Marcus Mecum - Skin in the Game

So, if you’ve got your Bibles, turn with me to Leviticus chapter 7. Leviticus chapter 7. You know that the sermon is going to be exciting when the pastor says, «Go to the book of Leviticus.» Yeah. You know, you better get ready to clap. If he reads from the book of Leviticus, over a hundred scriptures speak of putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 13:14: «Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.»

Well, I’ve always been someone who loves to look at the Old Testament. I believe the Old Testament is the dictionary of the New Testament. So, when you read principles like «put on the Lord Jesus, put him on, you wear him,» how does that work? I think you can try to locate some type of illustration, some story. You can try to put some context or texture, put some color to that idea.

That’s why the book of Hebrews says that all the artifacts, the temple, the tabernacle, the Old Testament priests, any way that God worked through the people of Israel, the book of Hebrews says it’s an illustration for the present time. And so, God teaches us through some of these confusing times, but God wants to speak to us through it.

So let’s look at Leviticus chapter 7 and verse 5. All the older folks look at the screen because I’m going to look at it too. Not because I have to, but because I want to make you feel better about not being able to read the small print. Yeah. Don’t worry. It’s going to happen to you, too. And the priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering made by fire to the Lord. It’s a trespass. It is a trespass offering. Every male among the priests may eat it; it shall be eaten in the holy place. It is most holy. I want you to remember that the trespass offering is like the sin offering. There is one law for them both. The priest who makes atonement with it shall have it.

Now watch this. Verse 8. And the priest who offers anyone’s burnt offering, that priest shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered. Everybody say «skin.» That’s what I’m going to talk to you about—how God puts skin in the game. Also, every grain offering that’s baked in the oven and all that is prepared in the covered pan or in a pan shall belong to the priest who offers it. Verse 10, every grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron, to one as much as the other. Leviticus is written to the tribe of Levi, or the tribe of priests.

Chapter 7 deals primarily with the sacrifices and how they’re to be offered. In verse 6, we read it says that the meat of the sacrifice could be given to all the males in the temple. Verse 10 says that the sons of Aaron all got an equal portion. So it’s important to note real quick that certain sacrifices were shared. Each person got their equal portion. So it didn’t matter if you made the sacrifice; everyone received an equal portion. The only part of the sacrifice that was not shared was the skin.

So the skin wasn’t for everyone. It wasn’t divided up. It wasn’t given to this one and to that one. The skin was exclusive to the one who made the sacrifice. I believe the King James Version said, «To the priest goes the skin.» So I want to again talk to you about God putting skin in the game. If the skin belonged to the one who offered it, the one who gave it, it brings up several questions for us, and that would be: Why would anyone want skin? That seems like a bizarre and odd thing to give as a reward. And if so, what does skin represent? What is it a picture of?

I want to remind you that this is important because in the New Testament, we’re all priests unto our God. According to 1 Peter chapter 2 and the book of Revelation, all of us are a part of the priesthood of the believer. All of us are a part of the priesthood. A priest just is a bridge builder is what it means. You’re building a bridge for people to connect with God. And so, we are all kings and priests. We’re all priests unto our God. And so, as you look at this particular text, get the black robe and the white collar out of your mind for a minute and just know that this is something that can speak to you. The Old Testament priest’s job was very difficult. It was dangerous. It was a dirty job.

For example, we read about things like how the Old Testament priest would have to handle the gore and the blood of a sacrifice. He would also have to do things like if someone saw streaks in the wall of their home, it would literally speak of mold that would grow up the side of the home, which was an indication because they didn’t build their homes. They lived in homes in Canaan that they did not build. So when the previous owners had built those homes, they would take some of their idols and they would put those things in the foundation of the home. Just in the construction of that, it would cause moisture to seep up through the walls of the house, and that’s how they would know that there were idols in this house. So what the priests would do is they would be invited over, temporarily condemn the house, rip out the walls—all the mold is in the air. They’re having to handle all of the mold.

