A Promise of Extraordinary

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City today is the day when the old song is taken away and a new song is given to a song of praise in the God today is the day when we get up and walk towards God didn't die is the day when I become something that only God the famous Times Square Church in New York City.

In John chapter 9. Jesus heals a man who was blind from birth, the disciples asked Jesus who committed such a sin to cause this man to be born blind. But Jesus told them that this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in.

Let's join this message titled promise of extraordinary life. John chapter 9 beginning at verse one. Now as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from birth and his disciples asked him, saying Rabbi who sin this noon or his parents that he was born blind. Jesus answered, neither this man nor his parents and but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day, the night is coming when no one can work as long as I'm in the world I am the light of the world when he had said these things, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay and he said to him, go wash in the pool of sidelong which is translated, sent so he went and washed and came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, is not this you sat and begged some said this is a other said, is like him.

He said I am therefore they said to him, how are your eyes open. He answered and said a man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me go to the pool of sidelong woman wash. So I went and washed, and I would reset I received site.

How would you like a testimony in the not-too-distant future where people once knew you say exactly as they did in verses eight and nine, your neighbors and your friends come and say well is this not here sat and begged is this not the person was confined to a certain place in life had certain restrictions and limitations. We never expected him or her to become anymore than they were. How did this happen. Would you like a testimony. We got to the point where people would have to say well it's like him, looks like it, but is not the person I once knew. Looks like her sort of, but there's light in the eye. Confidence in the voice purpose in the step like a testimony that people are so perplexed at what happened to you that you would have to say it really is me. It really is me. Is there a way that I can be brought out of the ordinary and ask what is expected from my life into the extraordinary and unexpected, something that you and I know that only God can do a chapter 9 verse one is as those Jesus passed by, he saw a man was blind from birth, as Jesus passed by, saw somebody who was limited physically limited social saw person that everybody had the opinion, there's only so much that this person could ever achieve only so many places you could ever go.

There's only so far you could ever rise inability intelligence your futures limited because you see from birth. This is the way you've always been in society as a way of doing that society is a way of saying well. This is the family you were born into this the class you were born into. This is the situation you were born into. This is how your life is been lived in so we really don't expect anything of you other than to be even coming to the house of God, just a bank looking for little problems of hope little bit of the future, they never really expected much from this man until Jesus passed by, maybe didn't expect much of himself. Either many many people in the house of God. They live behind the prison door that they live in places of wounding that they live behind eyes that are veiled and don't see what they could become in Christ or God is more than willing to do in their lives and come to church and Sigma God. You know I been blind from birth, and in on disadvantage from the womb nods.

I didn't come into this world through a mover and shaker family and my parents didn't have money to send me to school and even if they did, I couldn't study anyway this so I've always been so can't you just give me a crown of peace, not that's all you want that so I going to get what I want to tell you, God has so much more for your life so much more now the religion of the day was powerless and he could only hide its powerlessness by assigning blame to the suffering. In other words, while it's it's their own fault. There's nothing we can do. There's nothing we need to do the disciples said Rabbi who send this manners parents that he was born blind in your powerlessness has its scriptures well doesn't it say in Exodus chapter 20 in verse five I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, it'll powerless religion also has its scriptural text that refers to to tell people that this is your lot in life and you just have to learn to live with that is the way things are always going to be. So why don't you come and wanted to do is join the circle and will all blame our mothers and fathers for the rest of our lives will go around the circle will talk about how rotten it was our upbringing.

How we didn't have this in didn't have that are this person abandon us without one failed us and so will just live my life begged in the house of God for little scraps of comfort and scraps to come from human comfort.

I'm not marginalizing that it's possible to get some comfort from the Council of men but Paul the apostle said, your faith is not the rest in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God. That's where your faith is to rest.

You see, humanity was under a curse.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, curse of sin came into the human race and sin brought with it all of his expressions and all of its limitations in all of its break down all of his heartache and all of its captivity its besetting conditions. We seem powerless to get out of but what they failed to see the disciples were walking with Jesus is that standing among them was God himself, in the form of his son, who came not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

Jesus came to destroy both the power and the penalty of sin which had fallen on the whole human race because of the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. And yes, in the Old Testament there was.

There were laws there was things stated by God, but was only Paul says to prove to us the hopelessness of changing our condition in human strength. It could not be done and required human effort. It required a river of blood that flowed from the Old Testament temple for those who wanted to try to sincerely change and walk with God is a failure has in Scripture, but in the New Testament we have a Savior in the New Testament we have the son of God went to across and made an open display of the powers of darkness emit an open display. In other words, he spread out their weaponry after his victory is that all of these things that once dominated your mind, your heart, your life, your future, your past all of these things were destroyed at the cross and just as Jesus has been raised from the dead.

So by the spirit of God.

