This is “You Haven’t Seen God’s Best Yet”. In Luke 24, Jesus showed the nail prints on his hands and feet to show his disciples what can give and where he can take them. We serve a giving and sending God and he is saying to you today, “Handle me and see.” There are still things he wants to give you and places he wants to send you. Will you look at Jesus today and receive what He wants to do in your life?
>> Hello, and welcome
to Kingdom Connection.
Thank you so much
for joining us.
We serve a God who sends people
to places they never
dreamed they could go,
and we serve a God
who gives people
from His bountiful hand,
miracles and blessings
they never dreamed
they could receive.
All He asks us to do
is to get into His word
and believe Him.
It’s easy to see what God
has done in our lives
and get comfortable,
but you need to realize
that you haven’t seen
God’s best yet.
Let’s go in today’s message.
I’m telling you
the presence of God
was in this service,
and you’re gonna hear a message
that’s gonna inspire your faith
like never before.
I agree with you for that.
It’s time for you
to believe again,
and dream again,
and expect again
the goodness of God
in your life and family.
Listen to this.
♪ ♪
>> Open your Bibles with me
to the Book of Luke,
the 24th chapter.
Luke, chapter 24:36,
“Now, as they said these things,
Jesus Himself,”
meaning this was
post resurrection,
this is after the resurrection,
he’s rose from the dead
and they’re in there
having a discussion,
and suddenly Jesus Himself,
“stood in the midst of them
and said unto them,
‘Peace to you.’
But they were terrified
and frightened
and supposed that they had
seen a ghost.
And He said to them,
‘Why are you troubled?
And why did doubts
arise in your hearts?'”
Listen to these words,
“Behold my hands and my feet,
that it is I myself.”
And what an amazing challenge.
“‘Handle me and see.
For a spirit does not have
flesh and bones.
As you see, I have.’
And when He had said this,
He showed them His hands
and His feet.
While they still did not
believe for joy and marvel,
He said to them,”
I love this part,
“Have you got any food?”
Isn’t that beautiful?
Jesus said, “I’m hungry now.
Cross wore me out.
I need something to eat.”
You know, Jesus said,
“As I am, so shall you be.”
And we’re going
to eat in heaven.
And it was not a vegan meal
that he ate.
I’m sorry for you
who are from California.
There will be
no vegan meals in Heaven.
And if you are a vegan,
you sit at your own table.
Me and Jesus — He said,
“I want some meat.”
And the Bible said —
they said — they brought him
a piece of broiled fish
and some honeycomb,
and he took it
and ate it in their presence.
In front of them, he ate it.
I love what He said.
He said in verse 39,
“Handle me and see.”
Handle me and see.”
And quickly, in the next verse,
He showed them
His hands and His feet.
I want to preach on,
“Handle me and see.”
“Handle me and see.”
Then He showed them
the nail prints
in His hands and His feet,
and He said,
“I know I that you thought
it was over,
and I know you thought
that it was finished,
but it’s time for you
to get a fresh revelation
and handle me
and see and look at my hands.
Look at my hands.”
And what he was saying was,
“Look at my feet.
Look at my hands
and see what I can give you now.
Presently, not what
I’ve done in the past.
You saw these hands
healed lepers,
raised the dead,
be laid on people with fevers
and diseases and sicknesses,
and they were healed instantly.
But now, post crucifixion,
I want you to look at
these same hands
and just when you think
you’ve seen it all,
look at my hands
and look at what I can give you.
And look at my feet
and see where I can take you.
How many of you
have been given things
by the hand of God
that you never dreamed
that you would give?
If you were to be honest,
you would have to say,
“God’s nail scarred hands
have provided things
in my life
that were not even
in my wildest dreams
or imaginations.”
Let me hear some noise right now
if you know that’s the truth.
And how many of you have had God
show you His feet
and take you further
than you ever were
supposed to go,
ever was it predicted
you would go?
You’ve gone to places
that only God
could have got you there.
Only God could have
opened that door because
that’s the kind of God He is.
You see, the only way
that we can accept the challenge
that Jesus offers us
as He stands here,
see it in your mind of —
in your eye of faith
this morning.
The Master standing here saying,
“Look at my hands.
I have things
that you can’t even imagine.
