Father, we want to hear from you, Aba, and thank you for your presence.
Thank you that you always have a plan.
Thank you that you always have a purpose.
So we come, Aba, as your children, sons and daughters, to hear what you have to say, but
more importantly, Aba, to do what you want us to do, to become what you want us to become.
Hearing is one thing, becoming and doing is another.
So we don't come today to just hear.
We come today to become who you want us to be.
I come today to become who you want me to be.
We come today to become and to do everything you've asked us to do.
So thank you, in Jesus' name, amen.
When we kicked off this year, Jacob started with the series, Take Your Rightful Place.
You remember that?
Yeah, we spent a few weeks on that.
Soon after that, we moved on to consecration, and it's week three.
So I'm only going to continue the theme, but take a step back, okay?
Before we delve right into what I have for this week, because it's all related, I want
to first have us take a few steps back.
Think about what you've heard this year in terms of the direction the Holy Spirit is
placing in front of us.
Take Your Rightful Place.
That was the first one.
And then we're hearing, and there is a call, and there is a pull from the Holy Spirit
to have you and to have me be set apart, because there are God purposes that He wants to birth
in you.
There are God purposes that He wants to birth in me.
Last week, Jacob touched on this.
I don't know how many times we've read it over the last two years.
I have no idea.
But I remember last summer talking about this.
I remember us probably talking about this for the first time.
And by this, I mean what's up on the screen.
I'll get to that.
The first time I think we started speaking about this was two years ago.
It's been a while.
And here we are again.
So I want you to read this and read it for yourself.
When you read it this time, here's the question that I have for you.
Where do you see yourself in it?
If this is really, if I am a part of this body, if you are part of this church, and
God is saying, this is the direction that I have set for you, I have to locate myself
in this.
You have to locate yourself in this.
Fair enough?
You got it.
Because otherwise we become passengers.
Otherwise we become people who tell God, I would rather stick to my seat and I don't
want to move ahead.
But my goodness, man, there is much purpose that God has for us here.
And when you read it this time, please, if you haven't already asked, I know you have,
I know some of you have, not all of you have started asking the question, where do you
fit?
Where do I fit?
So read it please.
Here is what we believe the Father wants to do on earth.
And every fiber in my body, every cell in my body believes that he wants to do this.
I absolutely believe that on earth today the Father wants to do this.
A purifying fire is what he wants to send from heaven that burns up religious and historical
junk as the divine warrior marches, delivering young men and women from nations into the
kingdom, calling sons and daughters from the north, the south, the west, the east, calling
sons and daughters into that circle of dancing, abundance and joy before the lion and the
lamp, a torch bearing generation that goes forth and will not return empty.
Where do you find yourself in this?
What's your role?
Is your role to ignite others with the purifying fire?
Is your role to be one among the few who first have to catch it first from the Father?
Is your role to then go out and minister to young men and women?
Is your role to go into nations?
Is your role to be in Vancouver?
Is your role to call out sons and daughters?
Is your call to set up circles of dancing and abundance and joy?
What is your role?
You've got to have a role.
And when I say that, don't think God always has a role for me and I am limiting myself
to that role.
No, that's why I said it is a becoming that's way more important than the doing.
But I have to.
I have to start finding myself in the story.
You've got to do that.
It is important.
And so take a minute.
And if you haven't thought about it much, now is a great time to start.
And if you feel like I kind of know, I kind of know where I am supposed to fit in, in
this story, then that's great.
We'll dive deeper into it.
You've got to locate yourself, man.
You've got to do that.
Because otherwise, as I said, you simply become passengers in this.
And that's such a, for the lack of a better word, foolish place to be at.
You don't want to be doing that.
You want to catch on to what he wants to do.
And this he wants to do on the earth.
He absolutely wants this.
Man, even before you and I were an idea, even before we were formed in our mother's womb,
he had a plan.
Every generation, every period of time in history, he has always accomplished what he
wanted to.
And the thing is, if I don't give myself fully to it, if you don't give yourself fully to
it, he'll find someone else.
There's no shortage.
He'll always find someone else.
Where can we do this?
And you don't need to travel to Ireland to do this.
You can travel to Ireland and do this, but you've got to find yourself in it.
A purifying fire from heaven that burns up religious and historical junk.
As the divine warrior marches, delivering young men and women from nations into the
kingdom, calling sons and daughters into that circle of dancing, abundance and joy, before
the light of the lamp, a torch bearing generation that goes forth and will not return empty.
Man, we should see this in our lives.
