Service Date: 12.30.18 11AM

[Music]

I’ve been studying and praying and the

Lord has led me to Matthew 27 verse 62

if you are visiting you’ll recognize

that we’re standing it is our custom to

stand for the reading of the word and so

if you’re visiting we welcome you to the

family and we ask you to stand with us

Matthew 27 verse 62 and my text says on

the next day which followed the day of

preparation the chief priests and

Pharisees gathered together to pilate

saying sir we remember while he that he

is Jesus while Jesus was still alive how

that deceiver said after three days I

will rise very command that the tomb be

made secure until the third day lest his

disciples come by night and steal him

away and say to the people he has risen

from the dead so the last deception will

be worse than the first Pilate said to

them you have a guard go your way make

it as secure as you know how so they

went and made the tomb secure sealing

the stone and setting the guard my

subject for today is the sequel so god I

ask that you would continue to move in

this place that your glory would fall as

only it can do God I ask that you would

give me wisdom that you would give me

revelation and prophecy that you would

come into this room and make it so clear

that they are in the right room at the

right place at the right time because

you are going to speak to things that

they thought had been buried for a long

time that you will bring clarity and a

vision to that which has confused us all

year long on this last Sunday of 2018

god we’re asking that you would give us

insight perspective wisdom to process

all that we have seen and been exposed

to so that we have the fuel necessary to

go into our next and as for me God no

nerves no fear no anxiety just your love

your anointing standing tall and doing

that thing that you do when you breathe

into a room in Jesus name Amen and then

you guys can get seated and get

comfortable I took my shoes off in the

last service because ain’t nobody got

time for shoes

my father was preaching a message

earlier this year and he said something

that really struck me my father said

that the Bible is the greatest love

story ever told

and I thought to myself my father’s

never seen the notebook or loving

basketball because wow the greatest love

story ever told and I think I thought

that because whenever I read the Bible I

saw you know sometimes things that were

confusing sometimes things that I didn’t

always understand and then sometimes

like if I may be transparent long time

ago years ago it would be like a nyquil

like I would read I didn’t understand I

would be sleep I would I started off

with the best intentions sharing my

testimony y’all can leave me out there

by myself I’m fine but what I see now is

what my father expressed which is that

it is the greatest love story ever told

and the reason why it is the greatest

love story ever told is clear in Genesis

when God makes creation he makes man and

woman Adam and Eve as we know them but

in Genesis

three Eve eats from the tree and when

she eats from the tree it disconnects

Adam and Eve from God so the Bible are

the many many stories and generations of

how God attempted and man attempted to

reconnect to one another and so God

decides at a certain point that the

attempt the Tabernacles and the Kings

that the people act for he decides that

he knows exactly what humanity needs but

it wasn’t like he just discovered this

because God is all-knowing right and so

I realized in Genesis 3 and 15 it became

clear that he had a plan in the works

all along in Genesis 3 and 15 God is

talking to the serpent after Eve and

Adam have eaten from the fruit and he

says I will put enmity between you and

the woman and between your seed and her

seed he shall bruise your head and you

shall bruise his heel those of you who

study or our theologians or pastors and

preachers know that this text is a

foreshadowing of the coming of Jesus

Christ when he says that her seed is

going to bruise the Serpent’s head it is

to say that this is just a temporary

triumph for you that even though it

looks like all is lost buried underneath

this defeat is a seed that lets you know

that there’s going to be a conversion

that takes place and as a result of the

conversion yes you did bruise the heel

of humanity but you will not have the

final say if I didn’t say anything else

that should be joy unspeakable for some

of us because it is a sign that even in

the midst of despair even in the midst

of what looks like temporary triumph on

the side of darkness that there is

always a seed buried in despair that has

a promise to our victory and so I’m

studying and I’m in Matthew 27 and as

in Matthew 27 I realized that this point

