So, okay, so we are still with a topic for the next seven weeks.
We'll be talking about teleos, which, like I said, means to bring to completion or to maturity,
to bring to completion, to bring to an end, to bring to maturity, to perfect.
That's what the word teleos means.
So, that's the topic we are on.
I just want to thank guys like Prashant and Mohini and Pawan, Sue, Joan.
These guys decided to stay back instead of joining the service, so that some of us could participate.
So, thank you guys.
So, teleos means to bring to completion or maturity.
And so, if teleos means to bring to completion, we said last week that Isaiah 46.10,
where God says that I make known the end from the beginning, is the best place to start.
If we can know what completion looks like, we can go to the end and begin to work from there.
And God says, listen guys, I make known the end from the beginning.
As in, I do give you the final picture.
I do show you what is at the end of the horizon.
I do show you that, so you have an idea of what you're walking towards.
And so, this week, we want to talk about government.
What does it look like when we talk about God's government?
And I'm going to write with my finger and see if it works.
But if it doesn't, I'd love it if someone could get me a pen.
Guys, Derek can only do this much.
Truffle.
So today, we want to talk about government,
because we don't realize how critical and important it is to the heart of God.
And so, there's a very well-run, highly organized church.
Administrational skills are like top of the line, eh?
Manoj, is he on camera?
So, the word government comes from a word,
which means to steer with a rudder.
That's the sense of the word.
That's where the word government comes from.
To steer with a rudder.
If we were to define it, we would define it as a system.
A system under which the right to make laws
and the right to enforce laws
is given to or vested in a group or a select group
living in a community, a nation or a city.
So, we're trying to look at what does God's government look like?
We hear this scripture often quoted during Christmas,
Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,
and the government shall be upon his shoulders.
We realize through that scripture that our shucks, this is important to God
because at the moment of the birth of his son,
who came to change the history of mankind,
it starts with this line, to us a child is born,
to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders.
So, we need to explore this idea of,
so what did you mean, oh God, when you said
the government shall be upon his shoulders?
And so, kubanau is a word they use for government.
It means to steer with a rudder, as in it begins to direct the entire ship, eh?
And it's a system under which the right to make laws
and the right to enforce laws is vested in, or given to,
a particular group that resides in a city, a community or a nation.
Any questions?
Okay, so now let's look at Christ and see if he fits this definition.
We said last week that based on Ephesians 1.20-23 from the message,
which I quoted it from, Ephesians 1.20-23,
we said last week that everything is under his feet.
That's equation one.
Second equation, he is the head of the church.
Third equation, he films, speaks, acts primarily through the church,
through his body.
Fourth, if that is the case, then the church is not peripheral to the world.
Fifth equation, the world is peripheral to the church.
Does this make sense? If it doesn't, tell me why.
This is what government looks like.
Ephesians 1.20-23 says, everything is placed under his feet.
Everything is placed under his feet.
So let's assume this is Christ, then everything, every name that is named,
every power that exists, every title, every rank, every principality,
every prince, every king, every local government, every known government on earth,
everything is placed under the feet of Christ.
That's the first thing. There's no contesting that.
Then we find out that he, Christ,
is the head of the church, which is his body.
And in this body, he fills with his presence, he speaks through this body,
and he acts through this body, and he has been given his head to this body,
and he is above everything that exists. Everything is under his feet.
If that is the case, then if Christ is the ultimate supreme being that exists
without beginning or end, and he exists over everything else,
and he is the head of the body, and he speaks through the body,
he acts through the body, he fills the body with his very presence,
then it follows then that the place where he dwells or the body that he occupies
is not peripheral to the world, but the world is peripheral to the church.
Any questions?
You've got to understand this logically, because that way at least
we won't think this is pie in the sky.
It's that A is equal to B, B is equal to C, so the A is equal to C thing,
which I think was how it went 40 years ago.
Any questions on that, guys?
This is government.
Any disagreements?
Okay.
I'm assuming you guys are being sincere.
Okay.
Isaiah 9 verses 2 to 5 gives us the backdrop for that amazing statement in verse 6 and 7.
So if you go to Isaiah 9, verse 2 to 5, you realize that the backdrop for the ultimate passage
announcing government is a backdrop or an environment of arrogance,
of war, of oppression, of darkness and coercion, and into that is introduced a child-like son.
So let's go to Isaiah 9.
It's almost as if the darker the circumstances, the more God rubs his hands with glee.
So let's start Isaiah 9, verse 2 to 5, which will give you an idea of how things were during those days.
