We’ve all had times when we felt a change was needed in our lives. Maybe it was a time of marriage problems, financial difficulties, or the bondage of addiction. When you feel the need for transformation, remember these two powerful keys…
the following program is sponsored by
friends and partners of Kingdom
connection there’s hope for your
marriage there’s hope for your addiction
there’s hope for your weakest place if
you get in church get around God hear
the word of God he can transform your
life to a place of victory let’s praise
the Lord for transformation Matthew
chapter 16 verse 13 when Jesus came into
the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked
his disciples saying who do men say that
the Son of Man is and they said some say
John the Baptist some elijah others
Jeremiah and one of his are one of his
prophets and he said to them but who do
you say that I am Simon Peter answered
and said you are the Christ the Son of
the Living God
jesus answered and said unto Him blessed
are You Simon bar Jonah for flesh and
blood has not revealed this to you but
my father who is in heaven and watch he
changes his name in verse 18 now I say
unto you that you are Peter and on this
rock I will build my church and the
gates of Hades or hell shall not prevail
against it I want to talk to you for a
few moments this morning on the two
elements of transformation and I’ll give
you my two points right up front the two
greatest elements of transformation in
your family in your weak areas in your
life they’re contained in this verse the
two greatest elements of transformation
is the church and the cross the church
and the cross I think that we need a new
look we need to take a new look at
church especially in this generation
the room that I’m preaching to right now
is packed so I’m not saying this to try
to get a crowd I’m saying this because I
believe it’s the truth I’m afraid
something is happening in people’s minds
with all of the access through Internet
and everything else that church is not
as important as it was a generation ago
that church is just something you do
when you feel like it and if it’s
convenient I don’t think that God ever
intended the church that he wanted to
build to be something that you sit in at
home in in your pajamas and he
cornflakes while you watch me on the
internet that’s okay on occasion that’s
okay when you can’t do it but he never
meant for us as a matter of fact the
scripture forbids us and says do not
forsake the assembling of yourselves
together which is the manner of some
people but he said as you see the coming
of the Lord in the signs of the times
like we’ve seen this week as a nation
happening even more you need to run to
the house of God and it’s not just about
you it’s about your family being raised
in a climate and atmosphere this this
church is important we need to celebrate
the church again we need to celebrate
and love God’s church let me say it like
this a good doctor will keep you out of
the hospital a good lawyer will keep you
out of jail and a good church will keep
you out of hail is that is that clear is
that clear enough for you that’s how
important it is that’s how critical it
is you could be in some area where
there’s no good church and no good music
no good preaching no good ministry for
your children but you’re blessed today
and I’m blessed today hallelujah glory
to god I’m about to preach myself happy
it’s the truth Jesus shows us the power
of transformation in the church when he
made the connection to the church and a
transformation in in Simon Peters life
he said in verse 17 he calls him Simon
then he calls him simon barjona s’ but
when he gets a revelation of who Christ
is then he reveals something to him and
suddenly he says I’m changing your name
from Simon to Peter Simon means weak
like sand and Peter means strong like a
rock the church has the power through
Jesus Christ and the gospel to transform
lives the week becomes strong the sand
becomes rock solid in your life when you
get in a church it can it will if you
will continue to faithfully attend it
will become a transformation power in
your family and in your life If any man
be in Christ he is a new creation and
Paul said in first Corinthians 6 he
lists this horrible catalogue of sin
from drunkenness to fornication and then
he says these words and such were some
of you but you got in church you got
washed you got cleansed you got baptized
and now you’re not who you used to be a
church is not a building with a steeple
and a cross on it a church is not a
building with pews or seats and a
platform and a choir in music that does
not mean it’s a church if it’s not
changing lives if you don’t see
transformation a true church is
transforming lives we people are
becoming strong people who are defeated
and bound are becoming victorious and
they’re becoming their families are
going from divorce to love and
forgiveness and restoration if that’s
not
happening in your church it’s not a
church people come in with all kinds of
ugly messes in their life they come in
one way but they leave another they come
in awful looking messed up by life but
they leave a beautiful Bride of Christ
that’s what church does it takes the
week and makes them strong they’re
defeated and make some victorious and
you’re in an atmosphere of