in the text is pivotal because it is

another time in which darkness or the

Pharisees or the enemy appears to have a

temporary triumph over God’s plan the

only reason why it appears this way

though is because man is looking at it

not realizing that God was going to use

even that moment to have victory there

was a temporary triumph for the

Pharisees so when Jesus begins his

ministry at the age of thirty he is

performing miracles he’s healing the

sick the lame are walking the blind can

see the Deaf can hear all of these

miraculous things are happening that are

making people realize that they still

have access to power that God still has

love for his people and this excitement

has started to create such a ruckus that

the Pharisees are upset you see because

the one thing that happens when you’re

being effective is not just that you

become famous but that it makes a people

uncomfortable who are in position Jesus

was not looking to be famous though that

was a symptom of what his purpose was

what he was seeking more than anything

was to be effective man I wonder if we

changed our in-goal to just being

effective how much little validation we

would need from other people because it

wasn’t about whether or not I became

famous or whether or not you applauded

it was just about whether or not I was

effective did I do what God told me to

do did I say what God told me to say I

didn’t get the job I didn’t get the gig

it didn’t work out the way that I wanted

to but I won because I did what God told

me to do and so now I’m just waiting to

see what is next because I am only

effective I am only successful when I do

what God says to do I’m not successful

when I have a million dollar check I

just have more money

I’m not successful just because I’m a

household name I’m just famous what I

want more than anything is to be

effective and what God created me to do

and everything else is just a symptom

but what matters most is that I am

effective and so Jesus is effective and

what he has been called to do and Jesus

in the process of completing his mission

recognizes that the outcome should be

people who understand that though I am

in my human form my human form is just

the casing that holds my divinity so

Jesus isn’t just trying to get people to

look at him he’s trying to pass their

humanity and into their divinity so that

they too can become well if I’m not

careful I will make my existence about

what you can see when what I should do

is use what you see to get you to what

you cannot see which is that I’m not

just gifted and talented but God saved

my life

in such a way that I had no choice but

to produce in but to create and it just

so happens that I create on a different

level because it’s been kissed by God

and because it’s been kissed by God

people stand and take notice that I’m

not innovating anybody I’m just doing

and when I do my things things happen so

my goal each and every day is God showed

me how to use this humanity to reveal

divinity and my friendships in my

relationships and my job in my finances

how can I do something today that

reveals you to the world and Jesus was

not just performing miracles he was

imparting his power and his spirit I

know this because when the woman with

the issue of blood crawled and found her

way to Jesus and finally touched the hem

of His garment she didn’t he didn’t just

say someone received a miracle he said I

felt power go out of me you see the

difference between the pharisees and

jesus is that the pharisees wanted to

remain in control they want it to be the

only one seated at the table but Jesus

came to expand the table so that there

could be more seats for the sequel’s

that were coming after him because if I

get in position and I only make sure

there’s enough room for me than I did

something wrong but if I get the job so

that I can show people that people who

look like me can be in position then I

didn’t just get the job so I could be

great I got the job so that I could

create legacy for everything connected

to me I’m on a mission and I’m not

satisfied if there’s only room for me at

the table and that’s thinking like Jesus

and when we find Jesus in the text he’s

in this in-between stage and the

Pharisees are in this in-between stage

and what they’re in-between at this

moment is the fact that Jesus is out of

the picture he’s been crucified

everybody saw it his life has come to an

end and the Pharisee

are hoping that now that Jesus is out of

the picture that things can go back to

the way they were before he started

performing miracles they thought that

because we got him out of the way all we

need to do now is to finish what he

started because we don’t want his

disciples to come and take his body away