Then they would go and remove the idols and patch everything back up, patch the walls back up, and after a period of time, come back and look at it and make sure that the house could be lived in again. And so they put themselves at risk. They put themselves in dangerous situations, difficult situations. If someone had a skin issue in the Old Testament, the priest’s job was to examine this person’s skin. For example, if you had maybe a white mark on your body of some type, that would indicate that maybe you had leprosy; it would be something where they would worry about you. So, they would send you to the priest, and the priest would have to examine your body. You would have to examine all the spots, or if there were sores or wounds, and, you know, all the things that come with a wound—the pus coming out. The priest would have to examine these wounds, and he would know if the person had leprosy, and he was handling it. That leprosy was contagious, and the way that you got it is if someone who had it touched you, you could possibly get it. And so, he’s putting himself at risk. He’s in a dangerous situation. He’s doing all of these things to serve God, to honor God.

If the person had leprosy, he would have to burn that person’s home, give them a leper garment, a garment that said, «Hey, listen. You’re no longer to have contact with any human being again unless you’re a part of a leper colony.» They would immediately lead him outside of the city. He would go to live in that leper colony. He would never see his family again. He would never hug his wife again. He would never hold his children again. He would never work again. If he owned a business, it would be forfeited. And the priest is the one who had to do all of that. The priest had a difficult job. And so when the scripture here says that after all that he would do, the sacrifices that he would make, he would get skin, that that would be his reward. All the labor, all the sacrifice, all the risk, all the danger, all the sacrifice, he gets skin.

You know, I’ve never thought once in serving God, «Man, God, if I really go all in and I give you my very best, my prayer and my hope and my desire is that somehow you’d bless me with skin.» I’ve said, «I lay down my life. I give you my hopes. I give you my dreams. My plans, they’re yours.» I’ve said, «The cross before me, the world behind me; there’s no turning back. I can look back and say I’ve walked away from mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, lands and homes.» I can absolutely say I’ve put it all on the line for the gospel’s sake many times. And in my mind, I’ve done it knowing that God is a good God and he gives good gifts to his children, that he is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him. But skin? Skin is a reward? I mean, what a bizarre thing. What an odd thing. That’s not motivating to me. That’s not inspiring to me. That doesn’t get me up in the morning.

And so it is with so many of us that we many times miss the things that God is trying to get into our lives because we’re running after other things. When I grew up, my mom took me to the dog tracks. You go to the horse tracks here. Well, you don’t, but somebody does. But my mom took me to the dog tracks, and while she was gambling or whatever, we would go play video games. And I can remember that when those doors would come up and those greyhounds would come out of the doors, there was a bar with a rabbit on it. As those dogs would run faster and faster, the bar would speed up, and it would go around the entire track. And all the times I watched that happen, not once did a dog ever catch that rabbit. They weren’t running to be number one, the best greyhound ever. They weren’t running to end up getting their stats to be something that they would be a sure bet. They weren’t running for some trophy. They were all trying to beat the dog that was next to them so they could get the rabbit.

And so we have these things that we look after, that we run after, that we chase after. Many times as Christians, we don’t like to admit that there are things that we chase. And we say, «I’m doing this because I really want such and such. I’m planning on getting this. I’m hoping that you’ll do this for me. I’m hoping that you’ll move in my life in this kind of way.» And if I don’t get it, I end up conflicted, disappointed, disillusioned. God, I really thought that maybe you could do this in my life. Maybe I even find myself coveting or being jealous of somebody else that you do it for. Chasing my rabbits. I’m chasing those things. They don’t have to be bad. They don’t have to be evil. I’m not talking about you trying to sell crack cocaine. I’m just saying sometimes our motives get mixed up. Sometimes we start saying, «God, I’m doing this for you.» And the truth is our motive is we’re not doing it for him.

Wow. James and John, their mom came to Jesus and said, «Hey, listen. They’ve left all to follow you. They’ve walked away from everything. And by the way, they said, 'At your word, we’re going to go burn Samaria down.'» So, they’re willing to do anything you ask at just one word. «Well, maybe one of my sons gets to sit on the right, and maybe another on the left.» Surely they’re doing all this for you; they’re going to get some type of prestige, some type of position, some type of power. Simon Peter says, «We’ve forsaken all to follow you, Jesus. What shall we get for it?»

