This is “Handle Me and See”. In Luke 24, Jesus showed the nail prints in his hands and feet to show his disciples what can give and where he can take them. We serve a giving and sending God and his is saying to you today, “Handle me and see.” There are still things he wants to give you and places he wants to send you. Will you look at Jesus today and receive what He wants to do in your life?
now as they said these things Jesus
himself
meaning this was post-resurrection this
is after the resurrection
he’s rose from the dead and they’re in
there having a discussion and suddenly
Jesus himself stood in the midst of them
and said unto them peace to you
but they were terrified and frightened
and supposed that they had seen a ghost
and he said to them why are you troubled
and why did doubts arise in your hearts
listen to these words Behold my hands
and my feet that it is I myself
and what an amazing challenge handle me
and see
for a spirit does not have Flesh and
Bones as you see I have and when he had
said this he showed them his hands and
his feet
while they still did not believe for joy
and marveled he said to them I love this
part have you got any food
isn’t that beautiful
Jesus said I’m hungry now
the cross wore me out I need something
to eat
you know Jesus said as I am so shall you
be
and we’re going to eat in heaven and it
was not a vegan meal that he ate I’m
sorry for you who are from California
there would be no vegan meals in heaven
and if you are a vegan you sit at your
own table me and Jesus he said I want
some meat and the Bible said they said
they brought him a piece of Broad Fish
and some honeycomb and he took it and
ate it in their presence in front of
them he ate it
I love what he said he said in verse 39
handle me and see
handle me and see and quickly in the
next verse he showed them his hands and
his feet I want to preach on handle me
and see
foreign
then he showed them the nail prints in
his hands and his feet and he said I
know
that you thought it was over and I know
you thought that it was finished but
it’s time for you to get a fresh
Revelation and handle me and see and
look at my hands
look at my hands and what he was saying
was look at my feet
look at my hands and seek what I can
give you now
presently not what I’ve done in the past
you saw these hands healed leopards
raise the dead be laid on people with
fevers and diseases and sicknesses and
they were healed instantly but now post
crucifixion I want you to look at these
same hands and just when you think
you’ve seen it all look at my hands and
look at what I can give you
and look at my feet and see where I can
take you
I’m not through giving and I’m not
through taking
I want you to understand that we serve a
giving God and we serve ascending God
and he’s standing here today with a
great challenge in this campus and at
every one of the campuses and wherever
you’re watching this around the world
Jesus is saying today handle me and see
handle me again and see
because my hands have things that I
still want to give you my feet have
places that I still want to take you
that are beyond anything that you can’t
imagine
how many of you have been given things
by the hand of God that you never
dreamed that you would give if you were
to be honest you would have to say God’s
nail-scarred hands have provided things
in my life that were not even in my
wildest dreams or imaginations let me
hear some noise right now if you know
that’s the truth and how many of you
have had God show you his feet and take
you further than you ever were supposed
to go ever was it protected you would go
you’ve gone to places that only God
could have got you there only God could
have opened that door
because that’s the kind of God he is
he’s saying I want you to handle me and
I want you to see he gives this amazing
Challenge and invite and he says come
afresh and Anew just when you think that
you’ve seen it all just when you think
that you’ve experienced it all will you
hunger again will you thirst again will
you look at my hands and see I’m not
through giving to you it’s not over I’m
not I haven’t peeped out I haven’t hit
the end of what I’m going to do for you
just because you’ve reached some
mountaintops in your life but look at my
hands again and handle me and see it’s
time to handle prayer again
it’s time to handle worship again
handle Faith again handle his word again
handle me and see what I will do
you see the only way that we can accept
the challenge that Jesus offers us is he
stands here see it in your mind of in
your eye of Faith this morning the
master standing here saying look at my
hands I have things that you can’t even
imagine I have things that I want to
give you and I want to bless you and
your family with my hand is a blessing
hand and you’ve not seen the best yet
what I’m preaching today is you’ve not
