That's a good thing. Alrighty. We were talking about John 17. We said that it's something
that we have to look at, and this church needs it. And so last time we spoke, we spoke about,
Hey, Derek, before we go further, can you just come up and tell us about Don and Kez and Kez's mom and how they're doing?
Can you hear him? Just give you a mic. Just stand there, but take a mic. You can stand there.
Aunty is doing much better. She had a surgery three weeks ago, three or four weeks ago now.
She's recovering, going through further treatment. Don and Kez, they have a place there now. They've
rented a place. So uncle and aunty, after aunty got discharged, she's with them. So they're good. Pray for them.
And he works nights and then... Yes, he works nights.
Wow. Meaning he works India night time so that he's working for the company here.
And Eliakim? Celebrated his first birthday a couple of weeks ago.
Cool. Thanks, Derek.
Okay. So when we first, two weeks ago, we talked about being one with majesty. How,
just imagine this. I know I've said this a few times, but it must blow your mind every time.
There are three trillion galaxies.
There are 100 billion planets in each galaxy. There are 400 billion stars in each galaxy.
Our galaxy is called the Milky Way. To go from one end of the Milky Way to the other end,
at the speed of light, and by the way, the speed of light is about one hundred billion
kilometers per second. To just go across the Milky Way, which is one of the smaller galaxies,
at the speed of light will take you 220,000 years. Just one galaxy.
And there are three trillion galaxies. There's a star that you can see tonight called Proxima
Centauri. That's the closest star to us. That star that you see tonight sent out,
the light that you see from that star tonight started coming towards your eye in May of 2022.
What you see tonight is the Milky Way. The Milky Way is the star that you see tonight.
The Milky Way is the star that you see tonight. The Milky Way is the star that you see tonight.
What you see tonight is because that light has traveled since May 2022.
That's why you'll see it tonight. This is the God that you are serving.
This is why the children's song, or not the children's song, the simple chorus,
what a mighty God we serve, is perhaps the only way to describe a God like this. What a mighty God.
This is a God who we are talking about right now. This is a God we were worshipping.
And so you have this God who exists as Father, as Jesus, and as the Son. I'm deliberately writing
it that way because they are one. It's the Father. There's the Father. There's Jesus.
And there's the Son. And they are one. And they exist outside of creation. And they've made this
enormous creation of the three trillion galaxies are only what we know of. And in the Milky Way,
one of the hundred billion planets is a planet called Earth.
And on that little planet called Earth is little Dishalti.
There are eight billion people on that planet and Dishalti is one among them.
And God does something crazy. Through Christ, he takes Dishalti and seats him right here with the
triune godhead. Dishalti is one with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. He's one with them.
He's united to this God by the Spirit of God. He's one with them. As in the Spirit that flows to the
Father, the Son is the same Spirit that now continues to flow through Dishalti.
Is there any doubt as to whether Dishalti is love? Who is he? There are days when even we are not
mindful of him. This Dishalti, because God yearns to have him sit at the same table as the triune
godhead, loves him so much that he takes him from one of hundred billion planets in one of the three
trillion galaxies and seats him with the Father, Son, and the Spirit in absolute oneness. The oneness
that Dishalti has with the Father, Son, and the Spirit is the same oneness that the Father has
with Jesus. The way the Father loves Dishalti is exactly the same way that the Father loves Jesus.
These are mind-numbing things. We cannot understand them, but you have to think about them.
These are numbers we don't understand. These are numbers that Elon Musk doesn't understand.
We talked about this.
So by the Spirit, we are united
to Christ. By the Holy Spirit, we are united to Christ, or we are one with Christ. One with Christ.
Guys, this oneness is so intrinsic, intense, intimate.
It's so extreme, this oneness, that in 1 Corinthians 6.15,
if you read the message version here, it says that to have sex with a prostitute is to take
Christ's body to a whorehouse. That's what the message version says. And I deliberately chose it
because it's in such gross language. But what's it trying to say? It's trying to say you and Christ
have become one. The oneness is so intrinsic, so intimate, so intense, that for a man or a woman
to go sleep with someone else other than their spouse is like taking Christ's body to a whorehouse.