I have things
that I want to give you,
and I want to bless you
and your family with.
My hand is a blessing hand.
And you’ve not seen
the best yet.”
What I’m preaching today
is you’ve not seen
God’s best yet.
You’ve not seen
what He could really do.
Just when you think
He’s done it all,
they thought it was over
and he appeared suddenly
and gave them
this great challenge.
“Handle me and see.
Handle prayer, handle worship,
handle hunger
and thirst for me,
and hang — handle
this thing called faith again
and believe and risk again
that I can do something
even greater in this season
in your life.
The one risk that
this church runs,
as God has done so much for us,
is to get comfortable
and get to a place
that we think that
because God’s been so good,
that we become satisfied
and not continually handle Him
and see through prayer.
Through seeking Him.
Through being passionate
about Him.
See His hands again
and know there’s more
he wants to give us.
And see His feet again
and know that there’s more
places he wants to take us
and tar — carry the message
of the cross to.
Never settle for good
when you know God has the best.
We must not be lethargic.
We must not ever cease from
handling Him
and it becoming more than
just going to church
now that we’ve got
our life straightened out.
Revelation 3.
He warns that
the end time church
would have a curse on them,
and this is what it sounds like.
They will say, “I am rich
and increased with goods
and have need of nothing.”
But that’s not going
to be this church.
We’re going to continually
handle Him and see.
We’re going to look at His hands
and see He still has good things
that He wants to give us
and our children
and our children’s children.
And we’re going to look at
His feet and realize
that when I put my hands in —
my life in God’s hands,
He can take me anywhere.
He can open doors
no man can shut.
He can cause you
to go into places
that will make you
scratch your head and say,
“How in the world
did this happen to me,
and did I get here?”
[applause]
Handle me and see.
Blind Bartimaeus
would have stayed blind
for the rest of his life.
He was called Blind Bartimaeus
because he was
named by his hang up
and his handicap.
Challenges are not supposed
to become your calling card.
You’re not supposed
to settle into him.
He could have settled
into his blindness
and never hungered
and heard Jesus was passing by
and never reached out
and cried out
to handle Him and see.
But when Jesus came marching by,
he started crying out aloud
because he said,
“I have not lived so long
in darkness
that I want to stay here.”
Some people have lived
so long in mediocrity
and in this place of darkness
in their life that
they don’t even dream or believe
to ever go any higher.
Never learn to live
with less than God’s best.
Don’t learn to live in darkness.
Don’t learn to live
in disadvantage.
Don’t learn to live
in shame and disgrace
and feel bad about yourself
and your past
the rest of your life.
Don’t live in that.
You don’t have to stay in that.
“Handle me and see.
My hands still can give you.”
Even if you’ve gone
through something so bad
that it’s almost tried
to define your life,
He says,
“Look at my nail scarred hands.
I can give you a good life.
Look at my feet.
I can give you
divine appointments.
Look at the places
I want to take you.
You don’t even know
what’s in you.
You don’t even know
the talent you’ve got.
You don’t even know
how high I can take you
if you just handle me and see.”
Nothing you’ve done
has disqualified you.
People will label you
by you mistakes,
but Jesus does not define you
by your mistake.
He defines you
by these nail scarred hands.
And He says, “You don’t
deserve it,
but here I’mma give it to you
and you can’t get there
but follow my nail scarred feet
and let me walk you
past all your critics
right into greatness.”
Woo!
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
I hear the Lord.
I feel this challenge
hanging over this building.
Hanging over somebody
listening to me right now.
And Jesus is saying,
“Come on, handle me and see.
You don’t know what I have
in store for you
and I’m gonna give it to you.
I’m gonna give you the kingdom.
You don’t know where these feet,
these nail scarred feet
are going to take you,
but you got to want it.
Never learn to live
unless handle me and see.
You don’t have
to live in failure.
You don’t have to live
in disappointment.
You don’t have to live in defeat
and in bondage and in addiction
and in guilt and in shame.
You don’t have to live
like you’re less
than damaged goods.
What a lie from hell.
Handle me and see.
Handle me and watch how I’ll
recycle even what the enemy
meant to destroy you,
what he meant for evil.
