Service Date: 12.30.18 11AM
[Music]
I’ve been studying and praying and the
Lord has led me to Matthew 27 verse 62
if you are visiting you’ll recognize
that we’re standing it is our custom to
stand for the reading of the word and so
if you’re visiting we welcome you to the
family and we ask you to stand with us
Matthew 27 verse 62 and my text says on
the next day which followed the day of
preparation the chief priests and
Pharisees gathered together to pilate
saying sir we remember while he that he
is Jesus while Jesus was still alive how
that deceiver said after three days I
will rise very command that the tomb be
made secure until the third day lest his
disciples come by night and steal him
away and say to the people he has risen
from the dead so the last deception will
be worse than the first Pilate said to
them you have a guard go your way make
it as secure as you know how so they
went and made the tomb secure sealing
the stone and setting the guard my
subject for today is the sequel so god I
ask that you would continue to move in
this place that your glory would fall as
only it can do God I ask that you would
give me wisdom that you would give me
revelation and prophecy that you would
come into this room and make it so clear
that they are in the right room at the
right place at the right time because
you are going to speak to things that
they thought had been buried for a long
time that you will bring clarity and a
vision to that which has confused us all
year long on this last Sunday of 2018
god we’re asking that you would give us
insight perspective wisdom to process
all that we have seen and been exposed
to so that we have the fuel necessary to
go into our next and as for me God no
nerves no fear no anxiety just your love
your anointing standing tall and doing
that thing that you do when you breathe
into a room in Jesus name Amen and then
you guys can get seated and get
comfortable I took my shoes off in the
last service because ain’t nobody got
time for shoes
my father was preaching a message
earlier this year and he said something
that really struck me my father said
that the Bible is the greatest love
story ever told
and I thought to myself my father’s
never seen the notebook or loving
basketball because wow the greatest love
story ever told and I think I thought
that because whenever I read the Bible I
saw you know sometimes things that were
confusing sometimes things that I didn’t
always understand and then sometimes
like if I may be transparent long time
ago years ago it would be like a nyquil
like I would read I didn’t understand I
would be sleep I would I started off
with the best intentions sharing my
testimony y’all can leave me out there
by myself I’m fine but what I see now is
what my father expressed which is that
it is the greatest love story ever told
and the reason why it is the greatest
love story ever told is clear in Genesis
when God makes creation he makes man and
woman Adam and Eve as we know them but
in Genesis
three Eve eats from the tree and when
she eats from the tree it disconnects
Adam and Eve from God so the Bible are
the many many stories and generations of
how God attempted and man attempted to
reconnect to one another and so God
decides at a certain point that the
attempt the Tabernacles and the Kings
that the people act for he decides that
he knows exactly what humanity needs but
it wasn’t like he just discovered this
because God is all-knowing right and so
I realized in Genesis 3 and 15 it became
clear that he had a plan in the works
all along in Genesis 3 and 15 God is
talking to the serpent after Eve and
Adam have eaten from the fruit and he
says I will put enmity between you and
the woman and between your seed and her
seed he shall bruise your head and you
shall bruise his heel those of you who
study or our theologians or pastors and
preachers know that this text is a
foreshadowing of the coming of Jesus
Christ when he says that her seed is
going to bruise the Serpent’s head it is
to say that this is just a temporary
triumph for you that even though it
looks like all is lost buried underneath
this defeat is a seed that lets you know
that there’s going to be a conversion
that takes place and as a result of the
conversion yes you did bruise the heel
of humanity but you will not have the
final say if I didn’t say anything else
that should be joy unspeakable for some
of us because it is a sign that even in
the midst of despair even in the midst
of what looks like temporary triumph on
the side of darkness that there is
always a seed buried in despair that has
a promise to our victory and so I’m
studying and I’m in Matthew 27 and as
in Matthew 27 I realized that this point
in the text is pivotal because it is
another time in which darkness or the
Pharisees or the enemy appears to have a
temporary triumph over God’s plan the
only reason why it appears this way
though is because man is looking at it
not realizing that God was going to use
even that moment to have victory there
was a temporary triumph for the
Pharisees so when Jesus begins his
