WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Isaiah 61 - The Kingdom and the Spirit Publishing Date: 2025-05-04T06:04:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/isaiah-61-the-kingdom-and-the-spirit/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:14.120 We have started a new series today. Hopefully it will go for a few weeks. There is plenty 00:00:14.120 --> 00:00:23.880 there. It′s Isaiah 61. How do we see the kingdom and the Holy Spirit both operating 00:00:23.880 --> 00:00:31.900 in Isaiah 61? That′s what we will be looking at. Usually we just do the first four verses 00:00:31.900 --> 00:00:38.640 and then we leave the rest alone. This time around, we′ll take Isaiah 61 and see how 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:46.920 the kingdom and how the Spirit are both involved in Isaiah 61 and how critical it is for us. 00:00:47.920 --> 00:01:03.000 That′s what we look at. When it comes to Isaiah 61, it′s actually a disclosure of 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:17.880 kingdom and king and what the king intends to do. When you read Isaiah 61, 00:01:17.880 --> 00:01:21.960 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, for he has anointed me to preach the good news 00:01:21.960 --> 00:01:26.680 to the poor, to open the eyes of the blind, to open prison doors, to set the captives 00:01:26.680 --> 00:01:33.680 free, to exchange us. Instead of mourning, I′ll give you joy. Instead of heaviness, 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:41.480 I′ll give you praise. Instead of ruins, I′ll give you streets that are restored. 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:51.600 It′s basically a disclosure of kingdom and king and what the king intends. It was this 00:01:51.600 --> 00:01:58.320 idea of Jesus saying′ because there′s a verse in Isaiah 61 which says, the year 00:01:58.320 --> 00:02:08.840 of favor, another word used for that is jubilee, where he says, hey, I′ve come to do a few 00:02:08.840 --> 00:02:17.280 things and it′s all encapsulated in Isaiah 61. Some of the things he wanted to do was 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:28.000 proclamation of release to people and then acts of release to people. That′s the beautiful 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:35.200 thing about Jesus. He doesn′t stop at proclamation. He doesn′t stop at announcements. I think 00:02:35.200 --> 00:02:39.960 one of the greatest struggles that we have as believers is we can tell them what Jesus 00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:46.400 did but we aren′t necessarily able to show them what Jesus did and that gap has to get 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:53.440 smaller and smaller in our lives and in your life. 00:02:53.440 --> 00:02:57.160 These are the things being announced in Isaiah 61, that it′s the year of the Lord′s favor, 00:02:57.160 --> 00:03:02.840 as in I′m bringing jubilee. What was jubilee? We talked about it in detail six months ago. 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:08.320 It was a time when things would be restored. It was a time when there would be a proclamation 00:03:08.320 --> 00:03:16.520 of release from all forms of debt, of bondage, of any kind of oppression. Not only does he 00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:25.520 proclaim it, he then goes ahead and hacks it out, which is why in Luke 4, Luke 4, 14 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:32.160 to 21, Jesus turns up at the synagogue and he′s got the entire Old Testament to choose 00:03:32.160 --> 00:03:39.160 from because he′s inaugurating his messiahship. He′s inaugurating himself as the one who 00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:44.560 has come to start a new kingdom. Of all the scriptures in the Old Testament, guess which 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:51.560 one he picks? Isaiah 61. He opens it and he begins to read from the scroll. 00:03:53.200 --> 00:03:59.760 In the process of going through Isaiah 61 over the next few weeks, we′ll find out 00:04:00.160 --> 00:04:13.440 2 things. One, what was Jesus expecting to happen when he said I have come to usher 00:04:13.440 --> 00:04:24.440 in a new, not a new, a kingdom? You will find that out and you will also find out how the 00:04:24.440 --> 00:04:33.240 involved. These are two things that Isaiah 61 will give us a good idea of. 00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:41.600 And so the indispensable work of the Spirit, the indispensable work of the 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:51.360 Spirit is something we'll see. And it's so within our reach, because it's the 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:54.720 same scripture that we now repeat, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, the 00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:58.240 Spirit of the Lord is upon Aaron, the Spirit of the Lord is upon Sen, the 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:06.600 Spirit of the Lord is upon Matt. It's crazy. It's everybody's gift to do the 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:12.000 things that Jesus did. The very same things. I'm hoping that we get a little 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:17.240 closer to the idea of, ah, so this is what the kingdom involves and this is the 00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:23.600 Spirit of God who brings the kingdom to pass. Through who? Through you. Through us. 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:28.720 I hope we get a little closer to it because it's our constant desire, right? 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:32.480 It's the one thing we are pressing towards saying, oh God, let it happen, let 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:38.160 it happen through us. And man cannot build a kingdom. This is a, this, Jesus 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:42.440 said it this way, this kingdom is not of this world, so man cannot build it. Man 00:05:42.440 --> 00:05:49.800 cannot build it because it's not from this part of the, this part of town. But 00:05:49.800 --> 00:06:07.600 strangely enough, God entrusts us to share, show, tell about this kingdom. We 00:06:07.640 --> 00:06:13.280 can't do this but he expects us to be the ones who go around sharing, showing, 00:06:13.280 --> 00:06:24.040 and telling about this kingdom. And so what does he do? He says, hey guys, you 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:29.840 would think Jesus doesn't speak like that but I suggest he would. Hey guys, I 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:48.760 just anointed Chava Chava. I just anointed Chava Chava with the Holy Spirit so that 00:06:48.760 --> 00:07:01.680 he can go about announcing and sowing seeds and showing what the kingdom looks 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:03.880 like. 00:07:03.880 --> 00:07:21.400 Hey guys, I just anointed Chava Chava to go to different parts of the world. Oh, 00:07:21.400 --> 00:07:27.120 you're there, you were there. Okay, oh a different part of the world now? Okay. 