WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Priests Publishing Date: 2016-03-06T05:00:44-08:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/priests/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.920 Okay, guys we've been talking about the topic that we'll continue on for weeks on end 00:00:06.620 --> 00:00:08.620 Which is that we are priest-kings 00:00:11.340 --> 00:00:14.300 We are priest-kings living out 00:00:17.080 --> 00:00:19.080 Righteousness 00:00:21.560 --> 00:00:23.560 Power 00:00:25.080 --> 00:00:27.080 What's the third one 00:00:27.240 --> 00:00:29.040 peace and 00:00:29.080 --> 00:00:30.680 Joy 00:00:30.680 --> 00:00:32.680 here on earth 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:36.720 Not in the sweet by and by here on earth which is oh 00:00:37.880 --> 00:00:40.640 in the Holy Ghost in the 00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:43.840 Holy Spirit 00:00:45.400 --> 00:00:52.960 Which is the evidence of the culture of the kingdom 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:54.960 So 00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:00.960 This is what we'd be exploring for weeks on end 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:08.560 That we are priest-kings we are called to be priest-kings that Christ called us to be priest-kings 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:11.560 living out righteousness 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:13.760 Peace 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:20.360 righteousness power peace joy, and you'll find that in first Corinthians 420 and Romans 14 00:01:21.360 --> 00:01:23.360 17 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:27.320 Righteousness peace power and joy in the Holy Spirit, so we're not trying to 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:32.240 Fabricate or generate this ourselves. It's in the Holy Spirit and thank God 00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:35.840 He is present in everyone who's a believer and 00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:38.840 We'll do this here on earth not in heaven 00:01:40.320 --> 00:01:48.640 Because this is the evidence of the culture of the kingdom if you go to Saudi Arabia, there's a culture there people dress a certain way 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:51.640 Behave a certain way. There's a culture to 00:01:52.360 --> 00:01:57.440 Every kingdom and there is a culture to the kingdom of Jesus Christ. This is the evidence of it 00:01:57.600 --> 00:02:00.920 This is the evidence of it not worship songs not churches 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:04.760 Not stuff like that. This is the evidence of it 00:02:06.240 --> 00:02:11.660 Hey, you know Angelica, right? This is Angelica in case you forgot her name. Yeah 00:02:13.400 --> 00:02:17.240 She's been here a few times, but just in case some of you weren't here 00:02:18.920 --> 00:02:21.400 Yeah, which is the evidence of the culture of the kingdom 00:02:22.920 --> 00:02:24.720 So that's where 00:02:24.720 --> 00:02:27.960 we'll be going for the next few weeks and today we just want to pick on one word and 00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:31.520 It's this one 00:02:31.720 --> 00:02:33.640 priest 00:02:33.640 --> 00:02:36.640 Exodus 19 six Exodus 19 six 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:41.520 Exodus 19 six 00:02:46.120 --> 00:02:48.120 Here's what it says 00:02:49.020 --> 00:02:56.840 Exodus 19 six although the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation 00:02:58.100 --> 00:03:04.300 Although, the whole earth is mine you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:12.160 Although the earth is mine. You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. God spoke this to Israel ages ago and 00:03:13.660 --> 00:03:15.660 We are the new man 00:03:15.660 --> 00:03:19.900 Jews and Gentiles put together in a new man since Christ, this promise still 00:03:19.900 --> 00:03:23.820 holds good. So here's the thing guys, I love the way God says it. He doesn't say, 00:03:23.820 --> 00:03:28.400 if you notice, he doesn't say you will be for me a kingdom of priests. He's saying 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:34.300 listen, just so you know, I rule the entire world anyways. It's not like I need a 00:03:34.300 --> 00:03:41.140 kingdom now to be carved out. That's why he says although I rule the earth, it's 00:03:41.140 --> 00:03:47.060 almost like saying although I own all of Vancouver, I'll appoint you to be the 00:03:47.060 --> 00:03:54.660 governor. It's almost like saying listen, I don't need you but I want you. I don't 00:03:54.660 --> 00:04:02.060 need you but I want you. It's the heart of the father king. He's not just a king. 00:04:02.060 --> 00:04:07.220 Guys, remember one thing, you can never separate fatherhood from anything God 00:04:07.220 --> 00:04:14.500 The moment you do, you will get a God who is not fully God. I know that sounds 00:04:14.500 --> 00:04:17.500 almost blasphemous but that's the case. 00:04:18.940 --> 00:04:27.260 Yeah. So you cannot remove the fatherness of God from anything. Even when you think 00:04:27.260 --> 00:04:32.020 of him as king, you have to remember him as father. So here's the heart of the 00:04:32.020 --> 00:04:37.180 father saying although I own or rule the entire earth, all the earth is mine, 00:04:37.180 --> 00:04:41.100 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. And so guys, as we 00:04:41.100 --> 00:04:46.940 approach this, think of it this way, that I have a fearful, I have the fearful 00:04:46.940 --> 00:04:53.660 privilege and responsibility, I have the fearful privilege and responsibility of 00:04:53.660 --> 00:04:58.820 being a priest to the most high God. I have the fearful privilege and 00:04:58.820 --> 00:05:03.860 responsibility, whatever I mean by fearful privilege, as in both revered and yet 00:05:03.860 --> 00:05:10.540 handled with care. It's a call upon your life. It's a call upon your life. 00:05:10.540 --> 00:05:22.100 It's like, I mean, let's take again the king of Saudi Arabia. He says to you, 00:05:22.100 --> 00:05:27.380 listen, I own all of Saudi Arabia but even though I own all of Saudi Arabia, 00:05:27.380 --> 00:05:32.540 here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to appoint you as my regent or as one who 00:05:32.540 --> 00:05:37.020 conducts things on my behalf, even though I can choose anybody and you are not 00:05:37.020 --> 00:05:44.740 skilled at all, Matt, but I will appoint you. I'll appoint you and therefore then 00:05:44.740 --> 00:05:49.460 you have in that kingdom the fearful privilege and responsibility of serving 00:05:49.460 --> 00:05:54.380 the ultimate king who can be a tyrant if he wants to, a despot if he wants to, or 00:05:54.380 --> 00:05:59.300 benign and benevolent if he wants to. Fortunately our king is super benevolent. 