WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Isaiah 61 - The Kingdom and the Spirit - Part 3 Publishing Date: 2025-05-18T06:04:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/isaiah-61-the-kingdom-and-the-spirit-part-3/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:17.420 Last week we talked about the kingdom and the spirit from the perspective of the four gospels, 00:00:17.420 --> 00:00:25.120 how Matthew sees it different from Mark and John and Luke, how Luke looks at the outsiders 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:32.060 who come into the kingdom, how Mark looks at the authority that the king has and how 00:00:32.060 --> 00:00:39.060 kingdom authority operates. That was last week. This week we look again at the kingdom 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:45.720 and the spirit, but we look at it through Genesis 1-3. I believe you guys are doing 00:00:45.720 --> 00:00:52.160 Christ's life this Tuesday too, so it kind of dovetails into that. If you have questions, 00:00:52.160 --> 00:00:57.880 you can ask. The kingdom and the spirit from Genesis 1-3, that's what we'll talk about 00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:04.880 now. The account of creation, just from Genesis 1-3, establishes the character of the king 00:01:04.960 --> 00:01:11.960 and the kingdom. When you really put on glasses that begin to examine Genesis 1-3 from the 00:01:25.880 --> 00:01:32.880 perspective of king and kingdom, you begin to see the character of the king and the kingdom 00:01:33.400 --> 00:01:40.400 being revealed even in the first three chapters of Genesis. As we said when we did part one, 00:01:46.720 --> 00:01:53.720 the king and the kingdom existed before there was a realm or before there were people. The 00:02:02.880 --> 00:02:09.880 kingdom existed before there was a kingdom. He is not the kind of king that needs citizens 00:02:11.880 --> 00:02:18.880 for kingship. He is not the kind of king that needs realm or boundaries to say, I now have 00:02:19.880 --> 00:02:25.880 a kingdom. Throughout the Bible it says from everlasting to everlasting, he has been king. 00:02:25.880 --> 00:02:32.880 He is a king that is reserved if people hear this truth and don't want to enter him. He 00:02:33.880 --> 00:02:40.880 has been king forever. The king existed and the kingdom existed before creation, and yet 00:02:41.880 --> 00:02:48.880 he has always been transcendent as in separate and above creation, separate from creation. 00:02:49.880 --> 00:02:56.880 This is where Christianity differs a lot from other religions like Hinduism, like Buddhism. 00:02:59.880 --> 00:03:05.320 Many of these religions, their gods exist as part of creation. They are not separate 00:03:05.320 --> 00:03:10.780 from creation, which is why it is easy to take a tree or a stone or an animal and make 00:03:10.780 --> 00:03:17.780 it into a god because it is that god dwells in everything. We are so distinct in our beliefs 00:03:18.300 --> 00:03:25.300 in that sense, in that god comes down as man, god lives in us, but he has always been separate 00:03:25.460 --> 00:03:32.460 from creation and transcendent. He has to enter in. He is not found in everything. Christianity 00:03:32.720 --> 00:03:38.380 is distinct. There is no commonality between some of those eastern religions and Christianity. 00:03:38.380 --> 00:03:45.380 All roads do not lead to Rome or Delhi. So, the question is, how do we know that the 00:03:48.180 --> 00:03:55.180 god exists? When we look at Genesis 1-3 from a king and a kingdom perspective, then really 00:04:00.820 --> 00:04:07.820 what was happening in Genesis 1 was the full expression, the full expression of heaven 00:04:07.820 --> 00:04:14.820 on earth. When you think of Eden, when you think of creation, when you think of what 00:04:20.540 --> 00:04:27.540 god was doing, it was, god was developing the full expression of heaven on earth. A 00:04:30.660 --> 00:04:37.660 place, what do we mean by full expression of heaven on earth? A place where god, where 00:04:38.020 --> 00:04:45.020 the god king, where the god king as in Christ, where the god king dwells with us. That was 00:04:50.940 --> 00:04:57.940 the intent. God who lives in the heavens decided that he would create earth and that he would 00:04:57.940 --> 00:05:04.940 develop here on earth the full expression of heaven on earth amongst the people, where 00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:13.500 the god king comes down to dwell with the people. And so, there is this constant need 00:05:15.020 --> 00:05:22.020 for us as believers to recognize his dwelling with us continuously, like at the beginning 00:05:22.020 --> 00:05:29.020 that happened the day before yesterday. There were at least four different occasions during 00:05:32.460 --> 00:05:37.940 the reception, while we were having dinner, during the wedding ceremony that I would stop 00:05:37.940 --> 00:05:44.940 and say, he is here. Because in the busyness of Christianity, you forget that he is here. 00:05:52.140 --> 00:05:59.140 Even in this teaching, it is easy to forget that he is listening, helping, helping me 00:06:02.820 --> 00:06:08.500 speak, helping me understand, helping you understand, helping us here, but in the midst 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:15.500 of it, you can lose the fact that he is here. You can't create that feeling, but you can 00:06:15.940 --> 00:06:22.940 definitely recognize it if you are born again. 00:06:37.660 --> 00:06:44.660 Yeah, it's just like a parent being separate from the baby in the mother's womb. The parent 00:06:45.300 --> 00:06:49.700 is absolutely involved in the creation of the baby, but it does not have to enter the 00:06:49.700 --> 00:06:56.700 womb to make the baby happen. Transcendent, separate, yet impossible without him. So, 00:06:57.860 --> 00:07:04.540 there are, the strange thing about most truths in the Bible is that you will always find 00:07:04.540 --> 00:07:11.540 a parallel in the physical. First the physical, then the spiritual. You look for any complex, 00:07:12.540 --> 00:07:18.220 most truths are actually simple, but let's call them complex. You look at any complex 00:07:18.220 --> 00:07:25.220 truth in the Bible, you will always find a parallel in the physical universe. Which is 00:07:25.540 --> 00:07:32.540 why Jesus would often illustrate truths with stories about farmers, fishermen, birds, flowers. 00:07:33.740 --> 00:07:39.900 It is the easiest way to illustrate truths. And when we simplify it, it's the same thing 00:07:39.900 --> 00:07:46.900 with us. And so if I were to go back and pause for a second and recognize that he, 00:07:48.180 --> 00:07:55.180 as in the one who created the universe and you, and the baby in Kessler's womb is here. 00:08:00.620 --> 00:08:07.620 He's here not as a monitor, he is here as your joyful king and a doting father. And 00:08:10.660 --> 00:08:17.660 eager spirit. And recognizing his presence changes you. It's just that we do not pause 00:08:29.100 --> 00:08:36.100 to recognize. Children, you'll see them doing this. Every so often children will go touch 00:08:36.300 --> 00:08:43.300 their mother's face or touch their father's face and just say something like, mama I love 00:08:43.300 --> 00:08:49.940 you. Out of the blue. But you'll find that as they grow up, it disappears. Then it's 00:08:49.940 --> 00:08:56.940 a quick scribble on a card on your birthday. Whatever we behold, we become like. And therefore 00:08:56.940 --> 00:09:03.940 to pause and recognize is a tremendous thing. So he's a God who's always enjoyed dwelling 00:09:08.380 --> 00:09:15.380 with people. It was his initial intent and that is how the kingdom is formed. And you 00:09:16.420 --> 00:09:23.420 see it, you see its consummation in Revelations 21.3. Revelations 21.3. And you see that he 00:09:23.420 --> 00:09:30.420 says in Revelations 21.3. Revelations 21.3. And it says in Revelations 21.3. It says 00:09:36.140 --> 00:09:43.140 that, and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, now the dwelling of God is with men 00:09:45.660 --> 00:09:50.940 and he will live with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and 00:09:51.020 --> 00:09:58.020 be their God. It's the finale where we actually live in the presence of unapproachable light 00:10:00.380 --> 00:10:06.140 because we have been transformed to from glory to glory. We take on the same glory that he 00:10:06.140 --> 00:10:11.980 gives us so that we can withstand his glory. Revelations 21.3 talks about a time when God 00:10:11.980 --> 00:10:18.980 will actually dwell with man. But where did it start? It started in Genesis 1 and 2 where 00:10:19.180 --> 00:10:26.180 God decided, I'm going to make man and I'm going to dwell with him. You also see it in 00:10:27.660 --> 00:10:34.660 Psalm 78 verse 60 where there's this reference to the tabernacle that was built here on earth 00:10:34.780 --> 00:10:41.420 and it says, I used to walk and dwell amongst you in the tabernacle before it was uprooted. 00:10:41.420 --> 00:10:47.660 Psalm 78 verse 60. So he's been trying to do this very often in history. You see fully 00:10:47.700 --> 00:10:52.860 realized in Christ where it says, in the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the 00:10:52.860 --> 00:10:59.620 word was God and the word came down in flesh. Verse 14, and he dwelt among us. So this dwelling 00:10:59.620 --> 00:11:03.700 thing has been going on for a while. There is no kingdom without the dwelling of the 00:11:03.700 --> 00:11:10.700 king. And so receive him. Be Bethlehem 24-7. Because in the process, he's birthed through 00:11:17.660 --> 00:11:23.420 the words you say, through the things you do and sometimes just not doing anything. 