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NOTE
Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver
Episode: Threshold - Obedience
Publishing Date: 2021-11-14T05:00:44-08:00
Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca
Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/threshold-obedience/

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Cool, guys. So this is the last week we'll be talking about threshold because remember

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what we said that we'll go back to talking about revival once Derek comes back and it

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has nothing to do with Derek, but it's just the timing of things. And there were others

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in this church who felt we should go back to it too. They'd mentioned it. So next week

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on we go back to talking about reviving the nations, reviving this city. Today is the

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last bit on threshold. Here I need the echo kind of taken off. It's beginning to echo

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again. So just for those of us who weren't there for the previous threshold sessions,

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we are saying that every so often there is a threshold that God wants us to cross because

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we live in rooms that he has created for us, but he doesn't want us to stay in the place

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that he has created in the past. He wants us to come to the threshold of a new room

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or a new territory or a new phase in our lives and we need to cross the threshold of the

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new room where we get to explore God all over again because there's plenty to discover

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about God. And the strange thing is over the last six or seven weeks many of you have talked

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to me about how you've entered into new rooms in God. And new rooms in God is just a way

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of, just a phrase. What it means is a new place in God or a new phase in your life or

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a new facet of God that you're beginning to discover or a new assignment from God or

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a new nation from God. For some of us it's nations. And so it depends on where each of

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us is at. And so today we're going to talk about threshold and how obedience plays a

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massive role in crossing thresholds and entering new places in God because God is always on

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the move. Why are there 28 chapters in Acts and why have we named ourselves Acts 29? Simply

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because God is constantly moving. He's opening up new doors. I mean one of the statements

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that was a giveaway was when Jesus said in Matthew 28, Jerusalem did hear some area ends

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of the earth. I remember going up to this guy called Joshua Fowler. He was a very apostolic

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kind of guy from Florida and everybody who had prophesied on me would tell me that I

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was called to the nations and that you have a nation anointing and all this stuff. And

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I didn't know what that meant. So I went up to him and thought, okay, this guy can pray

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for me and I'll start going to nations. And so I went up to him and said, I have a nation

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anointing on me so could you just pray for me? He said, start in Jerusalem and then come

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back another time. I thought to myself, that is not what I wanted to hear. But what he

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was basically saying is, where you are, start. First Jerusalem, finish Jerusalem, then step

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into Judea, then into Samaria, then the ends of the earth. The ends of the earth don't

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happen first. You start with Jerusalem. Once you establish things in Jerusalem and people

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around you who know you well see that you have changed, now you step into Judea. So

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right off the bat when he gave the great commission, Jesus revealed that there are new places I'll

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take you into, new territories, new phases of life that I'll take you into. And every

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person goes through it. Abraham went through it. David went through it. Joseph went through

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it. Moses went through it. Jesus went through it. Paul went through it. There's nobody,

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Peter went through it. There's nobody who doesn't go through it. And by the way, just

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on the side, the U.S. is opening up like never before. We had no, at least I personally had

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no desire for the U.S. It's not my favorite nation in the world or anything of that sort,

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but suddenly it's beginning to open up like crazy. So this, a week from now I'll be meeting

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another guy from Atlanta in New York and they're starting something in Atlanta. The guy from

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Nashville who came to New York is starting something. We'll be going to Nashville in

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January 15th or 17th. There's an echo right now. January 15th, okay, I'll stay behind.

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January 15th or 17th we'll be going to Nashville. So you're talking about New York, L.A., Dayton,

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Atlanta, Nashville, inside a matter of two months, two and a half months. Something is

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happening there and we need people who can go. So if you ever feel like spending some

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money and going to the U.S. and getting an antigen and a PCR test and flying nine hours

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one way to get to a place that's only four hours away, let me know and we'll set it up

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for you. Yeah? So that's on the side. Okay, so we're going to talk about obedience and

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how critical that is to crossing thresholds and entering into new places. So here's the

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thing, guys. We measure success by the outcome of our efforts and that has to go if you

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want to step into past thresholds into new places. We measure success, we measure success

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based on the, we measure success by the outcome of our effort. We measure success by the outcome

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of our effort. We measure success by the outcome of our effort. And if we don't replace

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that by obedience, obedience has to replace outcome. And if you don't, if you don't take

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your focus of outcome and place the focus or the emphasis on obedience, you cannot transition

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through thresholds. And this is harder than we think. I'm not talking about the world,

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I'm talking about Christians, I'm talking about churches. How do we measure things?

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We measure things by stats, we measure things by size, we measure things by numbers, we

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measure things by quick results, we measure things by responses or hands that go up in

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a meeting. That's how we measure things. Why do we count these things? Because it is a

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measure of whether things are a success. And yet to cross thresholds, the emphasis

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has to be on obedience and it has to shift from outcome. You can't have outcome as a

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measure anymore if you want to transition through thresholds and step into new places.

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Any questions on that? Yep?

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Is obedience effort though? Obedience is... One way to define obedience

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is obedience is doing the revealed will of God. Obedience is doing the revealed will

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of God, doing the revealed will of God. Obedience is doing the revealed will of God by relying

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on grace and proceeding from faith. That's one of the better definitions of obedience.

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So it's doing the will of God. But you do the will of God by relying on grace because

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most of the things that God asks you to obey are not easy. So you rely on his grace because

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you may mess up, you may need help to just walk in it. It's doing the will of God by

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walking in it. It's doing the revealed will of God in reliance on the blood-bought grace

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of Jesus. The blood-bought grace of Jesus. As in, Jacob, as you obey me, you'll make

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mistakes. Jacob, as you obey me, you'll find it a struggle sometimes. It's not become your

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default yet. But you can rely on my grace as in all my ability to help you obey because

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I know your heart. And it must proceed from faith because the Bible says that anything

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that is not of faith is sin. So even when I obey, I must have faith involved in it.

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Most of the guys who obeyed in the Bible had to obey things that were pretty drastic, man.

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How come they were able to step out because they used faith? So it has to proceed from

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faith. It has to rely on grace. And it is doing the revealed will of God. The emphasis

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is on obedience, not on outcome, which is why you see in the case of Saul, King Saul,

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in 1 Samuel 15, he was so focused on the outcome that he abandoned obedience. He was told,

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wait for Samuel to come. When Samuel comes, offer the sacrifice. Six days went by, seven

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days went by, Samuel ain't there. Saul panics. He's scared of the outcome. And what's the

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outcome? The enemy army may take us. The soldiers may leave because the soldiers were getting

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antsy and they were beginning to leave. Even if there was no soldier left, God would have

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still won the battle. But he was so focused on the outcome and we are that way too, guys.

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Outcomes become so important to us that we would rather disobey than obey. And so another

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definition of obedience is listening under the word. Disobedience is listening around

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the word. And we are experts at that too. We know what God is saying, but we create

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enough room to listen around. It's like kids. You see the kids doing that. I want you to

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go and sit there. Won't sit. I told you to sit there. But I'm sitting. See my knee is

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on the chair. It's that kind of thing where kids do this often and we do it too. Where

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you're told something but you'll add another piece to it. Or you'll say, but what if? Or

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why not this way? Or what if this is? It just gets so blooming messy, man. God knows how

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to see in the gray and find black and white. We can't, but he does. Obedience, the word

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shama, obedience is the idea of living under the word. And disobedience is actually living

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around the word. And we do that so well. At least I do that well. That's another definition

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of obedience. Where disobedience is to listen around the word and listen around the Holy

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Spirit. The Holy Spirit is saying this. I'll just create a few more options so that in

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case I need to choose another option, I have that. Yeah. So in God's infrastructure, Jesus

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on the other hand was so brilliant at obedience. This is why he had that whole story unfold

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in John chapter 11 where Lazarus is sick. And any good pastor, any good rabbi should

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go and pray for someone who is sick. And he's on his way to pray for someone who is sick

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because Lazarus was a good friend of his and Mary and Martha were particularly close to

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him. And they send word saying, Jesus, your friend is sick. Please come and heal. And

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they send word saying, Jesus, your friend is sick. Please come and heal. And Jesus is

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on his way when God says to him, do not stay in Bethany. And so he stays in Bethany. He

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doesn't go. Sorry, he stays in Jericho. He doesn't go to Bethany. And not one day, not

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two days, not three days, four blooming days, he stays in Jericho till Lazarus dies. And

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now he goes. And what are the words that God tells him to say when he goes and they say,

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Lazarus, your servant is dead? He has to say words like, he's not dead, he's only sleeping.

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But because of John chapter 11, we have these marvelous words that are life to us. I am

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the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will never die. So there is this thing

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with obedience that we have to focus on. And we've got to abandon outcomes if we want to

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cross thresholds at a rapid rate. Because the world and Christianity measure success

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in terms of outcomes. So in God's infrastructure, it's impossible to measure success by outcomes.