seen God’s best yet
you’ve not seen what he could really do
just when you think he’s done it all
they thought it was over and he appeared
suddenly and gave them this great
challenge handle me and see handle
prayer handle worship handle hunger and
thirst for me and handle uh this this
thing called Faith again and believe and
risk again that I can do something even
greater in this season in your life
look at my hands and see what I can give
you look at my feet and know that I have
new opportunities and new places that I
want to take you to that that that are
beyond anything you thought you were
capable of going or doing
the only problem is it’s dependent upon
us conquering complacency and mastering
mediocrity and being loose from
lukewarmness
one risk that this church runs as God
has done so much for us is to get
comfortable and get to a place that we
think that because God’s been so good
that we become satisfied and not
continually
handle him and see through prayer
through seeking him through being
passionate about him
see his hands again and know there’s
more he wants to give us
and see us feed again and know that
there’s more places he wants to take us
and carry the message of the Cross too
never settle for good when you know God
has a best
we must not be lethargic
we must not ever cease from handling him
and it becoming more than just going to
church now that we’ve got our life
straightened out Revelation chapter 3 he
warns that the end time Church would
have a curse on them and this is what it
sounds like they will say I am rich and
increase with goods and have need of
nothing
but that’s not going to be this church
we’re going to continually handle him
and see we’re going to look at his hands
and see he still has good things that he
wants to give us and our children and
our children’s children and we’re going
to look at his feet and realize that
when I put my hands in my life in God’s
hands he can take me anywhere he can
open doors no man can shut he can cause
you to go into places that will make you
scratch your head and say how in the
world did this happen to me and did I
get here
handle me and see
blind Bartimaeus would have stayed blind
for the rest of his life
he was called blind Bartimaeus because
he was named by his hangar and his
handicap
challenges are not supposed to become
your calling card you’re not supposed to
settle into him he could have settled
into his blindness and never hungered
and heard Jesus was passing by and never
reached out and cried out to handle him
and see
but when Jesus came marching by he
started crying out aloud because he said
I have not lived so long in darkness
that I want to stay here some people
have lived so long in mediocrity and in
this place of darkness in their life
that they don’t even dream or believe to
ever go any higher never learn to live
with less than God’s best
don’t learn to live in darkness don’t
learn to live in disadvantage don’t
learn to live in shame and disgrace and
feel bad about yourself and your past
the rest of your life don’t live in that
you don’t have to stay in there handle
me and see my hands still can give you
even if you’ve gone through something so
bad that it’s almost tried to Define
your life he says look at my nails
scarred hands I can give you a good life
look at my feet I can give you divine
appointments look at the places I want
to take you you don’t even know what’s
in you you don’t even know the talents
you’ve got you don’t even know how high
I can take you if you just handle me and
see
nothing you’ve done has disqualified you
people will label you by your mistakes
but Jesus does not define you by your
mistake he defines You by these nail
starred hands and he says you don’t
deserve it but here I’m going to give it
to you and you can’t get there but
follow my nail scarred feet and let me
walk you past all your critics right
into greatness
hallelujah hallelujah I hear the Lord I
feel this challenge hanging over this
building hanging over somebody listening
to me right now and Jesus is saying come
on
handle me and see
you don’t know what I have in store for
you and I’m gonna give it to you I’m
gonna give you the kingdom
you don’t know where these feet these
nails scarred feet are going to take you
but you gotta want it
never learn to live unless handle me and
see
see where my hands can give you and
where my feet can take you
you don’t have to live in failure
you don’t have to live in disappointment
you don’t have to live in defeat and in
bondage and in addiction
and in guilt and in shame you don’t have
to live like you’re less than
damaged goods what a lie from hell
handle me and see
handle me and watch how I’ll recycle
even what the enemy meant to destroy you
what he meant for evil I’ll take it and
I’ll mold it and I’ll make you into such
a beautiful thing that you’ll be the