00:11:23.420 --> 00:11:30.420 What else can we find out from Genesis as we look at king and kingdom? This king is 00:11:30.940 --> 00:11:37.940 so powerful that he brings things into existence by speaking. He brings things into existence 00:11:48.660 --> 00:11:55.660 by merely speaking. That's how powerful he is. Kingdom citizens like you and I who don't 00:12:00.260 --> 00:12:07.260 confess and don't speak what he says, but speak our own, I'm going to use a harsh word, 00:12:07.260 --> 00:12:14.260 crap because that describes our condition. And we refuse to speak his words and we refuse 00:12:15.260 --> 00:12:22.260 to speak and imitate the king. We never get to partake or perpetuate the things of the 00:12:25.380 --> 00:12:32.380 kingdom. Citizens, kingdom citizens that refuse to speak and imitate their God or refuse to 00:12:32.380 --> 00:12:38.460 say what he says, confess what he declares are people that never get to partake. They're 00:12:38.460 --> 00:12:43.100 part of the kingdom, but they do not get to partake in the kingdom or perpetuate the kingdom 00:12:43.100 --> 00:12:50.100 because silence seems to be bliss. It's absurd and we can change today. And so we must speak 00:12:58.940 --> 00:13:03.100 because this king speaks. He's been doing that since the beginning of creation. What's 00:13:03.100 --> 00:13:07.060 the intent of looking at the book of Genesis? What do we see in terms of the character of 00:13:07.060 --> 00:13:14.060 the king and kingdom in Genesis 1, 2 and 3? This king fashions things and forms things 00:13:17.060 --> 00:13:24.060 and everything he forms is good. What does good mean? Good means beautiful. It's a word 00:13:26.980 --> 00:13:33.980 that men cannot relate to and it's a shame because most beautiful things that were at 00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:39.780 the sculpture or painted initially that stand the test of time and history, pieces of music 00:13:39.780 --> 00:13:45.900 were beautiful. Somewhere along the line came this wild man where man is not supposed to 00:13:45.900 --> 00:13:52.900 use words like beautiful. That's such a shame. Part of the meaning of the word good is that 00:13:53.380 --> 00:14:00.380 when God made things, he made them beautiful and he made them fulfilling a purpose. That 00:14:01.380 --> 00:14:07.380 is what makes up the word good. He makes things beautiful and whenever he makes things, he 00:14:07.380 --> 00:14:14.100 makes them fulfill a purpose. And the same thing about you. Now you can see why David 00:14:14.100 --> 00:14:20.780 says in Psalm 51, I was wonderfully made. Another word you can use for that is man, 00:14:20.780 --> 00:14:27.780 the way I was put together was beautiful and it fulfills a purpose. Everything he does 00:14:28.100 --> 00:14:34.100 is towards that end. He makes things beautiful every day, first day, second day, third day, 00:14:34.100 --> 00:14:40.020 fourth day, till the day when he finds that Adam does not have a helpmate. Everything 00:14:40.020 --> 00:14:47.020 he makes is beautiful. It's good, which means two things. It's remarkably beautiful because 00:14:47.940 --> 00:14:54.940 it's sculpted by the ultimate creator and it fulfills a purpose. That's how he thinks 00:14:55.940 --> 00:15:02.940 of Don and Kes' baby. That's how he thinks of grown up you. And what he makes beautiful 00:15:14.820 --> 00:15:19.740 is not just spiritual stuff. Thank God this God is not spiritual. Otherwise he would have 00:15:19.740 --> 00:15:26.740 made every tree and everything white or brown or black or green. Instead he just throws 00:15:26.900 --> 00:15:33.900 colors, man. I get to see the sunset every day when it's not cloudy. So I get to see 00:15:35.220 --> 00:15:42.220 the sunset four months a year and every time I see it, I just marvel at how it's different. 00:15:42.860 --> 00:15:47.080 I keep telling God when I walk on my little balcony and look at the sun, I say, it's so 00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:54.080 different from yesterday. How do you do this? Like how many pallets do you have? Do you 00:15:56.080 --> 00:16:03.080 ever repeat? So it's not just spiritual things. It's material things. And from the beginning, 00:16:06.400 --> 00:16:13.400 one person who's been involved in the whole thing is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of 00:16:13.400 --> 00:16:19.740 God. He's been involved in creation and he's been involved in the advancement of the kingdom 00:16:19.740 --> 00:16:25.940 because without him there is no kingdom again because Jesus himself said, if I cast out 00:16:25.940 --> 00:16:30.460 demons by the power of the Spirit of God or the finger of God, you know that the kingdom 00:16:30.460 --> 00:16:35.940 of God is in your midst. And what does the Spirit of God do? He does what he's doing 00:16:35.940 --> 00:16:40.580 today, what he did in Genesis 1. And what is that? He takes that which is void, that 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:47.580 which is empty, that which is chaotic. He takes any of these, that which is formless. 00:16:48.760 --> 00:16:55.760 And what does he do? He makes it fruitful, reorders or reforms it, makes it new and makes 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:10.200 it habitable. This is what he has been doing. Now you see how this is basically the Spirit 00:17:10.740 --> 00:17:17.060 of God. This is what Isaiah 61 is trying to do. What is Isaiah 61? That which is broken, 00:17:17.060 --> 00:17:22.260 that which is void, that which is empty, that which is fruitless, that which is barren. 00:17:22.260 --> 00:17:27.700 In Isaiah 61, the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me. Why? So that he can take this and 00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:34.300 completely change it around. He's been doing this for thousands of years and every time 00:17:34.380 --> 00:17:41.380 he does it, he rubs his hands with glee and bursts into laughter. He's the most, there's 00:17:42.740 --> 00:17:47.220 nobody like the Spirit of God in terms of joy. It's one of the fruit of the Spirit, 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:54.220 meaning it is part of his essential nature, joy. And there is no joy without laughter. 00:17:57.460 --> 00:18:01.820 Meaning you cannot, I'm not saying there's no joy without laughter, correct that. Laughter 00:18:01.820 --> 00:18:08.820 is an expression. One of the primary expressions of joy is laughter. And so to not, to have 00:18:10.460 --> 00:18:17.460 joy and never laugh is like impossible. Any questions before we go on? After? Reorder. 00:18:17.460 --> 00:18:24.460 Oh shucks, that is, that word totally went French. Reorder. Any questions? I'm sorry, 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:46.220 I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. 00:18:47.460 --> 00:18:54.460 When you're talking about speaking into existence, I guess that will, how does that differ from 00:18:58.180 --> 00:19:04.420 the word of things? Yeah. Speaking into existence of things that 00:19:04.420 --> 00:19:11.420 God has either given in his word or given from his word as a promise to you or given 00:19:12.420 --> 00:19:19.420 for the benefit of someone else or agreeing with him. That's what we're talking about. 00:19:21.220 --> 00:19:28.220 So the thing with the word of faith movement was where did it go askew? It went askew where 00:19:29.660 --> 00:19:35.740 it stopped agreeing with God and began to confess whatever I desire regardless of whether 00:19:35.740 --> 00:19:41.020 my desires match with the will of God or the word of God or whether they agree with 00:19:41.020 --> 00:19:47.820 God's intent for me right now. So it started as a movement that could have been so powerful 00:19:47.820 --> 00:19:54.820 but went askew. One of the things we should do is not just 00:19:56.980 --> 00:20:02.500 redeem things that are pagan but redeem things that are Christian. So what we end up doing 00:20:02.500 --> 00:20:09.500 is we throw out everything because it went wrong while the foundations were from the 00:20:09.740 --> 00:20:16.740 word. Any questions? Okay. Why are we talking about kingdom and the 00:20:22.020 --> 00:20:29.020 spirit? Because that's who you are part of. Why would we talk about Canada? Because you 00:20:29.180 --> 00:20:34.260 live here. Why do we talk about your workplace? Because you work there. Why do we talk about 00:20:34.260 --> 00:20:38.860 your home and your furniture? Because that's where you live. Why do you talk about your 00:20:38.860 --> 00:20:43.860 wife? Because you stay with her. Why do you talk about the Canucks? Because they're no 00:20:43.860 --> 00:20:50.380 longer in the play-offs. So there's this close association with certain things where we talk 00:20:50.380 --> 00:20:55.700 about things because that's where we are rooted. Our problem is we don't realize that we are 00:20:55.780 --> 00:21:02.780 rooted in this thing called kingdom and that we follow, we are supposed to follow only 00:21:02.780 --> 00:21:07.380 him. That's why we are talking about this. It's the matrix that we are embedded in. It's 00:21:07.380 --> 00:21:14.380 the water that we swim in. That's why we're trying to see what's the length and breadth 00:21:15.660 --> 00:21:22.660 of this. In Psalm 46 or 49 it talks about how David is saying to people, listen, show 00:21:23.660 --> 00:21:29.660 them the dimensions of the temple, the length, the breadth, the width, the ramparts. Show 00:21:29.660 --> 00:21:33.860 them. Show the next generation. That's what we're doing here because at the end of the 00:21:33.860 --> 00:21:40.860 day what was the temple about? The tabernacle of the dwelling of God. What is the kingdom 00:21:40.860 --> 00:21:47.860 about? God dwelling amongst the people. Why is there no temple at the end days in the 00:21:47.860 --> 00:21:53.940 book of Revelation? John said, I looked and there was no temple. Why? Because we are dwelling 00:21:53.940 --> 00:22:00.380 with him face to face in an unapproachable light. Glorious. We can't even imagine it. 00:22:00.380 --> 00:22:06.100 The reason you and I cannot even see God is because he lives in such brilliant, holy, 00:22:06.100 --> 00:22:13.100 unapproachable light that you would be atomized. But a day is coming when it'll be like this. 00:22:17.860 --> 00:22:24.860 And it won't be a lineup. I was calculating how long it will take if you needed an audience 00:22:26.940 --> 00:22:31.660 with Christ and it comes to about 12 seconds every year if you took all the people in the 00:22:31.660 --> 00:22:38.660 world and divided it by how much time you get to spend with Jesus. 