00:06:00.180 --> 00:06:04.700 Though the very idea of the word Lord, which comes from this Greek word 00:06:04.700 --> 00:06:11.700 Kyrios, means despot and yet he is not. We call him Lord because we want to say 00:06:11.700 --> 00:06:16.700 you are absolutely sovereign and he calls us not vassals or servants, he calls us 00:06:16.700 --> 00:06:22.780 sons. Strange God this is. You can never remove fatherhood from him. You remove 00:06:22.780 --> 00:06:31.820 fatherhood from God in any aspect that he is and you will ruin who he is. This 00:06:31.820 --> 00:06:38.620 is why Israel could not get Jehovah right. They could never understand Yahweh 00:06:38.620 --> 00:06:50.220 because they didn't have the concept of Yahweh as father. I have the fearful 00:06:50.220 --> 00:06:55.260 privilege and responsibility of being a priest of the Most High God. It'll take 00:06:55.260 --> 00:07:00.860 a while before that marinates in me but that is something you or I can do. So how 00:07:00.860 --> 00:07:04.740 must we be if we are called to be priests? So here are a few things that we 00:07:04.740 --> 00:07:08.340 can go over. You'll be surprised at how quickly we may finish but then again 00:07:08.340 --> 00:07:20.020 you never know. First thing priests are, and I'm sure we'll visit priests again 00:07:20.020 --> 00:07:26.980 but this is just like basic priest stuff. First things priests are, they are 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:35.700 incarnate. Priests are incarnate. As in they live in the midst of a people. 00:07:35.700 --> 00:07:42.020 They live in the midst of a people and I love this phrase and they telescope God. 00:07:42.020 --> 00:07:47.380 They live in the midst of a people and they telescope God. They telescope God. 00:07:47.380 --> 00:07:54.020 They bring God who is distant into near sight. That's what telescopes do. Look at 00:07:54.020 --> 00:07:58.660 stars that are super far away that are speck in the sky and then suddenly you 00:07:58.660 --> 00:08:05.340 see everything in the star. Priests live in the midst of people and they 00:08:05.340 --> 00:08:10.700 telescope God through a display of who he is in your own lives and the moment 00:08:10.700 --> 00:08:14.980 you do that what happens is it begins to draw people around you to want to know 00:08:15.020 --> 00:08:22.020 your God personally. What do you think happened to Kamal? Ages ago, nine years 00:08:22.020 --> 00:08:27.980 ago, Anne came to this church when we used to meet at Richmond and she said 00:08:27.980 --> 00:08:39.580 okay can you perhaps have a Bible study in our house? And pardon? Not exactly. No 00:08:39.580 --> 00:08:46.900 so I said that's good Anne but I won't have it till Kamal I take Kamal's 00:08:46.900 --> 00:08:50.420 permission so then I called Kamal up and Kamal had already spoken to Anne about 00:08:50.420 --> 00:08:54.260 it but there was no question of going to Anne's house without taking Kamal's 00:08:54.260 --> 00:08:59.060 permission. Kamal was pretty into about it so Kamal started just coming for the 00:08:59.060 --> 00:09:06.100 Bible studies nothing else and then we used to go for hockey games together 00:09:06.140 --> 00:09:12.580 which used to be a lot of fun. I remember once I was sitting next to him and I had 00:09:12.580 --> 00:09:15.980 popcorn in my hand and I offered Kamal some popcorn. There was this really yuppie 00:09:15.980 --> 00:09:19.260 looking guy on my right thought should offer him popcorn too so I offered him 00:09:19.260 --> 00:09:24.740 popcorn but the bag was a little heavy and it fell all over him and I looked and 00:09:24.740 --> 00:09:29.940 Kamal sitting this way. He's not even looking at me. So I went through many a 00:09:29.940 --> 00:09:35.260 persecution before we got to where we got to but so we used to go for hockey 00:09:35.300 --> 00:09:38.540 games together and every Bible study you could see him beginning to grasp 00:09:38.540 --> 00:09:43.900 because God was being made evident through his wife, through his daughter-in-law, 00:09:43.900 --> 00:09:48.540 through the people who were coming for the Bible study and through 00:09:48.540 --> 00:09:54.980 your wonderful pastor. We must throw his name in too and so at one point I 00:09:54.980 --> 00:10:01.500 remember this was four or five years ago we were... Pastor was very humble 00:10:01.540 --> 00:10:09.620 Thank you, I sometimes forget my qualities and so we were at Ross Street and we 00:10:09.620 --> 00:10:15.260 are having this church service and suddenly Kamal stands up and says so 00:10:15.260 --> 00:10:21.900 what does it take to become a member here? Out of the blue and we don't know 00:10:21.900 --> 00:10:24.820 how to answer that question because no one had ever asked that question and 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:30.420 then he gets baptized and now you should see him how active he is and how 00:10:30.420 --> 00:10:35.820 heartfully he prays. The point why am I picking on Kamal because he was someone 00:10:35.820 --> 00:10:42.620 who came from a different faith and then has moved now to being someone who 00:10:42.620 --> 00:10:47.700 belongs to Christ. What was it that changed him? Wasn't a sermon man, he never 00:10:47.700 --> 00:10:53.820 attended any sermons. It was simply telescoping God to the point where he 00:10:53.820 --> 00:10:59.180 became... to the point that he was attracted to this Christ. That's what 00:10:59.180 --> 00:11:04.500 changed him. He was attracted to Christ. That's one thing priests do. That's one 00:11:04.500 --> 00:11:12.140 thing priests do. Guys think of this, what attracted people to Jesus? If you do a 00:11:12.140 --> 00:11:18.700 study of the Gospels you will see four things that attracted people to Jesus. 00:11:18.700 --> 00:11:22.420 You go through the Gospels and these four things you'll see are the reason 00:11:22.420 --> 00:11:30.220 why people came to Jesus. Every time you read you'll see aha this thing, aha this 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:40.940 thing, aha this thing and I forgot the last aha, aha this thing. These were the 00:11:40.940 --> 00:11:47.260 four things that kept attracting people to Jesus. People would gather around 00:11:47.260 --> 00:11:54.300 him for these four reasons and so moving on to the next point. So the 00:11:54.300 --> 00:11:57.420 first thing that you'll find in the Gospels that always caught people's 00:11:57.420 --> 00:12:08.220 attention was... always guys, power. Jesus exuded, exhibited, allowed power to flow 00:12:08.220 --> 00:12:18.140 out of him and... isn't it... we'll go there later. The next one. They'd be fascinated 00:12:18.140 --> 00:12:22.340 as his knowledge or his wisdom. They would say stuff like... I mean people would 00:12:22.340 --> 00:12:26.820 gather around him just to hear because he would speak like... I mean there were 00:12:26.820 --> 00:12:32.760 many trumps in those days but he would speak with such wisdom. I had to throw 00:12:32.760 --> 00:12:43.400 that in. Thirdly, compassion. This was something that moved people. I mean as 00:12:43.400 --> 00:12:52.960 you look through the Gospels you'll see this eh? And the last one. Yeah, joy. Four 00:12:52.960 --> 00:13:00.280 things that really drew people to Jesus. He was the ultimate priest. They called 00:13:00.420 --> 00:13:06.520 him a priest after Melchizedek. After the order of Melchizedek. Which we'll talk 00:13:06.520 --> 00:13:11.900 about another time. But here are the four things that are vital to priesthood here 00:13:11.900 --> 00:13:17.580 on earth. And isn't it such a shame that perhaps the only thing that we are known 00:13:17.580 --> 00:13:21.300 for as priests... I'm not talking about us necessarily but the church at large... 