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In God's infrastructure, it's impossible to measure success by outcomes. In God's infrastructure,

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it is impossible to measure success by outcomes. And if you do, it will drive you to striving,

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it will drive you to inadequacy, or it will drive you to delusion because it's antithetical

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to kingdom living. This is why Jesus said, the kingdom is like leaven. Someone takes

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a little bit of it, it's invisible. To begin with, it's just a pinch. And you take that

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pinch and you hide it in three scoops of flour. It disappears completely now. It's

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not visible. There's nothing to measure. What happens is much later when the leaven leavens

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the dough and you have bread. But nobody sees what happened during the process. The outcome

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is much later. Christianity today cannot afford long-term outcomes. Everybody wants instant

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short-term quick fixes. You cannot raise children in one year. You cannot. It takes

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very long. And so therein lies the problem, guys. We cannot measure success by outcomes.

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If you do, it will either drive you to striving as in, I've got to produce an outcome, I've

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got to make this church at least 80 people. It's just crazy, man. When I started Axe

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for Nehru, some of the guys who were helping us in the first six months asked me to give

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them a plan. You should have seen my plan, man. It was amazing. It was like in the first

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– it was embarrassing and amazing. Because that was 17 years ago and we still haven't

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gotten to the first stage. So in six months, my plan was we'll be at 80 people. 80. You

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don't have to laugh that loud. By year two, we'd be at 240. After 16 years, we're barely

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making 72 if all of you turn up and none of you turn up always. There's always someone

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missing. There have been rare occasions when we've hit 72 and there's this annoying guy

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in Shillong in India. Every time I go there, he'll ask, so how many people now? It was

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very deflating because you'd go back after two years and you've only gone from 50 to

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54 and it wasn't very helpful. So I told the pastor there, I told Ishan, don't let your

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strata come anywhere near me and ask me how many people in the church.

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You've got to add all the churches together.

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Yeah, but then – yeah. You can spin it. But the point is, guys, success cannot be measured

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in terms of outcome. If you do, it'll drive you to striving, it'll drive you to inadequacy

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or it'll drive you to delusion because it has to be like Levin. Here's the other thing.

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Kingdom living is the evidence of things unseen. Kingdom living is the evidence of things unseen.

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The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. Kingdom living is the evidence

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of things unseen. And yet, we are caught in a trap in Christianity where we want to see,

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we want to measure, we want to catalog, we want to parade in front of others and you

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cannot. The sooner you abandon this, the quicker God will take you past thresholds into new

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places. The sooner you abandon it, the quicker God will take you past thresholds into places

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because now he realizes that you have abandoned measure and you do not use success and outcome

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as your plumb line or standard to determine what he's doing in you and through you. And

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now he begins to move.

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Jacob, if kingdom living is the evidence of things unseen, what kind of evidence?

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No, evidence of things unseen.

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Evidence of things unseen. So what kind of evidence are you looking for?

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Long-term, you will find that it'll be Abraham not seeing any nations, not even seeing his

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twelve tribes of Israel, but knowing that one day he'll be the father of nations. It's

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Joseph not seeing the promised land. It's Moses not even stepping into the promised

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land. I mean, in terms of outcome, Jesus was such a colossal failure. There was only John

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at the cross, nobody else. So, Livia, God wants you to know and one of them will translate

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for you later. James, you want to translate it while I speak? Okay, Livia's English is

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very good. So, God wants you to know that in your entire family, this land is meant

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mainly for you. For them, it is something they learn and they'll go back and they'll

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come back and they'll go back. But for you, this land, you're the only one in this family

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for whom this land was made. You learn languages very fast. So, starting today, you'll find

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that you will pick up languages faster than anybody else in your family. So, God wants

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you to know that in your entire family, this land is meant mainly for you. Because of you,

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this church will have a young people's group. Because all the young adults are now actually

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quite old. Because of you, a young people's group will start in this church. And because

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of you, you will be like a plumb line or an example as we keep growing our young group.

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You'll know every young singer that's on TV, every young dancer on TV, yet you will also

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know the standards of God and you will be able to separate one from the other. So, God

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is so welcome. Yeah? Even if they all go home, you stay. Some of these old adults will take

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care of you. Results do not automatically mean we have been obedient, guys. That's the

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other thing with results. We think that if we produce results, it means we are being

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obedient. Now, God can use my disobedience and produce results and it doesn't mean anything.

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Like Moses, he was supposed to speak to the rock. What does he do? Strike the rock. Did

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water flow? Yes. Moses disobeyed. Water flowed. People's thirst was quenched. There were consequences,

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but disobedience still resulted in results. So, we cannot connect results to obedience.

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And usually, with God, it's usually long obedience in the same direction. Long obedience in the

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same direction. It's not short. The beautiful thing about obedience with God is it needs

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that obedience to God requires patience and persistence. Most of the time you'll see that

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obedience to God requires patience and persistence. Patience and persistence. Patience because

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it takes time. Persistence because there will be opposition to what you're obeying. And

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so, it's critical for me to understand this if I want to cross thresholds. So, in Numbers

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20, verse 6 to 13, you read about Moses not obeying and yet water flowing, people's thirst

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being slaked, and yet Moses disobeyed. So, the results, Numbers 26 to 13. 20. Any questions,

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guys? Patience and persistence. Patience because sometimes with God, things take time. Because

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he's not into trying to get results. He's trying to do two things at one time. I want

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your character to improve so that I can get the results I want. I want your character

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to become something else so that I can get the results I want. If I wanted results, I

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can do it without you. But I'm so invested in you, so interested in you, that I also

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want your character to change. And if your character doesn't change, I can give you the

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results, but you'll still be as poor. This is why I'm really scared when churches grow

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fast or when pastors get famous overnight. That's why I'm really scared when guys like

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Mark or Leah or anyone new come to Axe Venion and think that they can change in three or

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four weeks. It takes time, man. This church is the result of 16, 17 years of plodding.

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Anyone new who comes in catches it quickly. So Mark can change quickly. Leah can spend

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three weeks here and get things that have already grown. Mark can stick around for six

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months and get some of it. But if Mark thinks he can get his answers in six months and everything

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will change, this church can't do it for you. God wants patience and persistence. That's

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how you produce results. Farmers know it. This is why the idea of instant coffee...

00:23:01.500 --> 00:23:05.020
I didn't complete my sentence. It's just that a shudder went through me before I could finish

00:23:05.020 --> 00:23:12.020
the sentence. Yeah. I'm taking the fifth sentence. I'm taking the fifth sentence. I'm taking

00:23:12.300 --> 00:23:19.300
the fifth. Oh no, they're coffee. Oh, okay. Their coffee is terrible. So to go back to

00:23:29.020 --> 00:23:33.220
defining obedience, obedience is to listen under. Disobedience is to listen around the

00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:40.220
word and the Holy Spirit. We obey not because we have to. We obey because we want to. And

00:23:40.740 --> 00:23:46.140
we want to because we like him. We obey. And keep checking that because sometimes you may

00:23:46.140 --> 00:23:52.220
obey even though you don't want to just because your heart just wants him more than anything

00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:58.140
else. Isaiah 1 verse 19 says, if you're willing and obedient, you lead the good of the land.

00:23:58.140 --> 00:24:01.900
So there is this willingness and obedience that goes hand in hand. And that kind of obedience

00:24:01.900 --> 00:24:07.300
is brilliant, which is important to understand because Jesus, yes, he was a sacrifice, but

00:24:07.300 --> 00:24:11.900
he's the one who goes up to the Father and volunteers saying, sacrifices and offerings

00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:16.820
you did not want. You want someone with a body to go lay down their life. Here I am.

00:24:16.820 --> 00:24:23.820
Send me. Hebrews chapter 10. And therefore Jesus goes. And he does it not because he's

00:24:23.820 --> 00:24:27.780
been forced into it, but because he wants to. And why does he want to? He wants to for

00:24:27.780 --> 00:24:32.700
two reasons. One, because he likes me a lot and two, because he likes his father a lot.

00:24:32.740 --> 00:24:38.380
It's just nuts. Jesus obeyed not because he had to, but because he wanted to. And he wanted

00:24:38.380 --> 00:24:45.060
to because he liked me a lot and he liked his father a lot. That is what motivated him

00:24:45.060 --> 00:24:52.060
to obey. When that becomes my reason, ah, it's brilliant. Now nothing is a sacrifice.

00:24:54.060 --> 00:25:01.060
I mean, when I was in LA, I'd freely sacrifice my food to Evan. Why? Because I can't eat

00:25:02.700 --> 00:25:09.700
for him. Everyone who goes to LA, I just want to warn you, there's a ritual. And the

00:25:21.340 --> 00:25:28.340
ritual involves a burrito that first the pastor eats and then he passes to me and I take a

00:25:28.340 --> 00:25:35.340
bite of it. And then it goes to the newbie who's now coming for the first time to LA.

00:25:35.860 --> 00:25:40.340
Evan went through it and he went through it bravely, but you should have seen Sheldon.

