Recorded on Sunday, April 12, 2020 at City of Destiny in Apopka, Florida during an outdoor drive-in Resurrection Day service. For more information, please visit https://cityofdestiny.us. Pastor Brad Knight is on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pastorbradknight/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/PastorBKnight)

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There's no day that could possibly shine brighter than Resurrection Sunday in this time in our world. It's amazing that where the breath of man kills, where we were mask, going shopping, because we're afraid of our neighbors to breathe on us, we have a day where we know that the breath of God delivers the breath of God raises the breath of God gives life. It was not the breath of man that breathed into atoms, but it was a breath of God Himself, that created the first man and it is the breath of God today that will preserve you that will heal you that will restore you. And in the midst of a pandemic, where the world is scared where the world is fearful. I am here to tell you that we have a God that did not stay in a grave after death, but he got up and he walked out and no matter what you're facing, no matter what you've seen, no matter how scary it is, that same God will be your God if you embrace them.

Recorded on Sunday, April 5, 2020 at City of Destiny in Apopka, Florida. For more information, please visit https://cityofdestiny.us

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Let's go to john chapter 12 verse 12 through 15, study the entire chapter, but we're gonna read a few scriptures here in the end IV says the next day the great crowd that had come for the feast, they had come for a Passover they were gathering for Passover. So Jesus participate in Passover, heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and love it and went out to meet him. I would underline that in your Bible, went out to meet him important shouting Hosanna Blessed is he Who comes in the name of the Lord blesses the king of Israel. Now this is a reference back to a prophecy by both Isaiah and Zachariah That said, the King of glory shall come and he shall come and that they would say, blesses the king of Israel. Blessed is he Who comes in the name of the Lord he would come riding in on a donkey which is exactly what would happen. Jesus found a young donkey and sad opponent, as it is written, do not be afraid. Oh daughter of Zion. See your king is coming seated on a donkey's. Can you imagine? I mean, like I said that the children of Israel had expected, they knew that there was time for regime a new one, they knew that there was going to be an overturning. But God's ways are not man's ways. They thought that they were going to set up a Roman government so much so that when you really begin to study this and dissect it, remember Andrews mom, because his dad had passed away and the boys had the business and there they were disciples of Jesus, she comes and starts to worship him and says, oh, Lord, by the way, who's going to sit on your right hand, because she thought he was going to be the next Emperor, the next king, the next president, Prime Minister, and she wanted to secure herself. She did the right thing, but in a wrong way as she worship that's the right thing, because today, we're going to worship God, but I want you to do it with a pure motive with a pure heart. heart with clean hands, so that anything that the enemy would put on the inside of you, to defile you, to contaminate you to clutter your spirit let it be uprooted in the name of Jesus. And the simplest way I do that is every morning I say God is love. So whatever is not love, I command it to leave my life. Fear is not love. sickness is not love. Death is not love. destruction is not love, hurt offense, unforgiveness, selfishness, greed, self righteousness, perversion, addiction that's not love. So anything that is that I'm struggling with anything that I'm wrestling with anything that is not love, let it come out of my life. Pride is not love. It's got a bow to the name of Jesus. So right now, whatever is in your heart, whatever's in your life that is not love. Let it be uprooted in the name of Jesus. So she was worshiping doing a good thing, but she did it for a wrong reason. Today you're going to worship out of a period place today you're going to praise God with the praise that comes brings things to pass, because it's going to be out of a pure place. And watch what happens. He rides in. And they're thinking he's going to overthrow the Roman government. But as I said before, God is about to set up a heavenly kingdom. God is about to fulfill his plan, not through the way they thought it was going to go down. Which is why I think people preach so wrong on Hosanna. They'll say like, oh, people will call you Hosanna Hosanna. Nobody should be called Hosanna by God. So they'll say praise, you praise you. Nobody should be praised, but God, and then they say, then they'll turn against you. That's such a fleshly way of looking at that message, in my opinion, just my humble opinion. Because this is all about the king of lords and what they were doing. You'll see when they say Hosanna is they were saying Hosanna I believe with a very pure motive with the fulfillment of prophecy without understanding. It's just when God's methods were not the way they expected it to, because God not get victory by setting up a natural kingdom, God was not going to get victory by setting up a natural political system, he would set up a political system, he would set up a government, but it would not be the government they thought it would be the kingdom of God. It would have citizens all over this world. It would not be an earthly kingdom, but one that has righteousness, joy, and the Holy Ghost not one of food and one of drinking worn a power, one that could not be shaken, one that could not be overthrown, one that could not be taken down when they would have its laws and one that would have is king which is the King of glory, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, he wouldn't be setting up a government because it is upon the shoulders of Jesus that the government rest, and so he would be setting up when it was just not the one they thought it was not one limited to Rome. It was one that God would expand across every border, ethnicity across every educational and economic barrier are lying. God said, My Kingdom has come. It's at hand is within your grasp. And so he would bring through His Son Jesus Christ in a way that they did not expect the kingdom of God. What do you mean didn't expect because they thought it would be natural. But God said, No, I'm doing something different. And what they couldn't handle was what we celebrate is one of the greatest days has the greatest day of all this in my opinion, Palm Sunday is important. Resurrection Sunday is vital. But the greatest day I really believe this Good Friday, because that was the day of decision. That was the day that he could have yielded to god man, instead of God God because he was fully man. He was fully God. He was humanity wrapped in divinity or divinity, excuse me, wrapped in humanity, God incarnate, the Son of God. had come. The Lamb of God rustling before the very foundations of the earth and he came to save the world to redeem us. I'll get into that in just a moment. And in that moment on great Friday, I think his greatest temptation, as we will see that Palm Sunday starts the end, it is a week of finality. And that that Friday had to be the most difficult day because that was the day his flesh could have called on a 10,000. Angels. He could have said, This is too difficult. let this cup pass from me. I can't do this. I can't take this suffering. They would beat him. They would bruise him till he was beyond recognition. He would hang on an old rugged cross. They would mock him. It was vile. There is nothing pretty about the old rugged cross but it is still the emblem of suffering and shame. But it is the beauty for every Christian and every believer that knows because of that cross when he He said it is finished. It was perfectly perfect and completely complete. He died to death that he didn't deserve to give us a life that we could never earn. And because of that, we experienced resurrection. You say, how did we experience because when Christ was raised from the dead, those of us in Christ were also raised with him. So when you receive Jesus Christ, you're buried with him, but you also Rose with him. according to Ephesians chapter two, verse six says, Now you are seated in heavenly places through Christ Jesus. So think about this. Let's go to Revelation chapter seven, verse nine. And Tim says, After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number of all nations See, the kingdom of God is of all nations, and candids and people and tongues, stood before the throne before the land closed with the white robes and palms and their hand and cried with a loud voice, saying Salvation, our complete deliverance jar God would sit at the palm the throne onto the lamb. See, from the very beginning I said at God had a plan, a plan for mankind. Revelation chapter 13, verse eight declares the Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the earth. Everything that God does is in accordance to his ultimate plan. He's sovereign, he's perfect. He makes no mistakes. He's not trying to scramble and figure it out. When you look how meticulous God is about details, that Moses took nine months to complete the tabernacle, according to Exodus chapter 19, verse one, the Holy Spirit took nine months to form the body of Jesus, the true tabernacle, there in the month are there in the womb of Mary who was chosen by God. Luke chapter one, verse 26, and 2018. It was a strategic design for God to dwell with man It was and always has been. The working out of his eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus, our Lord, our Savior. Ephesians chapter three, verse 11, which ultimately, according to First Thessalonians, chapter five, verse nine, was this. This was what he was working now, verse nine, for God did not appoint us to suffer rap on should underline this, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. While I watch what this is saying, God did not appoint you. He did not appoint me to suffer wrath, the word wrath and the Greek means punishment. Now without Jesus Christ, God who is a just God would have to punish sin and the wages of sin which sin means to miss the mark and fall short of the glory of God, we all have missed the mark. For Romans chapter three, verse 23, says, All are sinners and fallen short of the glory of God, and the wages of missing that mark, the wages of sin is death. So that's punishment, God who is just showed his grace and mercy through His Son, Jesus Christ, that the punishment that I deserved, did not come upon me. But it came upon Jesus. That doesn't even make sense. But God never makes sense. He's a god, so full of love, so full of compassion, so full of mercy, so full of goodness, that he loved us with an everlasting love that we'll never be able to articulate, that He gave His only begotten Son. And I want you to get this because some people see God through the lens of a natural father or through their life experiences and they struggle with Abba, Father, Daddy, but there really isn't a struggle because God is not like Man, you can't even begin to compare that God has not like anyone, his God all by himself. And God did not appoint you to punishment. He did not appoint you to, to be punished to route. You have to get this because God is not out to get you. He's not mad at you. He desires you. He loves you, He wants you. He came to give you an abundant life, one that is superior in quality and quantity, according to john chapter 1010. through His Son, Jesus Christ, he came to reconcile you by himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. Second Corinthians chapter five, verse 18. He wants to restore what got all messed up in your life. What got all messed up in this world, and reconcile literally means this. It means to bring together those who were alienated to reunite those who are at variance to restore to Amity and conquered by removing that witch hunt. agreement and fellowship. You see man had lost relationship with God. Say Where did that happen? they'd lost fellowship with God after the fall of man in the garden way back with Adam and he. You see, when the first atom fell, the Bible says that we all fell when he died. We were all dead. First Corinthians chapter 15, verse 22, and Adam, all die. However it goes on to say, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. You see those redeemed or brought back or bought back. Their purchase by Christ are not only recovered from the fall, brought back to life in Christ, but they are made to rain in life. They're made to rain. Not only are you deemed but you're also restored back again back again to the original intention that God had for you. That's why all power and all authority belongs to you. Through Christ Jesus, because he wilted over your an air with God in a joint air with Jesus Christ. God who is the greatest architect of the universe, he drew up the plans before a creature was ever even brought into existence. everything concerning Christ in His Church and the family that he wanted, was firmly settled beyond the possibility of any alteration before. Before you ever thought in your mama's mind before your daddy and Mama got together and had to go to motel six and conceive you before any of that ever happened. You are firmly settled in the mind of God, before you throw your first cookie before you cuss somebody out before you committed adultery before you robbed before you did whatever you did. For you lost your temper before you were dishonest or snuck around or stolen anything before any of those manifestations God had. Already firmly settled the plan. He'd already made a path he'd already redeemed you through His Son, Jesus Christ. He was just waiting for you to receive it. what Jesus has done and it's affecting us is perfect. It is complete forever. Nothing can be taken from it, and nothing can be added to it. Think about what I'm saying, This is the gospel. This is Palm Sunday, someone 11 verse five states he will ever be mindful of his covenant. And although this amazing covenant was established from the very beginning, it would culminate during the climactic moments of the last few days of Jesus life and his death. He lived his life looking for the finish line. And what we call Palm Sunday is a week of finality. As I said, john 1212 on the next day, much people that were come to the feast when they heard the Greek word they're heard means Understood, they didn't just hear, but they had understanding. There's so much that I can teach there. Because remember that the fear of the Lord, that wisdom is the fear of the Lord. And that understanding is to depart from evil. And so knowledge is facts. Understanding are how those facts fit into life into the bigger picture. And wisdom is the application of understanding and knowledge. So when you have understanding, you don't see by a limited piece of a puzzle, but how it all fits together. That is how things come together. So you aren't, you aren't looking at your five year old life and don't understand how it fits together for the working out of good to God. That how God's going to take that five year old messed up Mississippi girl and use it when she's 57 years older, how God is working all things out for his good but understanding allows you in the middle When you're about 18 or 20 years old, or 22, before you ever see it come to pass, how God has a bigger plan than that one situation that's understanding how the pieces of your life fit into the bigger plan. And wisdom is the application of that understanding. So how they understood it's important not just heard, but how they understood that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, and they took the palm branches the palm trees, and they went forth to meet him important that you underline went for to meet him. So understanding produce movement, they understood the bigger picture that this was not just them seeing the the fulfillment of Isaiah Zachariah, but they knew that there was something happening here. And when they went forth, it literally means to issue because with understanding that produce movement, then they had to do something they had to issue when it says I went for to issue or it says they went for To meet, so went forth means to issue meet means an encounter, or concurrence, the point entered of place, time, place and time for results. So in other words, you could translate it like this, that they issued, the people who understood, issued and knew that they were about to have an encounter with God to enter a place in time that would bring forth results. Do you need it again, that the people understood and issued an encounter of a God that they knew would bring forth a time and a place of results. You see, when the people understood that they were in a god moment, they issued an encounter, that that's anticipation they'd been anticipating his arrival and I want you to know on this Palm Sunday, what Are you anticipating? I'm anticipating victory, I'm anticipating divine intervention? I'm anticipating a turnaround. I'm anticipating supernatural glory going to God. I am not anticipating doom and gloom. I am not anticipating this is how it ends. This is the end of it. Oh, the world is over with no, I'm anticipating what the enemy meant for bad God is about to turn around for the good for those that call upon him, those that are in covenant with him, those who walk in purpose with them how here is where your understanding of a Hosanna prays is about to bring forth results for john chapter 12, verse 13, remember they issued an encounter that would bring forth results from a place and a time in john chapter 12, verse 13, they took the branches of palm trees, and they went forth to meet him, and they cried Hosanna blesses the king of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord, a word that had never been uttered before. A word that had never been heard before. You see we had heard, hallelujah, that's a universal praise. It's a praise for all time. But Hosanna had never been under this is the first time that has ever brought forth. It is a prophetic praise in Matthew chapter 21, verse nine, and 15 and 16 it says the multitude went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna, to the son of David, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, the children crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David, they were displeased, and God had to work with this church, still having to work with this church and said to him hairstyle what these say, and Jesus say it then to him, yes, have you never read out of the mouth of babes in cycling's thou has perfected praise. I can deeply teach here but it's a perfected praise that brought forth the complete armature Sure praise the brawn out of the innocence out of the mouth. That doesn't mean they were all weaned or they were all still on the breast at one or they were all still children. It means that they had that childlike innocence. They had that purity to them, they brought forth a perfected praise, and that perfected praise was what brought for the purpose in the will of God. Psalm chapter 34, verse one through three, I will bless the Lord at all times. Wait a minute, I bless the Lord when there's no coronavirus No, I bless the Lord when Oh times. Got my congregation about four right here. All right. We were blessed the Lord at all times. I bless the Lord just when I'm back to work I bless him when everything's going right when no I will I choose to bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall help me out continually being mindful Now, my soul the way I think about things the way I feel about things my soul shall make her boast in the Lord and the humble show here there are and be glad, oh magnify, let us cause to swell, oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together. I challenge you right now to will yourself no matter what you feel, no matter what your circumstances looking like no matter what your bank account says. No matter what your body feels like no matter what your family is doing or not doing no matter who's with you or who is against you. I will bless the Lord at all times and his praise shout continually be in my mouth. Come on my soul shall make her boasts in the Lord and the humble show here there of all magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt let us lift up. Let us magnify Come on, there's a Hosanna praise and you've let us magnify the Lord together, your praise will produce I'm telling you right now God wants to bring forth out of you results. God want to bring out a view HIS WILL his plan his purpose he wants to produce in you to bring forth a yield to exhibit to make something or are come into existence to give birth to something. We are commanded in Psalm 150 verse six lead everything that had breath, are you still breathing? You have to be you would come be watching me if you are so that you have a command to you. If you have breath in your body, if you're breathing right now, let everything that had bred Praise the Lord. Praise You the Lord. I think sometimes the animals sometimes nature's better at this than we are, because they're not so stubborn. I think they wake up and give God glory I honestly do. And it says let everything that had bred. Praise God the Lord. Praise the Lord. Ultimately praises for our own good. It's not Until we praise Him, they were able to come into proper relationship with him without a thankful and a praising heart We will never grow in the grace of Christ Jesus. Psalm 22, verse three, yet you are holy, oh, you who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. See, God is enthroned in our praise. One of the things says God sits and prays, if you want God's presence, maybe you feel distant from God, maybe you feel God, where are you? Why don't you begin to praise and why don't feel like it. This isn't about feeling this is about willing, I will bless the Lord at all times. Just lift your hands right now. I've never done that. Do it. Just open your mouth and begin to praise and magnify the Lord. And as you begin to pray, something begins to happen. That hard ground begins to break up that hard and hard because to get soft, that confused mind gets clarity that sick body starts getting healed and you say how I don't know how God is God. I just Know that he sits in the midst of our praise God is in throne in our praise, and he says that he loves our praise. He is so pleased with our praise that he literally surrounds himself and bathes in our praise. He says I'm enthroned in the praises, we praise Him because He loves it. We praise Him because it pleases Him. Isaiah chapter 60, verse 18, but thou shall call by all salvation, and that gates prays. Here's a crucial key to that passage. And many times in Scripture, it speaks of gates that we'll find a principle relating to praise. Psalm chapter 87, verse two, the Lord love it, the gates of Zion, more than all the dwellings of Jacob. In essence, what it's saying is the Lord loves praise. the praise of his people. Zion is a people in a place in Christ. The Lord loves the praise of his people. The Lord loves the gates of Zion, the praise of his people who are in covenant. The Lord loves the praise the gates of Zion. The Lord loves the praise from his people, more than he loves all the abodes of Jacob. You know what God loves more than anything? Not just, well, like all around, but dwelling right with you. Yes, he's on mission. Yes, he's omnipotent. Yes, he's omnipresent. He is everywhere, but he doesn't manifest himself everywhere. Where does he show up? On the places he shows up? is an appraiser. Your praise starts releasing God's presence. Right now. Why won't you just draw close to him right now? Why don't you just praise Him? There's no doubt that God responds to us. When we praise them. I believe sickness will start leaving your body. I believe depression will Your body I believe clarity will come into your mind. I believe that strife and division will leave your household. Grab your spouse's hand right now, anoint your children right now. Praise God that he's going to restore your family. believe God as He brings forth financial blessing. God is yours resource you'll use God is your source. He'll use different resources, but he is your source, he is your Jehovah jairaj the God who will see to it and provide man's chief into glory is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, First Peter to nine, but you are chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation of peculiar people that you should show for the praises of Him who had called you out of darkness into His marvelous slide. So I want you to get this for a minute and I'm almost through with Hosanna and we'll come start praying in a minute. But I really want you to get this because I want to take you somewhere. praise and worship is my faith response to God, when you praise you create an atmosphere in your heart and your circumstances that releases faith and enables you to say this, my God is in control of this. You see, when you begin to praise, you're creating an atmosphere in your heart. You don't have to be there. In fact, you can barely lift your head up right now. Maybe you don't know how you're going to pay your mortgage don't have to for this month, all right? So maybe you don't know what you're going to do, or what's going to happen with your future what what you're saying when you begin to praise God, and I will bless the Lord at all times. You see, I had to go back to some basics this week, and just get my mind renewed and drenched in the word and say, Okay, these were the fundamentals of my faith, prayer and praise and staying in His Word and giving God a Thanksgiving and giving God grateful language and calling those things that are not as though they were walking in faith and Total trust and the basic building blocks are fundamentals of faith. You say I will bless the Lord and what you're doing is creating an atmosphere in your heart, the way you think about things, the way you feel about things. And in your circumstances, it says by faith God, I know that you are in control, not the government, not the coronavirus, not the pandemic, but you Oh God, and you are greater than any situation, you're able to defy every natural law. So I put my trust in my hope in you. whether you realize it or not everything in your life is absolutely dependent upon your ability to say my god is an awesome God. Everything in your life is dependent on the fact that you will not look at your situation through the eyes of man but see it through the eyes of God's perspective and say that's how Steven can be stoned. And I'm not talking about getting high. I'm talking about being cured as a moral And the glory of God would come forward and he would give God praises. That's how Paul and Silas when they were locked in prison at midnight, and it looks like impossible like they were going to be executed the next day, they begin to sing praises and begin to sing songs unto the Lord and they were praying and praising. And at the midnight hour, there was an earthquake that shook that entire gel. And from the fundamental of the foundation, an earthquake is something that happens at a foundational level, it began to release not just them, but all the prisoners and they begin to preach salvation, and they weren't only saved but everyone in that entire jail begin to get saved. The prison guard got saved, the inmates got saved everybody did because salvation is deliverance. And God wasn't only bringing deliverance to Paul and Silas but he was really bringing deliverance to everyone in their atmosphere, everyone in their circumstance, everyone under the same situation that they were in. You see as you begin to praise God, it will Only set you free, but it'll set your family free. It'll set your company free. It'll set this nation free. All we need is a few people that say God, I believe that you are in control. And I am completely dependent upon the ability to say my Gods is an awesome God when I can't see it when I don't feel it, but I don't understand it. I still say not with some kind of fake saying but other than knowing but then my Knower that my god is an awesome God. And God You had me before I ever entered to this day. So I walk in your perception. I was praising you God, I dare you just to start dancing right there in your living room to start lifting up your hands and praising God right there in your kitchen. Father to lay your hand on your children right now to begin to prophesied to them to begin to call those things that are not to say our God is awesome. Our God has us Our God will not fail us. Our God is faithful. My God is raising me from the better this affliction my god Put a hedge of protection around us. My God was applied for our household. I dare you right now to begin to praise God because something's gonna be released as you say, Hosanna Hosanna my house Hosanna in my life Hosanna in my heart Hosanna in my mouth Hosanna in my situation, as you begin to praise God, it becomes a habitation of God. It's a pathway for his presence. Psalm 114 verse two, Judah was a sanctuary, and Israel was his dominion, Judah means to praise and Judah was a sanctuary, though Israel was his dominion, you will God's presence live in praise. You will God's visitation. Open your mouth right now and say God, there is not my cue, you will God's presence, his presence will flush out sickness. His presence will break poverty, his presence will set you free. His presence will bring deliverance his presence will bring healing his presence will bring miracles his presence will manifest goodness and blessing you all God's presence. Open your mouth right now. Open your mouth and give God praise, put a Twitter out a twit Tweeter, put out a Twitter, whatever you call it a tweet out, whatever y'all do, put it out right now and just say my god is an awesome God, I will trust the Lord. Some will call upon chariots and some will call upon horses, but I will call upon the name of the Lord. He is a high tower, a refuge, who shall I be afraid? Whom shall I be afraid of? Oh 1000 will fall to my side in 10,000 run by right hand, but it will not come Nivea only with eyes. So now I see the reward of the wicked God, you're an awesome God, you are my strength. I called to you and my time of trouble and the Lord hurt me and he delivered me. He sent me he pulled me out of the pit and sent me before even princes. He sets me in a high place. Why? Because he's a good god. Oh, I will not forget the blessing. The benefits of God who loaded me up daily with them according Psalm 68, verse 19, but I will thank you oh God, for I recognize that there is none like you. I dare you right now just begin to put a praise on it. See when you start putting a praise on it, I'm telling you depression has to leave. discouragement has to leave despondence he has to leave. Praise him right now. Because when you praise it's a habitation first presence and God is about to step in. Step into your family, step into your mind, step into your body, step into your situation, step into your ministry, put a praise on it. That's what they were doing. They were putting a Hosanna and it says they took the branches. Remember, they took palms for specific reason. There's so much I could teach you about the palm. I don't know if I'll have time. But palms represent victory palms are kind of some funny looking trees really down here in Florida we understand the depth of that poem. You see, let me tell you one of the most important things about a poem, a poem will always reach to the world. Because the here we have hurricanes and stuff and I can tell you that I live in Florida and there was a time that a hurricane hit us right head on and, and we had all these oak trees even a few years ago here in our own parking lot at city of destiny. We had all these oak trees and 50 some of them got taken out, but our palms, they're still standing there strong. Those old ugly palms, they're still standing there. And I lived in this house in Tampa. And it had like 40 foot is one of the high old pumps that thing had like where the birds had they put metal around the top because the birds and just you know picked it so much over all the years of that standing that had this big oak tree in the front yard. And that oak tree when that when the hurricane we had to evacuate and do all that during that when the hurricane had come and, and I went back and I was like man, that oak tree I love that oak tree is so beautiful. It was over 100 years old. It was preserved. It was historic, historical, and I like that oak tree God, and I went and boy, that oak tree was split. I mean the brand it was just right down they had to actually destroy it. And I could didn't survive. It didn't make it through the winds didn't make it through the harsh rain. It didn't make it through the 85 to 120 hurricane force Goffs, but you know, what did that old ugly palm tree that thing was still standing. And I'm looking at that, that sucker and I'm just like, how is that standing? And I started studying palms. I mean, I was going, I'm like, how can this beautiful where acts of righteousness How can this beautiful oak tree not make it? I found something out. Oak trees like most trees have wide roots. They go out this way. They extend but they don't have depth. But that palm tree has roots that go so deep into the ground until it hits water and other palm tree will always be planted in water, it will, its roots will go so deep that that what it has is as a flexibility within those hundred and 20 mile golf winds came that palm would sway and it would bend, but it would not break. And so many people during the storms of life, they don't have those deep roots. But they have those oak tree roots. And so when they're in a time like we are now they're there, they're going like this, but they're going to break because they don't have a root system. But the Bible clearly shows us so many times where God compares us to that palm. The reason it's a symbol of victory and success. The reason that God uses a palm when they take palm trees on Palm Sunday is because they say look, there are deep roots on the inside of those that have covenant with me and those who stay in my word and those that praise me and those that abide in me and I abide in you, you might be bending right now. But you're not going to break right now. Because you've got a root system and out of your belly, according to john 738, shell flow rivers of living water, you've got a built in system, that out of your belly, the Holy Spirit is going to water you and going to refresh you. And so they took these branches of palm trees and you you will not break. You might be bending in this but you won't break and they went for the medium and they cried Hosanna Hosanna Do you know what Hosanna means? Hosanna was that never before praise? It never been spoken before. Hosanna means save now. I pray thee now save. I pray the be open now to defend our rescue. So you know what Hosanna means save now. Defend now rescue now. So what they were saying is I said hallelujah was appraised for what he had done. But Hosanna is a praise for what he's about to do. So what they were saying is saved now, Isaiah prophesied, Zachariah prophesied that here you come riding in and we see that we're about to have an encounter. So what we're saying is save now oh save now rescue now defend now I'm telling you there's not a more appropriate Palm Sunday that I have ever walked into in my life of 54 years almost then there is right now saved now. Oh God, deliver now oh god rescue now Oh God, defend now Oh god. It's a prophetic praise. And prophetic means not just to tell for not just for tell, but to tell for it means to shift some things to bring the future into alignment with the revelation of God. Open your mouth and say Hosanna Hosanna and the highest Oh God, as we begin to praise you right now. What we're saying is God Hosanna saved now. Save the us save the world right now. Save the righteousness right now. Defend now. Rescue right now. Oh God, we're calling on you Hosanna Hosanna if ever we need to cry Hosanna it is right now Come on, get your Hosanna Hosanna in your mouth, put a Hosanna in your spirit, put a Hosanna in your praise right now. And what it says in Psalm 118 verse 25, and 26 save now, I beseech thee, oh Lord, oh Lord, I beseech thee sinned now prosperity, blessed, be He, they comment in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord, will that be our testimony today? The house of the Lord we know is not the building. You are the house of the Lord. We found out in this pandemic, that is not brick and mortar, but it is a temple of God. Have you brought the Lord out of your temple today? Have you said Hosanna in the midst of the pandemic, save now? defend now rescue now and watch what he goes on to say because this was a prophetic brace that did They mean just saved now but so now prosperity. Well, everybody's gonna take that one out of context. And let me tell you what prosperity means. So if they say, well, they won't accuse me of being a prosperity preacher, I'll say, Yes, I am. Because prosperity means this and someone will take that little three seconds, I just said and use it out of context. But prosperity means this. It means to push forward. It means to break out, and it means to break through. So if you want to say that I'm a prosperity preacher, keep proclaiming it, because it means that I believe God is able to push forward. I believe we're able to break out I believe we're able to break through I believe that God has a breakthrough vaccination. I believe that God has a breakthrough economy. I believe that God has a breakthrough healing. I believe that God has a breakthrough anointing. I believe that there is a breakthrough. I believe that there is a pushing forward right now. There's You are not going to go back. I believe that God is God He is sovereign. He is Hosanna. And right now as you begin to say, save now deliver now, as you begin to say rescue now Hosanna, then what the Bible says prophetically, was when my people would cry out and beseech thee and say, hosanna when this word would come forward, he would also sin, not just salvation, but he would send prosperity. Wow. What an appropriate time as we enter this Most Holy Week, that God does not only defend and deliver and save, but he's since prosperity, which means he sins, a break through a break forth, and a breaking out that he's about to push some things forward. The plan of God has always been working, that plan will never fail. before the foundation of the earth, the Lamb of God was slain and that plan includes You You're the apple of God's eye. Be encouraged. Be prayerful, and put your praise on it. Because there was a praise that will bring God's will to past Hosanna Hosanna in the highest hosannah save now, save now, deliver now Oh God, heal right now. Rescue right now. defend us right now. We fight an invisible enemy, but it's not invisible to your eye. You are the offspring. You're the all knowing. So Deliver us now. In Jesus name.