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.
Those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned on them.
You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy.
They rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of millions' defeat you have shattered the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressors.
So that's what happened with the arrival of this child.
But look at it. There was a yoke upon them, there were burdens upon them,
there was a bar upon their shoulders, as in shackles, the rod of the oppressor was upon them,
darkness was upon them, and every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning, will be fuel for fire.
So it was during a time of oppression that this verse now comes to life.
And then it says,
To us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be upon his shoulders.
And he will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing it and upholding it
with justice and righteousness, from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish it.
So the government that he sets up, guys, this is a beautiful thing.
In the darkness, in the oppression, in the arrogance, in the deep darkness that is upon
the earth, at that time comes a child-like son.
Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given the...
What is trying to be conveyed is, hey, listen, I'll send you one who is child-like,
but he is my son and he will come to bear upon his shoulders the authority to both draft the law,
and to enforce it.
This is who Christ is.
It's pathetic when we don't step into all that Christ is.
It's like having a pair of alligator boots gilded with platinum that makes music when
you step into it and you leave it there and don't step into it.
I don't know whether I'd go for shoes like that, but anyways, what I was trying to say is,
it's like having this amazing thing that you don't drive.
Alligator boots with platinum gilding playing music.
No, I'm quite sure I won't go for that.
So the government that he sets up isn't a republic, it isn't a democracy,
it isn't an autocracy, it's not even a monarchy, because we normally think
if he's a king of kings, this must be a monarchy.
It's not.
It is actually a government called God with us.
This should thrill you, man.
It's a very odd thing that Jesus has come to set up.
He ain't saying that, listen, I want to be king, I want to be dictator,
I want to be the guy who orders you around.
No, he says, listen, the government that I'm coming to set up is a God with us government.
He's going to indwell certain people through whom he will rule.
It's a God with us government.
So to us, a child is born and this child happens to manifest the presence of God in our midst.
And he rules in our midst.
Unto us a child is born who manifests the presence of God in our midst and he rules in our midst by the Spirit.
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament concur on his absolute sovereignty.
If you go to the New Testament, it's the same thing.
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament concur on his absolute sovereignty.
If you go to Isaiah 9 verse 6 and you read it from the message, look at what it says,
he'll take over the running of the world.
He'll take over the running of the world.
That's what Isaiah 9, 6 from the message says.
He'll take over the running of the world.
And then look at what Ephesians 1, that's Isaiah 9, 6.
The Old Testament said, listen, you guys, the one who lives in you, the one who is coming,
the one who we are sending to Bethlehem, he is one who will take over the running of the world.
That's in Isaiah.
Thousands of years later, Paul in Ephesians 1 verse 21 says, God set him in charge.
God set him again from the message.
God set him in charge of running the universe from galaxies to governments.
From galaxies to governments.
No power exempt from his rule.
Awesome, eh?
This is who he is.
And he desperately wants the body to begin to think like this because he knows this,
his father knows it, the spirit of God knows it, the devil knows it.
The devil knows it so well that he said, hey, any chance that you can worship me
because I can give you all these kingdoms like you don't have to go to the cross.
So the devil knows it, the father knows it, the son knows it, the spirit knows it,
the demons know it.
Son of God, which is basically Messiah, anointed one, have you come to torment us before our time
because they know there's a time that awaits.
Well, the ones that perhaps know it and don't want to explore or discover it because
worship is good enough, this body that chooses not to delve into this.
And yet in Isaiah 9, 6, it says he'll take over the running of the world.
In Ephesians 1, 21, it says God set him in charge of running the universe
from galaxies to governments.
No power exempt from his rule.
Any questions?
And this ruler, the Christ, is the same one who fills the body with his presence.
He fills the body with his presence.
He speaks through the body and he acts through the body, meaning, let's say that the world,
the rest of the world disappeared and all that was left was South Vancouver.
Like, yeah, something happened and all that's left is South Vancouver.
And that would mean that Christ would begin to, and the only church that is left is us.
Which would mean then that Christ would begin to speak through, act through, and fill this group
of people because that's how he is going to govern the rest of what happens outside.
Now let's bring the whole world back and all the other churches back.
And now you have the church, the body of Christ here on earth, having the privilege of letting
Jesus Christ speak through, act through, and fill us with his presence so that he can rule and govern.
No power exempt from galaxies to governments across the earth right now.
A day will come and everything will come to an amazing conclusion.
But while that is happening, we still don't abrogate our responsibility.
Any questions?
