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Fragile Stems and Faint Flames - Pastor Caleb Adams - October 26th, 2025 — Transcript

by Christian Life Church · 9,698 words · 1,918 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00Heat.
0:03[music]
0:16Heat. [music]
0:25>> [music]
0:30[music]
0:33>> to [singing] you Lord
0:35and sing praise [music] to your name
0:38most high.
0:40I'll declare your love in the morning
0:44and your faithfulness [singing]
0:46[music] my life.
0:48Oh you, oh Lord, [singing]
0:51have made me th. I will sing for [music]
0:54joy at the works of [singing] your name
0:57and rejoice in what you have done.
1:02To you, Lord,
1:05sing praise to your name.
1:08[music and singing]
1:11Your love in the morning
1:14and your [music] rain [singing] was my
1:20[music]
1:21baby. [singing]
1:22I will sing for joy at the work
1:26and rejoice [singing]
1:28in what you have done. [music] And
1:30rejoice
1:32in what you have done.
1:35[music and singing] Oh Lord, how great
1:37are you?
1:40>> [music]
1:40>> How great are your
1:44[music]
1:48[singing]
1:49[music]
1:54Pray for your words. [music]
1:57I pray for your words.
2:02I pray for [music and singing] your
2:03words.
2:05You my lady
2:09[music]
2:10in you, Lord.
2:11>> In you, Lord.
2:13For I know [music and singing]
2:16my
2:16>> I can rest.
2:19I won't be defeated. For you, for you
2:23are the [music and singing] strength of
2:24my life.
2:26For you, oh Lord, [music and singing]
2:28have made me. I will sing for the words
2:33of your rejoice [music]
2:37in myj. [singing]
2:41[music]
2:48[music]
2:49Heat. Heat.
2:54[music and singing]
2:59[music]
3:01I
3:04[music]
3:05[singing]
3:09[music]
3:11you
3:14[music]
3:19[music and singing]
3:21for I know that you're on my side.
3:24>> I [music] can rest. I can I won't be
3:28defeated.
3:30For [music] you are the my [singing]
3:38[music] sing for the words of your
3:43rejoice. [music]
3:48[music]
3:49[singing]
3:55[music] Oh
3:57my
4:04[singing]
4:04[music]
4:09[music] great.
4:17[music and singing]
4:21Heat. Heat. [music]
4:27[music]
4:32>> [music]
4:33>> You are
4:38you are
4:40[music]
4:44[music]
4:50[music]
4:51Lord how great are your words.
4:55Oh [music] Lord how great are [singing]
4:57your words.
4:59Oh Lord, how great are you?
5:03[music]
5:03Oh Lord, how great are your
5:07[music]
5:12[music]
5:20[music]
5:24Jesus? [music] Heat. Heat. Heat.
5:32[music]
5:35Heat. Heat. Heat.
5:37[music]
5:40[singing]
5:45[music]
5:57You're [music]
6:03[music]
6:10[music]
6:14hallelujah. Hallelujah. Why don't you
6:16give the Lord a hand clap of praise this
6:18morning? Feels [music] good in the
6:20presence of the Lord. Come on. Why don't
6:23we just lift up some praise in this
6:25place?
6:26God, you're good. [music] You're worthy,
6:29Jesus. You're worthy, Jesus. Hallelujah.
6:33Hallelujah.
6:35Well, I'm so thankful to be in the house
6:37of the Lord this morning. It's so
6:39wonderful and beautiful to see all of
6:41your faces here and we are grateful that
6:44you're here to worship with us this
6:45morning. And in
6:48this service, we've come to give the one
6:51thing that God cannot give himself
6:54and that is [music] what we were created
6:56to do. We were created to worship him.
7:01And if you've come [music] to give him
7:03work, if you've come with a purpose in
7:05your heart, with intentionality,
7:09to give him worship, why don't you just
7:11lift your hands [music] this morning?
7:14And why don't we dedicate this service
7:16to Jesus?
7:18God, we give you all of our worship. We
7:21give you all of our praise. We give you
7:24everything that we have, God.
7:26Oh Jesus,
7:29[music] we give it to you Lord.
7:35[music]
7:40You give light.
7:42You are [music and singing] love.
7:44You bring light to the dark. As [music]
7:49you give [singing] hope,
7:52you restore
7:54every [music] heart that is broken.
8:00[music]
8:02Great are you, Lord. [music]
8:06[singing]
8:08It's your breath
8:11in our lungs. [music] So we pour out our
8:15praise. Pour out our praise. is your
8:18love [music]
8:20in our lives.
8:22So we pour out our praise [music] to
8:25you, oh
8:30God. [music]
8:32Oh,
8:35[music]
8:37you give life.
8:39You are [singing] love.
8:42[music] Bring light to the dark.
8:47Give hope.
8:49[music] restore
8:51every heart that is broken. [music]
8:59Great [singing]
9:00are you [music]
9:01Lord
9:05your [music]
9:08Heat. Heat.
9:10[music and singing]
9:15[music]
9:18[singing]
9:20[music] Praise
9:22you.
9:24[music]
9:27[singing]
9:29[music]
9:39>> [music]
9:44>> It's your [music]
9:48pull out.
9:50So [music and singing] we pull it out.
9:52It's your
9:58[music] pour
10:02is your [music] way.
10:05[singing]
10:07We pour out our praise. We pour [music]
10:11our praise to you.
10:16[music]
10:17We pour our praise to you all.
10:25You're so worthy of our praise.
10:27[music and singing] Lord
10:29God, we go to your Jesus.
10:34>> [music]
10:40[music]
10:40>> And all the earth will shout your
10:44praise. Our hearts will cry. These bones
10:48[music] will sing. Praise [singing]
10:53are you Lord.
11:00All [music and singing] the earth will
11:02shout your praise. Our hearts [music]
11:05will cry. These thorns will sing. Praise
11:10[music]
11:12are [singing] you Lord.
11:17[music]
11:18All the earth will
11:22shout your praise. [music]
11:25[singing]
11:27Great are you.
11:30[singing] Heat.
11:33[music]
11:34Heat.
11:38[music]
11:42[music]
11:44Heat. Heat.
11:48[music and singing]
11:55Heat. Heat. [music]
12:00[music]
12:05[music]
12:06Heat. Heat.
12:13[music]
12:15[singing]
12:18Heat. Heat.
12:20[music]
12:25[music]
12:29>> [music]
12:31>> Praise [singing]
12:31you.
12:34[music]
12:37[singing]
12:43[music]
12:46>> [singing]
12:48[music]
12:55>> Come on. [music] Right now, why don't
12:57you just create an audience of one in
13:00this room? Let's lift up the name
13:02[music] that is above every name. Oh
13:05God, we give you great praise. For you
13:08are [music] a great God. You're the
13:12center of our attention. You're the
13:14center of our [music] worship. God, we
13:18we give it all to you. We surrender
13:21[music] all to you, Jesus.
13:24Oh, you're
13:28so [music] great.
13:31So,
13:34[music]
13:41Heat. Heat. [music]
13:50[music]
13:52>> [singing]
13:53>> We give it all.
13:57[music]
14:04>> [music]
14:09>> of the earth [music] will shout your
14:14hearts will cry. These [singing] songs
14:17will sing [music] great
14:21are you Lord. [singing]
14:28Heat. Heat. Heat. [music]
14:35[music]
14:40>> [singing]
14:45>> Heat.
14:47Heat. [music]
14:52[music]
14:53[singing]
14:56[music]
14:57Hey, [singing]
15:05[music]
15:06all the earth will
15:10>> [music]
15:10>> My
15:13[singing] will
15:17[music]
15:22[music]
15:25are you are you are you are [music] you
15:32are you
15:35[music]
15:37are
15:41Somebody
15:47[music]
15:48wait.
15:51[music]
15:54[singing]
16:00[music] Great are you.
16:03Great [singing] are you.
16:05>> [music]
16:05>> Great on you.
16:08[singing]
16:10Great on you.
16:12[music]
16:15[singing]
16:17[music]
16:21[singing]
16:23Heat. Heat.
16:27[music and singing]
16:32[music]
16:33[singing] Heat. Heat.
16:38[music]
16:43[music and singing]
16:45We pour out our praise. Pour out our
16:49praise for [music]
16:52our
16:54we [singing]
16:56praise you. [music]
17:03You are great Lord.