We should experience what it is to see the Father say something and then see it play
out right in the front of our eyes.
And to know that it cannot be accomplished by one man, that it cannot be accomplished
by just one church, it cannot be accomplished by just a few people, that this is something
that he is igniting on earth, and that if he said he will, he will do it.
Can we be part of it?
So that's the premise.
I want us to go deeper.
Yeah, I want us to go, if there is a title for today, it's consecrate yourself deeper.
Deeper.
I want us to go beyond the words.
Words are good, but I want us to go beyond the words.
I want us to go beyond the idea.
I want us to go beyond what we hear.
I want us to experience what he wants us to see, touch, become, do, all of it.
And it's absolutely possible.
It's possible for every one of us sitting here.
And the other thing, which I will repeat from last week or two weeks ago, is this is for
all of us.
It's not just for a few of us.
We are sons and daughters.
It's for all of us.
So if you want to part in it, it's yours to take.
So when we say consecrate, we're not consecrating to something.
We are consecrating to someone.
We're not consecrating ourselves to spend time in the world.
We're not consecrating ourselves to pray.
Those are byproducts of what happens.
We are, when I say consecrate, when you think consecrate, it's always you're consecrating
yourself to someone.
Because otherwise you confuse between the two, which is, hey, I'm going to do this.
I need to read the word more and more.
Rightfully so, and you should.
Otherwise you feel like I need to pray more and more.
Rightfully so, and you should.
But you've got to get this, which is that I am consecrating myself.
I am separating myself.
I am choosing to stay away from certain things because I am an Azerite.
I am someone who wants to consecrate myself fully, my being, my everything, everything
that I have.
It is only for someone, not something, to someone and that someone is Jesus.
Someone, my Jesus.
He is the one I consecrate my life to.
Because I'm not consecrating my life to things and Christian-ese good things.
I'm consecrating my life to Jesus who died, who resurrected, who is alive and well.
He who watches over me, He who watches over you, we are to consecrate our lives to Him.
Otherwise, all of the stuff that we know we need to do, we focus on that way too much
than the person of Jesus.
So you're not consecrating to something, you're consecrating and separating yourselves to
someone.
Here is the thing guys, genuine consecration translates to an increasing pile of trash
that you've now counted as loss.
Hear me out.
Genuine consecration now translates to an increasing pile of trash that you've now counted
as loss, as nothing.
Who said that?
Paul.
What did he say?
All of these things that I have seen, all of these things that I could have had, all
of these things that I could have become, all of that I consider as cowdung, as dogdung,
as nothing because I now know that Jesus and the surpassing value of knowing Jesus
is greater than all of that.
So genuine consecration then translates to, in your life and in my life, it translates
to an increasing pile of stuff.
Some good, some bad, some ugly, but an increasing pile of stuff that you're throwing on the
other side of the fence and you say that's trash.
I held on to it too much but this is trash.
This thing that I valued so much when I compare it against the person of Jesus Christ, when
I compare it against who he is, then I count this as nothing.
And so off you go.
So genuine consecration absolutely translates to this heaping pile of trash that you have
to find outside of your life but you still have visibility to it because it is the old.
And I need you to think about it because what's the point with us going through a teaching
on consecration without living it, without becoming this?
It has to translate to real things.
And what is it for you?
It's going to be different for different people.
A true Christian is a trading Christian who sells more of everything to get more of Christ.
A true Christian, a true follower of Christ is one who trades because he trades more of
the stuff he values now as nothing to get more of Christ.
Are you a trading Christian?
Is your pile of trash growing?
Are you looking at the pile of trash and saying, Abba, I did not know one day, I did not know
that all of these things that I valued were to one day become trash.
That one day I would just throw them away and say, I have seen Jesus.
I know who he is.
I want to be with him.
I want to be his son.
I want to be his daughter.
There is nothing more meaningful than that.
There is nothing that compels my heart more than this cry of heaven upon my life.
And for that sake, I follow just like we sang a little earlier when we said, we come to
join the song.
Which song?
The song that was sung thousands of years before us and the song that still continues
to ring, which is there has always been a people who saw the surpassing value of knowing
Christ and they counted one thing after the other after the other as trash.
Will you join that song?
See when we receive Christ, we count things as trash and we throw it on the other side
and we say, here I am.
Send me.
Here I am.
Take me.
Here I am.
Use me.
But it's easy as you now become a Christian and you've been in the Christianese that you
begin to slow down and you plateau.
It's like you go up and you plateau.