00:13:21.300 --> 00:13:29.440 that we are known for is this. Christians are known for compassion but 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:34.420 they're not known for power or wisdom or joy necessarily. In fact these score 00:13:34.420 --> 00:13:41.440 pretty low man. And you'll find this was literally the order in which people 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:45.480 were attracted to him. Many went to him because they had... they knew he had the 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:49.120 power of the Spirit present on him to set them free from the harassment of the 00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:52.920 devil. They knew he had wisdom that they never heard of that seemed to give them 00:13:52.920 --> 00:13:58.680 answers and lift them up from their misery. They knew he had joy even though 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:02.640 he was a man of sorrows. He was joyful. Fishermen don't hang around the fat 00:14:02.640 --> 00:14:08.040 people. And then they knew he had compassion. And these four guys are so 00:14:08.040 --> 00:14:15.440 important to being priests incarnate here on earth. Cultivate these eh? PWCJ. 00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:23.160 PWCJ. And don't make any excuses for this. Oh you know when revival comes power 00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:31.120 will come. No revival is not coming. Reformation is coming. We'll talk about 00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:34.760 that another day. I want to show you this really cool verse that I came across. I 00:14:34.760 --> 00:14:38.400 didn't know it was in the Bible though I knew it was in the Bible. Go to 2nd King 00:14:38.400 --> 00:14:56.520 17. I haven't read this verse for I think 15 or 16 years. 2nd King 17. 24 to 28. 00:14:56.520 --> 00:15:08.920 24 to 28. 2nd King 17. 24 to 28. Okay reading from the Aniwi. The king of 00:15:08.920 --> 00:15:16.800 Assyria brought people from Babylon, Qutah, Abba, Hamath and Sefarwaim and 00:15:16.800 --> 00:15:23.320 settled pardon all those places and settled them in the towns of Samaria to 00:15:23.320 --> 00:15:28.840 replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. When 00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:33.600 they first lived there they did not worship the Lord. This is how the Old 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:36.600 Testament will always portrayed as God sending lions because they didn't know 00:15:36.600 --> 00:15:42.040 the character of God. So he sent lions among them and they killed some of the 00:15:42.040 --> 00:15:47.280 people. It was reported to the king of Assyria the people you deported and 00:15:47.280 --> 00:15:51.080 resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the God of that country 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:55.640 requires. He has sent lions among them which are killing them off because the 00:15:55.640 --> 00:15:59.560 people do not know what he requires. Look at what the king of Assyria says. Then 00:15:59.560 --> 00:16:03.240 the king of Assyria gave this order. Have one of the priests you took captive 00:16:03.240 --> 00:16:07.000 from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the God of the 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:16.640 land requires. So this king comes empties some Israelite towns and brings in his 00:16:16.640 --> 00:16:20.400 own people and the lions start ravaging them and he doesn't know how to solve it. 00:16:20.400 --> 00:16:25.240 So he says hey go back to those captives that you took get some priests from 00:16:25.240 --> 00:16:28.360 among them and send the priests back into this land because the priests will 00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:32.440 teach the new people how to live in the land so that they can worship the God of 00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:38.800 the land and so that peace can come. What do you think you're being sent for man? 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:49.200 Let the priests go and dwell there and teach them the law of the God of the 00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:55.920 land. There's a simple thing that I saw recently which really bothered me so I 00:16:55.920 --> 00:17:00.640 wasn't going to present it right now but I will. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:11.760 This is your house or your workplace or your work table or your whatever wherever 00:17:11.760 --> 00:17:17.240 you spend most of your time and the question asked by this man was do you 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:25.640 know the people around you? And I was trying to figure it out and realized I 00:17:25.640 --> 00:17:32.600 don't know all the people on my floor man. So if this is Jacob's house where 00:17:32.600 --> 00:17:41.420 he spends most of his time because let's not go into why. So does he know the 00:17:41.420 --> 00:17:46.360 people around him because priests are sent back to the land that they live in 00:17:46.360 --> 00:17:49.960 so that the people there may not be ravaged by lions but maybe brought to 00:17:49.960 --> 00:17:56.080 know the ways of the God of the land. The God of Vancouver is the same Christ we 00:17:56.080 --> 00:18:03.680 just worshiped eh? Priests being sent back to the land. I love that verse. Any questions 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:13.120 before we move on? Cultivate these things though. Power, wisdom, compassion, joy. 00:18:13.160 --> 00:18:18.160 Compassion ain't enough. The Rotary Club does that too. 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:30.280 Any questions guys? Power as in being able to let the power of God flow 00:18:30.280 --> 00:18:37.000 through you to set people free. So if you go to Acts 1038, Acts 1038 you've got to 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:51.840 put your name in there. Acts 1038. Beautiful words. Answers Shreen's question. 00:18:51.840 --> 00:18:57.640 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power and how he 00:18:57.640 --> 00:19:01.300 went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil 00:19:01.300 --> 00:19:07.060 because God was with him. How God anointed Jacob of Marple with the Holy 00:19:07.060 --> 00:19:10.300 Spirit and power and how he went around doing good and healing all who were 00:19:10.300 --> 00:19:17.980 under the power of the devil because God was with Jacob. That's how it works. 00:19:17.980 --> 00:19:21.620 Any other questions? 