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We welcome you to the Via Zion 
Sermon podcast. 

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We are a church based out of 
Chennai, India. 

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We are thrilled that you tuned 
in today and hope that you will 

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be refreshed, revived, and 
energized by what you hear. 

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Our desire is that you will live
life with a renewed sense of 

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purpose that stems from a 
vibrant faith in Jesus. 

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The year 2025 is 1 where we will
be positioned by God to possess 

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our promise. 
As we are in the Advent season, 

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we look afresh at Jesus, the 
quintessential promise. 

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Whatever this year has looked 
like with its highs and lows, we

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bring it all back to Jesus, 
without whom this year would 

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have been empty and unbearable. 
He isn't just a promise that God

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made, but He is the promise 
giver and promise keeper. 

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As you noticed, we've started 
our newest series, the Advent 

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series called the promise the 
promise giver and the promise 

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keeper. 
As you know from the name, it's 

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very obvious the whole series is
about Jesus. 

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The whole year we've been 
standing on this word that God 

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gave us, which is position to 
possess the promise. 

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And you know, I mean, all of us 
who have walked through this 

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year was tough when you take an 
analysis of the year, this year 

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was crushing. 
This year was difficult. 

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This year was full of testing, a
lot of trials. 

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But the beautiful thing was that
God has positioned us uniquely 

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in our own lives to kind of be 
ready for what is next. 

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And I believe God is bringing a 
season of restoration. 

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He's bringing recompense. 
And this month we're going to be

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so focused on Jesus because he's
the greatest gift. 

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It's a season of gift giving. 
It's a season of receiving 

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gifts. 
But the greatest gift is Jesus. 

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Imagine what our lives would be 
like if we didn't have his name 

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to call on. 
Imagine what this life would 

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look like if we didn't have his 
companionship at all times. 

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I can't picture my life like 
that. 

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And today we're going to be 
looking at Jesus the Son. 

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Jesus the Son. 
We look at Jesus the Son because

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Jesus had earthly parents who 
play such a vital role in the 

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first Christmas story. 
When we look at the book of 

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Matthew, Matthew chapter one, 
verse 16, it says and Jacob the 

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father of Joseph, the husband of
Mary and Mary was the mother of 

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Jesus who is called the Messiah.
This is the at the right at the 

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end of the genealogy of Jesus 
that it mentions who his parents

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where and it continues in verse 
18, it says the title says 

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Joseph accepts Jesus as his son.
This is how the birth of Jesus 

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the Messiah came about. 
His mother Mary was pledged to 

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be married to Joseph, but before
they came together she was found

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to be pregnant through the Holy 
Spirit. 

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Because Joseph, her husband, was
faithful to the law and yet did 

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not want to expose her to public
disgrace. 

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He had in mind to divorce her 
quietly. 

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But after he had considered 
this, an Angel of the Lord 

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appeared to him in a dream and 
said, Joseph's son of David. 

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Do not be afraid to take Mary 
home as your wife, because what 

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is conceived in her is from the 
Holy Spirit. 

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She will give birth to her Son, 
and you are to give him the name

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Jesus, because he will save his.
People from their sins. 

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All this took place to fulfill 
what the Lord had said through 

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the Prophet. 
The virgin will conceive and 

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give birth to a son, and they 
will call him Emmanuel, which 

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means God with us. 
When Joseph woke up, he did what

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the Angel of the Lord had 
commanded him and took Mary home

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as his wife, but he did not 
consummate their marriage until 

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she gave birth to a son and he 
gave him the name Jesus. 

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Matthew chapter 2 verses 13 to 
14 continues. 

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This is when Jesus is a little 
older. 

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They say he was probably a early
toddler, you know, probably 1 

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1/2 and two. 
And it says the the wise men 

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came and visited them and left. 
And Herod was really mad that he

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had missed out on seeing this 
baby king. 

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He was so insecure and he was 
looking for a way to find the 

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Messiah and kill him. 
And this is where it leads us, 

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verse 13 when they had gone, an 
Angel of the Lord appeared to 

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Joseph in a dream and said, get 
up. 

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He said. 
Take the child and his mother 

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and escape to Egypt. 
Stay there until I tell you. 

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But Herod is going to search for
the child to kill him. 

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So he got up, took the child and
his mother during the night, and

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left for Egypt, where he stayed 
until the death of Herod. 

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And so was fulfilled what the 
Lord had said through the 

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prophet out of Egypt I called my
son. 

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Continuing with verse 19 from 
chapter 2, it says after Herod 

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died, an Angel of the Lord 
appeared in a dream to Joseph in

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Egypt and said, get up, take the
child and his mother, and go to 

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the land of Israel. 
For those who were trying to 

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take the child's life are dead. 
So he got up to the child and 

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his mother and went to the land 
of Israel. 

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But when he heard that Achilles 
was reigning in Judea and place 

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of his father Herod, he was 
afraid to go there. 

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Having been warned in a dream, 
he withdrew to the district of 

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Galilee and he went and lived in
a town called Nazareth. 

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So was fulfilled what was said 
through the prophets, that he 

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would be called a Nazarene. 
This is Matthew the the book of 

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Matthew the apostle Matthew 
writes this whole narrative and 

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from it it's so clear that 
Joseph and Mary had their work 

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cut out for them. 
Joseph especially. 

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He had this job of guarding this
little helpless infant who was 

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actually God in the flesh, 
right? 

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And he had to nurture this baby 
as well as his new bride who he 

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barely knew. 
And he had just kind of been 

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dunked into the role of 
fatherhood. 

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Now, the the writer Luke, right,
he writes it a bit differently. 

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So let's look at Luke chapter 2 
verses one to five. 

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It says in those days, Caesar 
Augustus issued a decree that a 

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census should be taken of the 
entire Roman world. 

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This was the first census that 
took place while Quiranius was 

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governor of Syria and everyone 
went to their own town to 

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register. 
So Joseph also went up from the 

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town of Nazareth in Galilee to 
Judea to Bethlehem, the town of 

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David, because he belonged to 
the house in line of David. 

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He went there to register with 
Mary, who was pledged to be 

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married to him and was expecting
a child. 

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Luke chapter 2, verses 16 to 19 
continues about how the 

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shepherds, you know, hear from 
the angels about, you know, 

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today there's a there's a Savior
born to you in the city of 

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David. 
And so these guys. 

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Are coming to visit Jesus. 
Verse 16. 

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So they hurried off and found 
Mary and Joseph and the baby who

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was lying in the Manger. 
When they had seen him, they 

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spread the word concerning what 
had been told them about this 

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child, and all who heard it were
amazed at what the shepherd said

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to them. 
But Mary treasured up all these 

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things and pondered them in her 
heart. 