That's how God sees this oneness. 1 Corinthians 6.15 message.
I'm glad it's a message that said that, not me, because I wouldn't use words like that.
But that's the intent. That's what is being conveyed.
And so if that is how God thinks, and I should think of this physical body, conversely, think of
the benefits that are accrued to you. Think of the benefits. Think of the benefits accrued to you,
to your physical body,
because you are united, because you are one with Christ's body. Think of it in terms of wholeness,
in terms of healing. We'll talk about this one day, but I just want us to think about it.
If me going and lying down with a prostitute is taking Christ and taking Christ's body to a whorehouse,
taking his body and joining it to a prostitute, it also then means that me being united with Christ
does accrue huge benefits in terms of wholeness and healing to this body, this physical body.
Just keep that in mind.
That's not what we're talking about today. I just wanted us to remember that for the future,
because we will talk about it. Today we are going to read John 17, 21 to 24, and we begin this idea
of what does it take for this church to enter into that kind of oneness? John 17, let's start at verse 20
to 24. My prayer, this is Jesus praying, he prays in the will of God,
and he's praying to his father. My prayer is not for them alone, as in the 12 disciples around him.
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message
that all of them may be one. Father, just as you are in me and I am in you, that all of them may be
one. That's his desire. That's his prayer. May they also be in us so that the world may believe
that you have sent me. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. I in them and you
in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved
me even as you have and have loved them even as you've loved me. When you read this, it's so many
sentences strung together that you kind of go past it. So let's just kind of break it up and see what
happens. So here are some statements you need to and I need to remember as a church. Jesus views,
Jesus views our oneness, even though the word used is unity, I want to use the word oneness
because it perhaps goes even deeper. It's not unity in purpose or unity in a choir or unity
in singing. It's this idea of oneness. Jesus views our oneness and our mission
as inseparable.
Jesus views our oneness and our mission as inseparable, as in if you're not one,
your mission will not succeed. And so here's what he's saying. There are three things he talks about.
He says, guys, this might, we might have to labor over it because I think we always skip John 17.
I think we always skip John 17 and don't really look at it. So we'll take it slowly.
So he views our oneness, this church's oneness and this church's mission as inseparable. So if we
lack in this, we will lack in this, regardless of how gifted, talented and anointed we are.
So he grounds oneness in three things. One, being in him. Two, his love. Three, his glory.
These are the things he says are important if we want to function
as a part of our mission. So we need to be in the same place.
His glory. These are the things he says are important if we want to function as ones that
operate in unity. So here's what he's saying. Here's what he's saying. Just as the father
is in Christ
and
loves Christ
and gives Christ his glory,
so the father
is in us,
loves us,
loves us
and gives us his glory. That's what those verses are basically saying. Question is, why?
And the answer is that we may be one,
that our oneness be visible,
that the world may see our visible oneness,
may see our visible oneness,
and that they may know
Christ was sent
by God.
Just ponder on that for a second.
So here's what Jesus is saying. Just as the father is in me, just as he loves me,
just as he gives me his glory, so the father is in us or in this church, he loves us the same way.
He loves us the same way and he gives us his glory. Question is, why? And the answer Jesus
provides. He says, the reason I'm doing this is that we may be one. That ain't enough. That this
oneness may be visible, that the world may then see this visible oneness, and if they do, then they
will know that Christ was sent by God. And so if they don't see this visible oneness,
they will not know that Christ was sent by God.
Halfway through this message, I wanted to teach on faith and prayer and all the other easy things,
because this is the hardest thing.
See, the problem with this is, guys, the world can't see
Jesus in us and us in Jesus. It's not visible. What is visible is this idea of
believers
loving each other
in a way that is otherworldly.