It’s not you, but some people, they start to say, «God, what am I going to get for serving you? What do you expect that you should get for serving God?» Remember the rich young ruler? He’s rich. He’s young. He’s a ruler. Isn’t that the goal? Isn’t that the focus? Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be running after? But yet, the Bible says he walked away sorrowfully. And how many Christians have thought something is the goal that God never establishes? They thought the reward was something God never established as the reward, and they walk away disillusioned or they show up, but in their spirit they’ve given up because they thought God was wanting them to chase after something, but it was just some rabbit.

God told Abraham, «I’ll make you a great nation, Abraham.» And so off he went running after that rabbit. Famine, wars, failures, family members abandoned him, regrets—you name it. None of it was what Abraham expected. And God never gave him that nation; he gave him a son, which by the way, he said, «I want to make sure that you know that son was not the reward. Will you give me that son?» Wow. Isaac. God wanted there to be no mistake concerning what the reward would consist of. The Bible says, «To the priest goes the skin.» So, what is the skin? What is it?

The Māori people of New Zealand view the skin as a canvas for storytelling. A tattoo that’s designed on the skin all over the body. Tattoos are designed to speak of a person’s lineage; they talk about their status, their accomplishments, their achievements. And so you can look at a person’s skin, and it’s a living testament to that person. The story of that person’s whole life can be understood by their skin. So the skin is a picture of a person’s life. Satan told God concerning Job, «Skin for skin, all a man has what he would give for his life.» So skin speaks of your life, the seen part of your life, the visible part of your life. Paul said, «You know my doctrine and my way of life.» Paul was saying the skin is not about what I say; it’s about what you see.

So in the skin is a story. And we know this because in the Old Testament, one of the jobs before the priest made the sacrifice was he had to examine the skin. And if the skin wasn’t perfect, it was to be rejected. And so the priest would go over the body, the skin, and he would be looking for a blemish. He’d be looking for a flaw. He would be looking for a scab, some type of imperfection of any sort. And as he’s looking for all of these things, if he found any blemish or any flaw, that sacrifice that was being offered was to be deemed unacceptable. But some priests would look at the sacrifice and they would think to themselves, «I know there’s a blemish here, and I know there’s a flaw over there, but maybe we could paint over it a little bit, and maybe we could just cover it up. You know, I mean, it’s not that big of a blemish. I mean, surely God is okay with it. Surely God is cool with something; it’s just a minor thing.»

But remember the Bible says of the meat of the sacrifice that could be shared with others. Of the other parts of the sacrifice, everyone else got an equal portion. But the priest was the sole one who would go home with the skin of the sacrifice that he offered. So he would take his choices, he would take his compromises, he would take all the things, «Ah, God’s okay with this; it’s no big deal.» He would have to wear that home to his children, to his marriage, to his friends. And so whether he had convictions or a lack of them, if he would skin it, he would wear it.

Well, my thing is the Bible says I am a living sacrifice unto God. And if I examine the skin of my life in front of you right now, I just want to say I’m flawed. I want to say there’s no covering it. I’m imperfect. I’m blemished. I’m without question; looking at my story, if it was tattooed on my body, there would be parts of it that I am embarrassed of, parts of it that I regret, parts of it that I am ashamed of. And I could lie, and I could act religious, and I can put on a mask. We do it real good on Sundays. Do we not? Portraying that God is okay with my flaws because in some way I’ve hidden it or I’ve covered it myself. But I know according to the Bible, perfection is what he requires, which means I’m unacceptable. It means I’m unworthy.

And so God has a dilemma. If he cannot accept a flawed sacrifice, what is he to do with us? In 1971, the medical marvel of skin grafts was introduced. There was a young woman by the name of Susan Tarlton. She survived a catastrophic car accident. It left her with burns over 70% of her body. Doctors used a groundbreaking technique where they took the healthy layers of her skin, harvested them, and grafted that healthy skin over the burnt areas. They relied on the skin’s ability to regenerate itself. And so as a result, not only was her life saved, but much of her functionality was restored.