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Fast forward to when Mary and 
Joseph had to bring him to the 

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temple. 
I think it's about 8 days after 

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they are born that they have to 
be brought to the temple for a a

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purification ritual. 
And this is what we read chapter

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2 verses 22 to 23. 
It says when the time came for 

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the purification rights required
by the law of Moses, Joseph and 

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Mary took him to Jerusalem to. 
Present him to the Lord as it is

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written in the law. 
Of the Lord. 

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Every first born male is to be 
consecrated to the Lord. 

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Verse. 33 to 35 and this is when
they take Jesus as a baby to the

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temple and Simeon and Anna meet 
them. 

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There are two people who have 
been waiting years. 

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The Holy Spirit had told them 
that this, this child is coming.

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God is going to be in your 
midst. 

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He's going to save your people. 
And they are waiting in 

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anticipation, and they encounter
Jesus with his parents. 

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Verse 33. 
The child's father and mother 

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marveled at what was said about 
him. 

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Then Simeon blessed them and 
said to Mary his mother, This 

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child is destined to cause the 
falling and rising of many in 

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Israel, and to be a sign that 
will be spoken against, so that 

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the thoughts of many hearts will
be revealed, and a sword will 

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Pierce your own soul. 
To verse 39. 

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When Joseph and Mary had done 
everything required by the law 

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of the Lord, they returned to 
Galilee, to their own town of 

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Nazareth, and the child grew and
became strong. 

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He was filled with wisdom, and 
the grace of God was on him. 

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Why did I pick these bits of 
scripture from here and there 

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from two different gospels? 
Both these gospels have 

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beautiful accounts of that first
Christmas story. 

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And, you know, all of us who 
write scripts, who direct plays,

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we take these as our, you know, 
foundational passages and we 

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build on it. 
We have so much of creative 

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license. 
We bring in the hay. 

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We have cardboard cutouts of 
animals. 

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If you can afford real animals 
and you have a place outdoors, 

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you could probably use them. 
And we have created the story so

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beautifully. 
But today we're going to be 

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looking at Mary and Joseph 
specifically as two people that 

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God used for his purposes. 
Were they extra holy than 

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others? 
I don't believe so. 

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They were human like us, but 
there was something 

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distinctively favourable about 
them that God chose them because

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he said when he. 
When the Angel Gabriel met Mary,

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he said greetings to you Highly 
favoured 1. 

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And when it came to Joseph, he 
was such an upright man that 

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when he heard about Mary's 
predicament, he could have 

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publicly divorced her and 
created a scandal, but he chose 

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to do it privately to protect 
her. 

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And it shows the goodness of 
this man's heart. 

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And God chose these two people. 
And I believe that Mary was a 

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vessel while Joseph was a 
steward. 

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And I believe God is calling us.
He's inviting us to look at 

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their lives and examine 
ourselves and say, hey, are you 

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a vessel in the Kingdom? 
Are you a vessel for Jesus? 

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Are you a steward in the 
Kingdom? 

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Or are you someone who needs all
the spotlight on you? 

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Are you someone who's so 
desperate to be an owner that 

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you're unwilling to be a 
steward? 

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That's the question I want to 
ask of you today. 

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Let's look at Mary first. 
Mary was a vessel. 

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What does that look like? 
She was a literal vessel for the

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Messiah to be born. 
Her womb held this growing child

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that was conceived by the Holy 
Spirit. 

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She was a virgin. 
And so this child that was being

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conceived in her was by a 
process called parthenogenesis 

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where there was number fusion of
sperm and egg, but it was 

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supernatural. 
So this child was of pure blood.

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There was number contamination, 
there was number mixing with 

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another man, and this child was 
being brought forth. 

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She was carrying him in her 
body. 

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And it was probably so 
inconvenient, so painful, so 

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tiring, and yet so rewarding 
because she was birthing the 

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Messiah, the Saviour of the 
world, one that had been 

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prophesied for thousands of 
years, and she was bringing it 

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to fruition. 
And I believe that just like 

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Mary, all of us are called to be
vessels for God. 

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You know, every follower of 
Jesus, every disciple of Jesus 

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must be willing to be a vessel. 
And the thing about a vessel is 

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this, you know, in our Indian 
homes, we have these vessels 

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that are used in the kitchen. 
And then there's those different

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vessels which make it to the 
dining table, right? 

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And I just have with me an 
example of that. 

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So in, in our Indian cooking, we
have these clay pots where we 

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make our fish Curry and you 
know, certain other gravies 

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which taste extra better in 
this, but these will never make 

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it to the dining table because 
we'll look, look at it. 

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It's so ordinary. 
There's nothing, you know, 

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nothing frilly or fluffy or 
attractive about it, but it 

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serves the purpose in the 
kitchen. 

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But what we? 
Do ultimately choose for the 

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table for public usage and 
viewing is something that looks 

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this beautiful. 
We go for the exterior. 

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We want it shiny. 
We want it to look like crystal.

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It should look expensive. 
Well, it should hold stuff, but 

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we're so concerned about what it
looks like. 

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And I believe that when it comes
to being a vessel, most of us 

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are so concerned about the 
external appearance of 

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ourselves. 
We want to look put together. 

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We want to look spotless without
any kind of flaw. 

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We want to put a best self 
forward. 

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You know, simple example is when
we're taking a picture at home, 

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when we're staging the picture, 
we're putting everybody getting 

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the dog in the picture. 
And you know, and it'll be 

227
00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:14,360
usually so funny. 
There'll be someone's footwear, 

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00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:15,960
their flip flops will be right 
in the middle. 

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00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:20,320
Like a bad penny of that photon.
We would have missed it and so 

230
00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:23,080
we always are trying to curate 
our photos, making sure there no

231
00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:26,840
flip flops, making sure there's 
no old drying clothes anywhere 

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00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:28,520
in the background. 
There no water bottles, those 

233
00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:30,560
big plastic ones that you know, 
spoil. 

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00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:32,600
All good photos. 
We're trying to clear it up so 

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00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:36,440
we have this perfect family 
photo, but I wonder if even in 

236
00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:40,320
our spiritual, in a spiritual 
sense, we're so careful about 

237
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curating the perfect external 
image of this vessel and missing

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00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:48,280
what God really wants to do 
Deeper Matthew chapter 23, verse

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00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:50,840
25 to 26. 
Jesus himself thought about this

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and he addressed a certain group
of people and I don't, I'm sure 

241
00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:57,120
you and I don't want to be 
associated with these guys, but 

242
00:12:57,120 --> 00:13:00,400
let's just see what he says. 
Verse 25 Woe to you teachers of 

243
00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:02,440
the law and Pharisees, you 
hypocrites. 