And that's what the Holy Spirit is wanting to do tonight with us as a people over the
little over the last little while.
This is what he's saying.
Come deeper.
There is stuff I want to show you.
Come deeper.
Let me tell you what I have in store for you.
Come deeper.
Let me show you how you fit into this story.
And here's the other thing.
If you think, I don't know why I'm saying this, but why not?
If you're not convinced that this is for the earth, please come talk to Jacob or me
or Dawn or me, one of us or some, please come talk because let's talk.
Anyway, we are headed in this direction.
If you feel like, I'm not really sure about it.
I think it warranties a talk.
Talk about it.
It's completely okay if you feel like, I don't really know if this is true.
It's fair.
Please talk though.
Because we're all moving in a direction.
You've got to think about it.
So a true Christian is a trading Christian who sells more of everything to get more of
Christ.
So what have you counted as loss in the last two months of 2024?
What have you counted as loss?
Since we started the series, it's been two weeks.
What have you counted as loss, as trash?
In the message it says dog dung.
What have you counted as trash?
There are things that stand in our way guys.
We're wise if we see it.
We're wise if we allow others to see it for us, if it's in your blind spot.
But there are things that stand in the way.
What is it that you're holding on to so much that you can't give it up for the sake of
Christ?
What is it in your life?
There's always something.
Is it your career?
Is it all of the stuff that comes with it?
Is it the desire to do well?
You just want to do well.
Even when you were a kid, you're like, I want to do well.
Is it your pride?
Is it your ego?
What is it that stops you from selling and trading more of everything so you get more
of Christ?
Is it your relationships?
Is it people?
Is it your allegiance to things that are not good anymore?
What is it?
Is it your personal ambition?
I actually woke up one of these days hearing the word personal ambition.
Is it your personal ambition?
Because see guys, we live in a world where these things are so good, where these things
are uploaded, where having the drive to do things, which absolutely comes from God as
well, but that can sometimes take over everything he has for you.
But you're so focused, so driven to a point where it doesn't matter what happens to the
right in front of you, your eyes are closed off because you are so driven.
What is it?
And sometimes it's the very thing that you prayed for and you got that you've gotten
hooked onto.
There was a season in your life, a time in your life where you prayed for certain things.
I want this.
I need this.
Give me this.
You prayed for these very things and you have it in your hands now.
You enjoy the riches of it now.
But those very things have now become things that stop you from moving faster, quicker.
And so if you're wise, you will think about it beyond the next hour.
That's just how it works.
One of the things I despise is for us to come together and for us to not reflect with the
Holy Spirit.
We do that with everything else.
You get feedback from your employer, you'll go and think about it.
You get feedback from your professor, you'll go and think about it.
Right, son?
You do.
Let's think about it.
You have to have, you have to know where you stand.
So someone once said, beauty is the battlefield where God and Satan contend for the hearts
of men.
Beauty is the battlefield where God and Satan contend for the hearts of men.
I want to say this.
The more you behold his beauty, the more you desire and will to be consecrated.
Not the other way around.
The more you behold his beauty, the more your desire will be to consecrate yourself more
and more, more and more to what God has for you.
Sometimes we think that I need to consecrate myself more and more and more so that I can
behold his beauty more and more.
But what I'm telling you is, if you begin to see his beauty, if you begin to gaze upon
his beauty, then it becomes so much more easier for you to consecrate yourself from everything
that surrounds you, even the good things, as we've been calling it.
Because all circumstances and all opposition, everything bow down in submission to the beauty
of Christ.
You can't say, well, you don't really understand my life and what I'm going through.
It's not a bed of roses.
Everything is not fine and easy for me.
Things are difficult.
It is challenging.
If you knew what I'm going through, you wouldn't say what he just said.
Read Psalm 27, 1-4.
You see David at a place in life where he's surrounded by enemies.
He's surrounded by people who, they just want to kill him.
They want to destroy everything that he has.
He's someone who is supposed to lead.
He's someone who thought that he's the knowing that one who is supposed to take charge of
stuff as God leads him, go and do everything that God wanted him to do.
But now he finds himself at a place in time where he is surrounded by enemies.
And in Psalm 27, verse 4, here is what he says, one thing I have desired of the Lord,
that will I seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
To what?
The more you behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire in his temple, the more you behold
his beauty, the easier it is for you to consecrate yourself.
The pull of his beauty is far more stronger than any other pull on your life.
So I don't have any excuses.
I cannot have any excuses to not behold his beauty.
You can't have excuses to not behold his beauty.
And we'll go into it.