Envy of other people
well I don’t know where this is coming
from but I feel like preaching this
morning
I’m telling you I’m telling you we serve
a savior who recycles the evil he
recycles evil he recycles bad decisions
he recycles mess-ups he recycles
failures and bondage and fear and
depression he can take it and make
something beautiful look at his hands
and see what he wants to give you look
at his feet and see where he’s still
some sometime the other day in my study
I wrote these words down on a piece of
paper
and I was so frustrated because I felt
such pressure and I felt like I didn’t
have the message you know and I was just
I was sweating it I was just it was
aggravated it’s this feeling that comes
on you when you don’t have the words and
you don’t have the message and the clock
is ticking and all of y’all are coming
and you’re like a bunch of Hungry Birds
and I’m supposed to have the worm
and I was stressing out I was tense I
was upset nothing was speaking to me
nothing was going off in me nothing and
I looked up in my office and I said God
why did you choose me
I’m not this I’m not that I’m not smart
enough to do this he said you’ve only
been doing it 40 years dummy
but I’ll never forget what the Lord told
me I wrote it down he said I chose you
because you are you
I didn’t need somebody else I didn’t
want somebody else I’m not interested in
somebody else doing what I’ve called you
to do I chose you because you’re you and
here I am this is all I am this is all I
have but what you are when he touches it
oh when he gets you from his hand when
he slips into your shoes
and he says let me take you somewhere
that you never dreamed yeah I could I
could get a PhD I could get somebody
with so many degrees they’re like a
thermometer but I’d rather have you
don’t you look at me funny like I don’t
know what I’m preaching about I’ve seen
those hands give to me things that I
never dreamed I’d have I’ve seen those
feet Usher me right in I’ve seen them
walk me right into the Oval Office and
sit down and preach to a president don’t
tell me God can’t use you don’t tell me
God can’t reach through you don’t tell
me God can’t take your weakness and make
it his strength somebody give God a
praise right now
Hallelujah
somebody shout hallelujah at every
campus shout hallelujah
I want you to turn to somebody and if
you don’t do it I want them to get a
camera and put it on you
I want you to turn to somebody and say
you have not seen God’s best yet
grab them by the arm and shake them and
say I said you have not seen you need to
handle him and see you have no idea eyes
have not seen and ears have not heard
neither has it entered into your
thoughts what God has planned for them
that love him he wants to give it to you
he wants to take you to it
I need to smile
while I say all this
so your mission if you choose to accept
it
handle me
handle me
you don’t know where you’re going with
your life
feel like you’re at the end of the road
you’re confused
went to college and
graduated now just wondering around and
don’t know handle me and see
I know where I want to take you handle
me and see touch these scars in my hands
and it’ll release the gifts
that are in you
touch these scars in my feet and I’ll
order your steps and I’ll put favor on
you and I’ll put you before great people
and you’ll have wisdom that is beyond
anything you I’ll give you the tongue of
the learn
speak a word in season and people will
know when you’re talking that’s not just
a man
well I feel the call of God in this room
on somebody’s listening to me and you
have no idea what God’s about to do in
your life but we’re going to look we’re
going to see the before and after shot
of you and you’re going to stand there
and scratch your head and say it all
happened when I heard him challenge me
handle me
get a hold of the word again get a hold
of prayer until tears are get a hold of
fasting again get a hold of worship I
mean not just in church but in your car
and in your house in your apartment in
in your in your in your in your
workplace
handle me and see
because anything he’s done before
he can do again
if he’s ever brought you Victory before
he can do it again
if he’s ever set you free
before
he can do it again
if he’s ever opened doors for you
he can do it again if he’s ever healed
your body he can do it again
anything that he’s done before he can do
again
three things or two or three depending
on how long I feel like preaching number
two
anything he’s done anywhere else
he can do it right here
because he’s standing right here the
Holy Spirit Through The Eyes of Faith
are standing in every church right at
the front of it and he’s saying come
handle me and see what I can do with
that family see what I can do with that
mistake see what I can do with that bad
choice see what I can do with that with
that busted marriage see what I can do
