WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Prevailing Prayer : Kairos – 1 Publishing Date: 2018-06-10T06:00:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/prevailing-prayer-kairos-1/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.800 some time ago that you can't build a prevailing church if it is a church that 00:00:05.800 --> 00:00:12.600 does not contend or engage in battle through prayer. We said that if you want 00:00:12.600 --> 00:00:15.680 to build a prevailing church and it's the only kind of church that Jesus was 00:00:15.680 --> 00:00:21.640 interested in building, then you have to have a church that engages or contends 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:27.480 in battle and the way we battle is through prayer and so that's why we 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:33.200 started looking at prevailing prayer. Today I want to talk about this idea of 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:40.760 prevailing prayer that requires us to know what God is hatching in his realm. 00:00:40.760 --> 00:00:46.360 I mean there are these two words that are often used in the Bible for time. 00:00:46.360 --> 00:00:50.760 One is kairos, one is kronos. Kronos is the time that we live in, the seasons we 00:00:50.760 --> 00:00:56.800 live in, our calendar, our deadlines and then there is this idea of kairos where 00:00:56.840 --> 00:01:02.280 in the fullness of time God hatches things that he conceived before the 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:06.800 foundations of the earth and he releases into the earth and if you want to be a 00:01:06.800 --> 00:01:12.000 church that prevails as in that contends and overcomes, that contends and wins, 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:17.640 that contends and moves forward, then we have to be able in prayer to figure out 00:01:17.640 --> 00:01:22.680 what God is doing at present not what's happening on earth at present. So it's 00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:28.560 prayers that take on an urgency and breaks forth because you know oh shucks 00:01:28.560 --> 00:01:33.160 father so that's what you want to release tomorrow in Vancouver. Alright so 00:01:33.160 --> 00:01:37.800 let's get ready and this is how we're going to pray because this is when like 00:01:37.800 --> 00:01:44.560 Elijah when there is absolutely no cloud in the sky you are so sure that 00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:49.480 tomorrow it's going to rain to the point that you make ridiculous statements like 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:56.800 I hear the sound of rain. It is seeing something that is absolutely invisible 00:01:56.800 --> 00:02:02.880 hearing something that is inaudible yet you are so sure because somehow you've 00:02:02.880 --> 00:02:09.600 caught a glimpse of ah so that's what you're up to Jesus. So alright I am going 00:02:09.600 --> 00:02:15.040 to now pray a certain way here on earth because it's almost like you want this 00:02:15.040 --> 00:02:23.160 baby to be born here on earth and nobody else knows about this. We haven't 00:02:23.160 --> 00:02:29.400 really prayed these kind of prayers and so don't worry if we don't understand 00:02:29.400 --> 00:02:32.520 all of it we'll get what we can right now and then get what we need to later 00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:37.680 but at least let it go down as being taught so that we can look at it and 00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:42.720 keep examining examining it. So if you want to define Kairos, Kairos is 00:02:42.880 --> 00:02:48.680 basically you hear this words word often said in the Bible in the fullness of 00:02:48.680 --> 00:02:57.800 time in the fullness of time as in even though we live in 2018 before there was 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:03.960 time God had decided that at certain junctures in history he would break in 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:09.240 or interrupt or intervene and cause something very different very strange 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:14.320 very not with the times to happen and so in the fullness of time God keeps 00:03:14.320 --> 00:03:17.960 releasing things these are things that God has designed in heaven before the 00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:24.120 beginning and it finds its fluid movement onto the earth and it usually 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:28.720 happens because of immediate obedience on the part of someone here on earth so 00:03:28.720 --> 00:03:33.680 you've got this 16 or 17 year old girl called Mary who says how can this be and 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:38.800 she just obeys a simple statement that the angel makes saying the Holy Spirit 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:45.080 will come upon you that was enough for her or a Noah who starts building an ark 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:51.680 even though he hasn't seen rain in the fullness of time God has designed things 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:56.360 in heaven that he allows to move fluidly onto the earth and it's almost always 00:03:56.360 --> 00:04:00.600 released because of the immediate obedience of some of his children here 00:04:00.600 --> 00:04:04.660 on earth which then means that prevailing prayer through a church is 00:04:05.620 --> 00:04:09.340 the church does not understand the concept of immediate obedience without 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:14.940 counting the cost or counting the cost and obeying immediately there's 00:04:14.940 --> 00:04:22.580 absolutely no hesitation I mean you see Elijah he's been hidden for three years 00:04:22.580 --> 00:04:28.140 and Obadiah one of the servants of Ahab the king is going around looking for 00:04:28.140 --> 00:04:32.300 water and Elijah decides hmm God just said he's gonna cause the rain to come 00:04:32.300 --> 00:04:36.420 so what does Elijah do he makes a sudden appearance before Obadiah and says 00:04:36.420 --> 00:04:42.300 here I am take me to your king he knows that Ahab is looking for him he knows 00:04:42.300 --> 00:04:47.100 that Ahab wants his head he knows that Ahab calls him the troubler of Israel he 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:54.380 knows that Ahab has put to death 70 others and yet because he knows that 00:04:54.380 --> 00:04:58.220 there is no other choice but to immediately obey he turns up and says 00:04:59.180 --> 00:05:09.500 and within a day within a day the rains come so for Kairos for prayer that God 00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:14.460 wants to use through this church to make things happen in this city in this 00:05:14.460 --> 00:05:18.500 nation in other cities and other nations in situations and encounters in lives and 00:05:18.500 --> 00:05:23.740 people's there must be this immediate obedience response from the people 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:31.660 otherwise it will happen through an individual what's the point of it 00:05:31.660 --> 00:05:35.020 happening through an individual when God wants it to happen through