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:35.680 Okay, so I just anointed Chava Chava with the Holy Spirit so that he can go 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:42.920 around announcing, sowing seed, and showing what the kingdom looks like. All 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:50.040 three. But before we even go and look at what that looks like, let's again go back 00:07:50.040 --> 00:07:55.080 to that simple question. So what in the world is this kingdom? What in the world 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:58.760 is the kingdom? Because we keep talking about kingdom, kingdom, kingdom. What in 00:07:58.760 --> 00:08:01.680 the world is the kingdom? You know what most people do? They take kingdoms of the 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:07.840 world and they try to draw out a parallel by looking at kingdoms of the world. Like 00:08:07.840 --> 00:08:14.960 I lived in a kingdom. People from UK have lived in a kingdom. If you lived in the 00:08:14.960 --> 00:08:20.680 Middle East, you lived in a kingdom. Kez lived in a kingdom. But we can't take the 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:25.040 kingdom that exists in the world and then say this is what it means because these 00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:30.920 words are very clearly said that's not how it works. So what do we mean when we 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:36.840 say kingdom and we start there? Because it's quite confusing and I mean I want 00:08:36.840 --> 00:08:40.600 to I wanted to title this teaching Kingdom Confusion. Then I thought that's 00:08:40.600 --> 00:08:46.560 not a very good title for a message. So when you look at the kingdom, the Bible 00:08:46.560 --> 00:08:58.600 says the word of God says that the kingdom of God is a present reality. It 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:04.960 says so in Romans 14 17. That is a present reality. But then if you go to 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:21.640 Matthew 25 34, it says the kingdom is an inheritance bestowed when Christ comes. 00:09:22.120 --> 00:09:38.200 So which is it? You go to Colossians 1 13 and it says that the kingdom is a realm 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:53.200 that followers of Christ enter into. Enter. That they are transferred into the 00:09:53.200 --> 00:10:00.320 kingdom of the Son. But then if you go to 2nd Peter 1 11, it says 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:15.040 that the kingdom of God is a future realm which we will enter when Christ 00:10:15.040 --> 00:10:17.560 returns. 00:10:17.560 --> 00:10:30.400 So what do you do then? On one hand the parables tell you like in Luke chapter 00:10:30.400 --> 00:10:40.280 13, the parables tell you in Luke 13 that the kingdom is present. But then if you 00:10:40.280 --> 00:10:46.680 look at John 18 36 when Jesus is before Pilate, he says my kingdom is not of the 00:10:46.680 --> 00:10:57.120 world. What do you do with this man? This is why it could be aptly titled 00:10:57.120 --> 00:11:07.360 kingdom confusion. It seems to contradict one another. So Romans 14 17, it's a 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:13.440 present reality. Matthew 25 34, it'll be bestowed when Christ comes. Colossians 1 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:17.560 13, it's a realm that followers of Christ enter into as soon as they are 00:11:17.560 --> 00:11:22.160 born again. 2nd Peter 1 11, the kingdom is a future realm which we will enter when 00:11:22.160 --> 00:11:28.160 Christ returns. Parables Luke 13, kingdom is a present reality. John 18 36, Jesus's 00:11:28.160 --> 00:11:35.200 words, my kingdom is not of this world. How can all this be? And so it's 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:39.440 important that if we are going to say that we want to study the kingdom and 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:44.840 the spirit of God, how in the world will we know if we don't have a very clear 00:11:44.840 --> 00:11:53.960 grasp of what the kingdom is so that that doesn't shake? Because remember guys, 00:11:53.960 --> 00:11:59.200 this is the only thing he talked about after he rose from the dead. So let's 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:04.640 assume Easter Sunday was what two weeks ago? And he was on the earth for 40 days. 00:12:04.640 --> 00:12:09.320 So he would have finished 14 days now if it is happening right now. 14 days over 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:14.040 he's got 26 days left. And in the book of Acts and in the book of Luke it just 00:12:14.040 --> 00:12:19.080 keeps saying that after he rose again he went around talking about one singular 00:12:19.080 --> 00:12:30.640 thing, the kingdom of God. And so it's important that I have a concrete 00:12:30.640 --> 00:12:35.320 unflinting grasp of the basic of what a kingdom is. After that you can build on 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:42.840 it. But you got to have that first bit. So that's what we'll attempt today. Any 00:12:42.840 --> 00:12:58.800 questions before we go on? Any questions? No? Okay. Okay so there are two words 00:12:58.800 --> 00:13:03.160 that are used for kingdom in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old 00:13:03.160 --> 00:13:12.360 Testament Hebrew word is M-A-L-K-U-T-H and the New Testament Greek word is B-A-S-I-L-E-I-A. 00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:20.560 Basilia and Malchut. So these are the two words and they always mean rank, 00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:30.560 authority, sovereignty, as in one who can do whatever he wants, I am who I am kind 00:13:30.560 --> 00:13:35.920 of a thing. These are words that are always associated with the word kingdom. 00:13:35.920 --> 00:13:48.720 Strangely enough, it's exercised by a king, whenever this word is used, it's 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:53.480 rank, authority, sovereignty exercised by a king. But strangely enough it doesn't 00:13:53.480 --> 00:14:00.440 talk about a realm and it doesn't talk about people. That is derived later on. 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:14.360 That's not the actual meaning. It doesn't talk about a realm or a people. You know, 00:14:14.360 --> 00:14:27.680 long ago when I went to Indonesia I met two different people. One was an elected governor 00:14:27.680 --> 00:14:34.000 of a province. So imagine BC and its premier. So one was an elected governor of a province. 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:40.840 And for whatever reason in Indonesia when you become a governor you have to choose to wear the 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:45.760 uniform of either a general in the army or the general in the navy or a general in the Air Force, 00:14:45.760 --> 00:14:52.040 even if you've never served. So when you drive into that town you'll see huge posters of these 00:14:52.040 --> 00:15:00.040 governors dressed in like army regalia or navy regalia with cap, with braids and all this stuff, 00:15:00.040 --> 00:15:05.000 but they've never served in the army, never served in the navy, but that's what they wear. 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:09.440 And I remember meeting the guy. Both these guys I'm talking about were not believers, 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:14.920 nothing like that. It just so happened that I met both of them. So one was the governor of 00:15:14.920 --> 00:15:21.920 this province and he had police and he had cars and he had this beautiful governor's bungalow 00:15:21.920 --> 00:15:32.320 and all that stuff. And the other guy was a man who before Indonesia became democratic came from 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:40.440 a family that was hailed and even today is looked at as having come from a divine line of kings. 