We'll make it as tangible as we can so that we can touch this and eat it and become it
and do it.
It's not a thing that flows above your head.
Sometimes the kind of stuff that we sell ourselves out for, it's...
We've...
We come to join a song, man.
There are many who have gone before us.
Many.
And there will be many who will follow us.
Many.
And you get to be one, I get to be one.
What else is more important than following him in what he wants us to do?
I want to spend some time on Revelation chapter 5.
Revelation chapter 5.
You can go there and once you locate yourself in that passage, then just listen to me.
But you can go there now.
You ready?
Please spend some time here in this passage because it'll open your eyes to the beauty
of Jesus.
So you read in Revelation chapter 5, there is one who is on the throne and in his right
hand is a scroll.
And John, in this vision, he sees this scroll and there is writing on it, on either side.
On the inside and the outside, there is writing on it.
And John sees it and he also sees that this scroll is sealed by seven seals.
And there is a mighty angel who is asking this question, who is worthy to open this
scroll?
Who is worthy to open this scroll?
And John immediately realizes that no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth is
worthy to open the scroll.
No one.
But there is something about this scroll, even though John hasn't been told about it,
there is something about this scroll that makes him weep.
He weeps and he weeps and he weeps.
No one told him anything.
He's seeing it, but there is an understanding of the weight of what is happening because
he knows that this scroll that is in the hand of the one who is seated on the throne, it's
important and someone's got to break the seal.
Someone's got to open the scroll and read it.
And he knows no one can and he weeps and he weeps and he weeps.
And now we know this passage, but listen to this.
Then one of the elders said to me, do not weep, see the lion of the tribe of Judah,
the root of David has triumphed.
He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.
I want us to stop there and I want to redirect your attention to Jeremiah chapter 32.
And if you follow with me, I pray that the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to things that
we haven't seen before, to see the beauty of Christ.
So in Jeremiah chapter 32, you don't need to read it.
I'll explain it.
I'll just go here.
In Jeremiah chapter 32, Jeremiah finds himself in a prison.
He's in a prison.
There are guards around him and he's in a prison.
God has already told Jeremiah that this land, Jerusalem, is going to be attacked by the
Babylonians and they're going to take over.
Jeremiah knows it already.
And while he's in this prison, he hears the father speaking and it says, the Lord spoke
to me and the Lord said, your cousin is going to come.
Your cousin is going to come and he's going to tell you to buy a piece of land.
But this land is going to be attacked.
You just told me, Abba, that this land is going to be attacked.
You just told me that the Babylonians are going to take over this land.
But then God is saying, your cousin is going to come.
He's going to come with you with a deed and he will tell you, can you buy this land?
Because back in the day, if you're a close relative, you have the right to buy the land.
Remember the story of Boaz?
Redeemer, Ruth and her family, Boaz bought it.
Why?
Kinsmen.
Yeah?
Same thing.
So Jeremiah is like, okay, he's going to come and he's going to sell it.
Here's what it says.
Again, you don't need to read it.
I'll just read it out loud.
Hanimal, son of Shalom, your uncle is going to come, your cousin, to, going to come to
you and say, buy my field at Anathoth because as nearest relative, it is your right and
duty to buy it.
And he comes.
And as soon as the cousin comes, Jeremiah, who is in the prison, he understands that
the father wants him to buy the plot of land.
He proceeds with buying the plot of land.
He spends 17 shekels of silver to buy it.
That's the worth of the land.
He buys it and then he signs the deed.
And back in the day in Israel, when you buy a piece of land, you have to sign the deed,
but you've also got to have witnesses around you.
They've got to see what happened.
The transaction has to be seen by witnesses.
And that piece of paper will look like stuff written, the deed in itself is on one side
and on the other side is what is called as the terms and conditions that come with it.
All of the terms and conditions of this transaction that just happened will be on the other side.
And Jeremiah does this, knowing fully well that there is an army coming, taking over
Jerusalem.
Here is what Jeremiah does, because he knows the faithfulness of God and he knows that
the father has also said, there is going to be a time when I will deliver Jerusalem.
When I will rebuild Jerusalem, when there will be vineyards in Jerusalem.
And for that time, Jeremiah, I want you to take this deed, this title deed and put that
in a clay jar and keep it safe because there is going to come a day when you can hand this
over to your relative because you may not be here for that, but your close relative
who has access because the terms and conditions rightly say so, that Nehemiah bought this
piece of land for 17 shekels of silver and that anyone who is closely related to him
can have that land be appropriated by them that is in the title, that's in the deed.