And that, Jesus is saying, will be a sign of two things. One, that I live in you.
Two, that I love you. And he says, you've got to make that visible church.
And I want to say to us that we've got a lot of growing to do. Lots. We're not talking about
being nice to each other, loving each other. We're talking about a oneness that is just
ridiculous. As we go further, we'll talk about it. But here's what he's saying.
He says that, listen, nobody, you can go tell people the spirit of God is in me and I'm in
the spirit. They can't see it if you say it, but they can see it if you in this church begin to
love each other in such a way that it is otherworldly. And that is not one of our core
goals in this church. We have to change that.
We do love the Lord. We do like each other, but we're talking about just another level, eh?
And he says, if they begin to see this otherworldly kind of love between you with,
and this is why it's critical that a church be made up of many different races, many different
backgrounds, young and old, male and female, different nations, different tribes. It's critical
because it's impossible for humans to exist in the kind of oneness that believers can exist in.
It's impossible. And when they see this otherworldly love, two things will happen. This is Jesus
speaking. This is not some pie in the sky stuff. He's saying two things will happen. One, they'll
know that God must live in them because it's impossible. And two, they'll know that our shucks,
these guys must be loved by God because they must have learned it from someone else
because this is not how the world operates. Any questions before we go on?
Sorry?
God's saying that when you begin to love this way, they'll know that I live in you because it's
impossible for Mike to love this way, but they'll know that our shucks, God must live in Mike.
Yeah, so her question is, shouldn't it extend beyond us to other people too? Strangely enough,
in this prayer, Christ is distinguishing that yes, God so loved the world that he gave his only son,
but you guys are children of God. Here's a principle that sometimes divides people.
John 1 says, for those who received him, he gave them the right to be children of God,
which means then that the creation that he gave his son to die for are creation. They are created
ones. They become children of God when they receive Christ. And one of the things that John
17 is saying is, listen, let them see how loved and how loving the children of God are and let
that begin to bring in them a desire to know this God. It is like Goshen. Goshen was in the
middle of Egypt and the Egyptians were in awe how when things would go wrong in Egypt, Goshen was
still intact. This is a different Goshen. This Goshen is, look at these people. It doesn't matter
what comes their way. Righteousness, peace, joy, power and rest are theirs and they seem to be
tremendously loved and they love each other. His intent is to, can I use my family to show them
who I am so that they want to join this family? Can I use my family to show them who I am so that
they can join this family?
Any questions?
So his question is, when you talk about oneness, are you talking about purpose and unity in terms of us?
Or are you talking about, because oneness is usually about unity and, you know,
different things. Yeah. So Jesus' statement is, oh God, can you make Dilna and Jacob and James one,
just like you and the Spirit and I are one? And that just makes it very difficult for Dilna and
James, because Jacob is much better off, but Dilna and James, yeah, it'll be a struggle. But
this kind of oneness is beyond purpose and unity. This is like me being as open to you as I would be
to my own son or daughter. And that's why we have a lot of growing to do, because we don't even want
to grow here. It's a kind of oneness that a spouse has with her husband or a husband with a wife.
It is so wonderful and costly, as most marriages are. Right, Kamal? Yeah.
Yeah, so it's more than unity and purpose. Because here's the thing, guys. When it comes to unity and
purpose, we got it. I mean, look at how many boxes were thrown at Jeremy.
But this is way beyond that, man. And we are out of our depth here. This will be like
learning how to walk. We have a lot of growing to do. If you look at John 15, 9 and 10, John 15, 9 and 10,
it says,
Now, remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love,
just as I have obeyed my father's commands and remain in his love. Now, go to John 13, 35.
John 13, 35, starting at 34.
Again, he's confining these statements to the ones that are his.
A day will come when he will say, now you can go out to the world. But right now, it's to his own.
So here's the thing, guys. Our oneness should be visible. Oneness when it isn't visible
does not accomplish the goal of Christ. Oneness must be visible. Or unity must be visible.