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:47.920 So you've got a guy who comes from a divine line of kings and you've got an elected governor. And 00:15:47.920 --> 00:15:57.520 the elected governor had people and all this stuff, but this guy had no people under him, 00:15:57.520 --> 00:16:04.880 no realm, no citizens under him, but you should have seen the rank, the authority, the respect, 00:16:04.880 --> 00:16:12.160 and the sovereignty he carried. When I went to the city he lived in people would come and treat 00:16:12.160 --> 00:16:17.840 him like he was God because they see him as one who's descended from a divine line of kings. 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:24.720 The politicians who get elected will come to him and borrow his jewelry because they thought it 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:30.360 was a good luck charm. But the guy didn't have cops under him, the guy didn't have citizens under 00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:38.680 him, he was a king. He had rank, he had authority, he had power, but he did not have a people, 00:16:38.680 --> 00:16:46.740 he did not have cops, but he was still king. And guess who was getting more respect? Him. Why? 00:16:46.740 --> 00:16:53.600 Because people recognize his rank, his authority, his sovereignty, the power he carries, the majesty. 00:16:53.600 --> 00:17:02.240 When you go to his palace everything is tradition and ritual. You enter his presence, you don't turn 00:17:02.240 --> 00:17:09.240 his back, you're back on him and walk away. There was protocol. With elected officials it was much easier. 00:17:09.240 --> 00:17:19.240 Why tell you this? Because we need to understand that the kingdom is not people or a realm. First, 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:32.480 the kingdom is a king who has absolute sovereignty, complete rank, total authority, and is majestic. 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:43.880 So whenever God says that the kingdom is in your midst, he's first referring to who he is before 00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:53.640 he is referring to what he's going to do. Unless you be born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of 00:17:53.640 --> 00:18:04.820 God. As in, unless you receive, recognize, submit to the fact that I am sovereign, I am majesty, 00:18:04.820 --> 00:18:12.540 I am rank, I am authority, and nothing exists before that. Unless that is recognized, there is 00:18:12.540 --> 00:18:17.900 no entering the kingdom of God. When that is recognized, people become citizens. 00:18:17.900 --> 00:18:36.580 Any questions on that before we go on? I wish I could say something like Jesus has all authority, 00:18:36.580 --> 00:18:42.340 because he said it in Matthew 28. But the fact is, there is nothing called authority beside him. 00:18:43.180 --> 00:18:50.580 The reason anything or anyone has any authority is because he, in his brilliance, has allowed it. 00:18:50.580 --> 00:19:02.820 In his long game, seeing miles ahead, 20 years ahead, 40 years ahead, he has initiated a program 00:19:02.820 --> 00:19:09.620 that will be highly successful, and all the chess pieces are arranged, not because he begins to 00:19:09.620 --> 00:19:17.740 control your moves, but because he has a foresight to see every move every earthworm and bird and man 00:19:17.740 --> 00:19:34.140 will attempt before it even happens. It's just nuts. That's the I am-ness of your God. And then 00:19:34.140 --> 00:19:38.540 we wonder why we are so scared when things go wrong, because we can't see tomorrow, but he's 00:19:38.580 --> 00:19:44.940 seeing about 20 years down the line. So many of us wouldn't be here today if it was not for prayers 00:19:44.940 --> 00:19:50.700 that were not answered and things that did not happen. Man, if God had answered my prayers, 00:19:50.700 --> 00:19:55.900 I'd be operating on your heart. I'd be a heart surgeon, and God help you. I'd fall into your 00:19:55.900 --> 00:20:08.420 cavity because I can't stand the sight of blood. Aren't you glad you escaped that one? Any questions? 00:20:08.420 --> 00:20:21.980 At 60, you're usually limited to 40 years. Yeah. But God is older than that, yes. On his mother's 00:20:21.980 --> 00:20:34.100 side, he was 33. On his father's side, he was the ancient of days. Yep. He can see Don and Kezia's 00:20:34.100 --> 00:20:43.860 great-great-great-great-great-grandchild. Crazy, eh? And they're doing just a gender reveal right 00:20:43.860 --> 00:21:08.620 now, and he can see down the line. Say that again. Why doesn't he care? Yeah, I think I do answer 00:21:09.380 --> 00:21:18.700 on. You know, the Old Testament, gosh, it's amazing how parents react to a child's cry. Sorry. In the 00:21:18.700 --> 00:21:25.100 Old Testament, if you read Daniel 2, verse 37, it said, and there was a stone that came rolling 00:21:25.100 --> 00:21:34.340 down, and it hit the statue that was made of iron and clay, burst into pieces, and then the stone 00:21:34.340 --> 00:21:38.820 became a mountain, and the kingdom of God was the only kingdom that existed, and all the other 00:21:38.820 --> 00:21:43.140 kingdoms were done. So from the Old Testament perspective, the prophets were looking forward 00:21:43.140 --> 00:21:50.660 to this one singular event or this day when everything will change. In a day, the kingdom 00:21:50.660 --> 00:21:55.540 of God will come. All other kingdoms will be undone. That's what they were looking forward to, 00:21:55.540 --> 00:22:00.940 and it must have been staggering when Jesus turns up, and he's talking about the kingdom, 00:22:00.940 --> 00:22:08.500 but he's not replacing nothing, and that's the mystery of the kingdom. Jesus puts it this way. 00:22:08.500 --> 00:22:17.580 Imagine taking some leaven and putting it into a bowl of dough, a big bowl of dough. Imagine putting 00:22:17.580 --> 00:22:25.740 some leaven. It's unobservable. It just gets lost as you put it in there, and then it takes time. I 00:22:26.460 --> 00:22:31.580 think it's brilliant of God not to bring the kingdom in one day. You know why? It's again a 00:22:31.580 --> 00:22:38.900 matter of love. Instead of bringing the kingdom in, in a singular event that would have judged the 00:22:38.900 --> 00:22:44.100 world into sheep and goat, what does he do? He says, I'll do something better. I'll bring the kingdom 00:22:44.100 --> 00:22:52.860 in advance so that people recognize the king and have time to submit to him so that when that singular 00:22:52.860 --> 00:23:00.540 day comes, when everything will end, there will be more that know him than don't. So from the Old 00:23:00.540 --> 00:23:07.260 Testament perspective, it's just nuts. From the New Testament perspective, Jesus is approaching 00:23:07.260 --> 00:23:15.300 it differently. He's saying, hey, I want to give you the choice to reject king and kingdom. I want 00:23:15.300 --> 00:23:23.300 to do it unobtrusively, secretly, quietly. It is impossible to stop this leaven from fermenting, 00:23:23.300 --> 00:23:32.420 and I'm going to do it through a man who hangs naked on a cross and is meek and lowly and has 00:23:32.420 --> 00:23:42.580 leaven disciples left. That's leaven, and now I mean leaven, not eleven. That's a great title 00:23:42.780 --> 00:23:49.140 for the sermon. Is it leaven or is it leaven? Yeah, sorry. Sorry. Go ahead. 