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00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:05,680
You clean the outside of the cup
and dish, but inside they are 

245
00:13:05,680 --> 00:13:08,440
full of greed and self 
indulgence. 

246
00:13:08,680 --> 00:13:12,400
Blind Pharisee first clean the 
inside of the cup and dish and 

247
00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:14,920
then the outside. 
Will be clean. 

248
00:13:15,560 --> 00:13:19,520
Does that describe you and me? 
We're so concerned in whether 

249
00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:22,760
our makeup is all on point. 
We're so concerned whether, you 

250
00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:25,800
know, I have that, if you're a 
guy and you need that man bun 

251
00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:29,560
and that perfectly shaped gear 
or what is going on inside. 

252
00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:32,160
Because God cares so much more 
for. 

253
00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:36,080
What is happening inside than 
how we present on the outside. 

254
00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:38,520
That being said, our hygiene is 
important. 

255
00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:41,280
Being dressed well is important.
Being put together is important.

256
00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,560
It's not everything. 
There is so much more that God 

257
00:13:44,560 --> 00:13:47,440
is desiring from us. 
You know, and it's interesting 

258
00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:51,200
thing that in Two Corinthians 
chapter 4 verse 7, Paul says 

259
00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:55,720
that we have this treasure in 
jars of clay to show that this 

260
00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:59,240
all surpassing power is from God
and not from us. 

261
00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:03,200
And I would urge you that you 
would remember that we are like 

262
00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:05,520
jars of clay. 
This is me. 

263
00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:09,320
If I had to be described better,
I think it would be I am like 

264
00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:11,920
this jar of clay. 
But the beautiful thing is this 

265
00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:16,120
Christ in me, the hope of glory,
which means what is inside me 

266
00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:22,720
that makes me priceless, that 
makes me glorious, because it is

267
00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:24,680
Christ in me. 
It is the treasure that is 

268
00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:28,200
within me. 
It is the surpassing power from 

269
00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:30,760
God. 
Whatever I achieve once I know 

270
00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:33,720
Jesus is not because of me, it's
because of the power of God 

271
00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,560
within me. 
If it is endurance that I have, 

272
00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:39,440
if it is a peace that I have, if
it's a joy that I have, it's not

273
00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:41,560
because of me because I'm just 
an earthen vessel. 

274
00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:44,160
It is because of the power of 
God within me. 

275
00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:47,560
So it's so important that we 
understand that embellishing the

276
00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:50,080
surface is not everything. 
It isn't even and doesn't even 

277
00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:52,800
help. 
God cares more about a deep 

278
00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:56,160
cleanse of what's inside and 
even as we. 

279
00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:59,520
Look at this. 
What does it look like if we 

280
00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:02,720
were meant to carry God's power 
in us, if we meant to carry his 

281
00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:05,400
glory? 
Many times in this vessel, in 

282
00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:09,560
this human vessel, with my 
emotions, with my, with my 

283
00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:13,640
feelings, with all of this, 
sometimes I'm carrying the wrong

284
00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:16,080
things. 
And because I'm carrying these 

285
00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:20,080
wrong things like bitterness and
anger and envy and and jealousy 

286
00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:24,480
and these old things that I 
haven't forgiven, there's lesser

287
00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:28,160
room for the things of God, 
right? 

288
00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:30,600
And like Jesus said to the 
Pharisees, you're full of greed 

289
00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,760
and indulgence. 
And I, when I looked at myself 

290
00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:37,800
this week as I was preparing 
this, I had so much to repent of

291
00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,440
just for one year, forget 41 
years of my life, but I had to 

292
00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:46,160
just look at this year and go, 
God, there's so much of gunk in 

293
00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:48,560
there. 
And I want this vessel to be 

294
00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:52,440
cleared up so that your glory 
can fill it to its fullest, so 

295
00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:54,720
that your power can reside in 
me. 

296
00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:58,040
So I want to ask you, what are 
you carrying inside that is not 

297
00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:03,040
giving room for Jesus, for his? 
Power, what are you carrying 

298
00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:08,120
that could be defiling your 
testimony for Christ to Timothy?

299
00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:11,200
To Timothy, chapter 2 versus 20 
to 21. 

300
00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:14,240
Paul writes this to Timothy. 
He says now in a great house 

301
00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:17,160
there are not only vessels of 
gold and silver, but also of 

302
00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:19,520
wood in place, some for 
honorable use, some for 

303
00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,320
dishonorable. 
Therefore, if anyone cleanses 

304
00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:24,200
himself from what is 
dishonorable. 

305
00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:28,320
He will be a vessel for 
honourable you, set apart as 

306
00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:32,520
holy, useful to the Master of 
the House, ready for every good 

307
00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:35,240
work. 
What is he talking about here? 

308
00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:38,400
He's saying if anyone cleanses 
himself from the things that 

309
00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:40,360
make it make you dishonourable. 
What are the? 

310
00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:43,800
Things that potentially make us 
dishonourable could be a sexual 

311
00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:46,240
sin. 
It could be repetitive addiction

312
00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:48,240
to substances that are defiling 
your body. 

313
00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:50,240
It could be a toxic 
relationship. 

314
00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:54,200
It could be deep seated anger 
that you are refusing to let go.

315
00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:57,840
It could be generational 
unforgiveness that you carry. 

316
00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,080
What are the things that are 
making you dishonorable? 

317
00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:05,119
God is saying cleanse it so that
you will be a vessel for 

318
00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:08,040
honorable use. 
A vessel, right? 

319
00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:11,960
The function of a vessel is 
determined by personal purity 

320
00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:14,240
and not pedigree. 
Many of us think we're 

321
00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:16,240
ancestrally Christian. 
Oh, I know, I know the 

322
00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:18,839
Scriptures, I know it by heart. 
I know these Christian songs. 

323
00:17:18,839 --> 00:17:21,920
I've been in Sunday school, my 
pedigree, my Christian pedigree 

324
00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:24,839
is sorted, but God cares more 
for personal purity. 

325
00:17:24,839 --> 00:17:29,160
You can be a Christian for 10 
generations, but if your life 

326
00:17:29,360 --> 00:17:33,240
between you and God, there is a 
huge block because of your the 

327
00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,320
things that you are allowed to 
come in and defile your vessel. 