And this oneness can only be visible if we love one another as Christ loves us.
Or let's break it down even further. If I love you as Jesus loves me.
That's when this oneness will begin to happen.
Here's the crazy thing. On that, as in when the world recognizes that, on that recognition
and on that alone Trusts the possibility
that the world
or the k pinky rights.
that the world might believe that Christ was sent by God.
That part is very bothersome.
That our love for each other has to be recognized, and that recognition and that recognition
alone is what makes it possible for the world to believe that Christ was sent by God, which
raises this terrible question.
When the world sees the church, when the world sees Acts 29, when the world sees other churches,
is that what they see?
Can the world see our relationship with each other?
Here's the question.
Can the world see our relationship with each other?
Can the world see our relationship with each other and believe?
Same question.
Can the world see our relationship with each other?
Can the world see our relationship with Jesus and the Father and believe?
Let's not even think of other churches.
Let's think of our church.
I'm saying that won't be enough.
We'll have to grow before God can say, hey, guys, I'm sending someone because they need
to see how much you like each other, how much you love each other.
I'm so sure that when they come and see it, they'll know that I've been sent by the Father.
We're not there.
This is crazy, man.
In fact, the world sometimes looks at the church and thinks, a very definitive no.
During COVID, a little virus split the church in half.
We didn't need persecution.
We just needed the virus.
Any questions?
Guys, the problem is we don't think this is important.
We think loving more than the world loves is good enough.
That's like taking this standard and upping it by this much when Christ is there at the
roof.
This is why it's not important.
This is why after 35 years is the first time I'm taking John 17 and looking at it carefully.
Because we do sacrifice for each other.
We go out of our way.
You saw the video where Evan is saying, I've got to move this one, this one, that one,
and this one.
I mean, Evan's doing more than most people do.
That should be enough.
And yet Christ is demanding a higher standard.
Any questions?
So God wants us to grow and model fearless love, selfless love.
And there's a lot of growing to do for Acts 29.
And here's the thing.
Churches go the way their leaders go.
And so the ones that really have to up their ante and really begin to focus on this and
model it are the leaders.
And so I'll have to, this is why I didn't want to preach this message because I'm preaching
something I'm not practicing the way I want to.
Let's go to Philippians 2, verse 1 to 6.
Philippians 2, verse 1 to 6.
Please understand, I'm not saying that you are not like this.
I'm talking about the church as a whole.
We don't want one or two people practicing this brilliantly while the rest of us settle
for less.
He's saying us.
He's not saying Anne Anilet or James.
No.
He wants everyone in this.
Philippians 2, 1 to 6.
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love,
if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy
complete by being like-minded, critical worthy by being like-minded, having the same love,
being one in spirit and purpose.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better
than yourselves.
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be held onto or grasped, but made himself
nothing, taking the very nature of a servant and being made in human likeness.
So where do we start with this whole thing of being one and being one by loving each
other the way Christ loves us?
First thing is a willingness to be like-minded.
A willingness to be like-minded.
What is like-minded?
It is to become one heart and mind with each other and with God.
So Jacob, what if there are differences?
There will be differences and then that'll need sorting out.
But before we go to the differences, let's start with this like-mindedness.
The entire book of the Philippians, it's a letter.
The letter of the Philippians was written by Paul because there were two women.
One was Yodia and the other was Syntyche.
And Yodia and Syntyche were having a fight in the church.
They were women who had worked with Paul, worked really hard, solid believers, but they
were having a strong disagreement and it was beginning to affect the church.
And therefore Paul writes the letter of the Philippians.
And so the idea of like-mindedness is to become one heart and mind with each other
and with God.
Or become one heart and mind with God and with each other.
Maybe that's a better way of putting it.
And when there are differences, we'll have to figure out what is the more excellent way.
And that will require conversations and scripture.
And this is how this church can arrive at a place where we have such a oneness and such
an ability to love each other that people that walk in will know that Christ was sent
by God.