00:23:49.140 --> 00:24:17.460 So how it works is this, guys. This is too small. How it works is this. 00:24:17.460 --> 00:24:26.260 So God has the ability to look down the tunnel of time. He looks down the tunnel of time, 00:24:26.260 --> 00:24:32.500 and he has his ability. He knows what Dilna is going to do here, here, here, here, here, 00:24:32.500 --> 00:24:39.660 and here. Why? Because he's all-knowing. Nobody on earth has this ability, but God knows every 00:24:39.660 --> 00:24:44.500 step that Dilna will take tomorrow, 20 years from now, 40 years from now, 80 years from now, 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:52.820 and he's 143. So he knows everything Dilna will do, but in his foresight, having known what Dilna 00:24:52.820 --> 00:24:57.980 does, here's what God does. Every time Dilna is going to make a wrong decision, God will do 00:24:57.980 --> 00:25:04.060 everything in his power to help him choose right, but he will never force Dilna's hand to choose 00:25:04.060 --> 00:25:09.860 right, because the moment he forces Dilna's hand to choose right, Dilna no longer has free moral 00:25:10.140 --> 00:25:16.100 will. So he won't do that. And in the same way, every time he's going to make a right decision, 00:25:16.100 --> 00:25:23.380 God will orchestrate circumstances so that the right decision will bear great fruit. His foreknowledge 00:25:23.380 --> 00:25:34.340 allows him to help you do well and help you choose right, but his foreknowledge is not something that 00:25:34.420 --> 00:25:40.860 is used to control. He doesn't predestine your actions, but he knows because of foreknowledge. 00:25:40.860 --> 00:25:47.420 It's like mothers with their kids. You put the kid down and you know the kid is going to go towards 00:25:47.420 --> 00:25:53.860 the electric socket, and you watch. Occasionally the kid strays here and they show a toy, hoping 00:25:53.860 --> 00:25:58.660 the kid will go for the toy. No, but the kid gravitates towards the socket. Why? Because 00:25:58.660 --> 00:26:03.980 putting your hand in the socket is a wonderful experience. And so at some point, God intervenes 00:26:04.180 --> 00:26:08.340 and picks and puts it back, but a child keeps doing it, keeps doing it, and they try to change 00:26:08.340 --> 00:26:13.460 track. God looks down the tunnel of time and he knows everything I'm going to do. He knows 00:26:13.460 --> 00:26:19.580 the next sentence I'm going to speak even though I don't know it. He knows. 00:26:34.860 --> 00:26:41.180 Okay, we'll get to that. Yeah, so the first thing we, her question is, why are you saying it's not a 00:26:41.180 --> 00:26:47.500 realm when some of the scriptures say it's a realm? I'm saying in its essence, the word kingdom can 00:26:47.500 --> 00:26:53.020 exist without a realm because the word kingdom exists because there is a king, and that king existed 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:58.380 from everlasting to everlasting, and he had a kingdom when there were no people, no angels, 00:26:58.380 --> 00:27:07.500 no nothing. It says his kingdom is from everlasting to everlasting, and yet he created everything. 00:27:08.060 --> 00:27:13.580 There were no people then, yet he had a kingdom. Why? Because when it comes to the word kingdom, 00:27:13.580 --> 00:27:23.180 we've got to understand this, that it means his rank, his authority, his majesty, his power, 00:27:23.900 --> 00:27:31.020 his sovereignty, and in his sovereignty he decides to make dawn. In his sovereignty, 00:27:31.020 --> 00:27:38.780 he decides to make sin. In his sovereignty, he creates a universe out of nothing. 00:27:40.300 --> 00:27:47.580 Imagine someone speaking an entire universe into being. What kind of God is this, man? What kind of 00:27:47.580 --> 00:27:53.980 king is this? And now he's standing 2000 years ago in the midst of people somewhere in Israel, 00:27:54.540 --> 00:28:01.580 and he's saying to them, hey, I just want you to know that the kingdom is in your midst right now. 00:28:05.020 --> 00:28:11.900 And if you receive me, you can be ones who begin to participate in the benefits, the activity, 00:28:11.900 --> 00:28:15.020 the disclosure, the spirit of this kingdom. 00:28:18.620 --> 00:28:23.740 And now that he's come and shown himself as this is what the kingdom is, now realm will happen. 00:28:25.340 --> 00:28:33.020 Now people will happen. And remember, we are not born again into the church, 00:28:33.020 --> 00:28:38.860 we are not born again into heaven, we are born again into a kingdom. 00:28:42.860 --> 00:28:43.360 Okay. 00:28:46.700 --> 00:28:52.940 So the Old Testament anticipated a day where God's reign would sweep away everything. 00:28:52.940 --> 00:28:58.460 All authority, all rule, all opposing kingdoms, single event. Wickedness ends, righteousness comes 00:28:58.460 --> 00:29:06.700 in. And yet, all along, the kingdom that Jesus said would happen would happen secretly, oblivious 00:29:06.700 --> 00:29:12.300 to the crowd. It just keeps happening. The Old Testament would say, who can withstand the coming 00:29:12.300 --> 00:29:19.980 of the kingdom? Who can resist it? And Jesus instead says, hey, the kingdom is like leaven, 00:29:20.620 --> 00:29:24.300 and it'll keep happening. There's nothing that can stop it from happening. Guys, imagine this, 00:29:24.300 --> 00:29:35.900 hey, how did you get born again into the kingdom? So Jesus's way of doing it is, I could bring 00:29:37.580 --> 00:29:40.540 angels, legions of them. 00:29:43.980 --> 00:29:53.260 I could bring an end to wickedness with a word. 00:29:57.420 --> 00:29:58.860 I could annihilate 00:29:58.860 --> 00:30:03.420 everyone who rebels. 00:30:09.900 --> 00:30:10.300 I could 00:30:14.700 --> 00:30:17.020 divide the sheep and the goats now. 00:30:18.700 --> 00:30:19.980 I could do all this, 00:30:19.980 --> 00:30:29.500 but I'm choosing not to, because right now, I want to use, this is so cool, I want to use 00:30:30.460 --> 00:30:34.540 persuasion instead of power. 00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:42.940 And who does he use to persuade others? Me, you. 00:30:43.660 --> 00:30:48.060 I want to use persuasion to convince people. I don't want to use power. A day will come 00:30:48.060 --> 00:30:53.820 when power will be used, but not yet. A day will come when people will be judged, but not yet. 00:30:53.820 --> 00:30:59.100 Right now, I just want them to taste the kingdom, see the kingdom, and turn to the kingdom, turn 00:30:59.100 --> 00:31:07.900 to the king and say, I want in. It's a generous, loving God that's doing this, man. But he needs, 00:31:07.900 --> 00:31:15.500 he doesn't need our help, but he wants us to be part of this. He wants us to be part of this. 00:31:20.220 --> 00:31:36.300 And if we, yeah, any questions before we go on? So you have a man, meek, lowly, 00:31:37.100 --> 00:31:40.380 lowly, crucified, 00:31:45.180 --> 00:31:49.820 meek, lowly, crucified, few disciples, 00:31:53.100 --> 00:32:05.740 and he starts the process. And then, like Thuney Song said, he lives in us, 00:32:07.260 --> 00:32:18.060 and the process goes on. One of the things about leaven, when Jesus was around, it didn't come in little, 00:32:18.060 --> 00:32:20.060 does it come in little tins? I've never seen leaven. 00:32:22.460 --> 00:32:26.300 Does it come in little things? Okay, in those days, it didn't come in little things. 