Proven in Strange Places | Revisiting Palm Sunday Message

There's an exegetical invitation I want to extend to you, and I pray that you accept. You've been invited to the Gospel of Saint Luke, chapter number 23. Why we don't have that? I just kind of told you why. Saint Luke Chapter number 23, St. Luke's Gospel, chapter number 23. Y'all gonna help me preach this morning? We have— if y'all help me preach this morning, we might have a 7 Last Sayings next year. St. Luke chapter number 23. Us is— when y'all gonna switch to white? Next Sunday? Okay. St. Luke chapter number 23, we go down because you know it's April, verse down 47. I am— verse 47, St. Luke 23. Verse number 47. And the word of God reads, when the centurion saw what happened, he began to glorify God, saying, this man really was righteous. You may be seated. Jesus had just died. Bible says that when the centurion saw what happened, he began to glorify God, saying, this man really was righteous. Some trans— other marking Matthew said, this man really was the Son of God. For the time that is ours this morning, sweet children, I want to wrestle from the subject Proven in a Strange Place. Proven in a Strange Place. Just this past Friday, I was verifying my identity on an electronic platform or on a mobile device. And what I had to do was take a picture of my ID and load it to the portal. There were some clear instructions that were given to me to be able to identify myself. The instructions were to make sure that you take the picture with a dark background, cause in order for the picture to really show up well The picture needs to be put beside a dark background. We normally tie things as negative with darkness, but those instructions that were given to me on the app says that you can't always look at darkness as negative. Because if you put you, your ID, on a dark background, it will really help us identify who you really are. I hate when I present that and y'all feel like I ain't preach, but that really shouted me. Because it lets us know that it's not always in the light when the truth in you is really revealed. But there are moments when you are wrestling with darkness that who you really are can really be confirmed. Can y'all travel with me? To Calvary. It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has just committed himself into the Lord's hands. He died, didn't he die? They said that when he died, that the earth quaked, that dead men walked the streets. Of Jerusalem, that the temple veil was torn. And all of this happened when he died. Now, Jesus healed the sick, he raised the dead, he healed Peter's mother-in-law from a fever. He did all of this while he was alive. But the Bible says that at this strange moment, that even when he died, somebody was able to look at him and see how great he was. I find it mighty strange today, children, that it was not on the Mount of Transfiguration where his clothes turned white, as white as pure snow, that they— the centurion didn't realize that he was the righteous man or the Son of God. Then it was not when he took 2 fish and 5 barley loaves of bread that the centurion and those who doubted him realized who Jesus was. It was not when he allowed Peter to walk on water when people really all came to the realization that he was who he said he was. But it was with blood dripping down his body, with sweat on his body, with a crown of thorns around his head, that then somebody said that even at your lowest moment I can identify who you really are.

Come here, child of God. I know you've been through some good days in your life, but let me tell you something today, that at your dark moments, that God can use your dark moments for people to know that you really are a child of God. It is at those moments when you're going through hell and you don't know how you're gonna get your way out, that God can use that very moment to prove that his hand is on your life. Is there anybody in the house today who can admit that you may be in a strange place right now? You may be on a cross right now. You may be going through persecution right now. You may be going through pain right now, and it does not feel good, and it feels agonizing. But let me give you some good news this morning, that even in that strange place, God can use that strange place to prove that the best is still yet to come. I wish I was talking to a church this morning that knew that the tomb is empty, because if you knew that the tomb was empty, you'll be able to help me preach this morning and say that God used my strange places He used my bad situations. He used my calamity. He used my persecution. He used my sickness. He used my financial strain. He used my arthritis. He used my surgery. He used my bereavement. He used my sickness. He used all of those dark places to let me know that there is no place that the grace of God will not meet me in. There is no lie, no rumor, no setback that God will not get in the midst of and use that moment to transform that life. In other words, this is what I'm trying to say: at all times I will praise God. In the good times I can praise him. In the bad times I can praise him, because even in the bad times He can work that together for my good. And I don't know who's on the cross this morning, I don't know who's in a strange place this morning, but let God prove who he is in your life in this strange moment. Anybody got a strange praise that you want to let the devil know? That you ain't gonna shut my praise up, you're not gonna shut my mouth. I will bless the Lord right now with tears in my eyes because it won't always be like this, but sooner or later, he's gonna turn it in my favor and prove to me who he is.