I want you to save it, I want you to store it, I want you to put that away so that no
one can take it because there is going to be coming a time when one will come and he'll
take it and he'll appropriate the land.
Revelation chapter 5, you see the scroll and the reason John is weeping is because he understands
in his spirit that this is the title deed for the earth, that inside it on one end,
on one side are writings that no one can read, no one can read it, but inside it is written
the title deed of earth, inside it is written James name, James's name, everyone's name
here and on the other side are the terms and conditions that come with it, the terms and
conditions that come with me being restored, you being restored, us being restored and
the world being restored is all contained in this scroll and then there is a cry who
can open the scroll and you begin to see the beauty of Jesus.
That's where I love it how it says this, Jesus is introduced to John, he needs no introduction
to John but my goodness in Patmos he saw Jesus differently, he saw Jesus very differently
on that island, can you go deeper, can you go deeper, can you go deeper because there
is more about him that you have not seen, please don't circling around the same things
that you know about him because he is worthy, he is worthy, he is worthy and there is more
to him than what you have seen and John saw it and Jesus is introduced to John as the
lion of the tribe of Judah and in a second John looks to see the lion of the tribe of
Judah and instead of a lion he sees a lamp, instead of a lion he sees a lamp, the beauty
of Jesus.
No one could open the scroll, no one could read that which is inside it, sealed by
seven seals, only the one who is worthy could open it. Your life's story is in that scroll,
my life's story is in that scroll, everything you are to become in his plan is in that scroll,
everything I am to become is in that scroll and Jesus is the only one who could open it,
he is the only one who could open it and he opened it, he opened it because he is able,
why? Because Jesus, is there a sound on this one? Because Jesus, he is the ageless one,
he was there before the scroll was written, he is the ageless one and he lived a life
whereby he as the lamp of God was crucified on that throne, he is the king but he is also
the lamp and there is no one else who is worthy to open the scroll but him and you
must see the beauty of Jesus, what he has done for you, what he has done for you, you
must see it because if this scroll was closed off and if no one could break open the seals,
you and I will not enjoy redemption, you and I will not enjoy forgiveness, you and I will not
otherwise have had the pleasure of knowing him, the pleasure of calling him Abba, the pleasure of
his spirit living inside of us and flowing out as rivers of living waters, all of that was accomplished
because Jesus opened the scroll because that which was on the inside, the title deed said,
my blood paid for it, 17 shekels of silver that Jeremiah spent to buy that plot of land,
Jesus bought me, bought you, bought this world for the price of his blood and all the terms and
conditions that came with it, he satisfied, no one else could do it and I want you to look at your life
and I want you to see this that there is nothing that can stop you from walking into the richness
of what God has for you because Jesus opened the scroll and that is the truth, doesn't matter what your life
looks like today, doesn't matter what happened to you in the past, the truth is this and it's simple,
Jesus has opened the scroll, the truth is this that no enemy has any, any, any, any claim on you, over you
because Jesus purchased you and when you have that deep realization inside of you, everything inside of you
will jump up, rise up, shout and will say worthy is the lamb because he is the lion of the tribe of Judah
and he is also the lamb of God, it must and must and must do something in you, it must,
the beauty of Jesus and will you then gaze upon that man on the cross, will you then look at the king of kings
and can we be on a journey with our life of knowing him more, of counting everything else as trash,
looking at the ever growing pile of trash on the other side of fence because I have found myself a prized possession,
we are calling it back to him, we are saying it back to him, he calls us our prized possession but we tell him
you are my prized possession, you can, you're children, I can, I'm a son and as you gaze upon his beauty,
everything changes, everything changes, spend time on it guys, spend your, spend everything you have on it
so it goes down deep into everything that you are and when you wake up, all you can do is shout,
that when you wake up, all you can do is say thank you, that when you wake up, all you can say is I'm not the same person anymore,
that when you wake up and you go to bed and you go to bed not because, you go to bed not following traditions of man,
you go to bed not doing things because you were told to do it, you do things out of love for this man who died on the cross,
you do it out of love for the king of the kings, it will change your life, it will change my life,
now here's the thing, if the slide is back on there, you have to go through this understanding to be able to take him and give him to others,
you have to know him fully, deeper, deeper, deeper to be able to then introduce this Jesus to others,
otherwise you will give others the version of Jesus that you know which may be good and may be better than before guys,
it is better for me today than 10 years ago, but my goodness when I read these passages, it shows how much I don't know him,
and I pray that you feel the same, that there is so much more to the beauty of Jesus that you and I have to discover because he is worthy and no one else is,
and that your life must be given to this so that you can then go to Sue and say, I know someone,
when you say the lion of the tribe of Judah, you recognize him, you know what he is able to do,
you know how he roars, and you know that when he roars, everything trembles,
so now when I say the words lion of the tribe of Judah, I am telling her in name, I am bringing to her the person of Jesus,
go deeper, go deeper, because this is where God is taking us guys, and if we can do this as a people, it is going to be beautiful,
not for checkboxes sake, but for the sake of following him as sons and daughters, not for the sake of, oh we did it,
because he can always find someone else to do it, but for the sake of, there is nothing else that is more meaningful than this.