17:07There's no one like you, Jes.
17:11[music]
17:12Oh,
17:18right now from every corner of this
17:19building, why don't we just close our
17:21eyes and lift our hands? Lift [music] a
17:24great praise in your own words for just
17:27a few moments. God, you are [music]
17:30great in my life.
17:33Why don't you begin to declare
17:36his lordship and his greatness in your
17:38situation?
17:40God, you are greater than the problem
17:42that I'm facing.
17:45God, you are greater than the situation
17:47that [music] stands in front of me. God,
17:50you are greater than the emotions that I
17:52feel. God, you your word. God, you are
17:57greater. [music]
17:58God, you are greater than the financial
18:01crisis. God, you are greater. We
18:04declare, Jesus, [music]
18:07you're great.
18:09Great.
18:11[music] Lord,
18:19[music]
18:20>> you believe that God's greater than all
18:23of the crises of the world, why don't
18:25you lift your hands again and just say
18:27it. I acknowledge your [music]
18:29greatness. I acknowledge that you're a
18:31big God. The great God
18:35is God.
18:37And we have gathered together [music] to
18:41lift up the name of Jesus,
18:45to declare his greatness
18:49and do as the scripture said to worship
18:51him in the beauty of holiness.
18:55My mind has contemplated that word
18:58holiness
19:00for a while this morning.
19:03as a word that we know is good. It
19:06pertains to God. But just how do you
19:10describe
19:12what the word holiness means?
19:15The best I know how to describe it is
19:17that the holiness of God is God's
19:19character.
19:22Holiness is a [music] it's a big word
19:24that encompasses all that pertains to
19:27the nature of God. And one of the
19:30aspects of [music] God's nature is he's
19:34a giving God. He's a generous God. The
19:37Bible said that God so loved the world
19:39that he gave his only begotten son. He
19:43gave his life. When he saved us, he
19:48gave us the free gift of salvation.
19:51We We couldn't have We don't have enough
19:53money to buy salvation.
19:55You can't buy it with good works.
19:57There's nothing that we could [music]
19:58give to God that would exchange for what
20:01he has given to us. But God is generous.
20:04He's good.
20:06>> The Psalmist said it this way that he
20:08has daily loaded us with benefits.
20:11So, not only does God give to you when
20:13you get saved, but he just keeps on
20:15giving. [applause]
20:19So, generosity is an expression of God's
20:22holiness.
20:24And then we know what the scripture
20:26says. It says we need to be holy for he
20:29is holy. And so when we come and we
20:34bring our tithing and our offering,
20:37when we open up our hand and when we
20:39express our generosity through our
20:42giving, that is one way of us reflecting
20:46the holiness of God right back to him.
20:49Now this church, we don't [music] pass
20:50the offering plate. We can give online
20:52or if you brought a cash or check out
20:55those doors, turn to your right down the
20:57hall on the black wall. There's a
20:58dropbox there. You can make a physical
21:01contribution. But however you give,
21:04let's do it with the mindset that we are
21:06doing this to reflect back to him what
21:10he has done for us. Let's give liberally
21:12and generously. Let's give a cheerful
21:15heart and god's going to bless us as a
21:16result of it.
21:29promises [music and singing]
21:32standing on his promises.
21:35And here we have a [music and singing]
21:36confidence
21:39that he won't fail.
21:43[music]
21:51>> [music]
21:59>> will be for us. He [music] will be with
22:04us.
22:05He will not fail us.
22:09He will [music and singing] not forsake
22:11us.
22:13He will come before us
22:16and he will be [music]
22:18with us
22:20and he will not fail us.
22:24He will [music and singing] not forsake
22:26us. Say trust in the Lord. [music]
22:31All I hope is working. His word won't.
22:36Trust in the Lord. All
22:39[music and singing] I want his word.
22:41Heat. Heat.
22:44[music]
22:50[music]
22:53We're standing on the pro.
23:01[music]
23:03[singing]
23:07We're standing on standing on his
23:12we
23:16won't fail. [music and singing]
23:39He [music] will be with He will not
23:44[music] compare and he will not forsake
23:48yours.
23:50He [music] will go before he will be
23:58he will [music] not fail.
24:02He will not [singing]
24:05trust in the Lord. Lord
24:11will [music]
24:14trust in the Lord. All is worth
24:19[music and singing]
24:22neither [music]
24:29[music]
24:32stand
24:37[music]
24:41[music]
24:45with And all
24:48[music] we have
24:53here
24:55[music]
24:58to mountains are moving.
25:02Praise straight
25:05in Jesus name. [singing]
25:09[music] In Jesus name.
25:13Mountains are [singing] moving.
25:16mountain [music]
25:20in Jesus name. Jesus [singing] name
25:23to the mountain [music] in front of us
25:26in the name of Jesus.
25:29[music]
25:33In Jesus name
25:36[music]
25:38in Jesus name.
25:42[music]
25:45me.
25:51[music] Jesus
25:54Jesus
25:57promises
25:59promises. [music] We're standing on him.
26:01We're standing on [singing] his
26:03promises.
26:05And here we [music] have our pro
26:11Heat.
26:18[music]
26:20Heat.
26:23[music]
26:29[music]
26:35Heat. Heat.
26:40[music]
26:45Heat. Heat. [music]
26:51[music]
26:55Heat. Heat.
26:58[music]
27:07[music]
27:08Jesus
27:13[music]
27:14in the Lord. All I know [singing] is
27:18worth his word. [music]
27:21Trust in the Lord. [singing]
27:23All I know is [music] worth his word.
27:28Trust in
27:34his [music] word.
27:39his name. [singing]
27:43[music]
27:49Oh, put your hands together and declare
27:52some of his glory with your hand
27:54clapping. Hallelujah. Praise God.
27:59His word will not fail. His promises are
28:02sure. We're in a wonderful place today.
28:05Take a minute. Step out of your seat and
28:08greet a few people. Why don't you
28:10introduce yourself to about three people
28:12you've never met? Give them a great big
28:15welcome. Tell them it's good to [music]
28:16see them in church this morning.
28:26[music]
28:41>> [music]
28:44>> Heat. Heat. [music]
28:59>> [music]
29:08>> Heat. Heat.
29:14[music]
29:20>> [music]
29:26[music]
29:26>> Heat. Heat.
29:50>> [music]
29:52>> Heat. Heat.
29:56[music]
30:00Heat.
30:11Heat.
30:20Heat. Heat.
30:22[music]
30:37[music]
31:07>> [music]
31:08>> Welcome to our service here at Christian
31:10Life. We're so glad you're here this
31:12morning. At this time, please direct
31:14your attention to our announcements.
31:16Next Sunday, we are going to be blessed
31:18by the ministry of Reverend Cody Fedrick
31:20in both the morning and the evening
31:21service. Come prepared to receive a
31:24mighty word from God. We hope to see you
31:26there. [bell]
31:30[music]
31:32>> Teens.
31:33>> Teens.
31:34>> College and career.
31:35>> College and career.
31:36>> College and career.
31:36>> College and career. Join us on October
31:3831st [music] for our one life one life
31:41one life service. We're going to have a
31:42powerful night of worship with teens and
31:44young adults in the Memphis metro area.
31:46Afterwards, there'll be an afterburner
31:47with games, prizes, and incredible
31:49fellowship. The Bonfish food truck will
31:51be [music] there to meet our food needs.
31:52Don't forget to bring a change of
31:53clothes and plan to stay late for lots
31:55of fun. See you there. See you there.
31:57See you there.
32:02[music]
32:04>> This concludes our announcements. So,
32:06please continue to worship with us.
32:10>> Why don't we stand right now? Lift up
32:11our hands as we continue our worship. Oh
32:14God, we love you. We worship you, Jesus.
32:19Hallelujah.
32:27I consecrate. [music]
32:29[singing]
32:31I dedicate [music]
32:35my life, my will to thee, oh Lord.
32:42>> Oh yes,
32:43>> you can use these hands.
32:47You can use this [singing] voice.
32:50[music]
32:51Offer your kingom, [singing] your glory.
32:55Lord,
32:58[music]
33:00I want to be a willing vessel. Vessel
33:04you can use. [singing]
33:08I want to be a willing vessel. The
33:12instrument [singing and music] you
33:13choose.