328
00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:40,360
God is calling you today and 
saying will you choose personal 

329
00:17:40,360 --> 00:17:44,000
purity because that determines 
your function as a vessel for me

330
00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:48,840
to be used by God. 
He desires personal purity. 

331
00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:53,240
What are some of the things that
cause us to become dishonorable?

332
00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:56,040
What are some of the things that
we allow to leak leak into our 

333
00:17:56,040 --> 00:18:00,920
lives, causing us? 
To be so dishonorable. 1 

334
00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:04,320
Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 3 
to 4, it says, but this is the 

335
00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:06,760
will of God, your 
sanctification, that you should 

336
00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:10,360
abstain from sexual immorality, 
that each of you should know how

337
00:18:10,360 --> 00:18:15,040
to possess his own vessel in 
sanctification and honor. 

338
00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:19,200
This is what God is calling us 
to, a life that pursues 

339
00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:23,480
holiness, a life that desires to
be pure in the eyes of God. 

340
00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:26,760
You know, the way we perceive 
purity is so different nowadays.

341
00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:30,400
People hate the word pure, they 
hate the word holy. 

342
00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,000
But I want to encourage you that
you would get into God's word 

343
00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:35,920
and say, Lord, you show me what 
this purity is that you desire 

344
00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:38,640
of Maine. 
What is it that God sees in you?

345
00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:42,640
He loves you with your baggage 
and all, but like I always say, 

346
00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:45,240
He loves you too much to leave 
you that way. 

347
00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:49,400
Because it is when I choose 
personal purity, when I decide 

348
00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:54,480
to expose my life to the light 
of Jesus, that my vessel, this 

349
00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:57,760
being of mine, gets to be used 
for greater things. 

350
00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:03,400
Can you and I set ourselves up 
to be vessels of honor, of 

351
00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:05,800
sanctification and all? 
What does it mean to be a vessel

352
00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:09,000
of sanctification? 
I have given room for the Holy 

353
00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:12,840
Spirit to to sanctify me on a 
physical level, on a spiritual 

354
00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:15,520
level, on an emotional level. 
That is what it looks like. 

355
00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:20,000
And you know, I was reading 
this, this small tidbit that was

356
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:24,400
in one of the concordances that 
I was referring, and it just, it

357
00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:26,640
shook me. 
It said in Scripture the vessel 

358
00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:29,800
is never an end in itself, 
whether a household. 

359
00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:33,040
Ish a temple utensil or a 
redeemed Sinner. 

360
00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:37,280
Its worth lies on the one who 
fills and wields it. 

361
00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:40,440
Isn't that amazing? 
So my question to you is this. 

362
00:19:40,720 --> 00:19:44,360
If you say yes, I'm a vessel for
Jesus, I'm a vessel in his 

363
00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:49,360
hands, is it him who fills you? 
Is it him who uses you? 

364
00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:53,680
Who wields it? 
Who fills it? 

365
00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:57,400
That's where the power lies, not
even in the vessel, because like

366
00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:00,480
we said, we're just clay, you 
know, clay jars, That's all we 

367
00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:04,280
are. 
But the one who handles us, He's

368
00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:06,160
the one that matters, the one 
who fills us. 

369
00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,920
So my question is, what are you 
filling yourself upon? 

370
00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:12,640
Is it Jesus that fills you up? 
Is it His Word? 

371
00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:14,960
Is it His Spirit's anointing 
that is filling you up? 

372
00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:18,960
Or are you filling up on things 
that please your flesh? 

373
00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:22,960
Are you filling yourself up on 
what the world pushes you to 

374
00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:26,520
fill up on? 
Food, possessions, sex, 

375
00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:30,360
substances? 
What is it that you are filled 

376
00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:34,640
up with? 
Secondly, who is it that uses 

377
00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:38,120
you? 
Is it that one relationship? 

378
00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:40,840
Are your desires holding you to 
ransom? 

379
00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:44,200
Is your need for more stuff 
accumulating of stuff? 

380
00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:47,000
Is it your relationships that 
dictate your life? 

381
00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:51,120
Is it your work that holds you 
or are you? 

382
00:20:51,120 --> 00:20:53,440
Allowing God to use you as he 
sees fit. 

383
00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:59,400
Because if you aren't, if you 
say, you know what, it's not 

384
00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:03,680
Jesus that fills me up. 
It is not Jesus who uses me. 

385
00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:06,400
You may need to rethink if you 
really are a vessel. 

386
00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:09,480
And it's not too late to say, 
Jesus, I'm here. 

387
00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:13,920
Please empty out from me all 
that is not of you so that I can

388
00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:18,120
be a vessel for honorable use. 
Think about it. 

389
00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:21,200
When Mary said yes to the 
assignment that was given to 

390
00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,680
her, she was effectively ending 
her youth. 

391
00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,960
She was basically saying she 
must have been a late teenager, 

392
00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:31,120
must have been 17 or 18 or maybe
younger, I don't know. 

393
00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:34,760
But she was saying yes to the 
one of the toughest assignments 

394
00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:36,440
of her life. 
She was a virgin, was going to 

395
00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:38,680
give birth. 
It was inconvenient. 

396
00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,840
It was it was probably 
preposterous in those times, 

397
00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:44,040
people probably looked down at 
her, pointed at her on the 

398
00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:47,920
street. 
But here she was willing to 

399
00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:51,960
carry this to completion. 
And then bringing him birth. 

400
00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:55,200
She must have watched him 
navigate the simple things of 

401
00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:56,840
childhood. 
There must have been hardships 

402
00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,480
along the way. 
She had many more children after

403
00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:01,080
that. 
And yet she had to navigate all 

404
00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:06,120
of these things. 
A vessel where there was 

405
00:22:06,120 --> 00:22:10,640
something about her, there was 
that purity in her that made her

406
00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:13,680
the perfect vessel. 
Today God is saying no matter 

407
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,520
what your baggage is, no matter 
how you have defiled yourself, 

408
00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:19,720
it's not too late. 
The blood of Jesus has washed us

409
00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:22,800
clean. 
You need to step under that 

410
00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:25,200
flood. 
You need to say yes to Jesus so 

411
00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:29,040
that that blood washes you clean
again and you pursue God. 

412
00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:31,760
As you pursue God, you grow in 
holiness. 

413
00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:35,960
That's the beautiful thing. 
A vessel is always filled to be 

414
00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:39,680
emptied again and again, and 
that's what God is calling you 

415
00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:41,200
to. 
He says I will use you for 

416
00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,360
honorable purposes. 
What are the honorable purposes?

