WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Sardis Part 1 Publishing Date: 2021-05-22T06:00:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/sardis-part-1/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.000 So today we start on the next church in the book of Revelation. 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:17.000 And like I said, I feel bad for people who go on our website and see the names of these churches 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:23.000 and they must be thinking, ah shucks, this is going to be a description of the church and how it applies to us. 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:29.000 And then they find out, nah, it's just one theme from six verses being pulled out, sometimes out of context. 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:33.000 And then used to explain what we want to explain. 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:39.000 So I feel sad for guys who think that they're going to get this download on the particular church. 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:46.000 But at the same time, secretly gleeful that we are pulling themes from these different churches 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:52.000 and then using them to help understand what God is doing in our midst. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:56.000 So today we go to the church of Sardis. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:00.000 Sardis. S-A-R-D-I-S. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:23.000 Historically, if I were to be scholarly in my approach to this topic, 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:31.000 historically, Sardis was a city that was packed with people, like tightly packed together with hardly any room to breathe. 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:34.000 And their main industry was fishing. 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:40.000 And so they decided, okay, since it's so tightly packed as a city and we basically fish, 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:49.000 they first in Greek called it sardines and over time, historically, it just started getting shorter and then it became sardis. 00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:51.000 That's terrible, eh? 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:55.000 I'll just stick to what I know because I'm not very good with stuff like that. 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:58.000 These thoughts did occur to me though while I was preparing. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:07.000 But it's one of those days when bad jokes will float around like crazy, but perhaps that's the last one. 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:13.000 Okay, let's read Revelation 3, 1-6. 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:21.000 My God, people in Regent must be rolling in their graves saying, why did we allow him in? 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:31.000 Okay, to the church in Sardis, Revelation 3, 1-6. 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:35.000 To the angel of the church in Sardis, write, 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:41.000 These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:45.000 I know your deeds, you have a reputation of being alive, but you're dead. 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:53.000 Wake up, strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:57.000 Remember therefore what you have received and heard, obey it and repent. 00:02:57.000 --> 00:03:03.000 But if you do not wake up, I'll come like a thief and you will not know at what time I'll come to you. 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:08.000 You have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:11.000 They'll walk with me dressed in white, for they are worthy. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:15.000 He who overcomes will like them be dressed in white. 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:22.000 I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my father and his angels. 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:26.000 He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:32.000 This is one of those teachings where tomorrow's teaching is kind of built on the back of this. 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:40.000 So just so you know, if you listen to this today, you'll have a better idea of what we are doing tomorrow. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:46.000 And I'll say that tomorrow too. Yeah. Cool. 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:54.000 So the theme that we want to pick up today is just the first verse. 00:03:54.000 --> 00:04:00.000 These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:02.000 That's the only thing we're going to pick up on today. 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:07.000 It's the seven spirits are in some versions. 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:14.000 And I would think that's the best way to help us understand the sevenfold spirit. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:20.000 The sevenfold spirit. That's the only thing we'll be looking at today. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:25.000 And the seven spirits of God are mentioned four times in the book of Revelation alone. 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:28.000 And then a few times in the Old Testament. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:43.000 And so Revelations 1, 4, Revelations 3, 2, Revelation 4, 1, and Revelation 5, 6. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:49.000 All mention the sevenfold spirit. Sorry, Revelation 4, 5, not 4, 1. 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:57.000 Revelation 4, 5, and Revelation 5, 6. All mention the sevenfold spirit. 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:01.000 And so in Revelation 1, 4, it says the seven spirits before God's throne. 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:06.000 Seven spirits before God's throne. 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:10.000 Before God's throne. 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:14.000 And then in Revelation 3, 2 is what we just read. 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:17.000 That Christ holds the seven spirits. 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:26.000 That Christ holds the sevenfold spirit. 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:35.000 In Revelations 4, verse 5, it links the seven spirits of God with seven burning lamps. 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:38.000 It links the seven spirits of God. 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:50.000 The sevenfold spirit is linked to the seven blazing torches or lamps before the throne. 00:05:50.000 --> 00:06:00.000 That actually can even be connected to the vision that Zechariah had in Zechariah 4, but we won't go there today. 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:07.000 And then in Revelations 5, the seven spirits are linked or identified with the seven eyes of the lamp. 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:27.000 In Revelations 5, 6, the sevenfold spirit is linked to the seven eyes of the lamp. 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:35.000 It says in Revelations 5, 6 that the seven spirits or the seven eyes of the lamp are sent out into all the earth. 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:42.000 Then I saw a lamb looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by four living creatures and the elders. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:48.000 He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:52.000 Revelations 4, 5. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:56.000 Before the throne, seven lamps or seven torches were blazing. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:58.000 These are the seven spirits of God. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:04.000 Revelations 3, 2. These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:07.000 Revelations 1, 4. 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:13.000 To the seven churches in the province of Asia, grace and peace to you from him who is and who was and who is to come, 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:18.000 and from the seven spirits before his throne and from Jesus Christ, who is a faithful witness, 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:21.000 the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth. 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:26.000 So why is it that the Bible keeps referring to the seven-fold spirit? 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:35.000 And you've got a number of such citations in the Old Testament too, so it's not just a New Testament phenomenon. 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:44.000 And so to understand that, we look at the one scripture that I think is the underlying basis for the seven-fold spirit, 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:47.000 and that would be Isaiah 11, verse 2. 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:50.000 Isaiah 11, verse 2. 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:55.000 Isaiah 11, verse 2. 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:58.000 Isaiah 11, verse 2. 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:04.000 Isaiah 11. 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:10.000 If things go according to plan, we'll finish early? 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:16.000 Yeah. 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:20.000 People are laughing here when I say that. 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:24.000 Yeah. 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:32.000 So it says in Isaiah 11, 2 that, let's start from verse 1. 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:37.000 A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a branch will bear fruit. 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:38.000 It's talking about Christ. 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:43.000 And so you can see how Christ and the spirit are so, so always connected. 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:46.000 The spirit of God, the spirit of Christ. 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:50.000 And so again, Isaiah 11 starts that way, and then it goes on to say in verse 2, 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:54.000 the spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:59.000 the spirit of counsel and of power, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:08.000 And you see there that there are seven things said of the spirit there. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:10.000 And that's where we get the idea of the seven-fold spirit. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:11.000 So he's the spirit of the Lord. 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:17.000 He's the spirit of wisdom. 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:22.000 He's the spirit of understanding. 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:27.000 He's the spirit of counsel. 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:33.000 He's the spirit of what else? 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:36.000 Knowledge. 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:38.000 He's the spirit of might or power. 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:44.000 And he's the spirit of the fear of the Lord. 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:49.000 The seven-fold spirit. 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:52.000 The seven-fold spirit. 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:14.000 So we look at each of these separately and try to figure out the work of the spirit in our lives 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:21.000 and why it's important to us as a church and important to those that are connected to us as churches. 00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:23.000 So first, the spirit of the Lord. 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:30.000 So to say that the spirit of the Lord was upon someone, to say that God's spirit was on someone, 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:39.000 was to say that the person was acting out of a capacity that wasn't merely human but was divine. 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:44.000 So it's not just a simple statement there saying, our spirit of the Lord. 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:49.000 In fact, nobody illustrates it better than Jesus when he quotes from Isaiah 61, 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:54.000 when he takes a scroll in the synagogue and reads it out in Luke 4. 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:56.000 He says, the spirit of the Lord is upon me. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:03.000 And what he meant to say then is that I am no longer merely operating as Jesus of Nazareth. 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:05.000 The spirit of the Lord is upon me. 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:15.000 And in saying that, he was saying that I want you to know that the capacity that I act out of isn't human. 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:17.000 It is divine. 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:26.000 Then in Acts 10.38, Paul summarizes it saying that you've heard of Jesus of Nazareth who went about doing good 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:29.000 and delivering those that were harassed by the devil. 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:33.000 How did he do it? He did it because the spirit of God was upon him. 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:42.000 And so it's impossible for the body, it is impossible for the body, 00:11:42.000 --> 00:12:01.000 for the body to function without an intentional receiving of the spirit of the Lord. 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:10.000 In fact, in the early church, this intentional receiving of the spirit of the Lord was pretty frequent. 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:12.000 It wasn't a one-off thing. 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:17.000 There was a receiving of the spirit of the Lord in John 20 when Jesus breathed upon them. 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:20.000 Then there was a receiving of the spirit of the Lord in Acts 2. 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:23.000 Thenically there was a receiving of the spirit of the Lord in Acts 4. 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:26.000 Then there was a receiving of the spirit of the Lord in Acts 9. 