33:16I want to empty [singing] up myself
33:20available [music]
33:21to you. So [singing] let me be a willing
33:25vessel.
33:28Be a willing vessel.
33:32Be a willing vessel. [music]
33:34You can use
33:39a con. [music]
33:41[singing]
33:42>> Is that how you feel this morning?
33:45I consecrate my life to you, Jesus.
33:48>> My life, [music and singing] my
33:50>> to you, Lord.
33:53>> If [music] you can use these hands,
33:59you can use [music]
34:00[singing] your voice.
34:03I'm worth
34:05[music and singing]
34:06your
34:10I want to be
34:12>> I want [music and singing] to be with
34:16you and you
34:20[music] I want to be [singing]
34:23the [music]
34:28I [singing] want to
34:33>> [music and singing]
34:38>> Lord, I'll be [singing]
34:40[music]
34:41>> be a willing vessel.
34:45[music]
34:46You can [singing]
34:51maybe [music] not place
34:55or a fallen
34:57song.
34:59I am here now. [music]
35:02Send me a go
35:07to share this goel with [music]
35:10those who never heard [singing]
35:12me before.
35:15I empty [music]
35:17myself completely.
35:24I want [music] to be [singing]
35:30[music]
35:31[singing]
35:32I want to be
35:36[singing]
35:37true. [music]
35:40I want [singing]
35:44a [music]
35:48[singing]
35:52>> [music]
35:52>> He really
35:57[music]
36:04[music and singing]
36:07or a fallen soul. [music]
36:11I am yielding now. To me, I'll [music]
36:16go
36:19to share this [singing] goel with those
36:23who never [music] heard me before.
36:27I hear the earth [music]
36:36Heat. Heat. [music]
36:36[singing]
36:42[music]
36:46Heat. Heat. Heat.
36:48[singing]
36:52[music]
36:53[singing]
36:58I'll be [music]
37:05[singing]
37:06sh
37:08[music]
37:10you can [music]
37:15I want to be [singing]
37:20so you can [music]
37:23[singing] me
37:27the [music]
37:29truth.
37:32I want to enter [singing]
37:34myself. [music]
37:39Let me
37:42let me [music] be
37:48[singing]
37:49[music]
37:51you can do
37:58[music]
38:03Why don't you just lift your hands and
38:04surrender [music] to his will this
38:06morning
38:11[music and singing]
38:16surrender to you Jesus [music]
38:22[singing]
38:24Lord
38:27[music]
38:28Jesus [singing] Heat. Heat.
38:36[music]
38:40[singing]
38:43[music]
38:48>> [music]
38:50>> Yeah.
38:53[music]
38:57Say yes.
39:01[singing] Yeah.
39:03[music]
39:08[music and singing]
39:14You
39:16[singing]
39:16[music]
39:17say
39:20you [singing]
39:21are
39:25[music]
39:27[singing] Heat. Heat.
39:31[music]
39:34[singing]
39:38>> [music]
39:45>> Let me be with [singing and music] you,
39:49Lord. I'll be
39:52let [music] me be.
39:56You can't
40:01[music]
40:08[music]
40:13[singing]
40:16[music]
40:20[singing]
40:21tell me
40:24>> [music]
40:28>> Oh [music and singing] Jesus.
40:35[music and singing]
40:41[music]
40:44Lord, I surren [singing]
40:47[music]
40:52I surrender Jesus. [singing]
40:56[music]
41:02[music]
41:04[singing]
41:11>> [music]
41:11>> Let me be a real
41:15[music]
41:21[music] master. You can
41:27[music]
41:34>> [music]
41:43>> Thank you choir. Just remain standing
41:46together.
41:48If you have your Bibles with you, we're
41:50going to go to the
41:53book of Isaiah.
41:58Isaiah chapter
42:0142.
42:10Of all the prophets
42:14in scripture, Jesus said that John the
42:17Baptist was the greatest.
42:20But John, while he was the greatest, he
42:22was not the
42:25most prolific.
42:27The most prolific
42:30prophet of all of them was Isaiah.
42:34When you read through his
42:37writings,
42:40there's a poetic beauty to
42:43what Isaiah writes about.
42:48It's been said that Isaiah is like a
42:50mini Bible. There are 66
42:54chapters in the book of Isaiah that
42:57corresponds with
43:00the 66 books of the Bible.
43:04The last 27 chapters of Isaiah deal with
43:08hope and restoration [clears throat]
43:11just like the 27 books of the New
43:14Testament deal with the hope and the
43:16restoration
43:18brought by Jesus.
43:21And we're going to look here
43:24at four verses from chapter 42 where the
43:28prophet
43:29describes [music] the ministry of the
43:31Messiah.
43:34Behold my servant whom I uphold,
43:39mine elect in whom my soul delightth.
43:43I have put my spirit upon him.
43:47He shall bring forth judgment
43:50to the Gentiles.
43:53He shall not cry,
43:56nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be
44:00heard in the street.
44:03A bruised reed shall he not break, and
44:07the smoking flax shall he not quench.
44:12He shall bring forth judgment unto
44:14truth.
44:16He shall not fail nor be discouraged
44:20till he hath set judgment in the earth
44:24and the isisles shall wait for his law.
44:30And I want us to
44:33look again at verse three.
44:36A bruised reed shall he not break?
44:41The smoking
44:43flax
44:45shall he not quench?
44:49I want to preach for a little while
44:51about fragile stems
44:54and faint flames.
44:57Can you receive God's word with an amen?
45:00>> I bless you. You can be seated.
45:12I'm so grateful for Christian Life
45:15Church.
45:18>> The culture
45:21and the spirit of this congregation are
45:24remarkable.
45:26This is a wonderful place.
45:30Admittedly, I am biased as I'm the
45:33pastor of the church, but I think it's
45:37okay for me to be biased and it's okay
45:39for you to be biased.
45:41This is a wonderful place.
45:44And one of the
45:47qualities that makes this congregation
45:49wonderful
45:52is over the years it has become a place
45:55where people who are broken
45:58can come and find healing
46:02and restoration.
46:05Our church has never been a magnet for
46:07the who's who of society.
46:11the upper echelon
46:14have not frequently
46:16graced our
46:19doors, but they would be welcome if they
46:20wanted to.
46:22But the people that have made up this
46:24congregation have been
46:27more of the common sort.
46:30But typically when people come into this
46:32church, they don't come in well.
46:36They come in very much not well.
46:39So many people come uh
46:43as one old bishop said busted and
46:46disgusted,
46:48tore up from the floor up.
46:53come in with felonies,
46:56addictions,
46:59going through divorce,
47:02financial distress,
47:05church hurt, and the list goes on and
47:08on. People come in somewhat
47:11dysfunctional.
47:13But give it a little bit of time. If
47:16you'll give it time and if you will
47:18allow yourself to trust,
47:21if you will open up the doors of your
47:23heart and plug in and get involved, then
47:27God will start working and he works
47:32healing and he brings restoration.
47:36And it's amazing to see what people can
47:38become
47:40given just a little bit of time in a
47:42healthy church culture.
47:45I believe God's called us to be a place
47:47of restoration and healing. This very
47:51much meshes with
47:54the message that Isaiah gave us about
47:57Jesus.
47:59Isaiah lived approximately 700 years
48:03before the birth of Jesus Christ.
48:06But when he picked up his pen and he
48:08wrote his book,
48:11he was taking that prophetic telescope
48:16and he looked through the lens of
48:19prophecy
48:21and he saw Jesus.
48:24He saw the suffering servant with
48:26astonishing clarity.
48:30And Isaiah in very poetic terms
48:34describes Jesus what he would do. He
48:38describes his crucifixion.
48:41He talks about the ministry and the
48:43character of Jesus Christ.
48:46But in the passage that we read today in
48:50chapter 42,
48:53chapter 42 is actually a little uh it's
48:56like a little miniature
48:58excursus in the book. And this is the
49:02first that Bible scholars dub a servant
49:07song.
49:12this one that we read to describe the
49:15mission and the character and the heart
49:17of Jesus.
49:19And in chapter 42, Isaiah is simply
49:22making the case that
49:25in a world that prioritizes
49:28self-promotion,
49:30in a world that is filled with noise and
49:34pride and boastfulness,
49:37the Messiah is going to be very
49:39different.
49:40He's going to come into us humble and
49:43he's not coming as a self-promoter.