00:25:40.340 --> 00:25:47.340
Sheldon was like shrinking in his back. So anyone who wants to come to LA will be going

00:25:47.980 --> 00:25:52.660
through that just so you know. And a burrito is as messy as it can get when three people

00:25:52.660 --> 00:25:59.660
eat it. I think it's an LA thing. Oh, and I had this really horrible drink. It's called

00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:13.180
chlorophyll. The last time I tasted something like that was when I drank ink by mistake

00:26:15.340 --> 00:26:22.340
when I was four. It was so bad, man. And they pay a high price for it and it comes in little

00:26:22.740 --> 00:26:29.740
bottles and they're supposed to swig it down and I don't know what it does. It was horrible.

00:26:38.420 --> 00:26:45.420
You heard that Evan. Obedience, like I said, is doing the revealed will of God in reliance

00:26:45.860 --> 00:26:52.860
on the grace of God proceeding from faith. Romans 14.23 says, Jacob, anything that you

00:26:54.460 --> 00:26:59.980
do that is not faith is sin. So when I obey, there must be faith involved. So always check

00:26:59.980 --> 00:27:05.300
these three things. As you obey, if grace is absent, it is easy to go from obedience

00:27:05.300 --> 00:27:12.300
to legalism. Romans 14.23. So when I obey without grace being involved, as in I obey

00:27:15.860 --> 00:27:20.320
me having conversations with God saying, Father, this is really tough. I'm scared. Or me not

00:27:20.320 --> 00:27:25.920
insisting that what I obey now become what she obeys. That grace is involved. That certain

00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:32.320
things that I'm asking someone else to do or God is asking me to do will be difficult.

00:27:32.320 --> 00:27:37.820
You need to rely on his mercy and his grace and his care. It's like you asking a kid to

00:27:37.820 --> 00:27:41.860
do something and you know it's difficult for the kid. What does the parent do? Grabs the

00:27:41.900 --> 00:27:48.340
kid's hand and helps the kid to do it. That's how we teach kids how to do difficult things.

00:27:48.340 --> 00:27:53.820
Same with God. And so there is grace involved in obedience and then there is faith involved

00:27:53.820 --> 00:27:58.800
in obedience. God is asking you to step out and do something that is obedient. Are you

00:27:58.800 --> 00:28:03.300
sure you have enough trust in him to begin to step out? Because otherwise what will happen

00:28:03.300 --> 00:28:10.300
is obedience will become like a chore. God will become your employer. God will become

00:28:11.300 --> 00:28:15.900
your employer. He'll be like a boss who's telling you to do something and there's no

00:28:15.900 --> 00:28:21.420
faith involved. And you're scared you're going to mess up. When faith and grace are involved,

00:28:21.420 --> 00:28:27.100
obedience becomes fun. Or at least there's this, you might even be a little afraid but

00:28:27.100 --> 00:28:34.100
it's like, but I know something good is going to come out of this. Disobedience has consequences.

00:28:34.100 --> 00:28:41.100
God still loved Moses but Moses was forced to pass the torch to Joshua because of his

00:28:44.420 --> 00:28:51.420
disobedience. Disobedience has consequences. Please don't think that there are no consequences.

00:28:53.420 --> 00:28:59.180
There's no lack of love. God will be gracious. He'll love you. God still loved Moses. But

00:28:59.420 --> 00:29:04.740
what happened is Moses was forced to hand over the torch to Joshua and in Deuteronomy

00:29:04.740 --> 00:29:11.980
3, verse 26 to 28, it's a conversation that I don't like reading because it feels unfair

00:29:11.980 --> 00:29:17.940
though God is not unfair. Where Moses says, please can I go into the promised land? And

00:29:17.940 --> 00:29:22.580
God says, enough of this. Don't bring up this conversation again. You're not going. Get

00:29:22.580 --> 00:29:29.580
Joshua ready. He's the one who's going in. Disobedience has consequences. Surprising

00:29:31.780 --> 00:29:36.180
how this God is. When we think of consequences there's always penalty. When God thinks of

00:29:36.180 --> 00:29:43.180
consequences the grace and the love are still there. It's very hard for us humans to put

00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:44.920
this together.

00:29:44.920 --> 00:29:51.920
How can I tell the difference between failing and disobedience?

00:29:52.980 --> 00:29:59.980
You cannot fail till you obey. God says something, you try it and you fail. But you know you

00:30:00.380 --> 00:30:07.220
tried it before you failed. You chickened out. It was too much. There was something

00:30:07.220 --> 00:30:12.300
else that was far more attractive and you wanted to go after that option. Your nature

00:30:12.300 --> 00:30:19.300
kicked in. Simple thing. I heard a lot about certain Christian musicians on this trip and

00:30:19.700 --> 00:30:26.220
at some point the Lord said to me, listen, you're beginning to gossip about these musicians

00:30:26.220 --> 00:30:30.420
and everywhere you go you're telling people how bad they are. I need you to stop it. They

00:30:30.420 --> 00:30:35.900
might be corrupt in their ways but it's not your job to go tell everybody that they're

00:30:35.900 --> 00:30:41.300
corrupt. But two days later I was in another conversation and there I was bringing the

00:30:41.300 --> 00:30:46.780
very same people again. Why? Because suddenly talking about these musicians seemed very

00:30:46.780 --> 00:30:51.940
attractive to me. It was an outright act of disobedience where I had to wrap my knuckles

00:30:51.940 --> 00:30:56.660
again and say stop it. Just because you know the truth about something doesn't mean that

00:30:56.660 --> 00:31:02.980
you have to publish the truth about something.

00:31:02.980 --> 00:31:09.980
Sometimes our nature kicks in and that's why we disobey. Not our nature. Our nature is

00:31:10.140 --> 00:31:17.140
a godly nature. Our flawed personality kicks in. Our sinful ways kick in. Guys, we are

00:31:23.780 --> 00:31:30.780
wired to make plans. Humans, not humans, we are wired to make plans, expect results, expect

00:31:39.980 --> 00:31:46.980
goals, control and manage outcomes, control and manage outcomes. And these would be highly

00:31:47.600 --> 00:31:54.600
prized qualities in the world and even in church life today and yet these things will

00:31:54.760 --> 00:32:04.340
make it very difficult for you to eternalize what you

00:32:04.340 --> 00:32:07.460
all know about this bad temperament right?

00:32:07.460 --> 00:32:07.900
I've always thought about it and I've seen transmission across the influx of other

00:32:07.900 --> 00:32:11.900
affects in the world. Because of the new messenger system, the way we are usingchtequ newer

00:32:11.900 --> 00:32:18.900
life today. And yet these things will make it very difficult for you to obey God when

00:32:22.140 --> 00:32:29.140
he doesn't give you a plan, a goal, a result or an outcome. And often he doesn't.

00:32:41.900 --> 00:32:48.900
This becomes a problem then. We are wired to have plans, to have, to accomplish goals,

00:32:50.900 --> 00:32:57.620
to expect results, to control and manage outcomes. But it becomes very difficult to obey God

00:32:57.620 --> 00:33:00.820
at times like this if this is who you are and this is how you're wired. All of us are

00:33:00.820 --> 00:33:06.140
wired like this but we have to unwire it because it becomes very difficult to obey God when

00:33:06.140 --> 00:33:10.980
God does not give you a plan, does not give you goals to accomplish, does not give you

00:33:10.980 --> 00:33:17.980
results, does not give you results or does not give you an outcome. And now you're stuck

00:33:20.340 --> 00:33:24.700
because he ain't giving you none of this and he's asking you to obey and then it becomes

00:33:24.700 --> 00:33:31.700
really difficult. And he often does this. And he's asking you to obey and then he's

00:33:36.780 --> 00:33:43.140
late. Or sometimes he gives you all this but he doesn't give you a time frame and he doesn't

00:33:43.140 --> 00:33:50.140
turn up, he's late. Where God gives you a promise or a command but he's late. Why is

00:33:55.260 --> 00:34:01.900
God late sometimes? Here are some reasons why God is late. Any questions on this before

00:34:01.900 --> 00:34:08.900
we go on? Do you realize that we are wired like this? He didn't wire us like this. We

00:34:12.340 --> 00:34:19.340
are wired like this but he didn't wire it. Man, linger and this have nothing in common.

00:34:19.740 --> 00:34:24.660
God used to linger in the cool of the evening in the Garden of Eden chilling with Adam and

00:34:24.660 --> 00:34:31.660
Eve. And this is something that happened outside of Eden. And this is something that happened

00:34:31.900 --> 00:34:38.900
in the Garden of Eden. This happened later. And in today's world, this is so important.

00:34:38.980 --> 00:34:45.980
If you're not like this, I mean this is what we put down on our resumes. Great planner.

00:34:46.740 --> 00:34:53.740
Work towards expecting results. Goal accomplisher. Control and manage outcomes. And that is what

00:34:53.860 --> 00:35:00.860
gets you a job. Oh Chawa does. Is that what he said?

00:35:01.900 --> 00:35:08.900
It's like God said, we want to give like say our devotion time. I do this first and then

00:35:14.780 --> 00:35:18.820
I'm going to go accomplish all this stuff. And he says, today I want you to wait.