417
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,160
To be the hands and feet of 
Jesus on the earth to, to bless 

418
00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:49,040
the earth in some way. 
That's what a vessel does. 

419
00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:51,400
It gets poured out into someone 
else's life. 

420
00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:53,440
It gets poured out into a part 
of society. 

421
00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:55,600
It gets poured out into a part 
of the church. 

422
00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:58,120
And God is saying, I will fill 
you, but I'll keep emptying you 

423
00:22:58,120 --> 00:23:01,120
out so that I can fill you some 
more, so that you grow some 

424
00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:02,680
more. 
And I want to. 

425
00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:07,320
Ask you, Are you ready for that?
You know, many of us assume that

426
00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,920
if I have other things in this 
vessel, you know that, you know,

427
00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:13,080
even the anointing can coexist 
with that. 

428
00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:15,760
I'm not one to argue. 
I'm not going to argue with you 

429
00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:20,200
about whether that can coexist, 
but the problem with giving room

430
00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:23,720
for the things that defile you 
is that it will eventually take 

431
00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:26,440
over your life. 
We can't play with these things 

432
00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:29,400
that tend to defile us. 
If it's that one relationship is

433
00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:31,760
that one addiction that you have
given into and you have 

434
00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:35,440
justified saying you probably 
deserve it, probably need it, 

435
00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:37,920
you can't do without it. 
I want to tell you the story 

436
00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:41,000
that I was reading this week. 
There was this man who owned a 

437
00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,560
beautiful house. 
All of a sudden a new person in 

438
00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:47,920
town comes, comes up to him and 
says I'd like to buy your house.

439
00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:50,840
Now, this is a family house. 
He has children, he has 

440
00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:52,920
grandchildren. 
There's no way he wants to buy 

441
00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:54,360
this. 
He wants to give up this house. 

442
00:23:54,360 --> 00:23:56,960
He says, no, I'm sorry, the 
house is not for sale. 

443
00:23:57,240 --> 00:23:59,240
But this man is so persistent. 
He looks through The Who. 

444
00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:01,680
He says, can I see your house? 
And he says, well, why not? 

445
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:03,440
You know, I mean, it's a small 
town. 

446
00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:06,240
People are friendly. 
So he says, come on in. 

447
00:24:06,320 --> 00:24:07,400
And he shows him the whole 
place. 

448
00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:10,080
And this man is thrilled. 
And he says, can I make an offer

449
00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:12,120
on the House? 
And he says, no thanks, we're 

450
00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:15,360
not selling. 
So finally this man, this 

451
00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:18,360
stranger goes up to the into the
living room where there's a 

452
00:24:18,360 --> 00:24:21,280
single nail on which a painting 
hangs. 

453
00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:26,200
And he says, is it OK if I just 
buy this nail on this wall? 

454
00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:30,240
Nothing else, Just sell me the 
nail on this wall and it'll stay

455
00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:31,800
in your house, but just sell it 
to me. 

456
00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,000
The house owner thought, well, 
what's the harm in that? 

457
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,360
He's just asking for a nail. 
He says done. 

458
00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:39,960
So he they make the transaction.
He owns the nail. 

459
00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:43,240
The nail is left there. 
The man leaves. 

460
00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,800
Weeks past, nothing changes. 
The house owner goes on with his

461
00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:50,560
life. 
Seasons are about to change when

462
00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:52,880
this stranger returns back to 
his house. 

463
00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:54,240
And this time he doesn't come 
alone. 

464
00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:56,440
He comes to his doorstep, rings 
the doorbell. 

465
00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:59,760
When the owner opens the door, 
he meets this man and says hey. 

466
00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:02,120
And he says, guess what I've 
just come to? 

467
00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:04,920
Lay claim to the nail that I 
paid for. 

468
00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:06,080
And. 
In his. 

469
00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:11,160
Hand is a huge bag. 
With a rotting corpse, right, he

470
00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:14,560
carries it into the house right 
royally and hangs it on the 

471
00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:16,800
nail. 
Now the house owner is, is 

472
00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:18,760
distraught. 
He's saying, what on earth? 

473
00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:21,000
What are you bringing? 
And how dare you bring it into 

474
00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,920
my home? 
And he says, listen, buddy, I 

475
00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:25,320
paid for the nail. 
So what? 

476
00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:26,920
I hang on. 
It is my business. 

477
00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:32,000
So that rotting corpse is made 
to hang on that nail day in day 

478
00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,160
out. 
Eventually flies start to 

479
00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:36,720
descend on the place. 
The stench is too much. 

480
00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:40,920
The decay is is accelerating 
until everyone in the house 

481
00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:44,960
starts getting sick. 
The animals die in the house. 

482
00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:48,360
That's when the house owner 
realizes he needs to leave to 

483
00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:52,160
save his family, to come out 
with some semblance of dignity. 

484
00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:54,880
He clears out the house, takes 
his family with them, leaves 

485
00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:57,240
everything else and they takes 
his children, takes his family 

486
00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:02,960
and they leave. 
This is how the enemy operates. 

487
00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:06,320
He is not going to say I'm going
to come and take over your 

488
00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:07,600
house. 
You know, he's just going to say

489
00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:09,400
I need a nail. 
I just need a bit of space. 

490
00:26:10,120 --> 00:26:12,280
And before you know it, the 
whole vessel is corrupted. 

491
00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:15,320
Before you know it, a sexual 
addiction has taken over your 

492
00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:16,240
life. 
Before you know it, you've 

493
00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:18,320
changed. 
You've cheated on your wife or 

494
00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:20,440
your husband, and you've thrown 
away your marriage. 

495
00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:22,720
You've lost your kids. 
Before you know it, that 

496
00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:27,560
addiction has blinded you to 
everything that God has in store

497
00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:29,440
for you. 
It just takes a nail. 

498
00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:33,880
But the beautiful thing is that 
when you bring this vessel, as 

499
00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:39,120
broken as it is to God Jesus, 
his blood can wash you clean. 

500
00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:42,400
When you bring this vessel to 
him and you repent of whatever 

501
00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:45,120
it is, he begins to cleanse that
vessel. 

502
00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:49,280
And that vessel, when it's 
cleansed, can be filled by the 

503
00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:52,560
one who holds the vessel by the 
Porter himself. 

504
00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:55,960
He begins to fill you. 
He begins to restore you. 

505
00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:58,120
And, and you know what? 
He doesn't want to just restore 

506
00:26:58,120 --> 00:26:59,800
a nail. 
He wants to restore the house. 