49:46He's not loud. He's not boisterous. He
49:49doesn't stand and lift his voice in the
49:52street like a street vendor. But he
49:54comes in with humility
49:58filled with the spirit. And he comes
50:01with a mission to bring judgment and
50:05restoration to people. Verse number one,
50:09this caught my attention. The Bible says
50:12that the Messiah
50:14shall bring forth judgment. Now, when I
50:17first looked at that, that that didn't
50:20really sound that great to me, to be
50:21honest with you,
50:24because when I think of the word
50:25judgment,
50:27I think of a courtroom.
50:30I think of myself in that courtroom as
50:34the guilty defendant, the one that has
50:38done wrong,
50:39looking up at the righteous judge of
50:42eternity.
50:43And the whole idea of God judging me
50:48doesn't sound good. I don't really want
50:51to be judged. I want the mercy of God.
50:55But the way Isaiah uses the word
50:58judgment
51:00is not in the courtroom sense at all.
51:03It's not in a negative sense. But this
51:06word judgment here
51:08might be better understood as justice.
51:12And what it means is it means divine
51:17order.
51:18So in other words, Isaiah says that when
51:22Messiah comes, the purpose of his coming
51:25is he's going to establish a divine
51:28order.
51:30He's ushering in the kingdom of God.
51:35And the purpose of the kingdom of God is
51:38to restore
51:40everything that was lost in the Garden
51:43of Eden.
51:44>> In the Garden of Eden, there was life.
51:47There was beauty, there was health,
51:51there was purity, there was holiness.
51:54But when Adam sinned in the garden, he
51:57lost all of that. Man was separated from
52:01God. And all of the ails and the
52:04disorders and the problems in our life
52:07and the problems in our society can be
52:10traced right back to what was lost in
52:13the garden. But I am so glad that the
52:17Messiah has come and he brought his
52:21kingdom and he is re-establishing
52:24order into our chaotic lives.
52:29>> [applause]
52:30>> Now, in recent weeks, there's been a lot
52:33of attention in the media to the task
52:38force, 700 federal agents here in
52:41Memphis that are cracking down on crime.
52:43[clears throat]
52:44And we've got the National Guard. Now, I
52:47drive all over Memphis. I've yet to see
52:49one, but I guess they're here.
52:52Crime has dropped almost 50% in the last
52:56two weeks. So, uh, it must be working
53:01and and I'm all for efforts to fight
53:05crime. I'm all for that. But I've got
53:08news for you. The problem with crime is
53:12not due to a lack of law enforcement.
53:16>> The problem, the reason we have a
53:18problem with crime is because of sin.
53:22>> It's because of the disorder that is in
53:24the human heart. It's because of greed
53:27and hatred and all of that stuff that
53:31comes with living in a world of sin. And
53:34while I applaud our law enforcement and
53:37I'm for everything they do to fight
53:39crime, the blunt reality of the matter
53:43is law enforcement doesn't deal with the
53:46root of the problem because that is sin.
53:49The only thing that really resolves a
53:52crime crisis is the inner transformation
53:56of the human heart that happens when
53:58somebody's waterbaptized in Jesus' name
54:01and filled with the Holy Ghost. But when
54:04Messiah comes, he does what the task
54:08force can't do. He brings order. He
54:11brings justice. He establishes kingdom
54:16authority. And brother, when the kingdom
54:19comes into your life, beauty starts to
54:22follow it, healing starts to come,
54:25wellness comes, joy comes, purpose
54:29comes. Thank God for the kingdom.
54:32[applause]
54:35He shall bring forth judgment. But look
54:38who he's bringing judgment to.
54:41>> He's bringing it to the Gentiles.
54:44The reason that's applicable to us is
54:47those gentile people were outside the
54:49boundaries of Abraham's covenant. They
54:52were the castaway. They were the
54:54marginal people. Those were the people
54:57that they were the untouchables back in
54:59that era. But Jesus's mission was not
55:03just for the Jewish people, but it was
55:06for the Gentiles.
55:08I'm glad that the door to the kingdom is
55:11open to the people on the margins of
55:14society. That's how you and I got here.
55:16We were Gentiles, but God saw us and
55:20Messiah came to us and he brought
55:24judgment or kingdom order to our life.
55:29>> Thank God for it. This divine order,
55:32it's a it's a wonderful thing.
55:36But I think we need to
55:39take a close look at this passage
55:41because
55:43it's one thing to know that God wants to
55:46bring divine order into our life to
55:49restore what was lost in the garden.
55:53But it's important that we understand
55:55how he does that.
55:58How does God convert someone?
56:02How does God bring a family that is
56:06filled with chaos and dysfunction?
56:09How does he establish normaly?
56:12How does he take somebody's brain that's
56:15all messed up, twisted up and fried and
56:18bring peace and order into the brain?
56:22Well,
56:25the prophet told us how he's going to do
56:27it.
56:29First of all, in verse two,
56:33it said this. It said that THE MESSIAH,
56:35HE SHALL NOT cry
56:38nor LIFT UP NOR CAUSE HIS VOICE to be
56:41heard in the street.
56:44SO THIS TELLS ME THAT FIRST OF ALL, the
56:48way God works in our life is he works
56:51through silence,
56:55quietness.
56:58I
57:01I I I met a man years ago that was
57:06reportedly uh one of the best soul
57:09winners out there.
57:13And he
57:15he told me his technique as he said to
57:19talk somebody into getting saved.
57:22He would go out and he would do street
57:25evangelism, go door todo, and when he
57:28would meet somebody that that was
57:31willing to admit they were a sinner,
57:34he started putting on the sales pitch.
57:36And he he had a high pressure approach.
57:40He was like one of those uh time share
57:43salespeople.
57:45He knew how to do it and he was able to
57:48convince people to go get baptized and
57:51but not very many of them ended up
57:53sticking.
57:55And his whole approach to evangelism is
57:57we've got to be very aggressive.
58:01And when he told me that, I thought,
58:03"Wow,
58:05that leaves me out because man, I just
58:07I'm just not comfortable witnessing like
58:09that with that level of a aggression. I
58:12just it just felt weird to me. Then I
58:16discovered this scripture
58:18and evidently he never had
58:22because the Messiah that Isaiah
58:25introduces us to
58:28is not a high pressure salesman.
58:33>> HE IS NOT AN ARM TWISTER.
58:36>> He doesn't JAM THE GOSPEL down someone's
58:39throat. That's right.
58:41>> He doesn't twist their arm and force
58:43them to come and get saved.
58:46>> He shall not cry. And he's not going to
58:48lift his voice in the street. He's not
58:51taking on this seedy feel of a street
58:54vendor. But rather, when he works, he
58:57works in quietness. Can I tell you how
59:00God's going to save you and how God's
59:02going to heal you? He is very silently
59:06going to start working in your heart.
59:09He's going to very silently start
59:11breaking down the hardness and the
59:14pride. And little by little, he's going
59:17to whittle down the walls that you have
59:19built to keep him out. He does his
59:23greatest work in silence. It's when
59:26we're in a prayer room all by ourself
59:30and we're praying and we're hurting and
59:33the tears are dripping off the end of
59:36our nose and we don't know which end is
59:38up. It is right there in that moment
59:42outside the hustle and bustle of a noisy
59:45world that Messiah starts working in our
59:49heart. I'm glad that he works in
59:51quietness. Uh some of you are walking
59:54through some times right now. You don't
59:56think you can hear a word from God and
59:59you're not feeling a whole lot even when
1:00:01you come to church. Uh but I want to
1:00:03preach to you that he is still working.
1:00:06He's working even when you don't know
1:00:08he's working because he is a quiet God.
1:00:11He is a silent God. He'll slip up and
1:00:15stand there right beside you and start
1:00:19working on your heart and you don't even
1:00:22know he's there. [applause]
1:00:27>> Where is God right now? I'll tell you
1:00:29where he's at. He's right there.
1:00:32>> He's standing right there and he's
1:00:34working.
1:00:36>> We're in a culture that is obsessed with
1:00:38noise.
1:00:42People got to be listening to something
1:00:44all the time.
1:00:47Walking around with earbuds in their
1:00:50ear.
1:00:52Some people they just can't deal with
1:00:54silence.
1:00:56It's not a good thing.