Recorded on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at City of Destiny in Apopka, Florida. For more information, please visit https://cityofdestiny.us

Machine Transcription:

Psalm chapter 91. The rabbi's, of course would pray, and this was a song that during a time of, of hurt or during a time of disease or death or destruction, it's a psalm that is a psalm of deliverance, a psalm of healing, a psalm of seeing God's goodness reliefs and we've studied so much through this. Remember, the children of Israel are brought out of Egypt there in the wilderness for 40 years instead of 11 days. And most theologians believe that Moses wrote this during them for their, their benefit of understanding their journey with the earthly pilgrimage they had with their dad. So let's read it. All right, I'm going to reach out to the King James, I'll read that I'll read to you that and IB until we get to the words where I'm going he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty, I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, and whom I trust. Surely he shall save you from this Fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night or the arrow that flies by day nor the petulant that stocks in the darkness nor the plague that destroys that Monday 1000 will fall at your side and 10,000 it's your right hand but it will not come Nivea, you will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. And we're going to conclude around here if you make the most hide your dwelling, even the Lord who is my refuge, the no harm will befall you know disaster will come near your tent. Now, here's where we're focusing tonight, for he will command his angels concerning you, to guard you and all your ways. They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against the stone. You will tread upon the line in the Cobra you will trample the great line in the serpent because he loves me Says the LORD, I will rescue him. I will protect him for acknowledges my name. He will call upon me and I will answer him, I will be with them in trouble and I will deliver him and honor him with long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation. I'm not gonna go back over the other but right now, won't you just lift your hands. Father, I pray that you remove all scales from our eyes. I pray that you give us revelation to open up our hearts and our spirit to receive right now. Let everything that would block us and be cluttered in our spirit. Let it be uprooted right now in the name of Jesus. And I ask that the anointing the very presence of God would go forth through these airwaves goats, pour through the internet, go forth through every way that you're watching this right now and let God's presence consume you. I ask that God would wrap his arms around you that you would know that you are living, breathing, tangible miracle and that God has you and he has given his angels charge over the he has commanded His angels together. guard you so God has angelic visitations coming to you. God's going to show you things as we begin to reveal what angelic forces and understand that angels are working on your behalf. Remember now faith. Now total trust is the substance the foundation of things hoped for, which means what I desire to possess according to God's word. And the evidence, which means the proof to remove all doubt of things that are not seen or that I'm unaware of, of construction that is taking place. While I don't even see it. God is working behind the scenes, there are angels that are coming to divinely visit you. Even tonight I asked her angelic visitations and dreams, I asked her to in your, in your household in ways that God is going to show you we're going to go through the word because I want you to see in God's word that he is working and that angels angels have been commanded. This is not to say, okay, Paula, Psalm 91 is for you. It's for you, and You and You and Suzy and Bob and john and Todd and Victor, Lynette, it's for you. Those who believe those who know God's word is a rainbow. It's a revelation for them. So everything that Psalm chapter 91 is contingent on you understanding verse one, we won't go through any of it, but he that dwells remember it's to homestead to sit to settle to remain permanently to marry. And so what it means is that no one no claim Jake jumper can come in and like claim to homestead. It means if you're going through a health crisis or financial crisis, like in the state of Florida, we have homestead laws. No one can come take your possession, take your home, no one they can, you could file bankruptcy. You can go through distress but they can never take your home because you're protected by the law. Well, you see God has lost his word that protects you. And he says as long as you just sit stop reading because the enemy loves to get us out of position. He loves To get so worked up and full of fear and fright and terror, but but God says, No, I can't operate in fear. We've talked so much about this. And I can't operate in those ways because fear will lead to doubt which means wavering, and doubt gets you into unbelief, which is a rebellion and a disposition for God. So sit in me. All right, now let's get to angels. So it says this. If we want God's protection, we know we need to sit angels verse 11. So you're sitting, you're resting him, You got this. Right, say, bring it on pastor Paula. For he shall give His angels charge over the, to keep the In all thy ways, verse 12, they shall bear the up in their hands, lest dash die foot against a stone. So when God says who's going to give you charge, it means to constitute, to enjoin to command. So it's a word that we get like the Constitution. So when God and joins you, he he commands, it says to constitute his ceiling. This is a It's a covenant word. To keep the properly it means to hedge about, as with thorns that think about like to hedge about, like its thorns think about a big, like prison wall that has all the barbed wire on the top of it. So those prisoners can never get out, and someone from the outside can never get in. So God says, I'm going to properly hedge you like big dorms, like a big barbed wire fence, to guard to protect, to tend to preserve to watch over. He says several things that we need to clean now, I was just going to teach this and go through the verses and the Holy Spirit really convicted me. Because as I started, I said, if I just say God will give His angels charge to watch over you, then a command to guard you that we can really get off course because people might not have a full understanding. What are angels? What are the biblical parameters, everyone is going to have something different. In fact, they can really get an up to some crazy kind of stuff doctrinally, if you don't have sound theology, so can we find out how you have angels watching over you, guarding you? You say, but pastor Paula, do you know what's going on? God knows exactly what's happening. And God in His sovereign plan is not caught off by surprise. I say it over and over you can have a certainty with the God that you serve in uncertain times. So the first thing I want you to write down that we're going to learn is number one, God created angels. Angels have not always existed. according to Scripture, it's something that god they're they're beings which I'll get into with you a minute, that God Himself created, so they're created beings. Now remember this Satan, who also has the name of Beelzebub the devil or right because we focus so much on that but he's a false Angel, he's not even an angel that is in good standing with God. Much worse than that he writing Not only is he a fallen angel, which is pretty bad because that means I'm not even in good standing with God. But But then when Jesus came, he was crucified on an old rugged cross buried in a burn tomb, rose again on the third day, and he went down from three days and he conquered death, hell and the grave. And he took the keys to the very kingdom of darkness to the enemy. He took the devil's keys to his own his own territory to his domain. And so think about this, not only is he not in good standing with God, he doesn't have keys to his house anymore. And sometimes what you focus on longest becomes strongest in your life. So that one of his weapons that he uses is the ability to deceive people and revelations will say, this is the worm did deceived nations at NASA, he deceived To all these people, so he works through fear and intimidation and deception. But when you begin to understand that he has nothing on God, there's under principality, there's not a power, there's no wickedness. There's no darkness that is greater than God. Angels are creative beings. Now one third of them rebelled against the throne of God, they rebelled against God, Satan started that charge. Okay, we find that all in New Zealand throughout the Word of God, and you see that he started this rebellion, and a third of the angels. Crazy said, Yeah, let's come against the creator of everything. And so God did not have a problem with them then and God did not now and you start out in the gospels, and it said, I saw Satan fall, meaning the great fall he was kicked out of heaven. Pick about this, and I saw him fall to the earth as lightning. So God just kicks him out. I mean, think about it's pretty Bible. It's pretty wild. So angels are created Wheatley. There are two thirds more good angels in right standing with God than there are fallen angels. So according to Scripture, they're part of God's creation. And a passage that refers to angels. It says there, they're referred to as the host or armies of heaven. We read you are the Lord you alone. This is Nehemiah chapter nine, verse six, you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens with all their host, and the host of heaven, worships you. Remember there are three places there's Earth, there's a Heavenlies and there's the Most Holy of Holies. So you've got Earth where we'd well, that second level where there's all that spiritual atmosphere, that's where the enemy and certain angelic beings and we'll get into the depths of this and then there's God's throne, there's heaven, the Holy of Holies, or the heavenlies. Heavenly heavenly. Alright, so in the New Testament, Paul tells us that God created all things visible and infinite. So angels, for the most part are invisible we'll talk about when they show themselves. And specifically, it includes the angelic world with the phrase in Colossians chapter one, verse 10, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities. So again, these are created beings by God. So while these Bible verses tell us that our God created angels, the Bible also suggests that they exist in this, that they don't exist in the same way that you and I do. So angels are not flesh and blood. The the Arthur of Hebrews goes on and he says, The angels according to Hebrews, chapter one, verse 13, and 14 are spirits. So I want you to begin to write it down. Number one, God created them, they're their spirits. In Luke chapter 24, verse 39, Jesus appears to the disciples, and he asserts that spirits don't have bodies like he does. So we know that they are spirit Without a body, so they don't have flesh and blood, which means they don't. They don't live and die. They're not going to age or be 80 years old. They don't have this carnal flesh are the things that we have. The Bible says that angels can't usually be seen by humans and less watch. God reveals them. Numbers chapter 22 verse 31, Second Kings chapter six, verse 17, and Luke chapter two verse 13. So I'm a little bit I've been walking with God a long time I've I've had some what 35 years feels like a while to me. So I've had some pretty supernatural encounters with God. And it's amazing. Some people are just like, man, I see angels. I see him all the time. I just look at all the angels. I'm like, Well, what you've been taken, all right, because I'm telling you. I mean, we live by faith. God has to reveal God has to open up your eyes in order to see an angel. Now I have seen angels before I have seen an angelic being, but it's not like all the time. It's not like you see an angel every single day. But you know, because we're walking by faith that I know right now that there are angels all around me. I know that there are angels in this building. I know they're angels by my side right now. I know they're angels, literally, I'll get out. And when I walk outside, I'll thank my angels protecting my household and watching over. You say thank you guys. Thanks for taking care of everything for me. I literally do because I know that around my property line, there are angels everywhere. Why? Because I know God's word. Now I can't see them unless God were to open my eyes and reveal them. And I believe if God opens my eyes, there's a reason it would always say look like the Lord opened the eyes and they were able to see angelic forces around them. So from time to time Angels would take on a bodily form, and they appeared to various people throughout Scripture. Matthew chapter 28, verse five, Hebrews chapter 13, verse two, so occasionally they would show an ungodly form. Now, number two, there are three types of angels in the bible. Scripture names these categories of heavenly beings that are spirits without a body that appear to be types of angels. Number one, there's chair bombs. Number two are Sarah bombs. And number three is living creatures. And when you say pastor Paula, why are you doing this because God gives His angels charge over the remember. So right now, I have angelic beings and honestly if we say this in the reason I wanted to lay scripture for you, because chair bumps have very specific assignment. Sarah bumps have very specific assignment. living creatures have very specific assignment and when we pair it Because of lack of knowledge, so what we don't know, often is detrimental to us. So when we understand the word of God, you're not just calling out or just praying randomly you know how to operate there right now God has given his angels command over these who wants a chair co chair bones are mentioned several places throughout Scripture. They guarded the in terms of the garden, Genesis chapter three, verse 24, in the Garden of Eden, so right now, but you when I said, hey, there's a lot of Scripture I could take you to but I said, I get up and say, thank you guys to my angels, because I know they're watching over and they're guarding. Where God takes precedence. And I know that God has residence and that my property and our places dedicated to the Lord. So I thank my angels for watching over us all the time. God is enthroned above them he seek your chapter 10 verse one through 22 God rides on them. Psalm chapter 18 verse Sin. There are two golden figures of tear bums that sit above the Ark of the Covenant. You'll see that often, or God promised to dwell among these people Exodus chapter 25, verse 22. And also you can look at verse 18, through 21. The second type is a cellphone. And there, this is another type of an angel. That is only mentioned one time in the Bible. They appear in Isaiah chapter six, verse two through seven. And it says, where they continually worship the Lord. This is amazing here, Isaiah chapter six, verse three, and it says that they say to the Lord, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory. So now you got chair bums, which we talked about the guard. They are enthroned above God, they they God rides on them, they're they're very active, but Sarah farms are angels of worship. Now God has created beings who do nothing but worship Him. And every time we'll see that they go around the throne room of God will see different things about living creatures in just a second is a little bit different from Sarah them. Because God's it appears in these three things that the primary purpose with angels is not which I'll get into the chair bones and what they're doing for you. But if we're looking at three different types, and we don't know exactly how many angels there are there Myriad's at all. talk to you about that. But it seems like one of the main reasons for angelic beings is for worship. No wonder God is so attracted to our worship. So when you have worried replace it with worship, when you begin to worship God, you attract God. The Bible says that your worship comes before him like if you worship Him in the form of bringing a sacrifice CERN offering it's like a sweet smell, a savor and odor before the very nostrils of God. When he hears you begin to cry out and praises name and begin to say, God, I love you. You are Holy, holy, holy. It is the language that God loves and God has God and God will get what he wants. He said that if you do not praise me, the very rocks will cry out. So sir, friends are going around the throne and their friends are saying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And living creatures and his EQ on revelation speak of other kinds of heavenly beings known as living creatures around God's throne. Now these get into even deeper worship, because these are around the very throne room of God and we know what they do. there they're circling the throne room of God, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, but they are called living creatures and easic your chapter Verses five through 14. And Revelation chapter four, verse six through eight, they appear as a lion, as an ox, as a man, as an eagle. We've already studied the eagle through here, representing various parts of God's creation, wild beasts, domesticated animals, human beings, birds, so they to continually worship God. So we've got term firms that seem to do the work and kind of carry out the duties. And we got cell phones and living creatures that spend time and worship. Now that right there tells me if I have to break that down, and I've got three categories of angels chair bum cellphones and living creatures, and two thirds of them are worshiping and one third of them is working. It tells me that the majority of my life should be spent in worship. That as I worship, which doesn't mean just I'm doing a Sunday song or Wednesday praise and worship. What that means is I am building it's from a Latin word, that means we're Skype It means to build a life that denotes the worthiness of God. So everything in my life should denote his worthiness. So right now, I could be home, you could be home, I kind of take this somewhere else and say, oh, let's just plug and play. Let's do that. No, God wants me to bring a rainbow word, a fresh word to you right now. He's got you tuned in. And he says, right now, I do not want you to forsake the assembling of yourself. And and that means like, maybe we can't be in a building, but you can be online right now and be connected to the Word of God and be connected right now. You can lay your hands on that screen and just say, God, I want to worship you. I lift up my hand and I thank you, God, for your presence for the anointing. I'm coming in agreement with the Word of God. I'm coming in agreement that the Lord your word will become re meant to me. You see, you can still partake is what I'm saying. Just like you would lift your hands in the sanctuary. You lift our hands at home. Don't Don't just go around and cooking and kindness. Attention come to the very throne of God. Just like we take time apart and we say this is holy ground where you are as holy ground. And so it's so important because what they would do revelations chapter four verse a day and night, they never cease to sing Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty Who was and is and is to come, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty Who was and who is to come. And I believe that every time they go around the throne room of God that they see another facet, they see another dimension of God's glory. And just like we'll never be able to fathom the mind of God. Just like we'll never be able to comprehend who God is. Well, we'll never know God in His fullness until we see him face to face, that they're going around the throne. And all they can do is say, holy, how many years? eternity Holy, holy, holy, Lord God. Almighty and the living creatures Where's her angels are encircling the throne of God right now. So if we have three different types chair bones and cellphones and living creatures, three different types of angels, and two thirds of them are worshipping, let me tell you how you're going to get through this. worship your way through it. He gives His angels charge over the worship is right through it because these these creative beings by God God says you two thirds of them are just worship. They're in God's presence. So we tend to work and then give our leftovers to God, thinking that we can earn our way our work our way. And we know Faith without works is dead but the greater part isn't it is to be a berry. And that is yes, we need you Martha. Yes, we need people to do the work to do the service. We understand that all of us should do some kind of service. But we also need you to sit at the feet of Jesus, and God is just calling you to him right now. He's saying, Come to me right now. Sit in me rest in me. Turn off the news. Turn off your phone, get away from all that and come to me right now. I want to do something in you, I'm going to bring deliverance to you. I'm going to bring healing to you. I'm going to bring you revelation and show you who I am. The third thing is that angels have a hierarchy of angels in the bible, have rank and order. The angelic hierarchy is supported by Jude chapter, or Jude verse nine, excuse me, when the angel Michael is called an arc Angel, a title that indicates his authority over other angels. He's also called one of the chief princes in Daniel chapter 10, verse 13, and he appears to lead God's angelic army in Revelation chapter 12. It says, Now war arose and Heaven is chapter 12, verse seven, and eight. Now War arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. So where did the war start? Where did sin start? It started in heaven. And the heaven part is already taken care of. Because when Jesus ascended to heaven, He put his blood upon the altar of God. And when he did that, where were sin had originated, God finished it. And so now where's the fight? That's the fight is down here on Earth. So God has given us angelic beings to help us and assist us I'm going to show you he's given his angels charge over the right to guard the to protect you. He's commanded he's constitute like a constitution. So watch, he says Mike on his angels fighting against the dragon, and the dragon is angels fault, but they were defeated. So again, God does not only not have a problem with Satan, the angels the Archangel Michael is able to defeat the dragon and essentially It. Paul also tells us that the Lord will return from heaven with the ark angels call First Thessalonians chapter four verse 16. Scripture doesn't tell us that this specifically refers to Michael, our if there's some other archangels as well, but it clearly says that the ark, angels will have this call number four. There are only two angels that we know their names of in the entirety of the Bible. So when you go from scripture alone, and you look at scripture, there are two angels that are specifically a name. First one we just talked about. He's the archangel and his name is Michael. He's mentioned in Jude verse nine, Revelation chapter 12, verse seven and eight. Daniel chapter 10, verse 13, verse 21, so he's a strong fighting prince who has numerous angels under his command. Revelation chapter 12, verse seven, Gabriel is the only other ain't But we know his name. He's mentioned in Daniel chapter eight, verse 16. Daniel chapter nine, verse 21. And he's a messenger who comes to speak, he comes from God to speak to Daniel. Gabriel was the angel who commanded to make Daniel understand the strange visions and dreams he was having. Because remember, God would often and still often does, Job says that God puts you to sleep so that he can speak to you through dreams. And so you have to discern, is this a spiritual dream? Or is this my subconscious going to work? So God is often dealing with us in dreams. Now with that they'll come in interpretation. And so the angel of the Lord came to Daniel and gave him the interpretation. And he was able to give them insight as to what the dream what the vision had meaning up. He also identified as God's Heavenly Messenger in Luke chapter one, the Angel of God's presence. He tells Zachariah and Luke 119 I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. So he announces himself as Gabriel and he's going to give, you know, Zacharias and who bring the good tidings to marry, etc. Then we read. In the six month Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin and the virgin same was married Luke chapter one, verse 26, and 27. Remember, he says, Hey, Mary, I'm about to open, the Holy Ghost is about to overshadow you, and you will conceive and you will bring forth the Son of God, you shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us. So think about this a God saying, He says his angel, she said she was afraid and he said, don't, don't fear. So we link to bringing forth divine revelations, such as the interpretation of prophetic dreams and visions. On other occasions, angels would visit through these visions and dreams, however, the actual names of the head Heavenly visitors are not listed in the Scripture. So let me give you a few other visitations. All right. So we know that there's Gabriel, we know that there's Michael Archangel messenger Angel. So there are other visitations that were angelic visitations that I believe are applicable for us