WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Tongues Publishing Date: 2018-02-18T05:00:44-08:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/tongues/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.000 Chinese or Indian, but it means that God gives us the ability to speak in a language that we really haven't been trained on. 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:19.000 So the function is that it builds you up. The content is prayer, praise and mysteries. 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:27.000 So people can pray in tongues, people can praise in tongues, people may say things that are mysteries that you and I cannot comprehend. 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:32.000 Because it says very clearly that the speaker does not understand. What's a medium? 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:41.000 The medium is an unknown language. It's an unknown language. 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:51.000 And by unknown it could mean that you do not know it, or unknown could mean that nobody in the church knows it, or unknown could mean that... 00:00:51.000 --> 00:01:01.000 There are different versions of this. Some say it's a language not known to you. 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:07.000 Others say a language that might be angelic based on the Spiritist Church. 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:16.000 Others say a language that is present on earth, so an earthly language that you have no idea of. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:22.000 So these are the three propositions with regards to the unknown language that we speak in. 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:26.000 I will examine that later, but know that it's an unknown language that we speak in. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:31.000 An unknown language. All languages, it's not just one. 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:38.000 So when in the Book of Acts the Holy Spirit fell on the Apostles, they spoke in unknown languages. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:44.000 But there were 13 people groups who heard and understood. 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:50.000 So we know that those were languages that were present on earth that people understood. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:02:00.000 But it also well could be that 1 Corinthians 13 follows this inference that even if you spoke in the tongues of angels, 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:05.000 so we do not know whether this is the language that's beyond the earth or out of the earth. 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:11.000 We'll look at that later. And then it could be a language that is not known to you or anybody here. 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:20.000 So we do not understand. That is why when in some charismatic circles when people start speaking to each other in tongues, 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:25.000 it's fancy but it's not biblical. 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:39.000 The audience is God. The audience is God. We are speaking to Him. He is the audience. 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:48.000 And so, and then the last one, how do we define it? Based on the other main stuff that I mentioned on the questions we'll do in the future. 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:56.000 Here's how you define it. When I speak in tongues, it's an immediate communing with God. 00:02:56.000 --> 00:03:06.000 When I speak in tongues, it's an immediate communing with God. Immediate communing or conversation with God. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:12.000 It's an immediate communing with God. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:16.000 In a language I don't understand. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:23.000 In a language I don't understand. 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:26.000 You mean yourself to speak in tongues? 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:35.000 Yeah. In a language I don't understand. Why is that? Isn't that ridiculous then that God would give us a language we don't understand speaking? 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:40.000 It does sound ridiculous but here's the reason why. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:04:05.000 It is my spirit that speaks it, empowered by the Holy Spirit, through my mouth. 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:08.000 So I have to open my mouth to speak it like any other language. 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:16.000 So it's my spirit that speaks it directly to God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, through my mouth. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:19.000 In a language I don't understand. Why? 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:37.000 So that my mind is bypassed and there are no limitations. 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:42.000 When you pray, you always pray with limitations. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:48.000 Oh God, how will this work out? What happened here? Who is going to help me? 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:52.000 How are you going to work it out? There's only so much I know you can do. 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:56.000 How am I going to trust you further than this? What awaits me in the future? 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:00.000 I know what awaits me tomorrow perhaps, but not two months from now, six months from now. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:09.000 And God allows you in your spirit, by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, to speak to him directly in perfect praise, perfect prayer. 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:21.000 And saying things beyond your comprehension, bypassing your mind, which no longer limits you, both in how much and how far you can pray, and in the words you use. 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:27.000 This is the beauty of tongues. This is the beauty of tongues. 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:34.000 And doesn't it also increase my trust in God? Because I don't know everything. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:37.000 And as we understand it, it increases our trust. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:54.000 Let's say I pray for Aaron and Ray's house that was burgled two weeks ago, and now I'm praying for them. 00:05:54.000 --> 00:06:03.000 So I pray, oh God, please return double of God. Let the thief be caught of God. Let there be justice done. Let things be returned. Let there not be trouble. Let it be at peace. 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:08.000 All these things come from my limited understanding of what all is possible. 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:14.000 Even as I pray like the thief, because it's been two weeks and I'm thinking, possibly not, but let me just pray just in case. 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:19.000 Or restore double, but even if he gets half back, that would be great, and we can still pray so long. 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:23.000 Praise you, Jesus. Praise you, Jesus. Worthy are you God. Worthy are you God. 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:28.000 I can't go beyond praise, worthiness, perhaps a hallelujah, and glory, depending on the tradition you come from. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:33.000 And so your words are limited and your thoughts are limited. There's only so much you can do. 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:37.000 There is a ceiling on how much we can pray without minds. 00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:44.000 And then arises a language that God gives you by His Spirit, empowering my spirit to use my mouth. 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:50.000 And now when I pray for them, I tell the Lord that, Father, I'd like to pray for their situation. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:53.000 I do not know how to pray. I pray to the extent I can. 00:06:53.000 --> 00:07:01.000 But now, as I pray for them, I'd like to pray in a language I do not understand, but a perfect prayer that comes out of my spirit, 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:08.000 empowered by your Holy Spirit, who knows everything, who knows exactly what you want, your will, and let me pray from that. 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:13.000 And then you'll be the prayer leader of our kind, you'll shoot an arrow, you'll shoot an arrow, and now you're praying from your spirit, 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:15.000 empowered by the Holy Spirit to God. 