Make Room - Week 2: Expect More

 

Hey. Hey. Y'all doing okay? So grateful that you're here. So grateful that you joined us. Whether you're in the building or online, I'm so grateful that you have taken this time out, ten o'clock Central Standard Time to just be with us and worship the Lord. I'm so honored that we get to upset your world and turn it upside down with the message, love, and hope of Jesus Christ.

I'm as turnt as I was last week. If you have your Bibles, please go to the book of Acts Chapter 3. You've been greeted well. We've waved at our visitors. I'm ready to work. Book of Acts Chapter 3. Reading from the New Living Translation of the Bible. I want to read 11 verses in your hearing, and then we'll pray and see what the Holy Spirit would do. If this is your first time, you have caught us in the second week of what we feel is a prophetic season for Embassy City.

God gave us two words, make room, and so that's what we're doing. Just making room for the Holy Spirit to do what He wants to do in every part of our lives. The Acts of the Holy Spirit through the apostles, called it by its full title. Chapter 3:1, here's what it says, "Peter and John went to the temple one afternoon to take part in the three o'clock prayer service. As they approached the temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going in to the temple.

When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, "Look at us." That would be a little disrupting. If I'm the lame man, those three words with a exclamation mark. I would be like, "Why are you so loud? Sir, I was just asking for some money." The lame man looked at them, eagerly expecting some money, but Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold for you, but I'll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene."

Called him by his name and his address. Get up and walk. Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. As he did the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk. Then walking, leaping, and praising God he went into the temple with them. All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar that they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded.

They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon's Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John. I want to draw your attention to the fifth verse. The fifth verse is what got me. I've preached this so many times throughout the years. This is the wonderful thing I love about the Bible, it keeps speaking. It's the only book that's alive. If you've ever been to a hair salon or a barbershop, they still got magazines from late '80s, early '90s. Bobby and Whitney's marriage, and you're like, "No, that's not current. She gone."


Y'all didn't know? Y'all just found out? Did I just break the news to you? Did you still think she was alive? I'm giving them time to grieve. I just want them to-- I guess they didn't know. Acts 3:5, it's very, very interesting. The man looked at them eagerly expecting some money. It is my assignment to preach from the sermon this morning, expect more. You need to expect more. Last week was pray for more. This week, you need to expect more.

Bow your heads, let's pray, shall we? Holy Spirit, help us to expect more. Amen. Peter and John have formed a friendship that would remain for the rest of their lives. They were called by Jesus to become His disciples. They did not seek out membership or discipleship. The thing that they have in common is the fact that Jesus chose them. That while they were going about their daily lives, doing their daily task out of nowhere, Jesus shows up and just happens to choose them.

"Would you follow me? Would you walk with me?" Oh, what an adventure they would go on as Jesus' disciples. Peter, and John have a shared experience with the Messiah in that they remember the adventures that they didn't know they were signing up for when they decided to follow Jesus. Anybody beside myself said yes to Jesus, His will and His way, and you had absolutely no clue that you were signing up for the adventure of a lifetime?

Did you realize maybe several weeks or several months into your salvation experience that this was not all that you thought it was cracked up to be? That you had some more drama pop off in your life than even before you got saved, you started having more friction in relationships, and even when before you got saved, you started struggling with yourself, stuff that you used to love doing, you are now in conflict with yourself, you're actually upset with the Holy Spirit.

You mad that you convicted. Anybody besides me, you gave your life to Jesus, and you used to like doing that stuff, and then one day you're like, "Why am I crying? I don't understand. I love this," but the person in you don't like it, and the person in you took over, fully took over, got the title deed to the property, said, "This is not what I want going on in my house anymore." Now you mad, because you liked the drinking, and you liked smoking, and you felt good holding that grudge, because you felt justified.

Every time you got quiet before you put your head on the pillow, the Holy Spirit is right there like, "I need to talk to you about that anger," and you're like, "Not tonight."

You thought you could sleep it off until you woke up in the morning and realize he was right there as soon as the alarm clock went off. "I still need to talk to you about that anger," and you're like, "I got work to do." The Holy Spirit is like, "You're never on time to work. We have enough time to talk." It's a drastically different thing, and the only people that you can bond with are people that understand you, and the only people that understand you are the same people that got influenced by the same person you were influenced by.