a people 00:05:35.020 --> 00:05:40.020 otherwise we need Elijah's we need Elisha's we need Joshua's we need 00:05:40.020 --> 00:05:44.900 Moses's what about the one new man called the church 00:05:49.500 --> 00:05:54.460 so God operates out of this realm continuously in second Corinthians 6 2 00:05:54.460 --> 00:05:59.660 again he uses the word Kairos when he says in the favorable Kairos I heard you 00:05:59.660 --> 00:06:04.780 meaning there are times when he hears prayers and he says now is the time now 00:06:04.780 --> 00:06:08.500 is the time of favor and I'm gonna release this it doesn't matter what the 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:13.020 economy says it doesn't matter what Trump says or Trudeau says here is what 00:06:13.020 --> 00:06:18.140 I had planned long before Jacob acts 29 are you willing to obey and I want 00:06:18.140 --> 00:06:21.900 immediate obedience and if you are willing to immediately obey and unleash 00:06:21.900 --> 00:06:26.420 it through you so that you get to partake in this adventure you think there 00:06:26.420 --> 00:06:29.900 weren't others that could have gone on Mount Carmel and done what Elijah did 00:06:29.900 --> 00:06:33.500 but Elijah obeyed immediately 00:06:36.100 --> 00:06:39.100 immediately 00:06:39.100 --> 00:06:49.420 at divinely determined moments his realm intersects measurable time and as soon 00:06:49.420 --> 00:06:54.620 as it intersects measurable time it releases things on earth in Titus 00:06:54.620 --> 00:07:00.580 chapter 1 verse 3 Titus puts it this way at the appointed season at the 00:07:00.580 --> 00:07:06.540 appointed season at the appointed season sometimes I'm fascinated at how certain 00:07:06.540 --> 00:07:10.860 things happen during worship or even during a teaching at acts 29 where I 00:07:10.860 --> 00:07:14.420 know God is suddenly introducing something into the church that I won't 00:07:14.420 --> 00:07:18.540 even have in my notes but I know it's a Holy Spirit moment and inside me I 00:07:18.540 --> 00:07:23.940 recognize it and I'm craving that you recognize it too because if you do it is 00:07:23.940 --> 00:07:30.700 this moment where God intersects even a simple teaching like at acts 29 keep 00:07:30.740 --> 00:07:37.380 your ears and your spirit alert because you can miss it and if you get it that 00:07:37.380 --> 00:07:41.500 it ain't enough to get it you have to respond to it with immediate obedience 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:45.100 which doesn't mean that you get up and leave right now but you get up and leave 00:07:45.100 --> 00:07:48.660 after an hour and a half 00:07:55.740 --> 00:07:59.020 that's one reason I don't like coming late to church or leaving early because 00:07:59.020 --> 00:08:10.460 you might miss out on stuff if that was meant for you wear it in Kronos we try 00:08:10.460 --> 00:08:15.620 controlling time in Kairos time breaks upon us in Kronos as in in regular life 00:08:15.620 --> 00:08:19.860 we try controlling time I've got to get to the church in time ah shucks that 00:08:19.860 --> 00:08:23.860 light had to turn red smile at it smile at it it might turn green and so you try 00:08:23.860 --> 00:08:30.820 to make it in time that's Kronos but Kairos time breaks upon you where God 00:08:30.820 --> 00:08:36.300 says now is the time and he breaks upon you and if you obey immediately and are 00:08:36.300 --> 00:08:40.420 at the right place at the right time strange things begin to happen guys I'll 00:08:40.420 --> 00:08:44.700 tell you something most things that are designed by God have to be obeyed in 00:08:44.700 --> 00:08:48.980 perfect time if you wanted the design to hold it's like it's like holding a 00:08:48.980 --> 00:08:55.660 snowflake only God can create a snowflake and if you can hold it in 00:08:55.660 --> 00:09:00.940 perfect time it stays the way it is it does not melt it stays the way it is but 00:09:00.940 --> 00:09:04.580 the one thing required for God to do things is Jacob will you obey 00:09:04.580 --> 00:09:14.780 immediately and will you obey in the right time this is critically and so 00:09:14.780 --> 00:09:19.100 many times what happens with us is we postpone it either because all the 00:09:19.100 --> 00:09:27.180 conditions are not right or we postpone it because it might cost too much 00:09:33.140 --> 00:09:37.780 all the sudden leaves in the Bible are born out of the work of God and Kairos 00:09:37.780 --> 00:09:42.460 where everything is going on well and suddenly there'll be a token sized a 00:09:42.460 --> 00:09:46.660 fifth-sized cloud in the sky suddenly suddenly is our his favorite way of 00:09:46.660 --> 00:09:52.620 turning up in time intervening breaking through and so like I'm saying timing 00:09:52.620 --> 00:09:56.500 is perhaps the hardest thing to get right and timing is learned through one 00:09:56.500 --> 00:10:08.140 hearing with clarity it's you learn the timing of God by one hearing with 00:10:08.140 --> 00:10:15.020 clarity to you cannot help it you have to get more experienced at it so that 00:10:15.020 --> 00:10:21.060 you become so used to it that experience now helps you just do things without 00:10:21.060 --> 00:10:25.020 thinking sometimes or just out of obedience not without thinking without 00:10:25.020 --> 00:10:36.700 understanding for third you have to have immediate obedience and for you have to 00:10:36.700 --> 00:10:48.260 trust step-by-step navigation what I mean by that is guys if you want things 00:10:48.260 --> 00:10:54.340 from God's perspective to break into your life or if you want things from 00:10:54.340 --> 00:11:04.100 God's perspective to break through your life you have to hear with clarity it 00:11:04.140 --> 00:11:09.380 takes experience but experience begins when you start somewhere and tomorrow 00:11:09.380 --> 00:11:16.500 you'll be more experienced it requires immediate obedience and lastly you won't 00:11:16.500 --> 00:11:20.300 get all the steps so you'll have to keep obeying it's step-by-step navigation 00:11:20.300 --> 00:11:26.460 turn right turn left stop here sit here for two days now go to Bethany all right 00:11:26.460 --> 00:11:29.940 now speak to Martha and Mary just say I am the resurrection and the life about 00:11:29.940 --> 00:11:34.020 time you went to the stinking graveyard all right there's a stone there roll it 00:11:34.020 --> 00:11:40.540 away now begin to speak and just say Lazarus come out and out comes Lazarus 00:11:40.660 --> 00:11:45.500 timing is critical any questions before we go on 00:11:45.500 --> 00:12:06.980 yeah which is why hearing with clarity is critical hearing with clarity and 00:12:06.980 --> 00:12:09.980 then immediate obedience 00:12:09.980 --> 00:12:19.020 like the sons of Issachar you have to know the times and seasons applies to 00:12:19.020 --> 00:12:22.660 everything guys we don't realize how many things got I involved in are you 00:12:22.660 --> 00:12:28.060 moving house try to see what the perfect time is are you changing jobs try to see 00:12:28.060 --> 00:12:31.820 the perfect time of God are you going to a nation try to figure out the perfect 00:12:31.820 --> 00:12:35.420 time of God are you going to meet someone and speak to them try to find 00:12:35.420 --> 00:12:40.420 the perfect time are you supposed to stand at main and 49th and expect