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:27.000 And so when we, on one hand Paul says, when you're in a public place, speak five intelligible words, then ten thousand in tongues. 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:36.000 In the same chapter he also says, do not forbid the speaking of tongues. So we look at that data, but this is all we need for tongues now. 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:41.000 And here are the other questions. Why was tongues given as initial evidence of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts? 00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:47.000 Are there different kinds of tongues? Is it a prayer language? Is it a known language? Is it an unknown language? Is it angelic? 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:54.000 Is it ecstatic speaking that happens only under the anointing, or can I say that will? How do I use it in church? Is there an order? 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:59.000 What is not forbidden? What is forbidden? What is interpretation? How does it become prophecy? How can I obtain this gift? 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:03.000 How do I practice it? How do I use it? We'll talk about that. 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:05.000 Okay. 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:13.000 So now we go into the real thing. 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:21.000 Alright, so, just take a two minute break. I think I need a breather. 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:25.000 Say something nice to each other. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.000 Thank you. 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:36.000 Hey, do you guys want to introduce your friend? 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.000 Now start to say it. 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:44.000 Do you want to introduce her? 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:50.000 People just take it for granted that everybody knows you because you won't be here. 00:08:51.000 --> 00:09:03.000 This is Shannon, and she was one of our youth for a long time. We saw her from grade eight, or actually, we watched her grow up, but she was subjected to our leadership for many years. 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:11.000 Alrighty. Like we say to old people from Britain, you're not welcome. 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:14.000 They're so glad you're here. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:28.000 Yeah. Okay. So we're talking, this teaching we have done about four years ago, and this felt, you know, just time to work on it a little more and bring it again. 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:41.000 So I read about this man who was being pursued by the police, and he was shot at, and the intent was to harm him. 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:46.000 And so he goes into hiding, and almost all his friends abandoned him. 00:09:47.000 --> 00:10:01.000 And at some point, because of all that was happening, his wife began to despise him, and things got worse. His son raped his daughter, and then another son of his murdered his sibling, and then turned against him. 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:11.000 He lost two of his children, one at birth and the other in war. And at some point, he committed adultery and murder. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:24.000 And at another time in his life, he had his entire family kidnapped by cruel terrorists while he was left facing over 400 men, ready to stone him. 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:33.000 And yet, David, through all these circumstances, would somehow end up infused with God's ways and courage. 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.000 That's just the things that happened in David's life. 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:50.000 Pursued by police, shot with the intent to harm, in hiding as a refugee, abandoned by friends, despised by his wife, his son raped his daughter, another son murders his sibling, turns against him. 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:59.000 He loses two of his children, one at birth and the other in war. Committed adultery and murder. Has his entire family kidnapped by cruel terrorists. 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:10.000 Is left facing 400 men who are ready to stone him. And yet, this man writes some of the most beautiful songs that we sing, have been singing for thousands of generations. 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:24.000 You see why he's called a man after God so much? Because we see David the king, David the Sabbath, David the guy who took out the lie, and we forget so many other things that happened in David's life. 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:33.000 And so, how is it that this man always ended up being infused with God's ways and the courage? 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:43.000 When you look at Psalm 77, written not by David but by one of his musicians, Asaq, there's this verse in Psalm 77, verse 6, which says, 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:53.000 Let me remember my song in the night. Let me meditate in my heart. Then my spirit made a diligent search. 00:11:53.000 --> 00:12:05.000 Then my spirit made a diligent search. I want to take those three things because David would continuously go through situations, but he would always keep these three things in mind. 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:14.000 Sing, meditate, search. This was David's constant way of operation. You'll see it in almost every song he writes. 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:25.000 At some point in his song, after he complains to God about all that he's going through, after he bids God to decimate his enemies, he comes back to this place where he says, 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:35.000 I will go to the altar of God by joy and by reward, and I will praise him with the heart, O Lord, you are my God. Why are you so sad, my soul, my soul distressed with you? 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:42.000 And so he had this ability to continuously go back to preaching, sing, and then meditate. 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:54.000 But if we talk about what meditate means from David's point of view, and then search, he would diligently search out the ways of God so that he knew where God was pointing. 00:12:55.000 --> 00:13:04.000 Psalm 119 is this constant repeat of, O God, I've searched for you in your statutes. You have enlarged my heart and I've been run after them. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:10.000 So sing, meditate, search. Want a short form for it? SMS, if it helps. 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:22.000 So Psalm 77 verse 6, let me remember my song, not in the day, in the night, the darkness creates it. 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:29.000 Let me meditate in my heart, and then my spirit will diligently search. 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:39.000 And so, first guys, be aware of the enemy without. We often talk about the devil. I prefer not calling him enemy because enemy makes him sound friendly. 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:45.000 He's the devil, he is Lucifer, he's the ancient evil serpent. He is Satan. 00:13:46.000 --> 00:14:01.000 Because one of the things, and I'm so glad these guys went for the worship conference, and strangely enough, sometimes when a genuine worship conference comes into a city, every church the next Sunday will be affected by the spirit of worshiping. 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:07.000 And we saw that here today. There'll be other churches where this happened today. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:17.000 There is a genuine worship conference. I said, once you don't seek worship leaders or worship team but you seek God, it makes a big difference when that happens. 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:29.000 And so, there is an enemy and the enemy has his own worship team, guys. There is a shout in the enemy's camp. There is a shout in the enemy's camp. 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:41.000 Just as we make noise, he makes noise. It's a shout that announces their king. And it's very real. And we are affected by it every day. 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:51.000 Every day, situations and circumstances in your life shout out so loud. There's such a chorus that don't be surprised if you are overwhelmed by it. 00:14:52.000 --> 00:15:10.000 There is a shout in the enemy's camp. So much depends on sin, meditate, search and how we set certain things up every day so that the shout in the enemy's camp does not overwhelm, paralyze or pull a rug from under your feet. 