and anything he’s done anywhere else he
can do it here
recently I heard of a missionary who
said these words in a word of Prophecy
we believe in Prophecy by the way not
weirdness but prophecy is a Biblical
gift and prophetic words can change your
life I may be giving you one now
[Music]
and this man who had been a missionary
for many years said these words thus
says the Lord I will send the overseas
Revival
to America
you know you hear all these stories and
miracles and signs and wonders and it’s
happening I’ve been I’ve seen them it’s
unreal because the people Nations some
of them are so poor they have to trust
God and but God God said to this
missionary America’s been too faithful
they’ve been to to giving they’ve lifted
the whole world and preached the gospel
and now that our nation is in trouble
and we are in trouble but anything that
God has done anywhere else he can do it
right here and I do believe that we’re
good and ready and right for a Revival
in America like our minds he’s still got
his hands saying hey broken America
divided America come handle me and see I
still got good things for this nation I
still want to take you to places that
you never dreamed you could go America
[Applause]
dirt is dirt
I love going to the Holy Land but the
only reason they call it the holy land
is because the Holy One was there
and he’s not there anymore
he went to heaven
and then he sent the Holy Ghost to Earth
and when you go to the Holy Land I hope
you go I’m going next year
and I’ll always love to take a group and
when you go all the gods would tell you
and all I will tell you I’ll Stand in
those sights and I’ll say this is where
he opened the blind eyes and this is
where he performed this miracle and this
is where he was when he did that all
they can do is tell you where Jesus was
but I can tell you where he is
he’s here right now
and anything he’s ever done anywhere
else he can do it right here he can do
it right there he can do it in that
living room he can do it in that
hospital room he can do it in that jail
cell he can do it in this Sanctuary he
can do it in your marriage and in your
family and in your body
because
anything he’s done before he can do it
again
and anything he’s done anywhere else he
can do it right here
and anything he’s done for anybody else
he can do it for you
we uh we used to sing a song in the old
Sanctuary over here on Browns Bridge
Road
on a Sunday night when the service would
get red hot and
we’d be crammed in there hundreds and
hundreds of us and no room to hardly
breathe
and I can remember those services
and there was a song we used to sing his
old Pentecostal song
in one of those pierced boys we grabbed
a microphone little David’s choir would
be up there
and they’d start singing a song and
here’s the words to him
well and all of a sudden the drums
the piano
he’s God in New York City time
he’s God in Tennessee done
he’s God right here at Free Chapel bomb
he’s gone all over me and everybody
starts shouting in a place we go crazy
well I’m ready to see it again
he’s got in New York City he’s God in
Tennessee he’s God right here at Free
Chapel he’s God all over me I know God
is God and God will never change I know
God is God and he always will be God
Jesus Christ the same yesterday today
and forever handle me and see
why do you scream
I embarrassed myself in the first
service and went by I got all excited
and preached like a wild man started to
say preach like a Comanche but that’s
not politically correct amen
Comanche Indian
do you know what that is that’s a
compliment
and I was standing in the back
and and a man shook my hand he said I’m
so and so and I’m a surgeon
and I thought oh my God you had to come
today
and he said I just love this church he
said I’ve never experienced anything
like this in my life is it wonderful
it’s incredible me and my fam my kids my
wife’s down there getting the kids out
of kid pack and said we ca he said I got
surgeries I got things I got to do but
I’m telling you this church means so
much to me
I’m telling you if it’s the Holy Ghost
it doesn’t matter who it is
[Applause]
every once in a while
you need to step back and remember and I
I want to close with this story
it’s one of my favorite stories in
preaching that I tell I’ve told it
before when I’ve heard that before well
well you know if you go look at the
Mississippi River I saw it 30 years ago
when I preached the Natchez Mississippi
in different places I went by and saw
the river eight on a Riverboat one time
but just because I’ve seen the river
if I go back today I could say I see
that I see the Mississippi River but
really it’s not it’s all fresh water
and just because you’ve heard this
little part of the sermon
don’t sit there when I’ve heard this
party well well well all the water has
changed around you and maybe you weren’t