I’ll take it
and I’ll mold it
and I’ll make you into
such a beautiful thing
that you’ll be
the envy of other people.”
Well, I don’t know
where this is coming from,
but I feel like preaching
this morning.
I’m telling you,
I’m telling you,
we serve a Savior
who recycles evil.
He recycles evil.
He recycles bad decisions.
He recycles mess ups.
He recycles failures
and bondage,
fear and depression.
He can take it
and make something beautiful.
Look at His hands and see what
he wants to give you.
Look at his feet
and see where he still…
Sometimes — the other day
in my study,
I wrote these words down
on a piece of paper.
And I was so frustrated
because I felt such pressure,
and I felt like
I didn’t have the message.
And I was just —
I was sweating.
I was — It was aggravate —
It’s this feeling
that comes on you
when you don’t have the words
and you don’t have the message
and the clock is ticking
and all of y’all are coming,
and you’re like
a bunch of hungry birds,
and I’m supposed
to have the worm.
[Laughter]
And I was stressing out.
I was tense, I was upset.
Nothing was speaking to me.
Nothing was going off in me.
Nothing.
And I looked up in my office
and I said,
“God, why did you choose me?
I’m not this, I’m not that.
I’m not smart enough
to do this.”
He said, “You’ve only
been doing it 40 years, dummy.”
[Laughter]
But I’ll never forget
what the Lord told me.
I wrote it down.
He said, “I chose you
because you are you.
I didn’t need somebody else.
I didn’t want somebody else.
I’m not interested
in somebody else doing
what I’ve called you to do.
I chose you
because you are you.”
And here I am.
This is all I am.
This is all I have.
But what you are
when He touches it
oh, when He gets
you from His hand,
when He slips into your shoes
and He says,
“Let me take you somewhere
that you never dreamed.
You — I could get a PhD.
I could get somebody
with so many degrees
they’re like a thermometer.
But I’d rather have you.”
Don’t you look at me funny
like I don’t know
what I’m preaching about.
I’ve seen those hands
give to me things
that I never dreamed I’d have.
I’ve seen those feet
usher me right in.
I’ve seen them walk me
right into the Oval Office
and sit down
and preach to a president.
Don’t tell me God can’t use you.
Don’t tell me God
can’t reach through you.
Don’t tell me God
can’t take your weakness
and make it His strength.
Somebody give God
a praise right now.
Woo!
Hallelujah!
Somebody shout, “Hallelujah.”
At every campus,
shout “Hallelujah.”
[Applause]
I Want you
to turn to somebody,
and if you don’t do it,
I want them to get a camera
and put it on you.
I want you to turn to somebody
and say, “You have
not seen God’s best yet.”
Grab him by the arm
and shake them and say,
“I said, you have not seen —
you need to handle him and see.
You have no idea.
Eyes have not seen,
and ears have not heard,
neither has it entered
into your thoughts
what God has planned
for them that love him.
He wants to give it to you.
He wants to take you to it.”
[applause]
Well, I feel the call
of God in this room on somebody
who’s listening to me,
and you have no idea
what God’s about to do
in your life.
But we’re gonna look —
we’re gonna see the before
and after shot of you
and you’re going to stand there
and scratch your head and say,”
it all happened when I
heard him challenge me,
Handle me.”
Get ahold of the word again.
Get ahold of prayer until strea
— tears are strea —
get ahold of fasting again.
Get ahold of worship.
I mean, not just in church,
but in your car
and in your house,
in your apartment,
in your workplace.
“Handle me and see.”
Because anything
He’s done before,
He can do again.
If he’s ever brought you
victory before,
He can do it again.
If He’s ever set you
free before,
He can do it again.
If He’s ever
opened doors for you,
He can do it again.
If He’s ever healed your body,
He can do it again.
Anything that He’s done before,
He can do again.
Three things — or two or three,
depending on how long
I feel like preaching.
Number two,
anything He’s done
anywhere else,
He can do it right here.
Because He’s standing
right here.
The Holy Spirit,
through the eyes of faith,
are standing in every church,
right at the front of it,
and He’s saying,
“Come handle me
and see what I can do
with that family.
See what I can do
with that mistake.
See what I can do
with that bad choice.
See what I can do
with that busted marriage.
See what I can do.”