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:15.000 The more trouble you are in, guys, the more you need to sin, meditate and search. 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:24.000 David had this amazing ability to go into what was his stronghold. And he would go into his stronghold and he would encourage himself. The word used in this tells us that. 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:28.000 So that means to man up, to become strong, to pull himself up. 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:35.000 Sin, meditate, search. 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:37.000 No, no, he tries to overwhelm. 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:11.000 There's no way out. The Bible is full of stories like this. Still, suddenly, gone. 00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:23.000 And Goliath is the guy that David has to be with. And Goliath, the Bible says in 1 Samuel 17, that Goliath is a man of war. 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:34.000 He's, please understand that, I know you know this, but it's necessary to hear this, that Satan comes to really destroy and kill and maim and do harm. 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:41.000 This is not an enemy that who is not warring. He's a man of war. Imagine a man of war. 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:57.000 A man of war. Dead, fully. I mean, he had six toes, six fingers. He carried armor that was 600 shekels heavy. He was six cubits tall. 00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:07.000 Six in the Bible is often used as the number of man. As in all the wickedness of man and every floy man is symbolized as the number six. 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:16.000 And here was this Goliath who was a man of war whose intent was, guys, the word Goliath means to strip you down and to exile you. 00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:25.000 To strip you down, another word which we don't use nowadays is denude. D-E-N-U-D-E. To denude, that's to strip you. 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:39.000 The intent is, can I strip Jacob of things? Of his dignity? Of his self worth? Of his ability to stay in connection with people? 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:48.000 Can I exile him? Can I exile him from his friends, his family, his church and eventually his God? Is this possible? 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:54.000 Is this possible? Because the very name Goliath means I have come to strip you and I have come to exile you. 00:17:55.000 --> 00:18:01.000 And my God does this happen during the week. Now you understand the chorus out there in the world. 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:09.000 It's a Philistine chorus that is continuous. This is why Israel would wake up and give their morning sacrifice. 00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:16.000 And as soon as their morning sacrifice was over and they had just finished praising Yahweh, Goliath would come out. 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:25.000 And Israel would go running back into their foxholes. And Goliath would stand there and challenge the Jesus chest. 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:31.000 And not a single Israelite would creep out of the foxhole. And then the time would come for the evening sacrifice. 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:37.000 And they would offer the evening sacrifice. And as the aroma is washed into God, out comes Goliath again. 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:42.000 And again these guys run back into the foxhole. And how many days did he do it for? 40 days. 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:56.000 It's a kind of chorus that paralyzes, overwhelms, strips, exiles, takes you captive. 40 days of relentless attempts to overcome. 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:04.000 This is why sin, meditate, search will become critical if and when we are in situations like that. 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:10.000 And you can't deal with this with human strength or counsel. Human strength and wisdom, you cannot deal with it. 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:14.000 The Bible says Saul was head and shoulders above his compatriots. 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:19.000 He seemed to be someone who was strong by his strength. Didn't matter at all. 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:28.000 But Saul wouldn't go and touch Goliath. He was sitting in his royal tent hoping for some kind of intervention which he did have a right to command. 00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:32.000 No human wisdom or human strength could help him. 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:37.000 Because Goliath cannot be taken down by our human wisdom or strength or counsel. 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:42.000 And if it is not in our lives, then it's happening in the lives of one or three more. 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:54.000 Right? History makers, is it true today that when people pray, Goliath can be dropped down with a single stroke? 00:19:55.000 --> 00:20:04.000 It's not for us then, for the sake of those around us, we must engage in these simple principles of sin, meditate, search. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:09.000 It's an angel of principle. It's come from Genesis and goes on to the book of Revelation. 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:13.000 It's just that David visits with again and again and again. 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:24.000 A spirit that is after us in the midst of pain, in the midst of a breach, or in the midst of pain or breach or distress. 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:31.000 A spirit that is after us whenever there is pain, whenever there is distress, when something goes wrong. 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:33.000 Or whenever there is a breach or a break. 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:39.000 A spirit that is continuously after Christians in particular are these three things. 00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:45.000 Depression, confusion, bitterness. 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:58.000 Every time there is pain in a person's life, every time there is distress in a person's life, 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:05.000 every time there is a breach or a break in a person's life, something gets broken or something gets breached, 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:09.000 there is a spirit that is waiting to bring in these three things. 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:14.000 And one of the three usually gains some ground. 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:20.000 It's either depression or heaviness or sadness that begins to exile you. 00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:30.000 Or else it's confusion where it colors the face of God and things that have to do with God. 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:36.000 And you become confused about the goodness of the Father, the power of God. 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:38.000 It brings in confusion. 00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:46.000 And the third thing is bitterness where now depression and confusion join together to create a bitter group 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:50.000 that cannot see God is good anymore. 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:54.000 This spirit is always waiting at the door. 00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:58.000 If these are door openers, these are the entrance. 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:00.000 And it is common to all humans. 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:02.000 It's common to everybody sitting here. 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:04.000 Starting with me. 00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:10.000 The trick is when this gains even a little fraction or a weeb comes in, 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:14.000 how soon do you want to get up and pull out that weeb and throw it out? 00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:15.000 Throw it out before it. 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:19.000 That's the difference between us as Christians in this room. 00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:21.000 The difference is not that we are not subject to this. 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:24.000 The difference is not that it doesn't gain access into our life. 00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:29.000 The difference amongst us here is how long do you allow it to stay? 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:33.000 That is actually the measure of maturity. 