and then make people start believing and

hoping and having faith again what we

want is for things to go back but see

what the Pharisees are going to learn is

something that many of us already know

in this room and that is that there are

some things that happen that so

radically change who you are and how you

see the world and how you engage in the

world that they can never go back to

being the way they were before there are

some things that you’re never going to

get back you’re never going to be able

to go back to being the person you were

before the heartbreak you’re never going

to go back to being the person you were

before you lost the job you’re never

going to go back to being the person you

were before you had the wound and the

scar and the pain and the tears you’ll

never go back to being the person you

were before you had to put that person

you loved in the ground you’ll never go

back and though that sounds like such a

bummer it’s actually good news because

I’m armed with the wisdom and the

strength and the instincts and the

anointing and the resilience that I

would have never had had I never

experienced that before and now I’m not

afraid of what’s next because I’ve

already survived the worst thing I

thought that I could ever go to and if I

came back

on the other side of that I don’t have

to be afraid about what tomorrow holds

because yesterday almost took me out but

I’m still here it’s never going to go

back it’s never going to go back to

being what it used to be it’s never

going to go back and that’s okay because

the best sequels don’t replace already

taken place it creates a new story that

is built on the foundation that the old

story built and so my question to you as

you count down to 2019 is are you going

to leave some things behind in 2019 that

you need to create an epic sequel for

2019 let me say that again are you going

to leave some things behind in 2018 that

look like a temporary triumph for the

other side that God wants to use to help

you establish yourself in 2019 I’m going

somewhere at this point in the text the

Pharisees are in this position they’re

in this situation that I mentioned and I

love this because we know the end of the

story so I get to look at it from

different angles

I see how the Pharisees are straddling

the fence between things going back the

way they were or things possibly being

upset and the only thing that I kept

thinking to myself is all while they

were straddling the fence Jesus was in a

tomb that was converting into a wound

that would birth a new identity for him

okay so the enemy was trying the

Pharisees the enemy was trying to end

Jesus as they knew him and they were

successful because when God got finished

writing the story he wasn’t going to be

Jesus as they knew him he was going to

be Jesus the resurrected Savior let me

tell you why that’s good news for you is

because there have been some temporary

triumphs that look like defeats on your

end but triumph for someone else and the

only reason why it looks like defeat for

you is because you don’t realize that

you’re also being converted to and that

when it’s all said and done what looked

like temporary triumph or temporary

defeat for you is actually going to be

the eternal victory that you need god

help me say it what I’m saying is this

you are never going to go back to being

the person who suffered that defeat

again and that’s why you had to go

through that defeat in the first place

because now that you have gone through

that defeat a new version of yourself

can emerge which means that you don’t

have to be afraid of going through what

you went through in 2018 again because

what she went through in 2018 changed

you in such a way that you will never

have to worry about crying those same

tears again I lost the job but I learned

how to balance my checkbook so I’m never

going to be the person begging for money

again

there was something that happened to me

in defeat that I thought was a tomb but

turns out it was a womb so what they’re

waiting for or trying to prohibit rather

is Jesus coming back the way that he was

which is why I’m kind of against the

whole like new year new me thing a

little bit because I think you need the

same person who endured in 2018 to have

focus in 2019

I need her I need him he learned some

things in 2018 that I don’t want to just

close the door on and walk away from

I need the lessons that came in 2018

I need the heartbreak that came in 2018

I need the friends that I lost in 2018 I

need the friends that I gained in 2018

I need the reminder that people can walk

away from me but God will still be

faithful

I need the reminder that I don’t have to

look for my next check that he is my