Peter and John have formed this bond because they get each other, they both walk with Jesus. They both went through the same ups and downs. Both Peter and John were there on the day that he was transfigured. Both Peter and John were there on the day that he was wrestling with obeying the will of his father. Peter and John were both there. They couldn't stay awake, but they were both there. When Mary came back and said that the body of their Messiah was gone, they raced to the tomb.

In John's account he would let you know who won. "I got there first, I'm faster than Peter." If Peter gives the account he'll tell you, "But I'm the one that went into the tomb first. Even though the young person got their first, I was bold enough to step in and see what was going on." They just have this shared experience, they were both in the upper room and the Holy Spirit fell. Now being filled with the Holy Spirit and going about their lives empowered by the Holy Spirit ready to do these amazing things, they go to the temple to pray. This was not an early morning prayer service, this was actually three o'clock in the afternoon.

I love the fact that they were praying people, understanding that there is nothing that will come from heaven to earth without prayer. You're not going to be able to hope it in, you're not going to be able to wish it in. The only way that we get things from heaven to earth manifested in the earth is if somebody is praying. You got to have a prayer life. The reason why I can pray quick on Sunday mornings because I pray all week long. I've been talking to my Dad, so I don't have to get up here and try to convince Him to be with me.

In a 10 minute prayer before I get started on my sermon, why? I've been talking to my Daddy all week. Anybody here beside me love having a good talk with your Dad? That you can access Him in prayer on your lunch break, in the middle, in between calls when you have to call center before that next boom hits you in the ear, you can be like, "Father God in the name of Jesus almost killed the last customer that cussed me out. I need new mercy, right? New mercy, right? New mercy, Jesus." Boom, thank you for calling Nissan Motor acceptance Corporation, how may I assist you today?

You need Him all the time, you have access to Him all the time. You don't have to put Him on the calendar. He's in your heart and He's ready for the conversation. You don't have to try to get his attention. All you have to do is say, "Daddy," and He's like, "Yes." You're not sitting there for 10 minutes, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy Daddy." Why? He's already there. These young, these men went in to have this prayer time. They run into a situation walking into the temple that had been consistently there for a very long time.

I don't know if they ever saw this man before. I don't know if they had ever seen him going to the temple prior, but this particular day was different. This lay man that we know from Acts 4, had been like this for over 40 years. This wasn't like a young person, this is a middle-aged man who had been lame from birth, and because of his lameness, he has some issues, because of his physical disability, he was not able to access society, and his world in the same way that someone else was accessing the world.

One of the strategic things that either he or his team came up with, his family or his friends was, "Well, you know what, there's some generous people down at the church, and if we strategically placed you in a position in front of the temple, you can probably get some assistance from the people going in," because you know them church people, they are some nice people. Oh, man, that every time we go there, they got to sign out and they got greeters at the door and they're like, "Hey, I'm so glad you're here."

They're just really nice people, perhaps they'll give you some money. Every single day they brought this man to the temple. Not just anywhere at the temple, they brought him to the Beautiful Gate. The reason why this gate was called Beautiful is because it was a very extravagantly decorated gate. Huge bronze overlaid with silver and gold, it was the spectacle. If you're going to come through any door, that's the door you want to come through. You want to make an entrance, that's the entrance you want to come through.

That was a door, this was a gate, it was gorgeous. Most people usually pick that way to come in because it was so attractive. Yet what was laid before that gate many people would call unattractive. There's a dichotomy in between the beauty of the gate, maybe the discomfort of this man's situation. There he stood as people walked into the temple just asking for ohms, asking for some money. The people that were generous, reached in their pocket, gave him some money, and walked in to pray.

Next group of people came in, saw the man's condition, heard him, didn't really look at him, and they just gave him some money, and then they walked in to pray. A family of five walked in, they look good this weekend, got the kids some new sneakers, and the young lady got on her favorite outfit, and the dad and mom look amazing, and they walk in to pray, and see this man's situation, and they just give him some money and walk in. This is prayer time, nobody brought the man into the prayer service.

They dropped him off at the entrance to the prayer service. Maybe we need to learn something from this, because they dropped him off in front of the entrance to the prayer service where the presence of God was. Nobody thought, "We need to bring him inside." No, it never dawned on anybody that we might need to get this guy inside and pray for him. The people didn't have an expectation which means this man adjusted his expectation. Since it's clear that you can't believe from my situation, then it's clear I shouldn't believe from my situation.