open to what I’m saying then but this
very moment it might be it might be the
angel has touched the water again
and said all that so I can use the same
thing again
and feel good about it
[Laughter]
well you get up here and try to come up
with something new every week let’s see
how you do I’ll be glad to change
but this is one of my favorite mind
pictures
a little boy goes in
to a candy store
there’s a big barrel of candy
and the owner watches him and he sees a
little dirty face and a little dirty
hands it’s pretty obvious the kid is by
himself and he doesn’t have any money
and he’s just staring there looking at
the candy and the Candy Barrel
the owner walks over
and the proprietor says uh son would you
you want some candy just reaching her
and get you a handful
a little boy just looked up a little
smutty face with dirt all over and
looked down didn’t do anything he said
no son I know you don’t have to pay me
it’s okay just reach in there and get
you a handful
he just looked up looked at the man
looked back down at the barrel
finally the the owner just kind of got
frustrated with him and reached down and
took his hands
picked up all the candy and said hold
your hands out he held it held his hands
out and he filled his hands candy
dropping everywhere he’s having to put
in his pockets and his hands and as and
just turns around starts to leave he
says wait a minute the the owner said
wait a minute he said why didn’t you
take the candy on the barrel when I told
you
I told you you could have it’s free
he said your hands are bigger in my
hands mister
[Applause]
[Music]
I’m tired of Dipping my little hands in
the favor of God and in the blessing of
God and in the provision of God and in
the power of God I’ve seen what my hands
can do but I’m ready to see what God’s
hands he said look at my hands just when
you think I blessed you all I can bless
you I feel this challenge hanging over
this church are you ready to go to
another place are you ready to reach
like you are you ready to go to places
look at my feet I want to take you to
some Divine appointments
my blessing is not predicated upon how
worthy you are
[Music]
it’s time to step back every once in a
while
say God
I want to see what your hand can do
I want to see where your feet can take
me
heard the story recently of
pastoring pastors a large church and
during the pandemic he
had a friend who was an evangelist and
the Evangelist of course because of the
pandemic had nowhere to go preach for
months and months and months and which
was true of many many traveling
Ministries and by the way this church
gave over four hundred thousand dollars
to those kinds of Ministries during the
pandemic every time we heard of a
traveling Ministry whether it was a
singer or musicians and singers and
preachers and evangelists we just sent
them checks and small congregations
right here in our area we sent ten
thousand ten thousand ten thousand we
gave over four hundred thousand might
have been more than that I can’t
remember it’s a minimum I stopped
counting it for him
and we never wanted and our resources
went up during the whole thing it became
so weird that I almost felt like well
shoot I can stay home on Sunday and
watch this thing and and and maybe we
don’t need to go back amen
I don’t even have to deal with them
[Music]
but
this evangelist was invited by this
pastor of a prominent Church to come and
speak
and he knew that they had really gotten
behind on some things that the the
family and the evangelists
and so he decided God’s really blessed
us we’re going to bless this man he’s a
Godly evangelist we need him so he wrote
him a big chick
when the evangelists opened that’s what
he said happened he said when the
Evangelist opened he looked at the mount
and when he saw them Mount his eyes got
so big and he looked up he said oh I
can’t accept this I can’t take this this
is too much this is too much this oh my
goodness no no no this is too much and
he just kept on and it finally just
reached the point where the pastor start
stopped arguing with him walked over and
said give me the check he took the check
and write it this is what he said he did
right in front of him he tore the check
up and threw it in the trash can he said
I’m going to teach you a life lesson and
here it is when somebody wants to do
something for you and they say God said
that that he told them to do to do that
for you he said learn these two words
look up and say thank you
I
I guess I guess what I’m trying to
preach to you is when God starts showing
you his hand and starts giving you and
when he starts leading you little steps
it may be just little improvements
little you may not be all the way where
you’re going but when you start moving
in the right direction don’t start
getting the inferiority complex don’t
start resisting it when God starts doing