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:33.880 And it seems to be this very intentional we do not want to operate in our mere capacity as humans even though we 00:12:34.360 --> 00:12:39.800 Lived walked talked touched Jesus. We no longer consider that enough 00:12:40.680 --> 00:12:45.820 We need to live by the intentional receiving of the Spirit of God upon us 00:12:45.820 --> 00:12:51.080 And it is not a once-in-a-year thing on Pentecost. It is a daily thing 00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:54.920 sometimes a weekly thing sometimes an event thing sometimes 00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:56.160 this 00:12:56.160 --> 00:13:00.720 Must be very intentional for any church because whatever Christ accomplished 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:06.200 And he's left for the body to accomplish cannot happen without this because he himself said it in Luke chapter 4 listen 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:08.200 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:12.320 The second thing 00:13:12.640 --> 00:13:20.960 Before we go there though have you noticed how these words we easily gloss over because first these are not words that we use in our 00:13:21.960 --> 00:13:29.120 Daily vocabulary you don't say hmm. That's great wisdom or I've got some knowledge that you you don't 00:13:30.800 --> 00:13:36.720 These words are so interchangeable now. We don't pay attention to this and very specifically though 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:42.600 We as God is showing us that the Spirit is a sevenfold Spirit and there are specific 00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:48.240 Characteristics to him. It's not that the Holy Spirit is seven spirits. It's that these are some of the 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:54.160 Defining characters of the Holy Spirit tomorrow. We'll talk about why this is important to the church 00:13:56.680 --> 00:14:02.920 So these are terms we gloss over but when you actually look at it each one so brilliant so wisdom 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:06.480 Is the ability 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:10.080 Wisdom is the ability 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:13.320 Wisdom is the ability 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:17.600 To perceive 00:14:18.640 --> 00:14:24.880 Complex relationships 00:14:28.160 --> 00:14:30.160 Among parts 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:36.480 From an 00:14:37.520 --> 00:14:39.520 Eagle-eye 00:14:39.680 --> 00:14:44.120 God perspective an eagle-eye God perspective 00:14:44.400 --> 00:14:52.120 This is what wisdom is in this situation where God has the ability to look at all the things on this table and 00:14:52.880 --> 00:14:57.640 Know how these complex parts will move how they will fit together 00:14:58.840 --> 00:15:02.440 He he has an understanding he's able to perceive 00:15:03.680 --> 00:15:06.400 The complex relationships among these parts 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:12.160 Because he has an eagle-eye view not just of the present but of the past and of the future 00:15:12.160 --> 00:15:15.040 And even though he doesn't program manipulate 00:15:16.120 --> 00:15:18.760 Force anyone to do anything because of his foreknowledge 00:15:18.760 --> 00:15:25.120 He knows the next move and the move after and the move after ahead of time and it doesn't matter that the devil may be 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:32.000 Playing the fall of the earth will be playing in your decisions and will be will be playing in he has the ability with 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:37.360 Wisdom to plan things so that at the end of the day all things work out for the good of those that love him 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:40.320 He's brilliant his wisdom is there 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:47.600 He's brilliant his wisdom is brilliant and then he gives us a Holy Spirit who is the spirit of wisdom 00:15:49.520 --> 00:15:52.320 Hearing God is not just about hearing his voice 00:15:52.640 --> 00:15:58.080 It's a shame when we learn to hear God and then only use his 00:15:58.800 --> 00:16:01.240 our ability to hear to get answers 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:06.360 That's 00:16:07.640 --> 00:16:09.640 That that's so 00:16:11.080 --> 00:16:12.760 Insta I 00:16:12.760 --> 00:16:16.700 Don't know something I'm gonna ask God God. Give me the answer. I heard him. I do it 00:16:17.400 --> 00:16:21.360 That's too instant. It's like drinking instant coffee. Who does that? 00:16:24.800 --> 00:16:26.800 Obviously a lot of people do because 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:30.600 They sell it in shoppers 00:16:35.400 --> 00:16:37.640 Everything I need is there in shoppers 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:45.440 Go figure I have to go anywhere else 00:16:49.240 --> 00:16:52.600 Except the coffee except the coffee everything else I need 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:59.360 Yeah, I bet shoppers has never received an endorsement like this 00:17:01.720 --> 00:17:08.640 We could have the next six months of the church sponsored by shoppers, but we leave that alone, okay 00:17:10.360 --> 00:17:16.160 Guys wisdom is the ability to perceive complex relationships among parts from God's eagle-eye view and 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:23.920 This is how he sees things they so in his wisdom he knows that a famine is coming in his wisdom 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:25.920 He knows that Joseph 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:28.720 will be in 00:17:30.320 --> 00:17:32.400 Prison thrown there by Potiphar's wife 00:17:32.520 --> 00:17:39.120 He also knows that Joseph is going to speak to the baker and the cup bearer in his wisdom 00:17:39.120 --> 00:17:45.520 he also knows that Joseph will have to stay in prison for a little longer because the word that he's given the cup bearer and the 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:52.400 Baker have to come to pass in his wisdom. He already knows how these complex parts work whether 00:17:53.160 --> 00:17:59.080 Baker will be hung and the cup bearer will remember what happened and will tell Pharaoh in his wisdom 00:17:59.080 --> 00:18:01.920 Now the famine is nearing in his wisdom 00:18:02.080 --> 00:18:06.080 Joseph is released from prison and he goes and speaks to Pharaoh in his wisdom 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:12.080 Joseph now becomes a second most powerful person second only to Pharaoh in his wisdom 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:17.840 God sees 400 years of what he had said to Abraham coming to pass in his wisdom 00:18:17.840 --> 00:18:21.260 He has the Israelites gather in a separate place called Goshen 00:18:21.360 --> 00:18:28.000 So that in his wisdom when the plagues it and Satan tries to have the gods of Egypt rise up in Goshen 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:31.700 They will see that there is a distinctive people with a distinctive God 00:18:31.980 --> 00:18:36.420 Whose God just thrashes all the gods of Egypt in his wisdom 00:18:36.420 --> 00:18:41.500 That is how God has the ability to take complex parts and as we begin to 00:18:41.700 --> 00:18:47.940 Understand by the Spirit his wisdom and as we begin to trust the wisdom of God we and then like 00:18:48.740 --> 00:18:53.340 Paul saying stuff like we are perplexed, but we are not undone 00:18:53.420 --> 00:18:56.860 We are pressed on from all sides, but we are not defeated 00:18:57.100 --> 00:19:00.500 We have pressures and persecution coming but we are not destroyed 00:19:00.500 --> 00:19:08.620 Why because he knows that all things work together for the good of those that are called according to God's purpose and according to how he loves us 00:19:08.660 --> 00:19:10.660 This is how it works guys 00:19:12.020 --> 00:19:15.300 This is something that's so special to God and 00:19:15.820 --> 00:19:22.100 Here is God saying listen. I am giving you this wisdom by my spirit who resides amongst you 00:19:26.900 --> 00:19:28.900 Wisdom is essential for building 00:19:29.500 --> 00:19:33.760 Wisdom is essential for building the idea of architecting 00:19:34.580 --> 00:19:41.700 Is common to the Bible a Bible always talks about architects the Bible talks about being a wise master builder 00:19:41.700 --> 00:19:45.100 Paul talked about in first Corinthians 3 10 where he said that 00:19:45.940 --> 00:19:50.420 We are all God's field of God's vineyard some water some do this some do that 00:19:50.420 --> 00:19:52.780 I am like a wise master builder 00:19:52.980 --> 00:19:58.820 The very nature of