John Gray - MJ (My Jesus)
Tonight, we're going to lift up the name of the Lord in a different way. You know, tomorrow the enemy thinks he's got a victory, but we going to snatch that victory tonight and we going to start something. I said we going to start something tonight. Said I want to be starting something:
♪ Got to be starting something ♪
♪ Said I want to be starting something ♪
♪ Got to be starting something ♪
♪ God, too high to get over ♪
♪ Too low to get under ♪
♪ You're not stuck in the middle ♪
♪ 'Cause your God is thunder ♪
♪ High to get over ♪
♪ Too low to get under ♪
♪ You're not stuck in the middle ♪
♪ 'Cause God is thunder ♪
♪ Take your baby to the doctor ♪
♪ And you're scared 'cause what he found ♪
♪ The devil's got you shakin' ♪
♪ And your faith is almost taken ♪
♪ Devil's always trying to break you with his lyin' ♪
♪ But Jesus is crying ♪
♪ So baby don't you die ♪
♪ Want to be starting something ♪
♪ Got to be starting something ♪
♪ So if you want to be starting something ♪
♪ Got to be starting something ♪
♪ Too high to get over ♪
♪ Too low to get under ♪
♪ You're stuck in the middle ♪
♪ But your God is thunder ♪
♪ High to get over ♪
♪ Too low to get under ♪
♪ Stuck in the middle ♪
♪ But your God is thunder ♪
♪ Come on, right here ♪
♪ Come on, right here ♪
You should have brought your friends to church tonight the next time the devil mess with you. I want you to get this confession in your mouth. Are you ready?
♪ He's the King, he's the Lord, he's my Savior ♪
♪ He's the King, he's the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the King, he's the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the King, he's the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the King, he's the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the King, he's the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the King, he's the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the King, he's the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the King, he's the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the King, he's the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the King, he's the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the King, he's the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ Said you want to be starting something ♪
♪ Got to be starting something ♪
♪ Said you want to be starting something ♪
♪ Got to be starting something ♪
He's the King, he's the Lord, he's my Savior. He's the King, he's the Lord and he's my Savior. I just want you to know tonight it's going to be church unusual. Not church as usual, but church unusual. Before we continue, I want to let you know I did get the okay from my pastor. The enemy thinks that he wins, but he's wrong, he's mistaken. Tomorrow, when everybody else wants to celebrate evil, wickedness, we're going to celebrate the glory of God the faithfulness of God, the power of God, the healing of God, the resurrection of God, the strength of God, the glory of God, the forgiveness of God, the love of God, the mercy of God. Hey!
♪ He's the king and the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the king and the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the king and the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the king and the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the king and the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the king and the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the king and the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the king and the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the king and the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the king and the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the king and the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ He's the king and the Lord and my Savior ♪
♪ Say you want to be starting something ♪
♪ You got to be starting something ♪
♪ Said you want to be starting something ♪
♪ You got to be starting something ♪
Lord, I hope my workouts are, I'm already tired, help me Jesus. High-five three people. Tell them it's about to be crazy. I want some high fives too, let's go. You've got on your premium, black and white. High five. High five, we're family. Let's go. I feel the presence of God all ready. I'm tired of the world thinking they've got the joy. We got the joy of the Lord. You're going to leave here encouraged tonight. You're going to leave here refreshed tonight. I'm old enough to remember when the thriller video came out. Came out on Halloween night. Anybody old enough to remember when that video came? That's when we all wanted Jheri Curls. That's why I don't have no hair follicles today. Burn my scalp off. It just...
Tonight, I want to do something a little different 'cause I remember how that one video changed everything. That one moment changed everything because of the talent of one individual. The creativity of one individual and how this one person had the ability to bring the whole world together. And it's interesting because there's somebody else that had the same ability to bring people together to rally the nations around him. He was chosen as a child just like this other kid was chosen as a child. He was always different, peculiar even. He always got attention wherever he went.
Telling you, man, there's somethin' about MJ 'cause MJ, it was clear he was a star. MJ was that dude. By the time he got to a grown man, it had gone to a whole other level. MJ was chosen. His own Father, he knew there was something different. This is my boy and he made it clear. That's the one, made it clear. "That's my son, whom I love in him I'm well pleased". Who do you all think I was talking about? See, tonight I want to talk about MJ. Maybe not who you think, but in a minute you'll figure it out. And just to disarm principalities, I want every religious spirit to know that the enemy has no creative power. He can only pervert what has already been created.