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:36.000 How long do you allow it to stay? 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:49.000 You have no idea my situation and how difficult it is. 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:52.000 You are absolutely right that you have a father. 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:54.000 And he knows your name. 00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:56.000 And he knows everything about you. 00:22:57.000 --> 00:22:58.000 And he loves you more than... 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:02.000 No, he loves you just the same as he loves you. 00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:06.000 He loves you a lot and he wants to rescue you. 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.000 His name is Yeshua. Yeshua means rescuer. 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:11.000 The one who rescues. 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:13.000 The one who saves. 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:15.000 The intrinsic to his character. 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:24.000 There are different reasons why we end up in situations that we won't go there today. 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:29.000 But there are trials, there are tests, there are temptations, 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:32.000 there is persecution, 00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:35.000 there are attacks, 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:38.000 there is discipline, 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:41.000 there are consequences, 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:44.000 and there is the nature of the fallen world. 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:47.000 There are different reasons. 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:54.000 And then there are the mistakes of others that we sometimes have to suffer for. 00:23:55.000 --> 00:24:02.000 Like when a husband leaves his wife, the children suffer for no fault of theirs. 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:08.000 There might be more reasons, but see the reasons we end up in situations are varied. 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:11.000 By attack I mean the attack of the enemy. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:13.000 All these reasons exist. 00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:19.000 And God is a God who rescues us from each other. 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:23.000 Who rescues us from each other. 00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:27.000 Who rescues us from each other. 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:29.000 Who rescues us from each of them. 00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:36.000 Who rescues us from each of them, regardless of whether you are the maker of the trap or not. 00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:42.000 He is a snare breaker, a trap destroyer, a rescuer. That's his nature. 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:46.000 And he gives you instructions out of fear, sir. 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:52.000 Every trap he breaks, every bondage he is able to remove, that's all. 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:57.000 I don't think there is one of these things that I have not been through and haven't been rescued from. 00:24:58.000 --> 00:25:00.000 And I'm sure that's the experience of many in this room. 00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:06.000 What about tonight's events? 00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:09.000 Reasons why things happen in our lives. 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:13.000 Why do bad things happen to good people? These are some of the reasons. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:19.000 I haven't written a book on it because that book has already been written eight times by more famous people than me. 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:23.000 I won't sell much, other than a waxed very nice, which I hope. 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:30.000 But why do bad things happen to good people? These are the reasons. 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:37.000 God is a good God. Why do bad things happen to good people? 00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:41.000 By good people I mean God people. 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:46.000 This is why I haven't necessarily thrown sin and condemnation in there. 00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:50.000 Because that would be the tenth one, but that would apply to the rest of the world. 00:25:51.000 --> 00:26:03.000 So, what are you supposed to do when certain senses are discouraging, when you are hamstrung, when you are unproductive, when you are badly not producing what you thought you would produce? 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:08.000 You are not able to make things work. What do you do? 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:13.000 And so that's when you start with SMS and the first one we are going to look at is SIN. 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:23.000 If you go to Isaiah 54, verse 1, Isaiah 54, verse 1, I'm just amazed that God says this. 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:26.000 I'm just amazed that God says this. 00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:32.000 Isaiah 54, verse 1. 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:36.000 Verse 1. 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:49.000 If you are being unproductive, if you are not able to bear fruit the way you want to, if your fruit is being robbed, if it's being devoured, 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:57.000 one of the things God says to one who is not productive, look at what he says in Isaiah 54, to Israel, he's talking to Israel. 00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:00.000 Israel has not been able to produce what it is supposed to produce. 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.000 And so here's what God says. He says, O barren woman, sin. 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:12.000 You who never bore a child, burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor, 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:17.000 because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband. 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:28.000 Ridiculous! You haven't borne, you haven't produced fruit, and instead of lamenting as one should, 00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:34.000 he's saying, hey, are you barren, are you unfruitful, are you not productive? 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:42.000 Well Jacob, sing! David got this, and he would do this continuously. 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:48.000 Every song would be sing, exult, my enemies have surrounded me, they tear at me like wolves, 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:56.000 if my bones are shrinking, my nose is running, and in the middle of that he would say, bust. 00:27:56.000 --> 00:28:02.000 He didn't say the nose is running. In the middle of it he would say, bust. 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:06.000 I will take my heart and I will begin it, sing. 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:09.000 This is the whole idea of what Barry was talking about when he said, 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:16.000 worship ain't something that you do for, in our case, one hour, in some cases 20 minutes. 00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:20.000 It's not something that you do, hooch, shot him. 00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:24.000 So sing, O barren woman, look at what the words say. 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:29.000 Look at it, let it be singed in your memory, sing O barren woman, you who never bore a child. 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:35.000 Burst into song, shout for joy, just in case Sing wasn't strong enough, he just re-emphasizes. 00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:38.000 Burst into song, I said, burst! 00:28:41.000 --> 00:28:46.000 Sorry, Shiloh. Burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor. Why? 00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:51.000 Because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband. 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:52.000 Crazy. 00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:59.000 Because it's singed, woman has more time for the Lord to work. 