John Gray - Imagine That
Somethings moving somethings changing. See his glory, feels like heaven on earth there is stirring in this room right now, something that is going to explode in just a few minutes. That wasn't just a song, that was an announcement. That was an announcement to our destiny. That was an announcement to every problem and every issue that we've been battling. That was an announcement to all of the obstacles that got in our way this week. Somethings moving somethings changing see his glory feels like heaven on earth somethings moving do you feel it?
Somethings changing see his glory feels like heaven on earth now, I know, that I don't have to tell you that you're in the middle of a miracle. I don't have to tell you, that you're here today, on an assignment from your father. You didn't just happen to get here this morning, you were instructed, and the Spirit of the Lord called you into this place. And if you're watching at home I want you to know, that you are exactly where you need to be. Go ahead drink your coffee at the kitchen table. Hi, don't be alarmed, there's a Negro in your house. Somethings moving somethings changing see his glory feels like heaven on earth you know, this room is dangerous.
Oh this room is, this room is dangerous. I'm looking all the way up here on the second level, y'all some dangerous folk. I'm looking at a room that looks like heaven because I can't tell who's who, because I see black worshiping next to white, worshiping next to Hispanic, next to Pertorriqueno, next to Mexican, next to Asian, next to Brazilian, next to Jamaican, next to African, next to Asian, next to Madagascarian, next to Australian, next to Swedish, next to Austrian. All of the nations of the world, gathered at one moment, giving one God a great praise. This room looks like heaven on earth!
What an amazing revelation that we are family. Because the same blood that was shed for you was shed for me, that makes us blood relatives. Put me on your Christmas card, scare the neighbors. "Hey Jim, who's the black guy"? "That's my brother, long story". In all of my wildest dreams, and I would classify myself as a pretty big dreamer. I would have never imagined that I would be here right now. You can't imagine this, God just has to do it. I'm sitting there listening to the worship, and I'm looking around this great church and I'm blown away. I'm surrounded by so many miracles, so many testimonies. So many people that had to endure. I'm surrounded by a nation of fighters.
It cost you something to get here this morning, and we celebrate whatever it is you walked through and went through to get here. Some of you had an argument last night at the house, and some of you cried last night. But you got up this morning and you heard the voice of the Lord say, "Get to the house, I've got a word for you". I can't begin to imagine what it cost you to walk out your relationship with the Lord, or maybe you're here and this is the first time at this church. I want you to know, you're in a great house. They love God here, they serve God here, and if you stay three times you're gonna get hooked.
So I'm tellin' ya, this place is unbelievable because the stories that are in these seats. You can't make 'em up. To the single mother, working two jobs to make ends meet. Praying, saying, "Lord, I need you to make a way". To those in this room that got a negative doctors report. And even though it hurt, and maybe you're a little afraid, and that's okay because we're human. I want you to know you're in the right place, and you're in the right church. And you're gonna hear a word that I believe is gonna encourage your heart, and unlock destiny.
To the people in this room, you had that excitement this morning. There was an anticipation, you could feel it. When you're in the car, you're playing your music, your worship music, and you're all off key, and you were driving, and you were excited. And then some of y'all, your kids are in the back acting up and you like, "I said stop, sit down, I'm driving. I'm trying to worship Jesus, we got to get to church. You know it's hot, we gotta walk all across the street. Sit down"! You can tell that's a black mother, "Sit down"!
The white peoples like, "Cody, simmer. Sarah, share with your brother, give him some of your snack. You guys share the snack, let him play with your toys". Black mother at the stop light, "Didn't I say sit down". Hispanic mama... Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. You had to fight them kids to get to church today, you couldn't wait to drop them off at children's church, "Keep 'em, keep 'em. I'll be back next Wednesday". Had to fight through traffic some of y'all. You were below E, the orange light start flashing, "I said E, that's what I meant, you better pull over before you walking".
Whatever it took for you to get here this morning, I want you to know that your Heavenly Father is celebrating your diligence, and your commitment to get to His house, to honor Him, on the Lords day. The first day of the week. I've been trying to run away from this word passage on the Victoria, I can't shake it. The Lord's just saying to release that thing again, and I've just got to declare because, there's some people in this room, and I saw because I'm an observer and I was kind of looking around a little bit and, I saw some people that were fully engaged in worship. Then there were others that were like, "Yeah well, I'm not really sure about the words. I don't, maybe I come from a different background, I'm a little more conservative".