Since you don't know what to do with my situation, I guess I'll just resort to what I think should be done for my situation. Can I have some money? He never asked for prayer. I've seen these church people go in and out long enough to know that they may not believe what they praying for, or maybe they're so focused on their own needs. They can never look up and see my need, which is actually greed. If you only came here today for you, you came for the wrong reason.

The only reason why you got up in the morning was, "I got to come get a word from God. God needs to speak to me today." No, no, no. When you get in a community where everyone's sold out for Jesus, you can be believing for something, and the person down the road from you can be believing for something and if God meets their need and didn't meet your needs, you go crazy like He did meet your need.

That's what happens when you really start growing up as a believer in Jesus Christ, is that you're not coming to church on the weekends hoping that your ticket gets punched, you're just coming in to see a move of God, and whether it happens for you or for me, I will still give God praise. If God gives you a breakthrough, I'm going to praise God like He gave me the breakthrough, because I know that God is not a respecter of persons, and so if he did it for you, He will surely do it for me.

I don't have God on the clock, so whether you want to do it this week, next week, 2024, 2027, I will still be here whenever you decide to do it, because I know you're not going to give it to me until I can hold it. I know you're not going to give it to me until I can receive it, and hold on to it, and steward it correctly. Let me remind some people in here that the things that you're believing God for have not been held up. You are not late.

There's seasons to the things that God wants to do in your life. Your anointing doesn't have an expiration date. Somebody needs to write that down. Your anointing does not have an expiration date, but it does have a start date. I call to the witness stand David, who was anointed as a teenage boy by Samuel. Some 15 years before he would become king, he already had the oil on his head, but the oil on his head just let him know there's an anointing on you, because that's all anointing means is God's approval.

God's approved you to do something. "When, God?" "A decade from now." "When, God?" "25 years from now." You're going to step into something 25 years from now that is going to blow people's mind. "Why I got to wait so long?" "Because I said so." Lord, have mercy. I felt that thing. We need to get that back into the culture of a prophetic word. When God says He wants to do something. Just like my parents are sitting right there on the front row, and there were days when my dad would say something to me, I would ask him something.

I would say, "Dad, can I do this?" He would say no. In those few times, notice, I said few, because I didn't give those people grief, in those few times when my maturity relapsed, the best way I can say it, and I would ask the question, "Why not?" In those times where they didn't have the bandwidth for context, see how pretty I'm making this thing. They're right there. I'm not done. In those times that they didn't have the bandwidth for context, the reply would simply be, "Because I said so."

My immediate response was, "Okay." Sometimes details kill. Feeling something. Talking to all the people in the room that want to know why. "I don't understand why. You gave me this word, you opened these doors, but then you closed these doors, I want to know why," because He said so. I just want to know when is it going to happen again? I want to know how it's going to work and He's like, "I'm not telling you that." "Why?" "Because I said so."

If I told you, you wouldn't do it. If I told you what you had to go through between now and there, just to be conditioned for what I want to give you, you'd run away right now. I don't need why, I just need obedience. Let me tell you something about obedience. Do you know that you were never supposed to learn by experience? "I just need to go out there and try it out. Everybody telling me what not to do. You don't know me. I'm 22 now, mom, I got my own place, I need to get out here and I need to experience the world.

I need to make my own mistakes. You cannot just continue to restrain me, mom. It's not about you anymore. God's doing something in me," but she has the wisdom of hindsight. She knows what it did to her, and she's trying to save you from what she know it's going to do to you, but you think that experience is your best teacher. According to scripture, experience is not your best teacher. Faith is. God told Adam and Eve, "Don't touch that tree, because in the day that you touch it, you will surely die."

They were never supposed to experience what it meant to be disconnected from God. Do you know why they weren't supposed to experience that? God set it up for them to live by faith. What should have happened in Genesis 3, when the Serpent came to Eve and said, "Did God say you couldn't eat of every tree?" She should have said, "He sure did. Actually, that's not exactly what he did, but this is what you like to do, Satan. You like to come in and twist God's words around.