Consecration produces life giving fruits,
consecration produces life giving fruits,
in John chapter 15, Jesus uses the analogy of a vine in the branches,
he uses the analogy of a vine in the branches,
I just want to simplify it for us, because of the lack of time,
when it says in John chapter 15, abide in me, it is as simple as remain in me,
remain in me, remain in me, Jesus said, if you remain in me, then you will bear fruits,
like I remain in my father, you remain in me,
it doesn't say visit me, and you will bear fruits,
it says remain in me, and you will bear fruits,
there is a difference between visiting someone and remaining with them,
because sometimes we visit Jesus, and that in itself is great,
but can we be with him, can we remain with him, can we remain with Jesus,
that is when your life begins to show, that is when others can enjoy the fruit that is being developed inside you,
the thing with fruits is, it will always show, there is no fruit that is not seen, fruit shows,
fruit shows,
and this is important, because all of the stuff that we have up on the screen,
it includes me producing fruits, it includes you producing fruits,
and the only way we can do that is by, Jesus said, abiding in me, which translates to remaining in me,
so I want us to go from this positional understanding of where you sit with Christ,
and that he is in you and you are in him, it is a positional understanding,
I want us to go deeper from there to the experiential understanding,
where you get suffocated when you don't have him,
because you are so, I think it is Jacob, and it has been a few years perhaps,
so maybe some of you who are new here, you may not have heard this before,
but the question is, if the Holy Spirit leaves you right now, would you know it?
He won't, if you have accepted Christ and if you are in his kingdom, the Holy Spirit is always with you,
but if he leaves you, would you know it? It's a good question,
because that question will make you think, when he is present, what does that do to you?
How reliant are you on the Holy Spirit? What does that relationship look like?
Because if I haven't talked to him in a week, if I haven't communed with him in a week,
and he is not there, I don't mind, but if he is always there, and you are remaining with him,
and you have a fellowship with him, because the relationship is forever established,
he will never leave you, but the fellowship is in your hands,
it's for you to cultivate, it's for you to grow.
If we have illustrations, why not more?
I felt led yesterday to go to a winery, and I did. You are looking at the real deal.
Think about it. This branch,
was once connected to the vine.
I actually saw this in a dream, sort of. I don't know if it was when I was awake or not anymore.
And I saw it, and I immediately knew what God was saying.
I saw the vine, and I immediately knew what God was saying.
So I had to go pick it up, so you see it.
Jesus said, if the branch abides in the true vine, which is himself,
then it will bear fruit. If it doesn't abide, it will not.
You can see when you look at this branch,
it's got traces of what had occurred, what was what,
it's got traces of what had occurred, what was once real.
You can see the places where the cluster was, where the grapes were.
You can see it.
But it's a forgotten memory, because this is not connected to the vine anymore.
It's not connected to the tree anymore.
So one of the things that, because the Holy Spirit said it,
one of the things that he wants to do is,
you may be here, and you may, I don't know if you're new or
if you've been coming for a long time, it doesn't matter.
You feel like you're in such a dry place.
Things are not changing. In fact, when you look at the reality of what it is,
it actually feels like you're going back.
It's dry. If there is one word, it's dry.
And what you once enjoyed, you remember it, but you're not partaking it in anymore.
You enjoyed certain things with him,
but you're not partaking in those very things anymore.
It's dry.
And you know it.
And you're so frustrated.
And everything inside you wants to break out.
I don't want you to stand up,
but if that is you, and you see the dryness in your life,
and on one hand, you come to the service, there are songs, there is teaching,
you attend church, you can even talk God's stuff well.
No one will notice.
But inside of you, there is a dryness that you know,
and it's been revealed to you. You understand it.
Then I want you to know this, that there is so much good news
that all you have to do now is connect to the true vine.