ministry at the age of thirty he is
performing miracles he’s healing the
sick the lame are walking the blind can
see the Deaf can hear all of these
miraculous things are happening that are
making people realize that they still
have access to power that God still has
love for his people and this excitement
has started to create such a ruckus that
the Pharisees are upset you see because
the one thing that happens when you’re
being effective is not just that you
become famous but that it makes a people
uncomfortable who are in position Jesus
was not looking to be famous though that
was a symptom of what his purpose was
what he was seeking more than anything
was to be effective man I wonder if we
changed our in-goal to just being
effective how much little validation we
would need from other people because it
wasn’t about whether or not I became
famous or whether or not you applauded
it was just about whether or not I was
effective did I do what God told me to
do did I say what God told me to say I
didn’t get the job I didn’t get the gig
it didn’t work out the way that I wanted
to but I won because I did what God told
me to do and so now I’m just waiting to
see what is next because I am only
effective I am only successful when I do
what God says to do I’m not successful
when I have a million dollar check I
just have more money
I’m not successful just because I’m a
household name I’m just famous what I
want more than anything is to be
effective and what God created me to do
and everything else is just a symptom
but what matters most is that I am
effective and so Jesus is effective and
what he has been called to do and Jesus
in the process of completing his mission
recognizes that the outcome should be
people who understand that though I am
in my human form my human form is just
the casing that holds my divinity so
Jesus isn’t just trying to get people to
look at him he’s trying to pass their
humanity and into their divinity so that
they too can become well if I’m not
careful I will make my existence about
what you can see when what I should do
is use what you see to get you to what
you cannot see which is that I’m not
just gifted and talented but God saved
my life
in such a way that I had no choice but
to produce in but to create and it just
so happens that I create on a different
level because it’s been kissed by God
and because it’s been kissed by God
people stand and take notice that I’m
not innovating anybody I’m just doing
and when I do my things things happen so
my goal each and every day is God showed
me how to use this humanity to reveal
divinity and my friendships in my
relationships and my job in my finances
how can I do something today that
reveals you to the world and Jesus was
not just performing miracles he was
imparting his power and his spirit I
know this because when the woman with
the issue of blood crawled and found her
way to Jesus and finally touched the hem
of His garment she didn’t he didn’t just
say someone received a miracle he said I
felt power go out of me you see the
difference between the pharisees and
jesus is that the pharisees wanted to
remain in control they want it to be the
only one seated at the table but Jesus
came to expand the table so that there
could be more seats for the sequel’s
that were coming after him because if I
get in position and I only make sure
there’s enough room for me than I did
something wrong but if I get the job so
that I can show people that people who
look like me can be in position then I
didn’t just get the job so I could be
great I got the job so that I could
create legacy for everything connected
to me I’m on a mission and I’m not
satisfied if there’s only room for me at
the table and that’s thinking like Jesus
and when we find Jesus in the text he’s
in this in-between stage and the
Pharisees are in this in-between stage
and what they’re in-between at this
moment is the fact that Jesus is out of
the picture he’s been crucified
everybody saw it his life has come to an
end and the Pharisee
are hoping that now that Jesus is out of
the picture that things can go back to
the way they were before he started
performing miracles they thought that
because we got him out of the way all we
need to do now is to finish what he
started because we don’t want his
disciples to come and take his body away
and then make people start believing and
hoping and having faith again what we
want is for things to go back but see
what the Pharisees are going to learn is
something that many of us already know
in this room and that is that there are
some things that happen that so
radically change who you are and how you
see the world and how you engage in the
world that they can never go back to
being the way they were before there are
some things that you’re never going to
get back you’re never going to be able
to go back to being the person you were
before the heartbreak you’re never going
to go back to being the person you were
before you lost the job you’re never
going to go back to being the person you
were before you had the wound and the
scar and the pain and the tears you’ll