an apostolic church is a church that is able to build all churches should be 00:19:58.940 --> 00:20:05.500 Apostolic and churches that recognize that they are apostolic must have an emphasis emphasis on wise master building 00:20:07.300 --> 00:20:13.500 If you're a master builder or an architect you have to have this heavy dependence on wisdom 00:20:14.980 --> 00:20:21.260 The great thing is because it is the Spirit of God who dwells amongst the people and when we recognize some of the characteristics of the 00:20:21.260 --> 00:20:25.460 Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit says well now that you recognize it you can inhabit it 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:31.380 You cannot inhabit something you don't recognize 00:20:31.380 --> 00:20:38.780 That's what happened to Christopher Columbus right landed up in North America and called them Indians when we guys were there from ages ago 00:20:39.980 --> 00:20:45.060 Didn't know where he was going when he landed there didn't know where he was and then called them names that already existed 00:20:45.980 --> 00:20:48.460 So now they've got to call us East Indians really 00:20:48.460 --> 00:20:51.460 The point being it's good to 00:20:53.140 --> 00:20:55.140 This is good 00:20:55.940 --> 00:21:02.100 Like I said, I think dawn visited me before the teaching and that just messed up my sense of humor so 00:21:06.500 --> 00:21:08.500 The point being what was the point 00:21:11.260 --> 00:21:13.260 Wisdom 00:21:14.300 --> 00:21:16.300 The point being that 00:21:16.820 --> 00:21:22.980 The point being that it is not possible to inhabit what you don't recognize I 00:21:24.860 --> 00:21:32.460 Want to begin to recognize that the spirit of wisdom is one of the characteristics of the Holy Spirit and he's present Wow, I 00:21:36.220 --> 00:21:40.700 Was so impressed by this when I was thinking about it that father, you know 00:21:40.700 --> 00:21:44.020 So many things and this is why God can do stuff and 00:21:44.740 --> 00:21:50.440 Joseph can say at the end of the day in Genesis 50 whatever you meant for evil God turned into good 00:21:50.540 --> 00:21:55.540 Because he's seeing miles ahead. So it doesn't matter even when the devil is winning he is losing 00:21:58.340 --> 00:22:03.660 Even when the devil is winning he is losing that's why it says in another place in the New Testament that 00:22:05.060 --> 00:22:08.020 The church should reveal the manifold wisdom of God 00:22:08.740 --> 00:22:10.740 To the angelic 00:22:11.540 --> 00:22:18.620 That we have the ability by the Holy Spirit to see the manifold wisdom of God and it must be displayed through the church 00:22:21.020 --> 00:22:26.980 In situations of racism in situations of black lives matter in situations of 00:22:27.340 --> 00:22:35.820 Covid it is us who should have the ability to see what and how God is planning things that will work out for the good 00:22:36.820 --> 00:22:39.940 Not work out to take sides work out for the good 00:22:42.340 --> 00:22:44.340 It's our privilege 00:22:49.500 --> 00:22:52.780 The next thing is understanding understanding 00:22:55.820 --> 00:23:01.140 If wisdom is the ability to perceive how complex parts work together 00:23:01.300 --> 00:23:06.700 Understanding is the ability to divide a thing into its constituent parts 00:23:07.260 --> 00:23:12.640 Understanding is the ability to divide a thing into its constant twin parts 00:23:13.540 --> 00:23:15.540 understanding is the ability to 00:23:16.340 --> 00:23:18.340 Divide things 00:23:23.880 --> 00:23:25.780 Understanding is the ability to divide things 00:23:27.620 --> 00:23:28.820 Into 00:23:28.820 --> 00:23:30.820 Constituent parts 00:23:31.140 --> 00:23:47.220 So you actually get to know how things work. You don't just buy a car and something goes 00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:55.140 wrong and you go, what happened? It made a noise. What noise? That's not how you explain 00:23:55.140 --> 00:24:03.140 things anymore. You know how it works. You know how it works. And so you're able to take 00:24:03.140 --> 00:24:09.820 that which is, you're able to take a thing and divide it into parts so you know how each 00:24:09.820 --> 00:24:14.740 one works. And the strange thing is you need wisdom and understanding. You need understanding 00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:19.460 if you want to establish firm foundations. You need understanding if you want to establish 00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:24.820 firm foundations. You need understanding if you want to establish firm foundations. 00:24:24.820 --> 00:24:40.420 Otherwise you get something but you don't know how to anchor it because you don't know the parts 00:24:40.420 --> 00:24:44.740 that constitute it. When something goes wrong you don't know how to deal with it. And the 00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:49.860 Holy Spirit is saying, I'm there to provide you understanding. I'm there to provide you how things 00:24:49.860 --> 00:24:56.020 work so that when things are wrong, when the substructure that you can't see is beginning to 00:24:56.020 --> 00:25:05.300 shift or when it's beginning to bend, I'll show you how to fix it. In fact in Proverbs 3 19 we 00:25:05.300 --> 00:25:14.500 read that, no that, yeah I think it's Proverbs 3, yeah Proverbs 3 19 we read that when Jesus 00:25:14.500 --> 00:25:21.620 created the world he founded it, he established it with wisdom and understanding. Proverbs 3 19, 00:25:21.620 --> 00:25:36.020 by wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place, 00:25:36.020 --> 00:25:43.820 by his knowledge the deeps were divided and the clouds let drop the dew. Guys this is precious, 00:25:43.820 --> 00:25:50.220 we don't realize what God is allowing us to share. He's allowing us to delve into, dive into, take 00:25:50.220 --> 00:25:57.020 part in his wisdom, the same wisdom and the understanding and the knowledge that he had when 00:25:57.020 --> 00:26:02.780 creation was formed. He's saying listen Jacob if you want since you have the Holy Spirit, listen Acts 00:26:02.780 --> 00:26:07.500 29, if you want since you have the Holy Spirit residing in you and you're intentionally beginning 00:26:07.500 --> 00:26:12.220 to recognize him, if you want I'll give you my God's eye view of things so you know how all the 00:26:12.300 --> 00:26:20.700 parts are working. That even in a time like COVID I can show you five steps ahead so that you will 00:26:20.700 --> 00:26:27.180 be there right now in August knowing what to do. In the middle of May you'll know what to do in August, 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:38.140 why? Because I have the ability to have you see things from my perspective. And then he says I'll 00:26:38.140 --> 00:26:44.060 also let you in on my understanding so that you know how each component works, how each part works. 00:26:48.380 --> 00:26:53.500 Try to imagine that in your work situation where because you know how each part works you are 00:26:53.500 --> 00:27:01.900 called an expert. You know that if I move this letter here or this word here or this number if 00:27:01.900 --> 00:27:10.940 I change it from two to one that everything will get solved. That's all it takes. But you know it 00:27:10.940 --> 00:27:15.260 and someone who doesn't know it doesn't know that it's a matter of one digit shifting and everything 00:27:15.260 --> 00:27:19.820 will change. They don't know what to do. That's why they call you an expert because you know the 00:27:19.820 --> 00:27:26.060 component parts and God is saying listen I can help you do that. Where in each person in each situation 00:27:26.060 --> 00:27:30.620 I by the Holy Spirit can give you the kind of understanding that'll be like a key that unlocks 00:27:30.620 --> 00:27:40.140 things. All I'm saying is it's a brilliant invitation for the church as a whole. 