00:35:18.820 --> 00:35:25.140
Yeah. Because what if he doesn't? There are times when he gives us plans. He called Moses

00:35:25.140 --> 00:35:28.900
up Mount Sinai and gave him a plan for the entire temple. It wasn't, hey pick up a rock

00:35:28.900 --> 00:35:33.540
and start chipping away and eventually you'll get a temple. No. There was a plan there.

00:35:33.540 --> 00:35:37.140
But there are times when there are no plans that he gives, no goals to accomplish. And

00:35:37.140 --> 00:35:44.140
that is when you think. That is when if you don't have a relationship you're sunk. He

00:35:45.500 --> 00:35:51.740
does that because he wants a relationship. He doesn't want his dealings with us to be

00:35:51.740 --> 00:35:56.820
simply a set of do this, do this, do this. He already did that in the Old Testament.

00:35:56.820 --> 00:36:00.260
He gave them a set of rules to follow. They would follow and they would get whatever

00:36:00.260 --> 00:36:05.900
they wanted. Never made it anyways. But this is so that you enter into a relationship.

00:36:05.900 --> 00:36:09.140
Plus the other thing is, if he gave you a plan you would not be able to accomplish it

00:36:09.140 --> 00:36:14.700
anyways. Why? Because his thoughts are higher than mine and his ways are higher than mine.

00:36:14.700 --> 00:36:21.180
So anyways, at least we would think we are doing it but you would never get there. But

00:36:21.260 --> 00:36:27.920
this way he enters into a relationship where he now takes you along in the journey. He

00:36:27.920 --> 00:36:31.580
does all the work. When he gives you a plan and you get really hung up with the plan you

00:36:31.580 --> 00:36:38.580
do all the work. And the results are terrible anyways. Like I said, my plan was 80 people

00:36:38.580 --> 00:36:45.580
in 6 months. 240 by the second year. We'd be a mega church by now. Look around you.

00:36:45.580 --> 00:36:52.580
Yep. Yeah, stumbling, there's one additional item that needs to be added to disobedience

00:37:01.700 --> 00:37:06.500
and failure. Stumbling also comes because of stubbornness. Stumbling and stubbornness

00:37:06.500 --> 00:37:13.140
are often related in the Bible. So two, disobedience and failure just add stubbornness to. Stubbornness

00:37:13.140 --> 00:37:20.140
causes a lot of stumbling. Stubbornness is contrary heart. It's not even disobedience.

00:37:22.860 --> 00:37:26.620
It's a heart that is contrary. You see kids who are stubborn and you see kids who are

00:37:26.620 --> 00:37:33.620
disobedient and it's two different things. Kids who are stubborn, oh my God, God help

00:37:34.740 --> 00:37:41.740
the parents. Kids who are disobedient, bribes can help. So, it's a lot of stubbornness.

00:37:43.140 --> 00:37:50.140
Many of the temptations, why is God late? I think we need to just look at it because

00:37:54.580 --> 00:37:59.980
some of us have been trusting on promises from God or commands from God. And you're

00:37:59.980 --> 00:38:06.980
in good company like guys like Abraham and people like that. And why is God late? Here

00:38:07.260 --> 00:38:12.860
are some reasons why God is sometimes late according to us. One of the first ones is

00:38:12.860 --> 00:38:19.860
1 Samuel 15 where God said in seven days Samuel will come and offer a sacrifice and Samuel

00:38:21.460 --> 00:38:28.460
took eight days. And so, 1 Samuel 15, sometimes God is late to test you. Sometimes God is

00:38:28.660 --> 00:38:33.780
late to test you. Hey Jacob, so I said I'll come and help you in seven days and I took

00:38:33.780 --> 00:38:40.140
eight. Did you just decide that? Okay. What was the condition of your heart? Were you

00:38:40.140 --> 00:38:44.380
waiting on me or were you waiting on an outcome or a result? Were you so desperate for this

00:38:44.380 --> 00:38:50.780
promise to materialize or were you so desperate for me to materialize? Which one is it? Hey,

00:38:50.780 --> 00:38:55.000
when you're in love with somebody and she doesn't turn up, when she said she'd turn

00:38:55.000 --> 00:38:59.380
up and you're sitting alone in a very expensive restaurant and there's Uber waiting outside

00:38:59.380 --> 00:39:03.700
charging you for the minute, you will still wait if you like her man. You will say it

00:39:03.700 --> 00:39:08.500
doesn't matter how long I have to wait. I'll take up a second job. But I'll wait. Two hours

00:39:08.500 --> 00:39:15.500
go by. Three hours go by. Finally, Pawan says I'm done and he gets up and leaves.

00:39:15.500 --> 00:39:22.500
First Samuel 15, sometimes God is late just to test me and see, okay, who were you waiting

00:39:30.300 --> 00:39:37.300
for? For the promise? For what you were after or after me? When you like somebody you'll

00:39:38.020 --> 00:39:45.020
wait man. When you don't like somebody, five minutes is the longest time you can spend.

00:39:46.380 --> 00:39:53.380
So when May said sometimes she has to wait for Jacob, I didn't understand it at all.

00:39:54.580 --> 00:40:01.580
Second one is sometimes God will be late for the sake of greater glory. So Jesus doesn't

00:40:04.220 --> 00:40:10.340
turn up for four days at Lazarus' town when Lazarus was sick for a very simple reason.

00:40:10.340 --> 00:40:16.540
There'd be a display of glory like the world hadn't seen before. It wasn't even raising

00:40:16.540 --> 00:40:23.340
the son of the widow in Nine where they were taking him for burial and he was raised up.

00:40:23.340 --> 00:40:30.220
This was a man who had now been dead for four days. Sometimes God is late so he can put

00:40:30.220 --> 00:40:34.820
on the wreaths and show the world something through you that is so brilliant that he wouldn't

00:40:34.820 --> 00:40:41.820
have been able to do had he turned up on time. Third reason he's late, he's actually not

00:40:43.300 --> 00:40:49.140
late, okay. He's perfectly on time. It's just that God has multiple opportunities to turn

00:40:49.140 --> 00:40:56.140
up earlier and he doesn't. That's all. But he's never late. Third one, sometimes he wants

00:40:56.500 --> 00:41:03.500
you to persist. Sometimes he wants you to persist and so he'll delay a little just to

00:41:05.740 --> 00:41:10.580
see what he told you you'll persist with. So he tells Abraham, listen, I want you to

00:41:10.580 --> 00:41:14.700
take a hypha, cut it into two. I want you to take a bird, cut it into two and eat it

00:41:14.700 --> 00:41:19.020
here. I'll pass through it and I'll make a covenant with you. And then God disappears

00:41:19.020 --> 00:41:23.780
and Moses is there and this happened in the morning and now it's afternoon and now it's

00:41:23.860 --> 00:41:30.860
dusk and the birds of prey are circling around because they can see cut meat and Moses watches

00:41:31.140 --> 00:41:35.340
as the sun goes down and now he takes a branch and he starts chasing the birds away but he

00:41:35.340 --> 00:41:40.580
will not give up on the covenant that God is supposed to make with him. Abraham, Genesis

00:41:40.580 --> 00:41:47.580
15 and so finally there's this darkness that descends upon both the earth and upon Moses

00:41:48.620 --> 00:41:53.340
and that is when God comes with a torch and walks through. Sometimes it's just persistence.

00:41:53.340 --> 00:42:00.340
Hey Jacob, can you persist a little longer? Yeah. Fourth reason for God being late is

00:42:01.860 --> 00:42:08.860
just character. James 5 talks about it. James 5.7 says a farmer knows that it'll take time

00:42:09.960 --> 00:42:16.540
before the seed will mature and so sometimes it's just a maturing of character. Maturing

00:42:16.540 --> 00:42:21.460
of character. When it comes to marriage guys, this is sometimes critically, we all want

00:42:21.460 --> 00:42:25.540
to get married at a certain age and then God will say, hey can I take some more time

00:42:25.540 --> 00:42:30.780
because if I can help you mature in this area you won't have to struggle with it for the

00:42:30.780 --> 00:42:37.780
next few years after getting married. But don't hone in only on marriage. Another one

00:42:40.100 --> 00:42:47.100
is fame, his fame. Psalm 40 puts it brilliantly. I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned

00:42:47.100 --> 00:42:54.100
and heard my cry. You have to sometimes wait patiently. He's a little late, you wait patiently.

00:42:55.180 --> 00:42:59.060
And then it goes on to say in the verse 5 or 6, many will see and many will fear and

00:42:59.060 --> 00:43:04.460
put their trust in the Lord. As in, it's okay, so you waited. People are wondering why your

00:43:04.460 --> 00:43:10.820
God didn't turn up. David would write stuff like, do you hear them mocking? They are saying,

00:43:10.820 --> 00:43:15.380
where is this God of yours? And people begin to gather saying, Jacob you said this is going

00:43:15.380 --> 00:43:21.020
to happen, how come it hasn't happened? Well, let them gather because once they all gather

00:43:21.020 --> 00:43:28.020
then your Mount Carmel happens. And when that Mount Carmel happens, people decide that your

00:43:28.100 --> 00:43:35.100
God is God. And at the end of the day, to sum this all up is Habakkuk 2 verse 3 which

00:43:37.580 --> 00:43:42.460
says, this vision is for an appointed time. It will come to pass. It will not tarry. It

00:43:42.460 --> 00:43:49.460
will happen. I mean, Satan used temptations in the desert to try and entice Jesus to manage

00:43:59.260 --> 00:44:06.260
outcomes. Hey, you want food? You got the power, why don't you manage this outcome?