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:04.000 That's not the context here, though. Here the context is burst into song, 00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:14.000 because the one who does not have or is not fruitful today will begin to bear fruit as one begins to sing, meditate, search. 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:20.000 That is the intent here, though what Jesus is saying is a person who's not married will have more time. 00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:24.000 But there's nothing wrong with marriage because marriage is holy and the marriage bed is holy. 00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:33.000 Guys, here's the thing, you consider the reality of your circumstances, but you deny the finality of your circumstances. 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:38.000 This is important. You consider the reality of your circumstances. 00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:43.000 You look at how real your situation is, but you only consider the reality of your circumstances. 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:47.000 You do not consider the finality of your circumstances. 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:53.000 This is why Rachel can come up here and say, yes, I didn't get healed immediately. 00:29:54.000 --> 00:30:02.000 Yes, this, this happened, but I know the finality of the outcome is not decided by doctors or by circumstances. 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:10.000 Come, rise up, church. It's time to stop looking at our situation as the final word. It is not. 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:20.000 Abraham was like this, Romans 4, 18, he looked at himself, saw himself unproductive, barren, not fertile, but he was fully persuaded. 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:27.000 Habakkuk 3, verse 19 says the same thing, even though the fictitious are not rotten, I know what's going to happen. 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:35.000 Do not look at our circumstances and deny the reality, but look at them and deny the finality. Be denied it. 00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:44.000 Live in denial. Live in denial. I didn't want to tackle the rest of the factors without soft hookah. 00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:48.000 How do you do this? By speaking, singing, shouting the shameless truth. 00:30:49.000 --> 00:31:02.000 How do you consider reality and deny finality? By singing, shouting and speaking the shameless truth. 00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:10.000 Sing it. I mean, who was the guy at the worship conference, there's a song that I sing here in church, 00:31:11.000 --> 00:31:18.000 he wrote that while he was praying for his wife who was pregnant and the baby had complications. 00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:24.000 They are praying, different people are praying, it's from his song that I think, different people are praying and guess what happens? 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:36.000 The baby dies. And he in his commentary before the song says, guys, it's not us who come through this, many of you have come through this, 00:31:37.000 --> 00:31:42.000 so I want you to know that this is not my song, this is our song, so let us sing it together. 00:31:43.000 --> 00:31:50.000 And then he begins to sing this song, it's one of the songs we sing. He was there at the worship conference, I forgot his name. 00:31:50.000 --> 00:32:02.000 So, sorry? J.D. From his song, right? Yeah. And so the baby dies, but out of it comes a song that is, I'm not saying good thing came out of that, 00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:11.000 all I'm saying is there is a way to not look at circumstances and be overwhelmed by them. Start singing. You don't know how critical it is. 00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:23.000 Start singing. Sing at home. If you're good, sing well, sing at home. When your roommate is not there. When your roommate is not there. 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:33.000 J.D. is saying the name is different. Okay, what's the name of the demon? Chris Killar. Chris Killar. Okay, what's the song? I forgot. 00:32:33.000 --> 00:32:45.000 You are good. You are good. Yeah. Guys, so rejoice in Yeshua, your rescuer. When you face unproductivity, when things are overwhelming, 00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:54.000 rejoice in Yeshua, your rescuer, because the trap or the snare you are in will give you up. It cannot hold off. 00:32:54.000 --> 00:33:02.000 Once you start rejoicing or singing, a strange thing happens. You start building commitment and capacity for increase. 00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:08.000 Hear me again. This is critical. It is so true. You'll see it again and again in the Bible. People who, through difficult times, 00:33:09.000 --> 00:33:20.000 learned how to sing were people who began to build commitment and increase capacity, because it was only going to be a few days before every day. 00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:29.000 Because it was only going to be a few days before everything would change. Everything would change. And then when it changes, they are ready. 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:37.000 They increase their capacity. They build their greenhouse. They build their silo where God brings in the plenty. Why would God do that? 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:44.000 You see it again and again in the book of Psalms in Isaiah. Mourning may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning. 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:53.000 You may sow seeds or weeping, but you will come back with seeds of joy. This is the principle of God. It is inviolable. 00:33:54.000 --> 00:34:01.000 I do not know a situation that I have gone through well that I have not collected spoils. 00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:13.000 I have never been through a situation that was difficult when I didn't come out collecting souls, finances, favor, increase spiritually and physically. 00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:25.000 Not once in my life has that happened. These are the truths of God. If it is not your experience yet, it is not because God is not true. 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:35.000 It is because at some point in the process we begin to focus on the outcome and decide that my condition is final. 00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:44.000 Sin. Sin. 00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:58.000 Your proclaimed truth must become practiced truth. It is one thing to proclaim truth. This is why it is easy to sing in church. 00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:10.000 Tomorrow proclaimed truth must become practiced truth. Tomorrow I must sing. Tomorrow I must sing. 00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:20.000 This is the old theory. Whenever things are going wrong, just put on worship music. 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:31.000 Now, Saul put on worship music. David actually played it and sang it. When Saul was in trouble, he said let's play worship music. 00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:41.000 So he gets this little fellow called David and David starts playing. Saul would play, David would sing it. When David was in trouble, he wouldn't play worship music. 00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:49.000 He would actually sing it and it's not worship that changes things for you. It is the joy and worship that changes things for you. 00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:58.000 The Bible does not say the worship of the Lord is your strength. The Bible says the joy of the Lord is your strength. Worship that is joyless ain't worship. 00:36:03.000 --> 00:36:05.000 The joy of the Lord is your strength. 00:36:11.000 --> 00:36:22.000 That's when you recognize your father and king and like these guys are saying, you step up to kiss the father. 00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:38.000 And is it possible to kiss the father joylessly? Yes. That's when it's a sloppy little step up and kiss the king. 00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:51.000 Can you joyless people usually kiss your hand? In fear and trembling, the king would stretch out his ring and I once went to a church here in Vancouver where a bishop from India came. 00:36:52.000 --> 00:36:57.000 I didn't know that when everything is done, the people leave the church and you've got to kiss the bishop's ring. 00:36:58.000 --> 00:37:05.000 I'm thinking to myself, I'm not going to kiss his ring. But then I'm the only one in the line who's not kissing his ring. So I pushed my father and suddenly I quickly stretched out. 00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:12.000 But, eh, moving on. 00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:24.000 Guys, joy must be expressed and I know we did an elaborate write-up on this four years ago. 00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:37.000 But there are so many different expressions of joy. There's this word called tada, which is basically Hebrew for sacrifice of praise. 