Not abrogate, abdicate.
Any questions?
Please believe this, it's true.
Okay, so what does this government look like?
What is its nature?
The nature of the government is the nature of the governor.
So we're going to look at that.
What does this government look like?
Because if you belong to a certain government, you should know what it looks like.
The nature of the government is the nature of the governor.
So here's what it looks like.
One, and it's all in these two scriptures, Man, Isaiah 9, 6, and 7.
The nature of the government emerges from the nature of the governor.
Here's the nature of the governor.
Amazing counselor.
Which means that when it comes to this government and when it comes to the church,
which is supposed to be an embassy of the government,
then in the sewage pit of human thinking,
this government has, or the people who belong to this kingdom have amazing divine wisdom.
You should hunger after it, eh?
Christians should stand out as people who have unusual wisdom.
You think that's not possible?
In a time when the Holy Spirit did not indwell people,
there was still a man called Daniel who was very ordinary,
just like some of you.
There was another man called Joseph.
There was another man called Mordecai, all in the Old Testament.
These were men who in times when human thinking was at its peak in Babylon,
peak in Egypt, peak in Rome,
when human thinking was at its peak,
these guys displayed amazing wisdom, divine wisdom.
Yearn for it.
As a pastor, one of the things, because that's my vocation,
one of the things I want to do is build here correctly so that I can show people
the wisdom that is required to build up a people, a God here on earth.
In your line of work, seek that kind of wisdom.
Are you a dancer?
Seek wisdom in dancing.
Are you a dentist?
Seek wisdom in dealing with your patients.
At the end of the day, it's not so much your vocation,
it is how do I use my vocation to draw people into the wisdom of God.
So it doesn't matter whether you're working or not working,
whether you're paid or not paid.
This is an outstanding mark of the people of God.
Ephesians 3 10 puts it this way.
Ephesians 3 10 says that the church or the body of Christ is the body of God.
The body of Christ is supposed to display the manifold wisdom of God.
Two authorities, two angels, two powers.
I got a message yesterday from the ruler of a certain
place outside of Canada.
And here's what his assistant wrote.
He wrote, today is this particular ruler's birthday.
Is there any chance that you could write something and send it for him?
Why?
Because in the past, he's seen the wisdom of God change the man's life.
On his birthday, he wants to know if he can get a little more from the wisdom of God,
that can help this ruler.
And so I told him, I'll get it done by Monday.
I'm hoping God will get it done by Monday.
Because it's divine wisdom, right?
I can only suck up to him.
God doesn't need to.
So God will come up with brilliant stuff for him.
You have no idea how this government and this kingdom treasures wisdom.
You read the book of Proverbs, man.
What do you think brought Solomon the kind of riches and the acclaim that he had?
Wisdom.
Queen Sheba comes to his palace and says,
I had heard of this, but till I saw it, I didn't believe it.
Man, you blow my mind.
That's what wisdom does.
It blows people's minds.
Like divine wisdom.
Ephesians 3.10, like I said, angels, demonic powers, principalities,
yearn to listen to the wisdom that comes from the body of Christ.
If you don't believe it, read it.
It says so there, Ephesians 3.10.
And so we begin to proclaim it.
We proclaim it through our life responses.
Much wisdom is actually betrayed through the way you respond to a situation.
What are the first words that come from your mouth?
What are the first emotions that come out of you?
What is your first response?
We are actually first responders for the kingdom.
What is the first response that comes out of you when you're in a difficult situation?
Because the world watches your response.
If it is the same as the world with prayer at the beginning and the end,
then we are no different.
We proclaim wisdom through our lives and our words,
and it affects prostitutes and it affects kings.
I mean, remember that story in 1 Kings 3,
where these two prostitutes come with one baby saying,
this is my baby, this is my baby, and they start arguing.
And what does Solomon do?
He does not pull out a sword.
He pulls out wisdom.
Same with Paul.
Paul is in Acts 26, and he is before Agrippa and Festus, Roman kings.
And he begins to speak to the point that Agrippa says to him,
listen, you're beginning to almost convert me.
This truth is too much for me.
I'm going to back off.
I don't want to hear anymore.
People will either receive or reject the wisdom that comes from your mouth,
but this is what the body should be known by.
I pray, God, that you sitting here have the ability to do this.
But here, remember this, in a multitude of words, there is sin.
So maybe one of the things we can do is measure our words a little more.
The more the words, the more the sin.
The less the words, the more the wisdom,
which doesn't mean the sermon will be any shorter.
I could see where your mind was going.