And anything
He’s done anywhere else,
He can do it right here.
And anything He’s done
for anybody else,
He can do it for you.
Every once in a while,
you need to step back
and remember,
and I want to close
with this story.
It’s one of my favorite stories
in preaching that I tell.
I’ve told it before.
“Well, I’ve heard that before.”
Well, you know, if you go look
at the Mississippi River,
I saw it 30 years ago
when I preached
the Natchez, Mississippi,
in different places.
I went by and saw the river.
I ate on a riverboat one time.
But just because
I’ve seen the river,
if I go back today,
I could say, “I see that.
I see the Mississippi River.”
But really, it’s not.
It’s all fresh water.
And just because you’ve
heard this little part
of the sermon,
don’t sit there,
“Well, I’ve heard this part.”
Well, all the water
has changed around you.
And maybe you weren’t open
to what I’m saying then,
but in this very moment it
might be — the angel
has touched the water again.
I said all that so I can use
the same thing again
and feel good about it.
Well, you get up here
and try to come up
with something new every week.
Let’s see how you do.
I’ll be glad to change.
But this is one
of my favorite mind pictures.
A little boy goes
into a candy store.
There’s a big barrel of candy
and the owner watches him
and sees a little dirty face,
little dirty hands.
It’s pretty obvious
the kid is by himself,
and he doesn’t have any money.
He’s just staring at her,
looking at the candy
in the candy barrel.
The owner walks over,
and the proprietor says,
“Son, would you —
do you want some candy?
Just reach in here
get you a handful.”
The little boy just looked up,
little smutty face
with dirt all over,
looked down, didn’t do anything.
He said, “No son, I know.
You don’t have to pay me.
It’s okay.
Just reach in there
and get you a handful.”
He just looked up,
looked at the man,
looked back down at the barrel.
Finally, the owner just kind
of got frustrated with him
and reached down,
took his hands,
picked up all the candy
and said,
“Hold your hands out.”
He holded — held his hands
out and he filled his hands.
Candy dropping everywhere.
He’s having to put in
his pockets and his hands
and as — just turns around
and starts to leave.
He says, “Wait a minute.”
The owner said,
“Wait a minute.”
He said, “Why didn’t you take
the candy out of the barrel
when I told you?
I told you could have —
it’s free.”
He said, “Your hands are bigger
than my hands, mister.”
[Laughter]
I’m tired of dipping
my little hands
in the favor of God
and in the blessing of God
and in the provision of God
and in the power of God.
I’ve seen what my hands can do,
but I’m ready to see
what God’s hands —
He said, “Look at my hands.
Just when you think
I’ve blessed you all
I can bless you.”
I feel this challenge
hanging over this church.
“Are you ready to go
to another place?
Are you ready to reach like you
— are you ready
to go to places?
Look at my feet.
I want to take you
to some divine appointments.
“Handle me and see.”
Accept and receive
the magnitude of what God
wants to do for you.
And I want to talk to all you
silver heads haired and all,
you no hairs,
and I’m one of you.
It would be okay
for me right now,
at 60 years of age,
to just kick back and say,
“I’m 60 and sliding for home.
And I ought to just relax
these next 15 years.”
But I’m telling you,
this message is more
than a message for you.
If I’m not preaching
to nobody else,
the Lord spoke to me
this week and he said,
“Hey, what you going to do
with the next decade
of your life?
I wish you’d
come handle me and see.
I wish you’d look at
my hands again
like you did when you
were a 20-year-old evangelist,
and you didn’t have nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
But you started handling me.
You started handling prayer
and fasting.
You started handling worship.
You started handling —
you spent the night
in the church with two or three
friends who were musicians,
and y’all played all night
learning new songs.
You turned into —
you were crazy.
You looked at my hands
and you believe that I —
you started handling faith
and you believed that I could
take you out of
Kenly, North Carolina
to the world.
I wish you’d get that again.”
I heard Him say,
“I wish you’d act
that way again.
I wish you’d quit acting like
I’ve already done my best work
in your life,
and in your ministry,
and in your family.
I know some stuff has happened
but get a fresh vision
of my nail scarred hands.
I’m still gonna give.
I’m still gonna take.
I’m still going to anoint.
