John Gray - Cure for the Tree People
Pastor Joel declared at the beginning of the year that we're in the shift, something broke in my life. I'm just telling you right now that God truly is up to something significant in the lives of those of us who are willing to trust him with our everything. Let me help you to understand, if you're holding something back it really isn't doing you any good because clearly you've done the best you could with it and you see where you are. So you might as well let that go too, and give that to God since he's able to multiply it, expand it, deploy it, and bring it back to you in due season.
I'm excited because I believe that tonight is going to be a continuation for those who are really sincere about seeing 2013 as truly the best year of your life. I cannot leave 2013 without seeing the promises of God come to pass in my life. I'm not leaving. Matter of fact I'm not leaving the month of March without seeing some of the things that God has declared over my life. By the time Resurrection Sunday rolls around in a little under two weeks I'm a expect for some resurrection to be happening in my life. I'm expecting for resurrection in finance, resurrection of hopes, of dreams. Resurrection of ideas and clearer thinking, fresh perspective.
And I don't believe I'm the only one in here that's waiting with anticipation on God to do something. But this is not just sit back and wait, but it is a waiting that has a worship component to it and a waiting with a praise component to it. And a waiting that high-fives the person next to me to give them some encouragement while they're waiting as well. Because if they happen to come into their promise before me, I'm gonna celebrate like it's my own. Far be it for me to be a hater if somebody else gets blessed before me. God didn't skip me, he's just letting that thing simmer so by the time it gets to me it's well done and I'm ready to receive it. I need somebody in here to give God a praise early on a Wednesday night.
Come on, take 10 seconds, give God a praise break right there. I feel the prophetic shift coming right now. I need to say this to somebody in here right now. It's already broken, it's already done and it's already over. Whatever was attacking you, it's time for you to attack it. It's already done, it's already broken, it's already over. That's not in my notes, but I feel the shift of the Holy Ghost. We came here to celebrate the power of our great God. We're not here to lament the problems of our humanity for Jesus overcame the world.
So I'm here to celebrate tonight the process of my deliverance. I just need a couple people, go ahead and act up in here. Go ahead and just set the atmosphere for the shift and give God an uncommon praise for renewed vision. Go 'head, I know some of you up there. I see you sir, in the striped shirt with your hands folded. I'm-a praise for you. You never know what people are going through. Don't beat them up, just praise for them. Be a praise surrogate.
Let them know you might be struggling tonight but I'm believing God for your deliverance. I'm believing God for your breakthrough. I'm gonna praise him 'til you feel it on this entire row. Oh yes! God, as the nations are gathered, we give you an uncommon Wednesday night praise. The prophet declared I can see clearly now the rain is gone thank you Jesus I can see all the obstacles in my way oh Jesus that's all, any time you put Jesus on the end it changes the whole song. You can do that to your favorite song. I done lost 14 pounds in four minutes.
I came here to encourage someone and give you some hope tonight so by the time you get back to your car as you're wiping tears of joy from your eyes you will realize that the situations that had you burdened are actually not what you think they are. They aren't here as a discipline of God. They were here as the development of God. I want to ask you a question and I want you to be honest with me with your answer. The Lord asked me a question so I'm-a ask you. I'm just gonna be like what's that? Who wants to be a millionaire? That's gonna be my question for the audience.
The Lord said to me something very simple. He said what's the difference between a mountain and a hill? What's the difference, anybody want to take a guess? Size, okay, mass, density. Clearly you're a scientist, stop showing off. It's mass, density, it's the rock, sulfur, it's rock. Quiet. Shout out to our college students. You've gotta be real saved to be on your spring break and come to church. Man, we're gonna party, we're gonna go to Houston. Gonna go to the beach then we're gonna go worship Jesus. But you came to the right church on the right Wednesday. God's got a word for you. Before I answer the question as I believe the Holy Spirit gave me the answer, I wanna take you to a scripture. When you're talking about vision I believe that this scripture is often overlooked. But I believe it is as important a scripture about a vision as any other in God's word.
Last week pastor Lisa said write the vision and make it plain. Write it down on tablets that they may run who read it. And without a vision the people perish. Where here's a scripture that I want you to add to your arsenal the next time the enemy wants to attack you in the area of vision, clarity of purpose, pursuit of destiny.
Mark, 8:22. I'm reading from the new King James version. It says this, "Then he came to Bethsaida, and they brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. So he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when he had spit on his eyes and put his hands on him, he asked him if he saw anything. He looked up and said, I see men like trees walking. Then he put his hands on his eyes again and made him look up and he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then Jesus sent him away to his house saying, neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town".
Jesus had a whole lot of different ways that he healed people. Some of the healings were assists from faithful friends. A paralyzed man had four friends that tore the roof off to lay him down in the presence of Jesus. Other people reached out, touched the hem of his garment. Sometimes Jesus interrupted a funeral. Just touched the coffin and the man got up. Speak to the little girl. Little girl, I say to you arise. He was doing all kinds of things. Turning water to wine. All manner of miraculous sign. None of them could you say this is the exact pattern. But in my limited scholarly brain I would venture to guess that spitting on somebody in they face, is not a pleasant way to receive your healing. If I'm blind and I, no. I can't even see you, but I'm-a swing.