transformation there’s hope for your
marriage there’s hope for your addiction
there’s hope for your weakest place if
you’ll get in church get around God hear
the word of God he can transform your
life to a place of victory let’s praise
the Lord for transformation tell
somebody around you welcome to the
church here’s what I found at church I
found a pardon for my past I found power
for my present and I found promises for
my future and that’s why I believe in it
and that’s why I attended and that’s why
if I weren’t a preacher I’d make sure I
don’t care how much God blesses me I’d
have my family in church because all of
that comes only through the church it is
a priority it is not second to something
everything you have comes out of your
connection to God’s house I firmly
believe that everything lasting Genesis
2 and verse 18 says it’s not good that
man should be alone I will make him
notice the wording a help meet em eet
it’s not a misprint it’s not helpmate
it’s meat I’ll help I’ll give him or
make him a help meet for him
you know what the words help meet mean
in the original language you’re not
gonna believe this God said to Adam I’m
going to introduce you to your help meat
and in the original language it means
I’m going to introduce you to your other
self I’m going to introduce
you to your completed self Eve is a type
of the church and the church is your
help meet the church will help you meet
every challenge in your life the church
will help you meet the sin challenge the
church will help you meet the family
challenge of raising children teenagers
the church will help you meet that
challenge do I need to do I need to go
further I can the church will help you
meet the financial challenges of life
the church will help you meet the
physical challenges of life it’s at the
church it will help you meet every
challenge of life and I’m going to tell
you something else it’s at the church
that you get introduced to your other
self I was here I was this but I found a
better me I found my other self the
world in the devil said I was this but I
was introduced in a church service to
the real me the better me the other me
not be addicted me not who defeated me
not the weak me not the fearful and
depress me but the me that I was created
to be and I get introduced to my other
self through the church it’s in the
church that I found out I am somebody
I’m going somewhere and I’m gonna do
something big with my life for God you
gonna help me preach that I’m on a
campaign with those three lines
everybody shout I am somebody I’m going
somewhere and I’m doing something big
with my life for Jesus Christ
you learned that in the church your
children will too mark chapter 4 the New
King James version of the Bible says let
us cross over to the other side
transformation comes no
one through the church secondly it comes
through the preaching and the power of
the cross and when he said to his
disciples let us cross over to the other
side he gave a revelation there are some
things you will never get over without
the cross the only way you get over the
abuse that you’ve been through is to
cross over the only way you get over the
divorce the only way you get over the
bad deal that somebody ripped you off
and you’re bitter about it and you’ve
been paying for it ever since the only
way to get over is to cross over the
only way over is to cross over the only
thing that will get you over is the
cross the only way to be free from your
sin and your shame is to cross over
that’s the power of the cross to
transform your life in 2nd Kings chapter
6 there’s a story of a building program
for the sons of the prophets they needed
to enlarge their training center and so
the Bible said they were enlarging the
place and a man had borrowed an axe and
he was chopping down trees and the axe
head got loose and then as he went back
to swing it and went forward the axe
head flew off after it got loose and
went into the deep raging Jordan River
and it began to sink and it went down
into the muck and the mire of the Jordan
River there’s a real truth that I want
to give you before the axe head ever got
lost it first got loose before anything
ever gets lost it first gets loose every
once in a while you need to ask yourself
am I getting loose in my convictions am
i getting loose in my church attendance
am i getting loose in my tithing and
supporting the work of the Lord because
when things start getting loose and your
walk with God and with the Word of God
every now and then you need to get on
brand-new firm grip on Jesus a brand new
firm grip you need to get a grip on
tighten your grip on God and I’ve never
seen it I’ve been around a long time any
time you see people starting getting
starting to get loose in their
convictions loose in their personal
standards loose with things they used to
hold as a sacrifice and in a way of
saying thank you lord now suddenly
they’re getting loose with it when you
get loose it’s a matter of time before
you start losing something’s gonna be
lost when you get loosed and watch this
and the man said a last master it was
borrowed and the Prophet said where did
it fall and he said oh it’s bent over
right over there right over there in
that area see if you go out about ten
feet right in the middle of the river
that’s where it went down of course it’s