00:32:26.860 --> 00:32:33.020 I've never baked bread, yeah, so don't look at me like I should know. So here's how leaven used to 00:32:33.100 --> 00:32:38.060 work in the Old Testament. They would take dough and they would leave it aside. It would begin to 00:32:38.060 --> 00:32:43.980 ferment. And then once it begins to ferment, they would use it, but they wouldn't use all of it. 00:32:43.980 --> 00:32:49.180 They would take a tiny bit and keep it because they got to bake bread next week too. But here's 00:32:49.180 --> 00:32:54.220 the thing, you take that bit of leaven and keep it, guess what happens? It ferments more. 00:32:56.060 --> 00:33:02.860 It gets so potent that you need a tiny bit of it when you bake bread next week. You keep it 00:33:02.940 --> 00:33:09.100 longer, you just need tiny bits of it because as it ferments, it gets more potent. 00:33:11.340 --> 00:33:18.460 This is why during Passover, they would ask that the entire house be swept clean of leaven because 00:33:18.460 --> 00:33:25.740 there would be leaven left over from the past which they were supposed to completely remove 00:33:25.740 --> 00:33:33.020 during Passover. Jesus is the original leaven, but please understand that the Spirit of God 00:33:33.020 --> 00:33:37.980 now dwells not in one man, but dwells in thousands and thousands and thousands of people 00:33:38.540 --> 00:33:43.260 more potent than ever before because he says, I'm going to the Father and you will do greater 00:33:43.260 --> 00:33:48.140 works than I have done. What are these greater works? The greater works are when he opens the 00:33:48.140 --> 00:33:53.980 scroll in Luke chapter 4 and says, this is why the Spirit of God has anointed me. And he begins to 00:33:53.980 --> 00:33:59.260 tell them what he's going to do. And he's saying to you, greater works will be done, partly because 00:33:59.260 --> 00:34:06.460 now it's not one man who is finite and in one place at one time. He wasn't in Canada, he was just 00:34:06.460 --> 00:34:13.020 in Nazareth. He wasn't known as Jesus of Vancouver. He was Jesus of Nazareth and he could only be there. 00:34:14.380 --> 00:34:19.340 But now he's got thousands and thousands and thousands of people all over the place. 00:34:19.420 --> 00:34:30.220 So when a John needs his creatine levels to go up and his kidney is repaired, there are people that can do the same thing that Jesus does so that the boy's kidneys begin to repair. 00:34:36.620 --> 00:34:43.340 But where does it all start? What is the kingdom? Keep repeating this to yourself. What is the kingdom? The kingdom 00:34:43.340 --> 00:34:58.620 is the exercise of rank, authority, majesty, power, sovereignty by a king. He's unlike other kings in the world. 00:35:03.020 --> 00:35:06.620 But he has it. That's where it starts. 00:35:07.180 --> 00:35:15.740 So when we say the kingdom is in our midst, it's not that suddenly signs are breaking out or suddenly there's this, oh, can you feel the glory? 00:35:15.740 --> 00:35:22.060 Nothing like that. It is, oh my God, there's an invisible but real person in this room and he's absolutely majestic. 00:35:22.060 --> 00:35:24.860 He's got all authority, all rank, all power. 00:35:26.940 --> 00:35:32.860 And he's here right now. And just think of this. We are talking about him and he is here in this room. 00:35:32.860 --> 00:35:42.860 He's listening to this. It's by his spirit that I'm able to say this and it is by his spirit that you begin to hear and understand. 00:35:44.860 --> 00:36:00.860 My preaching can be absolute words if it was not for the spirit of God who's present here. There are angels listening in that we can't see because the scriptures say angels stoop to listen to the preaching of the gospel and the good news and the things about God because they don't know it wasn't revealed to them. 00:36:01.820 --> 00:36:05.820 That the father and the son and the spirit are here and they're listening to us talk about them. 00:36:06.380 --> 00:36:14.220 Books of remembrance are being opened because it says that in the book of Haggai. As they began to talk about me, I opened books of remembrance and I wrote down what they said about me. 00:36:15.580 --> 00:36:25.740 It's all happening right now. There's a cloud of witnesses or people that have gone before us, some of the patriarchs who are listening in too. They prophesied this but they did not see it. 00:36:26.620 --> 00:36:30.620 This is more real than you sitting on the chairs you're sitting on and me standing here. 00:36:32.620 --> 00:36:39.420 And when we begin to think like this, when this is how we continuously think, we begin to expect things of him because he is here. 00:36:41.580 --> 00:36:53.900 We begin to expect things of him because we are so used to thinking of him like this that it is impossible at any moment to think that I am the one doing anything. I realized suddenly he's here and therefore I can. 00:36:56.460 --> 00:37:03.420 But because we suffer from amnesia every six minutes we forget. 00:37:10.620 --> 00:37:21.260 At moments like this, what is impossible? At moments like this, in a room like this, there'll be at least two or three people with faith that have the ability to do and the courage to step up and say, 00:37:21.420 --> 00:37:26.060 let me pray for this or let me say this or this happened in the Bible, why can't it happen again? 00:37:28.460 --> 00:37:32.780 When people become aware like this of the presence of God in our midst, 00:37:33.900 --> 00:37:42.380 then Jesus loudly says in an inaudible voice that the kingdom is in your midst. 00:37:43.100 --> 00:37:47.580 And when that happens, sometimes people begin to weep, sometimes people begin to worship, 00:37:48.460 --> 00:38:08.300 sometimes people begin to bow down, sometimes people are in awe, sometimes bodies get healed, sometimes people ask for prayer, but it begins to break out. Why? Because now we become a people who are highly aware of the presence of someone in our midst who is absolute king in rank, authority, majesty, power, sovereignty. 00:38:08.940 --> 00:38:10.140 And we begin to trust him. 00:38:13.260 --> 00:38:14.540 This is how it works guys. 00:38:14.940 --> 00:38:19.340 And because of that he says, now that you see me like this, perhaps 00:38:21.100 --> 00:38:22.700 joy is a little easier 00:38:24.300 --> 00:38:31.020 because I'm in your midst. Perhaps peace is easily accessed because I'm right here. 00:38:32.300 --> 00:38:39.900 Perhaps righteousness is something you begin to like because as you see me, you become like me. Whatever you behold, you become. 00:38:40.700 --> 00:38:42.700 Whatever you behold, you become. 00:38:42.700 --> 00:38:46.300 Whatever you behold, you become. Either to your ruin or to your restoration. 00:38:47.580 --> 00:38:50.620 Which is why idolatry turns people dumb. 00:38:51.420 --> 00:38:56.140 Idolatry turns people into dullards. Why? Because whatever you behold, you become. 00:38:56.700 --> 00:39:02.860 You behold him in his just being here. We can't see him, but you know it. 00:39:05.340 --> 00:39:07.020 As you behold him, you become like him. 00:39:09.900 --> 00:39:15.900 Now righteousness becomes a little easier because you see him. You want to be like him. It's like your kid. 00:39:15.900 --> 00:39:20.460 You stand like this and he stands like this. You do this and he becomes a sane bolt. 00:39:21.020 --> 00:39:29.260 Why? Because he loves imitating you. It becomes easy. His legs are like six inches, but he begins to run like a champ. 00:39:32.380 --> 00:39:33.900 Something gets you man. 00:39:34.780 --> 00:39:36.780 Something gets you man. 00:39:41.500 --> 00:39:43.500 That's how this works. 00:39:47.820 --> 00:39:51.260 The crazy thing is he's always here in our midst. 