The next thing it says about this government,
wonderful counselor, mighty king, mighty king, mighty king.
Mighty king, as in here is a king who has ultimate power.
All power originated with him, man, from him and with him.
Colossians 1.16.
I'm going to read it from the message.
Colossians 1.16.
Listen to what it says.
For everything, absolutely everything, above and below,
visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels,
everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.
He was there before any of it came into existence.
He holds it all together right up to this moment.
And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together
like a head does a body.
He was supreme in the beginning and leading the resurrection parade.
He's supreme in the end.
From beginning to the end, he's there, towering far above everything and everyone.
So spacious is he, so roomy that everything of God finds its proper place in him
without crowding.
Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe,
people and things, animals and atoms get properly fixed and fit together
in vibrant harmonies all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.
Let me read it from the NIV.
I think the way the message rises is brilliant.
But listen to the NIV.
For in him, all things were created, things in heaven and earth,
visible and invisible, thrones and powers, rulers and authorities.
All things have been created through him and for him.
He's before all things and in him, all things hold together.
He's the head of the body, the church.
The point being, guys, when it comes to mighty God,
there's no other king who has as much power because all power originates from him.
Here's the odd thing about Jesus's power.
It is a power so great that he can absorb the evil hurled at him
till there's nothing left to hurl.
You need to be strong to have evil hurled at you.
And still get up.
Isaiah 53, 2 to 10.
Look at the power you have to handle this.
Isaiah 53.
He was looked down on, passed over, suffered, knew pain firsthand.
People turned away, thought he was scum.
Our pains he carried, our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself.
God was punishing him for his failures.
But it was for our sins that he was ripped, torn, crushed.
He took punishment and made us whole.
Through his bruises, we get healed.
He was beaten, he was tortured, he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb being led to slaughter, like a sheep sheared, he took it silently.
Justice miscarried.
He was led off.
He died without a thought for his own welfare.
Beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
Buried with the wicked, thrown into the grave of a rich man.
Even though he had never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn't true,
still it's what God had in mind all along to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he would give himself as an offering for sin so that he would see life come from it.
Life, life and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.
It takes power to receive abuse, till there is no more abuse to receive.
And then it takes power
to take power so great that it disposes other powers.
This Jesus Christ disposes other powers
with vengeance
and zeal.
That's why I said earlier, the Holy Spirit is the most dangerous spirit in the world.
I was listening to this story by a well-known preacher.
He goes to a village in Africa and he's got these seven, eight Baptist boys with him
on a mission trip.
And so he's standing in this village.
It's remote.
It's like in the boonies.
And suddenly a witch doctor comes out.
And he's standing there and he's doing his thingy.
And this guy is a little scared when he sees him.
And when he preaches, he says, the Baptist boys began speaking in tongues immediately.
And so, but they're backing off as this witch doctor approaches.
And this man hasn't dealt with a witch doctor before and he doesn't know what to do.
And he's pleading with God saying, please help me.
I've got no idea what to do.
And then God just drops a song in his head, but it's a very odd song.
And he feels that he should sing it.
And it's a song by the Rolling Stones.
I can't get no satisfaction.
And he starts singing it.
He just keeps repeating that line.
And as he keeps repeating this line, the witch doctor looks at him.
Fear comes on his face.
He turns and starts running like crazy into the mountains.
True story, man.
Point of the story, why should a Mick Jagger song make witch doctors run?
It should be the other way around.
It's because you have no idea how fierce and dangerous this God can be.
What he was trying to prove to this preacher was, listen,
I don't need you to say anything sometimes.
When I am with you, I have the fury, the power and the vengeance dismantled evil.
We're not dismantling people because our fight is not against flesh or blood,
but against powers and rulers and princes and principalities
and invisible forces, headless bodies, some versions say.
This is the nature of this kingdom.
We've got to get accustomed to this.
It cannot be done by one person because Jesus Christ does not dwell in one person.
Yes, he dwells in you, but he resides in his body.
If all of Christ could be found in me and I was all sufficient,
then I would become God, man.
He refuses to do that.
It says he rose again and gave gifts to men.
He distributed himself.
So it's when the whole body begins to think like this that government begins to happen.
Trudeau by himself can do squat.
He needs people around him.
Third one.
This government has a governor who loves being a father.
So the nature of this government is that of a king who reaches out to the earth as a father,
eternal father, wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father.
Remember this, when you meet with people, because this king is made known through the letter
that he has written and the letter happens to be you.