So tonight we take back every gift, every sound, every calling that has been perverted by the world, by choice, by influence, by the love of money. And we're going to take it back and we're going to sanctify it tonight. We're going to change the lyric and we're going to lift up the name of MJ. Maybe you'll figure it out in just a second. And if this is your first time here, boy, you chose the right Wednesday. See, the thing about the thriller video is that it has this whole motif about walking down the street and it's dark and it's scary and all of a sudden these ghouls and goblins come out of nowhere and it gets real scary and they start dancing in the whole thing.
But if you look in the book of Colossians 2:13, you see an interesting scripture because my MJ had a different take on when the enemy tries to surround you, it says in you being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He has made alive together with him having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us talking about the law. And he has taken it out of the way. Having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. I want you to know that my MJ got all the power. Now I know I sang a song from another MJ, but I'm talking about another, another MJ, my Jesus now that was a good place to shout, but you'll have about three more though. So get ready. But tonight I want to lift up the name of MJ, the true and living g-o-d, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
I want you to go to Romans 8:29. It says, for whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the first born among many brethren. I want you to know that my Jesus didn't just die for himself. He died to give me an inheritance. He died to make me right with our Father. He died so that the sins that I committed would not be counted against me for all eternity. In fact, just like the greatest big brother that he is, even though I was in line for the punishment, he stood in front of me and said, "Father, I'll take the blow, let my little brother go free. Let my little sister go free. Let them be the sca... I'll be the scape goat, I'll take the pain, you let them escape". This is the power of MJ.
Now, I grew up with Mike. I loved Michael Jackson. Everybody who knows me knows I'm a Michael Jackson fan because he had a gift, a gift to unify the world through sound. A gift to unify the world through music. Problem is he didn't submit that gift to the One that gave it to him. There are a lot of people in this room who are trying to live life on your own terms. Live life your way. "I did it my way". No. If you could do it your way, you wouldn't need to be here right now. But something in you says, I can't do it my way because my way isn't getting me anywhere and I need to submit my life to the one who gave me life in the first place.
It's a strong dose of humility that causes men and women to fall at the foot of an altar and say, God, I can't do this alone. And you are to be applauded tonight for your commitment to learn and grow in the things of the Lord and to say planted in the house of God. I want to celebrate you tonight. I want to celebrate your commitment, and your connection to this local body. It ain't easy, but I'm telling you right now, you couldn't be in a better place. There's more grace here, and I want you to know, the Bible says where sin abounds, grace abounds even more, so just in case you're new to the church thing and you've been around some bad church folk and they're like, look at you, you're nasty. Look at you. Look how you're living. You're nasty. You need to get yourself together. Look at you. How'd you, you shouldn't even came to church.
No, no, no, they're wrong, God is right. You can come in here as you are, but as you stay planted, you won't stay as you've been. It's the power, the word that changes you. There are things that you might do this year that you won't do next year if you stay rooted, if you stay grounded, if you stay planted, if you stay feeding on the Word of God. I want to encourage you, don't be afraid or ashamed of the process. You're exactly where God knew you'd be and he understands how he created you and there are things that God is working out in your life, so stay true to the process and know that his love, his patience and his grace is more than enough. It is truly sufficient for you.
Where sin abounds, grace abounds that much more. You can never outsin grace. I said, you can never outsin grace. You messed up a lot, more grace. You failed again, more grace. You did it again and again, more grace. There will never be a time where your sin will outweigh the grace of God. That is the love of God. He is committed to you. He's passionate about you. He's in love with you and he's fighting for you. Every single day, somebody give God a praise. Just like Michael Jackson had brothers, he was still the star and even though MJ, my Jesus has siblings, he's still the star. I said, he's still the star. He's the head of the church.
Just in case people get the bright idea that they're running things. You're not running anything. Jesus is still in charge of his church. He made it clear in Matthew that, "Upon this rock, I'll build my church". It's not anybody else's church. He has leased the church to man, but he owns the whole thing. So if you're struggling, you've been caught up in some bad decisions and churches don't want to receive you. You're in the right place. We don't care where you're at. We don't care what you're walking through. There's enough blood for that. There's enough grace for that. There's enough strength for that. There is enough healing for that. There's a word for that. There's an app for that.
Bible says that whom he foreknew. That means before you got here, he knew you. Your life didn't catch God off guard. Your habits didn't catch God off guard. Your nature didn't catch God off guard. Your proclivities didn't catch God off guard. He's not sitting in heaven trying to say, "Oh my goodness, what are they doing"? "I can't believe he's doing that. Holy Spirit, what should we do"? "I don't know". "What about you, Jesus"? "I'm just seated at the right hand. I already did my job". No. You can never send God a prayer text that will catch him off guard. God, I'm struggling with lust. He'll never hit you back. O...M...Me. I'm here all week. I feel the presence of the Lord. Give him a praise, go ahead you can.