And I drove down 167 this morning to let you know that sometimes the true confirmation of who God has called us to be is not found in our moments of greatness, but it's found in how great we can be in moments that are not that great.

Talking here, Gavin Owens.

I'll say it again. Sometimes the true confirmation of who God has called us to be is not found in our moments of greatness, but it's in how great we can be when life ain't that great.

In other words, when I'm going through hell, when I want to give up, when I want to throw in the towel, God says even right then do some great things for him. When hell is all against you and when hell is on the inside of you, let the devil know I will lift up the standard anyway.

Y'all got what I'm trying to preach this morning? Amen. Since y'all got it, There are some hermeneutical highlights that are begging Gavin R. Haines, please preach me. I'ma do that, and I'm gonna find my way back up 167. This text teaches us about consistent magnitude, having consistent magnitude. Uh, uh, Jesus is enduring the shame of the cross as a form of punishment, and punishment is designed to change behavior. I ain't seen y'all beat y'all children. You don't beat your child. As a form of punishment to change her or his behavior. But notice, they have crucified our Lord, but yet and still he still got dead folks getting up. He still got the earth quaking.

It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon and the earth went dark. So it's at this moment where he's going through hell, but good things, crazy things, miraculous things are still happening as a result of him being on that cross. Oh Lord, have mercy, help me preach this morning. Has anybody ever gone through anything? Has the devil ever thrown you anything in your life and it was supposed to shut you up It was supposed to make you stop believing. It was supposed to stop you from coming to church. But look at you here this morning. I'm going through it right now. I really don't feel like being here right now, and I came to let the devil know that I'm gonna be consistent while I'm on my cross.

They put him up there. Was for being the King of the Jews. They put him up there because they thought he was overthrowing the Roman government. They put him up there because he knew that he was God in the flesh. But let me tell you what happened. While he went up there, he was still King of the Jews. While he was up there, he was still God. While he was up there, He was still a savior. And all I'm trying to tell you is that when you're on your cross, don't let the cross change you, but you change your cross.

I don't know who I'm talking to, child of God, but I may be talking to you. People may be talking about you, people may be scandalizing your name, but don't you let that cross change you. You wake up every morning and give thanks unto God and say, God, use me right now. I'm not gonna let the cross change me. I don't like the job I go to, but I'm gonna show up thanking you. I don't like everything going on in my life, but I'm gonna wake up blessing your name. And my cross ain't gonna change me, but just give me some time and just watch how I change my cross.

See, see, I feel like preaching, but I don't think nobody want to hear me this morning. He's on the cross because they wanted him to change his behavior. But look at this, while Christ didn't change, a centurion said a while ago we was beating him, a while ago we was agreeing with the chief priests, a while ago we put some nails in his hands, we saw him put the spikes in his feet. But now I gotta change my mind. And all I'm trying to tell you is that when people see you on your cross, if you don't change, God will make sure stuff around you changes.

That you ain't gonna take me down, but who I am is gonna be who I am. But the devil gonna have to respect me at some point and realize I got some God in him.

Your cross ain't the time to put that Bible up. Your cross ain't the time to stop praising God. Your cross ain't the time to stop showing up Sunday after Sunday. But the cross is the time where you show God that I'm gonna be who you've called me to do. Here it is, here it is, here it is. Dr. Mims, so happy to see you this morning, sir. Uh, uh, uh, Jesus, you know, we say it, didn't say a mumbling word. He didn't say a mumbling word, didn't say a mumbling word for me. Y'all don't know what y'all singing.

I ain't gotta talk, but while I'm going through, I'm just gonna keep on hanging. And I want to tell somebody this morning, there's a hallelujah in your hanging. And I want to let somebody know this morning, just hang on in there. And if you keep on hanging on in there then stuff around you will change.