an 00:12:40.420 --> 00:12:44.980 encounter with somebody because God has arranged it try to see how this turn up 00:12:44.980 --> 00:12:49.860 at the right time have you planned your plans and now you feel God asking you to 00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:54.660 change it change it will it cost you to cancel absolutely but what will happen 00:12:54.660 --> 00:12:58.500 in the process you will be where God wants you to be exactly at the right 00:12:58.500 --> 00:13:04.020 time exactly at the right time God is so into timing thing it's ridiculous I mean 00:13:04.060 --> 00:13:09.740 you have to have a king waking up in the middle of the night because he can't 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:15.100 sleep now you have to have him call his librarian and now you have to have the 00:13:15.100 --> 00:13:20.660 librarian open a book and now you have to have that book open to a page that 00:13:20.660 --> 00:13:25.780 talks about a conspiracy that was foiled and now you got to figure out if the man 00:13:25.780 --> 00:13:30.460 who filed a conspiracy which is more the guy is still alive and then you have to 00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:35.100 find out aha he is and then he's sitting at the gate you also have to have 00:13:35.100 --> 00:13:40.660 Haman walk in at that time and look at Mordecai and despise him and he walks 00:13:40.660 --> 00:13:44.220 into the chambers and the king says to him what would you do for the guy who 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:48.220 filed a conspiracy and Haman thinks it's him and he says I would put him on your 00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:53.140 royal horse I would dress him in royal robes I would have the most important 00:13:53.140 --> 00:13:56.740 person in the kingdom lead the horse saying long live the king and long live 00:13:56.740 --> 00:14:02.740 Mordecai and the king says great hey man go do that to Mordecai I mean think 00:14:02.740 --> 00:14:09.220 of the things that have to line up for this to happen guys the thing with these 00:14:09.220 --> 00:14:14.460 kind of prayers is that you achieve in two days what would take someone seven 00:14:14.460 --> 00:14:16.820 years 00:14:19.940 --> 00:14:24.100 astrologers and astronomers talk about the stars aligning this is a different 00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:32.340 kind of alignment man but the Sun aligns everything as an SON just in case you 00:14:32.340 --> 00:14:39.620 were going cultish God designs hold their shape when the timing of obedience 00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:47.540 is perfect God designs as in things that God design it stays intact it holds its 00:14:48.100 --> 00:14:56.020 shape it is perfect if I obey and if my obedience is immediate questions comments 00:14:56.020 --> 00:14:58.660 disagreements 00:15:17.700 --> 00:15:23.060 you never know till you know by doing what you need to do and then the next 00:15:23.060 --> 00:15:27.660 time these things I remember as I pour out my soul how I used to praise the Lord 00:15:27.660 --> 00:15:32.540 amongst the happy crowd why are you so sad my soul some 42 what David is trying 00:15:32.540 --> 00:15:35.340 to say is hey now that I'm in the situation I look back and I think to 00:15:35.340 --> 00:15:43.980 myself aha this is how it used to be so though this is critical but how do we 00:15:44.020 --> 00:15:48.700 gain I mean it's like the typical thing immigrants to Canada face do you have 00:15:48.700 --> 00:15:51.500 Canadian qualification no well then you can't have a job but if you don't give 00:15:51.500 --> 00:15:56.460 me a job how will I have Canadian qualification I don't know it's cash 22 00:15:58.780 --> 00:16:05.740 but once you start getting this things begin to change and life becomes so easy 00:16:05.740 --> 00:16:09.740 because you're in the time of God and the other thing is guys it applies to 00:16:09.820 --> 00:16:14.180 small things and big things small things and big things do not discard anything 00:16:14.180 --> 00:16:17.780 as small the things that are smaller so important to God because you are 00:16:17.780 --> 00:16:22.500 important to God the smallest of things is important to God because you are 00:16:22.500 --> 00:16:26.740 important to God when your child take your child as an example your child has 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:30.620 some whims and fancies that are so ridiculous that I think to myself why 00:16:30.620 --> 00:16:34.700 aren't you getting irritated and telling the locking the child up in no we don't 00:16:34.700 --> 00:16:39.980 do stuff like that but the point is this you are interested in your child 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:43.260 because in the small things your child does because you're interested in your 00:16:43.260 --> 00:16:48.180 child same thing with God and therefore even in the small things get the time 00:16:48.180 --> 00:16:55.540 right and that then allows this to happen where everything begins a quest 00:16:55.540 --> 00:17:02.740 becomes a question of hearing and if you made plans change them change them I 00:17:02.860 --> 00:17:09.060 would rather change my plans and lose some money and some friends then miss 00:17:09.060 --> 00:17:13.020 out on what God wants to do 00:17:21.620 --> 00:17:24.620 absolutely 00:17:25.620 --> 00:17:32.340 when you make a mistake sometimes it costs you a little sometimes it doesn't 00:17:32.340 --> 00:17:39.540 but there's just no way to learn this without making mistakes just no way I 00:17:40.060 --> 00:17:45.700 would suggest to you and hold this loosely don't hold it too tightly because 00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:51.340 I could be wrong I would suggest to you that as Jesus was growing up Jesus had 00:17:51.340 --> 00:17:56.740 to learn from his parents he required his parents help to learn things it was 00:17:56.740 --> 00:18:03.940 not mistake free walking mistake free anything he didn't one day just start 00:18:03.940 --> 00:18:11.220 speaking perfect Aramaic he had to learn God's ways they didn't come 00:18:11.220 --> 00:18:16.540 automatically just imagine that he had to learn it Hebrew chapter 5 talks about 00:18:16.540 --> 00:18:24.940 it that he learned obedience so I don't think you can do this without mistakes 00:18:24.940 --> 00:18:30.460 which is why then if you have people around you who can help you avoid 00:18:30.460 --> 00:18:36.380 mistakes so be it isolation is perfect for deep deep mistakes but you keep 00:18:36.380 --> 00:18:39.180 digging the hole deeper 00:18:39.180 --> 00:18:46.180 okay any other questions thoughts comments 00:18:48.180 --> 00:18:51.340 so I would suggest to you that some of the things that you're doing that you're 00:18:51.340 --> 00:18:56.780 unsure of go examine them go examine them father am I out of time here as in 00:18:56.780 --> 00:19:01.420 not have I run out of time am I out of your sense of timing what am I supposed 00:19:01.420 --> 00:19:07.540 to change what should I shift we are creatures of habit we do the same thing 00:19:07.540 --> 00:19:11.940 again and again and again because it worked last time I mean remember one 00:19:11.940 --> 00:19:16.300 thing guys we live by the