gone but that’s where it went and the
Bible said the Prophet cut down a branch
off of the tree watch this he takes off
a part of a branch of a tree that
represents the tree where Jesus shed his
blood the cross Calvary and he throws it
in the proximity of where that loss took
place and suddenly I’m telling you when
when you get in an atmosphere where the
cross is being preached in church and
the preacher that’s what I’m doing I’m
throwing tree limbs you watching me
right now and I don’t care what you’ve
lost I’m telling you I’m throwing you
the cross of Jesus of the cross and
anywhere the peace if it can just if you
just get in the proximity if it can just
get in and in the vicinity of where you
are then suddenly something started how
to preach it like I want to something
happened down there on the bottom of
that River I could see that old iron
iron axe head whose nature was to go and
find the lowest places and the lowest
people you can find and get in the muck
in the mire but when they got around
that stick if that stick can just get in
the proximity of a drug addict get in
the proximity of somebody who’s an
alcoholic or somebody whose family’s
falling to pieces
they’re stuck in the muck and the mire
of bitterness and hate and unforgiveness
suddenly that old ex had said I’m coming
up I could see it shaking off the muck
and the mire and your Bible one of the
most miraculous verses in all of the
Bible and the axe head did swim no no no
no no youyou don’t understand what I’m
saying I believe the Bible
what was once a sinker became a swimmer
and and and when it said his swam that
means it was doing this and it’s coming
up and it’s swimming and the catfish
sees it and says what is going on
that’s not your nature is to plunge to
the depths your nature is to go down
there with the lowest of the lowest but
now you’ve gone from being a sinker to
being a swimmer
it’s that tree it’s that tree
that tree is pulling me up out of my
addiction it’s pulling me up out of my
sin it’s pulling me I thought of my
condemnation the turtle says what is
going on he said I’m going up higher I’m
headed to restoration I feel the power
of the Cross and it’s transforming me
from a sinker to a swimmer I mean if you
remember when you were on the bottom oh
you forgot do I need to pull some out
and embarrass you and tell your whole
story that you told me how many of you
remember when you were in the muck and
the mire I was sinking deep in sin far
from the peaceful Shore very deeply
staying within sinking to rise no more
but the master of the sea heard my
despairing cry from the waters he lifted
me now safe a mine I don’t know about
you but love lifted me
when nothing else could help praise God
when I couldn’t get the muck and the
mire off my life love lifted me and
it’ll lift you to a place of victory it
comes through the cross the mercy the
grace the blood the name of Jesus Christ
it can lift you it can lift you he’s
made me the head and not the tail I am
above only and not beneath my nature is
no longer to plunge to the depths of the
lowest people in the lowest places I can
find I have been transformed by the
renewing of my mind in the Word of God
and I am somebody going somewhere doing
something big for God with my life you
are too
no matter how staying with Sanon I don’t
care how low you feel today how far from
God you have sunk how covered with the
muck and the mire of shame guilt and
condemnation you’re in the presence of
Calvary the cross the church can lift
you don’t take your life I don’t care
how dark it is I’m throwing the cross in
your proximity praise God in that
powerful that I’m going in to two
hundred nations of the world every week
right through that camera right there
and I don’t care if you’re in India I
don’t care if you’re in South America I
don’t care if you’re in Europe in sex
trafficking and Europe you’ve been
abused and you don’t know how you’re
gonna ever get out I’m throwing a stick
from the tree of Calvary and I’m telling
you you’re coming out of the muck you’re
coming out of the mire of addiction
you’re coming out of the sin the shame
the condemnation the presence of Calvary
is in your vicinity and every campus
right here in this room I feel this
thing
this can be the Sunday you write down
and point hell back to and say we were
sinkers but that Sunday everything
changed in our nature and in our family
and now we’re swimmers and we’re going
up our direction is up our destiny is up
you may be down but down is not your
destiny praise God
you’re of the one who rose on the third
day and he said I give you my
resurrection power today it cannot hold
you the tomb the grave the month the
mire the bondage the sin it cannot hold
you a mistake the bad choice it cannot
cover you
reach up and grab that stick it’ll
change everything in your life stand to
your feet at every building no one
moving please pester I came in to this
church to be honest with some messy
places in my life I came in one way but
I’d like to leave another I came in with
one name but I’d like to leave with
another I came in with one reputation
but I’d like to leave with another I
came here with certain character or lack
thereof but I would like to leave today
with a living Savior inside of me I need
the presence of Calvary to change my