See the thing about MJ capital M-J is that he was a part of a group. He was a part of a brotherhood. He was the big brother in the family. Now, Mike, he was the little brother, but our MJ, my Jesus, he's the big brother. He's the firstborn among many brethren. But the other thing about little MJ that's like big MJ is they both wanted you to notice their footwork and their vocals. See little MJ he knew how to dance. And if you notice, he would always pull his pants up. He always wore high waters and he had on sparkling socks. Stuff that didn't match. Kind of like mine right now, bam. You love them, don't hate, don't hate, don't hate, don't hate. I've got on my old school baptist church boots. You all know nothing about that. You see these puppies on the side, bam.
I can lead devotion right now. But Mike always lifted his pants up high so that you could notice the shine on the socks. But it wasn't the socks he wanted you to notice, it was his footwork. Looking at the foot or looking at the socks caused you to notice the foot and noticing the foot caused you to see the work that he put into his craft to give you this experience, this dance. He wanted you to see what he was doing. He didn't want you to miss it, and the footwork and the vocals connected those two things together made him the greatest of all time in his area, but in the same way Mike had his ability to capture you with his vocals and his footwork.
MJ did the same thing with his vocals and his footwork and this is what he said in John 8:28, then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the son of man, then you will know that I am he that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I speak these things". His vocals were perfected through obedience to his Father. I want you to know if you want to elevate in this next season, make sure that your vocals reflect the original vocal. Make sure that your words reflect the Word of God. Make sure that you're speaking the Word of God. In this season, your words are your greatest asset. You've got to be careful what you're speaking in this season because each one of your words is being sewn into your destiny and the Bible says, God is not mocked. What a man sows he will also reap.
You can't say, "I'm healed" and then the next moment, "I ain't going to make it". It's got to be one or the other. I'm blessed. I am broke. I'm going to make it! It is over. I know your emotions tell you to say what you feel but faith tells you to speak what you see even though you don't see what you say but if you say what you see, you'll see what you say. Faith speaks that which is not as though it is. I need you to speak what you believe God is calling for your life to look like. You need to speak it and then the moment the other part of you that was like, "You crazy, why are just mmm".
Catch those words, don't let 'em leave because words have creative power. Words have muscles, words have legs, words run in the direction that you send them. So Jesus said, "But as my father taught me, I speak these things. And he who sent me is with me. The father has not left me alone, for I always do those things that please him". Now see the enemy wants you to get caught up with what looks like defeat, what looks like brokenness. He wants you to get caught up in the trials of your life, the shame of your past, the guilt of your present situation, the despair of the moment, the lack that you currently see but God wants you to cancel out what you're seeing with your physical eyes and speak it. Somebody say, "Speak it". Would you please say, "Speak it"?
Now the devil, this is what he wants you to do, when you start moving in the direction of faith he's going to stand up, he's going to oppose you. And he's going to try to act like he's big and bad. And he's going to stand there. And he's going to be like, "Don't you come this way. You better get out of here. Ain't nothing over here for you. Why don't you just move on out the way"? Or he'll tell you to, "Beat it". But I want you to know, I have a jacket but it don't fit me. But I want you to know I had it. You can stand up because where the enemy wants you to beat it, God wants you to speak it. Somebody say, "Speak it". Somebody say, "Speak it". Put them hands together. Are you ready? Heww! Find one more person, tell 'em speak it.
♪ The devil don't you ever come around here ♪
♪ He tried to fill your heart with such ungodly fear ♪
♪ But Jesus has declared it ♪
♪ Snd his words are really clear ♪
♪ So speak it ♪
♪ Just speak it ♪
♪ I know you really tried to do what you can ♪
♪ Sometimes it's hard to trust the Lord and understand ♪
♪ But keep your faith high and your heart in God's hand ♪
♪ And speak it ♪
♪ Because he has a great plan ♪
♪ So speak it ♪
♪ Speak it ♪
♪ You will never be defeated ♪
♪ Lift up your voices ♪
♪ Praise his great name ♪
♪ Today and forever ♪
♪ Our God is the same ♪
♪ So speak it ♪
♪ Speak it ♪
♪ You will never be defeated ♪
♪ Lift up your voice and praise his great name ♪
♪ Today and forever ♪
♪ God is the same ♪
♪ So speak it ♪
♪ Speak it, speak it ♪
♪ Speak it, speak it ♪
♪ Speak it ♪
♪ Speak it ♪
Woo! Somebody say speak it. The Bible says, "He who speaks that which is not as though it is", why are you sitting down? Who told you to sit down? Who told you to sit down? Get up girl. You ain't been at work that long. Stand up, don't get, don't you sit down. I want you to find somebody on your row, take three seconds and encourage them. Say, "No matter what it looks like, speak life". Tell 'em, "No matter what it looks like, speak life". Tell 'em to speak it. Tell 'em to speak it. Tell 'em to speak it. Anybody feel that? Whew. That sure was a nice, high, high version. "Ah na na na na na na na na na". You can be seated. I like this glove, Dr. Paul.