00:37:37.000 --> 00:37:44.000 There's another word called yada, which is demonstration of praise with outstretched hands. 00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:53.000 Tada is sacrifice of praise. Yada is demonstrating praise with outstretched hands. 00:37:53.000 --> 00:38:04.000 I'm just telling you this so you get the Hebrew word, but you'll find out how many different ways. 00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:10.000 There's barak, which is to bow down and worship. Bow down and worship. 00:38:11.000 --> 00:38:19.000 So when you engage in singing, engage in these actions because singing is rarely an inanimate exercise. 00:38:19.000 --> 00:38:27.000 There's shabbach, a shout of praise. Shabbach, a shout of praise. 00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:35.000 There's tehila. Don't get me wrong, it's not tehila, it's tehila. 00:38:36.000 --> 00:38:43.000 Tehila means singing, shouting, clapping, dancing. 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:49.000 Singing, shouting, clapping, dancing. Singing, shouting, clapping, dancing. 00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:59.000 There's zamar. Zamar is praising with an instrument. Zamar is singing with an instrument or praising with an instrument. 00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:19.000 I love the next one. This is my favorite. Halil, which is boastful, loud, clamorous praise. 00:39:23.000 --> 00:39:28.000 Which sometimes irritates people. Because you don't even have the outcome done yet. 00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:35.000 But because you know the finality of the outcome, you now begin to boast about what's going to happen and it's loud and clamorous. 00:39:36.000 --> 00:39:40.000 These are different expressions of singing, guys. Different expressions of singing. 00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:53.000 What's SSCD? SSCD is shouting, singing, clapping, and dancing. 00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:57.000 Or it could be singing, shouting, clapping, and dancing. 00:39:58.000 --> 00:40:01.000 You can change it whichever way you want. 00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:11.000 So these are the different ways, man. We did a long thing on this ages ago. 00:40:17.000 --> 00:40:20.000 Let's look at the whole idea of meditation. 00:40:22.000 --> 00:40:25.000 Any questions on singing? 00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:33.000 I sing, guys. I sing not on Sundays. I sing at home. I sing in my car. 00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:39.000 Sometimes people roll out the window if they are with me in the car because I start singing and shouting. 00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:45.000 And people in the next car may think that I'm getting angry with someone in the car. 00:40:46.000 --> 00:40:50.000 But there is... 00:40:55.000 --> 00:41:01.000 A life is a certain way because of what you don't see that is happening in that life six days a week. 00:41:03.000 --> 00:41:09.000 Your life will end up a certain way because of your habits from Monday to Saturday. 00:41:09.000 --> 00:41:11.000 Sin. 00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:25.000 God sins. Angels sin. Creation sins. Mountains bow down. Oceans roar. Birds sing. 00:41:27.000 --> 00:41:36.000 But the only ones who are given a voice to actually adore their Creator, strangely enough, don't do that. 00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:39.000 Don't do that. Us. Don't do that. 00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:42.000 Sin. 00:41:44.000 --> 00:41:50.000 Meditate. Meditate. In Psalm 77 it says, I will commune with my heart. 00:41:51.000 --> 00:41:54.000 I will commune with my heart. Meaning I'll listen to my heart and I'll talk to my heart. 00:41:55.000 --> 00:41:57.000 So when you're talking, what does the word meditate mean? 00:41:58.000 --> 00:42:02.000 Meditate is to talk to your heart the things that God tells you. 00:42:02.000 --> 00:42:08.000 And I remember saying this before. Meditation is God-directed self-talk. 00:42:09.000 --> 00:42:16.000 God-directed self-talk. God-directed self-talk. That's what meditation is. 00:42:17.000 --> 00:42:21.000 To converge with, to commune with yourself. What are you communing with yourself? 00:42:22.000 --> 00:42:28.000 It is God-directed self-talk. I find out things that God has said today in the service. 00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:34.000 I find out things that God says to me during the week through one of you or through the Bible. 00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:40.000 And I begin to allow that to now become self-talk. God-directed self-talk. 00:42:41.000 --> 00:42:46.000 One of the verses that I've been, not verses, one of the simple truths that I've been meditating on for this week is, 00:42:47.000 --> 00:42:50.000 Jesus lives in you. You live in him. He is in the Father. 00:42:51.000 --> 00:42:56.000 And so when I pray for people it's coming out, when I think it's coming out, when I talk to God it's coming out. 00:42:56.000 --> 00:43:02.000 Jesus lives in me. Oh shucks, all of Jesus lives in me. I live in him. Oh shucks, I live in him. 00:43:03.000 --> 00:43:07.000 But even better, he is in the Father. So whatever the world does that way, means, 00:43:08.000 --> 00:43:12.000 try thinking about that for 14 days and wonder if something won't change. 00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:20.000 To meditate is still, it's God-directed self-talk. 00:43:21.000 --> 00:43:26.000 Guys, meditation will allow you, and meditation is not mmm meditation like Lotus Provision. 00:43:27.000 --> 00:43:34.000 I've done that. My God, man, my mom had a friend whose husband was one of India's most famous yoga teachers. 00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:38.000 And trust me, yoga ain't some healthy alternative. 00:43:39.000 --> 00:43:49.000 It is steeped in Hinduism and it's got no compatibility with either Christian, God or Christian background. 00:43:50.000 --> 00:44:00.000 And this guy, he had, I was kind of a rager, he'd have to do these stupid little things his daughter would be there to. 00:44:01.000 --> 00:44:07.000 And then you would have to meditate. You would have to sit in the Lotus position and chant something for a little while. 00:44:08.000 --> 00:44:12.000 And I would open my eyes to see whether she was doing it, and most of the time she wouldn't even. 00:44:13.000 --> 00:44:16.000 And then at some point her mother would come and grab my teeth like, 00:44:16.000 --> 00:44:20.000 but there's such a sweet little point, and that's when I decided yoga's not for me. 00:44:21.000 --> 00:44:23.000 Because it would always hurt after yoga. 00:44:24.000 --> 00:44:30.000 But the point is this, guys, we're not talking about meditation where we pointlessly go over a thing. 00:44:31.000 --> 00:44:35.000 Meditation is God-directed self-talk. God is an active speaker. 00:44:37.000 --> 00:44:41.000 God is always parting curtains. 00:44:42.000 --> 00:44:56.000 Taking you one layer deeper, hoping you will press in so he can reveal some more. 00:44:59.000 --> 00:45:01.000 Wrestling with you. 00:45:04.000 --> 00:45:10.000 Engaging you in conversation by keeping quiet and not giving you immediate answers. 00:45:11.000 --> 00:45:18.000 Wondering if you will go and read his words. 00:45:19.000 --> 00:45:31.000 It has been my lifelong aim to be called Dr. Jeevan. Please do not call me pastor from now on. 00:45:34.000 --> 00:45:36.000 Where is this video? 00:45:36.000 --> 00:45:38.000 God-directed self-talk. 00:45:39.000 --> 00:45:44.000 Guys, God-directed self-talk is not to go over one thing aimlessly, meaninglessly again and again. 00:45:45.000 --> 00:45:48.000 God is an active speaker. He's an active speaker. 00:45:49.000 --> 00:45:54.000 Meaning once he presents you something, he'll say, and so have you thought about it some more? 00:45:55.000 --> 00:45:57.000 Active speaker, because I've got something else to offer. 00:45:58.000 --> 00:46:00.000 Let me add one other word to it. And he adds another word. 00:46:01.000 --> 00:46:03.000 Now he begins to part the curtains if you're interested. 00:46:03.000 --> 00:46:07.000 Just to give you another glimpse. To say, hey, Marcus, you want to see a little more? 00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:13.000 I'll show you that if you've seen Viggo. But don't phase off. Let me show you a little more. 00:46:14.000 --> 00:46:17.000 And then he begins to part the curtain and he wants to take you one layer deeper. Why? 00:46:18.000 --> 00:46:20.000 Because he wants to change the inside. My character is what he is after. 00:46:21.000 --> 00:46:24.000 Because if he has my character, he has everything he needs to do, anything in the world. 00:46:25.000 --> 00:46:31.000 So now he begins to take a little deeper. From there he wonders after, he shows me a layer. 