12 seconds. That'd 00:22:39.700 --> 00:22:45.260 be terrible. Hello Jesus, good morning. How? Time! And then the angels start playing like 00:22:45.260 --> 00:22:52.260 Oscar and you've got to walk off the stage. That's not how it works. The kingdom is primarily, 00:23:02.980 --> 00:23:09.980 the kingdom is primarily about man before it's about creation. Because one of the things 00:23:09.980 --> 00:23:16.980 that happens in academic institutions and among liberal thinkers is that the creation 00:23:26.700 --> 00:23:33.700 fall restoration motive gets to embrace sometimes creation and the stewarding of creation more 00:23:34.700 --> 00:23:41.700 than man. But creation is primarily about man. In Genesis 1, 24 you see God creating 00:23:47.540 --> 00:23:54.140 things and he says to the earth, this is what happens in verse 24, he says, and God said 00:23:54.140 --> 00:23:59.500 to the earth, bring forth plants and trees and vegetation. He's speaking to the earth. 00:23:59.500 --> 00:24:04.460 When it comes to man, he doesn't, I mean man came from the dust of the ground. Why 00:24:04.460 --> 00:24:10.820 didn't Jesus turn to the earth and say, bring forth a man? He doesn't do that. It's very 00:24:10.820 --> 00:24:15.360 different when it comes to man. There's nobody else, nothing else that's made in the image 00:24:15.360 --> 00:24:22.360 of God. No angel, nothing made in the image of God except you. And so he doesn't say 00:24:22.360 --> 00:24:29.360 bring forth from the earth. He says he forms man from the dust of the earth. And it was 00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:40.880 not the same dust we think of now, eh? He makes man from the ground of the earth. One 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:46.120 of the things we have to be careful of when we go through Genesis is there are so many 00:24:46.120 --> 00:24:53.120 possibilities that we can go down a rabbit hole. Oh, dust of the earth? So what kind 00:24:53.800 --> 00:25:00.180 of dust was it? It had magnesium, potassium and nickel, really? And there'll be a whole 00:25:00.180 --> 00:25:07.180 book written on it, eh? Better not go down that route. You can perhaps suggest it if 00:25:07.600 --> 00:25:14.600 you think of suggesting it, but turn the live stream off before you suggest it, eh? Because 00:25:14.600 --> 00:25:21.600 if a thing is repeated often enough, it becomes believable. It's still not the truth. So let's 00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:32.000 be mindful of that. So the kingdom is primarily about man before it's about creation. The 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:41.160 king cares, the king cares for Adam. He gives him breath. He gives him strength. He gives 00:25:44.800 --> 00:25:51.800 him strength. He forms him. He provides all his needs. Just like a parent, eh? Provides 00:25:53.640 --> 00:26:00.640 all his needs, provides work, provides purpose, provides security, provides dignity, provides 00:26:02.600 --> 00:26:09.600 joy, provides companionship, provides intimacy. I mean, this is a perfect parent. It's a perfect 00:26:14.600 --> 00:26:21.600 child. And the crazy thing is none of this has been rescinded. None of this has been 00:26:23.400 --> 00:26:30.400 rescinded from any human being. It is a gift that was given to Adam and his descendants 00:26:31.720 --> 00:26:38.720 at the beginning and it hasn't been taken back. It is not Christians who are made in 00:26:39.080 --> 00:26:46.080 the image of God. It is man that is made in the image of God. Distorted. And unless you 00:26:49.640 --> 00:26:56.640 receive Christ, it remains distorted and you do not see the face of your creator. But look 00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:06.760 at how he takes care. You know, if you really think of it, these are places you and I should 00:27:06.760 --> 00:27:13.520 go to and say, Father, you've never taken this back. I come to you knowing that this 00:27:13.520 --> 00:27:20.200 is who you've always been and will always be, untamed in one. Can I seek you for the 00:27:20.200 --> 00:27:26.280 dignity that I am losing or I have lost? Can I seek you for provision that does not come 00:27:26.280 --> 00:27:32.640 through livelihood but comes from the hand of God? The provision that does not come from 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:37.080 work but from the hand of God. Blessings, security, these are things that have never 00:27:37.080 --> 00:27:44.080 been taken back. Man may have changed, you have not. This is the nature of your king. 00:27:44.080 --> 00:27:51.080 And when you were created, this might be a slightly big word and obviously I didn't 00:28:02.680 --> 00:28:09.680 come up with it. There was intra-divine deliberation. What does that mean? When you look at, let 00:28:10.680 --> 00:28:17.680 us make man in our image, it's a deliberation amongst the triune, amongst the godhead. And 00:28:24.800 --> 00:28:31.800 then you see this idea of let us make man in our image. There are other theories about 00:28:31.800 --> 00:28:38.800 it that it was copied from some ancient manuscript. I choose to differ. The idea is that it was 00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:52.920 the father, son and the spirit deliberating together and saying, let us form Jacob in 00:28:54.360 --> 00:29:01.360 our image. And that image is then rewritten. And that image is rewritten in the Bible. 00:29:01.800 --> 00:29:08.800 And that image is restored in true righteousness, true holiness and true knowledge as it says 00:29:08.800 --> 00:29:13.800 in Ephesians 423. If you read Ephesians 423, it says we were recreated in true righteousness, 00:29:13.800 --> 00:29:20.800 true holiness and true knowledge of God. Ephesians 423, restored. It's brilliant. This plan is 00:29:23.080 --> 00:29:30.080 brilliant. There's no other math wiz like God. Everything is so logical. And the reason 00:29:32.800 --> 00:29:39.800 is that it's so important. Another thing that's critical to the kingdom, which we find, I 00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:48.200 think is sometimes the base foundation of the kingdom is found in Genesis 1.28. What 00:29:49.480 --> 00:29:56.480 does it say? It says, listen, be fruitful. Multiply. Replenish. And then you see that 00:30:02.360 --> 00:30:09.360 you are subdued. This is the command to this church and you. When this purpose languishes, 00:30:23.200 --> 00:30:30.200 or when this purpose is lost, then the kingdom distorts, it mutates, it looks ugly. It looks 00:30:30.560 --> 00:30:37.560 like an ingrown toenail with fungus. Let's just make it worse. But this is critical and 00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:43.600 it's found in Genesis 1.28. And who is saying this? The king of the universe is appointing 00:30:43.600 --> 00:30:50.600 someone as his vice regent and saying, listen, you go do this. It would be like, what's his 00:30:50.680 --> 00:30:57.680 name? Saying to hip, hip, I now appoint you as one who now has to go and discharge what's 00:30:58.080 --> 00:31:05.080 his name is Aaron. Sorry. I thought you knew who I was talking about. Hip, I want you to 00:31:05.640 --> 00:31:12.440 go and discharge all these things. Go and do it. And so now hip is in charge. It's the 00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:19.240 same principle, but this is critical to kingdom. And none of this can be done without going. 00:31:19.240 --> 00:31:24.240 None of this can be done without going. The kingdom is continuously advancing, continuously 00:31:24.240 --> 00:31:29.880 advancing and the violent take it by force. As in, if you want to step into the advancing 00:31:29.880 --> 00:31:34.160 kingdom of God, because remember one thing guys, there is a day of reckoning coming. 00:31:34.160 --> 00:31:39.560 And I'm not talking about Tom Cruise's part two, but there is a day of reckoning coming. 00:31:39.560 --> 00:31:45.520 And the day of reckoning does not question your eternal security. That happens to Christ 00:31:45.520 --> 00:31:52.080 being received. But there is a day of reckoning coming when Jacob will be asked, how were 00:31:52.400 --> 00:31:56.280 you involved in the advancement of the kingdom? Because all the kingdoms of the earth will 00:31:56.280 --> 00:32:01.960 fall. There'll be just one kingdom left and it'll be the kingdom of Christ our king. How 00:32:01.960 --> 00:32:08.960 Jacob did you participate in the advancement of the kingdom? That question will be asked. 