This is what God is saying.
It's unimaginable, man.
Any questions?
So the first thing is the willingness to be like-minded.
Because a willingness to be like-minded always forges oneness in love.
The first requirement of like-mindedness is to have the mindset of Christ.
What is the mindset of Christ?
Very simple.
He did not grasp for advantage or equality.
Amazing, eh?
That is what it takes to have the mindset of Christ.
The mindset of Christ is that Jacob, going forward, will not do things in relationship
where he will grasp or cling onto or fight for an advantage or for equality.
That this is not some kind of sacrifice he is making.
It has slowly become his nature.
James puts it this way.
What causes strife and dissension amongst you?
This.
What caused strife and dissension in heaven?
This.
Lucifer wanted advantage or equality.
What caused strife and division in Eden?
This.
What causes strife and division once they fall?
What does it say?
The woman wants to have dominion over the man and the man will not allow it.
Nobody wants to be disadvantaged.
No one wants to give up on equality.
Particularly in the western world and western civilizations where democracy is such a prized
value, equality is highly sought after.
And Christ in Gethsemane reverses it.
So for oneness to develop, I and the leaders that are in this church will have to begin
to cultivate this kind of an attitude and you and the leaders in this church and I will
have to cultivate this kind of an attitude.
Will it happen overnight?
No.
Or can it start overnight?
Yes.
Any questions?
This will become commonplace, I assure you.
I'm not picking this topic because I didn't have anything else to preach on.
This is the one chapter I would avoid.
I'm picking this topic because this is what God wants us to become next.
During our times of worship, you'll find that everybody now knows how to engage in worship
and you wouldn't find it uncommon.
That wasn't how it was five years ago, guys.
Any questions?
Her question is, is this a matter of determining that we will be this way or is this something
that?
Is this something that Christ does?
So when it comes to most things that Christ is, I have to determine that that is how I
want to be and then Christ begins to do it.
Because every day I will get to determine this maybe 40 times and then a week from now
I will get to determine it only 30 times because I'm getting it right 10 times.
Every day I'll get this opportunity.
And when God begins to put his finger on something for a church and the church begins to pay
attention as in the entire church begins to pay attention, it happens fast.
He desires of the same oneness that he has given to Shalty in the heavenlies with the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
He wants that oneness through the Shalty with others.
He's not settling for less.
Now we'll become real Canadians.
Sorry you first.
No, no, no.
Sorry you first.
This will become just real.
You can only stop clinging to equality.
You can only stop.
I can only stop clinging to equality, dignity, etc. when and I'll only stop jockeying for
when I'm confident that I have a place or person I belong to who loves me.
That's when you stop.
Then you don't care because you lose nothing.
You lack nothing.
You know, I have a friend who has a church of 50,000 people.
Most people go there and long to preach there.
I mean they'll do anything to preach there because such a big audience, you'll do anything.
I remember I became so good friends with him that it didn't matter anymore.
It wasn't important to get something nor was it shattering when I had to go and preach
at a church of 30 people in a village when I could have stood in front of 50,000 people
and preach.
It doesn't matter.
Once you know you belong, once you know you're loved, it doesn't matter.
Till then we cling to our advantage.
We will fight for things.
Our dignity matters.
Positioning ourselves for the best matters.
Once you have this, it doesn't matter.
Which is why Jesus says it's important that you know that I love you Jacob just as I was
loved.
And then the father says, oh by the way I've got something to say to Jacob.
I love you Jacob just as I love Jesus.
Both of them, one in one ear, Jesus saying Jacob I love you just as I'm loved.
And the father saying Jacob I love you just as I love Jesus.
The more I settle in it, the more you'll stop wrestling for dignity or jockeying for position
or advantage or wanting equality.
Who cares?
Now you can understand why Jesus in John chapter 13 verse 2 to 5 went and took off his robes,
wrapped a towel around him.