See the enemy just doesn't want you to move in the direction, notice this, the enemy will always be where you're called to go. You need to get this in your spirit. If he's over there, walk in that direction. Notice what David did. Goliath, standing there, what'd he do? He ran towards him. Run in the direction of the enemy because he ain't nothing but smoke and mirrors. If you keep walking, he's going to leave. The Bible says, "Resist the devil and he will... Leave... From you like a scared little girl". He's scared, he ain't nothing. Don't you ever be afraid of a devil. Devils are afraid of you because the same Holy Spirit that was in Jesus Christ is also in you.
Let this mind be in you which was in, hey, also in Christ Jesus. Don't you ever be afraid of a devil. Devils are afraid of you. So Jesus, our big MJ, my Jesus. Somebody say, "My Jesus". See our MJ, he wasn't just the firstborn of many brothers. He didn't just want you to notice his vocals and his footwork. See because his footwork was also found to be a supernatural place of miracles. He only walked and did what he saw his father do. And because he did what his father asked him to do he had power everywhere he went. So much so that he didn't have to give power, he didn't even have to pray for people. If people on faith just got near him, things changed.
Notice all them, remember the videos, when they would show Michael Jackson and people get near him and they just faint? This is the difference between a gift that got perverted and anointing that has been presented. A gift perverted cause people to worship you. But when you're anointing and your gift has been presented back to the father, it always gives glory to him. It's funny we see a lot of people don't want to come to church because of different things they've seen on TV and different preachers and this, that and a third and all of that stuff and, you know, there are some who have a heart for God and I don't have any judgment for anybody but you see different things and people blowing on people and breathing on people, hope they have gum. But, you know what I'm saying? You know, or they lay hands and people'll fall and all of that and it's nothing wrong with any of that, I'm not saying that that's not God but I will say this, in the Bible everybody Jesus touched got up. And my point is this, if its a touch from Jesus it will always lead you up. But it's about that footwork.
See, the footwork, this is so important. You've got to understand the power of this footwork thing. Jesus wants you to know, just like the woman who had the issue with blood. What'd she say, "If I could just touch the, hem of his garment. I don't need to get up top, I don't need to get an autograph, if I can just focus on his feet. If I can get to the hem. If I can just touch the hem of his garment. If I could watch his footwork, wow". Because that's the true nature of discipleship. If you just follow, you'll be in the right position to receive. And this woman reached for his hem and Jesus was surrounded by people and he stopped and he said, "Who touched me"? The disciple said, "Jesus, all these people you're asking who touched"? He said, "No, I felt power go out from me". Why? Because in a desperate time you don't care who's around.
When it's desperate, you don't care about church politics. When it's desperate, you don't care about procedure and church as usual. You don't care about the crowd. You're going to go after Jesus and may the Lord give you a strength to worship even if other people won't. Even if you're in settings where it's not necessarily apropos. May you always have a heart and a passion to go after Jesus. This woman touched Jesus without his permission. But she still got healed because that's how much power he carried. I want you to know, some of you are like, "Maybe I should pray and how should I approach"? God's like, "Just at this point, you don't have to pray. Just run after me, come get me. Just reach out".
This is what God did:
♪ Reaching out ♪
♪ Across the heavens ♪
♪ The father looks with sleepless eyes ♪
♪ He sees your pain ♪
♪ And knows your struggles ♪
♪ And he hears your cries ♪
♪ Get me out ♪
♪ I need a lifeline ♪
♪ I need someone to make me whole ♪
♪ I can't go back ♪
♪ Into the darkness ♪
♪ Because he saved my soul ♪
♪ If they say why ♪
♪ Why ♪
♪ Tell them Jesus is your Savior ♪
♪ Why, why do you love him that way ♪
♪ If they say why, why ♪
♪ Tell them that the Lord forgave you ♪
♪ Why, why did he save me that way ♪
♪ Did he free me that way ♪
♪ I, ay, ay, ay ♪
♪ I, ay, ay, why ♪
♪ I, ay, why ♪
Hey. Look at somebody, tell 'em, "It's human nature". It's human nature. It's human nature to sin. It's human nature to fail. It's human nature to miss the mark. But it's God's nature to cover you. To shield you, to cleanse you, to forgive you, to restore you, to launch you back into destiny. You can never out sin the love of God. I want you to know that when Jesus died, he died for every sin that you and I will ever commit, every thought that we ever thought and will ever think that was wrong, God already paid for it. He understands human nature and he's already paid the price on that cross and somebody just needs to give God a praise because your human nature did not cause God to cut you off. Yeah. "I, ay, ay, why I, ay, why". That's my wife's favorite part, yeah girl.