He didn't say we couldn't eat off every tree. He said we couldn't eat off that tree, sir. He said in the day that we eat that tree, we'll surely die. I don't know what death feels like or sounds like because I've just been alive, I just woke up one day and I was alive. I wasn't even a baby. I was just alive the whole time I've been here, I just know I've been alive. What I do know, though, is that God who created everything in here knows better than me, so if He says I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I ain't touching it." End of story.

Then she should have went back to Adam and said, "Adam, I saw a little serpent in the garden today. Beautiful little creature, but it talked, and that was weird. I don't know where it came from, how it got here. What I want you to know, honey, is that it asked me if I wanted to eat from the knowledge of the Tree of Good and Evil. What I said back was, Dad said we would die if we eat that tree, so we're not eating that tree," to which Adam would have responded, "Where he at?"

Then Adam would have been out there and he would have said, "Hey, man. I don't know why you just rolling up on my wife without me. We are one. You don't try to come in and to split us up. You're going to talk to her, homeboy, you're going to have to talk to me at the same time, partner. The intel I have on you, little slimy serpent little thing, is that you were in heaven somewhere up there where Dad's original realm is, but then He wanted us to govern here, and you disrespected Dad so hard that you got thrown out of heaven and you licked dirt.

You're looking for access back into a dominion that you control and you thought splitting us up was going to give it to you, but he told me I could put you up under my feet." Why are we not eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? By faith we believe we'll die. Your baby was never supposed to learn that the stove was hot by touching it. What training is this for life? "I have a two-year-old. It's time to unlock the cabinets, put the Draino out.

They're going to have to learn. They're going to have to learn at some point. Just leave everything out and let them learn by experience that poison will kill them." They're only going to learn that lesson once. When you have a child, you literally try to recreate Eden. Ask any loving parent what happens when you get ready to have your first child. You recreate Eden. You try to make it the most innocent, pure place, the most non-dangerous place in the whole wide world.

Why? You don't want them to learn from experience, you want them to learn by faith. Don't touch the stove, honey, because it's hot. If we didn't have that sinful nature, even babies, because that's all babies are, cute sinners. That's all they are. I don't care how cute your baby is, that joker was born in sin. He is going to lie before he tells the truth. I hate to disappoint you. Wouldn't it be amazing if it was like, "Don't touch the stove, it's hot," and they went, "Okay."

"Don't eat up all them cookies." "Okay." "Go to bed on time." "Okay." Lord, have mercy. Even as I'm saying it, it is blessing me, because none of my kids do that. That felt great in my chest. What have we done to the expectation of the House of God? When we're walking past people's needs to see if we can get ours fulfilled today. When we would casually glance in the direction of somebody that's in need in our churches and just go by and go, "I can't do nothing about that."

It calibrates the expectation of the people that are not mature enough to know what they should be coming to church to believe God for. I'm not even coming into his presence, I'm just going to stay on the outskirts, ask for money. On this particular day, according to the text that we read, they ran into the wrong two dudes, or the right two dudes, because Peter and John were on their way into the temple to pray. I don't know what they were believe in God for that day, I don't know what expectations they had.

Peter had just preached his first sermon, 3,000 people got saved. He had the first megachurch. I don't know if he was like, "We need to go to prayer, because I don't know what to do with all these people." I don't know what was on his mind, I don't know what was on John's mind, but they weren't in a rush so much that they didn't notice this man. Understand what I mean by notice, not just saw him, but stopped and engaged with him.

They walked in and they saw the guy, and the guy was like, "Hey, do y'all have any money?" Peter and John stopped. Scripture says, "He looked at them intently." They looked at him intently. Now, this has always been humorous to me, because I know what an intentional look feels like. You ever caught somebody intentionally looking at you? Not just you connect eyes with somebody like, "Hmm." "Hmm." Right? I'm talking just--

Like you know I'm looking at you. Your whole body just-- All these people in here, you know I'm not looking over your head, you know I'm looking right at you. Isn't it a beautiful thing when somebody gives you the attention you deserve? That no matter how many other people are around, I am completely locked in to you. Looked at him intently, which means that when you give somebody an intentional look, you are assessing the situation.

I'm not giving you a tangible glance. "You're doing okay? Okay, bye-bye." "Hey, how are you?" When they get ready to tell you, they're like, "That's good. Bye." You didn't even get the chance to say, "Truth is I'm tired." You were about to go there, but then they were like, "Bye." They looked at him intently. It was almost like they were trying to discern, "God, what does he really need? I know what he's asking for, but what he's asking for may not be what he actually needs."