today. But we don't have their name. Genesis chapter 22, verse 11, an angel from heaven spoke to Abraham, telling him not to slay Isaac on the altar. Remember, he's getting up and he's getting ready he's goddess told him to go up and give his son nine only son and he's got the his knife in his hand, Abraham Abraham, some Angel speaks to him and there's a ram that is caught in the thicket and he gets the revelation that God is Jehovah Chiron again, bring some stops in from from taking his son and revelation that God is one who sees to it and provides Numbers chapter 22 verse 22, I want to work with their faith because God has given his angels charge over the right now you have the angels that are working on your back Half an angel block the path of bayla when he was preparing to curse Israel, you know there are people that are being used their entities being used to try to bring curse on you to try to do things and an angel will block them and the angel is going to stop them right now. So God will use his angel to block something that would try to bring cursor vexation or things to you destruction to you. Angels are watching over your car right now angels are watching over you. And I want you to understand specifically so you have scriptural basis to stand on understanding that God sends His angels to watch over you. An angel appeared to Gideon to direct them in battle Judges, chapter six verse 12. See God is the same today yesterday and forevermore. And so he changes not there's no variance in him, and God will give you direction in the middle of a battle. Right now. We just pray for divine direction for you, your household for your ministry for your business. We pray for divine direction for our president, President Trump right now for vice president for the task force, we pray for divine strategic direction right now that the church would raise up and be as the sons of is the car that they have understanding of the times and the seasons. And we're able to tell his your what to do. Angels will visit those who have favor and they're their mouthpieces for God, that you will be able to give direction you'll know what to do when to do it. Let the direction of the Lord come to governors and mayors and our president, our Vice President, and to county officials and those that rule in a place of authority that we would not live in chaos, but we would live according to the will of God. Even now. I just had to face something you know, other people are doing things that are just aren't aren't the safest and smartest thing and, and right now, we just had people come up and go like, are they following all the guidelines? We've been following guidelines from the very beginning before there was any mandate there wasn't a stay at home because we were saying Hate to help slow this spread. We stay within the six foot we stay within others, but it's the importance of this and you go How does that have to do with that? Because it's important that God directs people. It's important for angelic visitations to come right now. So the more people are going to move in the flesh and the more people that move in carnality, the more frustrated society is going to be. So let's pray right now for divine angelic visitation that God would direct because we are fighting an invisible enemy and let's pray that God would direct in this time a battle against this coronavirus, okay. And it is not something that you can see in the natural you can touch and put your hand on we we know exactly about a god knows exactly every single situation regarding this. He can divinely intervene and so let's pray for divine direction. And angel appeared to Samson's mother predicting the birth of a son Judges chapter 13 verse Have an angel stretched his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it. The Bible says in Second Samuel chapter 24, verse 16, and angels strengthen the prophet Elijah First Kings chapter 19 verse five right now for everybody who is weary and you just feel like you've been carrying so much burden on you. And there's so much weight. I mean, truly Wait, let an angel strength in you right now, remember when Elijah was just so weary because he had been running? He'd been running from Jes Ebell and now he's sitting under a Juniper tree and he wants to just take his own life. And he's discouraged and any here's the still small voice but an angel came and ministered to him. Just like an angel came after Jesus had come out of the wilderness and an angel ministered to our Lord and Savior. Let an angel strength in you right now for everybody who's got weariness for everybody who's lost their sense of pleasure, everybody who's despondent and even depressed right now and you just feel Like your your, your tank is empty that emotionally you're depleted and physically you're depleted and spiritually you're depleted. May the angel of the Lord come and minister to you right now in the name of Jesus. Daniel chapter six, verse 22, and Angel shut the mouth of the lions. So let every demonic force that would come against you, man angel of the Lord shut the mouth of the lion that would go to devour you that every spirit that would bring destruction, every devour every spirit of waste, everything that would come to bring destruction in any way. Let an angel the Lord shut its mouth in the name of Jesus. Zechariah chapter one through six, and Angel rebuild numerous chapter one through chapter six numerous prophetic revelations to Zachariah, may the Lord bring prophetic revelations and prophetic means not just the ability to foresee I've taught so much on prophecy but the ability To tell fourth, it's not just a foretell, as to tell fourth to shift things. So when you have eyes to see and ears to hear that Proverbs chapter 20 says the Lord makes your eye to see in your ear to hear. The prophetic has to do with your future that you have a now word that is so powerful that it's able to mold your future because I've taught so much on prophecy and prophetic. So just go back and get my teachings number five, because I've got to say on angels, number five, angels are not omnipresent. as important. They travel very fast. Because they can go through walls, they can go through doors, we see that like they just that's so cool. Can you imagine just being able to go through a wall right now like Jesus did? I mean, could you imagine just walking into big angels coming through here? And that would be that's just super cool. And God is an awesome guy. They frequently appear as messengers in the Bible track from one place to another, like we saw Gabriel was sent by God to the city of Galilee. So where did he come from Luke chapter one, verse 19, to this place called Nazareth, the fact that angels are not omnipresent, is made very explicit. When an angel comes to Daniel and says this, I have come because of your words. Now watch this. Daniel's praying for 21 days God hears him on the first day of his prayer, right? And just so you'll get the scriptural basis is Daniel chapter 10, verse 12 through 14, so he's praying, and God hears this prayer right away. And the angel says, I have come because of your words. You know, when you begin to pray, God begins to release angels. I want you to see what happens. The Prince of the Kingdom of Persia was stood me 21 days. Now here, he says, But Michael, one of the chief princes came to Help me. So I left him there with the prince of the Kingdom of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to the fall, what is to be fall your people in the latter days. That's some serious stuff right there. You've got a warring Angel and a messenger Angel tag teaming. And he's saying I left Michael to fight on your behalf because for 21 days, and that's a serious principality. And people be like, I didn't get my favorite parking space and so, you know, sings against me, are you kidding me? like really? half the stuff that that is happening? We bring on ourselves. It's just negative thinking toxic thoughts and a bad attitude offenses, unforgiveness, wounding trauma, all that junk that God says I finished the work in Christ Jesus to give you life and life more abundantly and you're choosing to live in death. You're choosing to live in destruction. You're choosing to be hurt by every little whim and offended by every little thing. But I came to give you life. I came to conquer death hell in the grave I came in gave you all power and all authority both in heaven and earth, not so you could just sit around and be mopey and be a victim so you could advance the kingdom of God that the church is the agency, which I extend my role to my role in my realm through, don't you understand who you are the apple of my eye, and era God adjoint era Jesus Christ. So when you get serious and you begin to understand you are God's solution. April is a very important month, this month is going to determine a lot hear me prophetically right now. Because it is so important that we pray, it is so important that we press through just our comfort zone. Many people are doing 714 in the morning or 714 at night, and they're calling to prayer, whatever you're comfortable to do, whether it's 10 minutes or 10 hours, pressin because I'm telling you by the Spirit of God, that outcomes of things are going to be largely determined by the month of April which is so important. We're getting ready to Go into a supernatural miracle working season. As we get ready to enter the Passover and Good Friday and Easter I feel the Holy Spirit right now as we move from April the eighth to the 16th. During this Passover, the blood of Jesus during this season that is so supernatural and holy to God a divine appointment, you better make sure that the blood is on the doorposts of your heart. Make sure that you understand that God is protecting you that God has sent His angels have charged over thee and take your authority Daniel, keep praying, Daniel, God has put you in position with the Prime Minister's where he was in position with with those that were the highest of civil authority and Goddess stood you they're not so that you could just bow down but God has put you in position so that you would not eat what the Kings people are the kingsmen if you were not dressed like they dress, you wouldn't be one as them. You're in this world, not of this world, but you're sent to this world. And Daniel while you're praying Daniel While you're fasting, Daniel while you're eating differently than the kingsmen are Daniel while you're getting rid of me, Daniel, while you're doing your thing, know that I'm working on your behalf, know that you're not hearing from heaven yet. And there's activity and yes, there is a principalities, there's rulers in the spirit realm that are over nations that seek to influence political forces seek to influence powers seek to influence and like I said, there's a clash of the kingdom, what's gonna rise up kingdoms of darkness or kingdoms of life? Much will depend on what the church does right now. The church is not the building the churches, you rise to your position right now. And so as we begin to see what happens in this place, he said, Well, I came and let you know, Hey, he's fighting up there so I could bring the message and bring the word of the Lord to you. The word of the Lord will come to you. If angels were omnipresent Michael would have came to help because he would have already been there and this angel wouldn't need to leave. Michael to bring the message. So in other words, they're not at all places. They're not God. They're not omnipresent. They are sent on assignment. And unlike God, who's omnipresent angels are finite creatures. They're limited to one place at a time. Number six, we don't know how many angels exist, but we know it's a lot. If we look in, we say the population of the world is what a little over 7 billion people. And so we look at America 370 million approximately, but apparently, there's a lot of them. Here's a few ways we know Deuteronomy, chapter 33, verse two on Mount Sinai, God came from 10 thousands of holy ones with flaming fire as his right hand. Psalm 6817. We also learned the chariots of God and 10s of thousands and thousands of thousands. Hebrews chapter 12, verse 22, when we come to worship, we come into the presence of innumerable angels. They're not even numbered. So that means like, think about how many Angels are assigned to you people go I always know I have to Surely goodness and mercy. You know what? I know I've got thousands, I don't even know they're innumerable. Maybe you only have to I would double check that. All right, I just got a little bit farther than that. So they're innumerable. There's a myriad. If we can count up to a trillion and zillion. These are innumerable. It's beyond counting. So I know that they're probably all launched into my home right now. They're like, piled on top of each other. Seriously, they're looking for a bunk bed somewhere, because they they are just like they are moving speed of light. I mean, they're just going always working on on behalf. God says, I give my angels charge over the. So let's look at john says in Revelation chapter five, verse 11. I heard around the throne in the living creatures and the elders, the voice of many angels numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. So every biblical reference To the total number of angels suggests that they're absolutely beyond counting. Now if we can count up to what a zillion, so that's how far we count. We know how much it is zillion be if we just gave up $2 trillion to tree Oh yeah, that's a lot of moolah, guys. We get they go true. Have you ever seen how far that would go like around the globe? It shows dollars, there's signs of how far that goes around. Well, if it's a newer boy, it means that we don't even have a number system for it. That's how many angels there are, that God has created. So angels are very powerful. The angels are called mighty ones who do is word Psalm 103, verse 20, powers Ephesians, chapter one, verse 21, dominions and authorities. Colossians chapter one, verse 16. So there are certainly greater in mind and power than humans. Second Peter chapter 211. Matthew chapter 28, verse two, so angels use their power to battle Satan's demonic forces Daniel chapter 10, verse 13 revelations chapter 12 verse seven through eight, Revelation chapter 20 verse one through three, during our earthly lives now this is this important because people say we're a little bit higher than the angels, but you need to know the word says during our earthly lives, we're lower than the angels. So they're more powerful than us right now. Now we'll judge them one day, okay, so Hebrews chapter two verse seven, that's why they're, they look at us like what what is going on when we act all out of order, as powerful as the angels are, when Jesus returns, follows her Christ will be raised higher than angels, according to First Corinthians chapter six, verse three. So right now we're a little bit lower. We've got this law of nature, this nature and this law working in US according to Romans chapter seven, the things I don't want to do, I end up doing the things I want to do, I don't end up doing so all this stuff. stuffs happening. Number eight angels carry out some of God's plans. There are numerous ways which God uses angels to carry out his plans on the earth. They frequently bring God's messages to people. Luke chapter one, verses 11 through 19. Acts chapter eight verse 26. Acts chapter 10, verse three through eight. I know you're gonna need a lot to watch this over and over Acts, chapter 10, verse 22, see Helen smiling on that? Acts chapter 27. Because I love when you study the Word with me, verse 23, and 24. They carry out some of God's judgments, and nobody wants to talk about this. But when you really begin to study, a lot of times remember judgment is not God coming to get you judgment is God removing his hand from you. And in the Old Testament, we did see where there would be much destruction because sin and disobedience springs forth it says that when you know to do better and you do not it becomes sin and the wages of sin is death. So Second Samuel chapter 24, verse 16, through 17. They were smiting the leaders of this Syrian army. Second Chronicles chapter 32, verse 21, they were striking King Herod dead because he did not give God the glory Acts chapter 12, verse 23, they were pouring out bowls of God's wrath on the earth. Revelation chapter 16, verse one, so when Christ returns, angels will come with him as a great army accompanying their king and Lord Matthew 1627, Luke 926, best Second Thessalonians chapter one, verse seven. So watch this. They also patrol the earth as God's representatives, Zachariah, chapter one, verse 10, and 11. So I think about a massive police force. Now we've already established to the word that they're innumerable. So think about they're patrolling the earth. That's why I say I have a whole lot more than surely and goodness. following me I've got a myriad of angels. patrolling the earth on my behalf because God gives His angels charge over me. I have a covenant with God that extends beyond me to my children and my children's children. How do you know that because I read the word, because I know God's word. And covenant is a legal binding contract that has been sealed by the Spirit of God, that Jesus Christ is the mediator over that nobody can come alter. That's why Psalm chapter 89 says that God says, what I've spoken out on my lips, my covenant cannot be altered. So they carry out war against demonic forces. Daniel chapter 10, verse 13, Revelation chapter 12, verse seven and eight. JOHN records that an angel sees the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for 1000 years and threw him into the pit Revelation chapter 20, verse one through three. when Christ returns that Ark Angel will also return proclaiming of is coming. So we see that all throughout Scripture. So we see some other duties you want to know some cool things that angels do. Do I have about what eight more minutes and we'll pray. Right? Just a few more things they guard gates Revelation chapter 21, verse 12, they guard the tree of life. Genesis chapter three, verse 24, there guarding the bottomless pit, Revelation chapter 20, verse one, I wouldn't want that job. They're the worst like guarding Alcatraz guarding the bottomless pit. You know what the bottomless pit is right now? You go, No, okay, get into Revelation chapter 20 verse one through two. That's a whole nother teaching, executing judgment on the unrighteous Revelation chapter 15 verse one through 16. They assist in giving the law to Moses. Hey, Hebrews, chapter two verse two, separate the good from the bad at judgment, not to chapter 13 verse 39, through 41. They gathered the left after the tribulation, Matthew chapter 24, verse 31, so angels Directly glorify God almost through humans aren't the only intelligent I know we think we are more creatures glorify God. The Psalmist says in Psalm 103, verse 20, ready? angels glorify God for who he is in himself for his excellence and we'll leave off here, bless the Lord. Oh you His angels, you mighty wants to do his word Harkening to the voice of the word. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Sarah from continually praises God for His Holiness, Isaiah chapter six, and so do the four living creatures as he said, Revelation chapter four. So what are they doing? They're worshiping. So right now I want you to do something, john, if you'll just play we'll go into prayer. Angels also glorify God, as his plans begin to unfold. When Christ was born in Bethlehem, a multitude of angels came and they begin to praise God and they said, glory to God and the highest and on earth peace among men with whom he is well placed. Luke chapter two verse 14. Jesus tells us there's joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke chapter 15 verse sin so every time one sinner repents, then the angels begin to glorify God. So angels are worshiping, that glorify, they magnify, they show for the splendor of God, they they, they begin to say, God, how great you are, you know, right now God can divinely step in, and if there's coronavirus in your body, he can heal you from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet, we drive that out by the superior blood of Jesus Christ. And the word declares in Isaiah chapter 53, that Jesus was wounded for your transgression, bruise for your iniquity, that chastisement of his pieces upon you, and with the stripes you are healed. You know, there's a great, great salvation that says in Romans chapter 10, verse nine through 10, says if you confess the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart, he's a son of God, you will be saved. You don't have to Live Without God anymore. You don't have to live without angels. You don't have to live without God watching over you. If you just come to him, he's knocking on the door of your heart right now. He's calling you to open up that door and to receive Jesus Christ. You see why you have so many things that are unsure the one Sure thing you can be certain about his God loves you. God is for you. And God will never leave you. He'll never forsake you. He'll walk with you in the valley of the shadow of death. And you also stand with you on the mountaintop. He's not just the God of the high. He's the God of the low when they wanted to defeat Israel. They came in the valley. And they said, I wonder if he's the God of the valleys. And what they found is they got their behind kick because they found out that he's not just the God of the mountaintop, but He's the God of the valley. And yes, as the world as a nation. We might be in a valley right now, but I remind you that He's the God of the valleys. And he is with you right now. You might be looking at a field like is he You did and there was nothing but dry bones. And God said stick to these bones. Tell them right now commanded army to come forth in the name of Jesus. So right now, it might look like just dried dead bones like where is the life? Where's the new? Where's the room? Ha, where's the breath of God speak to it right now. God has given us angels charge over the You see, I wanted you to have an understanding that angels want to glorify God. And at the end we're made overcomers by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. And that word is that God has given you evidence right now let the evidence of God's healing covenant flow through your body. Let the evidence of God's peace come to your mind right now. Let the evidence of God's Holy Spirit come to you with revelation. Let Angel show up right now let angels begin to minister to you right now. Let angels bring you a message of hope and a message of peace right now and the name of Jesus the name which is above every name, then no weapon for him to She was going to be able to prosper 1000 will fall at your side and 10,000 at your right hand, but it will not come nigh The only with the eyes will they behold and see the reward of the wicked, the wicked will receive punishment, the righteousness. john and i were having conversation today. And there was a particular situation that came up, and it had popped up on the news. And there's a newsflash, I said, Look, we got we don't even give energy to that stuff, because you only have so much energy. And I can tell you this, that when a person has moved so far from God, and literally, it's as if they are and they probably are possessed by an evil spirit. Like I pray for everyone's salvation, but there are some people that cross the line that we have no idea where that becomes from just being so cold and so hard and so hardened to they become reprobate. And when there's reprobate, there is no there's no repentance, there's no hope. There's no prayer that can save them because they they have gone so beyond the line that they are, they've crossed that line where there's no turning back. And none of us know where that line is. None of us know where that that edge of that is. But I said, I said, it doesn't matter because their plans are not greater than God. and in this situation when somebody is, is in a place of such wickedness, look, God says, I deal with that. I deal with that. Because wickedness is crookedness. And they're so far from God and we need to pray for the salvation of everyone. Not God has sent a son for all people, not everyone will receive them. Not everybody will walk in, and we pray, but there's a time that you just say, I mean, we pray for the world. You understand what I'm saying? There's a time that only with the eyes and I feel like somebody needs to know this that who you behold the reward the wickedness and what do I mean by that? There's payday. Against wickedness, that God does not let his righteous suffer forever telling you there's our greatest reward is eternity. But you need to know that God is with you. And God has you. Someone is saying, I just feel like camping here. Boy, the Holy Spirit took a turn on this one right now. You say, Well, why did the wicked prosper? Why does this happen? I always say, it's not a dumb question. But I say to myself, Paula, don't ask a dumb question. And let me phrase this a little bit better. Like, I would always say, but why, but why, but why? Why does it matter? I just need to know what God has to promise. Like there's a time that the wicked will not prosper. There's a time that they'll not stand there and you might go, Well, why do I seem to suffer? Why does this happen or why did bad things happen to good people? God reveals Things demand that he wants revealed the secret things belong to the Lord. You put your trust in God and know that he's with you.

