failures. He wants you to be defined by
29:28YOUR FORMER FASHIONS AND YOUR WAYS OF
29:30WALKING. But King David shatters the
29:33lie. He says, "You're not an accident.
29:35You are highly not a highly evolved
29:37animal. You're not a meat machine
29:39waiting on the robots to take over. No,
29:42you are on purpose. You're sought out.
29:45You're beloved. You are mindful of you.
29:47He's visiting you. You were fearfully
29:50and wonderfully made." Scripture says,
29:53"Before thou art formed thee in the
29:55belly, I knew thee. When you were in
29:58your mother's womb, I knew thee. You
30:01didn't know you when he knew
30:03[clears throat] you. He picked you.
30:05You're not A HAPPENSTANCE THAT HAPPENED
30:07to win THE SWIMMING RACE. GOD CHOSE YOU.
30:11He put YOU ON THIS EARTH BY DIVINE
30:14ORDER. He placed you here.
30:17We are his workmanship, the Bible says.
30:20He said, "I'll be a father to you."
30:22What, in the middle of my mess? Yes,
30:24I'll be a father to you. I'll lift you
30:26up and I'll pull you out. The same God
30:29who ordained the stars ordered your
30:31steps as they are to come. You're not
30:33wondering, you're thought about. You're
30:36not just meandering through life. You
30:38are watched over. I want you to repeat
30:41after me. I am not what the world says I
30:44am.
30:46I am not who the world says I am.
30:50I am who God says I am.
30:54You were born to fly.
30:57They that wait UPON THE LORD SHALL renew
31:00their strength. They shall mount up with
31:03WINGS AS EAGLES. THEY SHALL RUN AND NOT
31:06grow weary. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M
31:08TALKING ABOUT TODAY? THIS IS NOT JUST
31:11ANOTHER SUNDAY. THIS IS GOD TELLING YOU
31:14YOU WERE MADE BY HIS HANDS.
31:20>> [cheering]
31:23>> THE GREATEST LIE
31:25THE enemy ever told
31:27that you're small.
31:29That you're labeled.
31:31That [snorts] you're forgotten.
31:33That you're bound by your culture.
31:36That you're limited by your moods.
31:38All of us are moody.
31:40>> [snorts]
31:43>> You're labeled by who your family is.
31:46You're limited by the neighborhood you
31:48grew up in.
31:50You're only as valuable as your
31:51bankruptcy.
31:57You're only as good as your brother who
31:58went bad.
32:00I've come to proclaim to you
32:02that's a lie from hell.
32:04And there are some people that are
32:05hungry to realize
32:07that God put you here on purpose.
32:10I'm not giving you information. I know
32:12I've offered a lot of information, but
32:14I'm trying to get you an invitation to
32:16understand who you were made to be.
32:20You get to choose whether you listen or
32:22not.
32:23You get to choose it.
32:26We're not going to just have a sweet
32:27prayer at the end of this service and
32:29clap our hands and go home.
32:31No. That's right. No. You get to be
32:32honest with the person in the mirror.
32:35And say, "You know what?
32:37I'm going to choose to be a woman of
32:39God.
32:41Not around the church who knows a little
32:42bit of Bible.
32:44I'm going to be that one
32:46that when I walk
32:47into the workplace
32:49and somebody is fighting
32:51tough things.
32:53They already know
32:54that I'm the one to ask to the break
32:56room.
32:57Hey,
32:58will you come with me to the break room?
33:00I'm telling you, when you get asked to
33:01break room by somebody going into into
33:03trouble [music]
33:04it is the highest honor
33:07they could ever pay you.
33:09Because they already see you
33:11as somebody
33:13who knows how to get a hold of God.
33:15They're not going to call that one
33:16that's having two affairs on the side.
33:19They're not going to talk to the one who
33:20can get them the number to four divorce
33:23attorneys real fast. No.
33:25They're going to ask the one
33:27who knows God is a miracle worker.
33:31God changes families and [clears throat]
33:33saves marriages and restores sons to
33:37their fathers
33:39and daughters to their daddies.
33:42Abuses don't get to [music] define you.
33:45So, you were victimized as a child. It's
33:47real. I'm not diminishing that.
33:50But, I'm telling you,
33:51don't put on the cloak of victimhood
33:54and give yourself an excuse to stand in
33:57resentment when the Lord said, "I am he
34:02that sets
34:03>> [snorts]
34:03>> men
34:05free."