00:39:55.820 --> 00:39:58.300 What cannot happen? 00:39:58.300 --> 00:40:06.700 This is why when a people begin to think like this, Jesus said this about the, about, about Babel. 00:40:07.660 --> 00:40:15.100 Jesus said this about Babel as in, in Babylon when they raised an idol called the Tower of Babylon. 00:40:15.100 --> 00:40:21.900 That stretched into the heaven. Jesus said when a people begin to think like this, when they gather around something so singular, 00:40:22.460 --> 00:40:29.260 there is nothing that they cannot achieve or accomplish. 00:40:29.260 --> 00:40:37.100 Shift it now to Acts chapter two. Babel is undone. People begin to speak in the same language. 00:40:37.100 --> 00:40:41.740 The languages that were broken out in Babylon come together that day. What do you hear? 00:40:41.740 --> 00:40:49.100 You don't, there wasn't some kind of wind that blew through the house. It was the sound of a rushing wind from heaven. 00:40:49.100 --> 00:40:51.740 It was the sound. People gathered because they heard the sound. 00:40:53.020 --> 00:40:59.180 You can imagine a hurricane sound and yet it's not like the candles were being blown out or Peter lost his cap. 00:41:01.420 --> 00:41:05.100 It is the sound and as they hear the sound, they know that Babel is being restored. 00:41:08.460 --> 00:41:13.420 That people are now speaking one language. Now nothing is impossible for them. 00:41:13.500 --> 00:41:20.540 When we begin to act like this, guys, nothing will be impossible and no one will say this is mine or that is mine 00:41:20.540 --> 00:41:27.180 or I need to do this or I need to do that because we become, we become aware of he who is in our midst. 00:41:33.580 --> 00:41:34.620 That's how this works. 00:41:37.660 --> 00:41:38.620 Any questions guys? 00:41:43.740 --> 00:41:47.740 Yeah, go ahead, sorry. 00:41:52.700 --> 00:41:53.200 Yeah. 00:41:57.020 --> 00:42:04.060 Yeah, she's asking, God at present is not using power, he's using persuasion 00:42:04.060 --> 00:42:09.900 and didn't that start even in the Garden of Eden? Yeah, he persuades them. 00:42:10.700 --> 00:42:16.140 His approach is, can I persuade you to see it this way? It is not, I mean he could have, 00:42:16.140 --> 00:42:20.940 remember one thing guys and God threatened this with Noah, sorry not with Noah, with Moses. 00:42:20.940 --> 00:42:25.820 He says to Moses, Moses, I want to wipe out everybody I've made, let me start again with you. 00:42:26.780 --> 00:42:32.860 With Noah, he could have done the same thing, wipe out everyone, start again. Start with Adam and Eve 2.0. 00:42:32.860 --> 00:42:40.860 He doesn't, he doesn't. A day will come and power will be displayed but that day hasn't come 00:42:40.860 --> 00:42:47.260 and this is why in 2 Corinthians 5 it says, can you be my emissaries, can you be my ambassadors, 00:42:47.260 --> 00:42:55.740 can I use you to appeal to others, can I use you to appeal to others and tell them that I am here, 00:42:55.740 --> 00:43:02.780 that I died for you and that I rose again and that I want to live in you and I want you to come 00:43:02.780 --> 00:43:10.060 into this kingdom that has been hidden all along but 2000 years ago was revealed and now thousands 00:43:10.060 --> 00:43:17.180 upon thousands every day enter this kingdom. They're not aware of its benefits but they are 00:43:17.500 --> 00:43:23.180 entering and can you bring them in and once you bring them in, can you teach them to observe 00:43:23.180 --> 00:43:30.940 everything that I have taught you so that here on earth they already begin to taste the life of an 00:43:30.940 --> 00:43:37.340 age that is to come. What are we trying to display to the world? What are we trying to demonstrate 00:43:37.340 --> 00:43:44.700 to the world? That yes, there is an age to come and I want you to know that there is an age to come 00:43:44.700 --> 00:43:50.300 that yes, there is an age to come and in that age there is no crying, there is no pain, there 00:43:50.300 --> 00:43:57.020 is no fear, there is no tear, there is no shame, there is no guilt that awaits us but come, come 00:43:57.580 --> 00:44:04.460 taste it now. Let me take away the pain of your sickness, let me take away the shame of your 00:44:04.460 --> 00:44:09.980 rejection, let me take away the tears that you have cried, come now taste it because it's already 00:44:09.980 --> 00:44:19.180 real and we experience it but it must be displayed. I'm sure we displayed but I want us to sometimes 00:44:19.180 --> 00:44:28.140 when we know why it makes things so much easier. There's one thing my dad would always try, I need 00:44:28.140 --> 00:44:35.900 you to understand why two plus two makes four and not five. I still don't know why he tried but the 00:44:35.900 --> 00:44:45.500 point is that God wants us to understand and when we understand we are free. Where does it say so? 00:44:46.780 --> 00:44:54.700 The knowledge of the truth sets you free, free to follow, free to experiment, free to try out 00:44:54.700 --> 00:45:01.660 new things. Once you know you have wings you can jump off a building but you got to know you've got 00:45:01.660 --> 00:45:09.660 wings. Iron man, this is why I need AI. 00:45:21.500 --> 00:45:28.780 The kingdom is offering two men the blessings of God. It is offered through you 00:45:29.180 --> 00:45:34.940 to deliver them from the power of Satan, from sin, from oppression. What the Old Testament was 00:45:34.940 --> 00:45:42.060 expecting was destroy human rule, abolish sin from earth. Jesus says not yet, I will abolish sinfulness 00:45:42.060 --> 00:45:49.100 from anyone who turns to me but a day is coming when I'll abolish sin too. Now you understand the 00:45:49.100 --> 00:45:55.180 parables right? A man went to sleep and he sowed some seed. When he woke up he found that there was 00:45:55.180 --> 00:46:01.020 wheat and there were tares. It'll grow together, day is coming when it'll be separated but give the 00:46:01.020 --> 00:46:07.820 tares some more time. A man went fishing, he threw a net, it was like a dragnet, it collected fish. 00:46:07.820 --> 00:46:12.860 There were good fish and there were bad fish. Bad fish can become good fish, you are a bad fish that 00:46:12.860 --> 00:46:20.780 became a good fish. Now it all makes sense. 00:46:21.740 --> 00:46:30.300 So let's stop here for now. When you look at Jesus, this is what he went around doing. 00:46:32.300 --> 00:46:38.780 What is his central mission? Repent for the kingdom of God is here. What did he teach? 00:46:39.660 --> 00:46:46.380 Let me show you how to enter this kingdom. What did he show? His mighty works were approved 00:46:46.700 --> 00:46:52.300 that the kingdom is really here because you can see signs of the kingdom. The poor are being 00:46:52.300 --> 00:46:57.740 preached to, blind eyes are being opened, deaf ears are hearing and I'm saying to you that it still 00:46:57.740 --> 00:47:07.020 happens. I'm saying to you that it happens through you. Hear this, God is done with superstars. 00:47:07.820 --> 00:47:13.580 He is after something called the common priesthood of man and woman. 