Those who trust in him for their salvation are raised out of the power of darkness and brought into newness of life. That's what the Scripture says Jesus said these words. Look for the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. In other words, there is a treasure available to you that has nothing to do with your parentage or your lineage or your investment strategies or lack thereof, or your husband on the street or inability to do it. There is a treasure available to you that came to you on the cross to me to set me to preach the gospel to the poor is sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to tell you that there is no wound of your past that has the right to hold you in blindness any longer to proclaim liberty to the captives in the recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. And then he closed the book and gave it to the attendant, and sat down in the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on him and he began to say to them today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

Truly amazing. Today is the day of your freedom today is the day of the new life today is the day when prison doors can hold you anymore today is the day one former blindness is cannot stop you from seeing the purpose of God for your life anymore. Today is the day when weakness gives into strength.

Confusion gives in to clear thinking today is the day when powerlessness is enveloped in the power of God. Today is the day when the old song is taken away. The new song is given to you a song of praise in the God that many will begin to see it in fear and trust in the Lord today is the day when we throw out the cycles of powerless religion today is the day when we get up and walk towards God. Today is the day when I like become something that only God could make it best in Rabbi who send this manners parents that he was born blind.

Jesus said neither this man nor his parents sin, but that the works of God should be revealed in him that he was not implying that either this manners.

Parents were sinless, but he was pointing to the fact that he had come to reclaim that which had been lost and to do it with irrefutable chain breaking power.

In other words, you no longer have to live where you are.

You don't have to be what you presently are. You don't have to follow what others have said, you will be any longer.

Jesus said I'm about to lift you up and take you to another place by the glory and power of God that is the inheritance minute you know my story in this church of when I was 15 years of age and started to suffer with panic attacks. A lot of pressure was put on my life when I was younger and I put a lot of pressure on myself. I don't need to go into all the details, but I was I was pushed towards being something that I felt that I didn't have the ability to strength to be and so when I was 15 years old I began fear got hold of my life. It was subliminally said that if you don't achieve this goal and set before you, then you're a loser you fail and I didn't feel I have the strength. I didn't feel I had the wisdom, the ability or even the desire to go there but yet not going there meant.

My life was a failure and so fear got a hold of me and I began to panic when I was 15 I would suffer, panic attacks and describe them to you was the closest thing to hell on earth that you will ever experience you feel like you're going to die.

Your heart starts beating out of your chest. It feels like somebody's pouring a bucket of sand on your head, and a sense of doom and hopelessness start surrounding you. For nine years I suffered with these attacks.

I fought against it with volume. I fought against it with whiskey and fought against it by being a physical fitness not on run miles at night at work up to three hours a day, sometimes to keep my body in a state of exhaustion overcome the fear that was trying to get a hold of my heart and dominate and destroy my life came to the point that when I would go into a classroom, I would be so afraid of being singled out by the professor in the classroom and asked the question.

I studied undergraduate law, the member being enough in its classes where there's only 20 or 30 students living in fear that the professor would asked me a question and the focus of the room and turned and what if that should happen.

I would have two options have a panic attack or run out of the room I was in a prison. I couldn't get out of. I was trapped my way forward. There was only so far I could go and I know what this blind man felt like then I found Christ.

There he found me is my Lord and Savior at the age of 24 and began to read my Bible and see the difference is that I believed what I read I said this is God's word. This is the word of the one who created the universe.

This is the word of God and if this is not true that all hope is lost and so I choose to believe this. Every word of it.

I was reading a Scripture one day with the apostle Paul. I didn't know the whole verse only knew half of it that far.

Member became a power that transformed my life were Paul said if God be for us, who can be against us. I read it I believed it.

A member going home at night my wife and I had a farm. By this point is new babe in Christ, I love God with all my heart went to bed at night where I was laying down in bed and I felt one of these panic attacks coming on my life. None the past.

Up to this point, I would be down in the kitchen filled my face with volume and take a straight glass of whiskey because it was that horrid. That's only way I knew how to escape limited choice at night. I went downstairs into my living room said I'm a believer in Christ. Now sold. Therefore, no more whiskey no more value most things are out of my life. I went into my living room and I stood there was about midnight. I stood my living room. I remember it like it was yesterday. And here's the words I said I said Satan you can only kill me if God allows you to and if he allows you to I'm going to heaven tonight so I win either way I with sauce and you throw at me.

Now everything you got, but I threw back to do what I now have in the name of Jesus Christ, the son of God. I resist you and standing in my living room. I filled the heat hit me in my feet went up to my legs to the center core of my body and out the top my head. I don't know how long it lasted. I'm assuming a minute or two. I don't really knows like I was just lost the presence of God. That was 38 years ago I traveled all over the world of been locked in prisons with sex offenders and people serving life terms. I preached in front of crowds of 500,000 people. The saving Gospel of Jesus Christ abundant Hindu Muslim areas preaching to people who never heard the gospel in their entire life totally absent of fear in my heart filled with the faith of God and thanking God for he alone has been able to do. I know exactly what this blind man on the side of the road felt. I know it is like to live like this. I know what it's like to be in a place of hopelessness, but I also know what God can do.