Uh, here it is, amen. It's time for me to teach y'all something y'all don't care about. Uh, uh, uh, the Earth right now is revolving around the sun. Uh, the Earth is not going around the sun straight up. It's got a tilt of 23.5 degrees. Now the Earth revolves around the sun, and the Earth takes different hemispheres through different seasons. Uh, uh, uh, the spring season summer, fall, winter. Which means as life moves, just as the earth moves, we all will go through different seasons. But what shocks me this morning is that as the Earth goes through different seasons, it keeps a consistent tilt. And the reason that— and if the Earth changes its tilt just a little bit, we'll all be dead pretty quick. But thanks be to God that he uses the earth to preach to us this morning. Hey, what is earth preaching?

That no matter what season I'm in, I'm gonna keep my same lean to the sun. I may go through some different seasons, but I'm gonna keep on leaning. And if I keep on leaning spring right now, but keep on leaning. You may have a doctor's appointment in the morning and you don't know how that thing gonna go, but let me give you a word of encouragement. Just lean your way to the doctor's appointment. You may have to go to the bank tomorrow and get some bad news, but let me tell you how to go to the bank. Go to the bank leaning. And when you go to the bank leaning, there is no season that you can't survive.

He had consistent magnitude. Jesus ain't changed, but that centurion did. But I gotta move further. Text also teaches us about contrasting magnetism, contrasting, uh, Magnetism. Magnetism. Um, notice if you will that while Jesus was going through what he was going through, let's put ourselves in the lens and in the feet of the centurion. Uh, centurion soldiers, they Roman soldiers who have a lot of authority. They were over about 100 men. That's where the name centurion comes from. Uh, uh, it was the job of the centurion to carry out the crucifixion and execution of Jesus. In other words, they nailed him because a centurion gave the orders. They spit on him at the command of the centurion. Loosely speaking, the centurion was being anti-Christ. All right, all right, because he was agonizing our Savior. Now y'all see him agonizing, Christ. But there are some pilgrims here this morning who've been some centurions before. Honorable Mayor, maybe I shouldn't have said that because I felt the room get tense when I said that. We let our suits and robes make us forget that we done picked up some hammers and nailed them into the hands of Christ. We have done people wrong. We have sinned— ugly word— against God. And here it is, we have sinned since we've been saved. I'm gonna look at you like this so you'll know I'm talking about you. Don't forget that we all have had and have today some centurion moments. But let me show you— I feel like preaching— the grace of God. Somehow, some way, the one who was agonizing got apprehended.

And is that your testimony this morning? That God's grace has a way of apprehending those who have agonized? You want to know who I'm talking to this morning? Somebody here who got breath in her body, who's at church right now, let me tell you something. You've thought some agonizing thoughts, you've done some agonizing things, but the grace of God has a way of saving those who have been agonizers of the cross. And I want to let somebody know today that just as he has done it for you There is nobody who's out of the reach of the apprehension of our Christ. Is there anybody today who know your true past? There are some things about you that if we talked about right now, you want to run out of here with your face covered. I know you look holy, I know you got your white on, ham, I know you got your 3 bars on, but if everybody knew what was in closet. You would try to burn the house down so couldn't nobody get in no closet. But thanks be to God, he apprehended me anyway. Thanks be to God, he apprehended you anyway. Is there an apprehended person today who wants to confess that, God, I thank you that you changed me? You looked at me and said, I got something more for you I can save you with your centurion self. I can take them nails out of your hand. I can take that hammer out of your hand and I can put a Bible in your hand and change you right there on the spot.

I don't want to be theologically too in-depth. But I think I have to. The centurion said, truly he's a righteous man. And Mark and Matthew said he's the Son of God. Dr. Mason, am I crazy, or it sounds like he turned the centurion into a preacher in the midst of his problem. All right, he was in a problematic proximity, but some type of way God took him and made him a preacher.

Because all I'm trying to do right now is just tell you that there's a man named Jesus who's the Son of God, and he lets you know today he can take you from your lowest to your highest in an instant. Amen.

It wasn't the Jews. They— because you read later, they went on beating their chest. They was proud of what they did. They going back to the temple thinking they done done something. The more disciples and the women, they so scared, Peter too busy denying. Judah's gone, they in the distance. But notice who's still close. Lord have mercy, this Roman man who's beating Christ just happened to still be close. All right, come here, come here, come here. Jesus had the ability to kill the centurion on the spot. But let's look what Jesus did. He let them kill him so he can keep him.