Paul said, you are letters written by us, not with ink, but not with ink on stone,
but on flesh and blood by the spirit.
Remember that this government always seeks to express fatherhood.
A king who reaches out to the earth as a father,
a fatherhood that does not impose, but a fatherhood that sacrifices,
a fatherhood that aims at removing slavery and removing orphanhood,
a fatherhood that exchanges that for sonship.
This is the scripture that Ligy was quoting earlier on, Romans chapter 8, verse 15 to 17.
Romans chapter 8, verse 15 to 17.
Let me read it from the passion translation.
Romans chapter 8, 15 to 17.
And you did not receive the spirit of religious duty,
leading you back into fear of never being good enough.
But you have received the spirit of full acceptance and folding you into the family of God.
And you will never feel orphaned, for he rises up within us.
Our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, beloved father.
For the Holy Spirit makes God's fatherhood real to us,
as he whispers into our innermost being, your God's beloved child.
And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all his treasures,
for indeed we are heirs of God himself.
I've been memorizing this through the week, everlasting.
So if I represent the government of God, I must bring forth these things.
That one, he has amazing counsel.
That he will provide me counsel when I meet with people.
That just is so divine, so full of wisdom, that it makes people think,
ah shucks, how did he get to think like that?
So that they write emails saying, hey, it's this ruler's birthday, do you want to say anything?
They're not asking me to say happy birthday.
They're asking for more, because they've seen what the counsel of God can do.
And they're not from a Christian background.
Second, that he is mighty God.
Man, don't get put off when people abuse Jesus.
He's got so much power, he can take abuse without wilting.
But he also has the power to decimate the enemy.
Like I said, the witch doctor running into the hills listening to Mick Jagger.
He's never used that song ever since.
It's usually been in the name of Jesus since that.
That is a one-off.
It was just to prove that I don't need you to even say things.
The third one is eternal father.
Remember this, guys.
Present him as father.
A king who reaches out to the earth as father.
The church has done such a disfavor to the earth by presenting God as Lord and master.
This is an absolutely essential part of who God is.
But the large part of God is father.
You present Lord and Savior so that you can get to the father.
I've gone over this many times.
But he is first and foremost a father.
You miss out on the fatherhood of God.
You're talking about some other God, not the Christian God.
Therefore, you and I also have to have a fatherly attitude towards people.
Not your father's attitude, your father's attitude.
That will make no sense when they listen to the audio.
Yeah.
People get put off when you say fathers or fathers and sons and stuff like that.
They get put off because they had really bad experiences either with a pastor or with their
own dads.
The truth, though, is that a distorted copy does not destroy the original.
A distorted copy does not tarnish or destroy the original.
So if you need to change the words, use some other words.
But the attitude should be that of the fatherhood of God.
Don't call it fathers and sons.
It puts people off because words conjure images and triggers off certain memories.
Use some other words.
But at the end of the day, the attitude should still be that of the father.
I mean, it doesn't matter what you put before broccoli.
It always triggers out a certain image.
Oh my God.
Prashant and I had deep fried Brussels sprouts at Denny's.
It's still Brussels sprouts, man.
Don't bother.
There's nothing you can do to Brussels sprouts, even if you deep fry them.
Yeah.
The next thing is he's the prince of peace.
But I'm going to call it prince of wholeness because the actual word there is shalom.
Prince of wholeness.
Yeah.
Much loved.
Good sons make good fathers.
The question is how do we remain sons and fathers at the same time?
Good sons make good fathers.
So, receive the father's love so that you can grow up as a much loved son.
A much loved son who grows up in the house of a father who loves him will dream even
when thrown into prison and one day emerge as the prime minister of Egypt.
Joseph had to learn how to dream in his father's house.
That happened to him first.
That allowed him then to go through Potiphar's palace,
Pharaoh's prison, and finally Pharaoh's palace.
Once I learn how to receive the father's love and operate as a much loved son,
it is natural for the father's love to now begin to flow through me.
And if I don't know how to receive the father's love, then there's not much hope for me.
I'll have to really struggle.
Really struggle.
Remember orphans always strive to secure water and food.
What is theirs?
Orphans will always strive.
And orphanhood is the main disease in the world.
Because the moment Adam turned his back on his father,
the earth became an orphanage producing orphans for generations.
And orphanhood is so hard to break.
And circumstances will always force you to think of God as one who is not a father.
Circumstances are engineered by the enemy, by the devil,
to make you think, you thought he would help you?
You thought he really meant he will never leave you or forsake you?
Look at you.