00:19:21.620 --> 00:19:34.580 Yeah I guess Gisela our problem is we know all that but the power is not 00:19:34.580 --> 00:19:42.380 flowing and so we need I think it's much more than that. I mean you think I have 00:19:42.380 --> 00:19:46.820 you have any hesitation in wanting this to happen and yet do we see it happening 00:19:46.820 --> 00:19:51.100 the way we want to see it happening? No. I want to do whatever it is that the 00:19:51.100 --> 00:19:57.500 father requires of me to come into that place. Whatever it is so that 00:19:57.500 --> 00:20:03.820 we begin to work like that. Guys where we are at ain't enough. This is ankle deep 00:20:03.820 --> 00:20:11.140 water. This isn't good enough and it's not a God's report card for us is not 00:20:11.140 --> 00:20:16.300 negative guys but God is saying come up higher come up higher because the 00:20:16.300 --> 00:20:20.660 ultimate intent of God is not that we be better than somebody else. The ultimate 00:20:20.700 --> 00:20:24.540 intent of God is conform to the nature and the stature of Christ himself and 00:20:24.540 --> 00:20:30.060 therefore when that is the ceiling trust me we are ankle deep water right now. 00:20:30.060 --> 00:20:37.900 We praise God that he there are two ways you can teach a dog a trick. Either hold 00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:44.060 the stick this low and say jump Fido jump and Fido will jump and you'll clap 00:20:44.060 --> 00:20:47.860 and give him some stuff to eat but you'll never get to the Westminster dog 00:20:47.860 --> 00:20:54.100 show and then there is you hold it this high and you teach him how to jump higher 00:20:54.100 --> 00:21:03.260 those dogs win. I pray God that we never have people jump here. May we always be 00:21:03.260 --> 00:21:08.340 stretching beyond our ability to do things. There's no way you can birth a 00:21:08.340 --> 00:21:12.060 baby if you don't stretch that's what people tell me. Go ahead Diana. 00:21:12.060 --> 00:21:21.260 But praise God now that we've been around for 10 years. 00:21:27.260 --> 00:21:34.980 Yeah I agree Diana. The next one guys is invite. Priests invite. Priests invite. Hey Matt 00:21:34.980 --> 00:21:41.900 for me too please. Two would be fine. Invite. Guys priests proclaim the truth 00:21:41.900 --> 00:21:48.060 of God revealed in Christ and the cross. Priests proclaim the truth of God 00:21:48.060 --> 00:21:54.020 revealed in Christ and the cross. This is something Gisela is very good at. Priests 00:21:54.020 --> 00:22:01.300 proclaim the truth of God revealed in Christ and the cross. We can't avoid. 00:22:01.300 --> 00:22:16.140 Guys here's the thing. Thanks Matt. Fill the blanks. Good. Diana is on a game 00:22:16.140 --> 00:22:21.220 today. She's not even asking questions just giving answers. Oh for days like 00:22:21.220 --> 00:22:29.780 this. Good news of great joy. Rarely do we think of the gospel as 00:22:29.780 --> 00:22:33.940 we think of the gospel as it's good news. Do you want to hear it? No no good 00:22:33.940 --> 00:22:45.700 news of great joy. Great joy. Good news of great joy. Hey we know it because you 00:22:45.700 --> 00:22:50.860 can see how our lives have been completely great joyed. I used to be 00:22:50.860 --> 00:22:54.140 pretty there are still days when I'm miserable but I used to be pretty 00:22:54.140 --> 00:22:59.120 miserable before I became a believer man. Good news of great joy. I was I was 00:22:59.120 --> 00:23:02.040 reading that just a couple of days ago John Piper had written an announcement 00:23:02.040 --> 00:23:06.200 to myself, father I have stopped thinking of good news as good news of great joy. I 00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:10.360 just think of it as good news in a world of bad news but it changes a person. 00:23:10.360 --> 00:23:15.600 Priests have to revisit the proclamation of the truth revealed in Christ and the 00:23:15.600 --> 00:23:21.600 cross which we can't avoid. Modern churches avoid and by modern churches I 00:23:21.600 --> 00:23:26.560 mean Acts 29 avoid Christ and the cross. We've got to get back to being able to 00:23:26.560 --> 00:23:30.180 say it. I know we've talked about this before. Invite people from the nations 00:23:30.180 --> 00:23:36.640 to accept, confess, receive Christ. 2nd Corinthians 520 says but don't you know 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:40.800 that I have appointed you to be ambassadors who go out and appeal on my 00:23:40.800 --> 00:23:46.040 behalf that the earth may be reconciled to the father. That's not exactly what 00:23:46.040 --> 00:23:58.520 it says. 2nd Corinthians 520. It says 520. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors 00:23:58.520 --> 00:24:03.480 as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:13.440 behalf be reconciled to God. Guys if you take out the foolishness from the 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:19.040 gospel it will not be the power of God unto salvation. Hear me again. I'm really 00:24:19.040 --> 00:24:22.920 trying to learn this in my life at present. If you take out the foolishness 00:24:22.920 --> 00:24:26.680 of the gospel, what do we mean by the gospel? What does the word gospel mean? 00:24:26.680 --> 00:24:32.560 The words and the works of Christ. The good news of Christ. The words and the 00:24:32.560 --> 00:24:38.200 works of Christ. If you take out foolishness from the words and the works 00:24:38.560 --> 00:24:45.080 of Christ it is no longer the power of God unto salvation. May I suggest to you 00:24:45.080 --> 00:24:49.240 that guys like Joel Osteen and others have taken the foolishness out of the 00:24:49.240 --> 00:24:52.280 works and the words of Christ and therefore it's no longer the power of 00:24:52.280 --> 00:24:55.880 God unto salvation. It is the power of God unto living a better life and 00:24:55.880 --> 00:24:58.880 feeling nice about yourself. 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:25.800 Refuse to remove foolishness out of the gospel guys. Refuse to remove it. 00:25:25.800 --> 00:25:35.680 1 Corinthians 1.18 says to some it is foolishness to others it's the 00:25:35.720 --> 00:25:39.400 power of salvation. If you remove foolishness out of the gospel it is no 00:25:39.400 --> 00:25:43.840 longer the power of salvation because a wise God has used absolute weakness and 00:25:43.840 --> 00:25:48.680 foolishness to save the world and he will not change his method. He will not 00:25:48.680 --> 00:26:03.920 change the method. Next one. Intercede. Intercede. Priests intercede. Priests 00:26:03.960 --> 00:26:10.000 intercede. And guys there's this beautiful verse in the message version 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:17.280 of John 17.19. It says be truth consecrated in your mission. Be John 00:26:17.280 --> 00:26:26.280 17.19. Be truth consecrated in your mission. Be truth consecrated in your 00:26:26.360 --> 00:26:33.880 mission. Or in other words be separated to the truth in your mission. Be 00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:41.440 separated to the truth in your mission. Be truth consecrated in your mission. 00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:48.320 Because what often happens when it comes to intercession is we intercede based on 00:26:48.320 --> 00:26:55.640 the need we see. While God is saying if you want to intercede you must identify 00:26:55.640 --> 00:27:03.120 with my truth and my intent in people's lives and not with perceived needs. 