00:47:15.420 --> 00:47:25.580 Ordinary people through the extraordinary Holy Spirit attempting to do the supernatural 00:47:26.460 --> 00:47:33.180 and never holding back or stepping back. He is not doing that. He is not doing that. 00:47:33.740 --> 00:47:43.100 And never holding back or stepping back because they, you and I recognize that he is faithful and 00:47:43.100 --> 00:47:53.020 he is sovereign and that he is benevolent and he is kind. Keep these four things in mind 00:47:54.060 --> 00:47:57.500 and you can go through success and failure easily. He is faithful, 00:47:57.900 --> 00:47:58.940 he is sovereign, 00:48:02.220 --> 00:48:03.420 he is kind 00:48:06.460 --> 00:48:09.260 and he is a father. Keep these four things in mind. 00:48:13.500 --> 00:48:15.020 You keep those four things in mind. 00:48:17.660 --> 00:48:22.620 Your neck is hurting and you pray for it and it doesn't change and you still have a pain in your 00:48:22.700 --> 00:48:33.100 neck and you realize but God is faithful and he is sovereign and he is kind and he is my father. 00:48:38.860 --> 00:48:44.780 When that becomes inviolable, you will pray again and again and again and you will see a hundred 00:48:44.780 --> 00:48:52.780 necks healed. His parables were about the same thing. Hey, let me tell you a few parables so that 00:48:52.780 --> 00:48:59.180 I can illustrate truths from the kingdom. What did he teach us? Follow us to pray. Thy kingdom come, 00:48:59.180 --> 00:49:04.860 thy will be done. Before his death, what did he say to his disciples? Hey, I'll be coming back 00:49:04.860 --> 00:49:09.260 and I will make sure that you have a share in my kingdom. So here's how we conclude. 00:49:10.140 --> 00:49:11.900 How do you define kingdom, Pawan? 00:49:15.020 --> 00:49:17.420 You can say it from there. How do you define kingdom? 00:49:28.220 --> 00:49:32.060 This is going to be hard. I'm deliberately picking on him. I could have picked on any of us 00:49:32.060 --> 00:49:37.180 and we will find it hard to be able to say it easily but as we go through the process, 00:49:38.140 --> 00:49:42.860 say it easily but as we practice it becomes easier. Dilna, how do you define kingdom? 00:49:50.620 --> 00:49:55.180 Exercised by a king. That's how you need to define it. 00:49:57.900 --> 00:50:02.860 Dr. Anilay, how would you define it? Tuni, you're not a doctor yet. Go ahead, Anilay. 00:50:07.260 --> 00:50:12.460 The rule and reign of God but the moment we say the rule and reign of God, we are not saying that 00:50:12.460 --> 00:50:19.900 he has to have a realm or he has to have people. He reigns regardless. Always remember this. If the 00:50:19.900 --> 00:50:24.220 kingdom existed before the earth was formed and the universe was created and it says that his 00:50:24.220 --> 00:50:35.580 kingdom is from everlasting to everlasting, then he was before anything was. That is important. 00:50:37.180 --> 00:50:43.980 And so receive that. So here are the steps that we can kind of try and remember. You receive him, 00:50:46.860 --> 00:50:51.100 you seek him, you submit to him. 00:50:55.900 --> 00:50:56.780 That's the first bit. 00:51:00.300 --> 00:51:05.580 The Bible talks about it. Matthew 6.33, seek him unless you receive the kingdom. 00:51:06.540 --> 00:51:12.620 Submitting to the kingdom. That's the first thing. What are we doing this for? 00:51:13.660 --> 00:51:15.500 What are we submitting to? His rank, 00:51:18.140 --> 00:51:19.100 his divine rule, 00:51:22.460 --> 00:51:23.420 his sovereignty, 00:51:27.340 --> 00:51:30.140 his power, his majesty. 00:51:30.140 --> 00:51:30.640 He. 00:51:38.220 --> 00:51:48.860 What does he want to do? If I do this and this, he wants to manifest or display or make known 00:51:52.540 --> 00:51:58.620 this through you. Crazy, eh? 00:52:01.020 --> 00:52:02.540 That's his intent. He's saying, 00:52:05.340 --> 00:52:13.420 he's saying, hey, Mr. Butler, if you are willing to receive, seek and submit to 00:52:15.580 --> 00:52:20.780 who I am in terms of my sovereignty, in terms of absolute rank, in terms of absolute authority 00:52:20.780 --> 00:52:27.740 and majesty, if you can seek and submit and receive it every minute, every hour, it might be hard. 00:52:27.820 --> 00:52:33.260 Let's start with every week, every day. If you begin to do that, then Mr. Butler, through you, 00:52:33.260 --> 00:52:41.500 I have every intent of manifesting, displaying, making known through you, my rank, my rule, 00:52:41.500 --> 00:52:46.700 my sovereignty, my power, my majesty, because that is how people recognize the king and say, 00:52:46.700 --> 00:52:48.140 I want in, I want in. 00:52:48.140 --> 00:52:58.540 And every encounter tomorrow will sometimes be an opportunity, sometimes not, 00:53:00.780 --> 00:53:03.260 because he also gives people the ability to reject it. 00:53:07.980 --> 00:53:11.580 He has given them the ability to reject it. Don't feel bad. 00:53:12.300 --> 00:53:15.900 We feel so bad when after we've told someone, they don't respond. 00:53:19.500 --> 00:53:22.940 Don't feel bad. He has given them the ability to reject. 00:53:30.540 --> 00:53:37.500 He will, he desires to manifest, display, make known through you, these things. 00:53:37.500 --> 00:53:42.700 And he desires that, hey, Jacob, can these things become real in your life? 00:53:43.500 --> 00:53:48.700 Righteousness, peace, joy, power. 00:53:49.900 --> 00:53:57.820 Next week, we'll discover how, because all this is in the Holy Spirit. 00:53:59.260 --> 00:54:03.740 Isaiah 61, it's a kingdom and it's the Spirit. 00:54:03.740 --> 00:54:07.660 Isaiah 61, it's a kingdom and it's the Spirit. 00:54:11.500 --> 00:54:16.620 I want you to manifest who I am, display, make known. 00:54:16.620 --> 00:54:20.860 How? In your marriage, in your home, in the decision making that you do at work. 00:54:21.820 --> 00:54:27.340 Please, can you try and carry me as a king above all? 00:54:27.980 --> 00:54:31.340 Can you do that? And then, can I display myself? 00:54:31.340 --> 00:54:33.260 I'll do it. You don't have to worry about it. 00:54:33.260 --> 00:54:37.500 You be your clumsy self. Let me be my brilliant, majestic self. 00:54:37.500 --> 00:54:42.380 Why? Jars of clay with ridiculous treasure. 00:54:48.860 --> 00:54:52.140 Just continuously think like this, continuously think like this. 00:54:52.140 --> 00:54:55.260 I remember meeting a CEO, not a CEO, some big shot. 00:54:56.220 --> 00:54:59.420 There used to be a photocopying company called Xerox. 00:54:59.420 --> 00:55:02.060 I don't know if they still exist. They do? 00:55:02.060 --> 00:55:07.900 Okay, so this guy, it doesn't matter whether he was sweeping the floor, 00:55:09.420 --> 00:55:12.380 going in an aircraft for a meeting, turning up for dinner. 00:55:12.380 --> 00:55:17.260 This guy would always dress so ridiculously well. 00:55:18.140 --> 00:55:25.100 Why? Because everybody knew that he was really high up in the company. 00:55:25.100 --> 00:55:27.260 And he wanted to make sure that wherever he goes, 00:55:28.140 --> 00:55:31.100 that part of who he is doesn't bring shame to the... 00:55:32.460 --> 00:55:35.420 company. So he'd always be a certain way. 00:55:36.220 --> 00:55:39.820 He'd gotten so used to it that he would come for dinner, he'd eat with his hands, 00:55:41.900 --> 00:55:45.740 but he'd still be wearing this amazing suit. 00:55:47.820 --> 00:55:49.740 Because he had begun to think like that. 00:55:49.740 --> 00:55:53.020 And he would say, wherever I go, I represent a company. 00:55:53.020 --> 00:55:57.740 I'm way high now to be anything else. It became a habit. 00:55:57.740 --> 00:55:59.900 When these things become a habit, it becomes brilliant, guys. 00:56:00.620 --> 00:56:03.420 We begin to show him very easily. 00:56:03.420 --> 00:56:07.020 Aaron begins to show him in his policies, in his company. 00:56:07.020 --> 00:56:08.940 Nick begins to show it with his kids. 00:56:08.940 --> 00:56:12.380 Tuni begins to show it when he teaches people about marketplace. 