provider because I thought I should have

lost the placement somehow in the

midnight hour I got a phone call that

didn’t even make sense I need that I

need to take that into 2019 I can’t

leave that behind

I know everyone is praying for the new

year but I’m praying that I taken this

year with me into the new year because

there are some invaluable lessons that I

learned that I cannot afford to just

walk away from save me new year say me

new wisdom say me new strength say me

new power say me new revelation say me

new one don’t say yeah I’m gonna say me

that year is new but I’m gonna say me I

can’t afford to change I wonder too much

hell to get into 2019 and acts brand new

I got a wisdom baby I got power baby

I got knowledge baby I learned

I love myself I learned how to receive

the love of the Savior I learned how to

lift my hands in worship I learned that

I could overcome my fears and

insecurities save me save me new year

new opportunities but it still still the

same man so the Pharisees think that

they can stop the plan and fort the

effectiveness of Jesus’s ministry by

placing a guard and rolling the stone

away on the outside they thought that an

external deterrent something that would

shake up the outside could change the

power of who was inside you see Jesus

was working on his sequel that’s why my

subject for this message is the sequel

because Jesus was working on his sequel

and I believe that you’re working on

your sequel and so we are connected to

Jesus in this moment and we are

connected to everything that he is

experiencing in this moment because we

are working on our sequel because we’re

not going to do the new year new me

thing we’re going to take everything

that we have learned into this next year

and produce a sequel which means that

the things that I endured this year that

were external deterrence to my destiny

that should have kept other people from

trying to come and see me that should

have kept people from believing in me

again really don’t have any effect on

what’s going to happen next because the

most powerful thing that took place in

2018 was happening on the inside just

like the most powerful thing that’s

happening in this text is not what the

Pharisees are planning for but what’s

happening on the inside of

the tomb and I just wonder how many of

us have decided to allow the temporary

defeats to become permanent and I wonder

how many of us are counting down the

days to 2019 because we can’t bear to

relive what happened this year and the

reason why I believe I was given this

message is because somebody it may not

be everybody but there is somebody who’s

going to leave a tomb in 2018 that God

wants to show you was really just a

woman that some of us have rolled the

stone over what is supposed to be our

purpose over what is supposed to lead us

to the next dimension of who we are I’m

never going to do that again I’m never

going to try to love again I’m never

going to start the business again the

bankruptcy hit me the job loss was too

much I’m never going to go forward again

I’m rolling the stone away in 2019 I’m

going to try something different I’m not

gonna risk being vulnerable I’m not

gonna put myself out there I’m rolling

this stone away not recognizing that if

you would allow something to take place

on the inside of you that would allow

you to receive every lesson and to

receive every wisdom and to cry every

tear of grief attached to your

experience then you can position

yourself properly to turn that tomb into

a womb there have been instances and

passages and I life this last quarter

that we thought was just like how was

this even happening we’ve been faithful

we’ve been serving I don’t even

understand why door after door is

closing unexpected doors unexpected

transitions shaking things up and there

was something that happened within the

last two to three weeks where we

realized I needed that

I need I really needed that your tone

becomes a womb when you can look at what

hurts you and say to yourself I needed

that I needed that I needed that it made

me uncomfortable I didn’t think I was

going to make it but now that I look

back on it I had faith in the wrong

things

that I was worshipping a relationship

when I should have been serving God that

I was chasing this idea of money in the

pain when I should have had my heart

surrendered asking God how I can serve

his people and that’s why I didn’t get

the gig and that’s why I wasn’t ready

for the job I needed that I needed them

to walk away from me I needed them to

hurt me I needed that I really needed

that I really needed that tear I really

needed that pain I really needed that

disappointment I know it sounds crazy

because some people in this room have