And it says he knew where he had come from and he knew where he was going.
And so it was okay for him to become a bond servant.
Okay for him not to become a bond servant.
He was okay for him to take on, I don't know how to phrase it.
Please understand guys, Jesus is not taking on a role.
Jesus is living out his nature and your king is a servant.
Jesus is not taking on a role.
He's just living out his nature.
Your king is a servant.
So when he starts washing their feet, he's just doing what his nature is.
He's not trying to teach them saying let me show you how kings can be humble.
Crazy, eh?
So let's pick on one thing we can work on and then we'll end.
What destroys being one heart and mind with each other?
What destroys this oneness?
Let's take one WMD, weapon of mass destruction, that destroys oneness in the church.
And that's all we'll practice for the next two weeks or so, okay?
Just one.
And that one thing is lies.
Lies.
We'll just take that one thing.
So if you go to Ephesians 5.25, Ephesians 5.25, Ephesians 5.25, it says there,
therefore having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbour
because we are members of one another.
In the message it says, no more lies, no more pretense.
Tell your neighbour the truth.
In Christ's body, we are all connected to each other after all.
When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
Let's read that again.
Ephesians 5.25, first from the NIV or ESV or NETO, this is what it says.
Therefore, Ephesians 4.25, my bad.
At least the message is keeping us awake.
Ephesians 4.25.
Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, well, 5.25 is about marriage, right?
Okay.
That was for someone else.
Yeah.
Ephesians 4.25.
Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbour
because we are members of one another.
The message version, no more lies, no more pretense.
Tell your neighbour the truth.
In Christ's body, we are all connected to each other after all.
When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
Yeah?
So when we talk about lies, what are we talking about?
We are talking about pretense, falsehood.
These are the things that I included.
Backbiting, slander, rash judging with words and falsifying someone's words.
That's what we include in this.
Yeah?
There are questions on that.
So one of the ways that we can work towards loving each other is to end these things in
this church.
Starting with me.
Now I'm going through this list and if I look back at the last six months, I've done all
this in some form or the other.
If I don't change, then as much as like it or not, the way the kingdom works is if the
leaders don't change, the people don't change, it doesn't make, sorry, God doesn't have leaders
and followers so that's not what I'm trying to say.
Things work top down and if you don't change, nothing will change.
By leaders, I mean anyone who leads anything.
This has to change.
No more pretense.
No more falsehood.
No more backbiting.
No more slandering.
No more rash judging.
No more falsifying someone's words.
No more lying.
Backbiting is, man, did you see Mae?
She fell asleep halfway through the sermon.
It's true.
It did happen once.
But why go tell someone else?
See guys, there's another side to this.
The other side to this is where people do not want to, you've heard that saying, right?
If you have nothing good to say, don't say nothing at all.
That's a falsehood too.
That's as false as lying where you won't say anything because that is so self preserving
that it's distasteful because for that line that says if you don't have anything good,
don't say it at all, you've got another line that says evil prospers when good men stay
silent.
For this, we have to stop in this church and this I can only stop internally if I love
you.
Externally, I can stop it because I'm a Christian.
Internally, I can stop it because I love you.
That's the difference guys.
Externally, this will be easy to stop.
Don't do it.
Internally, it is why would I go and tell someone about what happened with Mae when
there's absolutely no reason to it except to tear her down, to disparage her.
So let's start with this.
We end this in this church over the next many weeks.
Won't that be brilliant?
Go ahead, Diana.
Of what?
Pretense?
I'm hurt.
I don't like what you've said, but I just make it appear that yeah, yeah, yeah, you've
got a good point.
Sometimes I may not be able to agree with you, so then I'll have to talk with you about
it, find out ways to do it.
We are not called to be peacekeepers.
We are called to be peacemakers.
Blessed are the peacemakers, not the peacekeepers.
Peace is when you're actually not happy, when you're actually hurt, but to avoid conflict
and to keep church kumbaya, we won't deal with it.