Verse six says when he lives. Jesus had said these things, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva and anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay and to me personally, this one of the most tender touching moments in the New Testament because it's only my interpretation of this was something I feel that I see in my own heart. God made Adam Genesis 2, seven out of the dust of the ground. God loved Adam with a love that you and I can't understand when Adam and Eve sinned, he lost not to Stedman.

Even at that moment he lost the whole of their children which you and I are. We are all descendents of Adam and Eve and I believe that it's Jesus went down to the ground, spit on the ground made clay.

I don't know how he made Adam in the first place. I wonder if he spit on the ground. The first time he made Adam and lately, just as he formed him from the dust of the ground doesn't tell us how he did it but he spit on the ground picked it up medically with that and put it on Adam's eyes, and here's what I see Adam I love you. I made you I have loved you with an everlasting love and I can change you and I can hear you if you will let me touch you.

I can give you site I can bring you back to what was lost.

I haven't come to condemn, you have come to reclaim your come to call you home to me of come to make your testimony in the earth to the other descendents of Adam of who I am and what I'm able to do and how I can open any prisons on how I can break the chains of all limitation and how I can take those who are weak and foolish in the nothings and nobodies of this world and I can touch them with my Holy Spirit and I can raise you up and make your testimony of who I am. He said to him. Now go wash your eyes in the pool of siloing which is translated, sent so we went and washed and came back see John 1718, Jesus said, as your sprained his father and he said fathers you sent me into the world. I've also sent them into the world and are many today, the body of Christ and don't see because they have lost the focus of being sent and lost the understanding of why the touch of God comes on a person's life. Go to the pool of sent I'm sending you go there and wash your eyes. There if you can't see a way out of your dilemma gold to the pool of sent the Laodicean church in Revelation. The last church in Revelation chapter 3 of people who their eyes and fallen on garments, position power and gold and because of these things. They felt that they work fulfilled.

Even in Christ Jesus said to them, particular people group at that time your wretched and blind and naked. He said I challenge you anoint your eyes with. I said that you might see that you think they lost the focus of why the church is left in the world and they started looking to themselves their own security their own betterment their own happiness.

They lost the understanding that the son of God came that mankind might be saved and left us here is a testimony of his love in this changing power for those who are willing to turn to him all the neighbors and those had previously seen that he was blind said, is not this he was sat and begged and sums it. Well, this is him other Sidwell is like and he had to tell the Miami they said how were your eyes open. The Ensign said a man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me go to the pool of siloing water so I went and washed, and I received site. It all hinges on the pool of siloing willingness to be sent and that's in your heart today you can say Lord Jesus Christ. I'm tired coming to church and beg to said that you came to preach the good news to the poor. You said the prison doors couldn't hold me, you said that no wound to the past can continue to bruise my heart. You said that no limitation can blind me to the future that you have prescribed for my life is something to challenge you to do today what I did years ago stating your fear to the face and say you can only tell me if God allows unity does. I'm going to heaven, but I'm not letting you bark at me and keep me in a cage any longer. I'm not letting you tell me that my past is dictating my future not giving into the voices. That said, this is what you are. This is what you will always be.

I serve a God who raises people from the and I don't care what my present limitation is, it is not going to dictate my future God is able to come upon me with power is able to give me vision and is going to give me a message for this generation. The message is simple what God has done for me.

God will do for you if you want us to my prayer for you is been this day the newbie given a testimony that your friends or neighbors. People would know you are new you would be stunned there be a discussion among them looks like it looks like her doesn't act like used to doesn't think like she used to. Doesn't do what he is doesn't do it seems to speech is different is just J but you will create a discussion among people of one's new you in the discussion leads to the point, how is this possible McKay member Peterson be ready to give an answer for the reason for the hope that is in you, they came and said how did this happen to you and Susie, the son of God touch me and told me to go to the fullest. He sent me to as a living testimony of who he is and what he did on the cross. 2000 years ago, my brother, my sister, it's time for you and I to be extraordinary now is time for us to be lifted out of the strategies of philosophies.

The theories the voices of men and brought back into the power of God that is the testimony that will touch this generation for like a runner in the race and on coming around the bend on the third turn and there you are in the sidelines and emerging run run run. The baton will be yours Ron grabbed hold of and grab hold of it. Don't let it go. The calling of God slip through your fingers. The purpose for your life fail, don't stand on the sidelines when you should be in the race.

Ron run this race before you been listening to Carter Conlon from Times Square Church in New York City. For more information and resources to help you in your walk in Christ. Log onto TSC.NYC TSC.NYC, be sure to be with us next week for a call to the nation with Hunter,