never go back to being the person you
were before you had to put that person
you loved in the ground you’ll never go
back and though that sounds like such a
bummer it’s actually good news because
I’m armed with the wisdom and the
strength and the instincts and the
anointing and the resilience that I
would have never had had I never
experienced that before and now I’m not
afraid of what’s next because I’ve
already survived the worst thing I
thought that I could ever go to and if I
came back
on the other side of that I don’t have
to be afraid about what tomorrow holds
because yesterday almost took me out but
I’m still here it’s never going to go
back it’s never going to go back to
being what it used to be it’s never
going to go back and that’s okay because
the best sequels don’t replace already
taken place it creates a new story that
is built on the foundation that the old
story built and so my question to you as
you count down to 2019 is are you going
to leave some things behind in 2019 that
you need to create an epic sequel for
2019 let me say that again are you going
to leave some things behind in 2018 that
look like a temporary triumph for the
other side that God wants to use to help
you establish yourself in 2019 I’m going
somewhere at this point in the text the
Pharisees are in this position they’re
in this situation that I mentioned and I
love this because we know the end of the
story so I get to look at it from
different angles
I see how the Pharisees are straddling
the fence between things going back the
way they were or things possibly being
upset and the only thing that I kept
thinking to myself is all while they
were straddling the fence Jesus was in a
tomb that was converting into a wound
that would birth a new identity for him
okay so the enemy was trying the
Pharisees the enemy was trying to end
Jesus as they knew him and they were
successful because when God got finished
writing the story he wasn’t going to be
Jesus as they knew him he was going to
be Jesus the resurrected Savior let me
tell you why that’s good news for you is
because there have been some temporary
triumphs that look like defeats on your
end but triumph for someone else and the
only reason why it looks like defeat for
you is because you don’t realize that
you’re also being converted to and that
when it’s all said and done what looked
like temporary triumph or temporary
defeat for you is actually going to be
the eternal victory that you need god
help me say it what I’m saying is this
you are never going to go back to being
the person who suffered that defeat
again and that’s why you had to go
through that defeat in the first place
because now that you have gone through
that defeat a new version of yourself
can emerge which means that you don’t
have to be afraid of going through what
you went through in 2018 again because
what she went through in 2018 changed
you in such a way that you will never
have to worry about crying those same
tears again I lost the job but I learned
how to balance my checkbook so I’m never
going to be the person begging for money
again
there was something that happened to me
in defeat that I thought was a tomb but
turns out it was a womb so what they’re
waiting for or trying to prohibit rather
is Jesus coming back the way that he was
which is why I’m kind of against the
whole like new year new me thing a
little bit because I think you need the
same person who endured in 2018 to have
focus in 2019
I need her I need him he learned some
things in 2018 that I don’t want to just
close the door on and walk away from
I need the lessons that came in 2018
I need the heartbreak that came in 2018
I need the friends that I lost in 2018 I
need the friends that I gained in 2018
I need the reminder that people can walk
away from me but God will still be
faithful
I need the reminder that I don’t have to
look for my next check that he is my
provider because I thought I should have
lost the placement somehow in the
midnight hour I got a phone call that
didn’t even make sense I need that I
need to take that into 2019 I can’t
leave that behind
I know everyone is praying for the new
year but I’m praying that I taken this
year with me into the new year because
there are some invaluable lessons that I
learned that I cannot afford to just
walk away from save me new year say me
new wisdom say me new strength say me
new power say me new revelation say me
new one don’t say yeah I’m gonna say me
that year is new but I’m gonna say me I
can’t afford to change I wonder too much
hell to get into 2019 and acts brand new
I got a wisdom baby I got power baby
I got knowledge baby I learned
I love myself I learned how to receive
the love of the Savior I learned how to
lift my hands in worship I learned that
I could overcome my fears and
insecurities save me save me new year
new opportunities but it still still the
same man so the Pharisees think that
they can stop the plan and fort the
effectiveness of Jesus’s ministry by
placing a guard and rolling the stone
away on the outside they thought that an
external deterrent something that would