proceeding word not by the preceding word Moses 00:19:16.300 --> 00:19:21.640 touched struck the rock only because he's thought I've done this before the 00:19:21.640 --> 00:19:26.300 water gushed out yes he said speak but I'm irritated enough let's just strike 00:19:26.300 --> 00:19:32.080 it and he lost the ability to enter the promised land that's too high a cost to 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:41.200 living by what is a formula examine am I supposed to go away for three months 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:47.440 every year on an RV trip am I supposed to go to Myanmar just because the pastor 00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:52.760 says come in September am I supposed to do the same leadership thing in Mongolia 00:19:52.760 --> 00:19:58.640 just because Joshua says come and do it ask 00:19:59.600 --> 00:20:03.800 otherwise what happens is we strive and strive and strive and then we can't 00:20:03.800 --> 00:20:07.520 understand why the tomatoes are so small when my neighbor's tomatoes look like 00:20:07.520 --> 00:20:15.840 pumpkins hey when to when to pigeons begin to fly because the eggs that were 00:20:15.840 --> 00:20:20.320 I mean two weeks ago there were eggs in my flower pot that my mom left and the 00:20:20.320 --> 00:20:24.040 flowers are gone now there were eggs in the flower pot I looked at this it this 00:20:24.040 --> 00:20:28.160 afternoon after coming back from the trip and there are two little birds but 00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:33.480 they don't look like they can do anything no that wasn't my reaction my 00:20:33.480 --> 00:20:37.480 reaction was you're dirtying up my balcony maybe I should take you and 00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:41.000 throw you off the balcony and then you learn up no no no I've heard birds can 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:48.240 fly when you throw them in the air no okay I won't do that just checking I 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:51.800 just needed your advice I mean 00:20:52.800 --> 00:21:00.440 Oh timing now you get it it is it is just a test 00:21:02.800 --> 00:21:08.440 all righty they can do what they want mark do you have one of these things 00:21:08.440 --> 00:21:17.400 that can what do you call those things okay all right the next thing guys is 00:21:17.400 --> 00:21:22.360 if you when we begin to engage in prevailing prayer it gives us a 00:21:22.360 --> 00:21:27.020 distinct advantage over the enemy over the devil such an advantage when it 00:21:27.020 --> 00:21:33.400 comes to this kind of prayer which sees what God wants to do and God is waiting 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:38.200 for it to break through into the earth through you if you're obedient then it 00:21:38.200 --> 00:21:43.800 gives you a distinct advantage over the enemy because I mean take Elijah's story 00:21:43.800 --> 00:21:53.160 again he sends word that 450 prophets of Bal and 400 prophets of Asherah who 00:21:53.160 --> 00:22:00.720 eat at Jezebel's table come and gather at Mount Carmel why because Satan is bound 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:07.520 in measurable time and he's confounded when God's time intersects the things 00:22:07.520 --> 00:22:10.680 he's doing he cannot do anything to stop it so he 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:17.040 So for example in the fullness of time Jesus came there was nothing the devil 00:22:17.040 --> 00:22:21.480 could do about it there had been 400 years of silence up comes a man called 00:22:21.480 --> 00:22:26.460 John the Baptist who's beginning to talk about a Messiah the enemy cannot 00:22:26.460 --> 00:22:31.380 understand this and then in the fullness of time into history intervenes the 00:22:31.380 --> 00:22:36.880 birth of this child in Bethlehem and there's nothing the enemy can do about 00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:42.720 it because he's confounded when times he's finite he's confounded when God's 00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:47.200 time breaks into things the only thing he can do after that is rage and he 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:53.360 begins to rage weeping was heard in Rama as Herod sent soldiers to slaughter 00:22:53.360 --> 00:22:57.680 children it was the same with Moses there was a need for a deliverer and 00:22:57.680 --> 00:23:02.280 suddenly a boy is born who was drawn out of the water he's put in a basket and 00:23:02.800 --> 00:23:08.640 the Nile there was nothing the enemy could do and then suddenly there's a 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:16.660 slaughter of babies the thing with praying this way is you suddenly know 00:23:16.660 --> 00:23:19.400 when you go into a country when you go into a situation when you go into a 00:23:19.400 --> 00:23:24.160 nation that aha this is what God wants to do thousands and thousands of years 00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:27.920 of history is going to be turned around it's going to be turned around just 00:23:27.920 --> 00:23:32.360 because one or two people decided that there will be immediate obedience to 00:23:32.360 --> 00:23:36.000 what God is going to say and do and they'll stand and declare it without any 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:42.800 shame at the cost of being mocked they'll still do it you see it in the 00:23:42.800 --> 00:23:46.880 book of revelations where there are these two witnesses who do exactly that 00:23:46.880 --> 00:23:51.260 things are going really bad and then these two witnesses rise up and they 00:23:51.260 --> 00:23:55.560 begin to speak they're like Elijah and Moses of yesteryears and they begin to 00:23:55.560 --> 00:24:00.960 do what they need to do and suddenly all the destruction that is happening is 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:08.760 arrested they supposedly die and they come back to life I plead with you try 00:24:08.760 --> 00:24:12.120 imagining this the reason I say I plead with you is not because you're not 00:24:12.120 --> 00:24:16.680 listening but because sometimes these things seem so it's for somebody else 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:20.760 some other church some other past and not for me that we won't examine this 00:24:20.760 --> 00:24:29.480 further and yet it can change life we're all Joshua's guys waiting to see 00:24:29.480 --> 00:24:33.880 Moses come down from the mountain standing at the opening of the tent 00:24:33.880 --> 00:24:37.840 looking and saying when will my turn come that should be your cry when will 00:24:37.840 --> 00:24:48.440 my turn come when will my turn come that should be your cry when will Hebrews 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:57.680 11 33 to 35 happen through me that should be your cry if it isn't your 00:24:57.680 --> 00:25:02.680 cry if it isn't my cry then I must question why is it that my spirit is so 00:25:02.680 --> 00:25:04.960 dull 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:25.720 God has his ability to hide things that he's hatching for a time such as this 00:25:25.720 --> 00:25:31.840 hide he hides it he knows how to hide things