I’m still going to lead
and I’m still going to bless
like you’ve never seen before.”
Throw your head back,
and say, “Thank you, thank you,
thank you, thank you,
thank you, thank you,
“I receive it.
God’s hands have things
He still wants to give you,
and God’s feet,
nail-scarred feet
have places they still
wanna send you.
He’s a giving, sending God,
and He’s not done with you.
You have not seen
God’s best in your life.
That’s why you’re
watching this program,
something in you says,
“It can’t end this way,
it’s not over.”
You know, when Jesus appeared,
He had been through
the crucifixion,
and they had seen so much
that He had done,
but He comes with
that great challenge,
and it’s time to handle Him
and see what He will
do for your life.
I believe you’re watching this
program by divine assignment.
Pray this prayer.
Say, “Jesus, I surrender
my life to you.
I’m gonna handle You and see.
I’m gonna handle prayer
and faith.
I’m gonna handle
the Word of God again.
I receive You
as my Lord and Savior.
I believe, I believe.
I’m gonna handle You
and see that You’re not done
with me or my family,
in Jesus name.”
Oh, I believe that,
and I feel that
in my soul today.
I wanna welcome you
if you prayed that prayer
to the family of God.
I can’t tell you
how excited we are
that you made the decision
to follow Jesus
and to accept Him
as Lord and Savior.
And before we go,
I wanna tell you how much
we appreciate everyone
who is responding
to our newest project
in the nation of Israel.
Our ministry has committed
to the northern area of Israel
to build an emergency center
as wing of the hospital.
We will be there,
near the border of Syria
and Lebanon where so many
terrorist attacks happen,
we’re gonna build this hospital
right there in the middle of it.
And right now, for example,
over 150,000 missiles
are pointed at Israel
by Hezbollah, the terrorist,
and Syrian militant groups.
I’ve been there,
I’ve seen it firsthand,
and it’s terrifying.
For many years,
we’ve been sowing, and building,
and giving to
the nation of Israel,
making sure that we bless
and comfort God’s people.
When you start giving
to projects like this
just like the scripture
said you should do,
in Genesis 12:3, God says,
“I will bless those
who bless you, Israel;
I will cure those
who curse you.”
You can be a part
of that blessing today.
We cannot do
this lifesaving project
without the generosity
of people like you.
Please pray about
what God would have you do.
We’ve committed
a three-million-dollar
commitment to build
this wing of this hospital
and I’m thrilled to do it.
I have no question in my mind
that God will speak
to people just like you.
Thank you, and God bless you,
and God bless
your home and family,
and God bless Israel,
and God bless
this nation, America.
God bless you.
>> ANNOUNCER: Since 2019,
Jentezen Franklin
Media Ministries,
together with our friends
and partners,
have partnered with
the Jewish National Fund
from the Amazing Kingdom
Play School, as well as
four community centers
in the Eshkol region
of Israel.
These amazing projects
have already saved
so many lives during
rocket attacks from Hamas
on Israel’s southern border.
But in the north, Hezbollah,
the Iranian backed
terrorist organization,
is planning its next war.
Hezbollah has over
150,000 missiles
aimed at Israel,
as well as underground tunnels
which they have threatened
to use to kidnap
and murder Israelis
and invade northern Israel.
This area has no
medical facilities
in case of emergency.
Right now, Jewish people
living in the area
must travel an hour.
It’s difficult enough
that they live and work
only miles from the border
with Lebanon,
where Hezbollah terrorist,
backed by an armed Iran,
operate freely.
Jentezen Franklin
Media Ministries
is stepping up in another
major effort in Israel
and providing
the Northern Israel
Emergency Center.
And if war breaks out,
the Northern Israel
Emergency Center
will be a major asset
to protect Israelis
and save lives.
This is the biggest project
we have ever taken on in Israel.
We will not be able to do this
without your generous support.
There is a blessing promised
to those who bless Israel.
“I will bless those
who bless you,
and I will curse him
who curses you.”
We believe God has
strategically positioned us
to play a role
in protecting and blessing
the nation of Israel.
Be a part of the blessing today,
call now or go online today.
♪ ♪
>> For more information
about this message
and other ministry resources
visit us online at
JentezenFranklin.tv.