00:27:07.160 --> 00:27:16.280 John 17.19. Yeah. Intercession is not intercession unless it 00:27:16.280 --> 00:27:23.840 intercedes according to the will of God. It cannot intercede according to needs. 00:27:26.600 --> 00:27:34.200 I had this strange healing thing that it wasn't even healing. This 16 year old in 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:38.680 a remote village in Indonesia comes up with a mother and she's got migraines 00:27:38.680 --> 00:27:42.160 and she comes up and she says can you pray for my daughter? She's got these 00:27:42.160 --> 00:27:48.680 splitting migraines and so normally when you summon as a splitting migraines you 00:27:48.680 --> 00:27:53.960 pray for the migraines but here's what God's answer was. All he said was ask her 00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:59.040 if she was prescribed glasses. So I asked the mother whether she was prescribed 00:27:59.040 --> 00:28:03.880 glasses and she said yes. But the mother said she does not like wearing them 00:28:03.880 --> 00:28:11.640 because she thinks she looks ugly. And I surely heard the Lord saying tell her to 00:28:11.640 --> 00:28:15.320 wear her glasses and her migraines will go away. I'm thinking to myself but can't 00:28:15.320 --> 00:28:18.760 you heal her migraines? But it doesn't matter. Intercede according to his will, 00:28:18.760 --> 00:28:23.240 not according to perceived needs. We intercede according to perceived needs 00:28:23.240 --> 00:28:31.680 and our knowledge is so limited. Our knowledge is so limited. We intercede 00:28:31.680 --> 00:28:35.600 according to the will of God and if people don't like it too bad they can 00:28:35.600 --> 00:28:40.960 find another intercessor that will scratch their itching ears but not you. 00:28:44.840 --> 00:28:51.040 We can't intercede based on expectations that come from our history or perceived 00:28:51.040 --> 00:28:55.240 needs. Sometimes we intercede based on expectations that we have based on our 00:28:55.240 --> 00:29:00.000 history. When I had this disease I took this and that and this and prayed and it 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:04.480 worked. So now that this person has a disease I will go and advise this person 00:29:04.480 --> 00:29:07.360 saying do this this and this because this happened to me and this happened 00:29:07.360 --> 00:29:11.160 to that person and it worked out so you know do it too. That's not 00:29:11.160 --> 00:29:14.880 intercession. That's coming up with expectations based out of your history. 00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:20.400 Since when did your history count when it comes to intercession? It doesn't. I'm 00:29:20.400 --> 00:29:25.720 sorry I'm coming out a little nasty but it doesn't. You intercede on behalf of 00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:31.880 the person according to the will of God. Different strokes for different folks 00:29:31.880 --> 00:29:37.480 man. It's amazing how different God is in solving situations for people. Only then 00:29:37.480 --> 00:29:44.880 can we reform and heal and restore people's situations nations. Only then 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:52.200 can we reform and restore people's situations and nations. Guys this is 00:29:52.200 --> 00:29:59.000 important. You are priest kings. Consider it a fearful privilege and 00:29:59.000 --> 00:30:13.600 responsibility. Half the time I don't... I don't know why I'm confessing too many things today. 00:30:13.640 --> 00:30:19.400 Half the time I don't take calls from certain people and I'm not talking 00:30:19.400 --> 00:30:23.680 about you him calling me that was different. Don't think of any calls that 00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:26.280 happened this week. I'm talking about other calls. Half the time I don't take 00:30:26.280 --> 00:30:28.600 calls from people because I know the question they're going to ask and I don't 00:30:28.600 --> 00:30:34.240 have the answer and I need time. So when I receive a call or an email I won't 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:38.800 answer because I am so scared to give an answer that is pointless. I have to know 00:30:38.800 --> 00:30:46.600 the answer that the father has. Otherwise what do you give man? You can 00:30:46.600 --> 00:30:50.800 give people nice verses but really anybody can do that. You are a priest 00:30:50.800 --> 00:30:54.880 you have to answer according to his will. The other thing with intercession guys 00:30:54.880 --> 00:30:59.920 priests shared a commonality with the people that they were with. You can't 00:30:59.920 --> 00:31:03.800 intercede unless you have a commonality with people. Just remember that. You 00:31:03.800 --> 00:31:08.420 cannot intercede unless you have a commonality with people. Jesus was like 00:31:08.420 --> 00:31:17.140 that. It says in Hebrews 5 verses 1 & 2. Hebrews 5 1 & 2. Every high priest is 00:31:17.140 --> 00:31:21.220 selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to 00:31:21.220 --> 00:31:25.700 God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He's able to deal gently with 00:31:25.700 --> 00:31:29.700 those who are ignorant and are going astray since he himself is subject to 00:31:29.700 --> 00:31:33.540 weakness. Beautiful. Commonality with people. Yesterday 00:31:33.540 --> 00:31:42.500 Ranita's sisters had invited a whole lot of relatives and friends and some of 00:31:42.500 --> 00:31:50.540 the guys from Acts 29 for a surprise 50th birthday for Ranita. So I was 00:31:50.540 --> 00:31:56.060 there and Anne and Elmer were there and the sisters did all the inviting and 00:31:56.060 --> 00:32:01.180 Wayne and Bernice were there and my mum was there. So one of the things that 00:32:02.180 --> 00:32:05.900 really caught my eye and as soon as I saw it I started doing the same thing 00:32:05.900 --> 00:32:10.860 too was you had the relatives huddled together, you had the young people huddled 00:32:10.860 --> 00:32:15.020 together and then you had Acts 29 huddled together. But there was one guy 00:32:15.020 --> 00:32:20.020 who kept looking for people to talk to and that was Wayne. He wouldn't sit with 00:32:20.020 --> 00:32:24.020 us. He would go plonk himself in the middle of a conversation and he'd start 00:32:24.100 --> 00:32:31.860 guffawing with them telling them how... I wasn't eavesdropping but Wayne 00:32:31.860 --> 00:32:39.540 refused to huddle in the holy huddle. Once I saw that I thought to myself, 00:32:39.540 --> 00:32:43.700 man you're the pastor. What are you doing sitting here? So I got up and I started 00:32:43.700 --> 00:32:49.780 moving around. The point I'm trying to make is this guys, as priests we must 00:32:50.580 --> 00:32:55.700 have a commonality with ones who are not like us. 00:32:59.780 --> 00:33:03.300 There's an empathy that begins to come up then. Go ahead Diana. 