00:27:41.340 --> 00:27:45.900 And when the church as a whole enters then everybody benefits. If individuals enter the 00:27:45.900 --> 00:27:52.140 individual benefits and some benefit more than others. But when an entire church invites 00:27:53.100 --> 00:27:59.020 responses invitation the entire church benefits. And what you can't benefit in I may benefit in 00:27:59.020 --> 00:28:09.580 it so I can give it to you. Third knowledge. Knowledge. 00:28:12.860 --> 00:28:16.540 I've never done this. That's so much easier than erasing. 00:28:22.140 --> 00:28:26.940 I've been working really hard during COVID. Stuff like this really helps where you don't have to 00:28:27.020 --> 00:28:31.340 put in an extra bit of work. Knowledge. Knowledge is to 00:28:35.660 --> 00:28:43.260 knowledge is to access first to access and then to apply 00:28:46.780 --> 00:28:51.820 the truth that God reveals. 00:28:52.460 --> 00:28:59.020 Knowledge. Knowledge is first to access as in the ability to access first the truth 00:28:59.660 --> 00:29:07.420 that God reveals and then to apply the truth that God reveals. This is why it doesn't say 00:29:07.980 --> 00:29:10.940 truth will set you free. It says the knowledge of the truth will set you free. 00:29:13.580 --> 00:29:18.060 You'll hear the world and sometimes even churches saying the truth will set you free brother. No 00:29:18.460 --> 00:29:23.420 the truth will not set you free because the truth has been announced for the last 2000 years and 00:29:23.420 --> 00:29:28.380 it's not setting people free that easily. It's a knowledge of the truth that is it is the ability 00:29:28.380 --> 00:29:33.900 to access the truth that has been given us and then after accessing the truth to apply the truth 00:29:33.900 --> 00:29:36.700 that has been given us. That is what knowledge is. 00:29:37.100 --> 00:29:38.700 Knowledge. Knowledge is to 00:29:38.700 --> 00:29:43.820 knowledge is to access the truth that has been given us. That is what knowledge is. 00:29:47.100 --> 00:29:57.020 And so what knowledge does is that it furnishes us towards completion. 00:29:58.300 --> 00:30:04.460 It furnishes us towards completion as in let's assume that wisdom and understanding have helped 00:30:04.460 --> 00:30:10.460 furnishes the house. Knowledge furnishes the house based on the wisdom and the understanding 00:30:10.460 --> 00:30:17.740 it is built with. Knowledge understands that this house has a certain color and therefore the 00:30:17.740 --> 00:30:23.900 furniture must be a certain type. Knowledge understands how to furnish something so that 00:30:24.460 --> 00:30:26.700 you can furnish it towards completion. 00:30:26.700 --> 00:30:28.940 Wisdom and understanding build a house. Knowledge furnishes it. 00:30:32.140 --> 00:30:37.580 Brings in the right substance brings in the right treasure. This is this is how learning happens. 00:30:37.580 --> 00:30:45.900 Learning happens through knowledge. The sad thing is 00:30:46.380 --> 00:30:54.300 that this was a process God wanted to start in Adam and Eve's life. Listen, I put you here on the 00:30:54.300 --> 00:31:01.740 earth and from this day on I'll come and talk to you every day. We've got to go forth, be fruitful, 00:31:01.740 --> 00:31:05.420 replenish the earth, multiply and subdue. I'll teach you how. 00:31:05.900 --> 00:31:10.940 And the plan was that over a period of time they would come into such knowledge that they would 00:31:10.940 --> 00:31:26.460 perhaps, this is supposition, they would perhaps be in a place where they could eat of the knowledge 00:31:26.460 --> 00:31:32.140 of the tree of good and evil. But what did the serpent do? Had them short circuit the process 00:31:32.140 --> 00:31:36.300 and go straight for the knowledge of the tree of good and evil. 00:31:36.300 --> 00:31:37.740 The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 00:31:39.900 --> 00:31:44.460 So there was no learning, there was no furnishing and it is still the same 00:31:45.340 --> 00:31:54.940 both in church and outside the church. Where the aim becomes can I gain more knowledge and can I 00:31:56.860 --> 00:31:57.980 give out more knowledge? 00:31:58.700 --> 00:32:05.660 All you end up doing, guys I've said this before, when knowledge is not applied 00:32:09.900 --> 00:32:11.100 it is information. 00:32:16.460 --> 00:32:20.380 And the information kind of knowledge puffs up. 00:32:20.380 --> 00:32:23.500 The information kind of knowledge puffs up. 00:32:28.700 --> 00:32:30.700 The information kind of knowledge puffs up. 00:32:34.780 --> 00:32:41.900 This is Derek's younger brother who is not going to India immediately to visit parents and to 00:32:43.740 --> 00:32:45.100 say hello to the native land. 00:32:50.780 --> 00:32:56.860 Unfortunately instead of being furnished with knowledge from God himself, Adam and Eve short 00:32:56.860 --> 00:33:02.780 circuit the process and listen to the deceit of the serpent and in the process suspend learning 00:33:02.780 --> 00:33:03.820 for years on end. 00:33:12.140 --> 00:33:17.660 Hunger for this, hunger for applied knowledge, hunger for applied knowledge. 00:33:17.900 --> 00:33:22.380 First of all access is given to you when you dare to step into this. 00:33:22.380 --> 00:33:26.540 One of the things that I really like about Peter is that he would dare to step into things 00:33:27.340 --> 00:33:31.340 and in the process of daring he would hear things that others would not. 00:33:31.900 --> 00:33:34.940 Who do they say I am? You are Jesus Christ the son of the living God. 00:33:35.580 --> 00:33:41.340 This revelation did not come to you through flesh and blood but it came to you from my father. 00:33:41.900 --> 00:33:46.060 That is the beginning of the truth and that then Peter takes and runs with. 00:33:49.260 --> 00:33:50.380 Okay, council. 00:33:51.900 --> 00:33:52.620 Council. 00:33:57.820 --> 00:33:58.620 Council. 00:33:58.620 --> 00:34:01.420 Council. 00:34:06.780 --> 00:34:12.540 Council is the direction, the data and the strategic guidance to make decisions. 00:34:12.540 --> 00:34:16.540 Council is the direction, the data. 00:34:18.780 --> 00:34:23.820 Council is the direction, the data and the... 00:34:24.380 --> 00:34:28.380 For our millions of listeners in Britain, data. 00:34:29.100 --> 00:34:31.100 But for the rest of us here, data. 00:34:34.140 --> 00:34:52.140 Council is the direction, the data and the strategic guidance to make decisions. 00:34:53.980 --> 00:35:01.340 Unfortunately, we only go to the Holy Spirit for this. 00:35:04.220 --> 00:35:05.900 We only go to the Holy Spirit for this. 00:35:08.860 --> 00:35:11.900 When we should be going to him for the other three too. 00:35:14.780 --> 00:35:17.020 This is vital for waging war. 00:35:17.020 --> 00:35:19.180 This is vital for waging war. 00:35:20.140 --> 00:35:21.580 You cannot wage war. 00:35:22.540 --> 00:35:26.860 Be it wage the good fight of faith or be it wage the war against the enemy. 00:35:26.860 --> 00:35:29.180 You cannot wage war without council. 00:35:29.180 --> 00:35:35.260 In fact, it says in Proverbs 24 that in a multitude of council, councilors, 00:35:36.300 --> 00:35:42.460 there is wisdom and you win battles through listening to a multitude of councilors. 00:35:43.180 --> 00:35:49.020 The point being that it is impossible to wage the good fight of faith or wage war 00:35:49.020 --> 00:35:54.540 against the devil without council, which is direction, data and strategic guidance 00:35:54.540 --> 00:35:55.980 to make decisions. 00:35:55.980 --> 00:35:59.580 But unfortunately, this is the only thing that sometimes we specialize in. 00:35:59.580 --> 00:36:02.300 And in churches like Acts 29, this is the focus. 00:36:04.620 --> 00:36:11.260 Why it is sad is because the part of receiving God's council has become something we have 00:36:12.220 --> 00:36:13.180 fluid in. 00:36:13.180 --> 00:36:16.700 But in the process, we've completely ignored the wisdom. 00:36:17.660 --> 00:36:18.700 What is wisdom? 00:36:19.740 --> 00:36:28.540 The ability to perceive the complex, the relationship between the parts that are before 00:36:28.540 --> 00:36:29.020 you. 00:36:29.020 --> 00:36:30.780 What is understanding? 