And we show up, and we have been in catastrophic situations in life. We faced our traumas. We faced our crashes. And we look around, and whatever you’ve been through, you are here carrying those things—all the burns, all the failures, all the flaws, all the blemishes—we carry them. I don’t know what yours is, but I know we all have them. But the marvel of skin grafting was not introduced in 1971 for the believer. It began 2,000 years ago on Calvary. And what you and I can do is we can realize a better sacrifice was offered. And the cross is heaven’s skin graft. God saw my skin. He saw my flaws. He saw my sin. He saw my blemishes. He saw my burns and my wounds. And he gave me Calvary, where God took the perfect, sinless, holy skin—the life of Christ—and he grafted us in.

Calvary, where God took the perfect holy skin of his Son, Jesus Christ, and he covers the irreparable. He covers the burned-up areas. He covers my wounded areas, my flawed areas, my blemished areas. He covers those things. And I can stand before you today saying, «I’m healed today because God put skin in the game. I’m restored today. I’m not perfect, but I’m redeemed and restored because God put skin in the game.» We have a future and a hope is what the Bible says. All of us have a future and a hope, not because you have some perfect, worthy life to give to God, but because God puts skin in the game. You can lift up your eyes and know God is for you and he’s not against you. You see, the Bible says God was the invisible man until the Word became flesh. That’s what Jesus was—God in skin. Hebrews 1 says the exact representation of God. There wasn’t one iota of God’s glory that was held back from Jesus walking in skin on this planet. You see, God put his skin in the game.

So when I put on Christ, what I’m doing is I’m recognizing that the skin is him. He lived a life. He died his death. In his story, somehow God determined I get to wear it. Somehow that’s my reward—his skin. And it’s him. It’s him I wear. It’s him I serve. It’s him I love. Even when you look at my hands and my feet, I’m supposed to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Paul said, «I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ.» My point is when you see me, you’re supposed to see him. And even when you see my weakness, somehow I point to him and say, «In my weakness, his strength is made perfect.»

That’s an amazing thing. And if it doesn’t mean anything to other people, that’s okay. Because where it really counts is when you walk through the veil that was torn and you walk up that bloody trail of heaven, and you stand before God realizing that you are unacceptable. You are unworthy. You are blemished. You have no right to be standing there. But yet, his skin was torn for my healing. His skin was bruised for my iniquities. His skin was pierced and wounded so I could be redeemed today. And I stand before God not as I am, but as Christ is. And that is my reward. The skin is him.

In the book of Numbers, the sons of Aaron, which spoke of the priest, he said to them that they would get no inheritance in Canaan in the promised land. So, think about this. You are one of the tribes of Israel. You heard about the promises. You’ve heard about the land flowing with milk and honey. You’ve heard about how everyone would get their land and their houses that they didn’t build, that they would have vineyards, and you name it. They go through the wilderness. They go through having to survive on manna. They go through the complaining and the murmuring. They go through the 40 years of the cloud by day and the fire by night. All the things that they experienced in the wilderness. Now they get to the place they’ve crossed over the Jordan. And God’s announcement to these sons, this tribe, is, «Hey, by the way, Judah is going to get its inheritance. Dan’s going to get its inheritance. This tribe and that tribe, they’re all going to get their inheritance, but you will have no inheritance in the land.»

You’ve paid the price; everyone else has. You’ve sacrificed like everyone else has. But the Bible says God’s will was that the priesthood would have no part among them. You see, it’s interesting how the devil mixes our motives up. It’s interesting how the devil begins to attach our faith to something we have to have, and if we don’t get it, somehow that thing, that stuff, that rabbit, is how we determine whether or not God is faithful to us. But they’re chasing this rabbit, and God says, «Nope, no milk and honey for you.» But you promised it. But I heard you say that that’s what we would get. And God said, «But I’m not going to leave you with nothing.» He says to them, «I am your part. I am your inheritance, and I am your reward.»