Recorded on March 29, 2020 at City of Destiny in Apopka, Florida. For more information, please visit https://cityofdestiny.us . Pastor Paula White Cain is on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/paulamichellewhite and Twitter https://twitter.com/Paula_White

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Guess where we're going today? You've got it. Psalm 91. I, I'm like, I don't feel like I'm stuck. I feel like I have great fresh revelation. And I just keep digging deeper. And God keeps giving me more insight. Last week we talked about God is in the protection business. Today I want to talk to you about God is a covenant keeping God. Remember that this is a song that was most likely written by Moses in the time that the children of Israel, the church, Gods distinction, people were wandering for 40 years on what was supposed to be a 11 day journey and God let them know after the prior Solomon 90, which is very dark and very troublesome almost. He says, Look, I am with you in this earthly pilgrim pilgrimage I got you and rabbis today will read this as a psalm of deliverance and protection and healing. And so we have to understand that we can tenue depress him, we continue to pray. Remember that there is a prayer that stops the plague Numbers chapter 16, that when the plague had begun, Moses since Aaron out into the assembly to hold the sensor, to go get fire off the altar and stand between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped when they stood between the dead and the living. We often quotes Second Chronicles chapter seven, verse 14, but we don't get to verse 13. And what had happened is Solomon had dedicated the temple and God is downloading to them. And he says, Look, there will be times when there'll be no rain. There'll be times where there'll be a plague in the land, and the answer he gives to the plague in the land, because Solomon had just brought great sacrifice and dedicated the temple. And what God is saying is when there is no rain, and when my people gone astray, or when there is a plague in the land. He says in verse 14, if my people will humble themselves, turn from their wicked ways, see my face, then I will hear from heaven and heal their land. You see, there is a prayer that stops the plague. We have to be praying during this time because I believe today that God is a God who will divinely intervene. He can step into a situation that someone says impossible but his work shows us just like there was a famine in the land. He said tomorrow by this time. You see, it might be one way where you're eating asses, head and doves dung. I mean, literally, that's what they were eating. And he said tomorrow By this time, you'll have mined flour for less than a shackle. He had fine flour. His process is an eight step process. He has a miracle something that has gone through a process waiting for you. You see, God is working behind the scenes right now and I'm going to talk to you about that he's doing something and I believe that he is working in the hearts of men and that we are waiting Go crisis is this is an opportunity, a turning point either for the better or for the worse. And the key will be what is the church going to do? I believe the church the only legal entity in the earth that is authorized to breathe and bring forth true transformation is rising up. Just like the four lepers rose up in the twilight. They were not it was somewhere between dark and Dawn, they were rising up when it was still dusk, it was still dark outside and they said Let us go over to the enemy's camp let us go over because if we sit here we're just gonna die. But it may be that goddess for us, and they rose up and they brought back blessing that you know that what happened to Assyrians their their God made a noise that they all scattered and, and they went and they got all the supplies of the enemy. And instead of keeping it for themselves, they took it back to the peculiar people come on the set apart nation, God's people because he always distinguishes people who are covenant with them. And God brought supplied God brought revival. You see, he's the same today yesterday and forevermore. So get ready. Let's go into Psalm chapter 91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high God will say, What? What will he say of the Lord? He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him shall I trust? I will say the Lord. Surely he shall deliver the from the snare of the fowler and from the noisy pestilence. He shall cover the with his feathers, and under his wings shut out trust, His truth shall be the shield and buckler. Thou shall not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day, nor for the pestilence that walk in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasted that noon day 1000 and this is where we're going to get through today. 1000 shall fall at the right hand, but it will not come nigh the 10,000 a day right hand or 1000 shortfall by side 10,000 at the right hand, but it shall not come nigh The only time I shall behold and see the reward of the wicked, because that was made the Lord which is my refuge, even the most high, thy habitation, there shall no evil before the neither shall any plague come nigh that dwelling for he shall give His angels charge over the to keep the in all that way. They should bear the up in their hands lest dash die foot against the stone now shall try to pump up lion and after the young lion and the dragon shoutout trample under feet, because he has said his love upon me. Therefore I deliver him. I will set him on high because he had no my name. I he shall call upon me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him with law life. Somebody say with long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation I want you to memorize it. I want you to get it so deep in your heart and so deep in your spirit. You see, we are in covenant with a covenant keeping God. If you have a relationship, if you're born again, if you prayed that prayer, we prayed, and you have a relationship, whether it was 10 minutes ago, or 10 years ago, or 50 years ago. God is a covenant keeping God, I want you to really get this because Psalm 89 verse 34, says, My covenant will not break, not altered the thing that has gone out of my lips. So we'll see as we've studied that everything, all those promises in Psalm chapter 91, which there's a plethora of them over 20 that I've been chronicling and going through, and there's so many promises that God has from but they're all contingent on verse one. And God says, I won't alter that which has come forth out of my lips, I will not alter my covenant. The first time we ever see covenant in Scripture is ended. A chapter six, verse 18. God says, but I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons wife's with you. He's talking to Noah there. The Bible says in verse 11, that the Earth was corrupt, that it was full of violence that God was displeased, and as a result, it would be destroyed. But before this happened, God gave Noah who the Bible says, is a righteous man, that he was blameless among the people of his time, and that he walked with God. He was a man who was in right standing with God. He was a man and you think about this because we see him later in a cave and he's drunk and you think, how does God call this man righteous? His heart was after God, he loved God and he was in right standing with God. He was blameless, he walked before God. Genesis, chapter five, verse 10, and as a result, God says, No, I have a plan for you. Because you're in covenant with me, God always has a plan. And for those that are in covenant, they will see God's plan come to pass. He told him to build an ark. He was very specific about it. He goes on in those verses before he says, I'm establishing this covenant and he gave him details. Make it out of Cypress wood. It's actually Acacia is what they call ironwood. It has this ability to withstand the storms and he didn't even know what storm was. He didn't even know what lightning looked like or Thunder sounded like a rain felt like he'd never had a storm. He said but make it out of Cypress wood and make rooms in it and coat with pitch and side and on the out and he gave him the dimensions he was very specific about details. He said the ark has to be 450 feet long. I don't have time to get into what all of these have significant meaning for but it needs to be 75 feet wide and 45 feet high and he gives him how to do the rooms. It And how to do the roof and he goes over the details and over the dimensions and God will download heavenly strategies to you, God will speak to you. And during this time for those who are in covenant with God, God's going to give you things that man will not be able to receive by the natural man or even the carnal man, but one who is spiritual, who has a mind that is connected and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Get ready for heavenly downloads. God is going to speak to you in dreams and visions, he's going to speak to you in his spirit, and God knew what no one needed to get through a storm that he had never seen before. Don't you know that God knows what you need, what we need to get through a storm and I believe those of us who have covenant with God will be able to navigate, navigate for the church, navigate for those who God has called us to say God has put you in strategic positions, maybe it is for your family, maybe it is for your business. Maybe it is for the Governor, maybe it is for the pressed whoever God has put you in assignment with, you'll be like the sons of his sokar who understood the times and were able to tell Israel what to do. You see God is not confused right now God is not chaotic. God is not up in heaven, wringing his hands and taking Prozac a nervous. He's not saying angels, what should we do? No, God knew this is Zach day. And while Yes, there's a pandemic that is sweeping across the world, God is a covenant keeping God. When we look at Psalm, Chapter 91, we've learned several things that we've established. Number one, we have to be a people faith. That prayer is essential that we are His Church, that we have a role to play. These are things that you need to go back over the last three weeks that I've already taught that God is sovereign. He's a covenant keeping God that he delivers, protects and heals according to Psalm 91. And now we are getting into the promises and they're all contingent on that verse one. See Psalm 91 is God's way of telling us that whoever runs to him and seeks life and seeks His divine protection will be saved from calamity and saved from destruction. That's what he says through him. He says some people mistakenly think that they are exempt from trials and test pains and problems that when you come to God through Jesus that all of that just goes away. That would be totally contradictory to Scripture. James chapter one says, Let's start with verse two and read through it, Consider it pure joy. I want you to underline that circled in your Bible, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kind, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance. Finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lack wisdom, you should ask God who gives generally To all without finding fault, and it will be given to you when you ask you must believe. You see, that's why the enemy wants you to get out of faith and into fear so that he can get you in doubt, which is you start to waver. And once you get into doubt, you get into unbelief, which is a disposition of rebellion against God. And so he says, when you ask you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts are away versus like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind and that person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double minded and unstable in all their ways. Now, what did he say in the midst of your trials, persecution, you're going through something? God says, Count it all joy? That doesn't mean like, Oh, yeah, this is the best day of my life. Hey, yay, God, this is awesome. This is awesome. No, this is this is a serious time. This is a time where we don't take a light but what does he mean when he says count it all. joy when you face personally occasions and you're going through trials. The word count means command, counted all joy means command, calm delight. You see as a priest and you are a New Testament priests, as a priest according to the Word of God, you are a leader of communists right now. You're a leader of calm while the world will be in panic and not know what to do why the media is in frenzy and and is panicking and people are all kind of crazed out as to what do we do? You have a peace, that passeth all understanding and the Spirit of God on the inside of you says, command come delight during this pandemic. Command come to light. The Bible says that we're not even the daughters of Sarah, if we're struck with hysteria if you're all over the place, and you're frantic and frenzy. Part of Covenant is the ability to command Calm delight. Say how can I have a calm delight when things are going on because you are led by the Spirit, you are sons of God errs with God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. You're in this world, not of this world, but you're sent to the world. We're admonished in Scripture that when we're facing difficulties, to stand in faith and not be moved by fear, which, as I said, leads to doubt and unbelief. First Timothy 612, fight the good fight of faith. Second Corinthians five seven says, we do not walk by sight, but by faith. So then we have to ask ourself what is faith because I think a lot of times we have a wrong definition. Some people think faith is just hopeful, wishing a high expectation of wrong information, but it's very defined. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Now played the Greek word is PCs, which means credence assurance belief. It literally means total. For us, it is so you'd say now total trust is the substance substance is something that is concrete underneath the hold up it means foundation. So now you can say Now faith is the substance you will say now, total trust is the foundation. So faith is total trust. And that is the foundation you know that all structure is built upon a foundation of things hope for the great they're a paid xo means things you expect, what you want to possess or have, what you're looking to happen. So faith now my total trust is the foundation of things hoped for what I expect to possess and I'm looking for, and the evidence the Greek word means of uncertain affinity of proof that has the ability to remove any doubt. So my total trust is the foundation of what I do. Expect to possessed and what I'm looking for, and the proof to remove any doubt. Oh, it even goes further because if we continue to dissect just that one little verse in Hebrews chapter 11, the whole of Faith of our the Hall of Fame of all fake, it says Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen things not seen, means a deed, which has to do with covenant work or continued construction. So when we break the etymology, and break that verse, one down here's what faith is. Now total trust. Now faith. Now total trust is the foundation for what I expect to possess or I am looking for, it is the proof or power to remove doubt and continue construction which is going on, while I'm unaware, you see God is working in areas that you cannot even see. God is building behind the scenes. God has a plan. He has a covenant keeping God and that plan will never fail. Hebrews chapter 11 six tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God, which means to fully agree. And so we understand that total trust, total trust is the foundation. If we don't put total trust in God, and we know God through His Word, we'll get to that in a minute because in the beginning was the Word the Word was with God, the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God says that his word is flawless. It is perfect, it is true. It is an infallible Word of God. The Psalmist says in Psalm 119, I've hid the word of my heart that I might not sin against see that I would not miss that mark. So we understand now that when we put our total trust It is the foundation. God does not separate himself from the word he makes himself synonymous with the word he says the word which is not just a good book, it is the infallible Word Perfect, flawless, true in heaven and earth shall pass away but the word shall remain forever. Isaiah 55. Verse 11, declares that the word shall not return void, but it will prosper, it will advance break through and break out of that which it is sent to. So we often get weakened in our faith. Whenever the word is not enough, think about the Apostle Peter, like we talked about Luke chapter 22, Satan has desired you. Jesus is speaking to him. This is the one that the revelation of upon this rock, this revelation that I am Messiah, I will build my church. And then he turns around, he says, Look, you're going to deny me three times. No, I would never do that Lord. And he says, Simon Simon. st has desired you, which means to demand you for trial to sift you as wheat. And that literally means agitating you to the point of overthrowing your faith. But I have prayed for you, that your faith, not that you won't fail because you're going to fall down. A good man falls seven times, but the interfaith failed the not. So we see here that without faith, total trust and God His character and his word, who he is and what he can do. Without faith, it is impossible to be fully in alignment or fully agree with God. Now Amos three three says can two walk together unless they be agreed? So how can I walk with God if I'm not in full agreement? That's why the enemy always comes with fear comes with anxiety, worries, concerns, all those things that clutter your spirit and your soul your mind so that you will be flying awaiting doubting wavering all the time, your fluctuations between faith in flesh, faith and flesh and that man not ought to think he should get anything from God. Because it says very clearly, can two walk together, how can I walk with God? Enoch walked with God and he was not because he was a friend of God. We just saw that Noah walked with God. And so when you walk with God, that means you are in full agreement. full agreement comes because you have total trust or faith. God, I trust you. I trust you more than I trust in the in the news stations. I trust you more than I trust the government. I trust you more than my best friend. God, as much as I love this man right here. I mean, he is one of the greatest gifts you've ever given me. I trust you God, more than I trust my husband. I totally trust my husband. Because God's saying I want her total trust. Not just when things are working right. Not just when you think you can see the plan but I want your total trust Noah, I'm telling you build an ark. You don't know what is ahead, but I do. Trust me. I've got you these promises and Psalm 91. I'm the same today yesterday and forevermore. So by the power of agreement, truth becomes, truth gets established. And when truth is established, covenant can be formed. There can be no covenant or bonding of relationship without truth. Matthew 1819, that if two of you shall agree on Earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. So according to Hebrews, chapter 11, verse six agreement with God cannot take place without faith. Now Romans chapter 10, verse 17, says so then faith, total trust comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. I'm working with your faith today because we're going to get you in a good place. So faith is acting on the truth that you know, that's why Jesus was always saying, Let him that have ears here I pray right now that your spiritual ear would be open, that your eyes would be open every veil would be removed. Proverbs chapter 24. It is the Lord that gives the ability for your ears to hear and your eyes to be open. So faith is acting on the truth that you know, it's a positive response to the word, you do it because God said it. Point number one, the thing that you need during this time, more than ever, no need at all at all times in your life. But I want to give you some relevant rain my word for where we are right now. Number one, you must spend time in God's word. You see, the Bible says in john 738, that out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water. It says that the word is like water that washes over our soul often compares to the washing of the word. So how can any things flow out of you, if it's not coming into you. I want you to really press into the word you say, but I don't know how to read it. I don't know how to study it, go to my website. And let me help you with all of that. There's great tools on the internet that you can really get in. Just start reading, at the very least ask the Holy Spirit to give you revelation. And as you get in, at least the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and john, begin to see who Jesus is and that he's a God of miracles. He's a God who is all mighty. He's a God who is able, Jeremiah 32 says, Is there anything too difficult for me? Is there anything that I'm not capable of doing? Psalm chapter 91 verse four says his truth. This is one of the promises His truth, stability, certainty, trustworthiness, shall be that shield and buckler. We studied that shield is something that protects the front of you. But then buckler is a protection that encompasses you all around. It's a fortress life. A mighty wall. So number two. Number one is you must spend time in God's word. Number two is Don't panic. Sit down, have a seat. Take a seat, because all of the promises that I want to get you to that are so hard to get all the way in here. All of them are contingent on verse one. You see position is before provision. God wants her total trust in Him. And so in Psalm chapter 91, verse one he that dwells in the secret place. We have learned this over and over, but I'm gonna keep saying it is Shaab, the Hebraic word. The Hebrew word there literally means to sit down to settle permanently to take a permanent seat it means to homestead in Florida. We know what homestead laws are, so that they could not they started them because they would take advantage of the elderly and so that somebody could not come scam them or during a health crisis or during a financial crisis even if person filed bankruptcy, a claim jumper or possessor, who would lay claim to all of that person's possessions could not take their home because they were settled in that place that was their home. So in the state of Florida, we have homestead laws and God saying, the enemy, the devil, be algebra, no spirit of fear. No, no demonic spirit, no situation no circumstance is able to take you from the secret place. We've already studied that is Christ Jesus Old Testament language, the secret place. So he's saying sit rest. Well, do you have your seat yet? Because if you don't have your seat, then you're not going to be able to walk out all these promises. He who sits is an active willingness, if we want God's protection because the enemy is always going to try to pull you up, pull you out, but God says See, you've got to stay seated. Don't panic. Don't be reactive, respond, but don't react. If we want God's protection for us, we have to sit down. Don't worry, don't fret. Let's look at Second Samuel chapter 23 verse eight. We're just going to keep building this one for sitting in him every time. It says these are the names of David's mighty warriors. Joe Cheb, bash Sabbath. I couldn't they just say like Tom, Dick and Harry or, you know, Sam and john, Sandra, watch this next one. Attack. I can't even say it. A talk per mana night. I don't know you guys say I pick up on tonight. Something like that. That's the best Mississippi girl can get you was chief of the three we've got that down. He raised a spear against 800 men who we killed in one encounter. So David had these mighty men Talk about no army and in one encounter this talk cuz she tonight whatever he is, okay this Chief, he literally kills 800 men, him and two other guys, they just go down that you talk about his repro three of them kill 100 men. Now in the natural that would be impossible, but names are important. The Chiefs name, Taka mana Knight is from the root word have to be wise in mind in word or act. And I want you to see look why he was wise because remember, wisdom does not come from going to an Ivy League college that can be good for you and useful. Wisdom doesn't come from reading 300 books this year. wisdom comes from the fear of the Lord and understanding by departing from evil. And fear is not I'm afraid it's reverence and respect that can be felt. So this man had wisdom he was wise. But look why read the same thing in civitan IV in the King James, and I think it explains it a little bit better. It says these be the names of the mighty men whom David had the tuck monat that sat in the seat. There you go, Chief among the captains. Why was the chief, the one who sits in the seat will accomplish more than the one who doesn't? And God says, Are you getting up and trying to do this within your own strength and your own ability? Is the enemy trying to pull you out? Is he always creating a situation to get you out of a place of peace out of a place of homesteading out of a pain place a permanently resting out of a place of dwelling? Because the person who sits in the seat will be able to kill 100 do something supernatural what I'm saying there is not literally like you're gonna Coco 800 I'm Saying that you'll be able to do more damage to the kingdom of darkness and destruction by sitting in God than you ever will by the arm of flesh. The one who sits in the seat will accomplish more than the one who doesn't. One of the ways that the devil works is to bring worries, cares concerns, anxiety. And God says in Psalm chapter 46, verse one, that God is our very present help in the time of trouble if you keep on reading in verse 10. He says, Be still and know that I am God. Be still is from the word Rafah, which comes from Rafah, which is a root word of healing. So we're falfa means relax. You know what it literally means let go. So he's saying be still relax, let go. Whatever is gripping your heart, whatever is grabbing your mind right now. God's saying let it go. You go How do I do that? kasher cares roll them over to God. God has you I'm showing you line by line how God is a covenant keeping god he's not going to fail you doesn't mean that we won't face situations are I've already shown you that, but you commend come the light. You refuse to be a victim to fear a victim to worry, a victim distress and anxiety for you in your house, you will serve the Lord. God is saying stop, cease be still leave it alone, be at rest. He's a covenant keeping God. The third point. God's names and titles reveal his character to Psalm 91 begins with the names of God in the Old Testament. We've studied this out therefore names that are given here the most high in the Hebrew Eliane meaning lofty and Supreme, all mightiest the second one should die meaning of the strong and mighty one. The third one is Lord, which the Jewish people will not even pronounce. They say I am is I am Moses who sending you who do I say, is sending me I am, I am El Shaddai I am Jehovah jairaj I am Jehovah nisi and so, and it's interpreted to us as Jehovah or this self existence or Eternal One. And then the fourth is God, which is eloheem, the creator who made the world from nothing and the Supreme God of Israel. So even if you combine all the forces in the world, including all of satanic, and Satan's evil forces, nothing can overcome God's ability to protect us from danger. That's what he's saying here. Many stop there. But we've already read verse 16. With long life, shall I satisfy him and show him my salvation. Remember, Old Testament concealed New Testament revealed, you've got to take the old testament names of God in the New Testament, Shall I show them my salvation? It literally means Yeshua. It means Jesus. We all know life at the end of all these promises, he says with a long life while I satisfy him and show him, my Jesus, my Yeshua, my salvation. Awesome God we have number four. God protects you from hidden dangers and complete destruction. verse three says, surely you shall deliver the from the snare of the flower, valor and noise in pestilence. snare is mean some thing that spreads a net foul or something that entangles you. Hunters use a snare to catch those animals, a snares a trap, and something that is well hidden, unsuspecting to the animal that it can easily get caught. But God says I'm going to protect you from anything that would easily catch you and also from the noise and pestilence Havas. It's an interesting thing because it means a Russian calamity, and one that sweeps everything to point a ruin and point of destruction. He says that when Russian calamity, and one that sweeps everything before it with the desire to ruin, I will cover you with my feathers. We studied that and got to that through last week, and that's a feminine term of an eagle. And so God is telling us and there were several things that we learned about that. The female Eagle weighs about 15 pounds more than the male. Her wingspan is eight feet where the male's eagle is about six feet and God she has the ability to put her wings over that clutch that nest and protect her Eagle. It's usually 123 she can fend off those predators, her voices, the deeper one all the things we learned about that, because she has that ability and what God is saying it's one of the few times he uses just like 16 names he only uses the feminine terminology one time El Shaddai the breast he won the one Who nurtures you in this, he's saying my wings are going to protect you. They're going to nurture you. They're going to fend off the predators and under his wings, which means the edge or the extremity. He, thou shalt trust and I love this because this is your part. You're going to have to flee for refuge. So the question is, are you dwelling with him? And do you get up under his wings because if you get out of that nest, you're in danger. But God says, stay, homestead. dwell, sit, rest, relax in my nest, in my bosom. I've got you from the predators. Don't get out of the nest. Stay in the ark. I've got you through the storm. It says his truth, his stability, certainty, truth, his word. He says, that's the place that you're going to flee for the refuge. You shall not be afraid to fear of the terror by night nor for the arrow that follows Fall, nor for the arrow that flies by day, the piercer the room. We studied it last week, nor for the pestilence in the sense of destroying that walk in darkness, nor for the destruction to cut off a ruin that wasted that nude Nay, the psalmist mentioned that God will not just protect you from ordinary pestilence, but from perilous pestilence. It literally refers what this means it refers to epidemics and pandemics that crippled nations all throughout the ages. It talks about the pestilence that walks in darkness. It doesn't mean that these pestilence only happen at night. But it works like darkness. You can't see it. You can't see its progress. It strikes like a thief without warning. All of a sudden people die. This is what passions is all through here. The passions that walk And darkness is reminiscence of the time when the Angel of Death visited Egypt into the lives of the firstborn son. And what did God tell his people? The same thing that God a covenant keeping? God is telling you right now, I'm almost through but this is so powerful and important you get. God is saying, I protected my people. While there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead Exodus chapter 12, verse 30, this is the time to apply the blood to the doorposts of our heart, apply the blood right now to your life. That's why I gave that salvation that call to Christ. Romans chapter 10, verse nine and 10. If any man confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in his heart, then he will be saved. When you make a covenant with your mouth, and you confess that he is the Son of God and you believe in your heart Did He is the Lord then you will be rescued, delivered made whole restored. You say God is saying apply the blood. Don't try to walk through this without a covenant with me, which can only be through the blood that my son, he didn't just shed it. He didn't spill it, he gave his blood. It was a plan before the very foundations of the earth, that the Lamb of God would be slain. And he would be able to endure the cross for the joy that was set before him. What is the joy that he would give you life for life right now, life on this day, life in Christ, abundant life one that a superior quality and quantity, it doesn't mean that you get everything you want. It means that God has given you a kingdom that cannot be shaken or a power, one of righteousness, one of peace, one of joy, one of the Holy Ghost, there is no covenant. Without blood, apply the blood you see in the old tests They had to slain animal was Rams and goats and lambs. But in the New Testament, the New Covenant, it was sealed by the precious blood of the sinless, spotless lamb, Jesus Christ. He not only made the covenant, but he sealed the covenant with his own blood. And it is that blood in old school we say I plead the blood of Jesus. It is that blood that keeps us it is that blood that covers us with a long life will I give him salvation? Matthew chapter 26, verse 28, says this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. It is that blood that washes away our sins. It is that blood, think about what I'm saying that has given us access to God, then we can enter in boldly and obtain mercy and help in time of need. There's no other covenant that all the promises of God are included from the beginning to the end. Hebrews chapter eight verse six says but in fact the ministry Jesus has received is a superior to theirs as the covenant of what she is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises, apply the blood. Listen, we're coming up on Passover, April the eighth at sunset so April 9, we start celebrating it is our most holy season Passover, Good Friday, Easter, and it goes through April 16. Passover, from the very Hebrew word has to do with protection has to do with God's feathers covering you is not so much as to pass over as it is to protect you. And God's saying when I see the blood, I put protection when I see the blood. I'm in covenant with that person. Put the blood on the door post and with a death angle. passes by, God will cover you, God will protect you. The Bible says in Psalm 136 and when they came out there was not a feeble one among them. Right now is not the time that you just learned scripture is the time you live the Scripture. So time that you have more than just a head knowledge, but it's a living knowledge word is rain, the word life on the inside of you. Verse seven is what I want to get you to. And then we're getting ready to pray. 1000 will fall by right hand and 10,000 in your right hand, or 1000 will saw followed your right side and 10,000 at your right hand, but it will not come nigh the I want you to write this real big. I'm going to teach for just a few minutes, Minister so it will not come nigh the write this in conclusion, it will not come 90. So 1000 will fall on my right side. The Bible's very specific and 10,000 in my right hand. You see one of the things the enemy loves Do his he makes your eyes horizontally. So when disaster happens, he'll say, Well, if that happened to them, it will happen to you. So, he causes you to almost personalize any situation, and you begin to lose your piece. And this is where you get into panic. You lose your faith and this is where you get into fear. This is your promise, right? It real big, it will not come nigh The 1000 will fall on my side and 10,000 in my right hand. Now, why is the Bible so specific? Because it says 1000 will fall to your side. And it literally means when it says fall is gonna slide off. It's gonna slide off but it's really important what says 10,000 which is the greater degree will fall or slide off of your right hand. Why my right hand because right always mean authority, hand figuratively and literally always means power. So what he's saying is that the enemy is after your position of authority and power. Remember you're seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus according to Ephesians chapter two verse six Ephesians chapter one, verse three reiterates that, and then it goes on to tell you that God has blessed you with all spiritual blessings, everything that you have need of in this life pertaining to this life and the life after this. So why does he want that because Jesus will to you as part of that covenant. He's a covenant keeping God, He will tell you all authority both in heaven and in earth, I want you to hear what I'm saying. The sin problem in heaven was dealt with when Jesus ascended First off, he was crucified right buried on that. He was crucified on the old rugged cross buried in that bone tumor. went down to hell for three days, conquered death, hell in the grave, got the keys ascended to the right hand side of the father put his blood on the altar, because that's where sin started rebellion started in heaven. And when Satan wanted to do an overthrow, put his blood on the altar, covered that mercy seat with his own blood and sat down. It is finished. It's completely complete and perfectly perfect. Nothing can be added to this covenant and nothing can ever be taken away. I am mediator I'm the one that washes over and no man no devil, no generational curse. No hex no witch doctor, note person that is against you, no hater. No jokester can ever come in between the covenant that I have made with you when you put your total trust and you dwell in me. Hear what God is saying right now because you have to know that it will not come nigh The 10,000 will fall and die right hand because what the enemy wants you to do. Is repair lives. It's like Luke chapter six. It's one of the miracles that I was always perplexed about. Like, why if God only recorded about 35 miracles when he put this one in, when he's raising the dead with Lazarus, when he raises the widow son of that inane when he when he turns the water into wine when he opens the blind and eyes, why would he show us this miracle that looks so insignificant. In Luke chapter six is just a man sitting in church, and he's got a withered hand. But it happens to be his right hand pastored for 35 years, but in ministry and long time, I've seen people come in with cast, they were still able to lift their hand and praise, they were still able to open their mouth, they were able to run, it's a winner. And then I started studying one day and God goes Paula pay attention. Because that wizard that pulled back in ability to move right hand means that his power and his authority had been lost. And what the enemy wants is to get you into a place where they are thority withers, your power withers, because you as the agency, the church, the only legal entity in the church is not a building. We know that right now God is saying you are the church. The church is my people which are called by my name, the church is are the chosen people that when I say that you have received Jesus Christ because he loves the entire world. He sends the gospel to the entire world, but not all receive, but those who have received he has given them by adoption, the right to become sons of God. Romans chapter eight. So now we call them up a father, Daddy, and watch all power and both heaven and earth has now been given to you so 1000 will fall will slide at your side, but 10,000 the greater dimension of enemies that work against you and work against my plan. And my purpose will slide at the authority and the power of the Holy Spirit on the inside of you. There is power over sickness, there's power over disease, there is power over poverty, there is power over debt. There is power over destruction not because of you, but because of Christ Jesus. There are five words for power, I'm going to give them to you real quick and we're going to pray. Because what the enemy wants is your power, he won't your authority. So get up in the name of Jesus, because your authority and power will will not be limp it will not be withered it will not be withdrawn. It will not shrink back right now, but it will be released through you. First word is Zuzia. Matthew chapter 28, verse 18, and 19. And Jesus came as bacon to them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and earth, gold, therefore and teach all nations. That word is Zuzia, which means all authority, its jurisdiction. It's pretty Power of government choice or judicial decision. And so that's important that you understand. Because when you lose your IG Zuzia when you lose your jurisdiction, like a person that doesn't know their zeusie, as a person discussed, say, Hey, excuse me on pasture here, then you've lost your Zuzia. If you've got to sit at home and say, but I that I, Mom, you've already lost it. What do you got to say, but I'm boss, I'm the man of this household, when you have to state that you've already lost your exhaust. Because zeusie is you just walking in the jurisdiction. God is the one that determines your metron and your measure. God is the one that raises one up and sits one down. So God is the one that gives you zeusie that marks off your boundaries. When Sammy would get outside of the three regions that he was called to prophesied in. His words would have fallen to the ground, as long as he stayed within his Zuzia his authority, his power, Then he could prophesied the will of God. You have authority you have power, the second word for powers do anonymous. This is very important right now because this is what you need during this time at chapter one, verse eight, but you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in some area and unto the other most parts of the world do know mesas strength, its ability, power for performing miracles, moral power, excellence of soul, the power of influential people, power of resources arising from numbers and armies and means impact Jesus in His disciples out and gave them authority Zuzia over all the power, do animus over all the power do enemies of the devil. Luke chapter 10, verse 19, Luke chapter 24 verse 49, wait to be clothed with power Dunum, US Never forget where this power comes from john chapter 15, verse five, Jesus said, without me, you can do nothing. And the Greek Jesus saying, without me, you have no dunamis power, you have no miracle working power that is inherent to reproduce himself. But with him, you can do all things. So watch the third one is discuss. This is prevailing power. I speak his cause to someone right now. 1000 will fall at your side, and 10,000 she'll slide 10,000 demonic forces 10,000 enemies to try to come and take your discus will not prevail. It's going to slide off you because it's this means prevailing power. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The Greek word for can do is discuss meaning abiding power or strength. have the strength to continue the strength to endure to the end. It means to overcome Philippians chapter four verse 13. So this gives you the ability not to quit, is because God says Zuzia dunamis discuss prevailing power, you're not going to quit. You will not faint. You will not be weary in well doing, you shall mount up with wings is Eagles usual, walking up fame, you shall run and not be weary. The fourth one is Kratos, which is Dominion power. The Greek word Kratos means dominion, Kingdom dominion, manifestation power from the word crop meaning to perfect or complete, is available. It's a grace that is available to dominate until you complete the will of God. So Paul prayed that the spiritual eyes of the Fijian believers would be open so that they would know the exceeding greatness of his power Dunum is towards us who believe according to the working of his mighty Kratos, his prevailing power is this, which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead Ephesians 119. Jesus came that through death, he might describe him who had the power Kratos, the dominion over death. That is the devil. So, watch, Jesus came, I'm not going to keep going into this Hebrews chapter two, verse 14, because I've got so many scriptures, Jesus came that through death, he might destroy him who had power, dominion over debt. The enemy Satan does not have dominion over debt. It shall not come nigh the there's so many more I could give you but I'm gonna give you the last word for for there's so many scriptures I'd love to give you but I'll give you the last word for power is energy. Some of you You just feel faint. You know, I've been a little fumbling over my words today. That's only because I got three hours of sleep. And I got up at 5am and I'm a night person, not an early bird person, but I got the worm today. So the one that gets up early apparently gets the worm so I must have got the worm today. All right, so it is energy Jia, and that's energizing power. The Greek word energy means energy, working efficiency. I was made a minister servant according to the gift of the grace of God given to me through the effective working energy, energizing work of his power doona Miss

Recorded on March 25, 2020 at City of Destiny in Apopka, Florida. For more information, please visit https://cityofdestiny.us

Recorded at City of Destiny in Apopka, Florida, USA on March 15, 2020.

Jonathan Cain performed this piano music during the City of Destiny service recorded on March 15, 2020 by inspiration during Pastor Paula White Cain's sermon and prayer service for the National Day of Prayer.