00:36:30.780 --> 00:36:34.060 The ability to see the constituent parts of a thing. 00:36:34.060 --> 00:36:35.500 What is knowledge? 00:36:35.500 --> 00:36:39.420 The ability to access revealed truth and then apply revealed truth. 00:36:47.500 --> 00:36:54.300 I'd say to you that to fathom the goodness and the love of God in any genuine fashion 00:36:54.300 --> 00:37:00.300 would require that you need wisdom, council, understanding and knowledge. 00:37:00.300 --> 00:37:04.140 Sometimes we don't recognize the goodness of God because we do not understand the wisdom 00:37:04.140 --> 00:37:05.340 of God at work. 00:37:06.220 --> 00:37:09.820 Sometimes we don't enjoy the love of God the way we can. 00:37:09.820 --> 00:37:14.380 We don't experience it and exhibit it because we do not have the knowledge of the truth 00:37:14.380 --> 00:37:15.260 like we need to. 00:37:17.500 --> 00:37:22.700 So it's not that God's love is absent or that God's goodness is absent. 00:37:22.700 --> 00:37:28.060 Sometimes our minds and hearts are unable to comprehend the goodness and the love of 00:37:28.060 --> 00:37:35.020 God because we do not operate by the wisdom, the understanding, the council and the knowledge 00:37:35.020 --> 00:37:35.820 of God. 00:37:35.820 --> 00:37:37.820 And therefore it's impossible to handle. 00:37:38.460 --> 00:37:45.500 So all we can depend on then is the outcome of what we've prayed for as being the only 00:37:45.500 --> 00:37:47.740 measure for the goodness and the love of God. 00:37:50.780 --> 00:37:56.460 It's in Christianity that hindsight is 20-20 where when you look back at two years ago, 00:37:56.460 --> 00:38:00.460 when you look back at four years ago, when you look back at 30 years ago, you realize 00:38:00.460 --> 00:38:05.740 that oh shucks, God had set this up. 00:38:05.820 --> 00:38:10.700 God had set this up from so long ago and you marvel. 00:38:11.900 --> 00:38:19.340 In heaven one of the things that will happen is the amount of prostrating yourself before 00:38:19.340 --> 00:38:25.980 God, marveling at his wisdom as every day you see something that he set up that was 00:38:25.980 --> 00:38:30.700 so amazing that you scratch your head thinking oh shucks you knew it all along. 00:38:31.660 --> 00:38:33.420 It's fascinating his wisdom. 00:38:36.940 --> 00:38:38.940 Stories in the Bible are like that, right? 00:38:41.100 --> 00:38:42.620 Satan doesn't have this. 00:38:43.100 --> 00:38:44.620 He's finite, man. 00:38:44.940 --> 00:38:48.620 He's not omnipotent, he's not omniscient, he's not omnipresent. 00:38:49.580 --> 00:38:51.020 He does not have this. 00:38:51.020 --> 00:38:52.620 He's at such a disadvantage. 00:38:53.340 --> 00:38:57.900 But his advantage is can I blind the church from ever getting into this? 00:38:57.980 --> 00:39:00.700 Can I blind the church from ever getting into this? 00:39:00.700 --> 00:39:02.380 Because if they get into this they will know. 00:39:03.580 --> 00:39:05.260 That is his advantage, blinding. 00:39:05.980 --> 00:39:10.860 Ephesians 2 talks about it that the God of this world has blinded people. 00:39:10.860 --> 00:39:12.140 It's talking about unbelievers. 00:39:12.140 --> 00:39:16.380 Unfortunately the God of this world has also blinded Christians from discovering this 00:39:16.380 --> 00:39:19.020 so that they walk around in relative darkness. 00:39:21.100 --> 00:39:27.260 Wisdom and knowledge and counsel and understanding have brilliant light to it. 00:39:27.340 --> 00:39:30.540 You can imagine what was happening during creation. 00:39:31.980 --> 00:39:38.700 One of the places where you see all this displayed openly is when God begins to talk to Job 00:39:38.700 --> 00:39:42.940 from Job chapter 38 to Job chapter 41. 00:39:42.940 --> 00:39:49.580 He just puts on the writs, man, when it comes to wisdom, understanding, counsel, and knowledge. 00:39:49.580 --> 00:39:52.220 He says, so you tell me how did this happen? 00:39:52.220 --> 00:39:53.180 How did I do this? 00:39:53.180 --> 00:39:53.980 How did I do that? 00:39:54.780 --> 00:39:57.820 He could see all the complex parts working together. 00:39:57.820 --> 00:40:03.500 You're talking about one galaxy with a few million stars and the solar system 00:40:03.500 --> 00:40:09.500 being kept in place, consisted in him moving around at certain, not at certain speeds, 00:40:09.500 --> 00:40:11.820 at breakneck speeds that would snap your neck. 00:40:14.460 --> 00:40:15.820 And he keeps it going. 00:40:16.460 --> 00:40:21.420 What kind of wisdom it is that has the ability to see the relationship between complex, 00:40:21.420 --> 00:40:28.460 inanimate, non-living parts, leave alone this body that is so blooming complex 00:40:28.460 --> 00:40:34.540 that the way you hear my voice and the way I see you and the millions of rods and cones in my eyes 00:40:35.180 --> 00:40:36.860 that allow me to see you, leave alone. 00:40:37.900 --> 00:40:41.500 And now I can't, but not as well. 00:40:41.500 --> 00:40:44.540 But the point is, man, it is something else. 00:40:51.500 --> 00:40:56.860 Which is why God has a right to say, you can easily see me and my wisdom 00:40:57.740 --> 00:41:03.820 in my handiwork, in creation, and you have no excuse left when you say 00:41:07.420 --> 00:41:08.540 that there is no God. 00:41:08.540 --> 00:41:12.060 Only a fool says there is no God. 00:41:21.660 --> 00:41:22.460 Might. 00:41:25.500 --> 00:41:27.340 Talks about being the spirit of might. 00:41:27.980 --> 00:41:28.620 Might. 00:41:31.260 --> 00:41:36.060 Hey, healing, know that the wisdom of God is involved. 00:41:37.340 --> 00:41:41.900 He was striped for our healing, but in his wisdom, he knows how every part works 00:41:41.900 --> 00:41:45.900 and he is able to reconstruct and mend so beautifully. 00:41:46.860 --> 00:41:48.620 Go to Psalm 139, what do you see? 00:41:48.940 --> 00:41:50.780 Go to Psalm 139, what do you see? 00:41:51.900 --> 00:41:55.900 I marvel at how you formed my unformed parts. 00:41:57.180 --> 00:41:58.140 Psalm 139. 00:42:00.700 --> 00:42:05.820 It is just, it just weaves in and out this thing called wisdom throughout the Bible. 00:42:09.180 --> 00:42:14.140 For you created me and my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. 00:42:14.140 --> 00:42:17.580 I praise you because I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. 00:42:17.580 --> 00:42:18.700 Your works are wonderful. 00:42:18.700 --> 00:42:19.660 I know that full well. 00:42:19.660 --> 00:42:21.420 My frame was not hidden from you. 00:42:21.420 --> 00:42:25.660 When I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 00:42:25.660 --> 00:42:27.900 your eyes saw my unformed body. 00:42:27.900 --> 00:42:31.820 All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to me. 00:42:31.820 --> 00:42:34.620 How precious to me are your thoughts of God. 00:42:34.620 --> 00:42:36.300 How vast is the sum of them. 00:42:37.340 --> 00:42:41.020 He's able to see so far down the line and there's this, there's this, 00:42:41.900 --> 00:42:47.020 there's this classic Jacob that he has made that he's hoping can happen. 00:42:47.820 --> 00:42:51.260 Before Jacob leaves the earth with the help of the sevenfold Holy Spirit, 00:42:51.900 --> 00:42:58.620 there's this classic Acts 29 that he has formed and he's hoping that before the rapture 00:43:00.540 --> 00:43:06.220 based on whether you believe it's pre pan or whatever post before that happens, 00:43:06.220 --> 00:43:11.420 can Acts 29 become the bride that I've dreamt her to be. 00:43:12.780 --> 00:43:17.020 But they can because they are working with my Holy Spirit, who is the spirit of wisdom of knowledge, 00:43:17.020 --> 00:43:18.620 of council and understanding and might. 00:43:26.700 --> 00:43:27.340 Everything okay? 00:43:29.660 --> 00:43:29.980 Okay. 00:43:31.420 --> 00:43:33.500 Might is the moral authority. 00:43:33.500 --> 00:43:39.260 Might is the moral authority and the forcefulness 00:43:40.700 --> 00:43:44.780 or the power and the forcefulness or the power 00:43:45.260 --> 00:43:54.860 required or exerted to execute, exerted to execute 00:43:58.540 --> 00:44:07.580 God's will and decisions and wisdom and council on earth. 