00:32:13.400 --> 00:32:17.320 Rewards are distributed on the basis of that. And the greatest reward you can ever get is 00:32:17.320 --> 00:32:23.320 not the crowns. Any crown you get you will lay at his feet when you hear him coming. 00:32:23.320 --> 00:32:30.320 The greatest reward you will get is the sound of a voice that is the origin of all voices 00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:37.040 saying to you, well done. Well done Jacob. You were so faithful. My God, I'll be weeping 00:32:37.040 --> 00:32:44.040 buckets by the time he gets to well. What a reward. 00:32:47.320 --> 00:32:54.320 We'll go back to this in the future, but this is mission critically. And when this 00:33:03.160 --> 00:33:10.160 languishes the kingdom mutates. Any questions? How would you describe the current day of 00:33:17.880 --> 00:33:24.880 the kingdom? Yeah, so just to quickly summarize part one and part two. The moment the king 00:33:28.520 --> 00:33:35.520 arrives on earth, he says the kingdom of God is in your midst. So he starts making that 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:41.280 announcement and then what does he do? He begins to show the earth what it will look 00:33:41.280 --> 00:33:46.840 like. Everything he says, blessed are the poor, blessed are those that mourn, he's telling 00:33:46.840 --> 00:33:51.400 them what the kingdom will look like. Why? Because you go to the end to see the beginning 00:33:51.400 --> 00:33:55.120 of the kingdom. You go to the end and you see the full realization of the kingdom. There 00:33:55.120 --> 00:33:59.240 is no tear, there is no fear, there is no shame, there is no guilt, there is no crying, 00:33:59.240 --> 00:34:04.080 there is no mourning, there is no death, there is no sickness. You go to Isaiah 66 you will 00:34:04.080 --> 00:34:11.080 see it. And then you fast rewind to Genesis 1 and there you find the first sample of a 00:34:11.080 --> 00:34:18.080 developing kingdom which was perfect. And then you find Dhillon and me in the middle 00:34:22.280 --> 00:34:29.280 and what's God's command to Dhillon and me? Hey Dhillon and Jacob, can you give the world 00:34:29.800 --> 00:34:36.800 a taste of what awaits them right now so that when they taste it they'll say I want in. 00:34:37.560 --> 00:34:43.920 And what is the taste we are giving them? That there are times where sickness will be 00:34:43.920 --> 00:34:49.680 healed instantly and some gradually. There are times when the dead will rise. There are 00:34:49.680 --> 00:34:56.680 times where your words will comfort the broken hearted. There are times when the poor will 00:34:57.680 --> 00:35:02.320 be taken care of. There are times when the captive will be set free, the spiritually 00:35:02.320 --> 00:35:05.800 oppressed will find liberty. There will be times when instead of mourning there will 00:35:05.800 --> 00:35:11.840 be praise. Instead of heaviness there will be gladness, oaks of righteousness. And there 00:35:11.840 --> 00:35:17.000 will be times when who determines these times? The spirit of the living God. And where is 00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:24.000 he? He is upon Dhillon and me. He is upon Dhillon and me to the same extent that he 00:35:25.040 --> 00:35:32.040 was on Christ. And Dhillon and I have the same access to the Father that Jesus had. 00:35:32.680 --> 00:35:37.400 And now it is up to Dhillon and me in our workplaces, in our walking, in our talking, 00:35:37.400 --> 00:35:43.600 in every moment to display a taste or a sample of the kingdom that awaits so that Chava sees 00:35:43.600 --> 00:35:49.600 it and says I want in. And so Dhillon and me go and say to Chava, hey Chava Chava. And 00:35:49.600 --> 00:35:56.600 Chava says yes. And so Chava says I want in. And so we tell him the way into this kingdom 00:35:57.600 --> 00:36:04.600 is to be born again. And what does born again look like? Receiving the King. The slain and 00:36:05.640 --> 00:36:12.640 risen King be and thrown upon the praises of a thousand generations you are worthy unto 00:36:13.320 --> 00:36:20.320 the slain and risen King. We are here in a decaying world, in Middle Earth if you were 00:36:20.640 --> 00:36:27.640 to take a sample from the Lord of the Rings, in Middle Earth showing them what it looks 00:36:28.480 --> 00:36:35.000 like in the future. And Jesus every day, every moment that's all he was doing. The kingdom 00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:42.000 of God is in your midst. Video of nine, blind man, water into wine, walking, taking control 00:36:42.560 --> 00:36:49.560 over nature. That's what it's going to be like guys. I'm supposed to show people that 00:36:50.320 --> 00:36:56.040 man. I can only show them that by the Spirit. Which is why we have to say the kingdom and 00:36:56.040 --> 00:37:03.040 the Spirit. We'll visit this in the future. The moment you think of kingdom you have to 00:37:12.880 --> 00:37:19.880 understand the word itself. Kingdom means dominion. And again that's the word itself. 00:37:20.440 --> 00:37:26.120 This is a word that has become dirty like the word of faith and it wasn't meant to be. 00:37:26.120 --> 00:37:33.120 You cannot have the kingdom begin to advance here without recognizing that man was given 00:37:34.800 --> 00:37:41.800 dominion. Why in the world would God say to Adam, listen I will have you rule over the 00:37:42.800 --> 00:37:49.800 earth, the plants, the things that creep, over everything. I appoint you ruler. I want 00:37:50.680 --> 00:37:57.680 you to be in charge of this domain. When dominion is abused through force then it gets ugly. 00:38:01.600 --> 00:38:08.240 But to say don't want to touch dominion, that's dominion theology. That's again the same thing. 00:38:08.240 --> 00:38:11.920 Saying something that God meant and throwing it out because someone abused it. Always remember 00:38:11.920 --> 00:38:18.640 it's never the fake that will be counterfeited. It is always the truth that will be counterfeited. 00:38:18.640 --> 00:38:25.640 Nobody goes and tries to forge a fake note. They always forge a true note. Like a one-sided 00:38:25.640 --> 00:38:32.640 hundred dollar bill, nobody wants to forge it. And so when it comes to dominion, the 00:38:32.640 --> 00:38:39.640 idea of kingdom carries dominion. It's a royal calling that invites us to rule over creation 00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:47.000 but his way of ruling over creation is through care, through guarding. These are the words 00:38:47.600 --> 00:38:54.600 that actually when Adam was told to watch over the earth, he was told to watch over 00:38:55.640 --> 00:39:01.800 the work. These are the words that actually were used. To care to God, to serve, tethered 00:39:01.800 --> 00:39:08.800 to the nature of God, tethered to the nature of the king. 00:39:12.360 --> 00:39:19.360 So every time my ruling over you, and yes it is a ruling whether you like it or not, 00:39:19.880 --> 00:39:25.200 whether you like it or not, if I've been appointed shepherd over this flock, then a shepherd 00:39:25.200 --> 00:39:32.200 rules. So in my ruling, every time I do not care, I do not guard you, I do not serve, 00:39:36.160 --> 00:39:43.160 and I do not behave with you in a fashion that is tethered to the nature of God, my 00:39:43.160 --> 00:39:50.160 dominion is defective and it will do you harm. And so from my perspective, I must constantly 00:39:51.440 --> 00:39:56.680 examine my dealings with you on days I'm angry, days I'm irritated, days I'm not happy, days 00:39:56.680 --> 00:40:01.000 I'm sad, days when I've had losses. It doesn't matter. It's the same thing with parents. 00:40:01.000 --> 00:40:07.160 You see that with parents. Parents will sometimes lash out. Why? Because they've just somehow 00:40:07.160 --> 00:40:14.160 managed to pay the mortgage off and the kid is screaming its head off because they don't 00:40:15.360 --> 00:40:21.880 need reasons to scream. And you almost want to react. And when you react, what happens? 00:40:21.880 --> 00:40:25.760 You go back and you apologize. Why do you apologize? But you can't bear the thought 00:40:25.760 --> 00:40:32.760 of doing what you did to your child in anger. And so beat your wife, beat your garden, beat 00:40:33.760 --> 00:40:40.760 your dog, beat even that other animal. There is a way we are supposed to. Don't laugh, 00:40:45.720 --> 00:40:52.720 Jeremy. It's very hard to get that out. So we are supposed to do this not just for work, 00:40:52.920 --> 00:40:59.920 church, family. We're supposed to do it for everything. But till this gets deep in my 00:41:04.200 --> 00:41:11.200 heart, I forget it. Individualism is the bane of the kingdom. Individualism thrives in democracies. 