shake up the outside could change the
power of who was inside you see Jesus
was working on his sequel that’s why my
subject for this message is the sequel
because Jesus was working on his sequel
and I believe that you’re working on
your sequel and so we are connected to
Jesus in this moment and we are
connected to everything that he is
experiencing in this moment because we
are working on our sequel because we’re
not going to do the new year new me
thing we’re going to take everything
that we have learned into this next year
and produce a sequel which means that
the things that I endured this year that
were external deterrence to my destiny
that should have kept other people from
trying to come and see me that should
have kept people from believing in me
again really don’t have any effect on
what’s going to happen next because the
most powerful thing that took place in
2018 was happening on the inside just
like the most powerful thing that’s
happening in this text is not what the
Pharisees are planning for but what’s
happening on the inside of
the tomb and I just wonder how many of
us have decided to allow the temporary
defeats to become permanent and I wonder
how many of us are counting down the
days to 2019 because we can’t bear to
relive what happened this year and the
reason why I believe I was given this
message is because somebody it may not
be everybody but there is somebody who’s
going to leave a tomb in 2018 that God
wants to show you was really just a
woman that some of us have rolled the
stone over what is supposed to be our
purpose over what is supposed to lead us
to the next dimension of who we are I’m
never going to do that again I’m never
going to try to love again I’m never
going to start the business again the
bankruptcy hit me the job loss was too
much I’m never going to go forward again
I’m rolling the stone away in 2019 I’m
going to try something different I’m not
gonna risk being vulnerable I’m not
gonna put myself out there I’m rolling
this stone away not recognizing that if
you would allow something to take place
on the inside of you that would allow
you to receive every lesson and to
receive every wisdom and to cry every
tear of grief attached to your
experience then you can position
yourself properly to turn that tomb into
a womb there have been instances and
passages and I life this last quarter
that we thought was just like how was
this even happening we’ve been faithful
we’ve been serving I don’t even
understand why door after door is
closing unexpected doors unexpected
transitions shaking things up and there
was something that happened within the
last two to three weeks where we
realized I needed that
I need I really needed that your tone
becomes a womb when you can look at what
hurts you and say to yourself I needed
that I needed that I needed that it made
me uncomfortable I didn’t think I was
going to make it but now that I look
back on it I had faith in the wrong
things
that I was worshipping a relationship
when I should have been serving God that
I was chasing this idea of money in the
pain when I should have had my heart
surrendered asking God how I can serve
his people and that’s why I didn’t get
the gig and that’s why I wasn’t ready
for the job I needed that I needed them
to walk away from me I needed them to
hurt me I needed that I really needed
that I really needed that tear I really
needed that pain I really needed that
disappointment I know it sounds crazy
because some people in this room have
gone through some things that they
didn’t want and certainly don’t need but
I’m telling you the mindset of victory
says though you slay me yet shall I
trust in him Jesus needed the cross so
that he could be resurrected
I needed that cross I needed every cross
that 20:18 hung me on I needed every
weapon in every lesson that 20-18 gave
me because it is the foundation and what
God will create my sequel and I got to
make sits of this mess and the only way
I can do it is to see a sequel and to
see a conversion everywhere I saw pain
so what we’re talking about is a
conversion where Jesus goes from his
human form and to his spirit form the
crucifixion pushed him into his divinity
that pain
push you into divinity I know sometimes
we think it pushed us to a drink or it
pushed us to go clubbing but the fact
that you hear on Sunday in Los Angeles
means that she went through some things
that pushed you into divinity I didn’t
just get here by myself
life shook me up in such a way oh I feel
that church girl trying to boil up down
on the inside of me because I didn’t
just get to become your pastor I had to
go through some things I had to wear
some scarves and then all of a sudden I
got pushed into the divinity all of a
sudden I got pushed into anointing I got
pushed into my purpose I got pushed into
a marriage I got pushed into a family I
got pushed into everything that God had
for me all because I learned how to be
crucified and since ma’am all because I
learned to me receive that defeats were
only temporary I got pushed into this I
will give you ten seconds to really get