00:44:08.060 --> 00:44:12.060 All these things that we talked about, it's great that a person has all that, 00:44:12.060 --> 00:44:15.500 but if they don't have the power to bring it to pass, then it's pointless. 00:44:16.140 --> 00:44:17.260 Then you only write books. 00:44:20.300 --> 00:44:22.220 That is a sharp jab at. 00:44:26.300 --> 00:44:26.780 Yeah. 00:44:28.300 --> 00:44:30.700 Then you only write books, but when you have 00:44:32.780 --> 00:44:39.340 the power, the moral authority and the forcefulness to execute God's wisdom filled decisions against 00:44:39.340 --> 00:44:45.420 all opposition for good, against all opposition for good, against all opposition for good. 00:44:46.940 --> 00:44:47.580 That's might. 00:44:48.460 --> 00:44:49.820 And what are we saying here? 00:44:49.820 --> 00:44:51.900 We're saying the Holy Spirit is the spirit of might. 00:44:52.940 --> 00:45:05.260 All these things, and then he's a spirit of might saying, okay, so by the way, guys, now that you've arrived at this point where you know I am upon you, where you know I'm supplying you wisdom, understanding, council and knowledge. 00:45:05.260 --> 00:45:10.620 Now I also want you to know that I do have tremendous power. 00:45:12.140 --> 00:45:21.020 With this power, I have the ability to forcefully execute God's wisdom filled decisions against all opposition for good. 00:45:21.020 --> 00:45:22.700 So do you want to participate with me? 00:45:24.780 --> 00:45:28.540 Now, finally, the fear of the Lord, the fear of the Lord. 00:45:28.540 --> 00:45:35.820 Fear of the Lord. 00:45:37.900 --> 00:45:38.700 Fear of the Lord. 00:45:39.180 --> 00:45:45.980 We can combine the Old Testament and the New Testament definitions so that we leave neither out. 00:45:46.460 --> 00:45:49.180 On one hand, it is the recognition. 00:45:49.180 --> 00:45:57.260 On one hand, it is the recognition of his absoluteness and his holiness. 00:45:59.020 --> 00:46:07.900 And our unholiness and our unworthiness. 00:46:08.860 --> 00:46:11.100 So that's one way to look at it. 00:46:11.100 --> 00:46:24.780 It's this idea of you are so absolutely absolute, and I'm so absolutely unworthy, and you are so absolutely holy, and I'm so absolutely unholy. 00:46:24.780 --> 00:46:34.140 To not grovel in it, but to be aware of it. 00:46:34.140 --> 00:46:37.900 And I don't lose sight of that. 00:46:37.900 --> 00:47:03.660 And then on the other hand, the fear of the Lord by New Testament standards is the dread of grieving the one I love and revere or adore. 00:47:03.660 --> 00:47:05.100 Revere is better. 00:47:05.100 --> 00:47:12.780 From a New Testament perspective, the fear of the Lord is the dread of grieving the one I love. 00:47:12.780 --> 00:47:15.100 Because I love him because I know how much he loves me. 00:47:15.100 --> 00:47:17.740 It just bothers me, it pains me. 00:47:17.740 --> 00:47:22.380 I'm the dread of grieving the one I love because I can't bear it. 00:47:22.380 --> 00:47:29.260 I can't bear to grieve the one I love and the one I revere or adore. 00:47:29.260 --> 00:47:37.660 You combine those two and you have this beautiful thing called the fear of the Lord. 00:47:37.660 --> 00:47:39.660 Teach your children both. 00:47:39.660 --> 00:47:42.220 Teach your children both. 00:47:42.220 --> 00:47:48.460 To teach them one or the other leaves them in a place where they miss out on who God is, man. 00:47:48.460 --> 00:47:49.980 Teach them both. 00:47:59.340 --> 00:48:07.180 So as I was saying, Job 38-41 is this magnificent description of God's wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel and might. 00:48:07.180 --> 00:48:14.220 And Job 42 is when Job, after hearing this, comes back to the fear of the Lord saying, 00:48:14.220 --> 00:48:16.220 I am sorry, I misspoke. 00:48:16.220 --> 00:48:18.940 You are something else. 00:48:18.940 --> 00:48:23.980 And then he once again begins to revere God as he always did. 00:48:24.060 --> 00:48:31.340 Only now it is not out of a fear of what may happen, but it is out of a dread of the one that he has just had a conversation with. 00:48:39.340 --> 00:48:43.100 We'll continue the rest later, but I just have one question for you. 00:48:45.980 --> 00:48:52.700 So please tell people who tune in tomorrow, hey, did you listen to last evening's part one? 00:48:52.780 --> 00:48:55.980 What? No. Where were you? Probation. 00:48:55.980 --> 00:49:02.860 And then after that say, all right, let's just go listen to it over the next two days and you'll be fine. 00:49:02.860 --> 00:49:07.100 If not, probation. 00:49:15.100 --> 00:49:17.100 Here's a question I want to ask you. 00:49:17.100 --> 00:49:20.540 If you can ask for anything, what would you ask? 00:49:20.540 --> 00:49:40.060 If you can ask, if you can ask God for anything, what would you ask? 00:49:40.060 --> 00:49:42.060 Ask. And why? 00:49:42.060 --> 00:49:58.380 Think about that for a second. If you could ask God for anything, what would you ask and why? 00:50:06.620 --> 00:50:07.820 Write it down if you want to. 00:50:08.780 --> 00:50:12.620 Try not to go wholly on God because he knows your actual heart. 00:50:21.500 --> 00:50:27.420 Because Manoj, Don and Prafula are thinking wife, but they're writing, serving you. 00:50:28.620 --> 00:50:31.740 So that's what I meant. Don't go wholly on God. 00:50:37.980 --> 00:50:43.420 They're still laughing because the heart just got exposed. 00:50:55.500 --> 00:50:59.980 What's the question? If you can ask God for anything, what would you ask and why? 00:50:59.980 --> 00:51:08.540 I got this right once. I got it wrong many times, but I got it right once. 00:51:08.540 --> 00:51:12.780 I remember once I'm interrupting while you're thinking. 00:51:12.780 --> 00:51:31.580 Smooth on probation. 00:51:42.780 --> 00:51:53.580 I've had God ask me this question a few times in the last 33 years. 00:51:53.580 --> 00:51:56.380 What do you want to ask me? I'll give it to you. 00:51:56.380 --> 00:52:04.380 A couple of times I asked and I got what I wanted, but then the third time it was like a gotcha moment where I knew how I should respond. 00:52:04.380 --> 00:52:08.380 So I want to take you to 2 Chronicles 1, 7-13. 00:52:09.180 --> 00:52:17.180 We'll end with that. 2 Chronicles 1, 7-13. 00:52:17.180 --> 00:52:37.180 Let people find 2 Chronicles because some of you don't believe there's a book like that, so I'll give you a little more time. 00:52:37.180 --> 00:52:45.180 2 Chronicles 1, 7-13. 00:52:45.180 --> 00:52:57.180 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, Ask for whatever you want me to give you. Solomon answered God. 00:52:57.180 --> 00:53:01.180 Solomon answered God, You have shown great kindness to David my father. 00:53:01.180 --> 00:53:05.180 I'm going to read from the message if you want to switch to the message. 00:53:11.180 --> 00:53:15.180 2 Chronicles 1, 7-13. 00:53:15.180 --> 00:53:17.180 From the message. 00:53:17.180 --> 00:53:23.180 That night God appeared to Solomon. God said, What do you want from me? 00:53:23.180 --> 00:53:33.180 Ask. Solomon answered, You were extravagantly generous with David my father, and now you've made me king in his place. 00:53:33.180 --> 00:53:41.180 Establish God the words you spoke to my father, for you have given me a staggering task, ruling this mob of people. 00:53:41.180 --> 00:53:47.180 Yes, give me wisdom and knowledge as I come and go among these people. 00:53:47.180 --> 00:53:53.180 For who on his own is capable of leading these, your glorious people? 00:53:53.180 --> 00:53:57.180 God answered Solomon, This is what has come out of your heart? 00:53:57.180 --> 00:54:01.180 You didn't grasp for money, wealth, fame, and the doom of your enemies. 00:54:01.180 --> 00:54:09.180 You didn't even ask for a long life. You asked for wisdom and knowledge, so you could govern well my people over whom I've made your king. 00:54:09.180 --> 00:54:13.180 Because of this, you get what you asked for, wisdom and knowledge. 