gone through some things that they

didn’t want and certainly don’t need but

I’m telling you the mindset of victory

says though you slay me yet shall I

trust in him Jesus needed the cross so

that he could be resurrected

I needed that cross I needed every cross

that 20:18 hung me on I needed every

weapon in every lesson that 20-18 gave

me because it is the foundation and what

God will create my sequel and I got to

make sits of this mess and the only way

I can do it is to see a sequel and to

see a conversion everywhere I saw pain

so what we’re talking about is a

conversion where Jesus goes from his

human form and to his spirit form the

crucifixion pushed him into his divinity

that pain

push you into divinity I know sometimes

we think it pushed us to a drink or it

pushed us to go clubbing but the fact

that you hear on Sunday in Los Angeles

means that she went through some things

that pushed you into divinity I didn’t

just get here by myself

life shook me up in such a way oh I feel

that church girl trying to boil up down

on the inside of me because I didn’t

just get to become your pastor I had to

go through some things I had to wear

some scarves and then all of a sudden I

got pushed into the divinity all of a

sudden I got pushed into anointing I got

pushed into my purpose I got pushed into

a marriage I got pushed into a family I

got pushed into everything that God had

for me all because I learned how to be

crucified and since ma’am all because I

learned to me receive that defeats were

only temporary I got pushed into this I

will give you ten seconds to really get

yourself together in this place like you

got pushed into the version of who you

are I got pushed into financial

responsibility nobody handed

anything nobody did anything for me I

got pushed into where I am I got pushed

here I got pushed here I got pushed here

and every time I push t-birds something

down on the inside of me that I should

have never had access to I got pushed

into humility I got pushed into this

arena I got pushed here and when I got

pushed she made a lane for me and now I

do what I do like no one else can do it

because it was made for me and I was

made for it and I got pushed until I got

here

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

God’s not picking on you God’s not

disappointing you I feel something about

to break loose in this place God has not

turned his back on you you are not

forsaken you are not forgotten you are

being pushed into divinity like never

before

cry those tears baby because when they

get right up you ain’t gonna never be

that person again shake it off baby

shake it off baby shake it off baby

good thing was coming I hear

haven’t seen ears haven’t heard

that things that he had

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

you gonna have to do better than that

you gonna have to do better than that

it’s pushing season

I’m breaking up with my doubts I’m

breaking down with my fears it’s

question season

it’s break through see

I’m gonna make them

I’m gonna write the book

back the flames pushing season

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

let me tell you why the Pharisees were

nervous because they had one but their

one was not secured they knew Jesus

still had time to change the tide they

knew that Jesus still had time to upset

the culture they knew that Jesus still

had time to figure something out and

they were trying to keep him from

recognizing that he still had time and

they were trying to keep the disciples

from recognizing that they still had

time they thought that it was December

30th 2018 and that everyone would be

moving into 2019 but I hear God saying

there’s something that I want to do for

you in 2018 but I know it’s only one day

left but one day

because why they went within the cordon

the two he was getting ready to be

raised up again

Oh

with me

you

give me the idea you can still help me

release bitterness you still got time

you still got time with me it’s one more

day it’s one more business say left in

this year and Jesus still got business

to do I feel like preaching

they’re like ugly girl preaching

innocently

business day

Leoni

I got one more name to set the

foundation for the greatest seagull that

will ever be the 2019 I got one more day

to set the stage I got one more day to

change my life I got one more day to get

the ball rolling I got one more day to

get the music out one more day one more

day touch your neighbor you got one more

day you got one more day

one Monday the resurrected – one Monday

to forgive who hurts you one more day to

walk into something new one Monday for

new identity one more day was not a

radical fringe

one more day for my story

[Music]