Forsaken, abandoned, rejected.
You've always been an orphan.
But remember, the contest is between the father in heaven and the father of lies.
And then if you end up having an abusive spiritual father or an abusive biological father,
it just messes it up completely.
Or if you end up having an absent father, it messes it up even more.
Or a cynical father.
Now you superimpose that image on him.
And it's just a mess.
Superimpose that image on him.
And it's so hard to peel apart.
Only the Spirit of God can do it.
Prince of Wholeness.
But the strange thing is he brings this wholeness through being crushed.
Isaiah 53, 5.
He brought us wholeness, he brought us shalom, he brought us peace by being crushed.
Odd kind of God, this is, which then means that even we have to understand.
No, first believe this, that this king is a specialist in giving wholeness.
Shalom doesn't just mean, oh I'm feeling peaceful now.
Shalom means wholeness, as in it's a peace inside and it's a wholeness that begins to surround you.
It's a wholeness that is physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, relational.
That kind of wholeness this Christ gives.
Never short circuit your relationship with someone by not giving them this wholeness.
It is the one thing that you possess in aces, man.
And remember, this living water now flows through you.
You're not the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
You're the one in John chapter 7, verse 37 to 39, who has living waters flow from you.
The nature of the water within you, the Spirit within you,
is that it is a Spirit that brings wholeness.
If you don't believe me, read Isaiah 61, verse 1 to 3.
It is wholeness.
It is something that I have and it must be something that people who meet me have an encounter with.
I owe the earth that.
Wholeness.
He's a prince of wholeness.
The delivery mechanism for wholeness is grace and mercy.
As in, when people are not whole, it's best to approach them with grace and mercy if you want wholeness to flow.
Have you noticed all of Paul's letters start that way?
Before he says peace, he says grace.
He always says grace and peace to you.
In 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, both the chapters, chapter 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy,
chapter 1 verse 2, you'll see in both those letters, Paul starts with grace and mercy and peace to you.
There's a definite order to it.
If I want wholeness to enter your life, I have to come towards you with grace and show you mercy.
Otherwise wholeness does not flow.
This is how God has always done it.
How does he bring peace into your life?
Hey, Betty, you want some peace?
Shape up, man.
That's almost never the way God has approached Betty.
At a time when you need wholeness, you don't put...
Oh my...
I went...
When I was in Taiwan, this lady insisted on giving me a head massage because she wanted to be hospitable.
And so she had me lie down on this really narrow bed.
I was so scared I'd fall off.
And then she put two cucumber slices on my eyes and put a cloth that was very aromatic on my nose.
And then took my feet and put it in a machine and my feet started spinning.
And then there was whale music in the background.
And then she came to massage my head.
And she would grab chunks of hair and pull.
That's how this is missing.
So she grabbed this chunk of hair and she pulled it out.
She would grab this chunk of hair and really pull.
And I would...
I didn't know how to...
I was a guest.
They were being very kind and nice.
She'd pull it really hard and I'd go, ouch, ouch.
I was trying to be as kind as possible.
And then she would release it.
And then she would say, feeling better?
Feeling better?
And I would say, yes.
So what else do you say?
And to add insult to injury, at one point she decided my back needed a massage.
She was an older lady so she took her hand, put it right inside my shirt and started massaging my shoulder.
And then for all the things she can say, she said,
Pastor, lot of meat there.
So I've never gone for a massage after that.
I don't know, it just brings back memories.
The point being...
There is a point somewhere here.
The point being, guys, when someone is feeling not peaceful,
you don't go with anything else but grace and mercy.
You don't pull the hair and release it.
And then say, feeling better?
Feeling better? No.
You go with grace and mercy.
Wholeness flows through grace and mercy.
This king is a prince of wholeness.
And in the process,
things get reconciled between God and man
and things get reconciled between man and man.
Next one is justice and righteousness.
Justice and righteousness.
You read in Isaiah 9 verse 7
that he establishes things by justice and righteousness.
The other words that you can actually use for justice and righteousness are fair dealing and right living.
Fair dealing and right living.
It's all good.
Fair dealing and right living.
Guys, if you want to see the justice and righteousness of this kingdom,
go to Isaiah 58, Isaiah 58, 6-12.
Isaiah 58, 6-12.
I'm looking forward to this happening in Wall-E, Isaiah 58, 6-12.
This kingdom, if it doesn't do this,
is not presenting God properly.
Is not this the kind of fasting I've chosen?
To lose the chains of injustice?
Untie the cords of the yoke?