00:56:12.380 --> 00:56:15.900 Anilay begins to show it when she discusses women issues with people. 00:56:16.940 --> 00:56:24.380 Anna begins to show it when she fixes someone a medical cocktail. 00:56:26.140 --> 00:56:29.020 That's what it's called. I'm not trying to diss it. 00:56:29.900 --> 00:56:31.580 I begin to show it in the way I behave. 00:56:33.180 --> 00:56:35.820 And then people begin to behave like this. It's just brilliant. 00:56:36.300 --> 00:56:38.300 Yeah. Cool. 00:56:47.820 --> 00:56:48.620 We can close. 00:56:49.260 --> 00:56:51.980 We don't have this song called Our Father Who Art in Heaven, do we? 00:56:53.100 --> 00:56:59.180 Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:57:00.780 --> 00:57:02.780 Nope. 00:57:07.020 --> 00:57:09.820 If you don't have that song, praise God, you can leave earlier. 00:57:09.820 --> 00:57:12.300 But if you have that song, you're stuck for another seven minutes. 00:57:13.260 --> 00:57:13.980 Such is life. 00:57:18.060 --> 00:57:20.460 Heidi is leaving for Germany for a month. 00:57:21.180 --> 00:57:23.900 So if you want to hug her before she goes, feel free. 00:57:24.860 --> 00:57:25.820 Betty, not right now. 00:57:26.780 --> 00:57:29.820 No, no, I said I thought you were going to hug Heidi. 00:57:34.940 --> 00:57:35.820 I guess we don't. 00:57:39.740 --> 00:57:41.020 No, not this one. 00:57:42.780 --> 00:57:43.820 Okay, let's pray. 00:57:49.580 --> 00:57:51.100 Come, Derek, come up and pray. 00:57:55.820 --> 00:58:08.140 You know, I had a strange thing that encouraged me. 00:58:08.140 --> 00:58:10.380 Someone who came here in October. 00:58:13.580 --> 00:58:16.140 I wasn't here because I was with my mom at that time. 00:58:16.780 --> 00:58:23.020 And they kept coming back because they thought Derek was a pastor 00:58:23.020 --> 00:58:24.220 because he was the one preaching. 00:58:25.020 --> 00:58:26.780 And they said he was pretty good. 00:58:27.500 --> 00:58:29.980 When I heard that, I didn't know whether to feel bad or good. 00:58:29.980 --> 00:58:31.340 But eventually I felt good. 00:58:31.980 --> 00:58:39.180 And it goes back to what Jeremy was saying, that one of the things we should try and do 00:58:39.180 --> 00:58:46.620 in this church is to make sure that everybody is replaced by someone younger. 00:58:48.700 --> 00:58:50.860 And so, go ahead. 00:58:54.220 --> 00:59:03.020 Abba, we heard a lot of truths today. 00:59:06.220 --> 00:59:12.620 And I invite you, Holy Spirit, to do with us everything that you want to do. 00:59:14.460 --> 00:59:17.820 One or two things that stand out for me, and I pray that even as we pray, 00:59:18.700 --> 00:59:21.980 everyone sitting here will begin to think about things that stood out to them. 00:59:21.980 --> 00:59:29.820 But this one thing, Father, that we are here to represent you on earth. 00:59:30.460 --> 00:59:33.820 And that everything that Jesus, you did, you said, 00:59:33.820 --> 00:59:36.780 greater works you will do in my name. 00:59:37.820 --> 00:59:42.220 And you also said, this is not for three or four people. 00:59:42.780 --> 00:59:44.700 This is for all of you. 00:59:45.500 --> 00:59:51.260 So, Father, my prayer tonight is that just like a little girl or a little boy 00:59:51.820 --> 00:59:59.980 wants all of his or her father's heart, that we desire to grab a hold of everything that you, 00:59:59.980 --> 01:00:01.740 our Father, has for us. 01:00:01.740 --> 01:00:08.460 And that you said, my inheritance for you is that you will walk as I walked on earth. 01:00:09.500 --> 01:00:14.780 So that's our desire, Jesus, that we will walk as you walked on earth, which is such 01:00:16.060 --> 01:00:17.500 a possible thing to do. 01:00:18.060 --> 01:00:20.940 We will never become perfect until we meet you there. 01:00:20.940 --> 01:00:24.460 But it is such a possible thing for us to do here on earth. 01:00:24.460 --> 01:00:30.140 So that is my prayer for us individually and collectively, that more and more we become like 01:00:30.140 --> 01:00:30.620 Jesus. 01:00:30.620 --> 01:00:36.620 Religion outside, vague words outside, but the purity of Christ. 01:00:36.620 --> 01:00:46.140 Father, just one last thing I pray about is that we will have in us the ability to receive from you 01:00:46.140 --> 01:00:50.140 pure things and then guard it with everything we have. 01:00:50.140 --> 01:00:55.100 So that the fire that you light in us will be able to light it in other people's lives. 01:00:55.100 --> 01:01:02.460 I pray that for Acts 29, Father, that everyone sitting here will say, Lord, give me something new 01:01:02.460 --> 01:01:06.140 that is so pure, so holy, so from you. 01:01:06.140 --> 01:01:08.380 And I don't want anything else to affect it. 01:01:08.380 --> 01:01:09.900 I'll guard it with my being. 01:01:09.900 --> 01:01:11.500 I'll guard it with the way I talk. 01:01:11.500 --> 01:01:13.420 I'll guard it with the way I speak. 01:01:13.420 --> 01:01:17.420 And then, Lord, light me up so that I can light others for your name. 01:01:17.420 --> 01:01:18.380 Bless us as we go. 01:01:18.380 --> 01:01:19.740 In Jesus' name we pray. 01:01:19.740 --> 01:01:22.540 Father, I just feel like one or two others should pray. 01:01:22.540 --> 01:01:24.140 So Derek, if you can give it to Michelle. 01:01:25.100 --> 01:01:29.900 And Michelle, if you can just pray based on what you heard and what your sense God's saying. 01:01:29.900 --> 01:01:42.620 Dear Lord, we come before you, God, as your children. 01:01:43.180 --> 01:01:46.300 You are our Father, Lord in heaven. 01:01:46.300 --> 01:01:49.420 In heaven, your kingdom is already here, God. 01:01:49.420 --> 01:01:51.980 And thank you so much that we can be a part of it, God. 01:01:53.180 --> 01:01:59.100 Thank you for the precious gift of this sonship and daughtership that we have in you, God. 01:02:00.220 --> 01:02:01.260 We love you, God. 01:02:01.260 --> 01:02:07.900 Help us open our spiritual eyes that we may see your rank, your reign, your authority, 01:02:07.900 --> 01:02:12.460 your sovereignty as our King, God, and we as your children. 01:02:13.100 --> 01:02:13.600 Yeah. 01:02:14.140 --> 01:02:16.060 Father, we'll just ask Dilna to pray too. 01:02:16.060 --> 01:02:21.420 And while Michelle was praying, the verse that comes to mind is what Jesus said. 01:02:21.420 --> 01:02:22.860 Do not be troubled, little flock. 01:02:22.860 --> 01:02:26.860 It is your Father's pleasure to give you the kingdom. 01:02:30.460 --> 01:02:38.700 Abba Father, we thank you that you delight in us and that we delight in you, Lord. 01:02:40.140 --> 01:02:48.700 Lord, help us to just, we thank you that you established your kingdom with Jesus' ministry, Lord. 01:02:49.580 --> 01:02:56.940 And Lord, we thank you that we get to be part of your kingdom, that we get to battle 01:02:57.580 --> 01:02:59.100 in the kingdom for you, Lord. 01:03:00.060 --> 01:03:07.020 Lord, we thank you that you make all things new, Lord, and that you want to restore things 01:03:07.740 --> 01:03:08.700 in us, Lord. 01:03:10.620 --> 01:03:13.580 Through you, Lord, through us, Lord. 01:03:14.700 --> 01:03:19.180 Lord, let us be a light, Lord, to others, to the lost, Lord. 01:03:19.980 --> 01:03:27.420 And Lord, we look forward to the full restoration and we look forward to your coming 01:03:27.420 --> 01:03:29.420 again in Jesus' name. 01:03:29.420 --> 01:03:29.900 Amen. 01:03:29.900 --> 01:03:30.540 Amen. 01:03:30.540 --> 01:03:33.340 If you need prayer, there'll be people here to pray with you. 01:03:33.340 --> 01:03:37.340 Otherwise, say hello again to the guys who are here for the first time.