00:46:31.000 --> 00:46:33.000 He wonders, is this guy present or is he going to let me? 00:46:34.000 --> 00:46:37.000 Because God will not teach an unbelieving student. 00:46:38.000 --> 00:46:44.000 I will question. This is not because he's angry or cruel or unkind. He says because he's a good teacher. 00:46:48.000 --> 00:46:52.000 When I could not understand math, my dad didn't realize how bad I was at math. 00:46:53.000 --> 00:46:56.000 So he was trying to give me a knock and say, why can't you understand? And I didn't know what to say. 00:46:57.000 --> 00:47:00.000 And so I'd start crying and then he would say, why are you crying? And I'd say, because you hit me. 00:47:01.000 --> 00:47:07.000 But it didn't make sense to him because in math he wasn't a good teacher. 00:47:08.000 --> 00:47:13.000 He was a good teacher in many other things but not math. I hated math for the rest of my life. 00:47:14.000 --> 00:47:19.000 I still do. So you press it and then what happens here? 00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:26.000 Yeah, if you press it, God begins to reveal something. If you press it, God begins to reveal something. 00:47:26.000 --> 00:47:31.000 He says, okay, now that you pressed it, let me show you something. Why? Because what are you doing in pressing it? 00:47:32.000 --> 00:47:37.000 There's only one other word that you can use for the word pressing. I am being faithful with the little he's shown me. 00:47:38.000 --> 00:47:43.000 Now that God sees that you are faithful with the little truth he's shown you, he says, now let me reveal something to you. 00:47:44.000 --> 00:47:48.000 And keys always come because of revelation, guys. This is not some high-funder statement. 00:47:49.000 --> 00:47:53.000 Every time God wants to give you the keys to something, he first shows you the lock. 00:47:53.000 --> 00:47:58.000 And he will show you how to open it. And then he will wonder whether you want to. 00:47:59.000 --> 00:48:04.000 And if you want to, he'll say, okay, here's the key. All revelation leads to keys that will open under those. 00:48:05.000 --> 00:48:10.000 This is why he said to Peter, Peter, this revelation that you received is not from the earth. It is from heaven. 00:48:11.000 --> 00:48:17.000 And because you have received it from the Father, I am going to give to you now. The keys of the kingdom. 00:48:18.000 --> 00:48:22.000 What you open, no one will shut. And what you shut, no one will open. 00:48:23.000 --> 00:48:27.000 This is the process, guys. It all starts with God directs itself. 00:48:28.000 --> 00:48:34.000 When we go over and over and over in our heads what God is saying during the week. 00:48:38.000 --> 00:48:43.000 I can't tell you how critical this is, how life changing it is, how earth opening it is. 00:48:43.000 --> 00:48:46.000 How earth opening it is. 00:48:55.000 --> 00:48:58.000 From revealing some more we go through. 00:48:59.000 --> 00:49:05.000 God will wrestle. Say, okay, now let me wrestle with you. Let me show you where you're really right. 00:49:06.000 --> 00:49:09.000 He wrestles with you to show you where you're at. 00:49:10.000 --> 00:49:14.000 Because wrestling, why does God wrestle? God wrestles because he wants to change you some more. 00:49:15.000 --> 00:49:19.000 And God wrestles so he can show you that listen, this is your capability. 00:49:20.000 --> 00:49:24.000 Now you've got to push more. You cannot stay here. God wrestles. 00:49:26.000 --> 00:49:28.000 He wrestles with you. 00:49:29.000 --> 00:49:36.000 He also will engage you in conversation. One of the ways God engages you in conversation is by not giving you direct answers. 00:49:36.000 --> 00:49:42.000 When you ask for something, God will not give you a direct answer immediately. Why? Because he wants to have a conversation. 00:49:44.000 --> 00:49:53.000 Sometimes you see parents doing that. You ask your dad, dad, I want this. And there will be no answer. Why? 00:49:54.000 --> 00:49:58.000 Because now you want to hear why the kid wants it. And then he begins a conversation. 00:49:59.000 --> 00:50:04.000 Now you have something. But every time someone says, dad, I want this, and you give it to him, that's the end of the conversation, man. 00:50:04.000 --> 00:50:06.000 That's how most teenagers are. 00:50:09.000 --> 00:50:16.000 God sometimes chooses not to answer so that he can engage you in a conversation so that you and him can have a dialogue. 00:50:17.000 --> 00:50:20.000 And in the process you get more than your answer. You get understanding. 00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:30.000 And then he will also see, this is terrible, man. 00:50:30.000 --> 00:50:40.000 He will also see if you will read his word. Because at the end of the day, a man can do all this and not read the word. 00:50:41.000 --> 00:50:45.000 And he lets you speak because you can't read the word. 00:50:45.000 --> 00:50:49.000 So when you start, we've stopped meditating. We won't go researching. I'll take another five minutes and stop. 00:50:50.000 --> 00:50:57.000 Because then we have this amazing surprise that you have not yet experienced. And it will be a treat you can look forward to. 00:50:59.000 --> 00:51:03.000 Exciting, huh? I don't know what it is. I'm not involved in it. 00:51:04.000 --> 00:51:06.000 I'm not involved in it. I'm not involved in it. 00:51:06.000 --> 00:51:11.000 Guys, God-directed self-talk gives you clarity. God-directed self-talk gives you clarity. 00:51:12.000 --> 00:51:17.000 Things become clearer in your mind because you and God are engaging in something that he has asked you to focus on. 00:51:18.000 --> 00:51:20.000 God-directed self-talk gives you clarity. 00:51:21.000 --> 00:51:25.000 When there is clarity, you can focus on the things that you are interested in. 00:51:26.000 --> 00:51:28.000 You can focus on the things that you are interested in. 00:51:28.000 --> 00:51:31.000 When you are with God, you are engaging in something that he has asked you to focus on. 00:51:32.000 --> 00:51:34.000 God-directed self-talk gives you clarity. 00:51:35.000 --> 00:51:37.000 When there is clarity, resistance is not a problem. 00:51:38.000 --> 00:51:41.000 When there is clarity, resistance is not a problem. 00:51:41.000 --> 00:51:58.000 I'm in Bristol three weeks ago. 00:51:59.000 --> 00:52:04.000 This is what was given to me by different people in this church and one person in particular. 00:52:05.000 --> 00:52:07.000 And I wrote it down and I put a tick mark on each one. 00:52:07.000 --> 00:52:17.000 I went over this twice or three times a day because I was going to help a church that is much larger than ours, is much better than us. 00:52:18.000 --> 00:52:21.000 And I don't have the courage or the wisdom or the ability to do it. 00:52:22.000 --> 00:52:25.000 Think of it in a point of view. You are sent to build, not sent to help. 00:52:26.000 --> 00:52:30.000 What will you build? Like Jeremiah, you will see gaps in the wall that are hidden from the enemy. 00:52:31.000 --> 00:52:35.000 You go with great authority and therefore do what you must with great authority. 00:52:35.000 --> 00:52:38.000 Like the king, resources, Jeremiah, so your resources. 00:52:39.000 --> 00:52:42.000 Why couldn't God build this to someone in the UK? 00:52:43.000 --> 00:52:48.000 Because you are being appointed and sent not just to build something in the UK, but through UK in Europe. 00:52:49.000 --> 00:52:51.000 Great wisdom has been given to you for this. 00:52:52.000 --> 00:52:54.000 Understand the appointed task at hand. 00:52:55.000 --> 00:53:00.000 My hand is upon you. I will give you. I will shine forth. I will stir up my might. 00:53:00.000 --> 00:53:03.000 The number of times I have read this in a day, why? 00:53:04.000 --> 00:53:14.000 Because now I am going to sit with fifteen or twenty leaders and tell them how to do church from a small place like this which on a good day has less than the number of leaders they have. 00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:21.000 I don't have the courage for it, nor the wisdom for it, nor the notes for it. 00:53:22.000 --> 00:53:30.000 Self-directed, God-directed, self-taught gives you such clarity that with clarity you can overcome resistance. 00:53:31.000 --> 00:53:36.000 Every obstacle course then becomes a steeplechase that you are waiting to win. 00:53:37.000 --> 00:53:41.000 Every obstacle becomes a steeplechase that you are waiting to win. 00:53:44.000 --> 00:53:47.000 And how do you get what you need to meditate on? 00:53:47.000 --> 00:53:53.000 Every morning God is waiting to spread manna in your wilderness. 00:53:54.000 --> 00:53:56.000 All you have to do is go and collect it. 00:53:57.000 --> 00:54:00.000 Give us this day our daily bread. 00:54:01.000 --> 00:54:05.000 It's much far more than breakfast, lunch and dinner. 00:54:07.000 --> 00:54:11.000 Far more. Because what was manna? What is it? 00:54:12.000 --> 00:54:14.000 The proceeding word of God. 00:54:14.000 --> 00:54:22.000 Every morning there is manna. For every person sitting in this room there is manna every morning and it is waiting to be collected. 