They're looking at him intently. They're looking down at the man, the man's looking up at them. They're looking down at the man, the man's looking at them. It could've been even awkward, because he's just like-- "I'm not sure. Are you thinking about giving me some money? I don't know. Did I make you mad by my request? I'm here every day. I didn't just show up, sir." He's looking at him intently and then he goes, "Look at us."

Oh, Jesus. If I had been the lame man, I would've been like, "I'm so sorry. Seems like you all have something to do. I don't want to be in the way of what it is you came to do. Please forgive me." He said, "Look at us," and so he looked eagerly like, "Oh, snap, I got somebody's attention. It's not just somebody walking by, just throwing something in the can and walking in." These people actually stopped, said, "Look at us."

Scripture says, "He looked at them eagerly like--" [gasps] Scripture says, "Expecting some money." Out of all the things that he could've been expecting, he only focused on one thing, money. Even though I'm lame, if I've got enough money, at least I'll feel better about my situation. If I had enough money-- Maybe I can't make any of my physical traits go away, but at least if there's enough money in the bank account, I'll feel all right about it.

If I can just cover my basic necessities, food, clothing and shelter, maybe I won't believe God for anything more than that. God, if you could just take care of the bare minimum in my life, I'd be all right. He expected money. We live in a culture that says that if you just had enough money, everything will be fine. Do you know how many people have money and everything is not fine? You can just pick up a People Magazine and thumb through it.

Before you get to page 20, divorce, overdose, incarceration, nervous breakdown, rehab check-in, and these people got money. They've got more money than everybody in his bank accounts combined. Give me one superstar that made one Marvel movie between what they got paid for the movie in the back end, they're set for life and drinking themselves into a stupor every night with enough money to solve all of the natural problems.

You do know you could be lame in more than one place. Before we just completely locked in on the physical disability, you can have an emotional disability, a relational disability. You can have a spiritual disability that impairs you to the point that you don't know what you actually need. Instead of expecting something which would at least took the parameters off a little bit, he expected money. I'm so glad Peter and John were broke.

I have never been so happy to read any story in my whole life where somebody's pockets were flat, because by them not having what he needed, thank you Holy Spirit, by them not having what he wanted, they got to focus specifically on what he needed. They're looking at this dude, he expects some money. Peter's response is, "I don't have what you're expecting." Now, I want you to think about how generous he was in his response, because he should've said, "I don't have any dinar for you today."

He literally said, "If I don't have any silver or gold to give you--" First of all, Peter, you're extravagant. That man asked for some money. We know dinar is one of the currencies that was used in that day and you're saying you would've given this man silver and gold. You're real nice. He said, "I don't have what you need, and if I did have it, the way I would give it to you is completely different than the way that other people might've gave it to you. They would've given you a couple of coins. I would've set you up."

That's generosity. He goes, "I do have something. What I have I think is better than what you're asking for." This is why I want you to expect more, because when you expect more than the thing you think you need to get out of the situation you are in, you open up a channel for heaven to go, "Oh, they stopped being specific. I now get to come in there in the way and deal with the issue that's really the problem."

Think about it, if this guy gets money, does it change his situation? His physical situation, does it change at all? It doesn't change. They said, "We don't have any silver or gold, but we do have something. Let me give you his name and his address." The reason why I think it was important to say the Nazarene, is because the word was still out there. Is there anything good that can come out of Nazareth? I just want you to know that the best thing I can give you came from the worst place that you thought was in your city.

Jesus Christ the Nazarene, in the name of that name. Not my name, because I don't want you to get it twisted later, and be coming back and saying, "Peter and John healed me," because we didn't. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. This is where it gets amazing. He reaches down his hand and helps to get him up. He doesn't just say, "Get up," and the guy gets up. He helps him up. It's not just that he looked at him, it's that he put his hand out to help him up.

I'm not going to give you something that's going to be a temporary fix, but I will help you in a way that's permanent. I'm only going to have to lift you up one time. After this, you're not going to actually need anybody's hand to get up no more. As he was lifting him up, which took an act of faith on the lame man's part. As he was lifting him up, scripture says the atrophy in his muscles. You talking about a creative miracle. It's not just that he was healed from his lameness, and then had to go to rehab, because you never walked before. You got to learn how to walk. If you've never taken a step before, then you're going to need some rehab in order to do that, God said, "I don't have-- The blessing I'm about to give you, you don't have time for rehab.