so the conversion happens when we carry

our crosses and carry our tombs to God

and say you are the only one who can

take what humanity killed and transform

it into something that can never die and

this year humanity tried to kill some

things on the inside of me I was trying

to be a person of integrity and then

find out that everyone around me was

lying and now I’m wondering what the

point is I was trying to do things the

right way and everyone I thought was

going to help me turn their back on me

and now I don’t trust anybody at all

humanity has tried to kill some things

in me this year humanity tried to tell

me I wasn’t good enough I wasn’t smart

enough I wasn’t skinny enough I wasn’t

black enough I wasn’t wide enough

humanity tried to kill some things for

me and God you are the only one who can

take what humanity tried to kill and

turn it into that which is untouchable

I need a conversion

and this sequel is going to be what God

has called it to be

I need a conversion and if you are in

this room and you know that there are

some tools that you rolled the stone

away and you set a guard in front of you

said I’m never I’m never gonna count on

that again I’m never going to open

myself up to that again I’m never gonna

do it again because the last time I did

it it hurt too badly but as I was

speaking and you know specifically I

don’t know who you are you know exactly

what I’m talking about that you were

trying to give up on but you also know

that God wants to bring back to life but

you recognize that you are the only

thing that is standing in the way I dare

you to bring not just yourself but

you’re tuned to this altar because God

wants to give us a divine exchange in

this place God wants to create a

conversion like never before God wants

to show you what he can do with your

brokenness God wants to show you what he

can do with that disappointment God

wants to show you what he can do with

that heartbreak

God is the tomb and I’ve been waiting to

leave it in 2018 but it is that tomb

that will be the foundation that he uses

to catapult you into 2019 so you can’t

afford to leave it behind and you can’t

afford to walk away like it never

happened you can’t afford to bury it any

longer it’s got to come back up it’s got

to come back up and you have to be

willing to grieve the tomb the disciples

weren’t worried about how they were

going to get Jesus’s body out of there

because they were grieving that they had

lost something and in the middle of them

grieving what they thought they had lost

they received a newer better improved

version of him you can’t access this

conversion unless you’re willing to

grieve and there’s some people in this

room who haven’t even said ouch

people walked away from you things

didn’t work out and you said I’m strong

I’m tough I don’t need them I can handle

that I got this but she don’t got it

baby cuz you hear and all while I’ve

been speaking it keeps coming up to your

mind and I just want you to know that

that’s okay because God wants you to

expose your weakness so that he can give

you his strength because there is

nothing more beautiful than his strength

partnered with our weakness that

when miracles take place that is when

lives are changed that’s when

transformation happens and so god I

expose every area of my life where there

is a weakness areas that I know and

don’t know because I want to be

partnered with you in every area of my

life maybe you’re here and you said I

don’t even really know why I’m here

because I don’t believe in God and I’m

not sure about Jesus but for some reason

this message has been speaking to me and

I’m not saying that I’m ready to be a

Christian or a Holy Roller but I do want

to accept this tug that has taken place

in my heart I want to acknowledge that

something is happening in this room that

I can’t describe and don’t fully

understand I want to challenge you to

come down to this altar as well you are

in the perfect place because none of us

have it figured out but all of us keep

responding to this call this nudge this

urge and it is just rolled into

something that leaves us standing in awe

and wonder I want you to lift your hands

at this altar

[Music]

because your hands lifted it’s a sign of

surrender and we’re not just here to

look good we’re here to make a surrender

and as I’m praying I want you to bring

to mind everything in your life that you

know you need to surrender I’ve got a

lust problem I got a drug problem I

can’t get these thoughts out of my head

I need I need to surrender I can’t

forgive I’ve got bitterness I need it to

surrender and so my hands are lifted and

I’m holding the weight that I need God

to take control of God I thank you for

every hand that is lifted in this room

that as their hands are lifted and as

they offer these tombs up to you that

you’re smiling from heaven because

you’ve been waiting for this moment I

feel that for somebody God has been

waiting for this moment where you would

finally admit that you don’t have it all

together

I hear heaven rejoicing and angels

dancing because for the first time in a

long time you’re gonna get back up that

you need you’re gonna give the love that

you’ve been waiting for you’re gonna get

the support that you mama couldn’t give

you

your father couldn’t give you so spirit

of the Living God I ask that you fall

fresh in this place that you will

saturate our hearts and minds like never

before that you would help us to have

peace and understanding and wisdom

regarding these tombs god help us to see

who we became as a result of the trouble

we endure god help us to recognize the

strength that we now have access to that

we didn’t have before the wisdom and the

fortitude that we could have only had

had we had this tomb and so God as you

begin to birth the next dimension of

every soul in this room god I proclaim

prophetically that their best days are

ahead of them that you only have plans

to prosper them and not to harm them God

get ready to blow their mind because

they’re ready

god I acts I practice I write

in the name of Jesus that as you build

these walls down that you are gonna

erect a monument of your grace that

their lives are gonna be a testimony of

the transformational power of Jesus

Christ that they will be the best see of

this generation has ever seen goddamn

you’re gonna do it in anybody do it in

the hearts of these be

Weesa religion you all regard that you

are and we say have your way like never

before

[Music]

and may we overflow and become a

blessing to everyone we encountered in

Jesus name Amen can you repeat after me

Heavenly Father I received this word I

received the truth I received the power

I received the wisdom

attached to every wound I forgive those

who hurt me

I embrace those you have sent me

position me to be a teacher and a

student that I may learn from you and

share with all

may your grace overflow in every area of

my life and consume all that I touch and

Jesus name

and then a man can you celebrate with me

[Applause]

can you celebrate life you recognize the

conversion has taken place

can you celebrate like this sona’s

[Music]