and then at the right I mean one 00:25:31.840 --> 00:25:37.600 of the coolest stories coolest some of the coolest battle verses that I've read 00:25:37.600 --> 00:25:43.840 are so simple here's what it says in Exodus chapter 14 verse 18 to 25 ish 00:25:44.000 --> 00:25:50.160 here's what it says it says and so the angel of the Lord went from ahead of 00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:56.400 Israel to behind Israel and he camped himself between the Egyptians that were 00:25:56.400 --> 00:26:00.760 chasing Israel and Israel was now at the Red Sea and so the angel of the Lord 00:26:00.760 --> 00:26:07.200 goes and stands behind Israel between Egypt and Israel and he became light to 00:26:07.200 --> 00:26:11.360 the Israelites and darkness and confusion and dullness to the Egyptians 00:26:11.360 --> 00:26:15.360 and the angel of the Lord just stood there while all of Israel crossed the 00:26:15.360 --> 00:26:19.280 Red Sea meanwhile the Egyptians are on this side of the angel of the Lord who 00:26:19.280 --> 00:26:24.320 appears in a pillar of fire and they can't do nothing he's fire but that fire 00:26:24.320 --> 00:26:28.080 is light to the Israelites and darkness and dullness and confusion to the 00:26:28.080 --> 00:26:33.640 Egyptians and once the Israelites cross then the pillar of fire moves but now 00:26:33.640 --> 00:26:36.920 the Egyptians decide they're gonna chase them into the Red Sea and then there is 00:26:36.920 --> 00:26:40.960 this really beautiful line it says God decided that he would dismantle the 00:26:40.960 --> 00:26:46.680 wheels of the chariots so he just goes I don't know what he did but suddenly all 00:26:46.680 --> 00:26:53.440 these wheels of every Egyptian chariot starts going wonky the Israelites crossed 00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:58.000 on dry land and now their wheels are off and then the waters come and cover the 00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:04.920 Egyptians God hides things so brilliantly but here is a beautiful 00:27:04.920 --> 00:27:07.640 scripture I don't know where it is perhaps in Proverbs it says it is the 00:27:07.640 --> 00:27:11.600 glory of Kings to hide a thing it is the glory of it is the glory of God to 00:27:11.600 --> 00:27:16.640 hide things it is the glory of Kings to discover it God concealed so that we can 00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:24.000 discover God concealed so that we can discover sometimes our time should not 00:27:24.000 --> 00:27:28.440 be spent in praying but in discovering discovery is part of what makes prayer 00:27:28.440 --> 00:27:33.400 effective otherwise how much can you pray for one thing oh Lord do this oh 00:27:33.400 --> 00:27:38.960 Lord do do this I mean you can only do so much in prayer but what if you began 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:42.520 to discover the ins and outs the breadth and the length and the height and the 00:27:42.520 --> 00:27:52.000 depth of things from God's perspective because we want to see outcomes before 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:58.000 we take really costly steps we sacrifice immediacy at the altar of careful 00:27:58.000 --> 00:28:05.200 unbelief because we want to see outcomes before we take really costly steps we 00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:09.760 sacrifice immediacy at the altar of careful unbelief what I'm trying to say 00:28:09.760 --> 00:28:15.400 is this when you have heard God say things sometimes through a prophetic 00:28:15.400 --> 00:28:22.680 word which in your heart you know has resonance but in real physical life it 00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:27.160 will cost you too much it may cost you a brand new job it may cost you your 00:28:27.160 --> 00:28:33.280 education it may cost you money and so we sacrifice immediacy at the altar of 00:28:33.280 --> 00:28:41.400 careful unbelief as in I need to think about this I need to pray about it man 00:28:41.400 --> 00:28:45.560 some things aren't meant to be prayed about 00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:53.680 they just have to be done 00:28:54.680 --> 00:29:00.880 questions disagreements I'm really provoking you saying disagreements 00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:03.560 multiple times 00:29:10.920 --> 00:29:13.920 yeah 00:29:15.440 --> 00:29:20.120 yeah it's very clear but it's usually when things come with great great 00:29:20.120 --> 00:29:24.160 clarity there's usually a cost attached to it too 00:29:32.040 --> 00:29:42.720 and the glory of thank you Proverbs 25 2 so when you start praying like this 00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:48.560 figuring out what God wants to do in your situation in a city in a nation one 00:29:48.560 --> 00:29:53.000 of the things that happens is you will then begin to enter into a confrontation 00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:57.200 with enemy enemy powers princes and principalities it'll be the Pharaoh's 00:29:57.200 --> 00:30:01.280 magicians or herit soldiers or the priests of Artemis in Ephesus or the 00:30:01.280 --> 00:30:06.520 800 prophets of Asherah and Baal the powers of darkness suddenly begin to 00:30:06.520 --> 00:30:14.440 when when when the devil finds out that oh shucks acts 29 did something that God 00:30:14.480 --> 00:30:20.440 showed them for Vancouver or for Myanmar or for Indonesia then he begins to rally 00:30:20.440 --> 00:30:24.880 his troops saying now we need to confront them because he raises at the 00:30:24.880 --> 00:30:29.200 fact that he was confounded and now he wants to confront which then requires 00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:34.000 acts 29 to become a church that knows how to deal with principalities princess 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:39.760 chiefs powers spirit spiritual rulers of depravity and guess what we don't know 00:30:39.760 --> 00:30:42.240 how to do that 00:30:44.440 --> 00:30:51.760 so when I was preparing this I was thinking to myself what's the point of 00:30:51.760 --> 00:31:07.320 preaching it because we've got to start somewhere say that again explain we 00:31:07.320 --> 00:31:12.800 don't know how to when as a church have we confronted powers principalities 00:31:12.800 --> 00:31:22.880 chiefs rulers of the world when when have we done that as a church I think 00:31:22.880 --> 00:31:28.400 we haven't even started I think as individuals we probably do when we are 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:33.360 put in an encounter but I don't think we've even started as a church I don't 00:31:33.360 --> 00:31:41.640 think so I think what God is calling us to do is something to do as a people I 00:31:41.920 --> 00:31:47.080 mean to begin with it's hard to turn up for prayer man prayer itself is such a 00:31:47.080 --> 00:31:54.720 hard thing to turn up for this is true I don't know but because it's one of the 00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:59.920 most effective tools of battle to come for prayer is a very difficult thing 00:31:59.920 --> 00:32:08.280 once you're here you can get caught up in it but to get here is a pain and then 00:32:08.320 --> 00:32:15.480 to learn how to pray to learn