1:00:59ALWAYS GOT TO BE FILLING THE SPACE WITH
1:01:02NOISE.
1:01:04>> But I want to encourage you to cut some
1:01:06of the noise out of your life.
1:01:09create some margin and space for silence
1:01:14>> because it's in the silent moments
1:01:18that the Messiah works.
1:01:22Stillness.
1:01:24But I love what the next verse said. The
1:01:26Bible says, "A bruised reed
1:01:29he shall not break."
1:01:32Now,
1:01:34you've all been around a marsh where
1:01:39you've seen those plants that
1:01:41grew up out of the water,
1:01:43>> got big old stalks, and uh when I was
1:01:47growing up, we called them cattails.
1:01:49That's probably not the real name for
1:01:52it, but if you've ever walked around the
1:01:54lake down at Shelby Farms, you see that
1:01:56in certain parts they've got a growing
1:01:58up beside the trail and got these big
1:02:00old brown um things and about the size
1:02:04of a hot dog and top that thing. And
1:02:07those are a that's a reed
1:02:10and the nature of that reed is it's
1:02:12hollow inside
1:02:14and it grows up and because of that head
1:02:18on the top it can tend to be topheavy.
1:02:22Reeds are are pretty, but they've been
1:02:25used for years for especially in ancient
1:02:29times, reads were a big deal because
1:02:32reads would be taken and they would
1:02:35press those things as they dried them
1:02:36and they would use them to weave
1:02:38baskets. And so many things were made
1:02:42using reeds in years gone by. Not so
1:02:45much in our day, but in in the past it
1:02:47was a big deal.
1:02:49But the nature of a reed is while it's
1:02:52useful, it's also very fragile
1:02:56because that stalk is hollow. If a reed
1:02:59it's it's growing and the wind comes or
1:03:01an animal walks by or somebody comes and
1:03:03steps on that reed and that stalk is
1:03:08bruised. it's bent in half,
1:03:11then it's almost impossible to restore
1:03:15that reed because what happens is when
1:03:19the stalk is bent, the capillaries that
1:03:21come up through the fibers of that stalk
1:03:23are are ruptured and and the water can't
1:03:26come from the root up and so it
1:03:28eventually withers and dies. And back in
1:03:32the day when they used those reeds to
1:03:34make things,
1:03:36they would want to pick out the ones
1:03:38that were whole, they would dry and
1:03:40process the whole ones. But when they
1:03:43come across a reed that had been
1:03:44bruised, one that had been broken, it
1:03:47was just leaning over somewhere up the
1:03:50stalk, they didn't want that because
1:03:52where it was leaned over, it was
1:03:55weakened. and a bruise reebed was a
1:03:58metaphor of something that is totally
1:04:01useless and worthless. It just needs to
1:04:04be thrown away. But I love what the
1:04:08Bible said about the Messiah. The Bible
1:04:11said that he would not break the bruise
1:04:15read. This read that most people wanted
1:04:19to just throw away and replace it. The
1:04:23Messiah said, "I'm not going to break it
1:04:25and I'm not going to throw it away." But
1:04:29the New Testament said he's going to
1:04:30bind up the brokenhearted.
1:04:33He puts a splint beside the stalk. He
1:04:37straightens that thing out lovingly and
1:04:40carefully. Other people says, "Don't
1:04:43waste time with the this reed because
1:04:45there's so many others that aren't
1:04:47broken. Just just go get you one that is
1:04:50whole." But the divine gardener says,
1:04:52"No, I'm going to splint it up. I'm
1:04:55going to lift up this reed out of its
1:04:58broken state, and I'm going to nurture
1:05:02it until it's whole again." Can I preach
1:05:05to somebody right now that is walking
1:05:08through a broken time in your life, I
1:05:11want you to know that God would rather
1:05:13restore you than replace you. God is not
1:05:17in the business of just getting rid of
1:05:20people. Over the years, I've I've had
1:05:22people tell me, "Brother Adams, I I I I
1:05:25feel like I'm just taking up space in
1:05:27the church. I feel like I've brought
1:05:29drama into the church because my
1:05:32personal life is so chaotic and I've got
1:05:35so many problems. And I've even had
1:05:37people say, "Pastor, I'm afraid you're
1:05:39trying to just pray that God take me out
1:05:41of the church because I'm I'm so messed
1:05:44up." And every time I heard it, it
1:05:46almost comes across humorous, even
1:05:48though people don't mean it humorous.
1:05:49And I think, what in the world? If we
1:05:52just had a church for people that didn't
1:05:53have any drama and didn't have any
1:05:55problems, we wouldn't have a church very
1:05:57long. [laughter] Fact is, those are the
1:05:58kind of people that make up this church.
1:06:01God is not in the business of trying to
1:06:04get rid of the people that have
1:06:06problems. He's not in the business of
1:06:08trying to get rid of the people who have
1:06:10stumbled and failed. But God is a God of
1:06:15restoration.
1:06:17God's grace delights in taking people
1:06:20that others may have just said was a
1:06:22lost cause, was just a throwaway
1:06:25situation. And God says, "I'm not going
1:06:27to throw them away, but I'm going to
1:06:29lift them up. I'm going to take my word
1:06:32and put splints beside them. I'm going
1:06:35to prop them just as long as they need
1:06:38to be propped, until the nutrients and
1:06:41until the water of the spirit starts
1:06:44flowing through that broken place and
1:06:46they can be healed. Aren't you glad that
1:06:49there's a place of healing? Aren't you
1:06:51glad that there's a place of recovery?
1:06:54You went through that divorce and you
1:06:57had your heart broke, but you're not
1:07:00gone. The reed was bruised, but it
1:07:03wasn't broken. He has restored you.
1:07:06There is LIFE AGAIN. SOME OF YOU WENT TO
1:07:09the funeral home and you looked down
1:07:12into the lifeless body of a loved one
1:07:14and it felt like your life was ending,
1:07:17too. But it's not over. It's not over.
1:07:21Through the grace of God and through the
1:07:23spirit of God, his life has flown and
1:07:27he's brought you through. And he's got a
1:07:30future for you. IT'S NOT OVER.
1:07:35>> [applause]
1:07:38>> THE MESSIAH IS coming to bring order.
1:07:42>> He's going to do it quiet,
1:07:45unassuming.
1:07:48This is not an Instagrammable conversion
1:07:50I'm preaching about.
1:07:55But it's messy.
1:07:57NOW, NOW I LOVE THE IDEA OF SOMEBODY
1:07:59JUST COMING UP getting saved.
1:08:03ALL DYSFUNCTIONAL and
1:08:05seven days later they're
1:08:09normal.
1:08:11GOT A GOOD JOB, PAYING THEIR TITHES,
1:08:14faithful to church,
1:08:17looking like a saint. I love that.
1:08:21But I haven't seen that happen very
1:08:23often.
1:08:25Most people are pretty messy.
1:08:29Most of us are.
1:08:32And this business of healing people is
1:08:34sloppy.
1:08:39Nobody seems to get it just right and do
1:08:42it just right. But it's a slow process.
1:08:45It's doesn't make a good church
1:08:47Instagram moment.
1:08:53It's hard to get a good before and after
1:08:55picture
1:08:59>> in the same year.
1:09:02You give us 10 years, we could probably
1:09:04do a good good before and after, but
1:09:06>> it takes a while.
1:09:08>> That's right. Yes, sir.
1:09:09>> That's how ministry works. That's how
1:09:11the Messiah works.
1:09:13>> That bruise reed, it's carefully lifted
1:09:15up and it's not going to heal for a
1:09:17while, but you give it time.
1:09:21But I like this next part of verse
1:09:24three.
1:09:26The Bible says, "A smoking flax you
1:09:29shall not quench."
1:09:32Can I take a minute and just work on
1:09:34this for a minute?
1:09:36>> Cuz I think there's a few people in this
1:09:38room that need to hear about the smoking
1:09:40flax.
1:09:43Let's break down what the smoking flax
1:09:44was. First of all,
1:09:48flax was a fiber that they made wicks.
1:09:51It's talking about a lamp wick or a
1:09:53candle wick. When you go light your
1:09:54candle,
1:09:56you're lighting the wick. The wick pulls
1:09:59from the wax of the oil and it burns and
1:10:03it flames. And back
1:10:05back in those days, candles were a
1:10:08little different. Nowadays, we go to
1:10:10Cracker Barrel
1:10:13and we get that little $20 candle.