This is hard, guys.
This is not easy.
I don't expect us to change in a day.
I really don't because I can't change in a day, but I am planning to go here because
this oneness will be...
This is...
Let me put it this way.
This is one of the last things God is bringing because I think once we get here, things will
drastically change in the very structure of this church.
Mark my words.
Mark my words just like I remember telling you that a day will come in on St. Martin's.
We will have a retreat center and churches.
When I said that, they marked my words and I say to you this again.
Mark my words.
The day is coming when the oneness in this church will be so natural and normal that
God will change the structure of this church.
This church will be like repotted.
Repotted.
Sorry?
May, look what I started.
You know, Paul develops the subject of the church as a body, as a physical body.
Paul develops the subject of the church as a body with different organs.
A body with different organs or different parts.
With different organs or parts.
That's how he talks about the church.
And so in a healthy body, in a healthy body, the organs work in harmony.
In an unhealthy body, in a sick body or an unhealthy body, organs work against each other.
Against each other.
And so the hand then will have no problems deceiving the mouth.
Not knowing that if you deceive the mouth, you don't get fed and the hand will eventually
go limp.
Or the eyes seek to deceive the ears.
Stuff like this, the effect of lying and deceit in a congregation is devastating.
Because it destroys fellowship.
And it generates division.
So what happens is we are careful of each other while we practice acts of love.
And that is not oneness.
And trust me man, one of the advantages or disadvantages of being a pastor is that you
hear of the people that are hurt, the people that are not loved, the people that were offended,
the people, and some of those offenses are real.
They're not even pretend or not because people are touchy.
And so this church has a lot of growing to do and look forward to it.
Go to Acts chapter 5 and we'll end with that.
Acts chapter 5.
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.
With his wife's full knowledge, he kept part of the money for himself, but brought the
rest and put it at the apostles' feet.
Then Peter said, Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied
to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
Didn't it belong to you before it was sold and after it was sold wasn't the money at
your disposal?
What made you think of doing such a thing?
You have not lied to men, but to God.
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died.
And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.
Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
About three hours later, his wife came in not knowing what had happened.
Peter asked her, tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?
Yes, she said, that is the price.
Peter said to her, how could you agree to test the spirit of the Lord?
Look, the feet of the men who buried her husband, your husband, are at the door and they will
carry you out.
So what's happening here is that a man tried to deceive the believing community.
A man tried to deceive the believing community, but was really trying to deceive the Holy Spirit.
Whose life-giving power created that community.
It's very odd, eh, this story.
Ananias is lying to Peter, and he's bringing money to the church to give it, and he's trying
to deceive Peter and the church.
But in trying to deceive Peter and the believing community, he's actually deceiving the Holy
Spirit, whose life-giving power created the community.
This is the same thing that happens with Saul when he is on the road to Damascus, and the
voice he hears says, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?
This idea of Christ in the body is so intrinsic, so intimate, so intense when it comes to how
God thinks that Saul persecuting believers is taken as Saul persecuting Christ.
Why are you persecuting me?
And the same thing now applies to lying or deceiving the body.
When I deceive the body, when I lie to the body, even though I might only be lying to
Derek, I'm deceiving the Holy Spirit whose life-giving power created this community.
We don't think like this.
Part of the reason we don't think like this is because for guys like Peter and Paul, the
presence and the authority of the Spirit in the church was very real.
So to deceive the Holy Spirit is to, is an affront to God.
And then later on his wife comes in and she does, tries the same thing.
And that time, Paul says that in his, if I would rephrase it, deliberate deceit.
And Paul says that in his, in his life, he was deceived by God.
And he was deceived by God.
And so to rephrase it, deliberate deceit tests the Holy Spirit.
Because he's very forbearing, he has great patience.
But when I deliberately plan deceit, it tests the Holy Spirit.
And that aside, it gives Satan a breach to enter through.