To set the oppressed free?
Break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry?
To provide the poor wanderer with shelter?
When you see the naked, to clothe him?
Not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly appear.
Then your righteousness will go before you
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call and the Lord will answer.
You will cry for help and he will say,
Here am I.
If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger, with malicious talk,
if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry,
satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness
and your night will become like the noon day.
The Lord will guide you always.
He will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age old foundations.
You will be called
repairer of broken walls,
restorer of streets to dwell in.
This is the nature of the story.
This is the nature of this government.
Use your business, use your vocation,
use your contacts, use your relationships
to do this.
You do it in Kohima,
do it in Vancouver,
do it in that other nation close to Vancouver,
White Rock and Surrey,
and do it in places like this.
Just go.
Yeah.
Some jokes you catch, some jokes you don't.
Last statement.
This government is designed
and powered
by the Holy Spirit.
This government is designed and powered
by the Holy Spirit.
It's a very unique government.
It's like Tesla.
It's designed and powered
by the Holy Spirit.
It's like Tesla.
It's designed and powered
by the Holy Spirit.
Go to Isaiah 11.
Isaiah 11. Look at who the Holy Spirit is, man.
Isaiah 11.
Don't worry, we'll go over this again and again and again and again.
Isaiah 11.
Look at verse 2. Look at who the Spirit is.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him.
So he is the Spirit of the Lord.
The Spirit of wisdom.
The Spirit of understanding.
The Spirit of counsel.
The Spirit of power.
The Spirit of knowledge.
And the Spirit of the fear of the Lord.
This is why
Revelations calls him the seven-fold Spirit.
Look at it again.
And it's talking about who Jesus was anointed with
and now who we will be anointed with.
Read from verse 1.
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse.
From his roots a branch
will bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him.
He is the Spirit of the Lord.
The Spirit of wisdom.
Of understanding.
Of counsel.
Of power.
Of knowledge.
And of the fear of the Lord.
And he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes.
Or decide by what he hears with his ears.
I think I'm speaking too fast.
And so I'm going to slow down a little.
You get the picture.
Guys, let these seeds go deep
into our way of thinking.
I know every week we are covering
new ground. And you have hardly
caught up with last week.
But to the week that
is ahead of you, focus on these
things. The Holy Spirit has the
ability to go back
three weeks and dig out a
truth that you may not remember but
you have heard because it has gone into your
spirit. Please understand how this
works. We are not trying
to learn everything from last week and not forget.
We are going over it and
trying to practice it this week. This has
to be practiced this week. Four weeks
down the line, the Holy Spirit will go
and dig into the storehouse of your
spirit and pull out whatever
is necessary. You won't remember it
but you will know it.
So for me, going over this
week is critical
because at some point when it comes to
how God governs, this will come
up. And if
this does, then His
government or His rule
will increase
unlimited through us
because He says of the increase of His
government there shall be no end.
And the
zeal of the Lord will accomplish it. As in
there is a passionate fervency that
Christ has when a church decides
hey Jesus didn't know this about you.
Really want to explore this. Jesus
doesn't sit back and say another day. He says
wow, finally. And he gets
quite passionate about it.
Two minutes to four. Let me end
with this thought. Where will
Christ rule from? According
to Isaiah 9, 7, Christ
will rule from David's
historic throne.
Last week we said
that David's historic throne
is Zion.
Zion used to be a mountain in
Jerusalem. Today, as we
saw last week in Hebrews
12, verse 20 to 23,
today
Zion is the people of God.
This is His favorite resting
place. So where will God rule from?
God will rule from His
throne which is amongst
the people. Like I've said often,
the day the curtain
tore in the temple,
God moved out of a building and moved
into a people.
Hebrews 12,
22 and 23.
And so God has the ability to
with a militant jealousy
bring this to pass.
Hebrews 12, 22 to 23.
And the
zeal of the Lord will make this happen.
Where does He rule from?
He rules from David's historic
throne. That's in Isaiah 9,
verse 7.
So here's the last thought. Guys,
this week, could you begin to
think of the church as an embassy of
this government? Could you begin to
think of this church as the
embassy of this government, embassy
of this kingdom?
Jesus thought so. In Matthew
16, 19, He says to
Peter, Hey Peter, I'm giving you
keys to this government.
He uses the word kingdom. And I want you
to know that whatever you open shall remain
open, whatever you shut shall remain shut.
All you have to do, Peter, is to make sure
that what you open is open in heaven and what you
shut is shut in heaven.