1:10:17This highway robbery, if you ask me,
1:10:21it smells good.
1:10:23and
1:10:26you light that candle makes your house
1:10:28smell nice. Well, back in the era of the
1:10:32Bible, it was pretty different than
1:10:33that.
1:10:35Candles
1:10:36many times and most of the time weren't
1:10:38made of wax. They were actually like a
1:10:40little clay pot. Think of a teapot.
1:10:45And that candle would be this pot sort
1:10:48of candle would be filled with olive
1:10:50oil.
1:10:51They had a little spout that went up and
1:10:54they would take the this flax wick and
1:10:58they would feed that wick down into the
1:11:01olive oil.
1:11:03And when they would light the wick, it
1:11:04would it would bring the oil up and and
1:11:08it would burn. And if there was plenty
1:11:11of oil in the pot, the flame would burn
1:11:15really bright.
1:11:17But here's what happened. When
1:11:20the pot ran out of oil,
1:11:23it was in a state then that we call
1:11:26burnout.
1:11:29The flame was burning, but the oil
1:11:33run dry.
1:11:35For a little while, there continued to
1:11:37be output,
1:11:39but there was no more input.
1:11:42And then
1:11:44as the oil
1:11:46stopped flowing through the wick,
1:11:49that flame would start to consume
1:11:53the wick itself instead of the oil.
1:11:56And then the flame would die down until
1:11:59there was just a little coal on the end
1:12:02of that wick.
1:12:04And that coal would start smoldering.
1:12:08And instead of putting out a pleasant
1:12:10flame to light up the house, now this
1:12:13smoldering wick was just putting off
1:12:16smelly smoke and and instead of helping
1:12:19people see, it was hindering their
1:12:21ability to see because this smoldering
1:12:25wick was in a state of burnout.
1:12:34Now,
1:12:35if you had lived back in those days
1:12:38and you walked up in your living room
1:12:40and
1:12:41your candle was smoldering and this
1:12:45unpleasant smoke was coming off of it,
1:12:49the way you would deal with it is you go
1:12:51up there and you' you would pinch the
1:12:54end of the wick
1:12:56to extinguish the coal.
1:12:59BECAUSE IF IT WAS JUST barely there, it
1:13:02was hindering more than it was helping.
1:13:06So the idea is LET'S JUST QUENCH what's
1:13:09left
1:13:11and we can start over another day, stick
1:13:14another wick and get more oil.
1:13:17BUT THE PROPHET SAID WHEN MESSIAH COMES,
1:13:22HE'S GOING TO FIND SOME PEOPLE that were
1:13:26throwaway cases
1:13:28like the the bruise reed.
1:13:31But there are other people
1:13:34that the flame of their desire for God,
1:13:40THEIR PASSION for God
1:13:42will have burned low.
1:13:46And now instead of glowing and putting
1:13:49out light,
1:13:51there's just a smolder.
1:13:53And there's an old ugly smoke coming off
1:13:57them.
1:13:59Instead of contributing something
1:14:02positive to the atmosphere,
1:14:05they're pulling off negativity because
1:14:07they're burned out.
1:14:09They've given and given and given
1:14:14[clears throat] without any
1:14:15replenishment
1:14:17until now WHAT USED TO BE a bright flame
1:14:23is just a little ember.
1:14:25AND WHEN THE MESSIAH COMES, THE BIBLE
1:14:28said that he would not
1:14:31quench this smoking [clears throat]
1:14:34flax.
1:14:35You know what that is literally telling
1:14:38us? It's telling us that what the
1:14:40Messiah does with someone that's burned
1:14:43out
1:14:45is he takes oil
1:14:48and he refreshes the pot
1:14:51with oil.
1:14:53He'll drip some drops of oil down that
1:14:56spout to where that wick is soaked up
1:14:59again.
1:15:01And very carefully
1:15:04he starts to breathe gentle
1:15:08on that little ember that's still there
1:15:10in the spout.
1:15:12And with the oil from beneath
1:15:15and the breath from without,
1:15:18the oil and the breath start to reignite
1:15:22that coal until after a little while and
1:15:26through some delicate patience, that
1:15:29coal begins to burn again. I want to
1:15:33preach to somebody that's been a
1:15:35caregiver. You've given and you've given
1:15:38and you've given. You've poured out and
1:15:41you've poured out and you've poured out
1:15:44and I believe I'm preaching to some
1:15:45people in this room that in recent weeks
1:15:48uh you have thought to yourself, I don't
1:15:50know how I can go another step further.
1:15:54There's some of you, it's not because
1:15:56you are God haters or you've turned your
1:15:59back on God, but you simply lost your
1:16:02desire to pray because prayer is one
1:16:05more thing on an overloaded schedule.
1:16:09I'm preaching to somebody. You found it
1:16:11hard to even get back to church because
1:16:14church is one more thing on a calendar
1:16:18that is loaded down, stressed out, and
1:16:22maxed out. You've reached what feels
1:16:24like the end of yourself. And now you're
1:16:28sitting here and where you used to have
1:16:30a desire, that desire has went cold.
1:16:34where you used to be involved in the
1:16:36kingdom. There's no more capacity for
1:16:39involvement because the oil has run out
1:16:43and the flame is just a little smoking
1:16:46ember. But I didn't come to this pull
1:16:48pit to condemn you or to to judge you.
1:16:52But I'm here to tell you that it's not
1:16:55God's will for it to end and burn out.
1:16:58It's not God's will for you to walk away
1:17:01and abandon your faith because you're so
1:17:05depleted. But rather, I've come to
1:17:07preach about a Messiah that's got a
1:17:10season of restoration for you. There's a
1:17:13season of refreshment. I'm not going to
1:17:16ask you to do one thing, but if you
1:17:19could just sit here in this sanctuary
1:17:21[laughter] and let the oil flow for just
1:17:23a little while. If you can let the sweet
1:17:26breath of God's word, come on. Just that
1:17:29little bit of desire that's left. You
1:17:31give it a little bit of time for the oil
1:17:34and the breath of God working. I'm going
1:17:36to tell you, brother, there's going to
1:17:38come a flame back like you haven't felt
1:17:41in years. There's going to come a DESIRE
1:17:44FOR MINISTRY LIKE you haven't felt in
1:17:47years. I'm preaching to somebody that
1:17:50it's time for a refreshing. It's time
1:17:52for a restoration. That's what the
1:17:55Messiah wants to do.
1:17:58I wish you'd throw up your hands and
1:18:00just pray that God would begin to
1:18:03restore people that are burned out.
1:18:07>> Hallelujah.
1:18:11>> Help out. Help the burnout.
1:18:16>> I'm not preaching to the sinner right
1:18:18now. I'm preaching to the saint. Amen.
1:18:21>> The sinners haven't burned out because
1:18:22they hadn't even started in their walk
1:18:25with God. But I'm preaching the people
1:18:28that have carried a big load at church,
1:18:30but they're carrying a bigger load in
1:18:32life. And the two loads sometimes just
1:18:36GET MORE THAN WHAT YOU CAN BEAR.
1:18:42>> You feel guilty and feel like a bad
1:18:44person
1:18:46because you don't want to carry the load
1:18:47anymore.
1:18:49You're burned out.
1:18:52Just pause.
1:18:54Why don't you just sit down and rest for
1:18:56a minute?
1:18:58>> Let's let Messiah
1:19:02do what he does.
1:19:09>> I want to end by looking at verse four.
1:19:14Now, I've read my Bible through a time
1:19:16or two over the years.
1:19:20I'm sure that I've read this scripture,
1:19:22but I
1:19:24if you're a Bible reader, you know what
1:19:25I'm talking about. You can read things
1:19:27but never see it. Yes,
1:19:28>> sir.
1:19:30>> You can read scriptures and you the
1:19:32words go pass in front of your eyes, but
1:19:35the message doesn't click.
1:19:38And this never clicked until this week.
1:19:44And the first line of this scripture, it
1:19:49it hit me as hard as I've been hit by
1:19:52anything in the Bible for a long time.
1:19:54The Bible said of the Messiah, he shall
1:19:57not fail
1:20:00or be discouraged.
1:20:03What does that mean?
1:20:06Well, what is he doing?
1:20:08HE IS WORKING WITH BRUISED READS.