00:54:13.180 --> 00:54:21.180 And I'm presenting you the rest as a bonus. Money, wealth, fame, beyond anything the kings before or after you had or will have. 00:54:21.180 --> 00:54:27.180 Then Solomon left the worship center at Gibeon and the tent of meeting and went to Jerusalem. 00:54:27.180 --> 00:54:36.180 He set to work as a king of Israel. People really don't know that this was the key to the golden reign of Israel. 00:54:36.180 --> 00:54:46.180 This was the golden era of Israel. People don't know that it started with something as simple as this. 00:54:46.180 --> 00:54:56.180 Instead of asking for what he received, he asked for something else and received more than any king has ever received on the earth till today. 00:54:56.180 --> 00:55:04.180 There has been no one wiser, no one richer than Solomon, which didn't ensure the second half of his life. 00:55:04.180 --> 00:55:18.180 Because he did not apply the knowledge he accessed. He received revealed truth, but he did not apply it in his latter days. 00:55:18.180 --> 00:55:25.180 But my god man, this guy was so smart. When the king of the universe asked him, what do you want? 00:55:25.180 --> 00:55:30.180 Now do you see why Aladdin and all those stories are so sucky? 00:55:31.180 --> 00:55:37.180 Rubber ring, rubber lamp, a genie comes out of it, asks for riches. 00:55:37.180 --> 00:55:45.180 That's why we end up asking for these things. Give me fame, help me win a thousand people, help me build 200 churches. 00:55:45.180 --> 00:55:51.180 Ask for wisdom man and he'll give you that also. Yeah? 00:55:51.180 --> 00:55:57.180 It's brilliant what Solomon did here. Let's pray. 00:55:57.180 --> 00:55:59.180 Let's pray. 00:56:01.180 --> 00:56:07.180 Father, we just want to take a few minutes understanding the weightiness of what you're inviting us to. 00:56:07.180 --> 00:56:09.180 And then we'll pray. 00:56:11.180 --> 00:56:17.180 Solomon asked for it because he wanted to govern your people well. 00:56:18.180 --> 00:56:24.180 There's something absolutely unselfish about what he asked. 00:56:24.180 --> 00:56:27.180 Because most kings would not ask for that. 00:56:30.180 --> 00:56:32.180 But he asked for it. 00:56:34.180 --> 00:56:37.180 We don't have kingdoms to rule over. 00:56:37.180 --> 00:56:41.180 We have the entire earth father to shepherd. 00:56:41.180 --> 00:56:45.180 This church was meant to shepherd the earth. 00:56:45.180 --> 00:56:49.180 Starting from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria to the ends of the earth. 00:56:49.180 --> 00:57:00.180 I pray that I as the pastor and we as a church would recognize the weight of wisdom that you're willing to release to us so that we walk well. 00:57:03.180 --> 00:57:07.180 There's a story of a man in the book of Ecclesiastes. 00:57:08.180 --> 00:57:12.180 Who nobody knew who was poor but who had wisdom. 00:57:12.180 --> 00:57:15.180 And he saved the city. Nobody knew about him. 00:57:15.180 --> 00:57:18.180 But the city was saved because of his wisdom. 00:57:18.180 --> 00:57:22.180 And Solomon writes it. He writes it almost with a sense of regret. 00:57:22.180 --> 00:57:26.180 Saying that one who does not have wealth will not be remembered. 00:57:26.180 --> 00:57:28.180 And that is fine with us father. 00:57:28.180 --> 00:57:31.180 We are completely cool with not being remembered. 00:57:31.180 --> 00:57:34.180 But we definitely want wisdom to save cities. 00:57:35.180 --> 00:57:40.180 I just pray that each person in this church ponder it for a second as they listen. 00:57:40.180 --> 00:57:43.180 And then I'll end with prayer. And I need wisdom to pray. 00:58:04.180 --> 00:58:29.180 So sevenfold Spirit of God. 00:58:29.180 --> 00:58:35.180 Holy Spirit, you who have these seven brilliant characteristics. 00:58:35.180 --> 00:58:38.180 We as a church come to you. 00:58:43.180 --> 00:58:51.180 Ask that you would now open the doors for us to step into this invitation. 00:58:51.180 --> 00:58:57.180 That you, O God, would give us the capacity to walk in these divine characteristics. 00:58:57.180 --> 00:59:00.180 The Spirit of the Lord is upon us. 00:59:00.180 --> 00:59:11.180 That you would give us wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, might, and wisdom. 00:59:11.180 --> 00:59:23.180 Understanding, knowledge, counsel, might, and the fear of God. 00:59:23.180 --> 00:59:26.180 Holy Spirit, could you give us this? 00:59:26.180 --> 00:59:32.180 Could you give us this so that it trickles into our parenting, into our dealing with problems, into the revival, 00:59:32.180 --> 00:59:38.180 into the words that we need to speak, into how we see situations in the world, 00:59:38.180 --> 00:59:44.180 into how we pray, into how we think, into establishing, founding, building, furnishing. 00:59:44.180 --> 00:59:50.180 For your name's sake. Nothing for us. For your name's sake. 00:59:50.180 --> 00:59:55.180 So we come and we say with Solomon. We read from what we read. 00:59:55.180 --> 00:59:58.180 Aware and how it applies. 00:59:58.180 --> 01:00:00.180 Spirit of God, would you release it to us? 01:00:00.180 --> 01:00:03.180 That tonight you, O God, are appearing to us. 01:00:03.180 --> 01:00:06.180 And you're asking us, what do you want from me? 01:00:06.180 --> 01:00:07.180 Ask. 01:00:07.180 --> 01:00:12.180 And we are saying, you've been extravagantly generous with us, O God. 01:00:12.180 --> 01:00:16.180 You've been a father. You've been our king. 01:00:16.180 --> 01:00:19.180 You've established us. 01:00:19.180 --> 01:00:22.180 But you have given us a staggering task. 01:00:22.180 --> 01:00:25.180 A task of a global revival. 01:00:25.180 --> 01:00:30.180 A task of shepherding your people, bringing them back to you. 01:00:30.180 --> 01:00:35.180 So we ask that you give us wisdom and knowledge. 01:00:35.180 --> 01:00:41.180 As we come and go among these people in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth, 01:00:41.180 --> 01:00:43.180 who is capable of this? 01:00:43.180 --> 01:00:49.180 Who is capable of this glorious task that you've assigned to us? 01:00:49.180 --> 01:00:51.180 And then you answer to God. 01:00:51.180 --> 01:00:56.180 You said, this is actually what is coming out of your heart, Jacob. 01:00:56.180 --> 01:00:58.180 Coming out of your heart, Acts 29. 01:00:58.180 --> 01:01:03.180 You didn't grasp for more people, for money, for wealth, for fame, 01:01:03.180 --> 01:01:06.180 or even the doom of your enemies. 01:01:06.180 --> 01:01:11.180 You didn't even ask for things to go well with your church in terms of long life. 01:01:11.180 --> 01:01:16.180 You asked for wisdom and knowledge so you could govern well here on earth. 01:01:16.180 --> 01:01:22.180 Because of this, I will give you what you've asked for, wisdom and knowledge. 01:01:22.180 --> 01:01:27.180 But I'm also presenting you and the families of this church and those connected with you. 01:01:27.180 --> 01:01:29.180 The rest of it is a bonus. 01:01:29.180 --> 01:01:32.180 Money, wealth, fame, beyond anything. 01:01:32.180 --> 01:01:34.180 The kings before are after you. 01:01:34.180 --> 01:01:36.180 The churches before are after you. 01:01:36.180 --> 01:01:38.180 You will not have what you have had. 01:01:38.180 --> 01:01:45.180 Then, Acts 29, left the worship center at Gibeon in Vancouver, 01:01:45.180 --> 01:01:48.180 and the tent of meeting that we are presently occupying, 01:01:48.180 --> 01:01:50.180 and went back home. 01:01:50.180 --> 01:01:56.180 And we began to work at what God had told us to. 01:01:56.180 --> 01:02:00.180 But before we leave, should we sing or should we not sing? 01:02:00.180 --> 01:02:02.180 Let's leave. 01:02:02.180 --> 01:02:04.180 Let's leave. 01:02:04.180 --> 01:02:06.180 See you tomorrow, part two. 01:02:06.180 --> 01:02:11.180 Remember to tell people, you've got to hear part one so that you can build part two. 01:02:11.180 --> 01:02:15.180 Yeah? So tomorrow is Sardis, part two. 01:02:15.180 --> 01:02:19.180 Later guys, we'll be breaking bread tomorrow. 01:02:19.180 --> 01:02:22.180 See, it was shorter than usual.