how to pray it's so difficult it's not easy to 00:32:15.480 --> 00:32:26.220 learn how to pray we've I mean come on guys the time for truth-telling when we 00:32:26.220 --> 00:32:31.600 meet for prayer how effective do you think it is in terms of swordsmanship we 00:32:31.600 --> 00:32:35.800 got to learn how to use the word 00:32:35.800 --> 00:32:46.960 because it's the only thing that cuts both ways and then there is this other 00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:53.240 thing guys here's the thing and I'm skipping ahead it says that lift up the 00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:57.280 ancient door so that the king of glory may come in and we love that verse I 00:32:57.280 --> 00:33:02.920 love that verse lift up the ancient doors open up your gates but see if you 00:33:02.920 --> 00:33:07.120 want to engage in war the first thing you have to engage in is holiness 00:33:07.120 --> 00:33:11.960 because the first part of Psalm 24 says who shall ascend the hill of the Lord he 00:33:11.960 --> 00:33:16.600 who has clean hands and a clean heart if there is darkness in me it doesn't matter 00:33:16.600 --> 00:33:21.320 how often I stand before an ancient door and say lift up lift up it might lift up 00:33:21.320 --> 00:33:27.180 and fall right on me it's like one of those cartoons where what's that fellow 00:33:27.180 --> 00:33:33.940 that runs around and gets knocked always? Roadrunner yeah I mean the ancient 00:33:33.940 --> 00:33:36.740 gates fall on you 00:33:36.740 --> 00:33:57.500 yeah agreed but a call to holiness precedes a call to war and so before I 00:33:57.500 --> 00:34:03.900 can deal with things that are dark I have to make sure that I can at least 00:34:03.900 --> 00:34:08.340 stand in the shadow of that scripture Jesus quoted when he said the prince of 00:34:08.340 --> 00:34:21.740 darkness has come and he has nothing in me this is critical even sin I can 00:34:21.740 --> 00:34:27.900 understand because there's nobody who hasn't sinned today I think but but but 00:34:27.900 --> 00:34:31.900 when it's a habit that I cultivate where there are pockets of rot or pockets of 00:34:31.900 --> 00:34:36.940 darkness in my life that I hide that I keep then it becomes difficult to handle 00:34:36.940 --> 00:34:41.220 these things that we are talking about becomes difficult which then means that 00:34:41.220 --> 00:34:44.940 we need to be circumcised which then means that we need to apply the flint 00:34:44.940 --> 00:34:51.220 knife of the word to our hearts which then means that you would have to open 00:34:51.220 --> 00:34:56.380 your heart because you can't circumcise yourself someone has to help circumcise 00:34:57.100 --> 00:35:02.220 aha did you know that you can't circumcise yourself if you think that you 00:35:02.220 --> 00:35:07.900 can circumcise yourself you are wrong someone else has to help circumcise you 00:35:07.900 --> 00:35:12.780 sure you have to be a participant in it but someone else circumcises you you 00:35:12.780 --> 00:35:18.420 have to allow the flint knife used by someone else at Gilgal to roll away your 00:35:18.420 --> 00:35:23.260 approach and that is where today's Christianity fails us miserably because 00:35:23.380 --> 00:35:27.580 my sin is my business and it ain't yours wrong your sin is my business 00:35:37.580 --> 00:35:47.620 it means saying hey Jacob yeah causing reproach and shame to be left undone not 00:35:47.660 --> 00:35:54.420 by anybody else but the Holy Spirit but through me opening myself to you helping 00:35:54.420 --> 00:35:56.860 me do it 00:36:04.540 --> 00:36:10.860 if you understood Diana then that's tremendous but 00:36:47.620 --> 00:37:07.460 yeah I'm saying that Diana may have fought things that she needs to fight 00:37:07.460 --> 00:37:11.340 within her own life who may have fought it I may have fought it but as a church 00:37:11.340 --> 00:37:17.820 we don't we don't and therefore it's not the body that is dealing with things 00:37:17.820 --> 00:37:26.900 it's individuals dealing with their own individual stuff not as a church and so 00:37:26.900 --> 00:37:31.580 this kind of prayer is impossible to do as individuals it just doesn't work 00:37:31.580 --> 00:37:34.580 because God is not looking for Elijah's anymore he's not looking for Elijah's 00:37:34.580 --> 00:37:40.460 he's looking for Elijah types an entire church that behaves like Elijah John the 00:37:40.460 --> 00:37:43.620 Baptist types an entire church that looks like John the Baptist preparing 00:37:43.620 --> 00:37:46.220 the way of the Lord 00:37:52.460 --> 00:37:55.460 yeah 00:37:57.220 --> 00:38:03.220 plus the other thing is guys let's ask another question don't respond to it 00:38:03.220 --> 00:38:09.540 it's rhetorical question how many of us really have dealt with spirits and demons 00:38:09.580 --> 00:38:17.340 not many of us partly because either we don't we haven't had an encounter yet 00:38:17.340 --> 00:38:20.620 and sometimes it's because God has kept us safe sometimes it's because we 00:38:20.620 --> 00:38:29.180 haven't gone looking for it there are times when you go looking for it I'm not 00:38:29.180 --> 00:38:34.460 saying go looking for it let me remove that phrase we haven't been invited into 00:38:34.460 --> 00:38:38.060 an encounter or when the encounter was there we did not take the action 00:38:38.060 --> 00:38:42.740 required I've done both I've seen things that I knew I had to deal with 00:38:42.740 --> 00:38:47.100 but decided the same the right time and I'm not ready for it and I walked away 00:38:47.100 --> 00:38:53.140 but really when you ask it ask the question that's another question we need 00:38:53.140 --> 00:38:57.740 to ask how many of us have really dealt with demons and spirits and if we 00:38:57.740 --> 00:39:01.000 haven't dealt with demons and spirits how are we going to deal with princess 00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:06.020 principalities chiefs rulers and spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly 00:39:06.020 --> 00:39:12.900 places sorry yeah you're not supposed to answer yeah because some of us have 00:39:12.900 --> 00:39:19.300 some of us have and some of us haven't and you can't fight Goliath till you 00:39:19.300 --> 00:39:26.580 fight the bear and the lion I don't even know how to make this happen guys 00:39:26.580 --> 00:39:30.580 because because you can't force it but you can prepare a people so that God 00:39:30.580 --> 00:39:34.140 knows that a people are prepared so now I can send them to do what I'm supposed 00:39:34.180 --> 00:39:40.180 to send them to do why did God take Israel through a roundabout route to 00:39:40.180 --> 00:39:43.460 the promised land I'm not talking with the 40 years I'm talking before that he 00:39:43.460 --> 00:39:48.340 says I won't take you to face these mighty kings and nations because you're 00:39:48.340 --> 00:39:51.980 a slave people you will not be able to battle them as soldiers so I'll take you 00:39:51.980 --> 00:39:55.020 through a circuitous route that will bring you to the promised land it's the 00:39:55.020 --> 00:39:58.740 same thing that God has to do with us for a while sometimes because we aren't 00:39:58.780 --> 00:40:07.220 ready and may I suggest that one of the reasons we are not ready is because the 00:40:07.220 --> 