1:20:13THROWAWAY CASES
1:20:16AND HE'S WORKING WITH BURNOUT.
1:20:23>> If you've ever worked with either one,
1:20:26>> that's a deal.
1:20:36people that aren't easily and quickly
1:20:40restored.
1:20:43BUT WHEN HE GOES TO WORK,
1:20:46HE
1:20:49SHALL NOT fail
1:20:52>> or be discouraged.
1:20:57And when I read this scripture, I
1:20:59thought to myself,
1:21:03I HAVE PREACHED A HUNDRED SERMONS FROM
1:21:06this pullpit
1:21:10ADMONISHING THIS church
1:21:13of what our commitment to him
1:21:17should look like.
1:21:21I've preached things like you need to
1:21:22pray every day,
1:21:24>> right? And and we do.
1:21:26>> I've preached that you NEED TO READ YOUR
1:21:28BIBLES,
1:21:29>> and we should.
1:21:31>> We ought to come to church. We ought to
1:21:33pay our tithes. We ought to love people.
1:21:35We ought to WE AND THERE'S SO MANY
1:21:37THINGS THE BIBLE CALLS FOR US TO DO.
1:21:42BUT HERE is the danger
1:21:45of over preaching
1:21:49our commitment to him
1:21:52IS I'M AFRAID WITHOUT MEANING to
1:21:57we actually create a performancebased
1:22:02religion.
1:22:04>> That's not our intention.
1:22:07And then WE WOULDN'T SAY IT IN SO MANY
1:22:09WORDS, BUT IT'S KIND OF LIKE
1:22:12IF I CHECK OFF THE BOXES,
1:22:16I get a good grade. If at the end of the
1:22:19day I say I prayed, check. I read three
1:22:22chapters of my Bible. Check. I fasted
1:22:26once this week. Check. I helped an old
1:22:29lady earlier today. Check. I gave my
1:22:32tithe. Check. And if I did all of that
1:22:35just right, then I get a passing grade.
1:22:39But what about the days when I don't do
1:22:41it all just right? WHAT ABOUT THE days
1:22:43when I get busy and I and my performance
1:22:47falters?
1:22:50>> Oh, I feel the Holy Ghost right now.
1:22:54Can I tell you that the plan of God's
1:22:58redemption [clears throat]
1:23:01IS NOT GOING TO collapse
1:23:06with my weakness?
1:23:10>> Yes, sir.
1:23:12>> AND I'LL PREACH ANOTHER SERMON ABOUT OUR
1:23:15COMMITMENT BECAUSE WE NEED TO BE
1:23:17COMMITMENT.
1:23:18>> We need to have commitments.
1:23:20BUT CAN I FOR [screaming] JUST A MOMENT
1:23:22AT THE END OF THIS MESSAGE
1:23:25PREACH TO YOU ABOUT HIS commitment
1:23:29to us.
1:23:33>> Whereas our commitment will falter his
1:23:36doesn't.
1:23:37>> The prophet said he shall not fail.
1:23:41GOD [screaming] IS THE ONE DOING THE
1:23:44SAVING.
1:23:46GOD IS SAVING ME. I am not saving me. I
1:23:51cannot save myself. I cannot build a
1:23:55ladder with good works and climb my way
1:23:58up to heaven. I can't earn it with my
1:24:01merit. I do not merit the grace of God.
1:24:05I can't buy the grace of God. I can't
1:24:08commit enough to deserve the grace of
1:24:11God. that when God started working in
1:24:14Caleb Adams, uh, God says, "I'm going to
1:24:17save him. I'm going to work." Uh, it
1:24:20wasn't about my commitment. It was about
1:24:22his commitment. Can I preach to you that
1:24:26when he begins a good work, the book of
1:24:29Philippians said he is going to perform
1:24:32it until the day of Jesus Christ. In
1:24:35other words, he is not going to stop
1:24:37working on you. He's not going to stop
1:24:39dealing with you. His plan does not
1:24:43fully rest upon you. It rests upon his
1:24:47grace. Uh he IS STILL WORKING. I'VE GOT
1:24:50A GOOD IDEA. We're going to make it to
1:24:52the finish line. We're going to make it.
1:24:55We're going to make it to heaven. Not
1:24:57because I'm walking so good or you're
1:25:00walking so good. To the contrary, we
1:25:03walk with a limp. WE STUMBLE. WE FALL.
1:25:06BUT there is a big hand, an unseen hand
1:25:11OF GRACE THAT'S GOT A HOLD OF ME. AND
1:25:14WHEN I'M STUMBLING, I'm faltering,
1:25:17[laughter] the hand of grace says, "Come
1:25:19on, you can make it. COME ON." WHEN I
1:25:22WAS ready to give up, the hand of grace
1:25:24said, "No, no, you're not going to give
1:25:26up. You're going to make it. He shall
1:25:28not fail." He didn't fill me with the
1:25:30Holy Ghost just to write me off because
1:25:33I had a bad day. NO, SIR. HE SHALL NOT
1:25:37FAIL
1:25:39[applause]
1:25:42>> and he won't be discouraged. [snorts]
1:25:45>> Just remain standing.
1:25:55>> Now, Christians shouldn't sin.
1:25:58If you're doing that, you need to quit.
1:26:03We need to live right.
1:26:05The Bible calls us to a life of
1:26:07holiness.
1:26:11But
1:26:13when you're dealing
1:26:15with bruised reads,
1:26:18people
1:26:21that are disordered
1:26:24by life
1:26:26and
1:26:28they're burned out
1:26:30and they're depleted.
1:26:32Can I just be honest?
1:26:37I'm not justifying this. I'm just being
1:26:39honest.
1:26:41When you're in that state,
1:26:43you and I do a bunch of stupid stuff.
1:26:47We do stuff we ought not do.
1:26:53When you're low spiritually,
1:26:56temptations that you would just easily
1:26:57brush off
1:26:59in a strong state become overwhelming.
1:27:04Thoughts of doubt that wouldn't even be
1:27:06a challenge when you're on a spiritual
1:27:08high become perva pervasive.
1:27:12Your consistency [music] falters.
1:27:17And that's why you see people up in
1:27:19midlife
1:27:21who used to be faithful to church,
1:27:25faithful in every area.
1:27:27They get real inconsistent.
1:27:30Am I preaching to us?
1:27:34CAN I TELL YOU? WE NEED TO DROP YOUR
1:27:36HALO FOR JUST a minute.
1:27:38>> Let me preach to you.
1:27:44I wish I could bring to God a perfect
1:27:46track record
1:27:48of doing it all just right.
1:27:51But you know what I have to bring to
1:27:53this altar today?
1:27:55There's a whole bunch of inconsistency,
1:28:01faltering.
1:28:06But the prophet encouraged me
1:28:09because it said he shall not fail.
1:28:15In other words, my salvation
1:28:19isn't all about my performance.
1:28:23It's really about his reliability.
1:28:30And I love what he said. It said, "He
1:28:32shall
1:28:34not be discouraged."
1:28:40Any married person here ever get
1:28:42discouraged dealing with your spouse
1:28:45when you've asked them to change and
1:28:46they won't?
1:28:51Quit throwing your socks on the floor.
1:28:56Well, you can say it.
1:28:59I'm gonna tell you something.
1:29:03Scripture says as a wherever the tree
1:29:06falls, so shall it lie.
1:29:09That means that there's some traits we
1:29:12have
1:29:14that aren't going away.
1:29:18So sometimes when you're married, it's
1:29:20better just to accept some stuff.
1:29:25You can have a big old brewhaha
1:29:28about it, but you going to get
1:29:30discouraged
1:29:32working with somebody that's slow to
1:29:33change.
1:29:35There's times I get fed up with people,
1:29:37you do, too, when they won't change.
1:29:42But I'm talking to you about the
1:29:44Messiah.
1:29:46That bruise reed, it takes a long time
1:29:49to heal,
1:29:51that flax. It's It's going to take more
1:29:54than just a few drops of oil and
1:29:57a little puff of air and a 15-second
1:30:00fix.
1:30:02It's time.
1:30:05A lot of smoke.
1:30:07That ember heats up real slow,
1:30:10but he doesn't get discouraged with me.
1:30:16when my performance is not what it
1:30:18should be.