The question is today is if all you get is him, is that enough? Is he sufficient? The skin is him. The reward is him. And if he’s not enough over time, you’ll get mixed up. You’ll get disillusioned. You’ll start saying things like, «I thought, God, if I served you, surely I won’t experience heartbreak. If I serve you and give you my life, I’ll never go through this disappointment. If I serve you and love you, I won’t watch my dream die. I won’t watch my loved one be lost. I won’t watch my friends walk away.» All of that is just chasing another rabbit. It’s just going after some external thing that you think God should give you because you said yes to him. But the bottom line is chasing rabbits. You can do it your whole life, but you’re never going to catch them when it comes to God. The way God has designed our walk with him is you run after those things; they’ll elude you. You’ll almost catch them and just miss it because God, if he loves you, is never going to allow the pursuit of your life to be any greater than the reward of you getting him. And he has to be enough.

I don’t know about the other things. I don’t know about all the dreams. I don’t know about your expectations. God told Abraham, «Abraham, I am your exceedingly great reward.» Me. Can I just say as the people of God, it is a privilege, not a curse, to be a priest. He’s our pearl of great price. He’s the treasure in the field. We go and sell everything we have to get him. He’s our portion. The skin is him. I love the fact that when he ascended to the right hand of the Father, he said, «Go wait and tarry in Jerusalem.» And what did he say? Because the promise of the Father is coming, speaking of the Holy Spirit that we know as the Comforter. And what did he say? «You shall be endued or clothed.» You’re going to wear this; you’re going to wear his presence. You’re going to get wrapped up in who he is. That’s why it says, «I’ll pour out my spirit on all flesh.» That the anointing oil would go on the skin because the point is the skin is him. To the priest goes the skin.

What am I saying? I’ve been serving God since I was 16 years old—34 years. And I can remember when I was 16, in my early few months of being a Christian, I would go to my bedroom in a little musty basement, and I had a little Bible, and I would maybe turn on some worship music, and I would open up that Bible, and man, God’s presence would fill that room, and a peace like I had never known would fill that room. And I remember at a young age I began to experience just beautiful things in God’s presence. I fell in love with his Word. I got filled with the spirit of God, and I thought to myself, «This is amazing. This is great. This is so special; that I never thought I could have this.» But I began to think that it got greater than that. I began to think, «Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s all amazing, but I have all that because of this thing that maybe God wants to do for me and this accomplishment maybe God wants to see me have.»

Again, they weren’t bad or evil necessarily, but my motivation began to say, «God, I’m looking for this thing to happen.» And I start to chase my rabbits. Even as a pastor, I can be honest and say I’ve chased my rabbits. And I’ve got to points in my life I’ve thought, «God, I thought you would do this for me because I served you. I thought you would come through in this way.» And you did it for them. I don’t know why you’re not doing it for me. I fast. I pray. I try to live a holy life. I try to walk in integrity. I try to love people. I try to stay humble and treat people right. Surely you did it for them. Why? What’s wrong with me that you wouldn’t do that for me? But 34 years later, I’ve seen amazing things. I’m not saying I haven’t. But what I know is the same God that visited me in that old musty basement was the reward then, and he’s the reward now. And to the priest goes the skin. We get him.

I wonder if I preached about how God wants to bless your socks off, how God wants to give you the new promotion at work, and how God wants to give you that pay increase, and how God wants to give you that house and that… I wonder if I did that, if we would maybe get a little bit more excited 'cause even in our claps, we might be chasing a rabbit. But in this service right now, if God never does one of those things for you, to the priest goes the skin. You can have him today and tomorrow and for the rest of your life. And he never diminishes; he never gets small; he never gets old. He never becomes something that, «Oh, that’s old hat.» Remember the priest would take that skin with him to his home and it would become a part of his daily life.

So you say, «Well, what’s this about?» It’s just about him. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But the skin is also for your kin. The Bible says no greater joy have us than this, that our children walk in truth. See, one of the privileges of having him is you get to walk into a home saying, «I’m not chasing some rabbit out there in front of my babies. I’m not mixed up in my motives. If God doesn’t do this thing or that thing, you’re not going to see me in some way shrink back from the God that I’ve given my life to. I’ve not attached it to, 'You better do this, God, or else.’ You better not let this happen, or else.» They’re bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, and the reward is the skin.