00:44:06.700 --> 00:44:10.820
You want the world? You got the power, why don't you manage this outcome? Just worship

00:44:10.820 --> 00:44:16.700
me. Everything you want will be yours in a second. You're hungry, why don't you manage

00:44:16.700 --> 00:44:22.100
this outcome? You can create food, surely these stones can turn into bread. I know who

00:44:22.100 --> 00:44:29.100
you are, you can do this. Managing outcomes is what we do very well, eh? If you want to

00:44:29.340 --> 00:44:35.300
step past thresholds into rooms to explore with God, stop managing outcomes. Absolutely

00:44:35.300 --> 00:44:42.300
abandon this idea of results. It sounds so contrary to how we should live, but it's the

00:44:43.420 --> 00:44:50.000
only way to live. Really, it's the only way to live, eh? You guys don't have a choice.

00:44:50.000 --> 00:44:57.000
What choice do you have? Really, what choice do you have? You don't have a choice. Isn't

00:44:58.660 --> 00:45:03.940
that wonderful? You don't have a choice. Life becomes very simple when there are no choices.

00:45:03.940 --> 00:45:10.940
It's not like going to Starbucks. Guys, another thing about God's commands and promises is

00:45:11.180 --> 00:45:16.380
this. Very often in God's commands and promises, details are often withheld. Very often in

00:45:16.380 --> 00:45:22.340
God's commands and promises, details are withheld. Details are withheld. He won't give you all

00:45:22.340 --> 00:45:27.540
the information you need. It's a very annoying habit he has, but it works out really well.

00:45:27.540 --> 00:45:32.760
In God's commands and promises, the details are often withheld, and there's an unspoken

00:45:32.760 --> 00:45:39.480
trust me. There's an unspoken trust me that you know he's inviting you into, and details

00:45:39.480 --> 00:45:45.160
are withheld. He'll go up to Abraham and say stuff like, I want you to leave your clan,

00:45:45.160 --> 00:45:49.960
your country, your people, and I want you to just go, and I will make you a father of

00:45:49.960 --> 00:45:56.960
nations. That's not much detail, man. It's natural to have valid concerns like, okay,

00:45:57.920 --> 00:46:04.920
go where? How long? How far? With whom? What about here and what I'm doing here? What

00:46:14.160 --> 00:46:21.160
about what I'm doing here? These are all valid concerns that are met with silence or go unanswered

00:46:26.960 --> 00:46:33.960
What for? Why? I mean, you have no idea how far diany has come. I mean that in a very

00:46:43.480 --> 00:46:50.480
genuine complimentary way. Because these are very natural questions for us, and then to

00:46:50.480 --> 00:46:57.480
abandon all this and just say, okay, you've withheld the details. I'm not even going to

00:46:58.560 --> 00:47:04.560
ask you this because I'm just going to step out now. Thresholds happen so quickly. Rooms

00:47:04.560 --> 00:47:09.680
are explored so fast, one after the other. God keeps opening stuff, saying, okay, come

00:47:09.680 --> 00:47:14.400
into this. All right, you've seen this. Man, you did that at breakneck speed, Jacob. You're

00:47:14.400 --> 00:47:18.080
almost becoming like the guy I wanted you to become. Let's step into the next room.

00:47:18.080 --> 00:47:22.920
And you keep exploring. You keep traversing past thresholds because you're not asking

00:47:22.920 --> 00:47:29.920
these questions anymore. These are legitimate valid questions that God doesn't entertain.

00:47:31.600 --> 00:47:38.600
Awesome, eh? This God is tough to follow and is worth following. So in a sense, Jehovah

00:47:38.600 --> 00:47:45.600
Jireh can be rephrased as, God will provide an outcome even though I don't see the plan.

00:47:51.480 --> 00:47:56.480
So Jehovah Jireh can be rephrased as, not just the God who provides, but the God who

00:47:56.480 --> 00:48:03.480
provides even though I don't know how. So, I'm going to go back to the beginning of

00:48:08.600 --> 00:48:15.600
the book. Meanwhile, my questions and the fear of potential consequences will neither

00:48:19.720 --> 00:48:26.720
delay nor prevent me from obeying. Meanwhile, my fear of potential consequences and my questions

00:48:26.720 --> 00:48:33.720
that are unanswered will not delay my obedience, will not stall my obedience, will not delay

00:48:34.720 --> 00:48:41.720
my obedience. I'll still do what he asks me to. So obedience then becomes your responsibility.

00:48:43.120 --> 00:48:48.520
Results become God's. And meanwhile, this is the other thing. While you're obeying and

00:48:48.520 --> 00:48:55.520
you spend six months in the hospital, you're not going to be able to do anything. You're

00:48:57.260 --> 00:49:00.000
a priest that

00:49:00.000 --> 00:49:11.000
is

00:49:11.000 --> 00:49:13.860
Then along comes someone who goes and says,

00:49:13.860 --> 00:49:15.200
do you want to accept the Lord?

00:49:15.200 --> 00:49:16.860
And the person says, yes I do.

00:49:16.860 --> 00:49:17.820
And you're thinking to yourself,

00:49:17.820 --> 00:49:21.420
six months I spent with you and you didn't respond.

00:49:21.420 --> 00:49:23.940
And now you're crying and receiving Jesus.

00:49:23.940 --> 00:49:27.100
You do all the hard work, someone reaps the results.

00:49:27.100 --> 00:49:28.740
So remember that too.

00:49:28.740 --> 00:49:30.820
Obedience is my responsibility.

00:49:30.820 --> 00:49:32.980
The results are Jesus's responsibility.

00:49:32.980 --> 00:49:36.040
And sometimes the fruit of your labor

00:49:36.040 --> 00:49:37.580
is gathered by someone else.

00:49:41.700 --> 00:49:43.500
What a strange, wonderful kingdom.

00:49:45.180 --> 00:49:47.140
Who wants to live in the world?

00:49:47.140 --> 00:49:48.640
It's easy living in the world.

00:49:49.860 --> 00:49:51.020
No such challenges.

00:49:53.860 --> 00:49:56.460
You just have to be politically correct, that's all.

00:49:57.780 --> 00:49:58.620
Yeah.

00:50:06.720 --> 00:50:09.940
Many Bible heroes didn't see results guys.

00:50:09.960 --> 00:50:13.240
And the short term outcome of their lives was failure.

00:50:13.240 --> 00:50:15.800
Many Bible heroes didn't see results.

00:50:15.800 --> 00:50:20.800
And the short term outcome of their lives was failure.

00:50:20.840 --> 00:50:22.360
If someone wrote a biography on them

00:50:22.360 --> 00:50:24.920
immediately after they died, it would be failure.

00:50:27.560 --> 00:50:29.560
Remember one thing and I've said this before.

00:50:29.560 --> 00:50:32.640
The intent is, can I take a seed

00:50:32.640 --> 00:50:35.240
and plant it deep enough in the ground

00:50:35.240 --> 00:50:38.880
so that nobody can pull it out and it will germinate.

00:50:38.900 --> 00:50:41.100
And the mustard seed now becomes a tree

00:50:41.100 --> 00:50:42.300
that birds can dwell in.

00:50:43.220 --> 00:50:45.500
That is the intent, that is our intent.

00:50:45.500 --> 00:50:49.260
Father, make us seed planters that will plant the seed

00:50:49.260 --> 00:50:53.360
so deep that nobody can even,

00:50:55.580 --> 00:50:57.540
no one will even attempt to unearth it

00:50:57.540 --> 00:50:58.660
because it's so deep.

00:50:58.660 --> 00:51:01.460
And now there's only one consequence that will happen.

00:51:01.460 --> 00:51:04.740
Doesn't matter who sees it, I may see it, I may not see it.

00:51:04.740 --> 00:51:07.380
Doesn't matter who sees it, someone will benefit

00:51:07.380 --> 00:51:11.680
because that tree will grow and the birds will sit on it.

00:51:11.680 --> 00:51:13.400
When that becomes how you think.

00:51:15.480 --> 00:51:16.680
Yep.

00:51:16.680 --> 00:51:20.960
So how do you train your mind to accept that eventuality?

00:51:20.960 --> 00:51:22.720
Yeah, how do you train your mind

00:51:22.720 --> 00:51:24.480
to accept that eventuality?

00:51:24.480 --> 00:51:29.480
By abandoning any pleasure that you take

00:51:30.760 --> 00:51:35.760
in outcomes, results, plans, goals.

00:51:36.520 --> 00:51:38.480
It's no longer important.

00:51:38.480 --> 00:51:40.000
The only important thing is,

00:51:40.000 --> 00:51:43.920
can I just do what this one that I love wants me to do?

00:51:44.880 --> 00:51:49.460
When that shift happens, everything else is unimportant.