00:41:11.200 --> 00:41:18.200 You know, we should pray for Biden. Let's just pray for him right now. Father, we bring 00:41:28.920 --> 00:41:35.920 this man called Joe Biden to you. We just look at him as a man right now who's suffering 00:41:36.080 --> 00:41:43.080 from cancer. They just announced it today. We ask about in your kindness, your king, 00:41:45.920 --> 00:41:52.920 you made him. We ask in your compassion and your kindness to intervene and to relieve 00:41:57.800 --> 00:42:04.800 him of things getting worse. And for him to know you as Christ and Lord if he doesn't, 00:42:06.000 --> 00:42:12.360 it is appointed for man to die, yes, but this was not your plan. And so I stick to who you 00:42:12.360 --> 00:42:19.360 are as king. We pray, Father, for the remission of this cancer diagnosis that he's going for 00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:23.960 treatment, that the treatments would work and that this man would know you before he 00:42:23.960 --> 00:42:30.960 leaves the earth. In Jesus' name. Amen. 00:42:36.600 --> 00:42:43.020 You see the exercise of dominion in the fact that God asks him to name what is placed under 00:42:43.020 --> 00:42:47.920 his authority. That's so cool, eh? One of the first things God does after he says, I 00:42:47.920 --> 00:42:54.320 give you authority to rule over everything I've created. God proves what he says. He 00:42:54.320 --> 00:43:00.620 created everything. And then he wants to see what Adam will name that thing that swims 00:43:00.660 --> 00:43:06.660 with a beak. And Adam goes platypus and God says, great, that's fine with me. I don't 00:43:06.660 --> 00:43:11.660 know how that worked. Please don't take that as a scripture from the Bible. But what I'm 00:43:11.660 --> 00:43:18.660 trying to say is one of the ways you know someone having authority is he gets to name. 00:43:18.700 --> 00:43:25.700 And who created it? God. Who names it? Adam. The first exercise of dominion is in the authority 00:43:26.700 --> 00:43:33.700 that God gives them to name things. You and I don't realize how important it is when it 00:43:34.700 --> 00:43:40.700 comes to naming things. Naming the phase you are in at present. Naming the purpose of God. 00:43:40.700 --> 00:43:45.700 Naming the things that you've left behind. Naming the children that you have. Naming 00:43:45.700 --> 00:43:51.700 things that the church at present is entering into. Naming. It is highly important. How 00:43:52.700 --> 00:43:57.700 do we find this out? We go to God and we ask him, Father, what do you want to name this? 00:43:57.700 --> 00:44:01.700 Because in naming it, I'm giving it definition. I'm giving it character. I'm giving it what 00:44:01.700 --> 00:44:08.700 God's promise is. There was a place called Luz. Jacob sleeps there on a rock and he sees 00:44:09.700 --> 00:44:14.700 the heavens open and angels ascending and descending a ladder. What does he change it 00:44:14.700 --> 00:44:20.700 into? Immediately the name of the place Luz becomes Bethel, the house of God, the gateway 00:44:21.700 --> 00:44:28.700 of God. Sometimes when we talk about, hey, do you know what your next is? It's not some 00:44:29.700 --> 00:44:34.700 great adventure, I must discover my destiny. No. It is name it so that you have an idea 00:44:34.700 --> 00:44:41.700 of how you define what God is doing. Why do companies ask you to write a job description? 00:44:42.700 --> 00:44:49.700 Why do they have titles for you? Because in that you know what you must do. Just a side 00:44:57.700 --> 00:45:04.700 thought. It's not what I wanted to stop on. Adam was also expected to spread the word 00:45:11.700 --> 00:45:18.700 to spread God's dominion, spread God's dominion. He was expected to spread God's dominion 00:45:20.700 --> 00:45:27.700 outside Eden's boundaries. And in God saying to him, subdue, Adam already knew that there 00:45:28.700 --> 00:45:35.700 would be opposition. So he wasn't blind when the serpent came. But what happens is instead 00:45:40.700 --> 00:45:47.700 of, doesn't this happen to us, instead of Adam ruling as God's ruler, Adam rules as 00:45:47.700 --> 00:45:54.700 God's vice regent, he rebels against his own sovereign as in king and submits to an 00:45:55.700 --> 00:46:04.920 imposter prince. Sadly, the role male has played in pattern-finding the way he 00:46:08.700 --> 00:46:15.700 has düş physically isn't very well known. Baby they ask us to love each other and they 00:46:18.700 --> 00:46:23.700 are the most common types of love. Sometimes they up two baby doesn't tell us that he 00:46:24.700 --> 00:46:33.200 He rebels against his own sovereign and submits to an imposter prince. 00:46:40.200 --> 00:46:42.980 It's one of the saddest days on Earth. 00:46:43.980 --> 00:46:46.780 How we do it is be aware of it. 00:46:46.860 --> 00:46:58.860 Let's just talk about the enemy and then we'll come back to and see if we can finish it off. 00:46:58.860 --> 00:47:01.420 The kingdom has an external enemy. 00:47:01.420 --> 00:47:06.340 Remember in Eden, we are talking from the perspective of Eden, 00:47:06.340 --> 00:47:08.420 the kingdom had an external enemy. 00:47:08.420 --> 00:47:11.180 He was not inside Eden. 00:47:11.180 --> 00:47:13.220 He was not inside Eden. 00:47:13.220 --> 00:47:14.620 It was an external enemy. 00:47:15.020 --> 00:47:32.020 And the serpent, even today, wants to, seeks to enter into ordered, protected spaces 00:47:32.420 --> 00:47:46.420 so that he can usurp God arranged authority. 00:47:46.420 --> 00:47:50.420 And he cannot do that without us participating. 00:47:53.420 --> 00:47:58.420 Satan, even today now, I'm talking about our lives, he's an external enemy. 00:47:58.420 --> 00:48:00.420 Why? Because we are in Christ. Why? 00:48:00.820 --> 00:48:02.820 Because we are part of this thing called the bride. 00:48:02.820 --> 00:48:04.620 Why? Because we are part of the church. 00:48:04.620 --> 00:48:06.620 Why? Because we are part of the kingdom. 00:48:06.620 --> 00:48:12.420 Why? Because we are at once seated in heavenly places while we walk the earth. 00:48:12.420 --> 00:48:13.620 He's an external enemy. 00:48:13.620 --> 00:48:18.620 Yes, there are internal battles, but our internal battles are easier to, 00:48:18.620 --> 00:48:22.620 sometimes easier to change because I have a new life instead of inside of me. 00:48:22.620 --> 00:48:24.620 There are no two wolves fighting inside me. 00:48:24.620 --> 00:48:28.620 I have a new life inside of me. 00:48:28.820 --> 00:48:32.420 So there is an external enemy and his intent is still, 00:48:32.420 --> 00:48:33.820 can I break into Jacob's life? 00:48:33.820 --> 00:48:35.020 Can I break into Jacob's church? 00:48:35.020 --> 00:48:36.420 Can I break into Jacob's marriage? 00:48:36.420 --> 00:48:38.220 Can I break into Jacob's family? 00:48:38.220 --> 00:48:39.820 Can I break into Jacob's school? 00:48:39.820 --> 00:48:41.420 Can I break into Jacob's work? 00:48:41.420 --> 00:48:45.820 Can I break in and somehow usurp his authority? 00:48:45.820 --> 00:48:46.820 That's still the intent. 00:48:46.820 --> 00:48:52.620 And one of the favorite places he tries to break into is marriages. 00:48:52.620 --> 00:48:54.020 It's his favorite place. 00:48:54.020 --> 00:48:58.420 Why is marriage one of the favorite places of the devil? 00:48:58.420 --> 00:49:04.620 Because it is the place that you return to every day. 00:49:04.620 --> 00:49:10.020 It is the place where you are most naked and I don't mean it in the physical sense. 00:49:10.020 --> 00:49:16.020 It is the place where you go for comfort, for help. 00:49:16.020 --> 00:49:21.020 She was meant to be your helper, as there as in you are helpless. 00:49:21.020 --> 00:49:26.820 It is the place where the go forth, the multiply, the be fruitful, 00:49:26.820 --> 00:49:29.220 the replenish the earth, the subduing happens. 00:49:29.220 --> 00:49:31.220 It is that one place. 00:49:31.220 --> 00:49:34.420 If that place is touched, all of life is destroyed. 00:49:34.420 --> 00:49:35.820 Your finances are destroyed. 00:49:35.820 --> 00:49:37.420 Your peace is destroyed. 00:49:37.420 --> 00:49:39.620 Your comfort is destroyed. 00:49:39.620 --> 00:49:42.020 Your intimacy is destroyed. 00:49:42.020 --> 00:49:43.620 Your companionship is destroyed. 00:49:43.620 --> 00:49:47.020 It is the one place where if I am the devil I touch, 00:49:47.020 --> 00:49:51.820 it will wreak havoc and cause ripples in every area of your life. 00:49:52.820 --> 00:49:59.820 And it is the place where he enters, where Eden was an enclosed, 00:49:59.820 --> 00:50:04.820 protected space of abundant blessing and he was on the outside. 00:50:21.820 --> 00:50:23.020 What do we know about the devil? 00:50:23.020 --> 00:50:24.220 We just need to look at his name. 00:50:24.220 --> 00:50:34.020 Serpent, devil, Satan, crafty, adversary. 00:50:34.020 --> 00:50:40.420 These names are self-explanatory in terms of method of operation, accuser. 00:50:40.420 --> 00:50:48.420 Those three words, once you see what they mean, you know how this works. 00:50:48.620 --> 00:50:53.620 Serpent, Genesis 3, verse 1. 00:50:53.620 --> 00:50:58.020 Now amongst all the animals, there was this thing called the serpent, 00:50:58.020 --> 00:51:01.620 which was subtle or devious or crafty. 00:51:01.620 --> 00:51:03.020 So it's crafty. 00:51:03.020 --> 00:51:08.620 Two, devil just means adversary. 00:51:08.620 --> 00:51:12.620 And Satan means accuser. 00:51:12.620 --> 00:51:15.420 And in these three, you know most of what he does. 00:51:15.420 --> 00:51:18.620 And then in Genesis 3, you see the other things he tries. 00:51:18.620 --> 00:51:28.620 Contradicts the word from a place of reason. 00:51:34.620 --> 00:51:41.620 Two, distorts God's intent. 00:51:42.620 --> 00:51:49.220 As in, you see this in Genesis 3, verse 3 and 4. 00:51:49.220 --> 00:51:52.220 Contradicts the word, as in, did God really say? 00:51:52.220 --> 00:51:54.620 And so brings in reasoning. 00:51:54.620 --> 00:52:01.620 And it's a depth of Christianity where anything that God has said, 00:52:01.620 --> 00:52:07.220 find a Greek word or a Hebrew word that brings in reason and says, 00:52:07.220 --> 00:52:09.020 no, it really doesn't work like that. 00:52:09.020 --> 00:52:12.820 When he says, delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart, 00:52:12.820 --> 00:52:14.620 he really didn't mean that. 00:52:14.620 --> 00:52:21.020 The Greek says, delight as in, it's just stupid. 00:52:21.020 --> 00:52:26.820 The contradictions of the, contradicting the word of God with reason. 00:52:26.820 --> 00:52:33.020 But it's reached such an elevated state that people think it's wonderful to think like that. 00:52:33.020 --> 00:52:35.620 As in, not think like God. 00:52:35.620 --> 00:52:37.420 Second, distortion of the word. 00:52:37.420 --> 00:52:39.020 Genesis 3, verse 3 and 4. 