507
00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:01,880
He wants to restore your life. 
He wants to restore your 

508
00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:03,840
marriage. 
He wants to restore your your 

509
00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:06,720
children. 
He wants to restore generations,

510
00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:11,120
but it all starts when you bring
that vessel to him, your life to

511
00:27:11,120 --> 00:27:14,880
him. 
Remember, you are a redeemed 

512
00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:17,560
Sinner. 
You're a vessel that is in His 

513
00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:21,400
hands, and when He fills it and 
wheels it, it changes the 

514
00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:23,800
lifestyle of that vessel, 
completely changes the 

515
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:29,080
trajectory of that vessel. 
A vessel is always filled to be 

516
00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:32,080
emptied again. 
So once God's powerful 

517
00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:36,120
sanctification work happens in 
you, you become such a powerful 

518
00:27:36,120 --> 00:27:39,280
tool in the Kingdom. 
The second thing that we see, 

519
00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:42,960
Mary was a vessel and God is 
calling every believer in Jesus 

520
00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:47,000
to be a vessel. 
Joseph was a steward and God is 

521
00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,920
calling everyone of us who call 
on him by name, who call him our

522
00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:54,240
Messiah, call him our Saviour, 
to be stewards as well. 

523
00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:56,080
What is a steward? 
Who is a steward? 

524
00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:59,640
Steward is basically one who's 
charged with taking 

525
00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:01,880
responsibility for things or 
territories. 

526
00:28:02,120 --> 00:28:04,760
But there was this very 
interesting definition that I 

527
00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:06,800
found when I just typed it into 
Google. 

528
00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:08,600
This is the first definition 
that popped up. 

529
00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:12,880
It said one who manages or looks
after someone else's property. 

530
00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:16,280
Think about it. 
Joseph is having this little 

531
00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:20,200
child dropped into his life 
without his real consent. 

532
00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:22,560
It was just told to him. 
It's not like they asked him for

533
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,080
his, you know, would you be 
interested in his consent? 

534
00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:26,320
None of that. 
They just said this is what's 

535
00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:27,160
happening. 
Go. 

536
00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:31,440
And Joseph was the definition of
a good steward. 

537
00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:35,160
What was entrusted to him, who 
was entrusted to him, this 

538
00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:40,400
little innocent baby. 
And God had given him this huge 

539
00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:43,440
responsibility. 
And Joseph was a faithful 

540
00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:45,880
steward. 
He did everything. 

541
00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:47,920
He needed to. 
He protected this little child, 

542
00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:50,760
this innocent baby from a tyrant
king. 

543
00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:55,240
He protected him and moved him 
from place to place as God 

544
00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:58,240
instructed and kept him safe. 
He gave a safe. 

545
00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:03,040
Home for Jesus to grow in. 
Imagine that and you know the 

546
00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:06,800
thing. 
Is Jesus was not his biological 

547
00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:09,440
son. 
And yet Joseph understood the 

548
00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:12,120
assignment. 
Joseph understood that he was 

549
00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:16,920
not his biological father, but 
he was his earthly father and he

550
00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:20,800
was given this huge task. 
He was given this task of 

551
00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,120
protecting him. 
He was given the task of 

552
00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:26,320
providing him a home. 
He was given the task of being 

553
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:30,160
someone who role modelled 
manhood. 

554
00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:33,600
Remember, he was a Carpenter and
Jesus was an apprentice beneath 

555
00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,280
him. 
He worked in his shop, it says. 

556
00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:38,280
So the beautiful. 
Thing is that. 

557
00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:43,720
Joseph was a faithful steward. 
What was entrusted to him, He 

558
00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:45,360
looked after it with all his 
heart. 

559
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:49,520
And I believe that each of us, 
as followers of Jesus, are 

560
00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:51,800
called to be stewards in the 
Kingdom. 

561
00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:55,440
And each of us have been given 
different responsibilities, 

562
00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:57,400
right? 
Some of us have been given 

563
00:29:57,480 --> 00:29:59,840
families. 
Some of us have not yet got our 

564
00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:01,400
families. 
We have to steward ourselves. 

565
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:04,120
We have to steward our careers. 
We have to steward our talents 

566
00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:06,520
and our gifts. 
We have to steward our health. 

567
00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:08,960
We have to steward our physical 
bodies. 

568
00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:12,240
We have to steward our minds, 
what we feed into it, our souls.

569
00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:16,120
All of us have been called to be
steward. 

570
00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:19,160
Some of us have been given 
bigger tasks, maybe to lead a 

571
00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:22,560
church, to lead an NGO, to lead 
a company, to lead a business. 

572
00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:26,400
My question is, are you a 
faithful steward when he, when 

573
00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:31,280
God looks at you, when if he's 
given you a company and you've 

574
00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:33,600
just been doing whatever you 
felt like, he's going to ask 

575
00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:35,360
you? 
Well, I entrusted all these 

576
00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:38,040
people to you. 
Have you dealt with them fairly?

577
00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:41,160
Have you been just Have you been
kind? 

578
00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:43,520
That's what a steward is called 
to do. 

579
00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:47,840
Everything we have is on loan 
from him. 

580
00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:50,480
I remember my parents teaching 
me this when I was a child and 

581
00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:52,880
then when I had my own children.
You know, the first time you 

582
00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:55,920
have your kids. 
With each of my children's 

583
00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:57,960
birth, I felt more like an 
owner. 

584
00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:02,440
And then as they grow older, I. 
Realized what my parents were 

585
00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:05,080
saying they used to say. 
We are stewards of you guys. 

586
00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,520
We're not your owners. 
God's your owner. 

587
00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,920
God's your creator. 
You are on loan to us from Him. 

588
00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:15,440
We will do the best. 
We can, but you are in his hands

589
00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:19,440
and you know it's a. 
Good place for stewards to be 

590
00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:23,160
positioned in two Timothy 
chapter one verse 14. 

591
00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:24,880
I'm reading from the NASB 
version. 

592
00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:28,040
It says protect through the Holy
Spirit who dwells in us, the 

593
00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:31,200
treasure which has been 
entrusted to you, who is the 

594
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:32,920
treasure that has been entrusted
to us? 

595
00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:35,640
Jesus Himself, because in him 
are all the treasures of wisdom 

596
00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:38,280
and. 
Knowledge, the gospel of the 

597
00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:41,640
good, the good news of the 
Kingdom has been entrusted to 

598
00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:45,960
you and me, and that is what God
is calling us to entrust. 