00:51:49.460 --> 00:51:51.360
I mean, you with Danny,

00:51:53.440 --> 00:51:55.960
you're not looking for some quick result by tomorrow.

00:51:55.960 --> 00:51:58.120
You're looking for 18 years from now,

00:51:58.120 --> 00:51:59.560
what kind of a man will he be?

00:52:00.760 --> 00:52:02.840
And that is how we will judge you.

00:52:02.840 --> 00:52:05.600
We will not judge you because Danny runs around

00:52:06.440 --> 00:52:09.280
and maybe grabs your phone and throws it up

00:52:09.280 --> 00:52:11.320
and gravity works and your phone shatters.

00:52:13.520 --> 00:52:15.440
That's not how we'll judge you.

00:52:15.440 --> 00:52:18.200
We'll judge you at 18, what have you become?

00:52:19.340 --> 00:52:20.840
That's 18 years, man.

00:52:22.840 --> 00:52:24.200
This is why Paul put it this way.

00:52:24.200 --> 00:52:28.240
He said that, listen, I don't even judge myself.

00:52:28.240 --> 00:52:30.280
I have a master, he judges me.

00:52:30.280 --> 00:52:35.280
And he will figure out whether I met requirements or not.

00:52:36.120 --> 00:52:41.120
Acts 29 by any standards after 16 years

00:52:41.360 --> 00:52:44.880
is a colossal failure in terms of numbers.

00:52:50.680 --> 00:52:54.520
But my God, you heard these three people who came up.

00:52:54.520 --> 00:52:58.380
This church is one of God's success stories, man.

00:53:06.600 --> 00:53:11.360
Yeah, so Subin's question to answer that, guys,

00:53:11.360 --> 00:53:13.120
it's a shift of the way I think.

00:53:14.480 --> 00:53:15.780
And here's the odd thing.

00:53:15.780 --> 00:53:17.280
When you begin to live like this,

00:53:17.280 --> 00:53:18.920
all your goals are accomplished.

00:53:19.940 --> 00:53:24.940
All your desires are still something that follow you.

00:53:27.280 --> 00:53:28.720
Only it's not important now

00:53:28.720 --> 00:53:30.520
because they're following after you.

00:53:31.880 --> 00:53:33.960
They're not something you're running after.

00:53:33.960 --> 00:53:35.240
They're following after you

00:53:35.880 --> 00:53:38.000
and they are not as important.

00:53:38.000 --> 00:53:40.640
Do you really think any married couple

00:53:40.640 --> 00:53:42.360
actually is terribly interested

00:53:42.360 --> 00:53:43.840
in the tins behind the car?

00:53:45.800 --> 00:53:47.200
Just married and they tie those tins

00:53:47.200 --> 00:53:49.040
and goes rattling behind the car.

00:53:49.040 --> 00:53:50.160
You think they're excited, think,

00:53:50.160 --> 00:53:51.520
look, we got married, look at the tins.

00:53:51.520 --> 00:53:53.320
No, nobody's bothered about the tins

00:53:53.320 --> 00:53:54.880
because the tins don't matter.

00:53:55.840 --> 00:53:58.680
Because these things are in the back

00:53:58.680 --> 00:54:00.760
and it's brilliant when it's in the back.

00:54:00.760 --> 00:54:03.680
Whenever you want, you can reach a tin and open it

00:54:03.680 --> 00:54:05.440
and have your soup and throw the tin away.

00:54:05.440 --> 00:54:06.280
It's like that.

00:54:06.280 --> 00:54:08.440
Those tins are never full, right?

00:54:08.440 --> 00:54:09.400
Okay, just checking.

00:54:10.560 --> 00:54:11.400
Just in case.

00:54:12.920 --> 00:54:14.520
That's how this works, guys.

00:54:14.520 --> 00:54:15.960
We don't miss out on anything.

00:54:15.960 --> 00:54:18.040
One of the things that Satan convinces us

00:54:18.040 --> 00:54:20.440
is that if you live like this, you will miss out.

00:54:21.440 --> 00:54:22.720
That is such a lie.

00:54:23.640 --> 00:54:25.160
Such a lie.

00:54:25.160 --> 00:54:27.580
If you live like this, you will miss out.

00:54:27.580 --> 00:54:29.000
If you don't ask, if you don't plan,

00:54:29.000 --> 00:54:29.920
if you don't accomplish goals,

00:54:29.920 --> 00:54:31.720
if you don't have ambitions.

00:54:31.760 --> 00:54:34.040
I mean, I've said this before and I'll say it again.

00:54:34.040 --> 00:54:38.160
Ambitions are a really bad idea.

00:54:42.280 --> 00:54:43.120
Why?

00:54:43.120 --> 00:54:44.920
Because your ambitions are so tiny

00:54:46.440 --> 00:54:48.480
when God's dreams are so huge.

00:54:51.440 --> 00:54:54.200
Moses was the prince of Egypt.

00:54:54.200 --> 00:54:56.960
If there was anyone who had ambitions, he had ambitions.

00:54:56.960 --> 00:54:59.440
When you compare it to who Moses became,

00:54:59.440 --> 00:55:00.400
what does it compare?

00:55:00.400 --> 00:55:03.360
It's like rags and riches, though he became poor.

00:55:04.480 --> 00:55:06.920
This is what I mean by ambitions are so tiny,

00:55:06.920 --> 00:55:08.680
abandon them, they're useless.

00:55:09.640 --> 00:55:12.600
Ambitions are what my gray matter creates.

00:55:13.760 --> 00:55:15.400
It drives me.

00:55:15.400 --> 00:55:17.020
But what when God gives a dream?

00:55:17.020 --> 00:55:18.560
When God gives a dream, it is suddenly,

00:55:18.560 --> 00:55:21.040
oh shucks, this is impossible.

00:55:21.040 --> 00:55:24.160
I am inadequate, don't have the resources for it.

00:55:24.160 --> 00:55:25.640
Whoa, I am undone.

00:55:25.640 --> 00:55:27.960
And now God says, finally that you've gotten it.

00:55:27.960 --> 00:55:29.320
Let me help you get to these dreams.

00:55:29.320 --> 00:55:31.600
And then he begins to bring the dreams to pass.

00:55:31.600 --> 00:55:34.200
And everything that you thought was an ambition

00:55:34.200 --> 00:55:35.120
now becomes so limited.

00:55:35.120 --> 00:55:36.400
Hi, God, good to see you.

00:55:38.400 --> 00:55:41.320
Come right in, it's a pleasure seeing you again.

00:55:41.320 --> 00:55:42.160
Yeah.

00:55:43.080 --> 00:55:43.920
Any questions on this?

00:55:43.920 --> 00:55:46.640
Guys, just demolish these things.

00:55:46.640 --> 00:55:48.440
This is a brilliant way to live.

00:55:48.440 --> 00:55:50.560
And guys, here's the other thing.

00:55:50.560 --> 00:55:53.900
We are at a place right now where there are enough of us

00:55:53.900 --> 00:55:55.480
to show that this works.

00:55:56.480 --> 00:55:59.280
10 years ago we had, what, 20 people?

00:55:59.280 --> 00:56:00.600
That ain't enough.

00:56:00.600 --> 00:56:02.800
Now we have 25, now it's enough.

00:56:04.840 --> 00:56:06.280
The point is this.

00:56:06.280 --> 00:56:10.400
Now we have enough people that can display

00:56:10.400 --> 00:56:12.280
that this kind of living works.

00:56:16.400 --> 00:56:19.920
Because once people see that it works,

00:56:19.920 --> 00:56:22.320
everyone wants to see whether it'll work, right?

00:56:23.320 --> 00:56:26.160
Be the, be the, there are two words.

00:56:26.160 --> 00:56:27.000
One is,

00:56:31.280 --> 00:56:32.680
there are two words.

00:56:32.680 --> 00:56:33.920
One is prototype.

00:56:36.400 --> 00:56:37.640
One is archetype.

00:56:39.520 --> 00:56:42.680
A prototype is the first sample of something

00:56:42.680 --> 00:56:45.360
like a Tesla prototype.

00:56:45.360 --> 00:56:50.360
The archetype is that it's an amazing electric

00:56:52.680 --> 00:56:56.160
car that is revolutionary.

00:56:56.160 --> 00:56:59.560
An archetype is what you draw the design from.

00:56:59.560 --> 00:57:03.880
The prototype is the first example of the design.

00:57:03.880 --> 00:57:05.520
We are, we must be an archetype.

00:57:05.520 --> 00:57:08.520
We should show people that, hey, this works.

00:57:08.520 --> 00:57:11.520
Now you can take the idea and adapt it to your life

00:57:11.520 --> 00:57:12.720
wherever you live.

00:57:12.720 --> 00:57:14.400
Whether you be single, whether you be married,

00:57:14.400 --> 00:57:16.160
whether you be rich, whether you be poor,

00:57:16.160 --> 00:57:19.360
this now is a design that can apply across the earth.

00:57:19.600 --> 00:57:22.400
It doesn't need roads to run.