And when you do, it's funny, because when I went to pick this up,
the guy who was giving, because I called him and I said,
I'm calling a winery and I'm saying, I just need to use something for a sermon illustration.
Come over, I'll give it to you. So I meet this guy and he gives me this and he says,
before you go, there's one thing if you have time. I said, yeah, please.
He said, there's something about this branch. I said, okay.
It's regenerative.
I want to tell you that when you're connected to the tree,
it doesn't matter how it looks today.
It does not matter how it looks today.
It does not matter how it feels today.
It does not matter what happened yesterday.
It does not matter that you don't enjoy the things that you enjoyed once.
I'm telling you in the name of Christ Jesus,
it is absolutely possible for you to enjoy the benefits of the tree
and everything, every good thing that the tree gives you.
As soon as you locate yourself in the vine, you can.
It's possible. It is possible.
It is possible.
And if you need to talk about it, please come see me after.
Because if there is, I don't want you to miss this out, miss out on this.
And I don't know if I'm talking to one person or a couple of people.
I have no idea, but I know it had to be said and I'm speaking it.
You can either deal, transact with the Holy Spirit,
transact with the Father right now and that's good.
Or if you want to talk about it, let's talk about it.
Number two.
Sometimes there is this.
Everything looks good, fine and dandy.
You can speak the best language there is.
As soon as you open your mouth, others clap.
Because you know exactly how to speak about Jesus.
You know exactly what to say at the right time and the wrong times.
Everything is perfect.
But there is no life.
Good, because it ain't connected.
And some of us are like that.
You're out of place in terms of your connection.
And again, keep in mind, the spiritual fact is that you're always connected to Jesus.
So don't come to me after the saying, I blasphemed because I did not.
I'm talking about the experiential connection.
Two different things.
And I can find myself here sometimes.
I can talk and you guys wouldn't know where I stand inside.
And you can see yourself sometimes there too.
But my goodness, if I am to see, if I am to know and if you are to know that you have such access to this tree.
And that you can really be living your life in the full purpose of what the Father has for you.
You won't stay alone.
You won't be okay with being separated from the tree.
Couple more things.
We'll wrap up.
See, some branches want to reach away.
And sometimes it complains about what's happening around it or what happened in the past.
But the truth is that if you're connected to the root, you'll have a different song to sing.
And I just want to tell you.
Don't live in your past.
Because that scroll that I had in my hands a while ago.
That scroll has been opened.
The past is behind you.
And the future is something for you to take on with Christ.
I'll leave it there because I have 10 more minutes.
As you consecrate yourself to Christ, another thing that you need to...
Another sentence or a few words that I want to ring in your ears and I want to ring in my ears is,
It's not worth it.
I'll explain it.
So you ask Samson and he'll tell you,
I'll explain it.
See, you ask Samson and he'll tell you that what happened with Delilah wasn't worth it.
You ask Moses and he'll tell you that that fit of anger that overcame him and him killing was not worth it.
You ask John Mark and even though the Bible doesn't explicitly say what happened,
you ask John Mark who was with Paul and Barnabas and he left only to be later found in the story again later.
You ask him and I don't know what happened.
If it's hurt, if it's offense, bitterness, whatever it is, he'll tell you it was not worth it.
It happened.
It has to ring in our ears guys that compared to the precious truth of knowing Christ and his surpassing worth,
other things are not worth it.
And one of the things that I don't remember if it's two weeks ago or a week ago that Jacob said,
I'm not using the same words, something along the lines of you have to see what it is and what it is.
You have to see what it is that's causing you to pull back.
You have to know what it is that's making you stumble.
Because when you see it, the Holy Spirit can give you a key to not fall for the same thing again.
That's part of this thing because you can be as enthusiastic as you want to to consecrate yourself.
You can be as enthusiastic as you want to to live this life.
But on the other side, there is also the reality that the same things that did at one point trip you, they still exist.
And how is it that you can overcome it?
Well, identify it. First, know it so that the Holy Spirit can give you keys.
And again guys, this is one of the things that you need to do, especially if you're new,
because I am talking to some of the new people as I say this and some of the older people.
If there are things that you need help with and you're part of this body,
don't battle it by yourself because sometimes you can get help through someone else.
So if you have, if you go to Don't Church, Maze Church, if you don't go to any of those churches,
you come here on a Sunday, but you you're part of this church.
Don't battle some things by yourself.
Ask for help.
And it will help you because that's just the way it should be.
Couple of practical things, guys, and then we'll wrap it up.