Jesus did something unconventional. And then it kind of bothered me at first when I first read this scripture because he touched the man and he said what do you see? Man says I see men like trees walking. That's terrible, y'all shouldn't have laughed at that. That's wrong, your spirit ain't right. You need to come to the altar. Jesus had to touch this man twice. Uh-oh, Dr. Paul, what's going on with Jesus? I thought he was super Jesus. You know like if it was the 70s he'd have like wherever he walked. Super Jesus yeah, watch out. You know what I'm saying? But this time he had to touch him twice. If he was one of those evangelists on TV, that would mess up your whole program. Whoo... Whoo... Go to commercial, go to commercial! But why y'all laugh, that's wrong. Y'all spirits are bad.
He touched him twice. Now I haven't done an exhaustive study of all of the miracles of Jesus. But I think that's the only one where he touched somebody twice. And then he asked his what he says, he says I see men like trees walking. The first thing Jesus did is he took the guy out of town. Before he did anything he took him out of his familiar place like he knew where he was. That's wrong, why y'all laughing, that's terrible. Don't take me Jesus. Well you don't know where we going, just be quiet. Why would you take a blind man out of town to heal him like it matters? Unless of course, the surroundings had something to do with your blindness. Jesus asked the man a question he already knew the answer to. What do you see? He said I see men like trees walking.
Jesus said all right, that's part one. Let me get part two. Touched him again, made him look up. It says and he saw everyone clearly. What I want to preach from the subject of is cure for the tree people. Cure, cure for the tree people. You didn't write it down, sir. Please don't make me come up there. You know, whether you know it or not, many of us if we're honest, will find ourselves in that scripture. I'm not blind, I might have glasses, but I'm not blind. You don't even know me. I used to have contacts but I took them out because Jesus. Calm down, ma'am okay. Jesus touched my eyes and I am made whole. Okay thank you, you're made whole.
There's something else I want you to look at and it's something that Jesus knew. Many of us battle with vision not because of something God showed us, but because of something people have said to us. Notice at the end of the scripture Jesus said don't go back there and don't tell anybody from there. Apparently there was a direct connection to this man maintaining the miracle of his sight being restored and not going back to those surroundings.
There are people in this church tonight and you are watching at home and you are living beneath the best life that God has prepared for you, declared over you, and designed for you because you have believed the mouths of man over the Word of God. I refuse to live underneath the privilege of my son-ship. I am the son of a king and I was created in the image of an Almighty God. And if that somehow makes people uncomfortable, then I have come into the awareness of what I carry and the inheritance that belongs to me. What people think about me is none of my business. You missed that.
Too many people in here have given men power over your emotions. Power over your dreams, power over your hopes, power over your tears. You've stopped pursuing things because of the words of people around you. I feel like I could open a business. Girl, please, you don't open no business. You ain't went to no school. Just be quiet. Just go to work and be glad you got a job. You know people ain't even got no job. Just be quiet and clock in. You need to be on time anyway 'cause you was late last week. You can tell she black can't you by the neck. You could tell right there. It ain't just in the hood, it's out in the suburbs too. Honey, we should just be more practical and let's just save in our nest egg, and our nest egg, and our 401k, and our things. And let's just calm down, okay? I know you wanna go after dreams and hopes. Let's just calm down, okay?
That man's trying to go after a dream and you're over there you know, all Polly Polite trying. Let's just take it easy, it's a really distressed time. The market's doing good, we just got a little more in our nest egg. And God is saying I'm your nest egg. I'm gonna repeat that because some of y'all didn't clap because you don't believe that God can take care of you better than a retirement plan. You'd better rewind and give God a praise because he is truly Jireh. He is your provider. God is your nest egg because he's the one that made the nest and he supplies all your needs. And under the shadow of his wings is where you abide.
Don't tell me God doesn't supply what you need when you need it. Right now I got cuff links that I didn't know I had. Dr. Paul, I messed up, my wife's out of town. I can't hardly dress myself. I pressed the shirt, it still came out wrinkled like I ain't going nowhere. Like Dag, I bind you wrinkled demon in the name of Jesus. Then I realize I'm big. I ain't skinny like you with the six-pack. I got the 40 ounce, I just put it on my stomach and the wrinkles, oh glory, they came out. But then I got to church and forgot I didn't have no cuff links, but I got paper-clips. Don't tell me he won't provide. If you trust him, he'll provide. From paper-clips to promises, hallelujah. He is able to provide according to his riches in glory and office supplies. Ain't no water up here, I'm already, help me Jesus.
Interesting thing for a blind man to say, I see men like trees walking. Nobody else thinks that's weird? How'd you just start seeing and you know what stuff is? Now tonight's red bird up there, look at that. And look at that deer over there. There's a ram in the bush, how 'bout that, Jesus? Either the story left something out or this man wasn't always blind. Could it be that the reason Jesus took this man out of the town is because he wasn't born blind, but became blind because of the people he was listening to? Because of the things he was around?
His sight became blurry because he listen to the voices of men over the voice of the Holy Spirit telling him you are more than a conqueror. Greater is he that is in you than he that's in the world. Why would Jesus take this man out of the town, why? Said I see men like trees walking. That word, walking, peripateo. To make one's way, to progress, to make good use of your opportunities. What the man is saying is I see men like trees walking. I see men moving towards their dreams, moving towards their goals.
And one of the Hebrew definitions for that same word, walking, means to live your life. I see men progressing, doing great things, living their life. But I'm stuck. I see men advancing while I'm standing still. And I see men bigger than what they are. They're like trees now, they hover over me. Trees cast a shadow. I can't get past them because they're too big. I can't even get any light of my own because the limbs of the trees are much higher than me. I can't even get my own shine on because of the people around me so I might as well stop trying. I got a cure for the tree people. I feel the Holy Ghost in here in my right foot.