We gonna eat these, we gonna eat these crackers and juice in a minute. And when y'all eat your crackers and drink your juice, remember how they let them kill him all so he can keep you. And I want to let somebody know today that the reason you know you got a future because he's keeping you alive even with some bloody hands.

I want to tell somebody today, you better be careful knowing and getting other folks' business. You better be careful making predetermined judgments about people because first you had to look at your own business. And I always tell y'all, mind your own business. But secondly, If he did this for the centurion, that means that God's grace attracts the opposites. Have y'all ever seen, uh, one of these apparatuses? Uh, sometimes they have like these little mock solar systems and they keep the planets, uh, going in alignment. And if you look at it, you'll notice that it's no strings holding stuff up. The stuff would fall, but it's been lifted in the air, and it looks like Diakonos that is rising and floating. Let the church say magnetize. Y'all say levitation. Let me break it down. Stuff can levitate, all right? Not because it has magic, but really what's happening— Lord, help me preach this— there are some magnets above it to make what's beneath it lift up.

Please ask me how magnets work. A positive charge don't push away a negative charge, but a positive charge attracts a negative charge and brings it closer together. Do you know what happened on Calvary? His positive charge connected with my negative charge and lifted me up. Love Lifted me. Love lifted me when nothing else could help. Love lifted me. Thank God that your positive charge lifted my negative self up.

Lord have mercy, y'all made me raise my voice, but I want to be thankful today that opposites still attract.

He still gets mess. He still attracts junk. He still lifts those who are down and out. He still does it, I tell you.

I got to leave you. My brother just text me and say, wrap this thing on up, I'm hungry. But before I leave, Let me tell you about a conceived magnificence. A conceived magnificence. I can hear old Tommy Hamm saying now, we get so happy about he died, didn't he die? Tommy Hamm used to make people mad when he said that because they thought he was throwing off. Maybe that's where I get it from. People get mad at me all the time because they think I'm throwing up, but let me tell you what Tommy Hale's really saying. Thank you, Daddy. He was saying, don't get stuck in front because something else is coming. Paul's got the centurion looking at Jesus when he died. He came to a confession when he died. Oh, but let me tell a centurion in here today, you ain't seen nothing yet. All right, all right. If you think the earth shaking now, just wait a few more days, you gonna see the earth shake some more. And I want to let somebody know today that your cross is not the conclusion.

That's how you can be proven in a strange place, that when you can still be impactful while you're going through and look forward to the future, knowing that there are some better days ahead for me, more is going to come, more is in store. And 3 days later, he gonna get up.

With all power in his hand. Can I close? Y'all better be glad. I can't do— notice this word. I added this to the sermon this morning. God said, you missed something, and it just hit me like a ton of brick. This happened right after we got off the call this morning. Uh-uh, and I'm almost embarrassed that I missed Ah, the centurion was right, but he was wrong. He said, surely this was the Son of God. Surely this was a righteous man. But if we can go to English class real quick, was symbolizes Past tense.

So, Centurion, you're right, sir, but just wait around and watch and see how God removed your was. And look at— might be the Lord God bless you real good. But let me tell you something about my God. He's more than it was, but my God is. He was a healer, but thanks be to God, he is a healer. He was a waymaker, but thanks be to God, he is a waymaker. He was a savior, but thanks be to God, he is a savior. Is there anybody today who can confess that thanks be to God that he's more than a was, but my God is? He lives, he lives. Christ Jesus lives today because he is walking with me, he is talking to me, He is saving souls. He is changing hearts. Thank God he removed the walls.

And I want to let somebody know today that you serve a Christ who is a walls remover. Keep on watching the story. Stay tuned, you ain't seen nothing yet. Just hang on, on the cross. Be consistent on the cross.

Be drawn to him on your cross and just wait. The story gonna get better.

We offer Jesus to you this morning. That's my God. He's available today. Y'all know why you're saved today?

Because he's more than was. You know why you got a future?

Because he is.

All I'm trying to tell you, keep tilting to him as you go through the seasons.

I know the season can be frustrating, I know it can be painful, but just keep on tilting and just watch the rest of your story. He can prove how great you are and how great he is in the darkest of times. Because he's that type of God. Let somebody know today, that's the God that you serve. Let's give God praise this morning. Amen.