Let Me Be Clear, This Is Rare | Jerry Flowers | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Let Me Be Clear, This Is Rare

Time of Celebration Ministries Church • Jun 22, 2025 • 49 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

In this message, Pastor Jerry Flowers and Pastor Will Jackson unpack the critical need for spiritual discernment to recognize and honor what is rare in our lives. Unchecked familiarity and disrespect cause believers to treat God's presence, rare relationships, and spiritual authority as common, ultimately blocking God's power from working in their lives. By shifting our perspective, assessing our motives, and choosing honor over familiarity, we learn to cherish the rare gifts God provides.

Themes

Biblical DiscernmentFamiliarity vs. HonorRarity in RelationshipsIntercession and Standing in the GapStewardship of God's Presence

Pastor's Points

1.

Restructure your perspective

2.

Assess your motives

3.

Respond with intentionality

4.

Elevate your investment

5.

Fruit production is consistent and contagious

6.

Reciprocity is given, not requested

7.

A miner's work ethic

8.

A noun that edifies, confirms, matures, and assists what God put in you

Key Points

1.
When you have been shaped by ignorance, you cannot trust your discernment and may mislabel God's hand as a satanic assault.
2.
God is not obligated to give you duplicate rare connections; Timothy only had one Paul, Joshua had one Moses, and Elisha had one Elijah.
3.
Familiarity is a barrier to freedom because frequent access can cause us to treat the rare presence and work of God as common.
4.
Jesus could do no mighty works in His hometown of Nazareth because the people reduced Him to His earthly occupation and family connections rather than honoring His divine grace.
5.
Dishonor acts as a repellent to God's authority and locks up the spiritual blessings that others were meant to impart into your life.
6.
Standing in the gap as an intercessor requires frontline sacrifice and standing firm when things get difficult, rather than exposing or criticizing others.
7.
How you handle rarity requires four steps (R.A.R.E.): Restructure your perspective, Assess your motives, Respond with intentionality, and Elevate your investment.
8.

Sermon Moments

“When you have been shaped by ignorance, you can't trust your discernment.”

“Familiarity is a barrier to freedom. I can't get free from what I'm familiar with, and I can't appreciate what I'm familiar with.”

“Dishonor is a king repellent.”

“When you honor, you unlock.”

“You don't stumble across rare; you discern it when everything is the same.”

“A miner's work ethic: there's a lot of dirt, but they still know there's gold underneath.”

“The turtle-headed ant stands in the gap to protect the colony; frontline intercession gets messy, but it shields what God is building.”

This Week

Audit your closest relationships and mentors to recognize and honor the unique, destiny-shifting connections God has placed in your life.

Examine your motives in prayer and relationships to ensure you are seeking to serve and sacrifice rather than manipulate or consume.

Guard against taking weekly corporate worship, prayer, and scripture reading for granted due to frequent access.

Commit to praying for and covering others in intercession instead of posting, gossiping, or exposing their flaws.

Practice practical honor toward your spouse, parents, and church leaders to avoid blocking God's grace in your household.

Take immediate, intentional action to invest time and encouragement into key relationships before opportunities pass.

Shift your personal prayer focus away from asking only for what you can see or want, surrendering fully to what God knows you need.

Remember This

Familiarity and dishonor blind us to the rare blessings of God's presence and connections, but true discernment enables us to honor, cherish, and unlock what He sends into our lives.

A Challenge for You

Forgive us, Lord, for getting used to Your grace and taking Your presence for granted. Help our hearts get back to a place where we view You as our ultimate treasure above all else.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.