00:40:10.980 pastor does not know how to help you get ready and that's the minor reason 00:40:10.980 --> 00:40:17.020 because the pastor is really good in other things and then the other reason 00:40:17.020 --> 00:40:19.620 is we are 00:40:22.500 --> 00:40:28.140 self-obsessed me myself and Irene thank God there is no Irene in this church 00:40:28.260 --> 00:40:40.180 it is very inconvenient frightening costly not fun but once it happens you 00:40:40.180 --> 00:40:44.460 will begin to rejoice just like the 70 saying Jesus Jesus guess what happened 00:40:44.460 --> 00:40:47.460 I went and got out this demon and the demon came out and Jesus will say I'm 00:40:47.460 --> 00:40:50.180 really happy that you're happy but also remember that you've got to be happier 00:40:50.180 --> 00:40:52.820 because I saved you 00:40:58.140 --> 00:41:04.700 no not again 00:41:04.700 --> 00:41:07.700 good then 00:41:12.700 --> 00:41:15.700 yes 00:41:22.980 --> 00:41:27.660 no it's a good question once I deal with things on an individual basis 00:41:28.140 --> 00:41:32.540 I kind of have an idea of what it might look like when I join with others to 00:41:32.540 --> 00:41:36.940 deal with it on a corporate basis what I deal with today might be given I can 00:41:36.940 --> 00:41:49.420 take even smaller guy than me but what if I had to meet Mike in a dark alley so 00:41:49.420 --> 00:41:54.980 but having taken even now I know that at least I can deal with Mike but had I not 00:41:54.980 --> 00:41:58.420 taken even I would not know how to deal with Mike so I do believe that dealing 00:41:58.420 --> 00:42:02.820 with things on an individual level helps me prepare for things on a corporate 00:42:02.820 --> 00:42:09.060 level guys here's the thing most churches would be happy if you have five 00:42:09.060 --> 00:42:12.620 people who can do this thing called deliverance ministry which itself is a 00:42:12.620 --> 00:42:20.080 misnomer but what if an entire church knew how to deal with this it'll be 00:42:20.640 --> 00:42:27.360 amazing I sometimes I'm embarrassed and sometimes not that we seem to affect 00:42:27.360 --> 00:42:32.680 nations across the water but nothing here and sometimes it's because God 00:42:32.680 --> 00:42:36.000 doesn't call you to things here calls you to things there but there is another 00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:39.960 principle Jerusalem Judea Samaria and the ends of the earth and in Jerusalem 00:42:39.960 --> 00:42:44.760 nothing much is happening and when it does happen in Samaria and the ends of 00:42:44.760 --> 00:42:51.200 the earth is usually happening through one person this person obeys immediately 00:42:51.200 --> 00:42:58.040 at at ridiculous costs but it's still through one person 00:43:02.400 --> 00:43:06.360 so we got to learn to do this as a church otherwise I'm failing as a pastor 00:43:06.360 --> 00:43:15.440 and we're failing as a church not really not really because not all of us can go 00:43:15.440 --> 00:43:22.160 not all of us can go I mean how does blessy leave her four kids with Dano and 00:43:22.160 --> 00:43:30.560 go I mean he wouldn't know where the dog is and where the kids are so sometimes 00:43:30.560 --> 00:43:34.880 it's not possible but it is possible to get up and say father these are the 00:43:34.880 --> 00:43:39.760 things you wanted us as disciples to do now God prepare me for this train my 00:43:39.760 --> 00:43:45.760 hands for war pour me out for the sake of others bring me into encounters 00:43:45.760 --> 00:43:51.840 where I have to deal with these things use my life set it ablaze but let it 00:43:51.840 --> 00:43:57.000 burn oh god let it burn let it happen here father and once it happens here let 00:43:57.000 --> 00:44:00.640 it progress guys I'm telling you something hear me very very clearly and 00:44:00.840 --> 00:44:07.720 I guarantee you this if you have a desire to serve God this way and pour 00:44:07.720 --> 00:44:12.840 out your life God will bring people into your life and create opportunities for 00:44:12.840 --> 00:44:17.440 it the reason it is not happening is two things in my life whenever it hasn't 00:44:17.440 --> 00:44:22.680 happened it's for two reasons three reasons one an unwillingness two an 00:44:22.680 --> 00:44:28.080 unwillingness to submit three an unwillingness to obey and four let me 00:44:28.080 --> 00:44:31.920 throw in a fourth one for a lack of purity these are the four reasons that 00:44:31.920 --> 00:44:35.040 have always stopped things from happening in my life let me repeat them 00:44:35.040 --> 00:44:40.080 again an unwillingness of desire meaning that the desire is there but it ain't it 00:44:40.080 --> 00:44:46.520 ain't the primary desire it ain't the primary desire it is not the all 00:44:46.520 --> 00:44:55.120 consuming thing hey when you see Jesus he will be so all-consuming and when 00:44:55.120 --> 00:45:02.760 Jesus becomes all-consuming on earth everything aligns trust me on this you 00:45:02.760 --> 00:45:06.880 have problems you have problems with your children you've got problems with 00:45:06.880 --> 00:45:12.520 situations everything aligns when the all-consuming person of Christ becomes 00:45:12.520 --> 00:45:18.240 central everything aligns imagine the planets and the stars and the systems 00:45:18.240 --> 00:45:25.040 that are held together by one thing his word Hebrews chapter 1 says he is the 00:45:25.040 --> 00:45:30.920 brilliant radiance the visible radiance of God and he sustains everything by his 00:45:30.920 --> 00:45:36.160 word you think that if you have him at the center he cannot bring things into 00:45:36.160 --> 00:45:46.440 order thank you you think he can't man you put him at the center and hold him 00:45:46.440 --> 00:45:50.800 at the center the hardest thing for us humans to do is hold Jesus at the center 00:45:50.800 --> 00:45:55.320 because it seems like there's this gravitational pull that always diverts 00:45:55.320 --> 00:45:59.280 into the site bring him back to the center it isn't it isn't he running away 00:45:59.280 --> 00:46:04.960 it's you moving away sometimes the hardest thing to do is oh god I gotta 00:46:04.960 --> 00:46:07.760 bring you back I gotta bring you back at the center I gotta bring you back at the 00:46:07.760 --> 00:46:10.800 center because I'm attracted by this I'm attracted by this I'm gonna bring you 00:46:10.800 --> 00:46:16.720 back to the center and when you begin to do that everything else aligns desire 00:46:16.760 --> 00:46:28.000 first one second one is the willingness to learn from others the willingness to 00:46:28.000 --> 00:46:36.520 learn from others how my god it's a humbling process the willingness to 00:46:36.520 --> 00:46:43.120 learn from others it is a humbling process 00:46:46.720 --> 00:46:56.440 I'll sit in the back of cars I'd go to pick up people why do I give examples 00:46:56.440 --> 00:47:01.960 from my life because it's the only life I know well that's why and if it begins 00:47:01.960 --> 00:47:07.640 to look sometimes like I'm blowing my own trumpet I'm not just want to make 00:47:07.640 --> 00:47:11.080 that clear I would sit in the back of cars to go pick up people from the 00:47:11.080 --> 00:47:14.840 airport men and women at God I'd sit in the back of cars just to hear their 00:47:14.840 --> 00:47:20.920 