it don’t start rejecting it and for
God’s sake don’t start apologizing for
it I’m tired of apologizing to people
for being blessed I’m tired of
apologizing for the house and the car
and the family and the children and the
house and the I’m tired of apologizing
for the goodness of God you know what
I’m gonna do I’m 60 and I don’t care
what anybody thinks anymore all God
wants to give me from his hand wherever
he wants to take me with his feet I’m
gonna look up and I’m gonna say thank
you
I dare you to throw your head back and
throw your hands up yeah you I dare you
to throw your head back and your hands
up and say thank you thank you it’s not
my hand it’s your hand this is coming
from your hand
your nail scars
paid for this
[Music]
handle me and see
except and receive the magnitude
of what God wants to do for you and I
want to talk to all you silver heads
heard
and all you know hairs
and I’m one of you
it would be okay for me right now at 60
years of age
[Music]
could just kick back
and say I’m 60 and sliding for home
in order to just relax these next 15
years
but I’m telling you this message is more
than a message for you if I’m not
preaching to nobody else the Lord spoke
to me this week
and he said hey
what you going to do with the next
decade of your life
[Music]
I wish you’d come handle me and see
[Music]
I wish you’d look at my hands again like
you did when you were a 20 year old
evangelist and you didn’t have nothing
nothing
[Music]
but you started handling me you started
handling prayer and fasting you started
handling worship you started handling
you spent the night in the church with
two or three friends who were musicians
and y’all played all night learning new
songs you turned into you were crazy you
you looked at my hands and you believed
that I you started handling faith and
you believed that I could take you out
of Kinley North Carolina to the world
[Music]
I wish you’d get that again I heard him
say I wish you would act that way again
I wish you’d quit acting like I’ve
already done my best work in your life
and in your ministry and in your family
I know some stuff has happened but get a
fresh vision of my nails scarred hands
I’m still gonna give I’m still gonna
take I’m still going to annoy I’m still
going to leave and I’m still going to
bless like you’ve never seen before
throw your head back and say thank you
thank you thank you thank you thank you
thank you I receive it
[Music]
so
I made up my mind
that I haven’t seen God’s best yet
and that’s bad for y’all
because I get the vision and you come up
with the provision
that’s a good deal
I like that one
turn to somebody and say we haven’t seen
God’s best yet
we haven’t seen it we haven’t seen it
but it’s on the way come on serum Up
Stir them up say come on now I know
you’re getting on up there but don’t you
dare think that God has done all he can
do and I just need this at or down and
slide for home
maybe he’s ready to do his greatest work
and well there is a verse that says he
saved the best for last
[Music]
stand to your feet
get a smile on your face
throw your hands up
and say Jesus I’m going to handle you
and see
all over again just like I did when I
first got saved just like I did when I
first heard about you just like I did
when I first came to a church like this
and felt what I feel I’m ready to handle
it all over again I want to see your
hands I want to see the the things you
can give me again I want to see your
feet I want to see the places you can
take me on Divine appointments again I’m
willing I’m ready I feel like if you
would look through the eyes of Faith
Jesus is standing in this Altar and in
every altar wherever this is going
in every room
and he’s saying to hundreds and hundreds
and hundreds of people
[Music]
personal invitation and challenge it’s
not up to me I’m gonna give it to
somebody
‘s going to take and handle faith
and they’re going to get my my will and
my Kingdom’s going to be done I’m going
to find somebody to do what I want done
in the earth I’d like to use you but if
you don’t come handle me again
I can’t give you all the things I want
to give you I can’t take you all you
business people out there listen to me
God has with an abundant hand bless you
your career your business
and he’s taken you further than you ever
dreamed and if you don’t watch it you’ll
just kick back
and say that’s enough
but he is standing here today saved who
wants more foreign
who’s ready to go
and this is an altar call not for just
the lost this is an altar call for every
person under the sound of my voice who
would say I want to handle him and see I
want to handle worship I’ll prayer faith
I want to handle it again
I want to see what his hands can give
again
if he can do it for anybody he can do it
for me
if he can do it anywhere he can do it
here if he has ever done it before he
can do it again