I'm going to do it all in one motion. I'm going to restore everything in one motion. I'm going to heal you in one motion. I'm going to set you free in one motion. That way when you get up, you don't have to walk like this. You going to get up and walk with strength." He grabbed him. He started lifting him up and as he was lifting him up, the strength came to his ankles, and his legs, and his entire body. In one fell swoop as he's getting up, everything got strengthened as he was getting up.

I don't know who this is for, but God is saying, "I'm going to make you strong as you're getting up. I'm strengthening you as you are getting up. You've been laying down in the situation too long, but I'm telling you, when I say rise up and walk, as you are getting up, strength is coming to you as you begin to stand," and he stood up. He stood up. He's never walked before in his life, and he just went. Scripture says he began walking, then leaping, then praising God.

I'm going to go old school and say, touch somebody and say, there's levels to this, there's levels to this. I need to walk out the thing that I received first, but after I get used to that a couple of times I'm going to start leaping in that thing, because I can't believe that he even put me in a position to do something that I've never done before. After I get through leaping, don't get mad, I'm a have to shout. I know you like it when people are quiet, you didn't come and was raised in a situation where a lot of noise was being made, but after I finished walking and after I finished leaping, I'm going to have to open my mouth and shout.

I cannot keep this to myself. I cannot try to act like I been here before. I'm going to have to open up my mouth and shout. You may not have context to my shout, but you can get context to his walk. You may not have context of my leaping, but you can get context to my testimony. Thank you Holy Spirit. I can show you better than I can tell you. I know it looks crazy, I know it looks crazy. I know it looks crazy. I know it looks crazy. I know it looks crazy. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. He didn't just start walking, leaping and shouting at the gate.

He walked, leaped and shouted into the temple. This is the way he walked in. Everybody else walking in, "Do-do-do. Amen, it's Sunday, so excited. Oh my God. I love this song. Yes, Lord. It's amazing." Please understand I'm not coming after anybody's culture. I'm not coming after nobody's culture, because culture is amazing, and I experienced everything and everybody through their culture and it's amazing. I'm talking about no matter what kind of culture you're in, when somebody has had an experience that disrupts that culture, they didn't have time to get you context to it.

They didn't have time to check in with the elders about it. They hit the gate, and it was like-- Everybody on the inside are like, "Yes, Lord." They just came in and the first rush to judgment is, "What's wrong with them? We don't do that here. Oh my gosh. Just attention seeking. What's your problem? I'm trying to worship here." How you notice him? What you doing? Where are you at? Oh, you got plans, oh, don't say that. I'm by the throne.

You still alone. He's in a robe. I'm going home. When I'm in worship, I'm not checking for you, how are you checking for me? "I was trying to read the lyrics, and you just kept going by like this. I was trying to read the Bible and you just," focus. That's what I'm doing, but that walk, that they ran up in there and all the people turned around and they said-- This is the part that, ooh, pray for me. This is the part that got me heated. They looked at him and he went, "Oh, wow, is that the guy?"

You did see me? I had to wait for some people that have faith for my situation, but you remember me, because you see me every single day. Some of you have given money and some of you haven't, but you see me every single day and your response is, "That's the, oh my goodness. I can't believe you're up." At a prayer service, you can't believe God did it for you at a prayer service. You didn't believe God for miracles at a prayer service. See, I don't think that people that need to expect more it's just the man that was lame.

I think the people that were going in to pray need to expect more as well. God, I don't know how you want to do it. I don't know when you want to do it, but I expect you to do something that's completely different than anything that I've ever experienced. I'm expecting more. I expect more breakthroughs. I expect more healing. I expect more deliveries. I expect more levels. I expect it, and that's not putting an undue demand on God. That's not manipulation of God. Well, you can't be going into God. You can't be telling your Dad what you want. It's just an expectation.

I was driving here today with Nathan, and Nathan's my 13 year old. Noah is my 11 year old, today is his birthday, and I know you're watching the son. I love you so much, happy birthday to you. Can't wait to come home and listen to you play your bass, mommy bought him a bass, and it's amazing. We were driving down here and my son, I love talking to my boy, because when you just let them talk parents, when you just shut up, you get gold.