You are now the embassy of this kingdom
here on earth and I'm giving you the keys.
Few weeks later, Peter stands up in the
upper room and for the first time he takes
these keys, he turns it open and the
kingdom is open and 3,000 people come
to Christ that day.
This week, think of yourself
as ambassadors that actually
belong to an embassy
of a certain government that
represents a real kingdom that is
more real than any kingdom on earth.
Think like this.
The Bible calls us that.
In 2 Corinthians 5, 20, it actually
says, therefore we are ambassadors
of Christ and God
makes His appeal through us. Therefore
we are ambassadors of Christ and God makes His appeal
through us. 2 Corinthians 5, 20.
Don't change the
message here, guys. One of the things
ambassadors across the earth are doing nowadays
when it comes to Christianity is
they change the message so that it's not offensive.
You cannot change the message because
it's offensive. But you can
engage
changing culture in a way
that is gracious and merciful
and present your message which
may be received or may be rejected.
But you cannot change the message
so that you can be less offensive.
It would be like the US ambassador
coming to Canada and saying, yeah, yeah, lumber?
Sure. Milk? Sure. Borders open?
Sure. And Trump has said
no lumber, no milk, no borders.
But you don't want to offend Trudeau so you come
and say all these things.
This embassy has only one appeal.
It's a year of favor. It's a year of
jubilee. It's a year of
favor. It's a year of jubilee.
It's a year of restoration.
And then after you announce
that, you should say to them, hey,
come and look at my life. Get a taste
of it.
Two things.
We won't sing, Jane.
Don't worry.
Two things. One,
the appeal or the announcement
this embassy always makes is,
hey, this is the year of favor.
The year of jubilee.
The year of restoration.
It's Groundhog Day.
Ever since Christ came.
Every year is the year of
favor, is the year of restoration,
is the year of jubilee.
It's the 50th year. Things are being
returned. Things are being restored.
That which is stolen is being given back.
New pathways are being opened.
You get a new start, a fresh start.
This is your continuous appeal.
Since Christ rose from the dead,
this is your continuous appeal.
That hostility has
ceased. Come be rescued.
It's beautiful how it works.
You say the father loves you.
Then you say the son has
paid the price and has ended hostility.
Then you say, hey,
be rescued.
Then you say the Holy Spirit
wants to bring you into sonship.
And then you say, come join a group of people
and learn the ways of God.
This is the gospel.
This you cannot change.
What people are doing
now is that they're presenting a
loving God.
And so people die here on Earth
with a lot of love.
But they don't
go further because
you do not present Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior. And you do not present
good and evil. And you do not present
the need to be rescued from sin.
One can die
lovingly in your sin.
And it isn't much use, man.
God put it this way to Isaiah.
They got deep wounds, but people keep saying
peace, peace.
So once you make this appeal, that is the 50th
year, there's a year of restoration.
Hey, listen, if you want anything restored,
you have to admit that something is broken.
After you make that appeal,
this is the final
line.
You should say, come and see, John chapter 1,
verse 39. Hey guys, come and see.
Hey, what time are you leaving tomorrow?
Oh great,
come and see, come to my place tomorrow, we'll have
breakfast.
See?
So I'm inviting them over to my place, saying
come and see. And when they come
tomorrow, they must get a taste
of king and kingdom
in my life, in my lifestyle, in my
conversations, in what I present to them.
They must.
It is not enough to make an appeal and an
announcement. When they come and taste my
life, they must taste the king and the kingdom.
That's why I love
Jesus' line in John chapter 139.
They ask him, Master, where do you live?
He doesn't give them the address. He says,
come and see.
I'll give you my address.
Okay. On that note,
we shall end.
Just put up, open up the door.
I'll just sing the chorus.
Open up
the door,
let the music
play, let the
earth resound
with singing,
songs that bring your
hope, songs
that bring your joy,
dancers
who dance upon injustice.
It's not talking about Jesus, it's talking about
us. Go to the next verse.
Doesn't matter.
And we, and, sorry,
and here we see that
God you're moving,
a time of jubilee
is coming
when young and old
return to Jesus.
Fling wide
you heavenly gates.
We are the gay day.
Prepare the way
of the risen
Lord.
Chorus.
Open up the
doors and let
the music
play, let
the streets
resound with
singing,
songs that bring
your hope
and songs that
bring your joy,
dancers
who dance upon
injustice. You!
See ya.
I'm afraid.
Otherwise, don't hang out on the site
because
my site is way out there.
Don't hang out on this site.
Don't worry.