But the greatest part of the skin is I get to take it to my kin. I have daughters that love Jesus. I have little grandsons now. You’ll see him sometimes in here. I’ll come in here, and he has to have a microphone because he wants to worship Jesus. He hears the music in my office, like the little green room area back there. And he says, «Worship time. It’s worship time. Let’s go worship.» When I get done preaching and I go back there, he says, «Great preaching, Paul.» And then, in between services, he wants to go out and preach with me. So I have to be this pulpit, and then he has that little table that we bring out here, and that’s his pulpit. He’ll reach up to my pulpit and fill around, and he’ll say, «Where’s your Bible, Paul?» He knows you can’t preach Jesus if you don’t have a Bible.

And I know he’s two and a half, but he loves God. I know he does. I can see it in his eyes. I can feel it when we talk about it. And I praise God because he puts skin in the game. It’s not just about him; it’s about them too. It’s about the Bible promises to you and your children and to all those who are afar off. He’s not just the God of Abraham; he’s the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So, it’s not only for him, but it’s for them too. You know what else the skin is for? Take it into your daily life. You carry it, you wear it. It’s for your friends. You know, you wear who you run with. You know, I don’t need a perfect friend, but I do need friends that love the one who put skin in the game.

I didn’t say they’re perfect with it. But I need someone, when I fall short, to point me to him. When I fall, they pick me back up. I need friends who are running after. That’s what I want as a church—friends that are running after the same reward I am—him. And every now and then I start chasing some dumb rabbit, but I need friends around me to say, «Hey, we’re not chasing that stuff. God can do what he wants to do.» This is what I’ve learned: if I surround myself with friends that love God’s Word, love his presence, love his great church, love winning souls, come on, God puts skin in the game for what we’re a part of right now.

And the bottom line is the reward is skin because it purifies our motives. What’s the Beatitude say? Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. He wants to purify your motives because he doesn’t want you to miss the point that you chase a rabbit, but you don’t see him; you don’t experience him; you don’t get him. So this is my conclusion of this matter that God has done in my life more than I ever imagined he would. But rarely has he done what I wanted. You’re like, «What does that mean?» If it doesn’t make sense, just move on. It makes all the sense in the world to me.

I can look around and say, «I didn’t know you would do this for me, and I’m so blown away.» But at the same time, I have to look over here and think, «I thought you’d do this for me,» and he didn’t. Why not? Somehow, in that, God just reminds you because if I would have given you that, somehow you would have made it about that thing and not about me; you would have made it about that person or whatever it is. God puts skin in the game, and we put him on. We wear him. He is our reward. Amen. Amen. And every other pursuit is just exposing my flaws, my wounds, my burns. Come on, we can be covered today. We can be reminded there is nothing greater; he is our exceedingly great reward. Amen.

Hey, listen. Every eye closed, every head bowed, before we stand in worship in just a moment. I’ll release those who want to be released in just a minute. But it’s decision time. It’s response time for somebody in this room. Somebody is here, and they do not know the love of Christ. Somebody is here, and they’re not living a life honoring to God. I’m not saying you’re a bad person. I’m saying that you’re a flawed person. I’m not saying in your mind that you’re evil, comparing yourself to other people that you think are evil, but I am saying you’re not perfect. And perfection is what he requires. But you don’t have to stand before him today with your imperfections. You can stand before him today perfect and whole.

You can stand before him today putting on Christ, saying, «God, I know I’m unworthy, but I know there’s one who is worthy. There’s one who did live a perfect life, did live a sinless life, and did die to cover my wounds, my sin, and my flaws.» And you’re here today, and you’d say, «Marcus, would you pray for me? I need covered. I need forgiven. I need cleansed. I need washed.» You’d say, «I believe that Jesus is God’s Son, and I have so many questions, but I do believe that he was the skin—the God who became skin—and he dwelt among us, and he died on a cross for me.»

