It is his ability to stand apart from
the rest and dare to be different in the
face of criticism. It is his silence
that screams the loudest at me that
sometimes the best thing you can say to
an enemy is nothing at all. You've
gotten so used to business as usual that
you say stuff but you you really don't
expect them to change. When I was
preparing this message, the Lord told me
you. A mob of
people have interrupted Jesus service
to break in and say, "We caught this
woman in the very act of adultery." We
did. We We caught her in the act of adultery.
adultery.
What are you going to do about it?
Now, most of the time we focus on the
woman and there's a lot to be said about
is come on down with it, bro. Come on
down with Where is the man? If we're
going to be
just, if we're going to execute justice,
why is it that we have one standard for the
woman and another standard for the
men? I'm not going to get into that.
Y'all can't y'all don't want to talk
about this. This misogenic way in which
we handle genders is interesting here
because the the she was caught in the
act. The brother was
released. Boys will be
boys. But the woman is held to another.
standard? It's kind of unfair when when
two people do the same thing, but one
person is handled differently from the other
other
person. That's what scares me about people.
people.
I would rather fall into the hands of
God than to fall into the hands of
people because at least God has
mercy. Once people decide that they're
going to stone you, very seldom will
they turn back once they decided they
So whoever caught her in the act and
snatched her out all of a sudden a herd
is building.
Look at that. And I I wondered when I
was preparing this message if there was
anybody else in here that could relate
herd. People attacking you. You don't
even know why they're attacking you. You
just look around and you got a whole
gang of people to fight and they don't
facts. See, the hard thing about being
me is sometimes I will have facts cuz I
know the inside story, but I can't
defend myself. Because if I defend
myself, I have to
divulge classified information. So my
integrity necessitates my [Music]
[Music]
silence and the herd gets to speak [Music]
[Music]
and I have to be disciplined enough to
hold my peace because if I lose my
integrity I can win the fight but if I
lose my
integrity oh y'all don't hear what I'm
you. Touch your neighbor and say don't
run with the herd.
Where the her made their mistake is that
to Jesus.
If they wanted to be successful, they
should have just stoned her where they
found her.
But they and them got together. The
scribes and the Pharisees, they and them
got together and brought her to Jesus. [Applause]
[Applause]
Now, somebody say, "Bring me to Jesus."
Bring me to Jesus.
Bring me to Jesus. Don't just bring me
to church. [Applause]
[Applause]
Bring me to Jesus. I'm concerned
today, Brother P. concerned because a
lot of people today don't know the
Jesus. They think conversion is coming
to church. They came to church, but they
never come to Jesus. So, they never
really have a real relationship with
Jesus. They're just having an experience
This woman is laying naked on the floor,
clothes ripped and shredded apart,
covering herself as best she can,
humiliated and disgraced, scandalized by
self-righteous, indignant
people. She knows at any
moment the rocks are going to come
sailing at her head. She is not
oblivious to the fact that the customs
stoned. Imagine people throwing stones
at you, lacerating your skin and your
flesh and blood coming down out of your
forehead until they finally knock you
down unconscious and continue to throw
rocks until they can't see you anymore.
Rumors are rocks. And if enough people
throw them, after a while, they can't
see you anymore. All they can see is
[Music]
And every time you spread the rumor, [Applause]
[Applause]
Every time you retweet it,
repost it, retext, [Applause]
[Applause]
you have joined the herd.
They brought her to Jesus because the
law condemned her to be stoned.
If Jesus says no,
then he has not respected the law and we
are still up under the law in the gospels.
gospels.
We can't be up under grace because the
New Testament cannot be enforced until
the testator dies. The testator is not
So once again, the enemy is trying to
I wish I had time. This is not a new
trick. This is an old
trick that goes back to the Garden of
Eden where Satan gets Eve to partake of
the fruit and give it to Adam. And now
what God hates and what God loves is
fused together. If he saves what he
loves, he'll say what he hated. If he
hates what he hates, he'll hate what he
dilemma. And when they brought it to
Jesus and they brought him there and
said, "What sayest thou?
What's so cool about Jesus?"
He didn't say anything.
and started writing
in the
dirt. The power of the text is not in
the words of the text. It is in the
silence of the master.