yourself together in this place like you
got pushed into the version of who you
are I got pushed into financial
responsibility nobody handed
anything nobody did anything for me I
got pushed into where I am I got pushed
here I got pushed here I got pushed here
and every time I push t-birds something
down on the inside of me that I should
have never had access to I got pushed
into humility I got pushed into this
arena I got pushed here and when I got
pushed she made a lane for me and now I
do what I do like no one else can do it
because it was made for me and I was
made for it and I got pushed until I got
here
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
God’s not picking on you God’s not
disappointing you I feel something about
to break loose in this place God has not
turned his back on you you are not
forsaken you are not forgotten you are
being pushed into divinity like never
before
cry those tears baby because when they
get right up you ain’t gonna never be
that person again shake it off baby
shake it off baby shake it off baby
good thing was coming I hear
haven’t seen ears haven’t heard
that things that he had
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
you gonna have to do better than that
you gonna have to do better than that
it’s pushing season
I’m breaking up with my doubts I’m
breaking down with my fears it’s
question season
it’s break through see
I’m gonna make them
I’m gonna write the book
back the flames pushing season
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
let me tell you why the Pharisees were
nervous because they had one but their
one was not secured they knew Jesus
still had time to change the tide they
knew that Jesus still had time to upset
the culture they knew that Jesus still
had time to figure something out and
they were trying to keep him from
recognizing that he still had time and
they were trying to keep the disciples
from recognizing that they still had
time they thought that it was December
30th 2018 and that everyone would be
moving into 2019 but I hear God saying
there’s something that I want to do for
you in 2018 but I know it’s only one day
left but one day
because why they went within the cordon
the two he was getting ready to be
raised up again
Oh
with me
you
give me the idea you can still help me
release bitterness you still got time
you still got time with me it’s one more
day it’s one more business say left in
this year and Jesus still got business
to do I feel like preaching
they’re like ugly girl preaching
innocently
business day
Leoni
I got one more name to set the
foundation for the greatest seagull that
will ever be the 2019 I got one more day
to set the stage I got one more day to
change my life I got one more day to get
the ball rolling I got one more day to
get the music out one more day one more
day touch your neighbor you got one more
day you got one more day
one Monday the resurrected – one Monday
to forgive who hurts you one more day to
walk into something new one Monday for
new identity one more day was not a
radical fringe
one more day for my story
[Music]
so the conversion happens when we carry
our crosses and carry our tombs to God
and say you are the only one who can
take what humanity killed and transform
it into something that can never die and
this year humanity tried to kill some
things on the inside of me I was trying
to be a person of integrity and then
find out that everyone around me was
lying and now I’m wondering what the
point is I was trying to do things the
right way and everyone I thought was
going to help me turn their back on me
and now I don’t trust anybody at all
humanity has tried to kill some things
in me this year humanity tried to tell
me I wasn’t good enough I wasn’t smart
enough I wasn’t skinny enough I wasn’t
black enough I wasn’t wide enough
humanity tried to kill some things for
me and God you are the only one who can
take what humanity tried to kill and
turn it into that which is untouchable
I need a conversion
and this sequel is going to be what God
has called it to be
I need a conversion and if you are in
this room and you know that there are
some tools that you rolled the stone
away and you set a guard in front of you
said I’m never I’m never gonna count on
that again I’m never going to open
myself up to that again I’m never gonna
do it again because the last time I did
it it hurt too badly but as I was
speaking and you know specifically I
don’t know who you are you know exactly
what I’m talking about that you were
trying to give up on but you also know
that God wants to bring back to life but
you recognize that you are the only
thing that is standing in the way I dare
you to bring not just yourself but
you’re tuned to this altar because God
wants to give us a divine exchange in
this place God wants to create a
conversion like never before God wants
to show you what he can do with your
brokenness God wants to show you what he
can do with that disappointment God
wants to show you what he can do with
that heartbreak
God is the tomb and I’ve been waiting to