599
00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:49,600
Joseph was a good steward 
because what was who was 

600
00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:53,000
entrusted to him was protected, 
was looked after, and God is 

601
00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:56,320
calling us into a place of 
whatever he's entrusted to us 

602
00:31:56,320 --> 00:32:00,800
would be protect Jesus. 
The gospel of Jesus has been 

603
00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:03,720
given to you and me. 
Do we do we safeguard it? 

604
00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:07,440
Do we protect it? 
One Timothy chapter 6, verse 20,

605
00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:10,720
again from the NASB version, 
says Timothy, protect what has 

606
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:14,920
been entrusted to you, avoiding 
worldly empty chatter and the 

607
00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,240
opposing arguments of what is 
falsely called knowledge, which 

608
00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:22,480
some have professed and thereby 
have gone astray from the faith 

609
00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:27,040
stewards primarily must protect 
what is entrusted to them. 

610
00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:28,760
Joseph. 
Did that of Jesus. 

611
00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:33,640
Today God is calling us to 
protect what has been entrusted 

612
00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:35,480
to you. 
What has God entrusted to you 

613
00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:36,960
primarily? 
It could have been a family. 

614
00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:38,880
It could be your marriage, it 
could be your children, your 

615
00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:41,880
job, your parents, all the 
responsibilities that you have. 

616
00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:46,040
You're a steward of it, Yes. 
But even before we make that the

617
00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:48,600
primary thing, the big thing is 
we've been entrusted with the 

618
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:50,880
gospel. 
We've been entrusted with the 

619
00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:53,920
word of God. 
And you know, in this context, 

620
00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:56,200
he's saying protect what has 
been entrusted, what was 

621
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:59,520
entrusted to Timothy, the gospel
and the, the the churches that 

622
00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:02,000
were entrusted to him to to 
shepherd and to lead. 

623
00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:05,920
He says protect them because 
there was so much whirly empty 

624
00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:07,800
chatter all around. 
There were controversies. 

625
00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:10,120
There were teachings that were 
contrary. 

626
00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:13,320
There were heretics, much like 
in today's time. 

627
00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:18,120
And God is calling us to protect
what is entrusted to us. 

628
00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:21,280
You know, we live in a time 
where you just have to log into 

629
00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:25,640
Instagram or any other social 
media platform to see all the 

630
00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:28,160
opposing world views to the 
gospel. 

631
00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:32,760
People talk about Poly Armory. 
People talk about living in. 

632
00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:36,160
People are talking about, you 
know, recreational drugs. 

633
00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:38,640
People are talking about vaping 
like it's a joke. 

634
00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:40,240
Without talking about the health
hazards. 

635
00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:43,040
Everything seems permissible. 
That's what we live in. 

636
00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:44,480
That's the culture we're living 
in. 

637
00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:49,080
But when you guard what God has 
given you the word, when you 

638
00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:53,600
guard the testimony of Jesus 
that is within you, you are 

639
00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:57,000
actually taking responsibility 
for what was given to you. 

640
00:33:57,520 --> 00:33:59,880
Maybe it was your grandparents 
who gave you the gospel. 

641
00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:01,800
Maybe it was your parents. 
Maybe it was a friend. 

642
00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:04,000
Maybe it was at a meeting. 
That is in you. 

643
00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:07,280
It's on you to safeguard. 
It's on you to say, hey, you 

644
00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:10,000
know what? 
I will not allow the culture of 

645
00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:12,159
the world to dictate what has 
been deposited in me. 

646
00:34:12,159 --> 00:34:16,800
I will not allow the agenda of 
certain groups to change what I 

647
00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:19,840
believe. 
I believe that God made us male 

648
00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:22,080
and female. 
I will not allow anything to 

649
00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:27,360
change that stance. 
It is on you to guard what was 

650
00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:30,120
entrusted to you. 
Sometimes, you know, when you 

651
00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:33,280
live in a cynical world, 
cynicism enters our huts. 

652
00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:35,120
We start to believe that you 
know what? 

653
00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:38,679
Everything and everyone is bad. 
And then we start extending that

654
00:34:38,679 --> 00:34:40,480
to even God. 
But God doesn't mean good for 

655
00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:42,159
me. 
He's not answered anything I 

656
00:34:42,159 --> 00:34:44,280
wanted him to do. 
He's not done this, He's not 

657
00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:46,440
done that. 
And we allow it to corrode our 

658
00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:49,360
faith and hope. 
But protecting what is entrusted

659
00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:51,639
to us means I safeguard my 
faith. 

660
00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:55,400
God, even though this is not 
going as planned, I know you 

661
00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:59,160
have the whole world in your 
hands and You've got my life 

662
00:34:59,720 --> 00:35:01,160
under your eyes under. 
Your. 

663
00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:04,240
Watchful eyes, even when hope 
seems far away. 

664
00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:07,800
You are believing that God. 
I know that my that I have a 

665
00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:09,320
future. 
And hope, Indiana, you, my hope,

666
00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:13,920
will not be cut off. 
When we given to new age ideas. 

667
00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:16,080
And you know the cultural 
dictates of our land. 

668
00:35:16,680 --> 00:35:20,160
We override what Scripture has 
taught us and what Christ. 

669
00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:22,920
Expects of Earth we. 
Make compromises, moral 

670
00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:27,720
compromises, based on what helps
us fit in what certain. 

671
00:35:27,720 --> 00:35:30,800
People teach us. 
Through social media platforms, 

672
00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:33,920
through videos, through 
tutorials becomes our lifestyle 

673
00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:36,760
choices. 
But God is calling us back to be

674
00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:41,160
stewards of the gospel wherein 
we, we know the word, we live 

675
00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:45,480
the world, we know it, we 
safeguard it, but we don't leave

676
00:35:45,480 --> 00:35:47,120
it there. 
We begin to live it. 

677
00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:49,640
We allow it to infiltrate our 
minds. 

678
00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:54,320
When you look at Joshua chapter 
1, God is telling Joshua, you 

679
00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:56,520
know Moses has died. 
I'm taking you in to lead the 

680
00:35:56,520 --> 00:35:58,120
people and take their 
territories. 

681
00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:01,880
But this is what I want you to 
do You, you, you speak the word 

682
00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:04,680
of God with your mouth and you 
meditate on it with your heart, 

683
00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:08,040
and then you will be successful.
It's very important in order to 

684
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:09,680
entrust what has been given to 
you. 

685
00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:13,120
You need to know what has been 
given to you, and you start with

686
00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:14,960
the word of God. 
And when you read the word of 

687
00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:18,000
God, you realize the riches that
you have in Christ Jesus. 

688
00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:21,240
You begin to safeguard the peace
that He has got for you. 