Pastor Brad Knight recorded on March 8, 2020 at City of Destiny in Apopka, Florida, USA. For more information about our ministry, visit http://cityofdestiny.us

John 8:1-11, Luke 6:46, Matthew 7:5

Transcription by machine:

John chapter eight, one through 11. How many of you have parentheses around this passage of your Bible? Are you all how many of you are reading the King James? How many of you are reading ESV? Okay, and my Bible there's parentheses what what other and IV? I'm just curious. Okay. In my Bible, there's parentheses around these passages of Scripture. And that's because in the earliest manuscripts, they did not have this passage of Scripture. And the majority of manuscripts that we have, they have this passage of Scripture, but um, the earliest ones, they don't have this passage of Scripture. So scholars will sometimes put parentheses around this passage of Scripture to say, hey, look, there's been a little debate about whether this was in the original scripture or not, and this is one of the most famous stories of the gospel. This is the story where of the adulterer and they bring, I mean, it's an it's an a lot of movies and stuff. They bring Her before we've heard most people's most famous sermons are often based on this passion of Scripture. So where they bring the adulterer to Jesus and say, you know, she's supposed to be stoned according Mosaic Law, what do you say? Right? We familiar with that. Okay, so, um, that scripture found its way into our text. Now, this is important, and I want to address this before we go any further, because there's a way that you can look at that, that this is the wrong way. The thing is, you can look at that, but you can look at the Word of God the wrong way. Period, right? You can you can go about it the wrong way and this could throw somebody shaky off when you see parentheses in the Bible and you say, Well, why was it in some manuscripts This is the the unfiltered truth and Word of God and and I think sometimes that we get this conception that like, God, like took over these people and they just went into a trance and like, had a quill in which we're doing this. Like they were writing like magically on walls Oh, That's not the case at all. God used them like he uses us. He was moving them, they were inclined to his voice to the point where Paul says, I think I'm writing by the leading of the Holy Spirit. When I write this, they had to wrestle through their flesh to write the word of God as Jesus had to wrestle through his flesh to speak the Word of God and incarnate form, right? So my thing is this, if we approach this from the standpoint of trying to prove that Jesus's God through the word, right, will fail. But if we approach the word as saying the word is proven through Jesus will succeed. Jesus doesn't say, upon the rock of what was spoken, I'll build my church. He doesn't say, build your house upon this rock, of the words that everyone spoke and is written that you can study scholarly and the ones that make are in the majority of manuscripts. Each time he addresses the rock upon which things are built. He addresses himself Let's take a second to look at that because, well, let's read Luke chapter 646 to 49. Because I think this will help. I know, Steven, I saw he was here earlier, Willie, I know we've had some of these conversations that's out there. Yes. Like that. That is not Jr. That's earnest man. We've had these conversations about the Bible and stuff like that before and, and arguments over interpretations of texts. You know, Hebrew interpretations of text versus Christian interpretations of text, people can get caught in the weeds on this. And what's important to me is to make sure that you're not easily swayed by scholarship. I don't want you to be naive. I'm not I'm not one of these people that go don't listen to science. Now. I love science. Science is awesome. Don't listen to scholarship. Don't read it, burn that book. I'm not one of those guys. What I am is somebody that says, Hey, man, when you go into it, make sure that this has some thing that has settled. Make sure that you're good. Make sure that you didn't reach Jesus through here. Okay? So look at Luke six chapter, Luke chapter six, verse 46. All right, I'm gonna dig into this just a little bit because I think it matters as a pastor. I think it matters that you have competence in our word. Okay? Why do you call Me Lord, Lord and not do what I tell you? Bam, right there out the gate. Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you Everyone who comes to me and here's my words, and does them I will show you what he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. He references a rock here, right? laying a foundation on a rock. We're gonna see that again with Peter. He's like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on a rock and when the flood arose, and the stream broke against that house and could not shake it because it had been well built. We will always face floods in our life, especially our spiritual life. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation when the stream broke against it, immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great. Jesus are saying my word which we have received through text is important. You must follow it. But he says, He establishes it by saying those who call Me Lord, Lord, those who know who I am, those who are following me because you saw something that I did that you're inclined towards me, they didn't see the fullness of God's plan at this point, but they're still calling him Lord, Lord, there's people that were submitted to him and see my personal experience with salvation was I came from a very, very text critical place. Being a philosophical collegiate students type I could scholarly try to dismantle The Bible right? Why is there different accounts of the resurrection? And why is it you know, you're like, but when I got saved, my Lord, I wasn't argued into believing Jesus. Believing Jesus brought me to an understanding of his word, believing Jesus and lightened His word, believing Jesus helped me to wrestle through his text, believing Jesus believing Jesus, calling him Lord, Lord, when he revealed himself as as himself, when he revealed Himself is not just a person in history, and not just the claim by preachers, but as God of the universe. That's when I submitted to this text. I didn't submit to Him because this text called him Lord, does that make sense? So if you approach Jesus from that standpoint, you're that house is going to fall. What I mean that standpoint being okay, the text says that he's Lord so he's Lord rather than submitting to Him as Lord to this text as well. That house is gonna fall. That's what we talked about the hermeneutical spiral, right? That's the know why they make things so difficult, like, word wise, but that's what we talk about. If you want to understand God's word, then you have to start from the source point, which is Jesus Christ. Anything in this faith is Jesus Christ. If you look at Matthew 1613 to 19, when Jesus talks to Peter, he says, Now, when Jesus came to the district of guys, y'all will I'm sorry, I'm talking like, I'm drunk. I'm not drunk, I'm tired. I'm not drunk. I did not get into the communion wine. Now, when Jesus came into the district of says, I'm too tired, I don't care. Philippi he asked the disciples, it's not important. Who do people say that the Son of Man is this part's important. And they said, some say john the baptist, others Say alleges and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets here they're approaching Hey, this guy is a mystery to us. Let's go through the text and discover who he is. He looks like Elijah, which is promised and Molokai. He looks like Jeremiah, he looks like he looks like a prophet. He looks like john the baptist because that's who baptized him like they're observing things and they're trying to tie it through text. They're exploring the Old Testament at their time. They're only testament and saying, Let's discover who this person is. He says, But who do you say that I am? You, you, you, you you, not scholars, not Pharisees. Not Jesse's not people who know this appear know the old, not people who know Jeremiah. We're not people who memorize Molokai, not people who sit there and replicated what the words Who did you say that I am. And Simon Peter says you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are the promise, you are the fullness of God's plan. You are the Messiah, you are the Christos, the Son of the living God, which means that you are God. And Jesus answered him, bless it, are you Simon bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father who is in heaven, and I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven whenever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Okay, so so so even this last part, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound on heaven. Whatever you loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven is tied to what the revelation of who Jesus is, because this is an authority that just didn't go away with Peter. We're going to see in john chapter eight, that this is authority that's retained because Jesus despised the Pharisees yet told people to obey the Pharisees because they sat in Seat of Moses. Okay, that's important for john chapter eight of I don't want to get ahead, help me if I'm getting ahead of myself mom. or missing skipping stuff. But but but what I'm trying to say is that Jesus says, Who do you say I am? And Peter responds, you are the Christ. And Jesus says, Now you've got it. Now that's the foundation upon which I'm going to rest everything else. Now you have the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Now, whatever you bind will be bound. And whatever you lose will be loose, because you're not basing your knowledge of me through text sources. You're not trying to guess who I am. You're not trying to argue who I am. But you know who I am, so I can trust you with my kingdom. That's why I say you don't have to go to seminary. To be a minister. You should always explore the gospel you should always but God will call people who are foolish. God will call people who sound an educated God. Call people who can't who don't know what a hermeneutical spiral is. And guess what? That's how he does things. Because what matters is not your ability to write a paper. What matters is your ability to recognize his authority, and the earth and in your life. That's the key that Jesus and I, the reason I emphasize this so much as I talk to people, there's Um, there's this idealization of the pulpit That happens a lot to or prophecy most specifically, or other gifts and offices that people walk in. There's this adoration of that, and there seems to be this disconnect between this aspect of ministry and where you all are at. And I often talk to people, and I referenced this that story life, I was talking to a woman last Sunday, I think, who I knew as a child, and she was telling me about her and her husband's ministry, and I said, Hey, you know, What are y'all doing now? And she's like, Oh, well, we're not, you know, not doing much blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and kind of like hidden Hanging. And she's like, you know, we host a church and the airport we preach as people come in and out of the airport. And I was like, that's a ministry that I've been wanting to do for the longest time. Like, that's where I want story life to start out. And but the thing is, is funny because there was this hesitancy to tell a pastor who has a church who comes to a physical building, with people sitting in it like there was this presentation as though what she was doing was not ministry, when what she was doing was one of the greatest things that I've ever heard of what she was doing, because she doesn't need brick and mortar to do the will of God she needs there's not a physical rock that she needs to build her ministry on. There's not a title of Apostle ship that she needs to build her ministry on. There's not a bank account filled with money that she needs to build her ministry on. There's not a brand that she needs to build her ministry on what she needs to build her ministry on and why God has called her why God trust her and why dogs will trust you is because you have the revelation of who he is. This is fundamental to the faith. And this bypasses every argument. You want to argue we came from monkeys fine. I don't care. I really don't. If we did we did. We didn't we I really don't care. It doesn't affect me one way or another, because I know how God laid out creation in Genesis. I know when he spoke over me that I'm more than a monkey that I'm more than just that I'm more than whatever that you say I am. So even if you have photographic evidence that my grandpa was swinging from trees. I'm cool with that. Because what God spoke I trust more than anything else. I think we get lost in trying to make counter arguments. We get lost in trying to write down why No, No, this can't be that can't be I see all of science. I see the all scholarship you can have it all have it all because I have Jesus and it wasn't an article. You meant that convinced me of who he was, it was a moment where he says, I am the Lord, the resurrected Christ, who I claim to be, I am, I am what I am. And if you'll submit yourself to me, Brad, your life will never be the same. And it hasn't been the same. I'll never forget that moment. I'd claim Christ as a child and everything, but I'd never forget the moment when he said, I am who I claimed to be in my life. That's the starting point of our faith. And if you have not had that, then it's just a matter of time. It's just a matter of time before the winds and the waves and the things will blow your house down. Which is why prayer is the foundation to faith. Because without prayer without a praying mother, who couldn't argue for points against me without somebody who didn't do the who, if my mother didn't do the foolish things of sticking anointing cloth under my bed, In my shoes, and things that I thought were silly, and I threw at her, and I thought were ridiculous, and I'd argue at her, and I'd make points about atheism. And I'd say you don't know what you're talking about. And here's why your books are wrong. And here's why your God doesn't exist. And here's the psychology behind what you're saying, here's the historical evidence behind what you're saying being wrong. I went that route, and she said, You know what, I can argue my way to get him to believe what I believe. But I Sir, can retreat to a prayer closet. I didn't need my mom to have a master's in divinity or a PhD to convince me that God was real. I needed her to pray because she knew God was real. And what was the foundation of that prayer? The foundation of that prayer was not you know what? Let them know that this all makes sense. The foundation of that prayer was God Give him a moment of revelation that overcomes everything in this world. Give him a moment of Revelation where he cannot deny you draw him to you, Holy Spirit. So I'm often approached about, hey, I've got a friend that's unsafe, I got a family member that's unsafe, I got this, how can I convince them that the gospel is real? Get away from them and pray? Because you can't convince them that the gospel is real. But You sure can save them in your prayer closet. I'm not saying that apologetics aren't worth it and all that they're all great. That's wonderful. You have great logical responses. But if you want to see the earth changed, if you want to see your family members say, if you want to see a radical revolution in faith, then you have to see that through prayer. And why does God do it like that? God doesn't like that, because then he says, I'm the one. I'm the one that calls you To me, I'm the one that beckons you. I'm the one that convinces you. I'm the one that leads you on your authority. And you know what, you're not even going to get to the place where you acknowledge that without me in the picture. I'm going to be in the picture from start a to z. All right. So when I see parentheses around john chapter eight, I don't get nervous. I don't go. I don't try to avoid that and telling you guys like, hopefully their Bible doesn't have parentheses. And we could ignore that, right? That doesn't bother me. Because I know who Jesus is. And I say, okay, God, this passage found its way into our church manuscripts. Therefore, it is important. Therefore, it has something to say, because the church has agreed upon its authority enough to include it. Even with parentheses. They include it. So Jesus, what are you trying to teach us through the story? It's easy for me. I don't have a problem with the literal list or non literal missing things. I really don't I just want to know what God is speaking to me through His Word. Alright, so john chapter eight. Is there anything else I need to address with that? Let's see Peter. Peter. Yeah, that's it. So once you come to that point, and this is this is my prayer for everybody. My prayer is that you have come to the point where nothing can shake you from the reality of God being priced that Christ being Lord, that Jesus is the Son of God, right? Once you have that, and that's in you, right, which is why he is the teacher. He is the way the truth and the life he is the source. He is everything. That's why once you have that, then that's what you build your house upon. That's when you go and read john chapter eight and get meaning that's when you study historical text. That's when you know how the temple was built out and what God was trying to do. That's when you do all that stuff. You don't come to the conclusion of Jesus the other way, Jesus makes that point over and over because he goes to people who were authorities on the text and he says, you're going to kill me just like you kill the profits. Who's with me? All right, let me make it practical to Don't be afraid when your kids don't believe in God. Don't be afraid. The transcendent nature of grace, they don't have a choice. I don't care what they're saying. Grace is unstoppable. I don't care. I don't care if they flip you off, flip off. God doesn't exist with all the things I did to I did all of those things. I don't care if they're smarter than you. I don't care if they're more highly educated than you. And while they're cursing your God, they're asking you to play their student loans. I don't care about all that. Showing shelling out all this money, so they walk away from the fear. I don't care. That stuff doesn't faze me. Those words don't faze me. It's jibberish to me, because I know one thing and one thing only that he will beckon you and He wants you to know him. So all I've got to do is say okay, I love you. Let me buy you a cup of Coffee. And then when we're out of the picture, I'm going to hit my knees and pray. And I'm going to say God, there is a binding covenant between my household and your household. There is a binding covenant between my efforts and your kingdom. And Lord, this grace is too great, but his doubt to stop. It's a gift from God, and He will give it and give it freely when you pray. I wasn't even gonna speak on prayer. But I want this to be understood. Because this is foundational to every claim that we make in this church. This is foundational to every sermon, we look at things totally differently than even a lot of the church looks at things. And even a lot of Christians look at things. A lot of modern people look at things we look at it differently. We recognize and we see all authority to God because He retains it all and all we do is cry out to Him to reveal himself. Okay, that again, I just want to make this point crystal clear. Just saying it over and over for a reason. That's why in this church, when we have a conference on evangelism or something, which you're going to see emphasis on is prayer, even more so than words, right? We should preach on street corners. I love it. We should preach the gospel, we should proclaim the truth. But we shouldn't lean on that. To believe that that's going to make the changes that we want to see possible. The majority of our time should be leaning on our intimacy with God and discussing with him, Hey, Lord, I care about this person. And in Timothy, it says that you desire all to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. So God, if that's your desire, that's my desire, we come into agreement right now over so and so. And God reveal yourself to them. If that requires a disease that needs healing in their life, then give it to them and heal them. If that requires hardship, and let them walk through hardship, because life is more than just about what we have or don't have in a moment or how easy It is difficult it is it's about our knowledge of who made us and the intimacy of our relationship with Him. And I will walk through whatever I need to walk through to get to that. And I will pray that everyone else does too. My primary prayer is not that you have an easy life, it's that you know your maker. This shoe is ridiculous. Give me a second Oh, I don't know what's going on here. devils trying to trip me up. So everything's gonna be different. When you come to me and you talk to me about your loved ones and stuff and you say, how should I talk to them? I'm gonna say, with love. Tell me love them. Listen to them. Don't argue with them. Just okay. That's great. That's wonderful. And then when they step away, you pray. And you pray, not with an uncertainty, but with the competence that what God has done in my life. Great. He's a final word. He's the final say. All right, You with me? Pastor Doug? Seems like the women respond to that more than the men wonder why that is? Yeah, I noticed that women pray more. Women pray more intercessor with women is always greater, where there's, there's a larger moment. It's like something intuitively women know. It's like something about maybe I don't know, because positionally, they pray for their household or something. And men are doers. Maybe men like to go out and do with their hands and see immediate results. And if we can't do it with our hands, or do it with our mouth, or do it at something we don't think it can be done. When the reality is it requires the humility of praying men to build this church back up. And then you will find yourself hitting your head over and over and over. If you don't pray, you will find yourself frustrated because God will be standing there saying I'm not going to do anything. That makes you think you can do this yourself. We haven't even gotten to the text yet. 1113 Oh my Lord. It'll be quick. I promise you it will be quick. john chapter eight. Did I make that point? I really feel leaning on that point. That's important. Everybody understand that? Okay. The Lord really wants that to be understood. So pray, pray, people pray, pray when I say that. When I say that, that's how I mean it. When I say pray. That's how the Lord wants us. That's what he's drawing. So that's why we're different. That's why we're marked. That's why we'll change things. That's why the revolution will come through us because we understand that God has called us to pray and not just pray out of a text, not just pray, words that have been passed down by churches, not just pray what we hear Africans pray, not just know but pray with an intimacy of the knowledge of our Lord, and upon that rock, build every house that we intend to build. You don't have to have good words. That's why tongues matter. I love tongues. I don't love tongue simply because it's a it's a cool language. I don't love tongues. Victor's simply because you can interpret and that's cool. That's awesome. But I love tongues because of their foolishness. I love tongues because I don't know how to pray, but the Spirit praises I all. I don't know what's going to grab God's heart, but I know it's going to be grabbed because my hearts aligned with this. I see through Scripture. As he says, David, you know me, therefore, I'm not going to do this thing to you, or I'm going to do this thing through you. Okay, that's the thing even about worship. And why worship worship? The thing about worship, is that we often worship in reverse. We sing songs, we come together and we sing songs that talk about music. character of God without having first encountered the character of God. And we interpret worship as an action, rather than as a state of being. I don't sing a lot you guys don't see me down there and I don't cry a lot, but I'm a worshiper. I'm a worshiper, because I know the character of God. And in my way, I am worshiping God. And there's moments that the right song comes on or something. And I had that experience so intimately with God, a Travis, his musical Come on. And I'll hear that I've had that experience so intimately with God that it causes me to express my worship in a specific way. But for us to think that worship is just a part of the service, that worship can be done by anybody without experiencing and encountering the character of God. And that's a mistake. Because David was a nobody was a nobody in a field was sheep. And Sam, you went through all the sons and said, not at not at not at not it? Is there another bring them on? You're the king. David's encounter with God was remarkable. He didn't start out by writing the songs by talking about the majesty of God, he started out being called by God, it blew his mind. And from there, he became the greatest worship in history. I've talked to worship leaders who wonder about their music and why they talk about atmosphere in the environment. And I'm like, man, like we've preached you carry that because you carry an encounter with God. And you don't need everybody you'd be crying to be worshiping. All you need to be doing is serving your Lord and whether they're stepping stone face, whether they turn your backs to you whether they're crying, it doesn't matter because you are doing your part. Even my preaching, that's why my preaching is stylistically I sometimes seem loose or seem whatever, I care deeply, but I don't care enough to think that I can do anything. My preaching is informed by the fact that But that the decision to be obedient to God did everything that he's going to do before I ever showed up. Before I stepped foot into those doors, my decision to submit my life to the will of God and to hear his voice and to do what he says did everything that he needs me to do. There's nothing clever enough to save you that I can say, but there's a God who desires you to be saved, and he will do it. I'm almost done. I mean, we're really gonna rush through this john chapter eight. They went to each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives early in the morning, he came into the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and placing her in the midst. They said to him, teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery, which is pretty intense. Like these peeping Toms are like watching I saw busted perverts I mean, that's what commentary says like caught in the act means caught in the act. So I mean, like, wow, okay, what are you guys doing man? Now when the law Moses commanded us to stone such women so what do you say they're trying to trap Jesus by saying no forgive her big and break Mosaic law or saying no follow Mosaic Law stone her and turn against the compassion and teachings of mercy that he's been preaching thus far. Right? This they said to test him that they might have some charge to bring against him, Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, before before I read it, a lot of art pieces and a lot of commentary in the later centuries. That what he wrote was, Earth accuses Earth. Now whether that's true or not, that's how it's been presented at Earth accuses Earth, which which I just find it beautiful. And I just like to say that because Jesus gets down and writes in the earth that Earth accuses Earth from dust we came from dust dust we will return. Who are you to accuse dust dust. As they continue to ask him, he stood up and said to them, let him who was without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. And once more, he bent down and wrote on the ground, but when they heard it, they went away one beginning with the older ones, and Jesus, the wiser ones, beginning with the older ones, and the wise ones. Oh, yeah, that's right. I've lived long enough to know I've said he's right. I'm getting out of here, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her woman, where are they has no one condemned you? She said, No one Lord. And Jesus said, neither do I condemn you. Go and from now on sin no more. I want to point out a couple of things and then I'm going to be done. Leviticus 2010, prescribes stoning or adultery, as does Deuteronomy 22 and 23. I think I want to read Deuteronomy 22 and 23. Because it was a specific way it was said that's important. If I can remember and recall but the Spirit of the Lord let's see, Deuteronomy 2222. If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die. The man who lay with the woman and the woman, Oh, here it is, so you shall purge evil from Israel. If there is verse 23, if there is a trough diversion, the man meets her in the city and lives with her, then you shall bring them both out of the gate to that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones. The young woman because she did not cry for help. She was in the city and the man because he violated his neighbor's wife. And then it ends with so you shall purge the evil from your midst here. God is giving harsh consequences to human sin. Not To punish an individual but to preserve people. And that's I wanted to make that point about Deuteronomy. It wasn't simply about punishing an individual because it doesn't say, so that you can judge this individual so that you can punish this individual. It says that you can purge evil from your midst because it spreads like a virus. We should be much more concerned with the spread of evil than the spread of Corona virus. evils a real pandemic. And God says you don't have the maturity to recognize the Lord, my son that I'm sending you. So I'm going to give you law and by that law, you're going to have to be rigid so that evil doesn't perpetuate itself and I lose my people in the earth to golden calves. Harsh responses happen for immature people. All right. That's important to note Because here we see a reflective gospel. And this is actually what I'm going to end on a reflective gospel. We see Jesus, look back to the accusers say you without sin cast the first stone. Keep that in mind. What he's writing, I think is less relevant at this point than then that aspect. Then he's looking down. He looks back up, they've all gone. And he says, woman were your accusers has no one condemned you? Right? She says no one Lord. He says, neither do I condemn, which is interesting there is that Jesus does this with the knowledge that nobody is going to condemn her. But at the same time, he leaves open the door for somebody to judge her. for somebody to actually follow through with the law. Understanding that if you want to invoke God's judgment against her, then God's judgment will also be invoked against you. Jesus is saying, neither do I, because they didn't which is interesting because we just talked about upon the revelation of this I will build my church, whatever you bind on Heaven will be bound, whatever you loose will be loosed. Jesus says, Hey, you have the authority to stone her. Based on this accusation, you have the authority to do that. If you want to destroy, destroy, but know that what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Jesus submits himself to his church and it's authority because he trust that they know him and therefore will enact His will. That's a statement of such power. That when you busy yourself with judgment, when you busy yourself with gossip, when you busy yourself with looking at what everybody else is doing, then you are not only doing what God does not want you to do but you are doing With power, I believe she could have been stoned to death. I don't think God would have put her in that situation without the knowledge beforehand. But the knowledge beforehand doesn't mean that they didn't have the will to do it. She could have been stoned to death. And the thing is, many of us are stoning people to death, left and right and left and right and a wondering why we too, are being stoned and we're just throwing stones at one another. And Jesus is sitting back saying, I gave you the authority to loose and bind. I gave you the authority to forgive or retain I gave you authority, not only are you acting outside of what I want you to do, but you sit in the seat of Moses, therefore you follow me. We can destroy ourselves. If we can hasten the coming of the Lord, and we can delay the coming of the Lord okay. What I'm trying to say is the church has authority, we as a people have a lot of authority, and we think about it the wrong way. We think about it, like we can call things out of the sky, and it'll just materialize right in front of us. But really, that authority is more fully expressed, and how we interact with one another. Okay. So I'm actually wrapping up so. So he looks to them, let him who is without sin. And now this is a key theme in Jesus's ministry, and it should be a key theme in ours. We talked about there not being a Christian culture, and I agree, we don't live in a Christian culture. But what I observe, and why I think the church is just as guilty. Why I think people are just as guilty. I don't say, We live in a Christian we don't live but we live in an unchristian culture because people aren't proclaiming Christ. I don't say we live in an unchristian culture because everybody's having sex, or doing whatever or listening whatever the music is at the time. That's not why I say that we're living in an unchristian culture, whatever we like to point to, because atheism is on the rise, secular Because, you know, all the political things that are the norms or whatever, that's not what I look to, when I say that we have an unchristian culture which shows me that we really have an unchristian culture is how we are more NRI or done our identities, how we are so anchored in identities other than Christ that we're a non merciful people are in a non merciful age, it's an us versus them era. Politically, it's us versus them racially, it's us versus them, gender, it's us versus them, whatever it is, it's us versus them within the church, there's us and then there's them. And that shows me that we're further away from Christ than we realize not because of some things that we do and the sins that we commit, but because we don't have the heart of God in order to enact his authority in the earth properly. Our faith is a reflective one. So what would a Christian culture look like it would look at their own eye before looking at their brothers, it would look before casting a stone at their own hearts. Their own sins before we were so quick to point how other people have done something to us and deserve some type of penalty, we would look at ourselves and say what can I do to enact this gospel in my own life? on Christian unchristian cultures are quick to judge. She should have died according to Mosaic Law. But the Christian thing to do was to look and say, You know what, I should die too. You should be punished according to you, not being able to control your anger, your mouth, your habits, whatever it is, but you know what I look at you and I say, I want to get you to the place of sanctification because I should be punished to it doesn't become an excuse to sin, as we see because Jesus says go forth and sin no more. He says, they have authority. They can do it. But, but I'm gonna point out the fact they too will be judged. But then I'm going to end with something I'm going to end with don't send any more because adultery is a sin. I'm going to end by saying, you know what, hey, I'm not letting you off the hook. I'm not just saying you know what, you can go have sex now, which is a misinterpretation of grace. I mean, not sex. Sex is awesome, but like with your spouse, you know what I'm saying? He's not saying you can go commit adultery and they had a bad, you know, just go have fun because they're not gonna throw stones at you because they're bad, too. That's what a lot of preachers do. That's what a lot of you know, I know you can name preachers right now mom who have preached that message, and they're really just making excuses for sin. Because if you do it, I do it. We're all human. Oh, that's not what God's saying. God's saying, yes, we're all human. We're all sinners. And what's interesting about this is how did they know they were sinners? Well, we have Romans, right. We know that but they didn't have Romans because Roman says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and Romans 323. But they had a class this class, these, Ecclesiastes, these 720, which says, surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never since. So they knew enough of God's Word to know that they were condemned the very thing that they were trying to hold her by they were condemned by right not enrollments, because they didn't have Romans yet, but in Ecclesiastes, but I think more importantly, is in their encounter with God, the true and living Lord, they begin to have a reflective nature when he pointed things out. That's how our encounters with God should be. Because he doesn't let us off the hook for sin. He doesn't go to her and say, You know what? Grace is grace, free love. Go commit as much adultery as you want, and just do all the things that I instruct you not to do. That's not what he does. He says you've encountered me now. You've seen my mercy now. You've seen my love. You've seen my effect. Though you deserve it, everyone has held back stones because I intervened on your behalf. Now all I have to do because you know me is simply say, Go forth and send no more. I don't have to remind you that you could have been stoned. I don't have to warn you that you can be stoned in the future. Brad, I don't need to remind you that when you screw up, it hurts you and other people. I don't need to remind you of that. All I need to remind you up is my love and my role in your life. And you will move towards sanctification with the help of the Holy Spirit. If you want people to stop sinning, show them the character of Jesus. If you want people to change their behavior, don't look and say that deserves stones look and say I have a God who can help you do better. It's the encounter with Jesus that causes her to go forward and not send anymore. It's not the fear of Leviticus. It's not the Feel Deuteronomy. It's not the fear of consequences. It's the encounter with Christ. Okay, I'm gonna be done on this point. Let's look at Matthew 7325. Real quick. I do fear for where we at and where we are at in a culture. I see. Human beings are meant to have identity. God makes us in this image. Therefore we're supposed to think, Oh, I'm supposed to replicate according to God's image. He instructs us to replicate his image. He wants us to pursue his identity. We're made in God's image. When we accept that and we accept the identity of Jesus just like this woman who committed adultery, we should say, Oh, I need to be more like this man. Right? When we accept who God is, we say I want to be more like Him because that's where my identity is rooted secular culture. When you see the rise of detachment from the church, when you see the rise of detachment from that identity, people are still going to fill that hole with something. And every time that hole is filled with something else, it becomes accusatory in nature. one versus the other. One group versus another. And the gospel is the exact opposite. God says in Matthew seven three to five YD Okay, let's start with verse seven or chapter seven in general judge not that you be not judged. Very clear. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? or How can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when there To log in your own eye, you hypocrite first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. I think the thing that most interesting to me about this passage is that Jesus says surgery is required for your brother. I know it doesn't say that in the Bible, you're like, what is he reading? Jesus says, then you will be able to take the speck out of his eye. I want a holy people. I want people who don't have things jamming up their vision. Because when you can't see you can't see the things that I'm pointing you to. If you can't see the promised land, you don't know what the promise is. I don't want your vision to be jammed up by sin. I don't want your prophetic antennas to be blocked by sin. I don't want my voice to be destiny echo because sin in your life has overcome it. Right. I don't want that for you. I want you to perform surgery, even on an I want the church to push towards sanctification before you can pick up those tweezers and see clearly in your brother's eye, you need to perform surgery on yourself. Surgery requires clear eyesight. The thing that God does here, and this is in closing, this is where we should really push ourselves as a people. If we're the thing that God does here is he says you have authority. You have the ability to judge, you have the ability to forgive, you can kill this woman with stones. I don't want you to send But nevertheless, this is not an accusatory religion. This is not something what I want you to do is not get to sanctification through consequence. But I want you to get to sanctification through relationship. He says I it's not that I don't want you to be holy. I want you to be Holy, I want you to be in right standing before me I want you to move and progress and behavior that I have for you. When we talk about holiness. It just means becoming more and more of the image of God. I want you to become more and more that image, I want you to see it clearly. And in order to do that, you have to be constantly reflecting on my work in your life. You have Jesus talking to us as you have to constantly reflect my word and your life. You know who I am, you know that I'm Lord, I know you don't understand everything. But you should always be moving in the direction that I have laid out for you for your life by looking inward before you begin to look at other people's patterns and behaviors. Therefore, I advise you to spend more time on the things that make you the file than the things that make your family to file. What I mean to file is rad spend more time getting your anger under under control then Judging somebody who's in your midst for whatever thing that they have, I'm not going to be able to minister effectively and help this other person out. If I'm not in a constant state of reflection. That doesn't mean I can't have problems, but it means my heart has to be anchored in the place where I'm constantly looking at the mirror of the Holy Spirit and moving in the direction that he wants me to move before I can begin to have surgery and perform surgery on you. I'm not just going to be a loosey goosey. You can do whatever you want. Because of grace. We've seen that pastor Doug over and over. He God wants us to do surgery. He wants to perform surgery that search is supposed to perform surgery on one another, we are supposed to get to a place that Grace has already provided. But in order to do that, we have to change our mindset. From How does this apply to everyone around me to how does this apply to me? How do how does everyone around me submit to this? How does this submit to me again, prayer again Things that God does. And the way his faith is truly reflected is not in religious ideations and expressions, right? It's an it's in the place of privacy. It's internal in nature. It's in the place where no one sees you, for the fullness of the faith is not expressed when we're here. It's expressed when we're alone at night, and where our thoughts are driven, and where our mind goes and how we interact with God's word in the privacy of our home and in our lives. That's why prayer matters, because it's humility. And that's why you will see more fruit in your life. When you hold up the mirror to perform surgery on yourself, then you will when you try to perform surgery on everybody around you. Your identity is God's image and that image is one of mercy. Therefore be merciful. When you look at people around you, you can't look through the lens of any other identity socially or individually. As an oppressor as a victim. It doesn't matter. where you're standing is in life. It doesn't matter what you've gone through. All that stuff is used for one purpose to drive you and those around you towards the image of God. And if if we are looking through the lens of anything but the image of God, we are failing. And we are deserving of judgment. So I'm going to close on this, my prayer for you is to hear the voice of the Spirit so that you might look and pull it out of your own eye and letting God because you never do it yourself. When I say perform surgery on yourself, you're not performing surgery on yourself. There's an invisible hand called the Holy Spirit guiding you the whole time pulling that log out of your eye. You don't have the ability to do right before God on your own. But you have the ability to do right before God with the help of the Holy Spirit who is with you I think what we'll see is a revolution in our culture in the church. And with that revolution of culture in the church, we will suddenly see a revolution in the world because Grace is undeniable love is undeniable. What happens here is Jesus steps in for an individual, but he changes the heart of a crowd. We'll see a lasting difference. When we aggressively pursue God's word for our own life, we'll begin to see that people around us change, we begin to see that our family changes that our work twice changes, that everything changes that our environment changes, and God has made us fruitful and effective. Not because we have the ability to look around and say that's not part of God's Word. That's not part of God's Word. That is, this is right this is wrong, because we have the ability to say God guide me in every waking hour of my life. All of a sudden suffering has a role in your blessing. All of a sudden the things that you thought were bad you realize God is working for your good because you're a tuned to this planet. in your life. Or I would pray right now that, that you empower those to do this. And God, I don't even know how to sum up this prayer, or this message in a way that would help them outside God when they walk out the doors today, but I know I don't need to. I know you can do it. Now there are those here today who might be here on the basis that they think they need to go to church and they're trying their best. And they their family did this and all that stuff. And that's God, take them beyond that point. God, that's not even a starting point. That's not even the point to where they can do anything. That the starting point has to be the fullness of Revelation and who you are. And in Scripture, you constantly and consistently point back to yourself and say, start with me, and you'll end where I want you to be. So God if there's anybody in this room who has not had that moment, like I've had done, where I was standing up on a front row, nobody had to wait hands on me. I didn't have to go up. I didn't have to say the specific right formula words, I didn't have to do any of that I simply saw who you were. And it changed my insides. God, I ask that you anchor people right now, by the Spirit of the Lord, and the truth and reality of Jesus Christ, the centerpiece of our world, the centerpiece of creation. not do that now, please, I ask. And then as we walk through this process of faith, I would ask God that we spend more time with the hand of the Holy Spirit, performing surgery on ourselves so that we see clearly what is around us. Therefore, God, invoke mercy in our lives and allow us to be a people of mercy. Allow us to be a people of sympathy and empathy. Allow us to listen before we speak, allow us to be sensitive to your words, allow us God not to try to lean on the arm of the flesh to get things done, but to leave on your prophetic promises in your word through prayer. transform us God and then transforming us to be broken and smaller and more private and less talking and less actionable. When you when you transform us to be all those things God we will see everything change in our life because you are taking over. Take over now. Jesus Christ in