It is it is his refusal to play their game.
game.
It is his courage to be different. It is
his ability to be an individual and not
succumb to the request of the herd. It
is his ability to stand apart from the
rest and dare to be different in the
face of criticism. It is his silence
that screams the loudest at me that
sometimes the best thing you can say to
His silence speaks to
me, but his stupid blows my
mind. Because if his silence is
powerful, Uhhuh. his stooping is even
more powerful.
He stooped down to something that
His stooping says to me how far God is
willing to go to get me. that when I
couldn't get up to him, he came down to
Thank you for being the kind of God
that'll get your hands dirty. Once you
plant the seed, you got to let the seed work.
And the Bible says the next two words
I'm going to use is they were convicted.
They were convicted while he's writing
because he made them stop and think
stop and think.
The difference between intelligence and
ignorance Yes, sir. is thinking.
Yes, sir. The one thing the herd will
never want you to do
is think. They want you to follow, but
they don't want you to think. They want
you to imitate them, but they don't want
you to think. They don't want you to
think. They want you to obey, but they
don't want you to think. They don't want
you to think. And Jesus gave them time
to think. He that's without fault among
you, let him cast the first stone. And
then they started remembering.
Yes, sir. See, that's what I meant when
I was telling old men, I can understand
the young men being hurt cuz you have
lived long enough to see enough failure
not to be critical and judgmental. You
think you know everything, but ain't no
way you going to get this gray, man. You
I wish somebody over 50 would make some
me. You don't make it to this age
without doing something stupid.
Now you going to fall out in the floor
and act shocked like you have never seen
If you didn't do it, you did something
And that's what I don't understand about
church people. How quickly we forget
that the same mercy that you needed. Oh,
y'all don't want to talk to me. The same
grace that you
needed, the same mercy you needed for
your child, I needed for my child, the
same grace you needed for your life. Amen.
You can get caught up in a mob and forget
sir. It is easy to run
with the herd. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Everybody have herds. Yes, sir. Rich
folks have herds. Poor folks have herds.
Hip hop artists have herds. Preachers
have herds. Doctors have herds. Lawyers
have Everybody got herds. Black folks
got herds. White folks got Everybody got herds.
herds.
But you got to be careful
cuz the herd will run
you into destruction. You remember when
the demons got in the pigs
and the Bible says that the herd ran
into the water and drowned.
my right.
Following the herd will get you shot
before you're 30. Following the herd
will end your life before it begins.
Following the herd will make you hurt people.
people.
Not because you're a bad person, but
belonging to the herd becomes more
important than using your common sense.
That's so true. And Jesus spoke to him
and said something. Can I preach this
this morning? Jesus says to him, "He
that's without fault among you, let him
cast the first stone." And he stooped
back down and went to writing and left
them to do something that I am
challenging you to do in this room. To
And
they said we were convicted.
We were convicted. That's a word that
has left the church.
We used to come to the altar and pray
for conviction to fall. And when
conviction fell, revival began.
Now we think revival is having a bigname
preacher. I don't care whose name
preacher you bring. If there's no
conviction of your wrong, there can be
no revival in your
life. Conviction brings
transformation. As long as you have no
conviction, you will have no lasting
transformation until you get sick of yourself.
yourself.
Everybody else could be sick of you, but
until you get sick of yourself and say,
"Wait a minute. I'm better than this. I
can do better than this. I can be better
They were convicted by their own conscience.
conscience.
This wasn't even a conviction of the
Holy Spirit. This is a conviction that
I I think I'm wrong. Yes,
I've made mistakes, too. That's right.
You see,
she might get stoned, but it won't be my rock.
It won't. That's right.
be my rock because I am conscious of my
fallibility. I'm conscious of my
humanity. I am conscious. And isn't that
what being spiritual is all about?
Didn't the Bible say, "If a brother be
overtaken in a fault, ye which are
spiritual, restore such a one in the
spirit of meekness as what? considering
considering
yourself. So every time you get ready to
say something about somebody, you got to
be conscious of yourself. If you are
conscious of yourself, self will make
you shut your mouth. Self will make you
apologize. Self will make you give
people another chance. Self will make
you cry for mercy. considering yourself.