1:30:25I kind of feel like having a different
1:30:27sort of prayer here at the altar.
1:30:31I I'd love to see everybody in broom
1:30:33come because I think it would fit for
1:30:34all of us, but you under no pressure.
1:30:38But a lot of times when we come to the
1:30:41altar and rightly so, we come to make a
1:30:45commitment to him.
1:30:50But you know, I kind of feel like we are
1:30:51to have a prayer today that's a little
1:30:53different tone where we just come and
1:30:56acknowledge that we can't do it on our
1:30:58own.
1:31:03Not not in a negative way, but it's kind
1:31:04of like we ought to get up this altar,
1:31:06say, "God, I can't take another step.
1:31:09I'm at the end of me.
1:31:12I can't do it. I can't save myself,
1:31:16but I know you can." [snorts]
1:31:19And just spend a moment reaching up
1:31:22and resting on him
1:31:25and understanding that he's working
1:31:27right now.
1:31:31If I don't pray loud enough, it's okay.
1:31:35He can hear.
1:31:38If I don't have a lot, don't even know
1:31:40how to pray right now. It's okay. He's
1:31:43not going to be discouraged.
1:31:47My flame may feel faint.
1:31:51That's okay.
1:31:53We don't have to shine too bright at
1:31:55this altar. Let's just
1:31:57come and reach for his presence.
1:32:12softly and gently stretch your hands and
1:32:16let's reach.
1:32:18Had no idea so many be coming. We've got
1:32:20hundreds of people coming. Step up
1:32:22close. If you got carpet in front of
1:32:24your feet, just step. We want to make
1:32:25room for everybody up here.
1:32:29>> [music]
1:32:30>> Maybe your prayer could just be, I need
1:32:32you, Jesus.
1:32:37I need you, Jesus.
1:32:42I'm at the end of my rope.
1:32:47I can't fix me.
1:32:51Can't even help me, God.
1:32:55But you can
1:33:00God, I pray for mercy
1:33:04to flow in this altar. [music]
1:33:08I pray for strength
1:33:11to flow into this people right now.
1:33:18>> Lord, I feel the lift up that one that's
1:33:21burned out.
1:33:24I pray that there be just a little bit
1:33:26of refreshing. [music]
1:33:29>> God, I pray that you bring some relief.
1:33:32[singing]
1:33:35>> God, I'm praying for a family that's
1:33:38under so much pressure right now.
1:33:43I pray that you turn that pressure valve
1:33:46and
1:33:48give them some relief.
1:33:53>> [music]
1:33:55>> God, IF I COULD FIX ME, I WOULD.
1:34:01>> BUT MY TRACK RECORD IS I can't
1:34:08feel.
1:34:10>> Jesus, I need you.
1:34:15It's only [music]
1:34:17the beginning.
1:34:21>> God, won't you help me today? Won't you
1:34:24help me today?
1:34:27[music]
1:34:31[singing]
1:34:34>> Help me. Help me, God. Help us.
1:34:38>> [music]
1:34:41>> Oh, help us today. Help us today.
1:34:46[music]
1:34:48>> We need your help. We need your help.
1:34:52[music]
1:35:00[music]
1:35:01[singing]
1:35:03>> I need your help.
1:35:05I need your help.
1:35:08[music]
1:35:09>> Why don't you slip your hand over and
1:35:11pray with someone beside you?
1:35:16>> You don't know what kind of load they're
1:35:17carrying.
1:35:19[music]
1:35:20Just pray for God to help them.
1:35:24>> Help us, God. [music]
1:35:30>> Help us, God.
1:35:32[music]
1:35:34won't see nobody buckle up under the
1:35:36pressure. Help us,
1:35:41>> oh God, help us.
1:35:45[music]
1:35:52[music]
1:35:54>> Go ahead and lift your voice in
1:35:56heartfelt prayer.
1:35:59Let [music] your prayers just ring out
1:36:01in this room right now.
1:36:05God, we're carrying our burden to the
1:36:08altar. [music]
1:36:12>> God, for some of us, IT WAS ALL WE COULD
1:36:15DO JUST TO GET HERE. [music]
1:36:20We need your help. [music]
1:36:24>> Need your help,
1:36:27>> God. I don't want to dance. [music]
1:36:34and burn out.
1:36:36[music]
1:36:38>> I don't want to lose my faith in my
1:36:40burden.
1:36:45>> I need you. [music]
1:36:48I need you, God.
1:36:53>> I need you, God. [music]
1:36:57I need you, God.
1:37:01I need you, God.
1:37:04[music]
1:37:14[music]
1:37:21Go ahead and pray for a refreshing to
1:37:23come.
1:37:25But just pray for the refreshing of
1:37:27God's spirit to sweep through this
1:37:30church.
1:37:33Fresh oil, new wine.
1:37:38I pray that you [music] would restore
1:37:40our vision.
1:37:44Let our burden come back. [music]
1:37:49Give us a new desire, God.
1:37:54[music] Oh God, work at this place.
1:38:01[music] A new zeal, with a new
1:38:04determination, Lord.
1:38:08[music]
1:38:12Jesus.
1:38:15[music]
1:38:18Jesus.
1:38:21[music]
1:38:23Jesus.
1:38:28[music]
1:38:34[music]
1:38:38Hallelujah.
1:38:41[music]
1:38:43Hallelujah.
1:38:45It's okay just to lay it all on the
1:38:47altar.
1:38:49Why don't you lay all of your burden on
1:38:51the altar?
1:38:54[music]
1:38:55You made it to the altar. Now just lay
1:38:57your burden down.
1:39:00Jesus, I give it to you.
1:39:05Jesus, I need you to carry me when I
1:39:08can't carry myself.
1:39:19[music]
1:39:21Thank you, Jesus.
1:39:25[music]
1:39:29Oh, thank you, Jesus.
1:39:33Hallelujah.
1:39:38Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
1:39:42Hallelujah.
1:39:44Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
1:39:49Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
1:39:52[music]
1:39:54Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
1:39:58[music]
1:40:00Thank you Jesus.
1:40:11[music]
1:40:12Well, I thank God for the strength that
1:40:17we could feel.
1:40:22[music]
1:40:25Prophet said the Lord, it said the
1:40:28government,
1:40:30the government shall be upon his
1:40:32shoulders.
1:40:34Our God's got big shoulders.
1:40:38If he can carry the weight of
1:40:40government, I think he can carry the
1:40:42weight of my problems.
1:40:46Problems.
1:40:50But you know the Bible also tells us
1:40:52that
1:40:54we need to bear one another's burdens.
1:40:58So if you're
1:41:00in that place you don't feel like you
1:41:02can push any further,
1:41:05last thing you need to do is push away
1:41:07church people.
1:41:09Why don't you let Why don't you let God
1:41:11put church people in your life
1:41:15to pray with you to help you carry your
1:41:18burden?
1:41:19Do you think we could be that kind of
1:41:21church where we carry one another's
1:41:23burdens?
1:41:25[applause]
1:41:31[applause] And you know, I have learned
1:41:34I've learned this funny little kingdom
1:41:36secret.
1:41:38When I feel overwhelmed, one of the
1:41:40greatest things I can do is start
1:41:42investing in helping [music] someone
1:41:43else. And there's something about me
1:41:46carrying your burden that makes mine
1:41:48feel a little lighter.
1:41:51And when we have the spirit of bearing
1:41:52one another's burdens, what a wonderful
1:41:55thing it is. We're going to make it,
1:41:58church. We're going to make it across
1:42:00the finish line.
1:42:02We're going to make it through the
1:42:04pearly gates.
1:42:06We're going to make it. [music]
1:42:14>> [music]
1:42:17>> Why don't you take this day, go eat
1:42:20something really good,
1:42:25get something fattening,
1:42:28enjoyable,
1:42:31get you a good nap,
1:42:34live a good life this afternoon.
1:42:37And let's come on back tonight at the
1:42:40evening service at [music] 6:30. We're
1:42:42going to shout and rejoice and
1:42:45Lord willing, I'll be preaching a word.
1:42:47We're going to have a good time in
1:42:48[music] the Holy Ghost. God bless you.
1:42:50Be dismissed in the fear of the Lord.

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This page contains the full transcript of Fragile Stems and Faint Flames - Pastor Caleb Adams - October 26th, 2025 by Christian Life Church, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 9,698 words across 1,918 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

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