I want you to know that this MJ stands for three things, My Jesus, Mighty Jesus, and Majestic Jesus. I love Michael Jackson but he ain't got nothing on MJ. Not My Jesus. My Jesus. He's my Jesus. Everybody say, "He's my personal Jesus". See because what he's saved me from he didn't save you from. I can't, I can't shout for you. I can't praise for you. We family but he saved me from different things. Maybe he saved you from drowning. He saved me from a burning building. He might have saved you from a car crash, a spiritual version of a car crash. Maybe he saved you from a bad relationship. Maybe he saved you from brokenness. Maybe he saved you for, I don't know what he saved you from, but whatever it was, it's a personal salvation which makes him not our Jesus, he's my Jesus. Can somebody give my Jesus a praise? If you love him. If he's saved you. If he's healed you. If he's forgiven you. Can you give my Jesus a praise?
See my praise is not your praise. But my salvation is not your salvation. Hallelujah to Jesus, the King of kings. I want you to know that Michael Jackson was known as the king of pop. But MJ is the King of pop. 'Cause every time the enemy tries to knock, Jesus pops. I want you to understand the enemy tries to knock you out of position, but Jesus pops him right on the head, "Bow down, devil". Every time the enemy comes, pop, "Back in your place, devil". Every time he tries to accuse you, pop. This is the power of Jesus. He's the King of pop. He always pops up with a word when you need it. Always pops up with healing when you need it.
Jesus is the King of pop. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords and no matter what the devil tries to do, knock you down, knock you out of position, knock you out of destiny, Jesus pops up, shows up in a nick of time, covers you, heals you, forgives you, shields you and then relaunches you. This great God who sent his son to die but not only die but resurrect on the third day, this it a great Jesus and he deserves a King of pop kind of praise. He's my Jesus. Johnny, he's my Jesus.
See, and sometimes as believers, we doubt. We struggle. Anybody ever doubt it? Anybody ever pray, didn't answer when you though he would and you struggle with your doubt, you struggle with belief? You're not alone. Even Thomas doubted. Bible says in John 20:28, "Thomas answered and said to him my Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, 'Thomas, because you've seen me, you've believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed'".
Notice that when Thomas saw the hands of Jesus and the marks of Jesus and his side that was pierced, blood and water came out, he said, "My Lord and my God"! Jesus went from the guy, that Jesus to my Jesus. That teacher to my Savior. That man to my God. When you see Jesus, and I offer you in the next few moments to take a chance to see Jesus in this atmosphere, to see his love, to see his providence in your life, to see his handiwork of bringing you to this moment, this point in history, you are at a historic moment. And I offer you the opportunity to get to make my Jesus your Jesus, the same way Thomas said, "My Lord and my God"!
MJ stands for My Jesus. The second one is Mighty Jesus, say "Mighty Jesus". Jesus said in Mark 6, "'A prophet is not without honor except in his own country among his own relatives, and in his own house'. And he could do no mighty work there except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them". It's deep that Jesus said, "You know what? Even among my own brothers, they don't believe. My own family, the people who saw me grow up. I can't do mighty things even though I'm mighty to save. I'm mighty to heal. They have a lack of faith because they come too common. They've become too common with me". But I want you to know, I need you to get your passion back. I need you to get your joy back. I need you to get your excitement back. I need you to get your wonder back.
Let's not be casual with Jesus. He was not casual with us. We need to understand that he is mighty. His works are mighty, mighty working power, wonder, working power in the blood of the lamb. He still heals cancer. It ain't just mama Dodie, 30 some odd years ago, he still healing cancer. He's still touching kids at Ronald McDonald house. He's still healing blood on the brain. He's still restoring kidneys and livers. He's still delivering from diabetes and sickness and heartbreak. He's still healing. He can still do mighty work. It ain't just the past. He's still able to do it today. He's not just back then Jesus, he's a mighty Jesus and he's my Jesus and he can be your Jesus if you choose him tonight.