00:52:39.020 --> 00:52:42.420 Did, you know, when God said to you, do not eat from the tree, 00:52:42.420 --> 00:52:47.820 I just want you to know that the reason he said that is because he's scared that you will become like him. 00:52:47.820 --> 00:52:50.620 That you will have the knowledge of good and evil. 00:52:50.620 --> 00:52:54.820 That's the reason. 00:52:54.820 --> 00:53:02.220 Equality was the first thing offered to man. 00:53:02.220 --> 00:53:08.820 Equal with God. 00:53:08.820 --> 00:53:15.220 Whenever a church wants to make everyone equal and make everyone happy, be careful, eh? 00:53:15.220 --> 00:53:19.620 It's a recipe for disaster. 00:53:19.620 --> 00:53:21.220 We are all equal before God. 00:53:21.220 --> 00:53:26.420 We have equal access to God, but we do not aspire for equality. 00:53:26.420 --> 00:53:29.620 What if your children started doing that? 00:53:29.620 --> 00:53:31.420 All your children think, we want to be equal. 00:53:31.420 --> 00:53:32.820 We want to place at the table. 00:53:32.820 --> 00:53:37.220 We want to make decisions as to what cereal we get tomorrow morning. 00:53:37.220 --> 00:53:42.420 How will that work, Subin? 00:53:42.420 --> 00:53:43.620 Somebody's going to get hurt. 00:53:43.620 --> 00:53:46.020 Sorry, I shouldn't do that. 00:53:46.020 --> 00:53:47.020 I'm so sorry, guys. 00:53:47.020 --> 00:53:49.220 That was just a slip. 00:53:49.220 --> 00:53:51.320 Sorry. 00:53:51.320 --> 00:53:52.220 That's Russell Peters. 00:53:52.220 --> 00:53:52.620 Sorry. 00:53:52.620 --> 00:53:54.820 I just thought of him. 00:53:54.820 --> 00:53:55.920 Yeah. 00:53:55.920 --> 00:53:58.620 See, if I do it, it's not too bad, but I shouldn't do it. 00:53:58.620 --> 00:54:02.820 Yeah. 00:54:02.820 --> 00:54:05.620 Sorry. 00:54:05.620 --> 00:54:10.420 Distorts what? 00:54:10.420 --> 00:54:14.020 Accusations. 00:54:14.020 --> 00:54:20.620 Accusations that are some that are legit and some that are false. 00:54:20.620 --> 00:54:21.620 And then here's the other one. 00:54:21.620 --> 00:54:27.420 This is so subtle, but it's so often seen. 00:54:27.420 --> 00:54:32.420 Satan has you exert moral autonomy. 00:54:32.420 --> 00:54:37.220 As in, he says to you, you have the right to decide what is right and wrong. 00:54:37.220 --> 00:54:39.220 Most religions have been born out of that. 00:54:39.220 --> 00:54:43.420 Moral autonomy, determine for ourselves what is right and wrong. 00:54:43.420 --> 00:54:55.820 To act autonomously, to act autonomously is to act like God. 00:54:55.820 --> 00:55:08.220 To act autonomously is to be an authority unto oneself. 00:55:08.220 --> 00:55:17.620 Being an authority unto oneself is the definition of rebellion. 00:55:17.820 --> 00:55:28.020 Rebellion is akin to witchcraft. 00:55:28.020 --> 00:55:29.020 You see this in churches. 00:55:29.020 --> 00:55:30.020 You see this in homes. 00:55:30.020 --> 00:55:32.220 You see this in kingdoms. 00:55:32.220 --> 00:55:33.820 You see this in democracies. 00:55:33.820 --> 00:55:38.020 The idea that, listen, exert moral autonomy. 00:55:38.020 --> 00:55:39.620 You are your own boss. 00:55:39.620 --> 00:55:42.620 You have the right to decide what is true, what is false. 00:55:42.620 --> 00:55:45.620 It's called relativism or pluralism, whatever you want to call it. 00:55:45.620 --> 00:55:55.620 But it is basically stirring up people to exert moral autonomy without taking your cue from a moral God. 00:55:55.620 --> 00:56:01.620 And to act autonomously is to act like God when you are not God. 00:56:01.620 --> 00:56:08.620 To act autonomously is to be an authority unto oneself. 00:56:08.620 --> 00:56:13.620 Being an authority unto oneself is the definition of rebellion. 00:56:13.620 --> 00:56:20.620 Rebellion is akin to witchcraft. 00:56:20.620 --> 00:56:22.620 I must not be tolerated in the church. 00:56:22.620 --> 00:56:27.620 And the reason it is tolerated in the church is because leaders are afraid. 00:56:27.620 --> 00:56:29.620 I want to be friendly. 00:56:29.620 --> 00:56:31.620 I want to keep everyone together. 00:56:31.620 --> 00:56:32.620 You shouldn't. 00:56:32.620 --> 00:56:37.620 It's the worst thing you can do. 00:56:37.620 --> 00:56:40.620 It's the most evil thing you can do to your family. 00:56:55.620 --> 00:56:56.620 Yeah. 00:56:56.620 --> 00:57:02.620 So you're growing a statue in Christ under him, not acting autonomously. 00:57:02.620 --> 00:57:07.620 The Bible of God was a classic example of an autonomous person who decided, 00:57:07.620 --> 00:57:10.620 I'm going to build something that will reach up to heavens. 00:57:10.620 --> 00:57:12.620 He was a hunter. 00:57:12.620 --> 00:57:14.620 I'm going to be who I want to be. 00:57:14.620 --> 00:57:16.620 Herod was another guy. 00:57:16.620 --> 00:57:20.620 Worms began to eat him and maggots spilled out of his belly. 00:57:20.620 --> 00:57:22.620 Nebuchadnezzar was another guy. 00:57:22.620 --> 00:57:30.620 Failed to recognize that God put him in place and so ran around in the forest like an animal for seven years before he was restored. 00:57:30.620 --> 00:57:37.620 The Bible is full of people who took autonomous rule into their own hands and ended up being like animals, 00:57:37.620 --> 00:57:42.620 both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. 00:57:42.620 --> 00:57:50.620 And when it is permitted in church, then you have Christ turning up in the church in the book of Revelation saying, 00:57:50.620 --> 00:57:57.620 you tolerate this woman who has brought in sexual immorality, idolatry and witchcraft into the church. 00:57:57.620 --> 00:58:01.620 You better repent or otherwise I'll come and take away your lab. 00:58:01.620 --> 00:58:07.620 Christ writes to the church in the book of Revelation. 00:58:07.620 --> 00:58:10.620 It's so hard to have the courage to deal with this, right? 00:58:10.620 --> 00:58:13.620 But once it gets in, it's so hard to remove. 00:58:13.620 --> 00:58:23.620 Churches suffer for it for 50, 60 years. 00:58:23.620 --> 00:58:29.620 Yeah, in 1 Samuel 15, verse 16, God is talking to Saul. 00:58:29.620 --> 00:58:42.620 Samuel is talking to Saul on behalf of God and he says that stubbornness is like idolatry and rebellion is like witchcraft or divination. 00:58:42.620 --> 00:58:45.620 1 Samuel 15, 16 or 16, 15, I'm not sure. 00:58:45.620 --> 00:58:48.620 That's where Samuel is saying it is Saul. 00:58:48.620 --> 00:58:51.620 And so how does it match up? 00:58:51.620 --> 00:58:54.620 How can we call rebellion witchcraft? 00:58:54.620 --> 00:59:03.620 And this is the breakdown or the process that ends up with it being what it is. 00:59:03.620 --> 00:59:06.620 I'll have to stop in five or six minutes, guys. 00:59:06.620 --> 00:59:10.620 But feel free to ask questions because we can't do this without questions. 00:59:10.620 --> 00:59:19.620 Any other questions? 00:59:19.620 --> 00:59:29.620 Another thing God does is see, one of the things that happens is because Adam decides to take authority into his own hands and become like God, 00:59:29.620 --> 00:59:43.620 what a foolish thing for that man to do. 00:59:43.620 --> 00:59:54.620 You know, there's this thing called representative principle where God made Adam a representative. 00:59:54.620 --> 01:00:09.620 And the problem with this representative principle is that once you make someone a representative, all his descendants also bear the same fate. 01:00:09.620 --> 01:00:12.620 Adam was supposed to represent God. 01:00:12.620 --> 01:00:18.620 Adam and Eve had equal access to God, but Eve was drawn from his side. 01:00:18.620 --> 01:00:22.620 Both are made in the image of God and both have equal access to God. 01:00:22.620 --> 01:00:32.620 Adam was the first representative, but anything he does would then affect his descendants. 01:00:32.620 --> 01:00:38.620 If Adam, and this is again a suggestion, okay, it's a suggestion based on a principle. 01:00:38.620 --> 01:00:40.620 I can't give you a verse. 01:00:40.620 --> 01:00:47.620 I would suggest to you that if Eve had come to Adam with the fruit to eat and Adam had said no, 01:00:47.620 --> 01:00:55.620 I would say to you that Eve's transgression would have been forgiven because Adam was a representative. 01:00:55.620 --> 01:00:57.620 Satan knew that. 01:00:57.620 --> 01:01:03.620 Satan knew that if I can get Adam, I know I can affect his descendants. 01:01:03.620 --> 01:01:08.620 What Satan could not comprehend is that the representative principle also applies the other way. 01:01:08.620 --> 01:01:16.620 Because in 1 Corinthians 15, you have the second Adam, the second Adam or the last Adam or the second man come, Christ. 01:01:16.620 --> 01:01:19.620 And now the representative principle works again. 01:01:19.620 --> 01:01:29.620 Just as through one man's sin came, through this last Adam or the second man as the Bible calls him, 01:01:29.620 --> 01:01:36.620 now forgiveness and righteousness is imputed to anybody who receives him. 01:01:36.620 --> 01:01:39.620 This is the skill of God. 01:01:39.620 --> 01:01:44.620 In terms of logic and mathematics, my God, he's brilliant. 01:01:45.620 --> 01:01:53.620 Just when the enemy thinks I've got him and his descendants, what he does not comprehend is there is a man coming who is the last Adam, 01:01:53.620 --> 01:01:58.620 who will reverse all that I've done in being slain and rising again. 01:01:58.620 --> 01:02:07.620 And now his descendants will have God's righteousness imputed to them, not an innocence that Adam had, but a righteousness that only God has. 01:02:07.620 --> 01:02:16.620 This transcendent God who lives separate from creation gives to man his righteousness because of the representative principle. 