See, you read Jacob in Genesis, chapter 10, verse 11,
See, you read Jacob in Genesis, chapter 28, and Jacob sets up a pillar.
And he set up a pillar because he had an experience with God there and he names this place Bethel.
And he sets up a pillar so that he'll remember what had happened, to commemorate what had happened.
You see, Joshua, I think in Joshua, chapter four, you see him, you see God asking Joshua,
take 12 stones from the Jordan.
And these 12 stones are to tell all of the future generations that I did this for you.
One of the keys when you look at the scripture and Jesus went to the mountain,
He went to a certain place or a few special places that he always found himself in, away from everyone else.
Use places, and by that I mean use certain places to remind you of who God is.
Use certain places inside your home, outside as you go for a walk.
There's an area where every time you look there, you're reminded of who God is.
Or there's a room inside your house where you're like,
that's the place I go to when I need to separate myself.
It's just a key. It helps.
That's one. Number two, use times for your advantage.
It could be something like the first day of every month.
I'm going to set apart for the rest of the month.
One week a year for me, I'm going to set apart for the rest of the month.
One week a year for me, it doesn't matter what happens,
one week a year I set apart for the rest of the year.
Set apart for what? Set apart from everything else to be with Him in a way that I can't do the rest of the year perhaps.
And on a daily basis, set apart some time.
What works best for you? An hour? 30 minutes? 15 minutes?
Use time.
Because all of these things, it's got to translate into us using time and place to do this very thing of consecration.
So do this. It's just a key. It's in the Word. Use places.
There's a place where whenever I go to, and it's not in my home, neither am I walking,
but when I go there, when I do that, I am in such a good place, it's just me and the Father.
And if you like walking, you can do this.
If you like going to this place and doing it, do it.
Because that's just one place you start.
It doesn't end there, but it allows you to get that shoulder in the arm that you need initially
so that there is a habit, there is a discipline that allows you to move ahead.
And then God will show you a better way of doing it.
And then there will be another way of doing it, which will be a father.
And then God will show you a better way of doing it.
And then there will be another way of doing it, which will be far better than that.
But start. Use places. Use time.
And everything that I told you today, it is for you and me, and it's absolutely possible.
My desire is that we live this together as a people.
And earlier on when I was sitting there as we were singing, there was this,
man, I want the Father to pour out his Spirit on us in ways that we haven't experienced.
And when we are all ready, and when we are all in the same zone, so to speak,
when we are all thinking in the same direction, it changes things, man.
And that is what our Sundays and Tuesdays or Mondays should be.
Because we are moving a particular direction every day of the week
so that when we come together, it's an explosion.
And I'm not too stiff, and you're not too stiff.
We are given to the ways of Christ.
And that is what should happen.
So between now and next, and the thing is when you can't do it, use others,
and get back right into it.
Yeah? Can we sing the song, Easy Worthy, and wrap up?
Thank you.
Do you feel the world is broken?
Do you feel the shadows deepen?
But do you know that all the dark ones stop the light from getting through?
We do.
Do you wish that you could see it all made new?
We do.
Do you feel the world is broken?
We do.
Do you feel the shadows deepen?
We do.
Do you know that all the dark ones stop the light from getting through?
We do.
Do you wish that you could see it all made new?
We do.
Is all creation groaning?
It is.
Is a new creation coming?
It is.
Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst?
It is.
Is it good that we are all in the same place?
Is it good that we remind ourselves of this?
It is.
Is anyone worthy?
Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The light of Judah who conquered the grave.
His name is true than the Lamb who died to ransom the slave.
Is he worthy?
Is he worthy of a blessing and honor and glory?
Is he worthy of this?
He is.
Does the Father truly love us?
He does.
Does the Spirit move among us?
He does.
And does Jesus our Messiah hold forever those He loves?
He does.
Does the Father, does the Father truly love us?
He does.
Does the Spirit move among us?
He does.
And does Jesus our Messiah hold forever those He loves?
He does.
Does the God intend to dwell again with us?
He does.
Is anyone worthy?
Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The light of Judah who conquered the grave.
His name is true than the Lamb who died to ransom the slave.
From every people and tribe.
From every nation and tongue.
He's the made-as-a-kingdom and priest to God to reign with the Son.
Is he worthy?
Is he worthy of a blessing and honor and glory?
Is he worthy of this?
He is.
He is worthy.
He is worthy of a blessing and honor and glory.
He is worthy of this.
He's worthy of this.
He is.
Amen.
I think there will be people who will be there for prayer, see if anybody needs it.
We'll see you next time.