34:06What is surrounding you
34:09that's trying to limit you?
34:11I'm talking about you moving today.
34:14The devil doesn't want you to know this.
34:16He doesn't [snorts] want you to ever
34:17realize that you were created to be a
34:18man of God.
34:20I looked in the heavens, said David.
34:24You know, today when I was praying for
34:26this
34:27getting ready in my
34:29house, I always
34:30put on my big screen
34:33uh radio network. It's called BBN. It's
34:37real old-fashioned
34:39hymns, okay? It's really a old hymns,
34:41okay?
34:42If you want to find old hymns, look up
34:44the BBN network, all right?
34:46And I always put it on when I pray.
34:48And I generally put on a screen saver.
34:50I've got these 4K fall, 4K winter, 4K
34:55summer, 4K spring.
34:57So, it's these beautiful pictures
34:59that just move all the time. And so,
35:01I've got music in that.
35:04And I'll walk and pray. I walk from the
35:05back wall to the front door.
35:08>> [music]
35:08>> And if there could be a trail that would
35:10be a there would be a trail there.
35:12Well, today I got a little distracted
35:15because my coffee was giving me a
35:16situation.
35:18And so,
35:19I forgot to put it on my normal screen
35:22saver.
35:23And I have it on Apple TV because that's
35:25the only way you can get that BBN. I'm
35:27[music] too much information. And so,
35:30I I put it on and it was the Apple
35:32and I was just praying and I was saying,
35:34"Lord,
35:35would you help me say today what you
35:37mean this text to say?"
35:40And then I said, "David,
35:42I hope
35:44that you'll stand and say amen
35:46while I'm describing
35:49the song you gave to us.
35:52David, am I saying it right?
35:54Am I getting it right?"
35:56And up on the screen
35:59popped the screen savers that come with
36:01the Apple uh the Apple whatever it's
36:04called, the Apple TV, the little box.
36:08The first screen saver that popped up
36:10was a drone. I've never seen these two
36:12These are new. I guess there's been a
36:13download I didn't see.
36:15A drone footage of a drone crossing the
36:17Thames River in London going over
36:21the London Tower
36:23and Westminster Abbey. It's all right
36:26there.
36:27And I'm sitting here thinking of all
36:29the glory of God and talking to David
36:32and talking to the Lord.
36:34And I look up on this screen
36:36>> [music]
36:36>> and there's Westminster Abbey.
36:38I mean, it's an amazing place.
36:41I've been there. All the dead of the
36:44British kingdom that were amazing are
36:46buried there. Shakespeare, Churchill.
36:48I mean, uh so many amazing people there.
36:51Carcasses are parked right there. And
36:55you can walk through and there's all
36:57these amazing names, Carlyle and the
37:00poets and the architects and the
37:02builders and the artists and the kings,
37:05they're all buried there.
37:07And the Tower of London was where people
37:09lost their head and they were hung and
37:11they were kept in that tower. And so it
37:13was a it's the symbol of of bondage and
37:16prison.
37:17And so I I see all of this.
37:20Y'all, if you know the history of
37:21England, there's a lot of mess planted
37:23there.
37:24And I was thinking
37:26Lord, is this the mess that David was
37:28talking to?
37:30I mean, if you don't know the history of
37:31those buildings, they really look just
37:33old.
37:34They they they're really not that
37:36impressive. It's like, could England at
37:38least hire a pressure cleaner and wash
37:41those buildings, please? Would y'all get
37:44at least enough money for somebody with
37:46a pressure cleaner to to clean up the
37:48side of that thing? I mean, we're
37:51I'm joking.
37:53No, I'm not.
37:56It just looks old.
37:58It looks forgotten.
38:00If you know the history, then it it's
38:02really breathtaking.
38:03But if you don't know the history, it's
38:04like, what's going on here?
38:08And the next that came right behind it
38:13is Yosemite's
38:15great fall.
38:18A drone high in the sky
38:20is going down that amazing valley
38:24where the Yosemite falls comes down
38:26hundreds and maybe a thousand feet. It's
38:29one of the most breathtaking waterfalls
38:31in the world.