nature from a sinker to swimmer I was
not made to be at the bottom
[Music]
today I’ve thrown that stick in your
area all you got to do is say yes Lord
he’s gonna help you he’s gonna raise you
he’s gonna lift you faster pray for me I
know I’m not right with God but I sure
need a change in my life and I’m
desperate enough to say Lord whatever it
takes I’m reaching up for that stick I’m
a long ways from it but at least I feel
something shaking off the muck and the
mire enough to take one stroke of
swimming and reach up and grab that
stick if you’ll do that the Holy Spirit
will do the rest
and he’ll begin to raise you this very
day pastor pray for me I’m not right
with God I need to be I need a
transformation in my life I want it I’m
ready for boldly lift your hand if you
know I’m preaching to you this morning
all over this room fantastic fantastic
all over this room there’s no shame in
it there’s victory but I tell you one
thing the moments you do it a blessing
is released on your life anyone else
raised somehow at every campus raise
them high raise them high raise them a
beautiful beautiful beautiful say these
words out loud everyone under the sound
of my voice those of you watching by
television what an opportunity for you
to know Jesus and to see his
resurrection power in your life let’s
pray this out loud Lord Jesus I come to
you today I am a sinner but I know you
loved me I was sinking deep in sin but
your love this day is lifting me your
love won’t let me go your love won’t
give up on me
your love will ever release me from this
day forward I receive amazing grace
amazing love the love of Jesus Christ
the one who died and rose three days
later from the grave is resurrecting me
my dreams my family my purpose
a swimmer not a sinker in Jesus mighty
name if you believe it praise the Lord
for the miracle of being born again
hallelujah to copy the glory
praise God if you just prayed that
prayer we would love to hear from you go
to the phone dial the number that’s on
the screen let us know that you’ve had a
life-transforming decision to follow
Jesus Christ everything I preached I
believe is happening in your life and
we’re here to support and encourage you
and your new wall we have so many free
resources that are available on our
website from devotionals to blogs to
podcast and I know that this will be a
blessing to your life in our closing
moments I’m so excited to share with you
a brand new project that we have just
begun we have partnered with youth for
tomorrow an incredible Christ centered
ministry that provides shelter and care
for unaccompanied minors who have come
across the United States border they
have no parents they have no relatives
no place to call home many of them if
they’re not rescued and helped will end
up in in sex slave or human trafficking
but what the enemy meant for their evil
we know God can turn for the good and
God is using you for tomorrow as a safe
haven for these children it’s a home for
orphans where 16 children will be housed
there’s already 10 of these homes built
we’re building the 11th home there and
we believe that God has called us to be
a part of the solution I need your help
on the construction of this home we’ve
already sent the first hundred thousand
dollar check we broke ground and the
miracle has begun let’s show them the
love of Jesus Christ what I love about
the home that we’re building is we don’t
just close and feed them we give them
Jesus we give them Jesus my announcer is
going to tell you what you can do to
help this miracle happen
this year over 700,000 children and
young people entered the United States
with no parents sent to be trafficked or
worse pushed across the borders with
nowhere to turn and nobody to turn to
but we know that our God is a father to
the fatherless and we believe as the
church we have been called to the
frontline to help these children in the
most desperate need that’s why we’re
partnering with youth for tomorrow to
provide residential educational and
outpatient services to these fatherless
children and Kingdom Connection we
believe that we are commanded to care
for those in desperate need and when we
do God promises to bless the work of our
hands
you can join Jensen Franklin in building
this brand-new dorm by sowing your best
gift of $30.00 or more when you do
you’ll receive the newly released
restart your heart 21 day devotional for
those who sew a special $1,000 seed to
complete this project and leave a
lasting legacy you’ll receive Jenson
Franklin’s best-selling book love like
you’ve never been hurt with their
restart your heart companion devotional
or name will also appear on the legacy
wall of faith and you’ll receive a
legacy certificate commemorating your
generosity this month as an exclusive
bonus you’ll receive the Jenson Franklin
Legacy Bible with over 300 thousand
words of commentary and over 150
articles from decades of messages the
legacy Bible will remind you and your
family of God’s faithfulness for
generations to come
visit us online to extend a hand of
grace to these fatherless children in
desperate need this program has been
sponsored by friends and partners of
Kingdom Connection we hope you’ve
enjoyed this teaching by Jensen Franklin
and thank him for your continued support
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you