00:57:22.400 --> 00:57:25.280
You can run it up the hills, you can run it in the valleys.

00:57:26.320 --> 00:57:28.640
This is what I'm praying that the threshold thing

00:57:28.640 --> 00:57:29.560
will help us do.

00:57:30.720 --> 00:57:32.920
And that's why we need to think differently.

00:57:34.920 --> 00:57:36.280
And you will not miss out.

00:57:36.280 --> 00:57:37.680
Satan is a liar.

00:57:37.680 --> 00:57:40.120
One of the lies he uses with Christians is,

00:57:40.120 --> 00:57:42.360
hey, don't go down this route,

00:57:42.360 --> 00:57:43.800
because you're gonna miss out on all the good things

00:57:43.800 --> 00:57:45.960
of life that God wants to bless you with.

00:57:45.960 --> 00:57:47.160
Read 1 Timothy 6.

00:57:47.200 --> 00:57:49.840
God says, listen, I don't want you to pursue riches

00:57:49.840 --> 00:57:52.200
because you will get yourself shot in your foot,

00:57:52.200 --> 00:57:54.280
but I want you to know that everything I've made

00:57:54.280 --> 00:57:56.240
is for your pleasure, for you to enjoy.

00:57:57.320 --> 00:58:00.080
Very odd, 1 Timothy 6, verse 6 and 7.

00:58:00.080 --> 00:58:03.000
On one hand, he says, anybody who runs after riches

00:58:03.000 --> 00:58:05.000
is gonna shoot themselves in the foot.

00:58:06.160 --> 00:58:07.400
Have you tried that, Evan?

00:58:08.960 --> 00:58:09.800
Don't.

00:58:10.680 --> 00:58:12.880
No, just reminded of the gun.

00:58:13.480 --> 00:58:18.480
So, on one hand, if I pursue riches,

00:58:19.000 --> 00:58:21.360
pursue success, pursue prosperity,

00:58:21.360 --> 00:58:23.800
I'm gonna shoot myself in the foot.

00:58:23.800 --> 00:58:26.560
On the other hand, everything that God has made

00:58:26.560 --> 00:58:28.760
is for my pleasure to enjoy.

00:58:28.760 --> 00:58:30.720
It's not one or the other, it's both.

00:58:35.400 --> 00:58:36.640
Let me begin to conclude.

00:58:38.160 --> 00:58:40.040
Well, we forgot to put on the sign

00:58:40.040 --> 00:58:42.600
that the service goes on for two and a half hours.

00:58:43.440 --> 00:58:47.320
Oh, you were, ha ha ha, Sue, you're supposed to be.

00:58:47.320 --> 00:58:51.600
Oh my Lord.

00:58:54.120 --> 00:58:55.920
And you blame me for church growth.

00:59:00.800 --> 00:59:02.640
No doubt I didn't get to 80.

00:59:02.640 --> 00:59:04.200
Sue was there in the beginning.

00:59:04.200 --> 00:59:07.200
Listen to this quote by a guy who really tasted

00:59:07.200 --> 00:59:12.200
the upper echelons of success, Charles Colson,

00:59:13.640 --> 00:59:16.240
the guy who was Nixon's advisor.

00:59:16.240 --> 00:59:20.120
He writes this in one of his books, After Watergate.

00:59:20.120 --> 00:59:25.120
Knowing how susceptible we are to success's siren call

00:59:26.360 --> 00:59:29.360
and the fact that we are not just a group of people

00:59:29.360 --> 00:59:31.240
who are not just a group of people

00:59:32.000 --> 00:59:33.840
as God does not fully allow us to see

00:59:33.840 --> 00:59:36.000
what is done through us.

00:59:36.000 --> 00:59:38.640
For success's siren call,

00:59:38.640 --> 00:59:43.520
God does not fully allow us to see

00:59:43.520 --> 00:59:44.720
what is done through us.

00:59:44.720 --> 00:59:47.720
The very nature of obedience he demands

00:59:47.720 --> 00:59:49.520
is that it be given without regard

00:59:49.520 --> 00:59:51.120
to circumstances or results.

00:59:51.120 --> 00:59:54.880
Knowing how susceptible we are to success's siren call,

00:59:54.880 --> 00:59:58.840
God does not allow us to see what he is going to do

00:59:58.840 --> 01:00:00.680
through us.

01:00:00.680 --> 01:00:07.680
be given without regard to circumstances or results.

01:00:07.680 --> 01:00:10.680
Let me conclude.

01:00:10.680 --> 01:00:16.680
When I say let me conclude, it usually means seven points, just so you know.

01:00:16.680 --> 01:00:18.680
What time is it?

01:00:18.680 --> 01:00:21.680
Oh, shucks.

01:00:21.680 --> 01:00:28.680
Okay, let me conclude with just one point.

01:00:28.680 --> 01:00:35.680
Did you turn off my mic?

01:00:35.680 --> 01:00:38.680
I'll put you guys on ramp duty, eh?

01:00:38.680 --> 01:00:42.680
Morning here.

01:00:42.680 --> 01:00:47.680
Guys, obedience is more important than getting it right.

01:00:47.680 --> 01:00:49.680
Obedience, this is a hard one again.

01:00:49.680 --> 01:00:59.680
Obedience is more important than getting it right.

01:00:59.680 --> 01:01:01.680
We'll just end with this point.

01:01:01.680 --> 01:01:05.680
Obedience is more important than getting it right.

01:01:05.680 --> 01:01:08.680
We said obedience is doing the revealed will of God.

01:01:08.680 --> 01:01:15.680
Doing the revealed will of God is more important than getting it right or it making sense.

01:01:15.680 --> 01:01:17.680
Just remember that, eh?

01:01:17.680 --> 01:01:23.680
Because Christians get hung up in getting it right or it making sense.

01:01:23.680 --> 01:01:27.680
Nah, just do what you are told.

01:01:27.680 --> 01:01:32.680
I mean, if you told your child to set the table up, does it really matter to you as a parent

01:01:32.680 --> 01:01:41.680
if the fork is on the whichever side it's not supposed to be?

01:01:41.680 --> 01:01:42.680
Of course.

01:01:42.680 --> 01:01:44.680
No, I didn't want to.

01:01:44.680 --> 01:01:48.680
It depends on, yeah, forget it.

01:01:48.680 --> 01:01:55.680
So, yeah, if the fork is not on the right side of the table when your child sets up a dinner table,

01:01:55.680 --> 01:01:57.680
does it really matter to you?

01:01:57.680 --> 01:02:03.680
You just told your five-year-old to set the table and the child obeyed, went and set the table.

01:02:03.680 --> 01:02:08.680
Are you going to get hung up about something not being in the right place?

01:02:08.680 --> 01:02:10.680
You think God is hung up about it?

01:02:10.680 --> 01:02:15.680
He knows how difficult it is for a people to listen to an inaudible voice and an invisible God

01:02:15.680 --> 01:02:16.680
and actually obey him.

01:02:16.680 --> 01:02:19.680
You think he's concerned about getting it right?

01:02:19.680 --> 01:02:22.680
He's thrilled every time I obey.

01:02:22.680 --> 01:02:24.680
And he keeps adjusting saying, take a weld-in.

01:02:24.680 --> 01:02:26.680
Let me show you how this is done.

01:02:26.680 --> 01:02:29.680
And then he'll tell me the fork should go on the left and the knife should go on the right.

01:02:29.680 --> 01:02:30.680
He'll tell me.

01:02:30.680 --> 01:02:34.680
But it isn't important and it does not have to make sense.

01:02:34.680 --> 01:02:37.680
You can eat dessert with a fork.

01:02:37.680 --> 01:02:38.680
It's okay.

01:02:38.680 --> 01:02:40.680
You don't need a dessert spoon.

01:02:40.680 --> 01:02:42.680
These are not important things.

01:02:42.680 --> 01:02:46.680
Guys, we've got to abandon this idea that he's some strict master.

01:02:46.680 --> 01:02:47.680
He's a father.

01:02:47.680 --> 01:02:49.680
He loves obedience.

01:02:49.680 --> 01:02:55.680
Loves obedience.

01:02:55.680 --> 01:02:58.680
Along the way, he can then adjust things.

01:02:58.680 --> 01:03:01.680
He can adjust things.

01:03:01.680 --> 01:03:03.680
Just take the first step.

01:03:03.680 --> 01:03:05.680
When getting it right becomes more important,

01:03:05.680 --> 01:03:07.680
when success becomes more important,

01:03:07.680 --> 01:03:09.680
when making sense becomes more important,

01:03:09.680 --> 01:03:11.680
when the approval of people becomes more important,

01:03:11.680 --> 01:03:14.680
then you become an unreliable servant.

01:03:14.680 --> 01:03:16.680
You become an unreliable servant.

01:03:16.680 --> 01:03:21.680
Galatians 1.10 says that the moment I begin to look for the approval of men,

01:03:21.680 --> 01:03:24.680
I cannot be a servant of Christ.

01:03:24.680 --> 01:03:25.680
Just see how stark that is.