01:02:19.620 --> 01:02:21.620 That's the crazy part. 01:02:26.620 --> 01:02:28.620 I think there's someone else preaching in there. 01:02:28.620 --> 01:02:54.620 But in Adam acting autonomously, the fall results in the idea of being fruitful and multiplying. 01:02:54.620 --> 01:03:05.620 The idea of multiplying now becomes painful because of pregnancy and the labor. 01:03:05.620 --> 01:03:08.620 It becomes a painful affair. 01:03:08.620 --> 01:03:13.620 What was supposed to be beautiful, what was supposed to be purposeful, 01:03:13.620 --> 01:03:19.620 what was supposed to be something that God had ordained now becomes painful. 01:03:19.620 --> 01:03:23.620 The whole idea of replenishing now becomes difficult. Why? 01:03:23.620 --> 01:03:26.620 Because the ground is cursed. 01:03:27.620 --> 01:03:33.620 But the one thing that has always remained active is the subdue, 01:03:33.620 --> 01:03:39.620 where God decides that he will deal with the serpent. 01:03:39.620 --> 01:03:45.620 The king decides to deal with the serpent. 01:03:49.620 --> 01:03:52.620 The king decides to deal with the serpent. 01:03:52.620 --> 01:04:01.620 So even though the first three become difficult, where labor and the ground, now thorns and thistles and pain, 01:04:01.620 --> 01:04:04.620 the subdue part, the king decides he's going to deal with it. 01:04:04.620 --> 01:04:14.620 So what does he say? He says in Genesis 3, I'm putting enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. 01:04:14.620 --> 01:04:20.620 And that is the beginning of spiritual warfare, which is very real 01:04:20.620 --> 01:04:30.620 because in the Old Testament, the reason Satan used kings, tyrants, kingdoms, 01:04:30.620 --> 01:04:38.620 the intent of using kings, tyrants and kingdoms to destroy Israel was simply for one simple reason. 01:04:38.620 --> 01:04:45.620 If Israel can be annihilated, the seed of the woman will not be born. 01:04:45.620 --> 01:04:49.620 That's basically the story of Old Testament war. 01:04:50.620 --> 01:04:54.620 The entire warfare in the Old Testament is summed up in this. 01:04:54.620 --> 01:04:56.620 Can Israel be destroyed? 01:04:56.620 --> 01:05:02.620 Because out of Israel will come the seed of the woman that will crush the head of the serpent. 01:05:02.620 --> 01:05:09.620 So if this woman can be stopped, then there is no crushing of the serpent's head. 01:05:09.620 --> 01:05:12.620 And that is the story of the Old Testament wars. 01:05:12.620 --> 01:05:16.620 Every time they would come close to destroying Israel. 01:05:17.620 --> 01:05:22.620 Esther, Esther is a story basically without the word God being mentioned in Esther. 01:05:22.620 --> 01:05:29.620 Esther is the story of the attempt of the enemy through Haman the Agagite 01:05:29.620 --> 01:05:39.620 to completely slaughter a nation so that the seed of the woman will not arise. 01:05:40.620 --> 01:05:48.620 Now you understand why there is weeping in Rama as every two-year-old boy is slaughtered. 01:05:48.620 --> 01:05:58.620 Now you understand why Pharaoh sends out his soldiers to destroy every Israelite male child. 01:06:01.620 --> 01:06:03.620 And then in the New Testament it shifts. 01:06:03.620 --> 01:06:04.620 What shifts? 01:06:04.620 --> 01:06:06.620 Now the woman has given birth. 01:06:06.620 --> 01:06:12.620 Now the woman has given birth and the seed, the Christ has come up. 01:06:12.620 --> 01:06:19.620 The descendants of the seed called Christ, us, now the battle shifts to us. 01:06:19.620 --> 01:06:21.620 Where the enemy comes after? 01:06:21.620 --> 01:06:24.620 The descendants of the seed of the woman, the church. 01:06:26.620 --> 01:06:30.620 It's no longer a warfare in terms of trying to stop the birth. 01:06:30.620 --> 01:06:32.620 It is now fight these descendants. 01:06:32.620 --> 01:06:34.620 Why? 01:06:34.620 --> 01:06:37.620 So that they will not draw more unto themselves. 01:06:37.620 --> 01:06:39.620 And what is one of the best ways of fighting? 01:06:39.620 --> 01:06:41.620 Make them docile. 01:06:42.620 --> 01:06:44.620 Make them reasonable. 01:06:48.620 --> 01:06:51.620 Reasonable docile people do not go to war. 01:06:53.620 --> 01:06:55.620 They retire. 01:06:57.620 --> 01:06:59.620 Any questions? 01:07:00.620 --> 01:07:04.620 I've said this before and we'll talk about it in the future. 01:07:04.620 --> 01:07:08.620 The moment you say the word kingdom, it implies warfare. 01:07:09.620 --> 01:07:13.620 The moment you say the word kingdom, it implies warfare. 01:07:24.620 --> 01:07:25.620 Yeah. 01:07:25.620 --> 01:07:29.620 So if you sense you're being attacked by the enemy, what's the thing you should do? 01:07:29.620 --> 01:07:34.620 One, I should understand that he's just living out his job description. 01:07:35.620 --> 01:07:42.620 Ephesians 6, that the enemy shoots, fiery arrows at you. 01:07:42.620 --> 01:07:47.620 And so that is what he will continue to do. 01:07:47.620 --> 01:07:54.620 But if you read the rest of Ephesians 6, 10 to 14, you see that I've already been provided everything to deal with it. 01:07:54.620 --> 01:07:57.620 So the question is, is that how I'm dressed up? 01:07:57.620 --> 01:08:05.620 Am I like Nehemiah's people who night and day are dressed up with a spear in one hand and a spade in the other? 01:08:05.620 --> 01:08:10.620 Doing the work of the kingdom while whenever necessary defending and setting captives free. 01:08:11.620 --> 01:08:17.620 And so in a sense, the armor of God is enough for an individual believer. 01:08:17.620 --> 01:08:19.620 It is enough. 01:08:19.620 --> 01:08:25.620 It is when the attack of the enemy is more corporate that we need to figure out, okay, now what do we do? 01:08:25.620 --> 01:08:30.620 Do we wait till we hear the sound of marching above the mulberry bushes before we attack? 01:08:30.620 --> 01:08:33.620 Do we go and get Ziklag from behind? 01:08:33.620 --> 01:08:35.620 What do we do? 01:08:35.620 --> 01:08:36.620 What do we do? 01:08:36.620 --> 01:08:41.620 Do we go against just one Goliath with five stones in a sling? 01:08:41.620 --> 01:08:43.620 What do we do? 01:08:43.620 --> 01:08:46.620 Where is the mighty three or the mighty thirty? 01:08:46.620 --> 01:08:48.620 Do we send them out? 01:08:48.620 --> 01:08:50.620 What does it look like? 01:08:50.620 --> 01:08:57.620 And so in terms of individual Christianity, it's different. 01:08:57.620 --> 01:09:05.620 Okay, so let's assume the spirit of God says to me, Jacob, someone's practicing witchcraft against you. 01:09:05.620 --> 01:09:08.620 Where do I go to the sword of the spirit? 01:09:08.620 --> 01:09:09.620 What does it say? 01:09:09.620 --> 01:09:12.620 That there is no sorcery or divination against Jacob. 01:09:12.620 --> 01:09:14.620 Do I really believe that? 01:09:14.620 --> 01:09:17.620 And if I believe that, how am I going to deal with it? 01:09:17.620 --> 01:09:18.620 Have I ever dealt with it before? 01:09:18.620 --> 01:09:19.620 No, I haven't. 01:09:19.620 --> 01:09:22.620 Well, then I heard Sen has dealt with it before. 01:09:22.620 --> 01:09:23.620 Let me go ask Sen. 01:09:24.620 --> 01:09:25.620 Sen heard that Jane has dealt with it before. 01:09:25.620 --> 01:09:26.620 Sen goes, ask Jane. 01:09:26.620 --> 01:09:28.620 Now it's three against one. 01:09:28.620 --> 01:09:30.620 One shall scatter a hundred. 01:09:30.620 --> 01:09:31.620 Two shall scatter a thousand. 01:09:31.620 --> 01:09:33.620 Three shall scatter 10,000. 01:09:33.620 --> 01:09:39.620 So the sword of the spirit is basically the word of God, which is sufficient. 01:09:39.620 --> 01:09:43.620 When you look at the armor, there's nothing missing in it for warfare. 01:09:43.620 --> 01:09:47.380 When you look at the armor, there's nothing missing in it for warfare. 01:09:47.380 --> 01:09:52.380 It is just that if you put a knight's armor on me and seat me on a horse, 01:09:52.380 --> 01:09:55.580 imagine me sitting on a horse in a full knight's armor. 01:09:57.220 --> 01:09:58.900 You don't have to laugh, 01:09:59.900 --> 01:10:02.580 but I can see why you would be laughing. 01:10:02.580 --> 01:10:06.060 I'd be just stuck there, eh? The horse moves and I fall out. 01:10:06.060 --> 01:10:10.300 The thing is, when I wear this armor, do I have the ability to wield it? 01:10:10.300 --> 01:10:12.700 And where is training done? 01:10:13.700 --> 01:10:18.060 Training is done in theory like this and in practice outside. 01:10:18.900 --> 01:10:21.420 And no soldier trains alone. 01:10:21.420 --> 01:10:24.180 Any soldier that trains alone is not part of an army. 01:10:24.180 --> 01:10:29.260 All he is is a guerrilla warfare guy who is a mercenary on hire. 01:10:30.460 --> 01:10:32.460 I wouldn't hire him, 01:10:32.460 --> 01:10:35.140 because he changes sides whenever he wants. 01:10:35.140 --> 01:10:38.380 There's no loyalty, there's no guarantee that when the battle gets hot, 01:10:38.380 --> 01:10:39.740 he'll stay. 01:10:39.740 --> 01:10:41.700 I wouldn't take him on. 01:10:41.700 --> 01:10:42.700 Cheer me. 01:10:43.620 --> 01:10:46.620 Can you act autonomously? 01:10:46.620 --> 01:10:49.620 Can you act autonomously? 01:10:49.620 --> 01:10:52.620 Can you act autonomously? 01:10:52.620 --> 01:10:55.620 Can you act autonomously? 01:10:55.620 --> 01:10:58.620 Can you act autonomously? 01:10:58.620 --> 01:11:03.620 OK. Can I act autonomously with self-discipline? 01:11:05.620 --> 01:11:09.620 I don't know whether I'll be answering the question you're asking, 01:11:10.620 --> 01:11:15.620 but even the things that I discipline myself in 01:11:15.620 --> 01:11:20.620 should be the things that he wants to instruct me on. 01:11:21.620 --> 01:11:26.620 And I should discipline myself in those things because I delight in him. 01:11:27.620 --> 01:11:32.620 So let's say you are a world-famous athlete. 