38:34And I stood there and looked at that and
38:35I thought, "Lord,
38:37of all the beautiful things you could
38:39see,
38:41of all the amazing things that you know
38:43about,
38:45of the beauty of flowers and of
38:48honeybees
38:49and of
38:50hummingbirds
38:52and of bluejays and robins,
38:55all the beauty of creation,
38:58the calves kicking and dancing in the
39:00green meadow,
39:02the young colts running
39:04like they're going to win preakness
39:06stakes,
39:07all of the beauty of the earth,
39:10and I thought,
39:12"And yet you're going to walk
39:16in among
39:18all of us people today,
39:21and you will be more interested
39:24in what they have going on in their life
39:27than you do in the sun and the stars AND
39:31WHAT ARE YOU DOING, LORD?" [screaming]
39:36He says,
39:38"You
39:40matter."
39:44I know you and your husband been
39:45fussing.
39:51Who am I to him now?
39:55I know your mom's going through it.
39:57She got sharp with you.
40:00Who am I to her now?
40:03I know corporate cutbacks are coming
40:05down the pike.
40:07Who am I
40:09to them now?
40:11And you'll have a little bit of
40:12trembling when you walk in the office.
40:14And I've pastored people that have been
40:16elevated
40:18and I've pastored people that have been
40:20demoted.
40:21I've pastored people that when they got
40:23fired off their job,
40:26they almost lost their soul
40:29because so much of their identity
40:32was tied up in
40:34what corporate said.
40:37What my wife said.
40:40What my child said.
40:43What my uncle says.
40:45What my neighbor said.
40:47And God says,
40:50"Do you know
40:54what I think?
40:57You're forever on my mind."
41:01You've been ignoring me, I'm still
41:02standing there waiting.
41:05You haven't been seeking my face, I love
41:07you still.
41:08>> [snorts]
41:09>> You thought you could leave me,
41:11not have to deal with me much.
41:14I'm not mad at you.
41:15>> [snorts]
41:16>> I'm still coming after you.
41:18I'm mindful of you
41:21and I'm
41:22coming for a visit. Some of you got
41:24visited this week.
41:27I don't know how and when, but you
41:29already knew it when this message
41:30started.
41:31He walked by you. He rode with you in
41:34the car to work.
41:36You thought the day was done and at
41:37sunset something showed up.
41:41And you thought, "What's this hope I'm
41:42feeling?
41:43What in the world is this hope I'm
41:45feeling?
41:46Where does my hope come from?
41:48My hope
41:50is in the Lord. Shall we stand?
41:52All across this building, I want you to
41:55know
41:56he visits you
41:58to remake you
42:00into what you were always
42:02meant to be.
42:03He's forming you.
42:05He's building you.
42:08Who gets to define
42:09Who gets to define who you are?
42:12I'm going to listen to the Lord today.
42:15Some of you
42:17you get to make another decision for him
42:19this morning
42:20and say
42:22he is mine and [music] I am his.
42:25I'm not going to be passive about it.
42:27I'm not going to be guessing about it.
42:28I'm not going to be fickle about it. I'm
42:30not going to like him half the time and
42:32then not like him the other half the
42:33time. I'm going to appreciate [music]
42:35him when I got the raise and then when I
42:37get a cutback I'm not going to be I'm
42:38going to be angry with him. No no more.
42:40No more. No more. [music] Lord, I love
42:42you on the mountaintop.
42:43Lord, I love you in the valley.
42:45Lord, I love you when I don't understand
42:47what's happening at work. Lord, I love
42:49you when I'm the big dog at work. Lord,
42:51I love you when my marriage is doing
42:53unbelievable.
42:55Lord, I love you when I can't figure out
42:57what she's saying. [music]
42:58Oh Lord, I love you every day of my life
43:01because thou art mindful
43:05of me. I'm opening this altar to
43:07everybody who would like to come and
43:09just spend a little time with your
43:10creator. [music]
43:12If you haven't been filled with the Holy
43:13Ghost he wants to live in you today. If
43:16you haven't been baptized in Jesus' name
43:19he wants to fill you with his spirit and
43:22cover you with his blood today. [music]
43:25You don't have to be defined by the
43:27label that was put on you in the
43:30neighborhood. You don't have to be
43:32defined by that bad uncle that used to
43:35sneak in after dark. You don't have to
43:38be defined [music] by the circumstances
43:41and situations that you're walking
43:43through right now. Oh Lord I'm going to
43:46serve you because you're mindful of me.
43:49You're mindful of me. You love me. You
43:53love me. You care for me. You You love
43:56me more than I'll ever comprehend. And
43:59so, I'm loving you back.