00:54:23.000 --> 00:54:25.000 There is more than enough for your day. 00:54:32.000 --> 00:54:39.000 Once we collect it we can go hungry the whole day and you will still feel full and you will say to Jesus, I have food that you know not of. 00:54:44.000 --> 00:54:49.000 Guys, God will talk to you. Put in the time as a mark of respect. 00:54:50.000 --> 00:54:54.000 God will talk to you. Put in the time as a mark of respect. 00:54:56.000 --> 00:55:06.000 If Tim Hughes turns up at Don's house tomorrow, or he may have a radio to meet Don, we don't know which one, but let's assume he turns up at Don's house tomorrow. 00:55:06.000 --> 00:55:15.000 As a mark of respect Don will cancel all his appointments and sit at home because one of a very good worship leader has decided that he wants to help Don. 00:55:16.000 --> 00:55:21.000 Put God wants to talk, God will talk. Put in the time as a mark of respect. 00:55:24.000 --> 00:55:26.000 Put in the time as a mark of respect. 00:55:27.000 --> 00:55:29.000 Put in the time as a mark of respect. 00:55:30.000 --> 00:55:32.000 Put in the time as a mark of respect. 00:55:32.000 --> 00:55:34.000 Put in the time as a mark of respect. 00:55:39.000 --> 00:55:41.000 Put in the time as a mark of respect. 00:55:43.000 --> 00:55:48.000 Psalm 27, 8 says, When you said, Seek my face, my heart said to you, Your face, Lord, I will seek. 00:55:49.000 --> 00:55:53.000 And here's the thing guys, Jesus said, These things I say to you so that your joy may be full. 00:55:54.000 --> 00:55:56.000 Every time you hear God, your joy will be full. 00:55:56.000 --> 00:56:10.000 There isn't a time I have heard that I don't sense in me such completion and satisfaction and joy because the God of the universe just spoke to me and it happens every day. 00:56:14.000 --> 00:56:16.000 It happens every day. 00:56:16.000 --> 00:56:27.000 These words that I speak to you, a light of spirit and they will make you full of joy. 00:56:32.000 --> 00:56:34.000 You're not supposed to go after the crumbs that follow the table. 00:56:35.000 --> 00:56:40.000 The bread belongs to them. Children, eat at the table. 00:56:40.000 --> 00:56:41.000 Eat at the table. 00:56:42.000 --> 00:56:43.000 Eat at the table. 00:56:44.000 --> 00:56:47.000 Because see, the devil has no desire to necessarily beat you into power. 00:56:48.000 --> 00:56:53.000 All he wants to do is deflect you to focus and meditate on other things. 00:56:54.000 --> 00:56:55.000 That's all. 00:56:56.000 --> 00:56:58.000 The devil isn't interested in beating me up. 00:56:59.000 --> 00:57:02.000 All he wants to do is deflect my meditation. 00:57:03.000 --> 00:57:07.000 For whatsoever a man thinks, so is he. 00:57:07.000 --> 00:57:16.000 So can I be deflected to meditate on things that are not in Philippians 4a and that are not God-directed? 00:57:17.000 --> 00:57:22.000 So brethren, Philippians 4a, meditate on these things. 00:57:23.000 --> 00:57:24.000 Think about these things. 00:57:25.000 --> 00:57:26.000 That's all the enemy wants to do. 00:57:27.000 --> 00:57:29.000 Just deflect me of certain ways of thinking. 00:57:29.000 --> 00:57:32.000 And if he can, then he doesn't have to beat me up. 00:57:33.000 --> 00:57:50.000 Because at the end of the day, if he can deflect my focus on my things I meditate on and move it to low SP, my failure, my past, my parents, what my granddad did 40 years ago, my future, my problem, my age, my present condition, great! 00:57:51.000 --> 00:57:53.000 He doesn't have to beat me up after that. 00:57:59.000 --> 00:58:03.000 You can't be in the church life and say, bring up what your dad did 40 years ago. 00:58:04.000 --> 00:58:05.000 It's not allowed. 00:58:07.000 --> 00:58:08.000 It's wrong. 00:58:10.000 --> 00:58:11.000 It's wrong. 00:58:23.000 --> 00:58:26.000 There are the statute of limitations of things, guys. 00:58:27.000 --> 00:58:32.000 If you've been a believer for 10 or 15 years, we should begin to account. 00:58:34.000 --> 00:58:41.000 In a church like this, if the county hasn't happened, then you need to leave the church because the church ain't helping you. 00:58:44.000 --> 00:58:47.000 Or find some means to get healed. 00:58:47.000 --> 00:59:10.000 What we instead do is because of our loving kindness, we monocon those that should be able to get up and walk because their legs are healed. 00:59:10.000 --> 00:59:19.000 I'll be a speaker of truth to all mankind. 00:59:20.000 --> 00:59:26.000 I pray not that I do with a degree of gentleness. 00:59:26.000 --> 00:59:34.000 I'll stop you guys, but meditate on the nature of the Father. 00:59:35.000 --> 00:59:39.000 Look at everything with the eyes and the heart of a fasting child. 00:59:40.000 --> 00:59:41.000 So hard, so hard. 00:59:42.000 --> 00:59:43.000 I've preached this so many times. 00:59:44.000 --> 00:59:45.000 I find it so difficult. 00:59:46.000 --> 00:59:47.000 I've been through so much. 00:59:48.000 --> 00:59:49.000 I've been through so much. 00:59:50.000 --> 00:59:51.000 I've been through so much. 00:59:52.000 --> 00:59:53.000 So hard, so hard. 00:59:54.000 --> 00:59:55.000 I've preached this so many times. 00:59:56.000 --> 00:59:57.000 I find it so difficult. 00:59:58.000 --> 01:00:01.000 To look at everything with the eyes and the heart of a fasting child. 01:00:02.000 --> 01:00:07.000 I cannot look at things with the eyes and the heart of a fasting child until I meditate on the nature of the Father. 01:00:08.000 --> 01:00:09.000 The Father, you are so good. 01:00:10.000 --> 01:00:15.000 You know, these guys are talking about worship, stepping in and kissing the face of the Father. 01:00:16.000 --> 01:00:18.000 Look at how the prodigal thing works. 01:00:18.000 --> 01:00:24.000 You know, the great thing about the prodigal son is after all that he did, after the shame he brought his family, 01:00:24.000 --> 01:00:30.000 after wishing his dad was dead by taking away his inheritance, after all the things he had done, 01:00:30.000 --> 01:00:40.000 the one thing the prodigal still had was he had this odd confidence that he could still go back to his father's house 01:00:40.000 --> 01:00:46.000 and that the father would give him room, even if it be that of a servant. 01:00:46.000 --> 01:00:54.000 This boy had some knowledge of the father's character in knowing that I can still go back there. 01:00:54.000 --> 01:00:58.000 After all the things I've done, after all the wealth I've spent, after all the shame I've brought, 01:00:58.000 --> 01:01:04.000 after the desire of the death of my father, I still can go back to my father and give him room, but I don't know of the servant. 01:01:04.000 --> 01:01:09.000 So he prepared this speech. So the father undercuts all that. 01:01:09.000 --> 01:01:14.000 So how should he have given room to say, confess his wrong? 01:01:14.000 --> 01:01:17.000 Now what does the father do? Did you think he had put the discussion? 01:01:17.000 --> 01:01:22.000 And he saw him at a long distance, when he was still far away, the father saw him. 01:01:22.000 --> 01:01:27.000 And so here is a rich man running through the village. Imagine it, eh? 01:01:27.000 --> 01:01:31.000 So here is a rich man running through the village. People are seeing him running. 01:01:31.000 --> 01:01:37.000 He must be a little old by now. And so he falls upon his son. That's what the verse says. 01:01:37.000 --> 01:01:44.000 He falls upon his son, falls on his neck, and starts kissing him and embracing him. 01:01:44.000 --> 01:01:50.000 Every time you think that you are the one stepping up in worship and kissing the face of the father, 01:01:50.000 --> 01:01:55.000 he sees you far away and he's waiting to do that? Same thing. 01:01:55.000 --> 01:01:59.000 Sure, it was important for the son to confess that he was wrong, 01:01:59.000 --> 01:02:05.000 but the father even takes away the need for confession by doing something that completely destroys the boy's plan. 01:02:05.000 --> 01:02:10.000 See guys, as important as it is to reconcile and confess things to God, 01:02:10.000 --> 01:02:13.000 always remember what the father is looking for is return. 01:02:13.000 --> 01:02:18.000 Return is what he looks for before he looks for your confession. 01:02:18.000 --> 01:02:24.000 Before he looks for, let's reconcile things. The first thing he's looking for is, is my boy, is my girl returning? 01:02:24.000 --> 01:02:31.000 And when you show even the slightest desire to return, he starts running. 01:02:32.000 --> 01:02:37.000 The guilt and the admission can be talked about later, but my God, you are returning. 01:02:37.000 --> 01:02:44.000 Never let sin stop you from returning. Our usual MO is when we sin, we try to fix things 01:02:44.000 --> 01:02:51.000 and come up with a speech before we go back to the Lord. No man, in the midst of your sin, get away from it, leave it, run. 01:02:51.000 --> 01:02:56.000 He sees you returning and he falls on your neck and starts kissing you. 01:02:57.000 --> 01:03:01.000 Many days of the nature of the father, this is the nature of the father. 01:03:07.000 --> 01:03:09.000 Come on. 01:03:18.000 --> 01:03:24.000 We pray for Jillian and Heidi and Jane after this. 01:03:26.000 --> 01:03:28.000 Amen.