Because if you look at Acts chapter 5 verse 3, you're talking about Ananias who is a believer
and he says, why has Satan, I think it says, Acts 5 3, Ananias, how is it said that Satan
has so filled your heart?
Makes sense because Jesus said, your father, the devil has been a liar since the beginning.
So as we break bread and share in communion, can we decide that we are going to work towards
this oneness?
One of the things we'll put an end to is lies, backbiting, slander, deceit, falsehoods, and
falsifying or changing someone else's words.
And we'll now begin this process of being renewed in this.
Why?
Not because it's an external requirement, but because I love me.
Because I love me, I will not backbite, I will not slander, I will not falsify her word,
I will not disparage her for my own whatever.
That I will not lie to her for the rest of my life and the rest of her life.
Just imagine that.
And I'm not doing it because it's an external requirement for a senior pastor or for a leader.
I must do it because I love her enough and know that we have a oneness that Christ wants
to bring so that when people see the relationship that I have with me, they will know that this
is otherworldly and Christ must have been sent by God.
Make sense?
Okay, so let's start there.
Can you turn to 1 Corinthians 10?
I just want to look at some verses before we break bread.
And then we'll just transact things with God silently, yeah?
And then at some point we'll eat together.
After the meeting is done, please, this is important.
There are people amongst us that have worked day and night for the Neighbor Fest.
And if it's possible, I know that some of us have to go home.
But if it is possible and you don't really have to get home in 20 minutes,
please stay so that they can share what they need to about tomorrow, yeah?
It'll be something that we can honor them with in terms of our time.
1 Corinthians 10?
Okay, go to 1 Corinthians 10.17.
Thanks, Andy.
1 Corinthians 10.17, and here's what it says.
Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body,
for we all partake of the one loaf.
That one loaf meaning Christ, he was broken so that we are put back together.
Next, go to 1 Corinthians 5.8.
1 Corinthians 5.8.
For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.
This is kind of what we're doing. I'll start at verse 7.
Get rid of the old yeast so that you may be a new batch without yeast.
In our case, that yeast is lying.
Get rid of the old yeast so that you may be a new batch without yeast as you really are.
For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us keep the festival not with old yeast,
the yeast of malice and wickedness, and because we are addressing lying,
I'll throw in lying, but with bread without yeast,
the bread of sincerity and truth.
Okay, and now go to 1 Corinthians 11.
1 Corinthians 11.
17. 1 Corinthians 11.17.
1 Corinthians 11.17.
Thanks.
Yeah, thank you.
Follow me as I read 1 Corinthians 11.17.
Onwards.
In the following directives, I have no praise for you,
for your meetings do more harm than good.
In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church,
there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.
No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval.
When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper you eat,
for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else.
One remains hungry, another gets drunk.
Don't you have homes to eat and drink in?
Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?
I have no praise for you. Shall I praise you for this?
Certainly not.
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you.
The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and he said,
this is my body which is for you, do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after supper, he took the cup, saying,
this cup is a new covenant in my blood.
Do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you will not be judged until he comes.
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord
in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord
eats and drinks judgment on himself.
That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.
When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined
and condemned to the world.
So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other,
if anyone is hungry, he should eat at home,
so that when you meet together, it may not result in judgment.
And when I come, I'll give you further directions.
Why read that passage?
Today we are dealing with the idea or the thought that
this church will learn not to lie to each other.
That we will learn how not to lie to each other because we love each other.
And that we will love each other by the power of the love of God
in us.
We will love each other just the way Jesus loves us.
He never lies to us.
When you pray to him, you rarely lie to him.
You are starkly honest with him.
We learn how to do this.
God is about to do something marvelous, miraculous,
just brilliant in our midst.
So there will not be anything saying, eat or drink.
At some point, tell the Lord, Father, today, I as a part of your church,
I am going to change in this.
Because we love, we will not lie.
For the organs of the body do not deceive or harm each other.
Yeah?
So at some point, whenever you want, you can eat.