And today you would say, «I want to give my life to him. I’m done running. I’m done fighting it. Today I’m going to give my life to Jesus.» On the count of three, if that’s you, lift your hand as high as you can and you say, «Why am I lifting my hand?» Because it’s you saying, «Yes.» It’s you saying, «Today is the day I’m giving my life to him, and there’s no turning back. Today is the day that I’m saying, ‘God, I’m giving you my life. I’m surrendering to you.’» On the count of three, lift that hand. One, two, three. Throw that hand up as high as you can. Thank you, Jesus. Keep it raised if you can. God bless you, sir. Keep that hand raised as high as you can. Thank you. God bless you. Anybody else? You say, «Marcus, today I need to get right with God.» If you hesitated, throw that hand up boldly. Lift it as high as you can. Amen. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.

Let’s all put our hands on our hearts. Let’s all pray with those who lifted their hands. Say, «Jesus, thank you for dying on a cross, for shedding your blood for my sin. I ask you to forgive me, cleanse me, and wash me. I thank you that you paid that price so I could be forgiven. I believe that you’re God’s only Son and that he raised you from the dead. I give you my life now. You are my reward. You are—in Jesus' name. In Jesus' name.»

Now, I want us to stand up to our feet, and we’re going to take just a moment and worship. And I’m going to pray for some of you who have been disappointed. And if you need to slip out, you can quietly do so. I’m talking to those people that God’s not done with. You’ve been disappointed. You’ve been disillusioned. You’ve been struggling. You’ve been in a place where even your identity has been messed up because you thought surely by now this would happen. Surely by now this would be fixed. Surely by now this thing would be better.

Come on, can we lift our hands for just a moment and say, «God, I want it to be clear that my reward is you. If I get none of that stuff and I get you.» Come on, take just a moment; say, «You’re my portion, and it’s enough.» Come on. In his presence, can we let him know, «Jesus, you are enough.» He is surely worthy. Come on, Holy Spirit. We invite you to move. We invite you to be our Comforter. Endow us with power from on high. Clothe us with your presence. Wrap us up with your spirit in Jesus’ name.

Every moment waiting, every moment longing, he was surely working nothing for every drop, every drop of oil. Every tear that falls, it was surely worth it. Nothing in every moment, every moment waiting, every promise broken. He was surely working. Nothing ever wastes, and wake up sleep. Oh, rise from the dead. There are promises to come. Nothing is wasted, and wake up free. You’re not finished. This work is just begun. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is wasted. Oh, nothing is wasted.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for every rabbit I chased. You didn’t love me to catch it. Thank you, Jesus. And that song’s talking about tears I shed over some dumb rabbit. Nights I gave up good days that the Lord had made that I didn’t rejoice in because of some dumb rabbit-something that didn’t matter, something that in the end was worthless. Prayer now. Thank you; in your presence is fullness of joy. That’s where fulfillment is as we get you and we honor you today, Lord Jesus.

Pray. Come on. Let’s just put him on real quick. We put you on. We put on that love, that mercy. We put on that joy, that peace today. Oh, we put you on, Jesus, over every wound, over every imperfection, over every flaw, over every burned-up area today. Thank you today for healing and wholeness. That I have today is a promise, not because of anything I’ve earned. Oh, we bless you today, Jesus. Nothing was wasted. Oh, when I give it to you, you work all things together for my good because I love you and I’m called according to your purpose. Not because of a rabbit, but because I love you. Praise the name of Jesus. Praise the name of Jesus. Praise the name of Jesus. Praise the name of Jesus. Praise the name of Jesus. Praise the name of Jesus.

Oh, we bless that name. We bless that name. We bless that name. We bless that name today. Every, he was surely working. Nothing. And every drop, every drop of oil, every tear that falls, we will surely work. Nothing ever wasted, every moment waiting, every promise — it was surely working. Every drop, every tear that falls, you are. You wake up sleeping. Rise from the dead. There are promises to come. Nothing is wasted. I’m a wake-up dream. Wake up free. You’re not finishing. You’re not finished yet. This work is just beginning. Nothing. Amen.