They'll just tell on themselves, they don't even know, they just running, "And then, and then, and then, and then, and then, and then--"

You're like, "Whoa, gosh." When they say something like crazy, don't even show emotion, just be like, "Oh, okay," and then just intel, you just trying to get, it's like a good interrogation. Like, "Yes, I'll use that later. You just gave me my next four things to pray for you about." Nathan said, "Dad," he already thinks about Christmas. "Dad, you know what I want for Christmas, if I get it, I want a VR headset. That's what I want for Christmas." He just starts talking about this VR headset. He has an expectation of something. He don't know if he's getting it or not.

He just thrown it out there. "I don't know what you going to do sir, I don't know what's in the account. I don't even know how my behavior leads into, but I'm just telling you what my expectations are." Do you have a list of things that you expect God to do? It can't just be money. That's all you wanted? You got a lame situation that you've had as long as you can remember, and the only thing you want is money? I got sexually abused at the age of eight, and I think money's going to fix that?

I need a breakthrough, I need healing, I need deliverance, I need God to do a creative miracle in my mind, I need him to remove that trauma brain so I can live in peace and not live in fear. I need something else. I expect more than that. I think it was prophetic that the worship team saying that bye-bye song, because everything about that mans movement said bye-bye to where he came from. Him walking into the temple was saying, "I'm not kicking it in front of the temple no more. The next time you see me, I'm going to be all deep up off in here." "Doing what?" "Walking, leaping and praising God." I'm going to say this and I promise I'll shut up.

This man is putting everybody on notice. "You saw how I came in here. Don't expect it to wear off anytime soon. Don't expect my memory to become so short that in three weeks from now, I'm like you. You saw how I introduced myself to you. You might just want to refer to me as that walking, leaping shouting dude to everybody that comes to the prayer service, because I won't stop doing this any time soon."

My worship on the weekends, listen you all I know what he's brought me from January 14th, 1996. It's like it was two days ago, so when I come in here and I get to see what God has done, they put that graphic on the screen. "Oh, we hit 1 million." I'm sitting here like, "1 million people wanted to-- What? They downloaded this?" That doesn't make me feel like, "Yes, we out here." It makes me feel like walking, leaping and praising God. I don't have time to get into it because I didn't read it, so I won't introduce it into the text.

The only people that were mad about this man's freedom where religious people, they didn't like that Jesus is the one that brought them this level of attention. The fact that they couldn't take credit for it, bothered them greatly. It's the reason why that million download marker is unbelievable, because we couldn't all done that. You all could've listened to every sermon 60 times a week. We weren't going to hit-- Church of 2,000 we ain't going to hit-- After pandemic we only seeing 700.

Everybody else was, "Hi, I love you. I know you're watching." "I love you. We're preparing for you. We're making room for you." There's no way we could have done that. The only people that get mad about stuff like that are religious people, "Can't believe he came in here, disrupting us like that." Do you expect more, because expecting more changes your paradigm of thinking. You start walking in something that you usually used to trip over, and you start going, "My life has changed. I don't need no money. I need a mindset. I need to expect more than external things. I need you to do a work in my heart."

Thank you Holy spirit. Somebody has just been mad. You've just been angry. You can't even shake it. It's like you snap at the slightest stuff. Anger is not your issue. It's the fruit of your issue. Your issue is unforgiveness, because you won't let them go. They're holding you hostage. Anger and bitterness is when you drink poison, expecting to die from that. Who is it? Who is it? Anger. You feel anger and it's like, "I can't let it go." I know this is crazy, but if that's you, I just want you to stand. If you feel like there's anger.

Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm so glad you all just popped up. Oh my God. Thank you. I'm going to pray for you right now. I'm not going to ask you to come forward and in community. I just want everybody that's around them to either stretch your hands, towards them. If you know them, and they give you permission, you can put your hands on them. Don't be weird. Don't be crazy. "I don't want no strangers touching me." If you came with somebody and they're right around you, but we're just going to pray, because God wants to free you from that.

Why get another promotion and you still mad? Why get into a relationship but you still pissed off? For what? God wants to free you because He has stuff that he wants to give you. Do, you know-- Thank you Holy spirit. The reason why He called this Make Room, and I don't know where He's going every weekend, I don't know when it's going to be over. I'm just going. When you get anger out of the way, you make room for some stuff. When you get anger out of your heart, you are making room for love to come in and peace to come in, long suffering to come in, self-control to come in.