leave it in 2018 but it is that tomb
that will be the foundation that he uses
to catapult you into 2019 so you can’t
afford to leave it behind and you can’t
afford to walk away like it never
happened you can’t afford to bury it any
longer it’s got to come back up it’s got
to come back up and you have to be
willing to grieve the tomb the disciples
weren’t worried about how they were
going to get Jesus’s body out of there
because they were grieving that they had
lost something and in the middle of them
grieving what they thought they had lost
they received a newer better improved
version of him you can’t access this
conversion unless you’re willing to
grieve and there’s some people in this
room who haven’t even said ouch
people walked away from you things
didn’t work out and you said I’m strong
I’m tough I don’t need them I can handle
that I got this but she don’t got it
baby cuz you hear and all while I’ve
been speaking it keeps coming up to your
mind and I just want you to know that
that’s okay because God wants you to
expose your weakness so that he can give
you his strength because there is
nothing more beautiful than his strength
partnered with our weakness that
when miracles take place that is when
lives are changed that’s when
transformation happens and so god I
expose every area of my life where there
is a weakness areas that I know and
don’t know because I want to be
partnered with you in every area of my
life maybe you’re here and you said I
don’t even really know why I’m here
because I don’t believe in God and I’m
not sure about Jesus but for some reason
this message has been speaking to me and
I’m not saying that I’m ready to be a
Christian or a Holy Roller but I do want
to accept this tug that has taken place
in my heart I want to acknowledge that
something is happening in this room that
I can’t describe and don’t fully
understand I want to challenge you to
come down to this altar as well you are
in the perfect place because none of us
have it figured out but all of us keep
responding to this call this nudge this
urge and it is just rolled into
something that leaves us standing in awe
and wonder I want you to lift your hands
at this altar
[Music]
because your hands lifted it’s a sign of
surrender and we’re not just here to
look good we’re here to make a surrender
and as I’m praying I want you to bring
to mind everything in your life that you
know you need to surrender I’ve got a
lust problem I got a drug problem I
can’t get these thoughts out of my head
I need I need to surrender I can’t
forgive I’ve got bitterness I need it to
surrender and so my hands are lifted and
I’m holding the weight that I need God
to take control of God I thank you for
every hand that is lifted in this room
that as their hands are lifted and as
they offer these tombs up to you that
you’re smiling from heaven because
you’ve been waiting for this moment I
feel that for somebody God has been
waiting for this moment where you would
finally admit that you don’t have it all
together
I hear heaven rejoicing and angels
dancing because for the first time in a
long time you’re gonna get back up that
you need you’re gonna give the love that
you’ve been waiting for you’re gonna get
the support that you mama couldn’t give
you
your father couldn’t give you so spirit
of the Living God I ask that you fall
fresh in this place that you will
saturate our hearts and minds like never
before that you would help us to have
peace and understanding and wisdom
regarding these tombs god help us to see
who we became as a result of the trouble
we endure god help us to recognize the
strength that we now have access to that
we didn’t have before the wisdom and the
fortitude that we could have only had
had we had this tomb and so God as you
begin to birth the next dimension of
every soul in this room god I proclaim
prophetically that their best days are
ahead of them that you only have plans
to prosper them and not to harm them God
get ready to blow their mind because
they’re ready
god I acts I practice I write
in the name of Jesus that as you build
these walls down that you are gonna
erect a monument of your grace that
their lives are gonna be a testimony of
the transformational power of Jesus
Christ that they will be the best see of
this generation has ever seen goddamn
you’re gonna do it in anybody do it in
the hearts of these be
Weesa religion you all regard that you
are and we say have your way like never
before
[Music]
and may we overflow and become a
blessing to everyone we encountered in
Jesus name Amen can you repeat after me
Heavenly Father I received this word I
received the truth I received the power
I received the wisdom
attached to every wound I forgive those
who hurt me
I embrace those you have sent me
position me to be a teacher and a
student that I may learn from you and
share with all
may your grace overflow in every area of
my life and consume all that I touch and
Jesus name
and then a man can you celebrate with me
[Applause]
can you celebrate life you recognize the
conversion has taken place
can you celebrate like this sona’s
[Music]