Pastor Brad Knight recorded on February 23, 2020 at City of Destiny in Apopka, Florida, USA. For more information about our ministry, visit http://cityofdestiny.us

Transcription by machine:

The gospel is usually framed as a heaven or hell issue. Right? It's usually framed as this is why we preach. This is why we have church. This is why we do things, because we want to go to heaven, and we don't want to go to hell. That's what most of us experienced. But there's a kind of emptiness in that presentation of the gospel, and that it lacks an immediacy that the gospel really responds to. Jesus did talk about eternity, he talked about heaven. And he talked about judgment. He talked about gahanna. But more more than anything else, he talked about the kingdom of God being here. The kingdom of God is now I have brought to you the kingdom of God, there was an urgency to the gospel that still exists today. So if we frame the presentation of the gospel as just something that's often the distance, and if you make the right choice, you get a gold crown. And if you make the wrong one lightnings going to strike you for eternity. That's kind of a weird presentation of the gospel because the gospel is much more immediate. It has much more of an immediate effect on you and So I don't come to church thinking about most of the time I do this because one day God will reward me or one day God will judge me, I have this really relational nature with God that is immediate, that its present tense that it's now and I want to share that with the rest of the world. So when I say, why am I doing this? Why am I preaching the gospel? Why does city of destiny matter? Why does storyline matter? Why do you matter? Why does coming to church matter? You can either look at it religiously, and through the lens of regulatory lens, and we're going to talk about that, or you can look at it through a relational lens. And I think that the church for very long time has looked at it through a regulatory lens. It's looked at it through a religious lens, it's created a set of rules that said, If you abide by these rules, this is what happens long term. They've taken a kernel of truth, something that is discussed something that is real, but they've emphasized it in a way that God did not intend because God is saying, I'm an immediate god. I'm not waiting to respond to you. You future tense. I'm not waiting to respond to you in eternity. I'm here for you now. I love you now. I'm your balm of Gilead, now. I want to have relationship with you. Now, I want to be involved in every aspect of your life now, and there's an urgency to the message of Christ. There's an urgency to who God is. And that urgency for me is not even trying to save you from hell. That's not my urgency. That's not why I preach. My urgency, both reflected in God's word and out of my own experience is to share with you this unconditional, vast, enormous love of God that when you're walking through life, and you're looking around, and you're not prioritized by anybody else, and the world has forgotten you, and you just want to just want to bury your head. You just want to cry. Sometimes you just want to end it, no matter what it is. There is a God that says I'm not a god. That's often the distance. I'm a god for you now. I'm a god. That's obsessed with you. I'm a God that prioritizes you. I'm a God that wants relationship with you. I don't care if the world doesn't love you. I'm a God that loves you and loves you obsessively. That's the urgency of the gospel. That's why I'm passionate and demonstrative and excited. That's why I get up here and share it with you because it's not me just trying to give you the rules to get by it's me trying to say the creator of the universe is obsessed with you. All right. So let's talk about love. The Gospels and balm for the soul. And the reason that preaching is urgent The reason that church gathering is urgent The reason that being connected to a community is urgent because the love and what's interest I'm already out of breath. What's interesting is that there's many Greek words for love. And I think it's important to discuss love because one of the most successful things that Satan does is the story. terms in the Bible. Satan gets in and he can manipulate words, Master of language. Satan doesn't present himself as Satan. He presents himself as an angel of light. I make this argument all the time that when Jesus was in the wilderness, I think Satan was as invisible as he could be. You know why? Satan being fully God and fully man, it makes a lot more sense that God was wrestling with thoughts that were projected that Jesus was wrestling with his humanity and asking himself, Is this me thinking this? Or is this the devil? And his ability to identify the voice of Satan was key and overcoming plots of Satan in his life. See, what I'm saying? Is this when you're walking through your everyday life, if a demon shows up, and it's like, hey, let me tell you something, you're gonna be like, oh, Sunday, thought about and the name of Jesus, you're gonna cast that sucker out, and you're going to be amped up and be like, yeah, demons are trying to attack me. So I'm on the right path, but when you're walking through Life and there's a subtle voice. Does God really love you or to Eve? Did God really tell you not to eat of that tree, he suddenly twists the Word of God against Jesus, he uses the very word of god against them against the eve he uses the very word of god against her. So what Satan likes to do is begin to manipulate present himself as an angel of light and manipulate the Word of God until you're believing the wrong things going down the wrong path. And if you think you're religious, and you're going down the wrong path, and you're emphasizing the wrong things, you end up in a place where you don't know God at all. That's why Jesus says you neither know God nor scripture, when he's talking to the side just sees who's with me all with me. Alright. So let's talk about love. And in order to talk about love, we have to talk about what love is not. So let's go through the Greek words of love because there's one word that refers to the love of God more than any other word and it's the word that when we say God is love, this is the word that used that word is a Guppy and we are familiar with that term to a degree. It's used. in church, but we really want to dig into what that means today. And we want to contrast that with what it's not. There's other words for love that the Greeks used. One of them was arrows. That was a sexual love. It's a passionate love. It's a fleshly love. This is what the Satan likes to do now. He likes to tie love to sexuality. He likes to say love is love, love whoever you want and love and love is not sex. Love might be displayed in sex might my love might be expressed in sex. I love having sex. It's a little different with my wife with my wife case, I need to clarify that I'm I I but love itself is not sex. Love itself is not my feelings that I have for my spouse when it comes to being attracted to her love is not me looking at her like I do and and she just works me up so well. That's not love though. That's a type of Love, that's the heroes. But that's not the love that God is talking about. So we can't go through life, saying, you know what, I'm having a fling with somebody, therefore I love them. And we can interpret love as sex or feelings or feelings or dating or a transactional relationship that we have with somebody that's primarily physical in nature, because that's not the word that God uses for loving the Bible. Then you have filia, which is friendship. It's a fraternal love. It's this sense of brotherhood, and it's the friendships that you have with your girlfriends and your boyfriends and the relationships that you have with them. It's my best friend Hank, and it's this filia that I have, we're close. We're brothers. It's the football type love and yeah, mainly love and whatever love that the girls have when they talk on the phone and chat it up. It's that kind of love. But it's not the type of love that is used to describe your relationship with God. God does not describe himself in his love as filia he does not say I am a friend to you. He does I'm a friend to you, but he doesn't describe his love in a friendship manner. Interesting, because we can eliminate that. So love isn't friendships, it's not sex. It's not friendship. It's not just, you liking somebody, it's not being part of an organization. It's not fraternal in nature. It's not just you'd be part of a rotary club or whatever club you're part of. That's not love. You might enjoy that thing. You might love that thing. But that's not love. Let me say this right, flew out to Philadelphia. This is the next word for love. Okay, and this one is about loving yourself is another word for love. This love is self actualization. And this is an emphasis that we talk about. I can't love you unless I love me lose. Right? We hear that all the time, right, Roosevelt, I can't love you unless I love me. And society really emphasizes this type of love, which is self actualization, that the pinnacle of love is to reach your highest self is to be the best that you can be, is to be all you can be. And there's the In this presentation of God, as though this is the kind of love that he is that God is about himself. We hear this in church subtly and overtly that God is about himself. That love is really his self aggrandizement. But nowhere in the Bible is God described in terms of self actualizing love, and you can't look at love and a self actualizing sense, the pinnacle is of love is not relationships that gets you to a certain point in life where you are thriving. That's not what love is. This is important. Okay, bear with me. The next the story, and this is a soft affection and empathy, a beautiful love. This is the this is a rarely used word. It's a lot more rarely used, but it indicates sometimes a parental love. And what's interesting about this is that that even though it refers to parents and children, even though it has that kind of usage at various times, it's more rooted in duty than it is rooted in, in a god Bay. So meaning this, that when this word is used in terms of love, it's a love that is mandatory in nature. It's a sense of duty. It's a sense of, I love my children because I must. I love my children, because I have the responsibility to I love my wife, because I must. It's a passionless thing. It's more of a soft affection than it is the word that's used in the Bible. It's interesting. So God does not look at us beautifully. He does not look at us as friends. It is not looking at us as lovers in a physical sense. He does not look at us as just being part of his responsibility. He does not look at us as stepping stones to his own self actualization. y'all with me? Man, Maya, my writings terrible. That's what happens. The next one I'm Xenia. Okay, and this is the last one we're gonna move on. And this is guests friendship. That's what the literal meaning is guest friendship. And its hospitality. It's a it's the love of a dignitary its diplomatic love It's when you host somebody and you're showing them a hospital a hospital you know what I'm trying to say? hospitality hospitable ability What does that word house portability? No But when it what is it when the hospital Oh my Okay, so that is like a dignitary love diplomatic love. There's this love that when you're hosting somebody when one one nation host another. It's a diplomatic love. It's a kingdom oriented love, right. And God is not a dignitary and we are not diplomats relating to one another. It's not simply hospitality, that God expresses when he says he loves you. He's not simply hosting you in His Kingdom. Right? You're with me. So what is the word that is used? A God. a God thing. God is a Got a says john and see we're actually not diverting too far from john because we're routing ourselves in the writings of john, instead of the gospel of john. It's going to be first john today. And the thing is the term for God's love is a god base. So much so that there's one characteristic that God has described as being in it is a God, a God is love. God is a God, a God so loved the world God got paid. God's love is a god Bay, which means it is transcendent in nature, and it's love that's felt in the family unit, especially towards children. It's one that is expressed primarily from a father and a mother to their children, but not in the beautiful sense. Like I have the responsibility to love my kids, but in an obsessive sense. The love that I have for my children is obsessive. I'm obsessed with my kids. It transcends any other love that I've experienced in my life. And what you see in the relationship that we have with God and how he structures familiar life in the Bible, is that our relationship to our children It's supposed to be the love of a cafe. It's this love that we have where, where it's not just bound and duty. It's not just bound in familiarity. It's not just bound and what they'll grow up to be. It's not just bound in the fact that you need to have a family to self actualize. It's a love that transcends anything you can comprehend. And even though a gopa is used repeatedly in the Bible, there's no firm final thing that it can point to, to say, that's the love except for the sacrifice of Jesus. That's the fullest way that it's expressed, and his sacrifice and his death, but even that does not fully express how obsessed God is with you. It's the most that he could give you his own life, His own Son, God Himself, and then we think about that he just gave us his life, but he also gave us his humiliation. He was humiliated. He gave us so he gave us this dignity. He gave us his sense of self worth. He gave us injustice. Which was done to him because he said not and he did not deserve death. So all these things he gave us that extend past just the pain of the cross, but the very indignity of God having to suffer when he shouldn't have to suffer because he's the fountainhead of creation. These are just glimmers and expressions of a God thing. So it should begin to give us a sense of what it means when it means when we say that God loves us and the urgency that's behind it, this Tran cendant love. This is what we talk about when we talk about our children. This is what we talk about when we talk about a deeper relationship with our spouse. This love that we have one towards another is a love of prioritization. God prioritized his creation. This is a mind blowing concept, and it's why the Gospels so urgent, and I said this before, like we go through life experiencing a lot of pain, we go through life, not feeling prioritized and often we are But we have to rest and be inspired by the fact that God has prioritized us that his a god Bay is not simply affection towards us. It's not simply an expression of love towards us or it's not simply a temporary outpouring. It's a consistent and eternal prioritization of his creation. That's an amazing concept. Alright, first john 419, so we can get the scripture behind him, y'all with me so far? We love because he first loved us. This is the scripture that God told me when I was processing this, why do I Why do I serve you God? Why do I preach for you, God, why do I want to? Why do I want to do these things for you, God and God said, We love you. You love me because I first loved you. I loved you first. It's not enough. It's not in a way that he's saying. I loved you first. And so you love me. It's not God's not in competition with us. God's not attacking. God, we treat him like that, like he's a tag here at God. But that's not him at all. The entire Bible is a love letter to his people. And that's us. We love because he first loved us. God says, You love because this thing that I gave you was so immense is so enormous. You were so undeserving of it, because you were so incapable of it, that this a god Bay that I have given you, inspires you to love me back. First, john three, one, and I love this first because it tells us even more explicitly what kind of love God is giving us. See what kind of love the Father has given to us. That we should be what called children of God. Here we know that God loves us, but it's expressed even more explicitly and a type of love. What kind of love did God give you? He made you his children. That's a powerful concept because Even in the Old Testament, we see that God is referred to as father to the people of Israel. And for the sake of time, I'm going to reference the scriptures but I won't read them today, Jeremiah three, four, Jeremiah 319, Isaiah 6316, Isaiah 64, eight, Deuteronomy 32, six, Jeremiah 31, nine, Molokai to 10, which will be reading that passage. But what we see is that God is talking to Israel as a father. He says, I'm, I'm your father, but he doesn't kind of vaguely, indirectly, he mentions it. But then he moves on to being Lord, he says, refers to himself as LORD of hosts and all this, but it's never it's never over. What's interesting is, it was when Jesus comes he changes everything. Because he says, Abba, which is the equivalent of like daddy or papa. Hey, Papa. And even when the disciples say, how do we pray, he says, Our Father, referring to them, like hey, so what's interesting about this too, is He says he never he always distinguishes his nature in relationship to God even from us. He constantly says, if you look at john 2017, he says, My Father and your Father, my God and your God, there's always the slight distinction. And the only time that we see that isn't the case is when he teaches the disciples how to pray, and he speaking as them Our Father who art in heaven, our daddy. Now this is a remarkable development because nobody in the Old Testament the people of Israel, who collectively were considered the children of God would not have thought to be as so relational, so intimate is just to call God daddy. Jesus comes and says, Daddy, I'm doing your will, daddy. Everything that you do, I've watched daddy. It's like my relationship to Nicholas, where the boy imitates everything that I do. He just goes around and and he just wants to be his daddy. It's an amazing feeling. It's an amazing experience to have a son where he goes forth and wants to be his daddy. And here Jesus is saying, Daddy, Father, Abba, Papa. What's interesting is that it doesn't just stop with Jesus as a second member of the Trinity, but he extends that very thing to us. Let's look. Let's look, before we go to Romans 814, I want to do this first. I want to do this. First, let's look at Malika. I want to show you an example of something. I'm gonna try to make this point quickly. But I think it's important to to understand how Jesus is using Scripture with us. Malik has the last book of the Old Testament, right before Matthew that helps you get to it. So follow me here. So So Jeez, I went through it last night. And I was underlining everything. Where it says Lord of hosts, because this is Lord of hosts a lot says at 21 times in Molokai, Lord of hosts. This is interesting. Because in order to fully appreciate Jesus using the word Daddy, Father, Papa, we have to see how God has referred to himself even in the closing passages of the Old Testament. This is how the Old Testament the Old Covenant closes itself out. This is the last thing that God says to his people in the book of Malika. It's God's letter of hurt to his people. What's funny is we refer to it all the time. The only time you guys usually hear Malika is when it comes to tithe and offering right. You know, we talked about the Devourer. What's interesting is if you explicitly use Malika in that sense, you're falling into a trap of regulatory thinking that the OP it's the exact opposite of what Molokai is. Molokai is full of passion. Malika is full of God's hurt. Malik is full of pain towards his children. Turn, and you see God going back and forth, even with what he calls himself to the people of Israel. And what he says to them is that I don't want you to just be a people of regulation who just follows rules because you have to who just brings time because I mandated it. I want you to be relational in nature, because I'm your father. And what's interesting is he's talking to the people of Israel here. And this ends on kind of a sour note. If you read the prophets A lot of times, Goddess is it sounds angry, he sounds frustrated. But if you if you really dig into it, there's more hurt and God, even when God says, oh, that I regret ever making you to humankind, that's not out of a place of spite. It's not out of a place of wrath purely as an I hate these people. It's out of a place of hurt. You can hurt God's feelings. That in and of itself is an amazing thing. So when we get to Malecon God refers to himself as father. We have to think of This when we transition to Jesus and see that Jesus has no no, it's more than just the general sense of father with Israel. It's a personal relational dad and I am the fullest expression of the type of relationship that you're supposed to have with this eternal God. But in order to understand that, let's understand Malika for just a second. It's going to be a long time to read. I might summarize the passages of it. Okay. Molokai, chapter one, the Lord starts out by saying, I have loved you. They say how have you loved us is not Esau Jacob's brother declared the Lord yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I've hated and the really the Hebrew word for hated is rejected. It's not one where God's passionately hating something. It's one where he's saying, I favored you over Esau. He goes on to say that he DOM is is is burned to the ground that the Lord is angry with him forever, but it's not out of a place of just look at my hatred for Esau, because he's talking to the people of Jacob saying, Look my life Love for you, is extensive. And what's interesting is when you get to verse five, he says your own I shall see this and you shall stay great as the Lord beyond the border of Israel. That's a key verse here, beyond the border of Israel. So he talks about how I've loved he starts off the book of Malika by saying, I love you. And he's saying, Let me show you how I loved you, your enemies and the people that are away from you have a totally different outcome in life than you've had. And now, I want you to say, greatest the Lord beyond the border of Israel, immediately God is trying to establish himself This is going to be important for later God is trying to establish himself even outside of the limited scope of who he calls his people. The priests polluted offer. Now think of this, go into this. The first thing that God says when he goes into his gripes when he goes into his complaints about his people, the very first thing that he says is a son honors his father and a servant, his master If then I am a father. Where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? And listen to this says the Lord of hosts. This is interesting because from now on God is going to refer to himself as the Lord of hosts. Am I boring you guys? Okay? All right. I know you can tell me if I am. I promise you, I'll wrap it up. He refers to himself. I love this stuff. This is like my wheelhouse. So this is exciting to me. But I know sometimes it sound like we're getting lost in the weeds more and some of you really come to church last week. So he refers to himself as LORD of hosts, which is interesting, because he's saying I am master over all the angels host is actually the plural for armies. He's saying I am God over the armies out and I Savoie Lord over the armies, he keeps referring to his authority and militancy and this passage of Scripture, but he doesn't start out there. He doesn't say, he doesn't say a son or a soldier honors the LORD of hosts a soldier honors the commander in chief, a soldier honors the head honcho, he says, a son, honors his father. And then he begins to recede from there. He begins to say, a servant honors his master. And then he begins to refer to himself as the Lord of hosts, you actually see God pulling away from his claim of fatherhood here, and moving back to his claim of power. This is interesting because when you view religion through the lens of what God can do to you, you're going to get that result elder when you look and treat God as somebody who just has power over you, who is Lord over you who can just determine whether your life is good or bad, he'll begin to present himself in that fashion to you and so to the people of Israel as he begins to list his complaints, he says, I am the LORD of hosts. Let me remind you that I'm the head honcho. I'm the commander in chief, you want to worship all these other gods. I'm the one that created them, all these other angels that you think have power with these nations on the one that rules over them all, every being in heaven. Guess what, on boss, this is important to them. Because people were drawn to power in these days, they were just chasing anything that gave them power. And Israel was really drawn to idolatry, even to the point where right when they're delivered from Egypt, they built a golden calf and start to worship it instead of God. So God begins to refer to himself militantly. I'm the lord of host. He goes, Oh priest, who despise my name. But how have we despised your name? By offering polluted food upon my altar? How have we polluted you by saying the Lord's table may be despised when you offer blind animals and sacrifices and that not evil, when you offer those that are lame or sick? Is that not evil? present that to your governor? Will he accept you and show you favor says the Lord of hosts. Now he's getting into language where he says if you presented that to the highest official in the land, you wouldn't do that to your own governor. You wouldn't do that to your own King, your natural King, your natural governor, why are you doing that to me? He's retreating from intimacy, and going towards militancy. Why does this matter in this passage, because this gives you profound insight into the mindset of God. This gives you profound insight into how religion goes wrong. When you begin to retreat from a relational nature and you become regulatory in your thinking, God begins to retreat as well. When you think I have to go to church, because I want God to give me good things. Then God begins to say, Okay, if that's the game that we're playing, then I'm going to measure every sacrifice you make. You're not going to give me the best. You're going to give me your blood. minded lambs, I know why you're not doing it, you're not giving me the best not because of any other reason than you think that this is a regulatory thing and you can get away with it. See, we tend to think that God is saying, that's not good enough. When we read this passage, that's not what God is saying at all. what God is saying is you don't think that I'm worth having a relationship with. So if that's what you're going to do, I'm going to retreat from calling myself daddy. And I'm going to start reminding you of my authority. And now and treat the favor of God that He might be gracious with us with a gift from your hand. Will he show favor to any of you says the Lord of hosts, Lord of hosts, he says, 21 times more than anything else in the book of Malika? Oh, that there are one among you who would not shut the doors that you might not Kindle Fire on my altar in vain. I don't care about what you're doing. The ritual, these rituals that I gave you, I don't care about them, because your heart's not in them. They're empty. You're coming to church. We're going to talk about Tie them here you're coming to church, you're giving me 10% I don't care. That's what God's doing. From the rising of the sun to the setting on the name will be great among the nations, and in every place instance will be offered to my name and the pure offering for my name will be great among the nation says the Lord of hosts, but you Israel profane it when you say that the Lord's table is polluted that its fruit that is a food maybe despise ready. This is a key verse to understanding the logic of Bad Religion. But you say, a weariness This is and snort at it. How many of you have found religion to be weary? How many of you have grown weary of religion? How many of you have got tired of going to church? How many of you just are again following the routine? Because this is what my parents expect. So what my family expects, and ultimately, this is what God expects, and as long as I show up I'm not gonna think about the fact that he knows the recesses of my heart, I'm not going to think about the fact that he really knows every idea that I have every thought that I have everything about me. I'm just going to do what I think he expects of me. And maybe he'll be favorable toward me if I just simply show up. I mean, we begin to get detached and we begin to feel the social obligation. And here you see Israel saying, You know what, I am a Jew. So I'm going to bring a sacrifice, but just pick that lamb right there. Just burn this right there. Just Just grab whatever and let's get this over with because we got a barbecue after church that we want to go to. We got a football game that we want to watch. We got better things to do. We got to give God our Sunday, or in this case, we got to give God our Sabbath so that we can get on with our life. And really, God knows their hearts. He knows their grumblings, and he's saying what a weariness. This is. I'm tired of God. Corey, I'm I'm weary of coming to church. I don't Want to preach anymore? I don't want to give any more. I don't want to talk to you people anymore. I don't want to see you guys. I don't want to know your problems. I don't want to do what God's asked me to do. I'm weary of it. This is a problem that emerges when there's a disconnect between the people's view of God and who he wants to present himself as to them when they begin to say, Oh, he's the boss, instead of Oh, he's daddy. This begins to creep into their hearts and everything starts to fall apart. God begins to say I'm a great king. Cursed be the Cheetos male in his flock and bows it yet sacrifices to the Lord. What is blemished? Then he goes on to the priest, and now a priest. This command is for you. If you will not listen, you will not let me back up just a second. He starts to really get aggressive with his people. Why? Why lose? Why does he get aggressive with them? Why doesn't he just appeal to to buy the Hey guys, look at what I've done for you. He does appeal to that. But why does it need to stay there in a place of love and affection, we present God like he doesn't have any feelings. We present God like he's not like similar to us, like we're not created in his image. We act like we're not created in God's image and that, that every affront that just comes our way we're not going to respond emotionally to we're just going to be disconnected. And that is a further offense against God. Because the idea of him is that he's disconnected intimately from your life, that you can't hurt him, and he's above your actions to him. Here's the thing he tells Israel he says, the nations are going to worship My name due to you. They're supposed to praise my name all the world is supposed to know my name, my glory, my greatness, and he doesn't say this from a place of, of just like, hey, you're not doing your job. He's saying, Wait a minute. You're supposed to know me. You're supposed to have a relationship with me. You're supposed to be inspired by me. You're supposed to desire me. That fire supposed to burn so intensely that it catches the whole world ablaze. That you the people of Israel will distinguish yourselves not in ritual alone, but in worship and spirit and truth to me. All right, let me draw it to now you believers are supposed to spread the gospel, not by simply regurgitating scriptures, not by simply regurgitating rules, not by simply saying, you go to church, not by doing the things of rigor that God ends up not caring about because you end up slipping away from it anyways, here the people of Israel are doing what they're supposed to do, but their heart's not in it. And they forgotten God as a father. And so God saying, Look, your responsibility to evangelize Israel, your responsibility to evangelize Christians, is not rooted in a place that if you do this, I'll give you a reward. It's supposed to be rooted in a plaque place where you passionately know who I am, that