conversation I'd ask the pastor can I come can I come I want to come and pick 00:47:20.920 --> 00:47:24.200 them up and I would sit in the back of the car just to listen to them converse 00:47:24.200 --> 00:47:27.480 and I think to myself my god how do these guys talk like this how do they 00:47:27.480 --> 00:47:32.160 know God so well how do they know stuff like this would be fascinating they 00:47:32.160 --> 00:47:38.000 wouldn't even I mean I was fat then too but I'd be like a fly on the wall nobody 00:47:38.000 --> 00:47:46.880 even notice me this is when you say no you're not fat thank you now that he 00:47:46.880 --> 00:47:53.080 finished lying I'd be this little dot man in the car nobody would even notice 00:47:53.080 --> 00:48:03.520 me send you back to your sound room sorry go ahead Matt 00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:16.000 welcome back Matt no probation at all guys why this long drawn story of sitting 00:48:16.000 --> 00:48:21.680 in the back of the car it's simply this there's no way to learn other than to be 00:48:21.680 --> 00:48:25.520 humble to the point where you are insignificant and yet you're learning 00:48:25.520 --> 00:48:33.800 second thing third thing you have desire and you have the humility to learn the 00:48:33.800 --> 00:48:37.760 third thing is and please when you learn learn from people who can teach and who 00:48:37.760 --> 00:48:41.280 have run this path before and who are at least two miles ahead of you don't learn 00:48:41.280 --> 00:48:45.680 from someone who's two steps ahead of you because you'll catch up learn from 00:48:45.680 --> 00:48:48.800 someone who's two miles ahead of you so that they can turn and rebuke you 00:48:48.800 --> 00:48:56.160 admonish you encourage you lift you up build you up back their finger at you 00:48:56.640 --> 00:49:02.560 you think Mary didn't wag a finger at Jesus saying Jesus no don't touch that 00:49:03.360 --> 00:49:11.360 amazing how ordinary he was third thing now that you have desire and humility 00:49:11.360 --> 00:49:19.280 would you now be able to say oh god this at any cost at any cost I got a business 00:49:19.280 --> 00:49:26.880 at any cost I got children at any cost I got a work to do any cost at any cost to 00:49:26.880 --> 00:49:31.720 God I want to be what you want me to be and that is to be like your son Christ 00:49:31.880 --> 00:49:40.920 at any cost everything else will begin to become secondary everything else 00:49:40.920 --> 00:49:48.920 become secondary at any cost I love what Peter and John and James do they're 00:49:48.920 --> 00:49:54.200 blooming mending their nets they've just finished fishing they're supposed to be 00:49:54.200 --> 00:49:58.280 helping the dad and it's the right thing to do and along comes this carpenter 00:49:58.760 --> 00:50:03.560 walking around the beach and he says follow me and what do they do no cost 00:50:03.560 --> 00:50:11.000 benefit analysis no thinking they drop their nets and they follow this man who 00:50:11.000 --> 00:50:16.280 they do not know well they've heard about him but they don't know him but 00:50:16.280 --> 00:50:20.360 they know inside that there is something in the strength of what he's saying when 00:50:20.360 --> 00:50:24.040 he says follow me he doesn't even say follow me and I'll make you something he 00:50:24.040 --> 00:50:34.120 just says follow me and then the fourth one is purity where it is impossible to 00:50:34.120 --> 00:50:40.360 deal with darkness if there is darkness in me I'm not saying that you will be 00:50:40.360 --> 00:50:46.800 sinless positionally yes you're as perfect as Christ but you and I make 00:50:46.800 --> 00:50:52.440 mistakes but it is when I allowed darkness in me to continue to stay to 00:50:53.400 --> 00:50:58.280 hatch like those two pigeons in my balcony 00:51:05.240 --> 00:51:09.240 you get these four things right and you now enter a different realm 00:51:17.080 --> 00:51:20.600 and a question we need to ask is why aren't we there 00:51:23.400 --> 00:51:27.160 each one of us has to ask that day why aren't we there 00:51:29.960 --> 00:51:33.880 if it is experience then you're in a good place then all it means is tomorrow 00:51:33.880 --> 00:51:36.600 you'll get more experience day after you'll get more experience 00:51:36.600 --> 00:51:39.080 but if it is any of these other four reasons correct them 00:51:47.320 --> 00:51:49.720 I gotta end I haven't even begun 00:51:52.440 --> 00:51:54.440 yeah 00:52:06.680 --> 00:52:12.600 Balaam was very smart he knew Israel had the ability to knock Belak out of the 00:52:13.320 --> 00:52:20.360 ground he knew Israel had the ability to bring to not everything that Belak was trying 00:52:21.080 --> 00:52:25.240 and so he couldn't curse Israel but look at what he does say he introduces sin 00:52:26.440 --> 00:52:35.400 and so he sends Midianite women to seduce the Israelites so that they sin with these women and 00:52:35.400 --> 00:52:41.640 begin to worship their gods and the very curse that was absolutely ineffective now becomes 00:52:42.600 --> 00:52:48.760 absolutely effective because no longer could Israel deal with Belak even though the shout 00:52:48.760 --> 00:52:54.200 of the king was in the midst they could not deal with Belak because Satan has the ability to take 00:52:54.200 --> 00:53:00.920 pockets of darkness and pockets of rot and mix it with light so that light is no longer as effective 00:53:00.920 --> 00:53:07.320 as it can be and therefore Jesus turns to the church at Pergamum in revelations 2 verses 12 to 16 00:53:07.320 --> 00:53:14.680 and he says beware of the guys who practice the same thing as Balaam did because the very sword 00:53:14.760 --> 00:53:19.080 that you are supposed to use against the enemy will now be used against you to cleanse you 00:53:20.920 --> 00:53:28.200 that's the other thing guys if we start down this pathway then holiness is required and when 00:53:28.200 --> 00:53:36.840 holiness isn't ascribed to him who is the commander of the armies of Israel then he uses that very 00:53:36.840 --> 00:53:43.480 sword to cleanse us from the things that need to be cleansed so I'm not going into this in any kind 00:53:43.480 --> 00:53:51.480 of hurry what a scary thing it is what a scary responsibility it is 00:53:57.080 --> 00:54:02.360 for you to come up to me and say hey Jacob don't you think these areas need to be connected corrected 00:54:02.360 --> 00:54:07.000 and for me to take it from you even though I'm the pastor for me to come to you and say hey 00:54:07.000 --> 00:54:10.840 what about this area when are you going to change in this area you've been this way for the last 00:54:10.840 --> 00:54:16.040 five years aren't you going to change this is called using the flint knife of circumcision 00:54:18.120 --> 00:54:19.400 it's going to be difficult man 00:54:27.160 --> 00:54:29.000 now everybody wants to go on an rv trip 00:54:32.360 --> 00:54:35.720 three months of an rv trip how big is your thingy 00:54:36.520 --> 00:54:43.240 all right so at least five people you can take dawn anytime you want 00:54:49.400 --> 00:54:55.240 I gotta stop it's 4 20 thanks for listening guys there's so much more we got it 00:54:58.760 --> 00:55:00.600 it's all Karen's fault she took too long 00:55:06.200 --> 00:55:07.720 so 00:55:07.720 --> 00:55:08.360 father