01:11:32.620 --> 01:11:36.620 I want to be an athlete too, I want to run in the next Olympics. 01:11:36.620 --> 01:11:38.620 So I come to you. 01:11:38.620 --> 01:11:43.620 And you instruct me on how I should discipline myself 01:11:43.620 --> 01:11:47.620 if I am to run the marathon in the Olympics. 01:11:47.620 --> 01:11:49.620 So that's one part of it. 01:11:49.620 --> 01:11:51.620 So I begin to discipline myself 01:11:51.620 --> 01:11:55.620 and begin to create rules that I can get better by. 01:11:55.620 --> 01:11:58.620 But here's the thing, I'm not doing it on my own. 01:11:58.620 --> 01:12:02.620 I'm coming to you who's done this before and asking you for help. 01:12:02.620 --> 01:12:03.620 So that's one part. 01:12:03.620 --> 01:12:07.620 The second part is, the reason I want to run the marathon in the Olympics 01:12:07.620 --> 01:12:09.620 is because I delight in running. 01:12:09.620 --> 01:12:14.620 When I run, like it says in the Targets of Fire, I feel the pleasure of God. 01:12:14.620 --> 01:12:18.620 The moment you delight in something, discipline becomes easier. 01:12:19.620 --> 01:12:24.620 And when these two combine, voila, things really work out. 01:12:24.620 --> 01:12:26.620 So to now transfer it to God, 01:12:26.620 --> 01:12:30.620 in the areas that I need to discipline myself, I'll go and ask God, 01:12:30.620 --> 01:12:32.620 Father, how do I do this? 01:12:32.620 --> 01:12:33.620 He'll give me instructions from the Word, 01:12:33.620 --> 01:12:36.620 He'll give me instructions through people who've done it before, 01:12:36.620 --> 01:12:37.620 and I'll learn to do it. 01:12:37.620 --> 01:12:41.620 But before I do it, the first thing I'll have to do is begin to delight in Him. 01:12:41.620 --> 01:12:45.620 As I delight in Him, I begin to do this not because I want an Olympic gold, 01:12:45.620 --> 01:12:48.620 but because I love running. 01:12:48.620 --> 01:12:53.620 I sometimes wonder, what happens to those athletes who come fourth and fifth 01:12:53.620 --> 01:12:58.620 and sixth and seventh, and they know they probably won't win the gold? 01:12:58.620 --> 01:13:00.620 Why do they go back in the next Olympics? 01:13:00.620 --> 01:13:03.620 Partly because they love their nation, partly because they love running. 01:13:03.620 --> 01:13:10.620 That's why, if you love soccer, it doesn't matter that your Tooney and Man City keeps losing. 01:13:10.620 --> 01:13:13.620 You just stick with it. 01:13:13.620 --> 01:13:19.620 Crystal Palace, what days when? 01:13:19.620 --> 01:13:22.620 Let's stop there. 01:13:22.620 --> 01:13:26.620 There are two other things that I was going to talk about, which we'll do next time. 01:13:26.620 --> 01:13:29.620 One is, so what did Eden look like? 01:13:29.620 --> 01:13:31.620 What did Eden look like? 01:13:31.620 --> 01:13:34.620 More than anything else, Eden was the presence of God. 01:13:34.620 --> 01:13:40.620 And then the other part was, what does obedience have to do with Eden and the Kingdom? 01:13:40.620 --> 01:13:43.620 What does obedience have to do with Eden and the Kingdom? 01:13:43.620 --> 01:13:44.620 We'll talk about that. 01:13:44.620 --> 01:13:48.620 But when you think of Eden and the presence of God, can you imagine? 01:13:48.620 --> 01:13:55.620 And just so you know, God wasn't doing a visit for five minutes every evening. 01:13:55.620 --> 01:14:00.620 That's not how it was. 01:14:00.620 --> 01:14:05.620 Eden was filled with the glorious presence of God. 01:14:05.620 --> 01:14:13.620 But there were deliberate times when you would have Panim, as in face to face. 01:14:13.620 --> 01:14:16.620 And you see this in the Bible often. 01:14:16.620 --> 01:14:22.620 Moses in Exodus 24 was called up the mountain with 70 others and Nedab and Abiu. 01:14:23.620 --> 01:14:26.620 And they ate and drank with God. 01:14:26.620 --> 01:14:29.620 Under their feet was a sapphire pathway. 01:14:29.620 --> 01:14:31.620 And they ate and drank with God. 01:14:31.620 --> 01:14:33.620 And then the presence of God was there. 01:14:33.620 --> 01:14:36.620 They were eating and drinking with God, 72 or 73 of them. 01:14:36.620 --> 01:14:37.620 Then what does God say? 01:14:37.620 --> 01:14:40.620 Hey, Moses, I want you to come up. 01:14:40.620 --> 01:14:41.620 And so Moses goes up. 01:14:41.620 --> 01:14:44.620 And he goes up and there's this cloud. 01:14:44.620 --> 01:14:45.620 And he doesn't know what's going to happen. 01:14:45.620 --> 01:14:46.620 There's this huge cloud. 01:14:46.620 --> 01:14:47.620 And the others are watching. 01:14:47.620 --> 01:14:49.620 And this cloud is there. 01:14:49.620 --> 01:14:51.620 You read it in the last three verses of Exodus 24. 01:14:51.620 --> 01:14:55.620 And then suddenly God says, OK, I want you to come up a little higher. 01:14:55.620 --> 01:15:00.620 Then it says Moses went up and the cloud hit him. 01:15:00.620 --> 01:15:04.620 And it is there that that conversation happens. 01:15:04.620 --> 01:15:05.620 Show me your face. 01:15:05.620 --> 01:15:06.620 Show me your glory. 01:15:06.620 --> 01:15:08.620 I want to see your face. 01:15:08.620 --> 01:15:13.620 Forty days and forty nights, this man was having a one-on-one. 01:15:13.620 --> 01:15:19.620 In Eden, it wasn't as if God would say, oops, four o'clock, got to have tea, maybe an apple. 01:15:19.620 --> 01:15:20.620 And so he goes down. 01:15:20.620 --> 01:15:25.620 No, it was the place was blooming filled with his presence. 01:15:25.620 --> 01:15:31.620 If you and I can experience when we go quiet that he is here. 01:15:37.620 --> 01:15:39.620 We are talking about him. 01:15:46.620 --> 01:15:49.620 We are talking about a living God. 01:15:50.620 --> 01:16:01.620 And he ruins you when you recognize suddenly that you know he is here. 01:16:05.620 --> 01:16:12.620 If we can feel this now, imagine Eden where there was no speculative thinking, no reasoning, no rationale. 01:16:12.620 --> 01:16:15.620 Innocence. 01:16:15.620 --> 01:16:18.620 No shame, no guilt, no condemnation. 01:16:20.620 --> 01:16:25.620 And then at some point he would come down and it'd be face to face. 01:16:28.620 --> 01:16:41.620 If this in our dying flesh with our past, with our condemnation and guilt, if this is what we can taste now, what will it be then? 01:16:41.620 --> 01:16:46.620 Why should your neighbor not be part of it? 01:16:46.620 --> 01:16:50.620 It is robbery if he's not part of it. 01:16:57.620 --> 01:17:03.620 Only a people who taste and see that God is good will be able to tell others about him. 01:17:06.620 --> 01:17:15.620 Had Adam waited, he would have known the knowledge of good and evil without having 01:17:16.620 --> 01:17:18.620 to disobey. 01:17:18.620 --> 01:17:21.620 Eden was just the beginning. 01:17:21.620 --> 01:17:30.620 What awaits us, and you'll find many parallels, there was a river through Eden, there's a river in the new heaven and earth. 01:17:30.620 --> 01:17:34.620 There's a tree of life in Eden, there's a tree of life in the new heaven and earth. 01:17:34.620 --> 01:17:35.620 Many parallels. 01:17:35.620 --> 01:17:40.620 But please don't think that the new heaven and earth is a replica of Eden. 01:17:40.620 --> 01:17:43.620 It will be a million times better. 01:17:43.620 --> 01:17:45.620 Let's pray. 01:17:45.620 --> 01:17:58.620 Father, you've said that we purify ourselves when we begin to hope for the return of Christ and the future that awaits us. 01:17:58.620 --> 01:18:09.620 It says so, I think, in Thessalonians, that anybody who hopes for the kingdom that awaits in the future, who hopes for the return of Christ, 01:18:09.620 --> 01:18:13.620 purifies himself, purifies herself. 01:18:16.620 --> 01:18:24.620 And so I thank you that even as we conclude this teaching that you are purifying us. 01:18:26.620 --> 01:18:36.620 It also says, Father, that anyone who reads the book, words in the book of Revelation, that there'll be a blessing upon them. 01:18:36.620 --> 01:18:40.620 And so I just read Revelation 22, 1 to 6. 01:18:40.620 --> 01:18:52.620 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, down the middle of the great street of the city. 01:18:52.620 --> 01:18:59.620 On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. 01:18:59.620 --> 01:19:03.620 And the leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations. 01:19:03.620 --> 01:19:05.620 No longer will there be any curse. 01:19:05.620 --> 01:19:11.620 The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 01:19:11.620 --> 01:19:16.620 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 01:19:16.620 --> 01:19:18.620 There will be no more night. 01:19:18.620 --> 01:19:24.620 They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. 01:19:24.620 --> 01:19:27.620 And they will reign forever and ever. 01:19:27.620 --> 01:19:32.620 The angel said to me, these words are trustworthy and true. 01:19:32.620 --> 01:19:40.620 The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must take place soon. 01:19:40.620 --> 01:19:45.620 He who testifies to these things says, yes, I'm coming soon. 01:19:45.620 --> 01:19:48.620 Amen. Maranatha. Come Lord Jesus. 01:19:48.620 --> 01:19:52.620 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen. 01:19:52.620 --> 01:19:56.620 Bless you guys. It's such a pleasure teaching this and learning with you. 01:19:56.620 --> 01:20:00.620 If you need prayer, there'll be someone here to pray with you. Yeah? 01:20:01.620 --> 01:20:04.620 Keep singing that song, Is He Worthy? 01:20:04.620 --> 01:20:07.620 Because he's changing things now. He's changing it.