you wake up and when you first feeling loved by the world around you, you're reminded that I love you obsessively. When you feel hurt by the world around you, you're reminded that I'm the one that's there for you at all times, when you feel like the world has abandoned you, you're reminded that I have not abandoned you and that I'm by your side, and that I'm walking through the valley of the shadow of death, and that I have your hands and that you know what, it doesn't matter what this world is going to do to you because I have a positive outcome in your life. And you might be suffering now. You might be struggling now but son, daughter, I have not forgotten you. goes to the regulations. And he says, I will lay curse upon you. I've already cursed your blessings. He says I've already curse them. Why? Because you do not lay it to heart. You do not lay it to heart. Let's go on for the sake of time. He's talking to the lights. The priest covenant with him was one of life and peace. And I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name, true instruction was in his mouth and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me and peace and uprightness, for he turned me away from iniquity. Listen to the testimony that he's talking about with Levi here, which is where the priesthood emerges from. Levi stood up, right? He didn't stand religiously, but he turned people away from iniquity. Why? Because he knew who I was. Pastor Doug, you're not just going to pastor? Because because it's something that you do. This is just an industry and now we're turning out another church. And but there's something inside of you, that should turn people from iniquity, not because you know what this says, and you can regurgitate it to them and tell them when they're right or when they're wrong, but you know, the very character of God and it breaks your heart. When you see people who forget that character. When you see people who are willing to choose iniquity, who are willing to choose sin, who are willing to choose death, who are willing to choose destitution over all the things that God has for them. For he is a messenger of the LORD of hosts, you have corrupted the covenant of Levi says the Lord of hosts, again, God's referring himself as the boss of the angels. I'm the military man, I'm the commander in chief. And as much as you do not keep my ways but show partiality and your instruction, he rebukes pastors by saying, You're you just preach what you think that people want to hear your partiality. Listen to this. What's funny about this, is that when we refer to this very letter, exclusively, when we teach Malik I only for tyvan offering or guilty of the very instruction that Malik harab uses for this fun, he says, but you show partiality and your instruction when we get down to this next part, and say, bring your time because otherwise, I'm gonna curse you if you don't win. I'll bless you if you do and I'll open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing for you. We get to that part and we isolate it and we make sure that people come in and give their money. We like that. We like that. But but but even fat, if we don't begin to expound on that, and educate you and show you the fullness of what God's saying, then you know what, then we're guilty of the very thing that the Levitical priesthood here is being reviewed for by showing partiality and our instruction by taking one verse two versus three verses here and there and using it to the advantage of our institution of power, using it to the advantage of what will bring people through the doors using it to the advantage of what will bring the most money in using it to the advantage of what will get us the most air time using it to the advantage of what will make us look the smartest, using it to the advantage of what will sell the most books, I don't know. And it's not even that most people don't even care about that. Most pastors pastor, less than 50 people, but you know what, they still have egos. They might not be able to get on TV, they might not be able to pack out conferences and always work. too large churches and the corruption that permeates itself the Malecon nature that permeates itself through there. But the reality is that happens in small churches to size is no reflector of whether somebody's heart is connected to God or not. When a pastor seeks to control his people, instead of empower his people, when a pastor seeks to isolate verses and is unwilling to go through the entirety of the word, when a pastor is unwilling to do that, then they're showing partiality and God explicitly rebukes them. And look, here comes the sensitivity of God again in verse 10. Have we not all one father? Has God not created this? There's this interplay, God going back and saying, Look, you're the one that wants me to judge your works. You're the one that wants me to judge the quality of your offerings. You're the one that wants me to analyze your teachings. You're the one that invited Me in this very rigorous manner. So I, the Lord of hosts will judge them and they're never going to be good enough. Your religion will never be good enough for me. But then it goes back. Have we not all one father? Let me try to remind you again that I'm daddy. Let me try to remind you again that this is more than just me being Lord of hosts, I am the boss of everything. I am the creator. But I'm more than that. And I desperately want you to recognize me as daddy profaning, the covenant the abomination for the Lord of hosts. He says, which he loves and has married the daughter of a foreign God, may the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob's any descendant of the man who does this and brings an offering to the Lord of hosts. He's begins rebuking them for taking in the daughters of foreign gods. Okay, why does that matter? Well, if God is trying to create this reflection of him and the family institution, and we can't create fame, the family institution. If God is cut, think about this. Okay, I got into a discussion with the pastor. I know I'm taking up time you guys give me 20 more minutes. Okay? And if you need to leave seriously no problem. I'm not I mean that don't ever feel weird about it. Um, so so I was talking to a pastor. And he said that the most important thing is marriage. And, and yes, the Bible talks about marriage a lot. And it emphasizes the relationship, we are the bride of Christ. And that's a good metaphor, but the metaphor is incomplete without the family. If we reduce love to me and my wife, then we're not understanding what the point of marriage actually is. Because it's actually discussed in Malika and I'm going to, I'm going to skip ahead to that for just a second. He says, you cover the Lord's altar with tears with weeping and groaning, because he no longer regards the offerings are acceptable. You say, Why does he not because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant? Did he not make them one with the portion of the spirit and their union? And what was the one seeking ready? And what was the one seeking? What was the point of your marriage? God's saying godly offspring? What's the first instruction that it gives Adam and Eve go? reproduce, make offspring, multiply yourself, the image of God. And here he's rebuking the people of Israel for abandoning their wives. And it's not simply a matter of adultery. And so we like to reduce it to you know what, you're an adulterer, get out of the church, you're disqualified because you had an affair. And you know what, that there's a basis for dealing with those things. But we haven't explained why God care so much when you run around on your wife. we all we all interpreted the judgment of it. We've all been interpreted the shame of it. We all carry the fact that we know if our neighbor catches us cheating, that it's going to be bad news for us that if our wife Or our husband catches us cheating that it's going to break our marriage. But what we've forgotten is the deeper truth that the reason that it matters is because you're supposed to gain union with this portion where God pours out a portion of his spirit and reproduces himself through your offspring. That's why we don't get to just change marriage willy nilly. We don't get to just the Supreme Court doesn't get the change marriage. I'm sorry, guys. We if we want to have that debate, theologically, we can have that debate theologically, if we want to engage that discussion, we can engage that discussion. My problem is that the institution of the state thinks that they're the ones that has the mandate and the priority over marriage. When God is saying this is the very way that I teach you about my fundamental nature and relationship to you. Why did I put you together to produce godly offspring? Why? Because I want you to learn through the godly offspring to carry my traditions why Why do I want you to carry my traditions, because I want you to be so passionately in love with me that you're willing to come here and give me the best of your sacrifices, the most of your time, the most of your worship. And in doing so people will say, wait a minute, what's different about them, and they will be drawn to you and all the nations of the world of acclaim them, the god the true and living God, the true and living Lord of hosts and eventually father, because they see your passion for me. religious duty without the passion of relationships is empty, and it's a turn off to people. Here God is saying your marriage should be sacred. Not simply because I told you to get married, but because it's a reflection of my relationship to you. That when those kids are running around driving you crazy. You drive me crazy, but I can't take my eyes off of you. Nonetheless, when those kids are breaking things and messing things up and ignoring you and forgetting you when they're a teenager. You did all those things to me too. But guess what, I love you give my life for you. I'll give my inheritance to you. I'm obsessed with you. I wake up thinking about you, I go to bed thinking about you, I can't stop thinking about you. We have such a high responsibility to be good fathers to be good mothers to be good husbands and wives. But this very reason, because instead of breaking up families, and just saying, It breaks my heart, I try not to be judgmental, but it breaks my heart. I want to explain to people why it hurts when families are devastated when they break up when divorce happens. It's because if you have children especially you're you're not reflecting the ideal perspective of God in their life. God is saying I created this very thing to teach you, you they're supposed to recognize at some point how much you sacrifice for them. They're supposed to recognize how much you love them, just like you're supposed to recognize how much I love you. And when we break that thing apart when we don't encourage it when we when we remove it when we say you know what, I don't love this person anymore. So I'm gonna move on with My life or doing something much deeper, much deeper than being purely selfish in a moment or breaking up the very lessons that God has to teach our children through our serving them in life. Does that make sense? Okay, this is longer than I thought it'd be okay. He says you cover your garment with violence. I'm not going to get into that now. But that's that's interesting. You have worried the word with your your you've wearied the Lord with your words. But you say how we were read him by saying everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and He delights in them, or by asking, where's the God of justice? Where's the so called God of justice? All these bad things are happening in my life. Where is this? Where's God in that? What's interesting is that this is a different tone than God takes with Job. Job asked the same questions like God, why, why did this happen to me? Why did this happen to me? And God actually shows up for job and reveals His glory. But here he's talking to people that say, where's the God of justice? And what's different is not the question. But it's the attitude behind it. Because God recognizes that they've already forgotten his character that they've already moved on, and that they're just fulfilling a religious duty, wondering when he's going to show up. But who can endure this come? Let's skip down. Let's skip down to verse five, I will draw near to you for judgment, I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers against the adulterers, against those who are falsely against those who oppress the higher worker his wages, who the widow and the fatherless against those who thrust aside the sojourner and, and do not fear me says the Lord of hosts. Here God comes and rebukes everyone. Again, it's not just the list of rules, but it's a list of character. And we do this a lot. When Paul talks about here's the things that you can't do in order to get into the kingdom of heaven. And when Revelation says, These people will not enter the kingdom of heaven, we tend to make that a checklist and say, This is what but really, it's reflecting this character. It's reflecting this idea that people Who are intimate with God are drawn and move by His Spirit into a new way of being. And if you're practicing sorcery, if you're practicing adultery, if you're practicing witchcraft, if you've forgotten the widow and the fatherless, you don't care about your hurting neighbor, if you don't care about the poor among you, if you don't care about the sick, then you don't know something about God. Okay, so God again responds in judgment when people have forgotten him. I the LORD of hosts going to come and judge all these things, and instead of getting the point it just keep making more and more rules that they can't do. by the Lord do not change you children of host let you will say How shall we return will a man Rob God Here we go. It's the famous line. Let's go down to verse eight will a man Rob God yet you are robbing me But you say how have we robbed you? In your tithe and contributions you are cursed with the curse, but you are robbing me the whole nation of you bring the full tie that to my storehouse that there may be food in my house and there by put me to the test says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need, I will rebuke the Devourer for you so that you will not destroy the fruits of the soil and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear so the LORD of hosts, then all nations will call you blessed, but you will be a land of light thus says the Lord of hosts. Okay? We use that scripture and say, This is what happens when you tie we isolate that scripture. I'm going to pull it up, but this is actually a devastating scripture. The scripture sad. I've subtitled Malika I wrote under Malika because I'm writing in this Bible. It's a development for me, God's letter of hurt at the people's rejection. That's what I've titled Mallika, God's letter have heard of the People's rejection. And we read this verse as though it's a positive thing. But God has to argue for his own character. still argue for who he is to this people. He's like, yeah, you know what? Bring in your time, because I'm a God that will do all these things for you. Because apparently you forgot And if we isolated from the rest of the chapters, then we just say, okay, God is transactional in nature. If I bring up this money, this is what happens if I get the exact percentage, right? This is what happens if I give during this time of year. This is what happens if I do this thing. If I dress this way, if I look this way, if I act this way, if I say these words by whatever formula we have, that's been passed to us, we say if I do this formula, then God being transactional in nature will give me something in return. Because he said, in America when God's saying, Wait a minute, wait a minute, if you know me, I'll be there for you. If you know me, you'll be inspired to give everything to me. If you know me, you know that I'm gonna bless you even when it doesn't look like it. If you know me, you know that injustice is temporary, and that justice is soon to emerge. If you know me, then you know that I'm a God of mercy. I shouldn't have to continually argue about my merits. So you in life I grow weary of trying to convince you of who I am as your Father, because if you knew me, this wouldn't be a burden to you. Your words have been hard against me says the Lord, you say, have we spoken against me? You have said it is in vain to serve God. What is the profit? What is the prophet of our keeping his charge, are walking in morning before the Lord of hosts. See, it's interesting that he's reflecting their language here. What's fascinating is God says, You have said it is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping this charge or walking as an morning before the Lord of hosts? He's speaking as the people. You know what they don't call them there. They don't say this. They don't say what is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as a morning before our father before our daddy before they say before the Lord of hosts before The so called God of all the other gods, God above all, the one that's in charge of all the angels, the one that rules over gods of all the land. What's the point of following him? If he's not doing what we expect at this given moment? And it's interesting that when you refer to God a certain way, and there's a truth in it, God done response. God says, You know what? You are the one that approached me and said, Lord of Hosts was, you're the one that grumbled, used my name at n eyes that blot grumbled about it. You're the one that brought up the LORD of hosts things. You're the one that said, this is a supposed title for God. You're the one that came out of your mouth and your grumbling. So guess what, when I write this to you through my Prophet, when I respond to that's what's going to show up. You want to talk to the Lord of hosts, here comes the LORD of hosts. You want to talk to daddy, here comes daddy. How do you talk to God? How do you think of God? Yes, he's Lord of hosts, but he emphasizes what you emphasize in him. He will reveal his You're going to say, you know what, God, where are you when you're supposed to follow these things, you better watch out because he's going to come and you're not going to meet his measure. And these things that we think are our God responding to why they didn't do rules, right is really them putting riggers on themselves, then putting regulations on themselves, then putting burdens on themselves, which is Jesus. That's why Jesus says, follow me because my burden is easy. My yoke is light. Jesus says these things, because he's saying, you know what, if you know me, if you follow me, if you're intimate with me, if you have relationship with me, then you'll have mercy. The mercy that a Father gives a child, you'll have God as a daddy. If you look to me as Daddy, then I won't need to show up as LORD of hosts. Because if you keep provoking me as LORD of hosts, if you keep testing me, then I'm going to show you how you failed and you're going to invoke curses on my life, not because I want to because that's what you asked for. God gives us what we asked for. God gives us all God always. gives us what we asked for. We don't know we're asking for it at times, but he gives us exactly what we asked for. You don't want to be with him. He gives you how you want to treat them as though he's a checklist for your demands. And he's going to judge you on your checklist as well. Those who fear the Lord spoke with one another. Ready? And then here's how it closes out. It begins to close out the they speak together. They shall be mine says the Lord of hosts in the day when I will make up my treasured possession. I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves them. God goes on in chapter four to say behold a day is coming. He starts with Father and listen to this. He says I'm going to set ablaze and leaving Captain Saul okay, but let's go down to verse four and five remember the law of my servant Moses and statutes and rules that I commanded them at Horeb all Israel, he could have stopped right here. He could have stopped and said, just remember my laws. Remember my statutes since that works we're discussing, but that's not really what's being discussed here. The laws and statutes are ancillary to what God's really discussing. Because he closes this out, saying, Behold, I will send you a life of the Prophet. Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. What does he say? And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with the decree of utter destruction. God is balancing between Yes, I'm Lord of host, but he's earnestly saying, But listen, are you not getting the metaphor of sonship? Are you not getting that I'm your daddy, are you? Are you just not understanding that because that's the deepest desire of my heart. What's interesting is Jesus would refer to this and Luke chapter 12, verse 51, to 53. He refers to this verse, And I always thought it was simply to show that He wasn't allowed to because he says I'm going to turn father against son, right? He says, I'm going to turn if I didn't come to bring peace. That's what he says. I came to turn father against son. And I thought, well, that's interesting contrast to Malika, because God says, I'm going to turn father towards son. But what's interesting is Jesus says, I'm not trying to bring you a carnal peace. I'm not trying to bring you a natural peace. I'm trying to bring you in eternal relationship, that if you know me, then you'll know the Father. Listen, those of you who have misinterpreted the end of Molokai, Jesus is saying, and think that I'm the alijah. That's supposed to make your relationship better with your kids. Most of us will make the relationships in Israel better that if you think that I'm the god, that's going to just bring you together because you're all in the same church, then you're mistaken, because the first thing that you have to do is follow me. The first thing that you have to do is pick up your cross and come with me, the first thing that you have to do is embrace me because I am the fullness of life. I am the fullness of God. I am everything and if you see me You see him so you don't get to have him unless you have me. And when you have a me, then your heart is torn towards the Father. And the Father's heart is torn towards the sun. I'm almost done. Is it? so encouraging? Let's look at why this was misinterpreted. It's interesting. I know this is a little different than what we normally do but, but I think it's fascinating that Jesus has to say that I'm not alijah I'm not the one that's going to make peace among you, which shows me something elder, it shows me that people continue to misinterpret God's scripture. How do you listen to me? This word is a priority. It absolutely is a priority. You need to memorize it. You need to study it. You need to engage it as much as possible. But I assure you if you don't know God, you can have this entire thing. I read a story about a pastor recently who had 19 I think books of the Bible now Memorize, memorize 19 books of the Bible all of Romans a bunch of books of the Bible memorized and gave up his faith and became an atheist. Raised in church connected everything pastor to significant church. Pastor after pastor kills themselves. I think pastors have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession. It's insane. preach this thing every Sunday. Go and ruin your own life. Walk out on your family, preach this thing every Sunday, show a struggle behind the scenes with drug addiction and atheism and preach this thing every Sunday. You know, this happens. We've seen it here. This is not foreign to us. This hits home with us. These things happen. Because if you're not constantly engaging God as Father than you're engaging God as a professional, you're engaging some other aspect of God and the brokenness that is required to say Daddy has to be checked for the entirety of your life for the entirety of your ministry. So that God's mercies are continually invoked to you, and you don't fall astray. It's when we begin to say, you know what, this is regulatory in nature, and God is transactional in nature. And I need to get something. So I need to do something that things fall apart. So here he says, Listen, I am going to turn you towards me. And when you're turned towards me, you're going to have peace. people continue to misinterpret it. God sends his Peacemaker, and they reject Him. God sends his Peacemaker, and they kill him. I wrote something that I think was good, and I want to say it. Jesus makes religion, relational rather than regulatory. he embodies what God has always expected, but here it is. Regulatory religion. Do you guys know what I mean by that? What I'm saying is this when you reduce religion to a set of rules, when you when you when you begin to misinterpret scripture, you begin to say if I do these things, I mean, and it goes far if you reduce it to a set of rules, then you're living a regulatory religion, then you're then you're trying to do something just to appease a certain part of God while forgetting that he's your father. Right. Okay. Regulatory religion creates captives, Pharisees and profit killers. relational religion creates live aerators true worshippers and martyrs. Hear me. Regulatory religion creates captives, it binds you, you're bound, your offerings will never be good enough. Your words will never be true enough, and God will measure you as you have measured him. Regulatory religion produces Pharisees produces people who can quote scripture all day, but don't know a thing about God to the point that when he shows up to their face, they kill him. It produces people who spend more time are quibbling over words and letters and die. doctrinal things in the church and destroying flawed people. Bye bye and break tearing down the church by by pointing to every little small thing that they can. I see this with my mom all the time, people who are smarter than her. She knows this will spend her hours tearing her down. Instead of investing and building her up as my mom perfect. No, she's an easy target. She's an easy target. I'm an easy target. We're all easy targets. If people want to target us, they can target us. But you can see the fair cycle nature and people spending all their time quibbling about her when she has a heart for God and instead of spending that time building up your neighbor instead of spending that time engaging in them. People spend their times being regulatory in nature. They become bureaucrats, not Christians. And the regulatory religion creates profit killers. The thing that sucks is it doesn't just stop with the Pharisees. It doesn't just stop in the pulpit. They go out of their way to kill the prophets of the Lord. God says you've killed the prophets before me, you're going to kill me. They go out of their way to kill the prophets, relational religion changes all of that relational religion creates liberators because whom the sun is set free is free indeed. And that scripture becomes more than something we just put to get something off our back, it becomes something that is embedded in us, because we know that He's the God of freedom, and we know him. So we know that we can share this gospel to liberate others. But this is the God that when I rejected him, when I smoked crack when I didn't believe in Him, when I cursed him, nevertheless pulled me out and gave me a life and gave me healing and gave me a wife and gave me children and gave me love and gave me a church. He liberated me. Then, then we don't we don't become fair. See, some of us might not be able to tell you all the details of Isaiah and everything that revelation means we might not have our eschatological things in order We might not be able to tell you explain hypostasis to you, we might not be able to tell you exactly how the Trinity works. But nevertheless, you'll see us on our face before God crying, you'll see a celebrated God. And let me tell you something, God would much rather have true worshipers than Theological Seminary graduates. God doesn't need another seminarian. He needs people who know him. He doesn't need somebody who can argue like a heresy and say, Here's why you're wrong. Doug, you're wrong because you believe this and you said this and bubbeleh he needs people that say, you know what, you know me. You know me and you're going to go light on fire because you have me and I have you and this relationship. You don't need to articulate it, articulate it through you. And then instead of profit killers, it creates martyrs you cannot be a martyr for God. This is why it's the highest reward. The martyrs reward is the highest reward. Not simply because you've given your life because what it requires to give your life to such intimacy with God, that if somebody has an axe to your head, you say, You know what? I'm good. Go ahead. This sucks. I don't want to deal with this. This is painful. But you know what I know my God. I know who he is. I'm not afraid in this life. And I'm not afraid and eternity. I don't care what my children are going through. I don't care what I'm going through. I don't care about any of this. It's painful, I feel it in my flesh, but in my spirit, I know the God that I serve and my spirit. I know the God that I worship. And this is a good God. I don't have to look at my circumstances right now and wonder about the transactional nature of God. I simply have to look up work and realize his character and I'll give you my life. Oh, man, I've got so much more but I'm going to end it. I really got a lot more on that. It's it's a lot. I really got into this message. Um thanks, Victor. Romans 814 let's look at that real quick. I'm almost done. What time is it 1217 it's not terrible. Romans 814 for all who are led by the Spirit of God or sons of God, for you did not receive the Spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. But you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry, Abba, Father, the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God and the children than heirs heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we might also be glorified with him. I think ABA is used pastor Todd like 165 times the New Testament, not once in the Old Testament, but 165 times in the New Testament, because there's this emphasis on Hey, you know, what is real religions failing you? Hey, a church, a Southern Baptist, hey, Methodist, hey, whatever nondenominational. Hey, evangelicals, hey, whatever you are, that denomination. Ain't going to save you. You abiding by the letters of what they say, and giving to that church and being an upstanding citizen in the Southern Baptist Convention or whatever isn't going to save you. Knowing God is Daddy will. And he says, Where does this come from? This comes from Jesus. This is interesting. And this is where I have a lot of notes, but I'm not going to get into this. I'm just going to talk about this real quick. This is this is interesting. This is where it there's a balance that has to take place in Christianity. I'm, I'm more intuitive with God, I'm articulate and can understand the Bible. I was a philosophy major. And I like to read and I read theology and stuff like that, but at the at the base of who I am, it's it's in here, it's not appear, the base of who I am is here. And so, intuitively, some certain things that we're talking about Hi, son, intuitively certain things that are taught and religion bothered me because they didn't line up exactly this was used but it didn't line up quite right with what I knew God did in my own life. Like, like the teaching that God rejected me and, and I was despised by him that this this that I was totally depraved that I knew no good and that he he hated me that he wanted nothing to do with me that he wanted to pour His wrath out on me. But Jesus intervened and stopped the fist of God from hitting my face. I always thought that that's not what the scripture really is communicating here. I saw this communicating and then then I heard scriptures use like Isaiah 48, nine and 11 various scriptures that like Ezekiel 3622 and 23. It talks about how God operates out of his own glory and for his own glory. This is a common theme, that the purpose of God is his own glory. This is this is gonna step on some toes today. But that's okay. Becaus