00:33:05.540 --> 00:33:06.020 As in... 00:33:12.020 --> 00:33:19.460 The world has to see a Jesus through you that is so normal and so not holy and yet holy. 00:33:19.780 --> 00:33:26.740 Where we don't have enclaves where this is us and this is them. 00:33:27.860 --> 00:33:33.940 Where there's an easy movement. Yesterday what Wayne was doing was exactly that. 00:33:35.060 --> 00:33:39.300 He was going and sitting with people he didn't know and then acting like he knew 00:33:39.300 --> 00:33:46.100 them for about 10 years. So had to do the same thing. Got to do that. 00:33:47.060 --> 00:33:53.380 Christians are... Remember that thing I read out ages ago that the perception of what Christians are? 00:33:53.380 --> 00:33:59.860 That they are an inclusive homophobic bunch of guys who think they're always right and think that 00:33:59.860 --> 00:34:03.460 the rest of the world is going to hell and are actually gleeful about it. 00:34:06.100 --> 00:34:12.340 I think there's so much truth to that. At least in some areas and that's not who we need to be. 00:34:12.340 --> 00:34:19.540 Priests are to empathize those that they represent. And we're not representing ourselves, right? 00:34:19.540 --> 00:34:24.740 Christ does that for us. We're representing him to ones that don't know him yet. 00:34:27.540 --> 00:34:28.740 Any questions before we move on? 00:34:31.620 --> 00:34:36.500 I look at Jesus as friends. He chose the wrong company man. 00:34:36.500 --> 00:34:38.900 Hey what he used to do was scandalous huh? 00:34:43.620 --> 00:34:49.620 If you went and did stuff like that I would question. Really? That's what he did? But stuff he did was... 00:34:52.900 --> 00:34:53.620 He was so wrong. 00:34:54.100 --> 00:34:59.140 I was talking to the young adults and telling them what if you were at Mark and Rhonda's place? 00:34:59.940 --> 00:35:01.940 Or what if you were at... 00:35:05.540 --> 00:35:10.740 Where do we normally go for things? Yeah doesn't matter. It matters. 00:35:10.740 --> 00:35:15.620 I mean, I think it's a good thing that we're not in a place where we're not going to be 00:35:16.500 --> 00:35:25.380 Where do we normally go for things? Yeah doesn't matter. Imagine you were at Mark and Rhonda's place and suddenly 00:35:26.420 --> 00:35:32.020 we're having this barbecue outside in the yard and suddenly in walks this 00:35:34.020 --> 00:35:40.020 prostitute. You know she's a prostitute. She has a reputation there and she just falls down at your 00:35:40.020 --> 00:35:47.220 feet and pick on any other guys and falls down at your feet and then starts wiping your feet with her 00:35:47.220 --> 00:35:55.700 hair. The rest of us would freak out man. It would be like scandalous. What's wrong with you? Tell her 00:35:55.700 --> 00:36:02.260 to leave or stop. Don't let her do it. Move away. Stuff like this would happen. What do you think 00:36:02.260 --> 00:36:03.780 people thought when that happened to Jesus? 00:36:10.980 --> 00:36:14.580 They were thinking. They were thinking exactly that. 00:36:17.060 --> 00:36:23.860 We've sterilized Jesus. Our Jesus is a very sterile version of who he really was and I pray God that 00:36:23.860 --> 00:36:28.020 Hebrews 5, 1 and 2 resounds again. Can someone read it from the message? It might come out actually 00:36:28.020 --> 00:36:32.900 looking, hearing, sounding really good. Hebrews 5, 1 and 2 as loud as you can. 00:36:32.900 --> 00:36:35.780 I feel good saying I was talking to the young adults. 00:36:39.300 --> 00:36:42.100 Hebrews 5, 1 and 2 from the message please loudly. 00:37:02.900 --> 00:37:16.980 That kind of puts it very succinctly. That's all? Hebrews 5, 1 and 2? I guess it doesn't have 1 and 2 00:37:16.980 --> 00:37:29.460 right? Because it's a message. Yeah just go a little more. Okay I think the NIV is better. 00:37:29.460 --> 00:37:35.940 Thanks May. Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in 00:37:35.940 --> 00:37:41.540 matters related to God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He's able to deal gently with those who 00:37:41.540 --> 00:37:47.940 are ignorant and are going astray since he himself is subject to their weakness. I love it. That's 00:37:47.940 --> 00:37:58.100 how we're supposed to be. Moving on. Two more and we're done. Instruct. Instruct. Priests are supposed 00:37:58.100 --> 00:38:05.060 to instruct. Matt I need some help. I don't know what I'm supposed to do or what you're supposed 00:38:05.060 --> 00:38:19.060 to do but if you can help that's great. Okay. 00:38:28.900 --> 00:38:35.940 Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. Thank you Matt. Thanks Matt. Thank you. Can I have some more volume please? 00:38:35.940 --> 00:38:42.740 Thank you. Yeah okay. All right guys. Instruct Malachi 2, 7. Beautiful verse. Malachi 2, 7. 00:38:42.740 --> 00:38:49.060 A priest is a messenger of God. Can you even imagine thinking of yourself like that? That 00:38:49.060 --> 00:38:56.980 I as a priest am a messenger of who? Of who? Of this most high God. A priest is a messenger of God. 00:38:58.740 --> 00:39:04.420 We have a common priest today guys. This is applicable to every believer. That's a crazy 00:39:04.420 --> 00:39:09.700 part because we don't normally think so. Malachi 2, 7. A priest is a messenger of God. Then it says 00:39:09.700 --> 00:39:18.100 his lips should guard knowledge and teach the truth. His lips should guard knowledge and teach 00:39:18.100 --> 00:39:23.860 the truth. In other versions it says instruction must be founded on his lips so that people can 00:39:23.860 --> 00:39:29.860 seek instruction and guidance. Hey where are we at in that guys? I pray God that every day we 00:39:29.860 --> 00:39:36.020 increase. Where people come and they find knowledge and instruction and guidance on our lips. 00:39:38.100 --> 00:39:41.140 That's what we're being called to. Any and every believer here. 00:39:44.020 --> 00:39:46.740 And this is God speaking to Malachi and telling him this. 00:39:47.540 --> 00:39:51.140 How do you guard and teach the truth? 2nd Timothy 2, 15. 00:39:51.940 --> 00:39:59.380 2nd Timothy 2, 15. How do you guard and teach the truth? 2nd Timothy 2, 15. 2nd Timothy 2, 15. 00:40:00.420 --> 00:40:01.220 Here's what it says. 00:40:05.060 --> 00:40:10.900 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved. A workman who does not need to be 00:40:10.900 --> 00:40:17.380 ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. I can't guard what is false because there's 00:40:17.380 --> 00:40:25.700 no point. I can't speak the truth and give guidance and instruct if I don't know how to divide the 00:40:25.700 --> 00:40:35.620 word correctly. One of the benefits of being in a church is that you get to learn the truth so that 00:40:35.620 --> 00:40:40.660 you can instruct others. You guard and teach the truth by correctly handling and dividing the word 00:40:40.660 --> 00:40:45.140 of truth. And there's only two things necessary for that guys and this applies to all of us. 00:40:45.700 --> 00:40:52.980 Teachability. Where in Galatians 2, 2. I love what Paul says. Paul says he had a revelation from God 00:40:52.980 --> 00:40:58.580 and so he had this revelation from God and 14 years after he first starts having these revelations 00:40:58.580 --> 00:41:04.580 from God, he decides to go to Jerusalem. Why? Not because he wanted to see Golgotha and stuff like 00:41:04.580 --> 00:41:09.380 that. He's going to Jerusalem because he wants to speak to the apostles there. Why? Because he 00:41:09.380 --> 00:41:14.580 wants to make sure that the revelation he saw is actually from God and that he wasn't running his 00:41:14.580 --> 00:41:20.100 race in vain. And so he goes to Jerusalem, sits with the apostles, talks to them saying, hey is 00:41:20.100 --> 00:41:28.660 what I'm preaching right? One of the first signs of falsehood entering anyone's life is when they 00:41:28.660 --> 00:41:36.740 are no longer teachable. Guys guard against that. Wolves in sheep clothing are first identified by 00:41:36.740 --> 00:41:40.660 falsehood that comes and begins devouring. That's how wolves devour. 