And we honor that, we honor that, but I want you to know, if you walked in and you had some depression on you. Maybe you're looking for some direction in your life. Maybe you need some questions answered, and you need a right now answer. You need God to show up right now. You need to get a vision for your life. Today is for you.
I'm talking to some crazy people, I don't know where you are. I think you're in here, and I'm not talking about crazy. I know you're in here too but, that's why we got security. Stay where you are, but I'm talking about, crazy faith-filled believers. I'm talking about people that have been walking with the Lord for a little while, and everything hasn't been perfect but you trust a God who is perfect.
I'm talking to somebody in this church this morning, or who's watching at home who's saying, "God, I know you created me for more then this moment. There's more to my life then what I've been living. There's more to my existence then what I've been experiencing. I'm grateful for my job, but I was created for more then this. I'm grateful for what I have, but I feel like there's more on the way". That's not pride talking, that's the hope and the dream of your Father getting ready to bust out from the average life that you've been living.
I'm talking to you ma'am, and to you ma'am, and to you ma'am, and to you. I'm waiting on you sir, I'm talking to some people in this room that say God I'm grateful for what I have, but I know there's more and I want more. I want the more that you have for me. I need to see your glory in the earth. I was created for more then this. I'm grateful for my job, but I've got a bigger dream. I've got a dream not to be employee but to be employer.
Who am I talking to in this room? Don't mind me while I wipe this sweat, you can tell I am not small, and these lights are hot. I just feel like I'm cooking, I'm a rotisserie chicken just, who wants dark meat? Just slice it off the side, I'm just...
That's why I love my pastor Joel, I thank God for him because he is a model in a picture of what God wants in the earth. Humble leadership, loves his wife 25 years, raises his kids, and he's in shape. I loved it when he was just like, "God, I just thank you! I just worship you God and just, you're awesome"! He got a six pack, I got a 40 ounce, I just... I know some of y'all don't know who John Gray is, you thought I was TD Jakes when I got up here. Aww, yeah, get ready, get ready, get ready. Somebody give him glory. All over Lakewood on a Sunday morning.
Bible says that in the presence of the Lord is the fullness of joy. Now, I haven't seen enough smiles on this left hand side. So maybe you didn't know that all the problems that you walked in with had to be checked at the door, because they couldn't come in here, because the presence of the Lord is here. And in here is the fullness of joy and pleasures forever more, so you need to get a smile on your face. You know there's nothing worse then a depressed Christian. You ever see somebody saved, been saved a long time. How you doing? "Blessed". "I'm blessed, and highly favored. He been good to me, hallelujah". No thanks. I need you to show some joy in your life. You've been walking with the Lord for a while, you need to have some smiles on your face.
You know what confuses the enemy? When you can smile through trials. When you can laugh in the face of pain. It doesn't mean that you don't feel it, it means you understand that it's temporary for the Word of God says "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is producing a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory". It's not just light in the sense of not being heavy, it's light in the sense that it'll give you revelation of God's vision for your life. It's a light affliction, it will shine a light on a new aspect of God's character.
You know how confusing it would be to the enemy if you just start laughing the next time you got a negative report? "I'm sorry Mr. Gray, it doesn't look good. You have months to live". Thank you! I appreciate that. "Nah, I don't think you heard what I said". I heard you said, I ain't got a long time to live man. Now some of you will say, "Yeah man that's crazy, you can't imagine though a scenario where that would happen".
You don't believe me? I saw that happen. I saw it happen with a woman in Cincinnati, Ohio, who was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer that had spread to her liver, spleen, the abdomen and bile duct. And by the time the doctors found it they said, "You've got months to live, there is no hope for this. There is no surgery, there is no chemo, there is no radiation, there's nothing we can do". And I saw this woman smile in the face of the doctor and say, "I'm gonna live and not die, to declare the works of the Lord". And then, that same lady have the nerve to walk out of the doctors office, walk up the nurses station and say, "God's gonna heal me".
True story. That was June 23rd of last year. They gave her no hope, and no chance, and she's here today 'cause she raised me it's my momma, and four days after she declared that they found no cancer in her body. I just want you to see, that what the devil said doesn't count because what God's word says, stands. Facts are not the same as truth. Fact is she was diagnosed with cancer, truth is by his strikes I am healed. I need somebody in that second level to give God a praise. And while you're down here, give him a praise as well.