Pastor Brad Knight recorded on February 16, 2020 at City of Destiny in Apopka, Florida, USA. For more information about our ministry, visit http://cityofdestiny.us

Transcription by machine:

john chapter six, verse 16. This is what we're covering. And this is interesting, my messages, I usually feel a little more confident about the specifics of the message. But today, there's so much content that emerges just from the theme of water alone, Jesus walking on water, that reading these passages, I'm overwhelmed with how much God began to reveal to me. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat and started across the sea to comfort them. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rode about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, it is I do not be afraid, then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going now. This is also in Matthew and Mark in this version. It's the famous one. This is the famous version of the story, and we're going to cover all the gospel stories of this particular story. But the first thing that I think it's important to do is establish this as fact, because there's the temptation to say, Well, people can't walk on water. So this just was the allegory, etc, etc. And I think we don't want to do that with the stories of Jesus. And though most of us probably do, except this as fact, I would like to point to the text to say that john is also establishing these things as fact, if you want it to say that this was just simply a metaphor, or an allegory, or he was trying to make some theological point, he would just say it and leave it alone. But the thing that interests me is actually in another chapter, chapter four, verse 46, he says, so he came again to Cana and Galilee where he had made water made the water wine. Now, that seems like a throwaway line when he's referring to an earlier miracle that Jesus did. But to me, it's a very, very key to the rest of the passages in john because what John's saying is, is this as a real incident, he returned to a place where something that took place before actually happened, see if he was just trying to establish a metaphor he wouldn't have rooted in historical fact. So when we read this gospel of john, and we read about the miracles of Jesus, it's important that we know that the writers are saying, hey, these things really took place. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said he would have told the story about the water to wine. But he would not have repeated it as a historical fact, when he said, this is the place where Jesus came, I'm not going to say something ridiculous or outlandish, or something that I intend to be a metaphor and then refer to the actual physical location of where it's at later. So we have to know is that this guy, Jesus actually walked on water. It's pretty amazing, right? He actually turned water into wine. He actually because here's the thing, the fundamental thing to the faith of Jesus Christ, the fundamental thing about being a Christian is your belief in the resurrection of Christ. Paul says, without the resurrection of Christ or faith is in vain. So what we want to do is there's a lot of leeway in the Bible. Whether God created the earth in six days, whether a day is as 1000 years or thousand years is a day whether that's a literal six days. That's the way there's certainly ways that you have in the Bible when you read Scripture. But when it comes to the miracles of Jesus, I think it's a dangerous thing not to take it as fact. And this is fact. So Jesus is walking on water here, which is not simply a miracle because he's walking on water. But because of everything that water represents. This is bigger than we can ever anticipate. First of all, it's an obvious relation to the parting of the Red Sea. We know that we know that these events take time, take a place in the time around Passover, we know that there's allusions to Jesus saying, I'm your deliverer. But it goes deeper than this. When you read the Old Testament, and you study the religions of the time when you look at scholars how they described the the Judaic God, Yahweh, he's, he's a war and whether God is a God of War and he's a God of storms. And this was a common theme for the people of the times when when you look at the religions of old everyone talked about water because the water was chaotic. They were a seafaring people and the Israelites were the least seafaring of these peoples, they associated the water with chaos. We see that in Isaiah 43 two and verse 16. We see that let's actually read that for a second. Let's read that just so you can establish it as fact. Listen to how the Bible refers to waters and God's handling of the waters. When you pass through the waters I will be with you okay, when you pass through, I will be with you and through the rivers they shall not overwhelm you, okay? When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned in the flame shall not consume you. God says here that waters are chaotic, but I'm going to be with you nonetheless. Similarly, Liam, verse 16, he says, Thus says the Lord, who makes away in the sea, a path in the mighty water so clearly God's ability to tame waters is associated with his character and his power. Let's look at Psalm 89 verses eight through nine, O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty You are Oh Lord with your faithfulness all around you, you rule the raging of the sea. When it's Ray waves rise, you still them. So here we're seeing this association with the God of the Old Testament and Jesus is ability to still the waters around him. It gets even more interesting in the creation story of Genesis one, one and two. In the beginning God created the heavens in the earth, the earth was without form and void and the darkness was over the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. The suggestion is that there we see that there was boy there was nothing as the take home. It's called town it but we're really this water is representative of a chaos that was widely accepted at the time as being the origin of creation. Everybody had to deal with the mystery of the waters we see that there's an abyss we say it's a similar to an abyss, we see that there's creatures that rise out of the water, we see these references and joke, the water is an untamable thing, but God says I take chaos. I make order out of it. I take chaos. And so from the beginning, we see that there's a chaos associated with water. But I think the most interesting of scriptures is revelations 21. one and four. I'm going to read through four. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away in the sea was no more. All you beach lovers kissing goodbye in heaven. It's interesting. He says, I saw a new heaven and I saw a new earth. The first Earth was gone, the one that was corrupted by sin, the one that was chaotic, the one that was disordered, the one that was contaminated was gone, and the sea was no more. I saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem coming out of the heaven from God I prepared as a bride adorned for her husband and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them and they will be as people and God himself will be with them as their God. And we see the Association of the abolishment of the sea that the disappearance of the sea and peace itself he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. It's amazing that that in an effort to bring peace to all people, God says the sea is gone. And so we see that there's a clearly an association between chaos and water, we see that out of the sea, comes disorder comes, darkness comes many things and Jesus has ability to calm the sea will speak a lot to who he is, but it's not simply his ability to calm the sea that matters. And what's interesting is even though these stories are facts, even though that we know they really happen, Jesus picks his miracles to make points still. Right We know that's that's the temptation make it allegorical. y'all with me? The temptation to make it allegorical is to say oh, well He's trying to make a point through the story. So it didn't really happen. No, Jesus performed physical miracles, to make a point, Jesus will heal cancer to show that he has authority over cancer. Jesus, Jesus resurrected from the dead to show that he has authority over death. He established his his authority through miracles. And he's hoping that you're rooted enough in a tradition of God's Word to associate certain things. So when he walks on water, and when he calls water, he wants you to think that when the people of Israel were delivered, the waters were parted and God made a way for them to go to the promised land, right? Jesus is making allusions to God's character and his history with his people. So every time God performs a miracle in your life, it will be to teach you something about himself. Okay. What's interesting in john as we see him walk on the water. My message is almost done a thing. I think it's good. We say in john, we see Jesus walk on the water. But we see this also in Matthew and Mark but here's the interesting thing that before we see Jesus walk on the water and Matthew and Mark, we see that Jesus stills the water. Let's look at Matthew nine, three. My notes are a little messy today, so bear with me. Thank you. Nope, I got the wrong verse here. Okay. 823 I don't know why I wrote nine three. First, chapter eight, verse 23, and Matthew, and when he got into the boat, his disciples thought followed him and behold, there arose a great storm on the sea so that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep and they went and woke him. Saying, save us, Lord, we are perishing. And he said to them, why are you afraid Are you of little faith? Then he rose and revoke, rebuked the winds in the sea, and there was a great calm, and the men marveled, saying, what sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey Him? This is interesting that God Himself is sitting on their boat. They're in the middle of a storm, and this man has the ability to calm the storm. They don't recognize Him as God, though they say what sort of man is this? We've seen this before in Moses. We've seen this before in profits, the ability to deal with water is still something that is rooted in a man who might be blessed from God, but it's not God Himself. So here Jesus is very presence in the boat leads him to think, man, this man is special, but it does not lead them to think this man is God. Okay, it's going to be an important part. So look at Mark 648. Hopefully that's the right verse. I'm sorry, Mark 435, I'm my okay. On that day, when the evening had come, he said to them, let us cross to the other side and leaving the crowd they took him and in the boat just as he was the other boats were with him and a great wind storm arose and the waves were breaking into the boat so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern asleep in the cushion, and they woke to him and said to him, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said, Peace, be still and the winds ceased, and there was a great calm? And he said to them, Why are you so afraid, Have you no faith, and they were filled with great fear and said to one another, who is this then that even that the wind and sea obey Him Jesus again, and Mark, we see that he calms the storm. And people say, Man, there's something special about this guy, but they don't go beyond that. They don't they don't say this is God. We see that contrast it with john 616 21, Matthew 1420 to 33 and Mark 648, which we're going to read, we see that contrast with these very stories when it comes to the actual walking on the water, that something shifts when God goes from being in the boat with them and calming the water to being outside of the boat and walking on the water. That's interesting to me, because we're going to see if God is trying to teach us something through his miracles, then we have to pay attention to these little details. He already established his authority over the waters, but it's not until his absence from their crisis that they can see he's God. Okay. Jesus walked on the water. JOHN 616. When the evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat and started across the sea, the comfort them, it was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because strong wind was blowing. When they have wrote about three or four miles they saw you Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat. He says do not be frightened. It is I, then they were glad to take them on the boat and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. Remember that it says immediately, immediately the boat was up the land to where they were going. Immediately their course was corrected. Immediately they went where God wanted them to go immediately everything that they thought they were going to had changed and shifted to the direction that God wanted them to be at. Let's look at Matthew chapter 1422 to 33. Please be right. It is. Is that awkward when I drink water? I know like, remember Marco Rubio did that. And that speech. I was thinking that. Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side while he dismissed the crowds. And then after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain himself to pray. When the evening came, he was there alone but the boat by this time was long away from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them a love that the wind was against them. And then the fourth watch of the night. Now the fourth watch of the night is between 3am and 6am 3am and 6am. But an interesting time to be out on the sea and a storm. The fourth watch of the night he came to them walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him on the sea, they were terrified and said, it is a ghost. It's three in the morning, it's dark out, and here's this presence walking on water. I would say it was a ghost. That'd be pretty freaked out. My first thought wouldn't be or Rabbi or teacher. As walking on water. My first thought would be Y'all better hide, that's high. Let's roll this thing out of here. There's some freaky thing in the waters about to get us. My mind would immediately think of a horror movie instead of a sort of God. But when the disciples says it's a ghost, they cried out and fear but immediately Jesus spoke to them saying, Take heart it is I do not be afraid. And Peter answered them, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, Come to I think we've read this scripture wrong for years now. Peter said Him, Lord, fish, you command me to come. He said, Come. So Peter got out onto the boat and walked onto the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, he cried out, Lord saved me. Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took a hold of him saying, Oh, you have little faith? Why did you doubt and then when they got into the boat, the wind ceased, and those in the boat worshiped him saying, truly, you are the Son of God. Notice the difference here. This time, they don't say what kind of man is this? When he gets into the boat, this time they say, Whoa, we got to worship this guy, because he's more than just a man truly, he is the Son of God. And if you're the Son of God, then you are God being birthed out of him, right. Okay, let's look at Mark 648. Because each one of these has a specific thing that I want you to see. And he saw that they were making headway painfully the disciples are on the boat. When even came the boat was on the sea. He was alone on land, and he saw that they were making headway painfully for the wind was against them. And a The fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking on the sea. He meant this is a key here. He meant to pass by them. Jesus has taken a stroll at three in the morning and stormy weathers he, we think that he's going to help the disciples and he's not. Mark says he meant to pass by them Jesus is just it's like waves blowing. His his followers are dying. The boat sinking. Jesus is like man, I just thought it was pretty out. I was gonna take a walk right by you guys. That that blows me away it says he meant to pass it by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, Take heart it is I do not be afraid. And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased and they were utterly astounded. But they did not understand about the loaves but their heart were hardened. They were utterly astounded because the possibility of this man being God did not reach their conception. They didn't even conceive it. They thought he was a great prophet, they would call him rabbi, his teacher, but they didn't elevate him to that point yet now, the fact that Jesus was meaning to pass by is a very interesting side note. See, we read the story as though Jesus went out on the waters to approach the disciples. And then when we read the story of Peter, we often celebrate the fact that Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water with Jesus. And when you realize that water is associated with chaos, waters associated with storms and destruction, you see that Jesus is making a very interesting point here about life in general. You see in the previous miracles and Matthew and Mark, Jesus is in the boat. Okay. That doesn't sound like a big deal. But it sounds like the religion of a lot of people that I know. Jesus is in the boat with you. You were raised with them. You got them is by your side. You know that you can call on Him when the storm start to hit. He's in the boat, and you're thankful for who he is. He's revealed himself as a prophet in your life. He's a name that you can trust when demons show up the cast and society is somebody that you know can do things. What kind of man is this, he can call them the storms of my life. I like having them here in the cabin asleep, so that I can call on a pump when I need him, but it's not until his absence in your life, and you don't know what's going to happen. You're going the wrong direction. You're about to go wonder he's no longer visible in the cabin. He's not an idol that you can call upon and say Jesus, when all the sudden he comes walking on the water, and you have to invite him into the boat, and then you recognize Him as God. What this shows me is that God will sometimes reveal himself by revealing his absence. We want Jesus to stay in the boat with us. We want him to be available to us anytime a storm arises. We Want to be able to call upon that name and say, Jesus be here, and he is often. But there are times when he says I have a greater point to make to you in life, it's not going to be as easy as looking in the cabin and saying, help us out. You're going to look for me and I'm not going to be there. You're going to call my name and I'm not going to hear it. But I'm going to be passing by. I'm going to be passing by, and this storm that you're going through is going to blow you right into my direction. It's interesting. When you contrast the story with the story of Jonah, Jonah gets thrown into the waters for not going where God wants him to go. And in this case, I think more along the lines of Jonah with Peter than I do, a man of faith I'll tell you why. You see that how God interacts with people. He's trying to reveal himself as God. And this is going to be the final point of God's relationship. And he's like, he will show you his authority. He will show you that he's a great man. He will show you he's a prophet, but even Islam believes he's a prophet. God is going to establish at some point in your life that he is God or you're going to be encountering storms persistently. And we see two storms type we see. We see a storm that occurs because Jonah is running from God. And then we see a storm that occurs to drink disciples into God. Jesus, according to Mark was going a different direction. He meant to pass by Where was he going? He had moved on yet the disciples were determined to get to the place they thought he last was. There, they're on their way to they where they think Jesus is and he's already moved. Dawn and they're in the midst of this storm. And they think that this storm is going to take them out. But they don't realize that God is setting them up for the storm to be right in the path of where Jesus is, and reveal himself as God in their life. Sometimes we look at storms and we think what have we done wrong, and there are times that we have done something wrong. We have not obeyed an instruction from God. God has said to us go to Nineveh and preach my word, and we've refused to go. And so we encounter storms and we see that the storms around us will not be satiated until we're cast into the waters. I don't know about y'all, but I don't want to have to be swallowed by a whale to get the point of God. His mercies are readily available to me. When he says go to Nineveh. I'm going to go to Nineveh when he says go to a paka I'm gonna go to a parka. When he says go to the White House. I'm going to go to White House, whatever He says to do, I'm going to do because I know that not obeying His instruction. He'll send some waves my way to make this point. But there are other times that I faced crises I faced situations that are clearly chaotic in nature. I face water, I faced storms, I faced wind. And I've looked around and I said, God is absent. He was with me before he was in the cabin. I don't know what I've done. I must have disappointed him. I must have disobeyed him. I was headed to where I thought he told me to be and I start to curse my storm. I start to say what is going on, I start to get afraid. I start to lack faith, I start to wonder where Jesus is. And then all of a sudden, I don't realize that God has set up a storm that are under the wrong place. Here me he set up a storm not to cause me just to, to blow it just to create some difficulty but he set up the storm to make sure that he didn't pass me by in the stillness of waters. Jesus was moving on from where the disciples were going and had they not had the storm They would have ended up in the wrong place and been playing a game of catch up with Jesus himself, but the rest of their time. Jesus doesn't need a boat to get to where you're going. He doesn't need the tools that you need to get to where you're going. You think he's in one place because you're obeying just now a little too late. Oh, prophetic instruction, and he's already moving on. And you're wondering why you're facing situations and you begin to think that God has abandoned you because you can't see him. Your prayers fall silent. You don't know where he's at. But you don't realize that storm is to course correct you so that you're right into this path and end up exactly where he wants you to be. What's interesting about what Peter does is Peter, we always celebrate it. And we always think that Peter did the right thing by getting out on the water. And that could be possible. I'm not saying it's not. But I just want to look at this again. Because Peter is an audacious guy cuts off ears. He denies God but he's also the rock the church. He also has a revelation about who Jesus is. Peter's a lot like me. I miss a lot of things up and do a couple things right. Jesus is better than bread thank god Peter answered him Lord, if it is you command me to come to you on the water. Jesus already said take heart desire. Jesus is already walking chillin. Headed to this next place. If it is you, he says wait a minute, I already said it was me. you not recognize my voice, Peter. This is the same voice that has been speaking to you everything to this point. What what all the sudden Don't you understand? Is it the winds that have distorted my voice? Have the waves cause distortions in my voices all the sudden, when chaos erupts around you? Can I not trust that? You know, it's me? What What is it now, Peter? When you're praying, you don't hear what it is that I have to say, What? Why do you need to test me? In order to know that it is me? He says Peter got into the boat and walked in the water and came to Jesus. And we always say, wow, this is cool that he took a couple steps of faith. When he saw the wind, he was afraid beginning to sink he cried out Lord saved me. Jesus reached out his hand and took a hold of him saying, Oh, you have little faith. Why did you belt? Now we always say that he was saying no, you have little faith. Why did you doubt when you were walking on the water because you could have been walking on the water with me. But we know that Jesus is trying to establish himself as God to them. He never intended Peter to walk on that water with him. He said, Oh, you have little faith. Why did you get out The boat. Why did you get out of the vessel that you were using to get where I wanted you to get to? Why are you trying to be me instead of serve me? Why are you trying to be me? So don't listen to me. Oh, you have little faith? Why did you doubt it? It reminds me very much of Luke chapter four, verses nine through 12 where Jesus Himself fixes the same thing with Satan. And Satan says, hey, you're God, cast yourself from this ledge, and the angels will cure you. And God says, Wait a minute, I know not the tempt the Lord my God. Jesus, I know better than that. I know that I could do a counter call on a legion of angels. I know that God would save me from destruction. But I'm not going to test God because I already know my God. I don't need to test him to be sure of what he'll do in my life. I don't need to test him to be sure that he's going to preserve me. I don't need to test him to make sure that God is going to show up when I need a most. Peter, why are you walking on this water Why are you stepping out and walking on this water when you know as a human being your faith is not going to sustain itself long enough for you to get to where I'm trying to take you stay in the boat sun and hear my voice and know that when I say I've got you I've got you know, when I showed you that I was still the waters before are still the waters again. And I want to make sure, I think what I want and I've seen is this tendency for us, especially in the charismatic church. Now I'm done. Especially in the charismatic church, we we have this tendency to be the Peter we celebrate the Peter, we celebrate Peter, and he should be celebrated their strengths about Peter and I could be totally wrong about the story. I'm open to that. I'm open to that. But I think when Jesus says oh, you have little faith He's saying, hey, Peter, you're the one that's supposed to know me. Peter, you're the one that I'm about to base my church upon. You're the one that has the revelation of who I am Brad, what are you doing? testing me? Why are you trying to get out of the vessel that I gave you? Why are you trying to get out of this building so quick or that land so quick, or wherever it is, you want to go and use your own two feet which are not equipped to walk on water because you are not God? And soon enough that when it's going to make enough noise, that you're going to lose your focus and start to drown? What is it, you can't just sit still and know that I am God and that I will speak to your situation and get in this boat. See what you are trying to do too often is get out of the boat and run to God and ways that you cannot win. You need to say Lord, I recognize your vote, and I'm ready for you anytime you're ready to get in. And we see our Storms as a distraction from where God is taking us. We see our storms, as a way as a way that God is doing something that is taking us away or allowing something that is taking us away from where he wants to be. And when we talk about storms, and we talk about direction, all of us have moments where God has told us we're going to go somewhere, and then with the winds start blowing, and the waves start crashing, and God is absent. And we're saying, Where is he? And we think that this is an interference with where we're supposed to go. We think that this is an interference with our destiny. And reality is it's a course correction. And if you'll just sit in the boat and wait for God, he's gonna show what calm the waters, you're going to find yourself immediately, as john says, where you need to be. I'm done. I'm done. I just want to say one more thing. Wow. Jesus is constantly on the move. But one time he repeats, Peter Peters has a pattern of doing this. He has a pattern of saying, hey, let's go over here and Jesus says, Satan Shut up. calls him Satan. Let's pray. Jesus called me Satan, I cry, I wouldn't let anybody see. Me Man, I was just trying to say, good intention. Peter's like, you know, here's an easier path. Similarly, Peter, in this situation is saying, Well, if he can do it, I can do it because he doesn't understand who this man is fully. This form of idolatry is form of I can do anything you can do, I can do better. I can do better, anything better than you. We play that game with Jesus. And we think because we've seen power, and we can exhibit power, and we have authority over things that we can tempt the Lord When God's ultimate lesson is to stay in the vessel that he's appointed for you, and if you're off course he might use a storm but he's going to get you exactly where he wants you to be. So what do you do in a situation? What do you do? Do you start you're facing a storm in life? Do you start talking to that storm? You start walking on water do you start? I don't think Peter should have done any of that. I don't think it was Peters place to calm the storm. I don't think it was Peters place to walk on water. I don't think it was Peters place to doubt God and say Is this your voice? Who else is going to be talking to you the saying it is I crisis is the time that we lose perception. The Jesus said, My sheep know My voice, Christ. This is the time when that is truly tested. And if we don't have that in our life, and we can recognize him as a prophet, but will never establish him of God as God in our life. So we need that crisis. And we need that faith to be able to say, you know what, I remember this voice Everything looks destructive around me. But if he's capable of doing it in the boat, he's capable of doing it on the waters. He's capable of doing it on the shore. He doesn't need to be where I expect him to be to do the miracle that I need him to do in my life. So what do we do? We've got to face these storms, with an anticipation that God is walking our direction. We've got to ask ourself, have I disobeyed God's instruction and going to the wrong place? Have I not gone to Nineveh, and that case, you're going to face storms over and over because God is a jealous God. And when he tells you to do something, he means it. If God tells you to do something, and you try to run from that, because you're embarrassed about what he has to say, or the instruction that he's given you, or it's just not pleasant, you're going to find yourself and storms over and over and the only solution is to cast yourself into the chaos. But then there are these other moments where we're doing right on the path God has set for us that we're headed to the place where we think he is. As leaders as individuals, and all of a sudden, a storm comes, all of a sudden waves rise up. This is where we buckle down. This is where we as believers, when we're facing the scariest moments of our life, when the water is coming into the cabins, when everything looks like chaos, all we need to remember is it is I. All we need to remember is I am all we need to remember as this is not simply a man who has to be here to solve my problems, but this is the eternal God Himself. And that same name that I called upon in this situation is that name that already realized this was going to happen and set the storm in the first place to blow me in the right direction. Because there's something worse than dying in a storm. What's worse than dying in a storm is not being where Jesus wants you to be. And this is where we as believers have to mature. We have to mature to a place that We have to be sensitive to understanding that something's coming our life to course correct us for future generations to course correct our destiny to course correct where God is going. There's things that shift, there's things that change. And if we think that every wind that blows is a barrier to our destiny, then we're going to be in a situation where we're talking to the wrong things, instead of inviting Jesus into the boat. And our prayer life should be anchored always around, inviting Jesus into the boat. The boat is your vessel to get where God is where he's told you to be. your boat is whatever it is that God has appointed for you to ride in to get to where he's told you to go. Don't step out of your boat. When things get rough. Don't Don't look around you and think that you are God. But instead wait upon the voice of the Lord. Instead wait upon God to say and to recognize your situation to say, You know what? I've obeyed you God. I've listened to you God. So this can only mean one thing. This means that you are Shifting me to where you're going so that you don't pass me by. God come into the vessel, come into my boat, come into the situation I don't even want to step out. My faith will never be strong enough to sustain itself on these waters. I am human. I need to stay where you told me to be. I need to do what you told me to do. And I need to buckle down and say Lord, step on in