He's going to free you from that, but it's an exchange. I first want to say that you're justified in your anger. I feel that from the Holy Spirit, you are justified in your anger. You're not just being petty. You're justified in your anger, because they hurt you, they robbed you, they stole something from you, they deceived you, they abused, they completely manipulated you, and then gaslight at you to make you think it was you. You're justified. God even commands you to be angry, "Be ye angry, but don't sin."

Anger informs you that there's something wrong.

Don't leave my son, I've got plans for you.

Say it again.

Don't leave my son, I've got plans for you.

Say it again.

Don't leave my son, I've still got plans for you.

Yes. Father, God, right now in the name of Jesus, I thank you for every single one of your sons and daughters that instantaneously popped up. I thank you, Lord God right now in Jesus name that you are taking anger out of their hearts. Not because it didn't hurt, but because they're letting it go. Thank you Holy Spirit that right now they are letting go of anger. It's just something you have to give up. You can't hold it. You just have to release it. God as they released that anger, I pray right now in Jesus' name that You would fill their heart with love, that You would fill their heart with forgiveness, that you would fill their heart with long-suffering, that You would fill their heart with peace, that You would fill their heart with self-control, that You would fill their heart with kindness. Thank you, Holy Spirit, that you will not allow our lives to be held hostage by anger and bitterness.

I suffered a spiritual hurt 11 years ago that was so devastating, that the only way I can describe it is that it cratered my soul. It's the only way I could describe it. The Holy Spirit said the hurt and the impact of what they did is valid. It did bring a crater to your soul, but now you get to choose what you fill it with. I just want you to think about a crater. I'm talking about a huge crater, and He said, "Tim if you fill it with anger and bitterness, people will drown in it for the rest of your life." He said, "If you fill it with grace, people will be refreshed by it for the rest of your life."

Now, let me tell you, let me give you the picture. In California, one of the houses that we lived in had a pool and when my dad would clean out that pool, when they had all that green algae, and all that nasty stuff in it, and then the little frogs and the tadpoles, ugh, it was nasty. We drained out the pool, put acid to burn off all the algae, and all the fungus and stuff. Then when it was all cleaned out, my dad would bring the water hose over and throw it over the side of the pool.

Just turn it on, a water hose, not a fire hydrant. Firetruck didn't show up with the big water hose. That thing just started filling up the pool. It wasn't going to be filled for like four days. Four or five days, hey daddy? We just keep coming back. I'm talking nonstop. We just keep coming back and be like, "Oh, it's filling up." Come back the next day, look in the pool. "Ahh, It's filling up." We'd die if we dove in right now, but it's filling up. A few days later, it was filled. What I'm trying to say is that it's a process.

I feel like the God of your soul just walked over with a water hose filled with grace. Just said, "Let me fill you up. You may feel the same way by next week, but I'm filling you up. Let me fill you up with my love, with my peace, with my patience, with my long-suffering. Let me fill you up. You're too gifted to be that bitter. You're too beautiful to be that angry. I'm making room in your heart," says the Lord, "I want you to expect more than what you've already been through."

Father God, we thank you for speaking. We thank you for this word. We ask you right now in Jesus' name to make room in our hearts for us to expect more for what you want to do in our lives. I just want the worship team to come out. I don't know if there's a sweet, soft way to sing that bye-bye song. It might be too turned up to be soft, but I'm just being sensitive to the atmosphere that's in the room, but that bye-bye was prophetic.

You don't have to lay there no more. You can get up and walk in one fell swoop. Strength is coming to you. As that strength comes to you.

 
Tim Ross

Tim Ross is the lead pastor of the multi-ethnic, multi-generational Embassy City Church in Irving, TX. 


Tim speaks both nationally and internationally strengthening believers with the Good News of Jesus Christ.


Tim began preaching at the age of 20 years old and has already impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. His dynamic teaching style and uncanny ability to make people understand the gospel message is the reason why he has been such an asset to ministries across cultural and denominational lines.

Tim is happily married to Juliette, his bride since May 1st, 1999 and they have two sons, Nathan and Noah. 


https://embassycity.com
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Make Room - Week 3: Watch the Signs

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Make Room - Week 1: Pray For More