00:41:46.340 --> 00:41:50.980 A lack of teachability or instruction, be it the pastor or anybody else, the moment you see that 00:41:50.980 --> 00:41:53.060 Jacob is unteachable, find another church. 00:42:00.020 --> 00:42:04.020 Because you cannot guard the truth or instruct if you are not teachable. 00:42:06.740 --> 00:42:08.740 Any questions guys? 00:42:16.500 --> 00:42:21.140 Hey, am I saying something wrong? Everybody seems very quiet. 00:42:24.660 --> 00:42:31.220 Check your teachability quotient. Check your teachability quotient as in how to teach 00:42:31.220 --> 00:42:34.820 are you. Instruction will be found on your lips and you will be able to guard the truth when you 00:42:34.820 --> 00:42:42.100 are teachable. And the second question is, if you think you are teachable, who is instructing you? 00:42:43.460 --> 00:42:48.260 And if you say the Holy Spirit, then my next question is, who is he using? 00:42:48.500 --> 00:42:49.540 That's a way to find out. 00:42:53.460 --> 00:42:55.620 Okay, the last one. Yep. 00:42:55.620 --> 00:43:03.460 Well, we want to go, you know, it's going to be really hard to give it like that. 00:43:03.460 --> 00:43:06.460 But anyway, let's all strike at this. 00:43:21.660 --> 00:43:22.620 Okay, good talk. 00:43:25.620 --> 00:43:35.940 True. Yeah, be a Berean. Where on one hand, anything that is taught has to match up with 00:43:35.940 --> 00:43:42.700 the word. Two, go and before you commit to being taught, find out if the place or the 00:43:42.700 --> 00:43:49.380 person that you are learning from is kosher. And you can only learn that again by being 00:43:49.380 --> 00:43:54.340 a Berean, as in going back to the word and seeing does this match up with the word. And 00:43:54.340 --> 00:43:58.980 if it doesn't match up with the word, and you can't find it in one shot, you cannot go to a place 00:43:58.980 --> 00:44:04.540 or sit with a person for one Sunday and find out whether this person is preaching the truth or not. 00:44:04.540 --> 00:44:10.020 You've got to be at a place for a while before you begin to figure out, huh, this doesn't match up. 00:44:10.020 --> 00:44:14.540 Shucks, this doesn't match up. Man, I'm seeing a pattern over a few weeks now. This doesn't match 00:44:14.540 --> 00:44:21.220 up. And then you know, okay, I've got to be guarded in my ability to take everything that is being 00:44:21.220 --> 00:44:26.100 spoken. But once you find a place like that, then there will still be errors. But at least you know 00:44:26.100 --> 00:44:32.820 that the progression is always towards truth, because you cannot learn from a person who is not 00:44:32.820 --> 00:44:42.420 teachable, guys. You cannot learn from a person who is not teachable. You will not prosper if you 00:44:42.420 --> 00:44:49.260 learn from a person who is not teachable. So if you think I'm not teachable, you must find another 00:44:49.260 --> 00:45:04.980 church. Because at some point, I'll lead you astray. Does that answer your question? Kind of? Okay, 00:45:04.980 --> 00:45:31.620 last one, increase. Act 6-7. Act 6-7. You know, NIV says, so the word of God spread. But you know 00:45:31.620 --> 00:45:38.580 what it actually says? The sense of it is, and the word of God continued to increase. And the word 00:45:38.580 --> 00:45:49.140 of God continued to increase. How does the word of God increase? That's what they've said. NIV says 00:45:49.140 --> 00:45:54.260 spread, but the actual sense of it is, the word of God continued to increase. How does the word of 00:45:54.260 --> 00:46:07.580 God increase? Greater understanding? Power to change? Revelation? I'm looking for one more. You're 00:46:07.580 --> 00:46:21.420 right on all three, but one more. I didn't understand. Explain some more. Nice. That's one more 00:46:21.420 --> 00:46:25.220 thing that we need to add to the three things that were said. Guys, the word of God increases 00:46:25.220 --> 00:46:31.700 through the faith of those that believe the word and prove it. The word of God increases through 00:46:31.700 --> 00:46:38.220 the faith of those who believe the word and prove it. Because it has to be seen, guys. The word has 00:46:38.220 --> 00:46:45.420 to be made flesh. Jesus made the word flesh. Now it is the turn of Jesus's body, you and I, to make 00:46:45.420 --> 00:46:50.940 the word flesh. The word of God increases when those that believe the word prove it. 00:46:50.940 --> 00:47:07.420 Yeah, that is how it increases, guys. The word of God increases through all the things you 00:47:07.420 --> 00:47:11.940 mentioned and the faith of those who believe the word and prove it. That's one of the things priests 00:47:11.940 --> 00:47:18.180 must do. The word must become flesh. The message must become the messenger. I know these are 00:47:18.180 --> 00:47:23.940 cliches, but they are good cliches, man. The word must become flesh. One thing Eddie keeps repeating 00:47:23.940 --> 00:47:27.940 every time, every second time I speak to him, the word must become flesh in you, Jacob. The word 00:47:27.940 --> 00:47:37.740 must become flesh in you. Priests must display the word. And the last thing that falls under 00:47:37.740 --> 00:47:44.740 the word of God is the power to increase. Guys, you and I have the... You don't know how powerful 00:47:44.740 --> 00:47:49.420 we are in this, guys. You don't know how powerful the weakest Christian in this room is in this. 00:47:49.420 --> 00:47:55.740 And I don't know what qualifies you to be the weakest Christian or the strongest. We have the 00:47:55.740 --> 00:48:07.340 powerful... We have the power to bestow upon people increase through blessing them. There is great 00:48:07.340 --> 00:48:14.780 power that every Christian possesses to bless. One of the reasons I immediately agreed to sing 00:48:14.780 --> 00:48:22.060 the Lord bless you over Isaiah and Finn was because it was something that was given to Moses ages ago 00:48:22.060 --> 00:48:29.660 in Numbers chapter 6 verses 26 to 28 where it says, and listen Aaron, this is the priestly blessing 00:48:29.660 --> 00:48:36.460 that I want you to declare on Israel. And as you begin to speak these words, Aaron, this is what I 00:48:36.460 --> 00:48:48.300 will do. I will put my name upon them. And so say to them, the Lord bless you. The Lord keep you. 00:48:49.820 --> 00:48:59.100 The Lord be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you. And may the Lord make 00:48:59.100 --> 00:49:09.500 his face to shine upon you. And as I spoke this priestly prayer over us right now, God says, 00:49:09.500 --> 00:49:15.900 here's what I'll do Jacob. I will put my name upon everybody that you spoke this over. And what does 00:49:15.900 --> 00:49:23.580 he mean by put my name? As in I will put my influence upon them. Guys, you don't know the 00:49:23.580 --> 00:49:29.020 power of the privilege or the privilege of the power we have in unleashing blessing. 