Oh. Oh, brother, I didn't know that
spiritual people had something to
consider. Ye which are spiritual, restore,
restore,
not kill,
not ma, not stone, restore.
Such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering
considering
yourself. And Jesus is back down there
in the
dirt. And
one by one, they
they
Come on. Come on. I don't know who it
is, but you got some rocks to drop. Come
on. Thank you. Thank you.
I No. No. No. No. No. Wait. I know you
feel justified.
I know they were wrong. Come on. I know
they betrayed you. I know they never
paid you back. I know they cheated on
you. I know they broke your heart. I
know they were wrong. But I also know
And when you get spiritual enough to
admit your kinship to the one that
Go ahead.
Now, if this message is really good, it
will not result in shouting.
It will result in dropping. [Applause]
[Applause]
To not take advantage of somebody who's
in a vulnerable situation. Just cuz you
have a rock doesn't mean you have to
throw it. You see,
routine can kill expectation. Good
Good
God. Rituals can kill expectation until
everybody is saying what they're
supposed to say and doing what they're
expect while Zacharias was praying.
When you pray, you expect God to show up.
up. [Applause]
[Applause]
And the text blows my mind because the
very thing they were asking God to do,
[Applause]
God stepped in the synagogue. his
his
house. The master came to his
house and the people who were praying
shocked. When I was preparing this
message, the Lord told me he's getting
You've gotten so used to business as
usual that you say stuff, but you you
really don't expect them to change. But
your slap three people and tell them
it's going to
shatter. It's going to shatter. It's
going to shatter. It's going to shatter.
It's going to shatter. It's going to
shatter. It's going to shatter. It's
going to shatter. It's going to shatter.
It's going to shatter. It's going to
shatter. Let me tell you why it's going
to shatter. He heard [Applause]
you. Zacharias has got his his
incense and the
smell of
prayer. The smell of prayer.
The smell of prayer has changed the
atmosphere in the
room. That's why prayer is symbolized by incense.
incense.
Because it
changes the
God can smell the prayers of the
saints. The prayers of the saints go up
before God as a sweet smelling savor.
God can smell prayer, especially when
it's on
fire. I'm not talking about the thou and
the therefore and the which cause and
nevertheless, oh God. No, I'm talking
about a fire, Holy Ghost burning, head
turning prayer. God can smell [Applause]
[Applause]
prayer. The prayer is important. Watch
this. Because the prayer is the
You can't have pregnancy without relationship.
relationship. The
The
prayer is the
bridge to the pregnancy. The prayer
created the disruption.
The prayer shook things up.
The prayer started the conversation.
Yeah. The prayer opened the door for
Gabriel to come in.
God said, "I heard the crowd, my people.
I heard you. I'm tired of you crying.
I'm tired of you walking around
depressed. I'm tired of you with your
head hung down. I'm tired of you
forgetting who you are. I'm tired of you
feeling sorry for yourself. I'm tired of
you believing what the Romans said about
And so I'm going to shatter your normal.
What do you mean you're going to shatter
my normal? Then Gabriel says to him, watch
watch
this. You've been praying,
Now, now if I had time, I would
emphasize how long he'd been
praying. Cuz this generation today, we
pray a couple of weeks. And if God don't
do something, we say there's something
wrong with our God. But this old man had
been praying for years. He had been
praying when his wife was a young woman
and all she was was barren. He had
prayed to now she was an old woman. And
even if God healed her badness, she was
too old to have a baby. But he was still
praying the effectual fervent effectual
fervent effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
righteous
man. A veil of [Applause]
much. And God says to
him, "Your wife going to have a baby."
He said, "Get out of here. Come on now.
Come on
now. You You understand? All this
happened in [Applause]
[Applause]
church. Need all this happened in
church, not at Joe's pool
hall. You expect doubt to be in the club.
club.
If we were in the strip club, I would
expect there to be doubt. All this happened
happened
in the church
because church like everything else
can become normal.
He said that old that old woman you
married to is going to have a baby. Get
here. How how can I have a son? Not only
is she going to have a baby, she it's
going to be a son. God is specific.
baby. It's going to be a son.
And his name shall be called John.
Going to be a baby. It's going to be a son.
son.
And his name shall be called
please, how how
can h how can this be?
See, Zachcharias was going through the
but his faith had retired long time ago.