Imagine, that you can declare a thing out of your mouth, by the power in the authority of God's word. Imagine, that you have power beyond your wildest dreams. At the tip of your tongue, imagine, that what you speak echos, not only in heaven but all throughout the earth, because you are God's expressed design in the earth you were created and fashioned in his image. According to Genesis 1:26 "Let us make man in our image, and in our likeness". God said, "Let me create someone who will walk in authority in the earth the way I handle heaven". God says, "I want a small version of me to walk around the earth and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beast of the field, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth".
You know sometimes sickness will try to creep up on you. You know depression will try to creep up on you. You know doubt will try to creep up on you. Shame will try to creep up on you. Guilt will try to creep up on you, but God gave you dominion over it in Genesis 1:26. So when it tries to creep up on you. I like that. That's a little bit of the African nation over there. N'kosi Sikeleli Africa. God is doing something significant with the power of your confession, but you can't confess it if you don't know your identity.
Do you know who you are sir? You're not just a man in a very nice suit and quality tie. You're a solution to a problem. When God looked out throughout time, he saw what the enemy would do. See people think God and the enemy are in some type of mortal combat. Let me help you to understand, that God and the devil are not opposites. Because God has no opposite, he has no equal/opposite. Devil is created, God is the Creator. The enemy is one, our God is omnipresent, omniscient, all-knowing, all-powerful. He has all authority, and if he's got all of it how much does the enemy have? None of it.
Get a revelation that the enemy is already defeated. Get a revelation that the devil is a liar. Get a revelation that the God that saved you through the blood of his Son, is now for you in the earth. And he's for your dreams, and he's for your hopes. Imagine that. Imagine, what God wants to do with your life, with your testimony, with your marriage.
See I've been married a long time now, I've been married a year and eight months. My beautiful hot, smoking wife is here with my four month old son. Hi baby, that's my wife Aventer Gray. And that's my little son down there, and he came out, that's John the Fourth. You know I was a little nervous when he came out, pastor Joel, 'cause you know, he came out light-skinned with Chinese eyes looking like Jackie Chan. I told my wife, is there something you need to tell me? I'll tear this whole hospital up. But black kids, we come out in all shades, so he came out butterscotch and I'm, you know, I'm Carmel so, it was cool.
Sit down boy, don't be talking loud in this white people church. Here, sit down, this ain't no black church, sit down. I give honor to my mother-in-law, my father-in-law who drove nine hours from Dauphin, Alabama. Three aneurysm, she had one of them burst, two of them bubbling, they said she would never walk again, never talk again, never move again, never breathe again. Looks like she's walking, talking, moving, breathing, praising, worshiping. Imagine that. Three aneurysms, breast cancer survivor, another cancer survivor, another cancer survivor. Excuse me not survivor, overcomer.
Imagine the story of the person right next to you. Imagine the miracle of the testimony of the person sitting right behind you. You know sometimes we're so busy in church like, "Lord I want a word from you, God I need something". He's like, "I put it right next to you". If you'd just show yourself friendly and speak to the person next to you, you might get the word of encouragement because the moment you understand that there's as much God in the person next to you as there is in you, you begin to honor people differently, and you won't dismiss people because the blood that's on them, is on you.
We've got to learn how to honor people. I want you to know, God wants to sanctify your imagination. He wants you to dream again. He wants you to believe again. He wants you to wake up and be the great man of God that he called you to be, in the earth. The amazing, phenomenal, woman of God that he's called you to be, in the earth. To my young teenagers who are in this room, I'm speaking to you. Schools about to start if it hasn't already. I want you to walk young ladies as you women of integrity. Young proverbs 31, "Women, you do not carry yourselves in an improper manner. You carry yourself with honor, and with class, and with dignity". And if a young man does not want to properly honor you, if he cannot speak properly to you. "Aye girl, aye. Aye shorty, aye. Aye boo". You don't respond to that because you are the daughter of a King, you do not respond to peasants.
God wants this generation, he wants you to keep your hearts pure and your bodies pure. Imagine, imagine a generation of young people on fire for God, living holy before God. Walking around on their sports teams, and on the cheer-leading squad, and Lacrosse, 'cause you guys play Lacrosse down here, and soccer, and tennis, and all of the other wonderful sports and swimming. Black people, we don't swim 'cause sharks like dark meat, I'm just saying.