00:49:31.500 --> 00:49:35.740 There is a moment in second Samuel 6 where David does something so 00:49:37.500 --> 00:49:44.060 you should not do it. He's a king. He's just brought the Ark of the Covenant through the streets of 00:49:44.060 --> 00:49:51.420 Jerusalem and set it up under a tent on Mount Zion. And then he disrobes while he's bringing the Ark 00:49:51.420 --> 00:49:57.980 in. He takes off his kingly garments and now he is only dressed in linen. And linen was worn by 00:49:57.980 --> 00:50:03.340 priests. This has never been done before because there was a clear demarcation between kings and 00:50:03.340 --> 00:50:07.340 priests. Kings would never mess with priestly stuff. Priests would never mess with kingly stuff. 00:50:07.340 --> 00:50:12.620 We saw that with Saul. Saul offered a sacrifice he was not supposed to offer. And yet David in 00:50:12.620 --> 00:50:17.580 this moment of favor and knowing the mind of God decides that he's going to wear linen. And then 00:50:17.580 --> 00:50:23.980 what does he do? In second Samuel 6, 17 onwards he begins to offer sacrifices. And God is okay with 00:50:23.980 --> 00:50:28.860 it. God doesn't do anything. He begins to offer sacrifices. And then what does he do? He gathers 00:50:28.860 --> 00:50:34.940 all the people and he begins to bless them. How? He blesses them and then he digs loaves of raisin 00:50:34.940 --> 00:50:40.620 and cake and bread and distributes it. It was like serving communion. Man, and who's doing it? Not a 00:50:40.620 --> 00:50:45.340 priest but a king. And who are we? We are called to be priest kings. We looked at that four weeks 00:50:45.340 --> 00:50:51.900 ago. The privilege we have of blessing and increasing people just through words of a mouth 00:50:51.900 --> 00:51:02.060 that come from the heart of God. It's a form of intercession. Guys, I heard Charles Stanley say 00:51:02.060 --> 00:51:08.540 this recently. Jesus didn't say I want you to become the light of the world. He didn't say I 00:51:08.540 --> 00:51:17.420 want you to become the salt of the earth. He said you are. You are the light of the world. You are 00:51:17.420 --> 00:51:24.780 the salt of the earth. Guys, go forth this week and be light and salt not to Christians but to 00:51:24.780 --> 00:51:32.300 ones who do not know Christ yet but whose price has been paid and who are made in the image of God. 00:51:32.300 --> 00:51:41.500 Become light and salt and bless. Be priest, eh? Be priest this week, man. Be priest. Go ahead, Rhonda. 00:52:02.300 --> 00:52:11.500 I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian. 00:52:11.500 --> 00:52:21.500 I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian. 00:52:21.500 --> 00:52:30.700 I really try to help when I'm talking. My Christian education is on Friday and I have a professor 00:52:30.700 --> 00:52:41.900 but I don't know. It's just to the QA and how you can make a space for people to make places for others. 00:52:41.900 --> 00:53:01.100 Yeah, what's the name? Okay, that's a brilliance of those guys. We get opportunities every week. 00:53:01.100 --> 00:53:12.300 It's sad how we, is the word commiserate? Yeah, with the misery a person is in. 00:53:12.300 --> 00:53:20.300 Oh really? City Hall did that to you. Man, you know, I've heard some stories about City Hall and you just put a little more fuel and then he starts really ranting. 00:53:20.300 --> 00:53:26.300 Oh really? That's what ICBC said to you. Ah, oh really? That's what the teller's operator said to you. Ah! 00:53:26.300 --> 00:53:36.700 So, so that's what we do. That's not where we should go. We should go the other way. 00:53:36.700 --> 00:53:48.700 Guys, move in the opposite spirit of the world. The world cannot do it. There's only a small group that is growing larger every day called light and salt that can do it. 00:53:49.100 --> 00:53:55.100 Amen. Now pour it out, eh? Because it's an inexhaustible inheritance. 00:53:55.100 --> 00:54:01.100 After Diana, just one sec. She lifted her hand. Yes, she did. 00:54:01.100 --> 00:54:07.100 Yeah, sorry. I didn't know that. Thanks, Diana. 00:54:07.100 --> 00:54:09.500 Yeah. 00:54:37.500 --> 00:54:43.500 Awesome, awesome. Well done. Well done. Go ahead, Sue. 00:54:57.500 --> 00:54:59.500 Yeah. 00:54:59.900 --> 00:55:01.900 Ah. 00:55:02.900 --> 00:55:04.900 Praise God. 00:55:07.900 --> 00:55:09.900 Shoulder. 00:55:16.900 --> 00:55:24.900 So, okay. Praise God, man. These seem impossible. But praise God. Praise God. Praise God. 00:55:25.300 --> 00:55:33.300 Guys, do this with the power of just blessing, eh? It's a simple thing to do. Simple thing to do. 00:55:33.300 --> 00:55:49.300 So, Father, we thank you for the fearful privilege. And by fearful, what I simply mean is we come and take it not as granted, but with great reverence we come and wear this privilege. 00:55:49.700 --> 00:56:03.700 This fearful privilege and responsibility of being priests who can have a commonality with the people around us, yet be truth consecrated unto you. 00:56:03.700 --> 00:56:13.700 To be able to intercede for people not according to perceived needs, but according to your will so that your good plans will come to pass for them. 00:56:14.100 --> 00:56:24.100 To be able to invite people without removing foolishness from the Gospel which must reveal the cross in Christ. 00:56:26.100 --> 00:56:36.100 To be incarnate-aba. To be incarnate. To understand that you have sent us into this land to bless people. 00:56:36.500 --> 00:56:45.500 And then to open our mouths and find opportunities this week to bless. To go beyond God bless. To say something a little more than that, Father. 00:56:45.500 --> 00:56:53.500 Because even rap stars when they receive awards at the Grammys say God. No, no, no. Say a little more than that, Father. 00:56:53.900 --> 00:57:05.900 And then, Father, to be teachable so that instruction and knowledge can be found on our lips so that we can be ones who can guide people into greater truths in you. 00:57:05.900 --> 00:57:14.900 And so we bring this Liza to you, Father. We bless her. We thank you that your plans for her are to thrive and not to survive. 00:57:14.900 --> 00:57:19.900 We thank you that you always have a Father's heart even to those who don't know you. 00:57:20.300 --> 00:57:30.300 And so we ask, Father, that in your Fatherness, in your kindness, in all that you are, would you now open doors for her? 00:57:30.300 --> 00:57:38.300 And yet while the doors are opening, would you give her the strange peace that comes from the blessing that Rhonda has pronounced and that we now pronounce over her? 00:57:38.700 --> 00:57:50.700 We pronounce it on behalf of the God of the universe in whom all things are consisted and whose Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of people before we even pray. 00:57:50.700 --> 00:58:00.700 We thank you. Nobody that crosses our paths this week will be an accident. These are divine encounters set up by you for us to deliver what you want. 00:58:00.700 --> 00:58:11.100 We are your delivery system this week. We are God's delivery system this week. And we will thrive in it, in Jesus' name. Amen.