He was going to holy places and saying
holy things with holy people,
but he he wasn't really believing it
anymore. He was just trying to keep the
norms. Gabriel didn't answer none of the
norms. He didn't say, "I'm going to make
her younger. I'mma slip your
Viagra. I'mma play some Luther tonight. [Applause]
[Applause]
I didn't mean to say that like out loud. [Applause]
[Applause]
You know how you be trying to work stuff
out. You
know, the angel did not give him a
normal answer at all. To every normal
reason that he gave the angel why he
couldn't have a child, the angel said,
"I am Gabriel. [Applause]
[Applause]
Almost like you're doubting my word is
an insult.
I am Gabriel.
Can I break that I am Gabriel down?
Angels are ministering spirits. It
literally means to be a messenger.
means that they cannot speak of
themselves. In other words, this word
didn't come from me. This word came from the
the
Lord. I'm not giving you my
opinion. I'm telling you what God
I don't know who this is for,
but God is getting ready to shatter your [Applause]
[Applause]
normal son. He has given him a
word that will not come pass come to
in. He
said, "And
because because you doubt me,
because you hold on to normal in the
because you hold on to practical in the
presence of the supernatural Jesus."
He said, "I'm going to shut your tongue down.
down.
I'm going to shut your mouth. I'm going
to shut your mouth. I'm going to shut
your mouth. Cuz if I let you talk, you
going to mess this
up. The power of life and death is in
your tongue. And I'm going to shut your
mouth down cuz you've been speaking
against yourself all of your life. But
in order to get this blessing, I'm about
to shut your mouth. Slap. Somebody say,
"Shut your
mouth." God is about to shut your mouth.
God is about to shut [Applause]
[Applause]
you. I feel him doing something, son. I
feel him doing something. I feel him
doing something. I feel him doing
something. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. He said,
"Go deeper." Every time he was ready to
do it before your mouth got in the way. [Applause]
[Applause]
And in order to bring you, and this is a
word right out of the text, into your season,
season,
he's going to have to shut your mouth.
Cuz every time you open your mouth, you
have shut down your season. And in order
to bring this to pass in your life, I'm
getting ready to shut your mouth.
I know this is not polite, but look at
somebody say, "Shut
up. Stop telling yourself what you can't
do. Stop telling yourself what you can't
be. Stop telling yourself what you can't
have. Stop telling yourself what you
can't get. Stop telling yourself what
you can't become. Stop telling yourself
that it's too late. Stop telling
yourself that you got a record. Stop
telling yourself that you don't have
enough education. Stop telling yourself
you need a man. Stop telling yourself
you got to find somebody. Shut up. [Applause]
Wait a minute. There's something else he
said. There's something else he said. He told
told
Zachcharias, "What I'm getting ready to
do in you, I've already got a name for him."
I've already locked down the [Applause]
name. So
yeah, there's already a name for that [Applause]
[Applause]
didn't. There's already a name for that opportunity.
opportunity.
I've already locked down a name. I am so
specific. I'm not going to just give you
an idea. I'm going to give you a name.
Good God Almighty. It would be enough to
have an idea.
But God said the idea has a name. Watch
Now, if you're not a Bible scholar,
you've read past what I just said.
John. Any scholar would tell you that
one of the things that a priest would
pass to his son,
come on. Come on, would be his name. [Applause]
[Applause]
[Music]
Let go of it. Let go of
it. This will not be Normal's junior.
junior. His
His
name will be John. [Applause]
[Applause]
Later in the
scriptures when he tells the people that
the boy's name is John, all the people
on the outside said John.
They saidnone of thy
kindred have been called by that name.
Ain't nobody in your family named
John. Ain't a ain't none of your
grandfathers named John. Ain't none of
your cousins named John. Your uncle is
not named John. Whoever this is
for, whatever God is getting ready to
do, it has never happened in your family before.
None of our kindred
has been called by that name. You will
be the first in your family. You will be
the first in your family. You will be
the first in your family. You will be
the first in your family. You will be
the first in your family. You will be
the first in your family. You will be
the first in your family. You will be
the first in your family. You will be
the first in your family. Can I stop
right here and break every generational
curse? Can I break every generational
curse that's ever been on your life? Shout
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