01:03:25.680 --> 01:03:28.680
Jacob, the moment you look for the approval of men,

01:03:28.680 --> 01:03:34.680
you cannot be a servant of Christ.

01:03:34.680 --> 01:03:36.680
I cannot look for your approval as much as I want it.

01:03:36.680 --> 01:03:38.680
I cannot look for my parents' approval.

01:03:38.680 --> 01:03:43.680
I cannot look for my friends' approval when it comes to obedience.

01:03:43.680 --> 01:03:44.680
It gets in the way, man.

01:03:44.680 --> 01:03:52.680
I cannot look for family approval.

01:03:52.680 --> 01:03:54.680
The sooner I get used to this,

01:03:54.680 --> 01:03:59.680
the less I will end up preserving things that God wants to move on from.

01:03:59.680 --> 01:04:06.680
One of the cool stories that maybe I should conclude with is Elijah.

01:04:06.680 --> 01:04:09.680
He's just got a brook that he's told to camp by,

01:04:09.680 --> 01:04:15.680
and ravens come and feed him meat and bread every day.

01:04:15.680 --> 01:04:18.680
And then the brook dries up.

01:04:18.680 --> 01:04:21.680
Instead of praying that the brook starts flowing again,

01:04:21.680 --> 01:04:22.680
he doesn't pray.

01:04:22.680 --> 01:04:23.680
The ravens don't turn up.

01:04:23.680 --> 01:04:27.680
Instead of calling the ravens, he just waits for the next command.

01:04:27.680 --> 01:04:29.680
One of the things that happened, and this is super important,

01:04:29.680 --> 01:04:32.680
which is why I can't stop without saying this point,

01:04:32.680 --> 01:04:35.680
because it will mean something to people in this room.

01:04:35.680 --> 01:04:40.680
You were told something by God, and you are holding on to it.

01:04:40.680 --> 01:04:42.680
And God is saying, great, you obeyed.

01:04:42.680 --> 01:04:46.680
Now can you stop preserving what I said to you earlier,

01:04:46.680 --> 01:04:49.680
because I want to send you from the brook to Zarephath.

01:04:49.680 --> 01:04:54.680
And if you're going to hold on to this brook and make me about this brook,

01:04:54.680 --> 01:04:56.680
then you will not be following me.

01:04:56.680 --> 01:05:01.680
You will be following something that I was doing.

01:05:01.680 --> 01:05:04.680
Just remember that.

01:05:04.680 --> 01:05:06.680
It's critical, guys.

01:05:06.680 --> 01:05:08.680
You see this in Israel's history.

01:05:08.680 --> 01:05:10.680
They held on to the Torah.

01:05:10.680 --> 01:05:11.680
They held on to Moses.

01:05:11.680 --> 01:05:13.680
Who did they miss out on?

01:05:13.680 --> 01:05:16.680
Jesus.

01:05:16.680 --> 01:05:18.680
God said something to you.

01:05:18.680 --> 01:05:19.680
Good, Jacob.

01:05:19.680 --> 01:05:20.680
You obeyed.

01:05:20.680 --> 01:05:21.680
Great.

01:05:21.680 --> 01:05:22.680
Well done.

01:05:22.680 --> 01:05:25.680
Now that you obeyed, can I now free you from the ravens,

01:05:25.680 --> 01:05:28.680
free you from the brook, because there is a widow in Zarephath

01:05:28.680 --> 01:05:35.680
who will die with her son if you don't let go of this miracle that I'm doing in your life.

01:05:35.680 --> 01:05:39.680
And if you hold on to it, then the widow will die and her son will die.

01:05:39.680 --> 01:05:43.680
But if you obey, I'll send you into Sidon, which is pagan territory,

01:05:43.680 --> 01:05:45.680
which Israel doesn't enter, and you will go there.

01:05:45.680 --> 01:05:48.680
Years from now, the Son of God will use you as an example and say,

01:05:48.680 --> 01:05:54.680
do you remember that Elijah was sent to just one widow, not in Israel, but in Sidon?

01:05:54.680 --> 01:05:58.680
Time to let go of something that God said.

01:05:58.680 --> 01:06:00.680
You hold on to it for dear life.

01:06:00.680 --> 01:06:01.680
You know what you're holding on to?

01:06:01.680 --> 01:06:07.680
You're holding on to an idol.

01:06:07.680 --> 01:06:09.680
Moses put up a snake.

01:06:09.680 --> 01:06:11.680
You know what that snake was later called?

01:06:11.680 --> 01:06:12.680
Nehustan.

01:06:12.680 --> 01:06:17.680
It became an idol, because Israel would carry it through the desert.

01:06:17.680 --> 01:06:19.680
That was a one-time offer.

01:06:19.680 --> 01:06:20.680
Look at the snake.

01:06:20.680 --> 01:06:21.680
It will represent the cross later.

01:06:21.680 --> 01:06:22.680
You look at it.

01:06:22.680 --> 01:06:23.680
You will survive snakebite.

01:06:23.680 --> 01:06:27.680
And they carried it with them for the rest of their lives until it became an idol.

01:06:27.680 --> 01:06:31.680
Let go of the miracles that God has done in your life because they are idols.

01:06:31.680 --> 01:06:32.680
Savor them.

01:06:32.680 --> 01:06:33.680
Talk about them.

01:06:33.680 --> 01:06:34.680
Use them as testimonies.

01:06:34.680 --> 01:06:38.680
Move on, because there are more rooms waiting, greater thresholds to cross,

01:06:38.680 --> 01:06:40.680
greater God to explore.

01:06:40.680 --> 01:06:43.680
Your God will never stay a mid-sized God.

01:06:43.680 --> 01:06:45.680
Yesterday's miracles make your God a mid-sized God.

01:06:45.680 --> 01:06:48.680
Move on, because there are greater things He wants to do.

01:06:48.680 --> 01:06:50.680
The water keeps increasing.

01:06:50.680 --> 01:06:54.680
Up your ankle, up your knee, up your waist, till you cannot even stand.

01:06:54.680 --> 01:06:56.680
That is the God we are talking about.

01:06:56.680 --> 01:06:58.680
That is what threshold crossing looks like.

01:06:58.680 --> 01:07:00.680
That is what a bigger room looks like.

01:07:00.680 --> 01:07:02.680
That is what He is inviting us to.

01:07:04.680 --> 01:07:06.680
This is where we are going, guys.

01:07:06.680 --> 01:07:08.680
We will talk about revival next week.

01:07:08.680 --> 01:07:10.680
Let's just pray.

01:07:10.680 --> 01:07:13.680
Father, why do we always run out of time?

01:07:13.680 --> 01:07:14.680
Thank you, Father.

01:07:14.680 --> 01:07:16.680
It has been a good day.

01:07:16.680 --> 01:07:18.680
We lingered with you.

01:07:18.680 --> 01:07:20.680
It was fun.

01:07:20.680 --> 01:07:27.680
I love this threshold topic about teachers to obey without thinking of outcomes and results.

01:07:27.680 --> 01:07:32.680
Part of the reason we are supposed to cross thresholds is so we can enrich the lives of others.

01:07:32.680 --> 01:07:35.680
Elijah crossed this threshold of Brooke, Jared, and the ravens,

01:07:35.680 --> 01:07:37.680
stepped into Sidon, and what happened?

01:07:37.680 --> 01:07:39.680
Abedah and her son were killed.

01:07:39.680 --> 01:07:42.680
These big rooms we explore with you is not for our benefit.

01:07:42.680 --> 01:07:44.680
It is for enriching others.

01:07:46.680 --> 01:07:50.680
So, Father, we say please, yes, separate us from the approval of men,

01:07:50.680 --> 01:07:55.680
from success, from outcome, from goals, from plans, unless you supply them.

01:07:56.680 --> 01:08:02.680
Allow us to step into this response to the Holy Spirit as He leads us.

01:08:02.680 --> 01:08:04.680
Make us the archetype for the earth, Abba.

01:08:04.680 --> 01:08:07.680
Let the earth learn from us, nobodies.

01:08:08.680 --> 01:08:10.680
That's the advantage you have with us.

01:08:10.680 --> 01:08:12.680
Nobody knows us.

01:08:14.680 --> 01:08:18.680
You got to go, Father, for now.

01:08:19.680 --> 01:08:21.680
See you guys when I see you.

01:08:32.680 --> 01:08:34.680
Thank you.

01:09:03.680 --> 01:09:07.680
The things you've done before

01:09:07.680 --> 01:09:10.680
In greater measure

01:09:11.680 --> 01:09:14.680
You will do again

01:09:15.680 --> 01:09:18.680
Cause there's no prison

01:09:18.680 --> 01:09:22.680
While you can't break through the mountain

01:09:22.680 --> 01:09:27.680
You can't move all things that cross it all

01:09:28.680 --> 01:09:32.680
There's no broken body

01:09:32.680 --> 01:09:35.680
You can't raise no soul

01:09:35.680 --> 01:09:37.680
That you can't save

01:09:37.680 --> 01:09:41.680
All tears are possible

01:09:42.680 --> 01:09:44.680
The darkest night