689
00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:23,240
You don't want anything to 
hijack that. 

690
00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:26,040
You realize that? 
You don't want bitterness to. 

691
00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:28,480
Get in. 
You want to safeguard the purity

692
00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:30,960
of your heart, the softness of 
your heart towards the things of

693
00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:34,000
God. 
You don't want cynicism to creep

694
00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,200
in. 
And so you you desire that God 

695
00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:38,040
keeps your heart tender. 
You see what I'm saying? 

696
00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:41,520
We begin as we read the Word of 
God to realize God. 

697
00:36:41,520 --> 00:36:44,280
I want to safeguard this. 
This is too important for me to 

698
00:36:44,280 --> 00:36:46,920
lose. 
I don't want to lose my joy over

699
00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:48,600
this. 
So I will forgive. 

700
00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:54,240
I will choose to forgive. 
Interestingly, stewards don't. 

701
00:36:54,240 --> 00:36:59,960
Just protect what is given. 
They also they obey God's word. 

702
00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:03,040
They obey God's word. 
If you look at Joseph, every 

703
00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:06,480
time he had a dream, he got up 
and did what he was told to do. 

704
00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:10,160
But not just that, they also 
understand God's heart. 

705
00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:14,640
You know, sometimes we tend to 
just obey by rote or out of 

706
00:37:14,640 --> 00:37:17,520
fear. 
But Joseph was not obeying out 

707
00:37:17,520 --> 00:37:19,040
of fear. 
He understood God's heart. 

708
00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:21,800
What was God's heart? 
This was the Saviour of the 

709
00:37:21,800 --> 00:37:23,520
world. 
He had to be protected because 

710
00:37:23,520 --> 00:37:26,440
he had a job to do. 
In years to come, Joseph would 

711
00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:27,600
not see it. 
Probably. 

712
00:37:27,600 --> 00:37:29,840
We don't know whether he was 
alive at the time of Jesus's 

713
00:37:29,840 --> 00:37:34,480
ministry, but we do know this. 
He understood the long game. 

714
00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:40,080
He understood the big agenda and
so he did everything to obey God

715
00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:43,560
S that that was fulfilled. 
And every step of the way when 

716
00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:46,280
he moved him to Nazareth, when 
he brought him out of Egypt, he 

717
00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:49,480
was fulfilling prophecies. 
And so it's so. 

718
00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:51,960
Important that as stewards. 
We don't just obey God's water, 

719
00:37:51,960 --> 00:37:54,040
we just don't read it and say, 
oh, I need to do that. 

720
00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:57,840
But we understand God's heart 
because stewards understand 

721
00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:00,280
God's heart. 
I want us to read Matthew 

722
00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:03,920
chapter 23 verse 23. 
It says vote you teachers of the

723
00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:06,160
law and Pharisees, you 
hypocrites. 

724
00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:09,600
You gave a tenth of your spices,
mint, dill and cumin, but you 

725
00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:11,760
have neglected the more 
important matters of the law, 

726
00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:14,600
Justice, mercy, and. 
Faithfulness. 

727
00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:18,040
You should have practiced the 
latter without neglecting the 

728
00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:20,200
former. 
God is calling us into a place 

729
00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:23,320
now where we don't behave like 
slaves with the master. 

730
00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:27,880
We behave like friends who know 
their friends business. 

731
00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:31,840
We we have to come into a place 
of sonship where we know what 

732
00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:33,600
our father's business is on 
earth. 

733
00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:36,720
So that when I obey him and he 
gives me an instruction, I do 

734
00:38:36,720 --> 00:38:39,720
what he says because I 
understand there's a long game. 

735
00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:42,560
I may not see all of it. 
I may not understand all of it, 

736
00:38:42,760 --> 00:38:45,800
but I'll do what he says. 
After all these years of 

737
00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:47,920
following Jesus, I know this 
forget show him and me. 

738
00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:51,480
We would rather choose the hard 
path of justice, you know, 

739
00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:55,240
saying yes to Jesus and doing 
what he says than pretending not

740
00:38:55,240 --> 00:38:59,880
to hear Him and do our own thing
because we understand his heart 

741
00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:01,680
for us. 
His His plans are good. 

742
00:39:01,680 --> 00:39:04,280
We don't understand his plans. 
We don't understand the detours.

743
00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:06,960
But we know that in the end, 
it'll all work out. 

744
00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:09,280
We don't. 
See the big picture? 

745
00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:12,360
Many. 
Times, but I would urge you that

746
00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:13,760
you would. 
Not just obey. 

747
00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:15,600
God. 
But you would understand his 

748
00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:19,440
heart. 
Sometimes we're so religious. 

749
00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:23,280
Minded, you know in in what we 
how we obey God's law. 

750
00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:26,200
We have incorporated these 
rituals, these traditions, 

751
00:39:26,440 --> 00:39:28,760
especially in India. 
We have so many of those that 

752
00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:31,520
our families have introduced to 
us, but it's important to bring 

753
00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:33,720
it to the word of God and test 
it on the scriptures. 

754
00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:36,160
Is this biblical? 
Is this something that I really 

755
00:39:36,160 --> 00:39:38,080
need to follow? 
Is it from the? 

756
00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:40,440
Word. 
Because sometimes those 

757
00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:44,440
religious mindsets prevent us 
from being those who understand 

758
00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:46,360
God's heart. 
Because when you look at the Old

759
00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:49,720
Testament, there's so much of, 
you know, do do this, do this, 

760
00:39:49,720 --> 00:39:53,240
do this, do not do these things.
But if the people of God had 

761
00:39:53,240 --> 00:39:56,520
only understood that the the 
foundational aspect to all of 

762
00:39:56,520 --> 00:39:59,280
this was to love God with all 
their heart, soul, mind, and 

763
00:39:59,280 --> 00:40:01,520
strength, that was the 
foundational thing on which all 

764
00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:05,000
the other laws hung. 
But they somehow had fixated on 

765
00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:07,400
all these other laws. 
And justice, like one of us 

766
00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:09,280
would. 
They had got in disillusion. 

767
00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:11,960
They said we can't do all of 
this, we're just human. 

768
00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:15,640
But God, all God wanted them to 
do was to understand his heart 

769
00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:18,280
for them, that he loved them so 
deeply that he wanted to protect

770
00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:19,800
them. 
He didn't want them to live like

771
00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:21,640
the nations. 
He wanted them to be set apart. 

772
00:40:22,240 --> 00:40:26,480
And so today, I urge you that 
for yourself, you would get into

773
00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:28,440
God's Word. 
You would spend time in prayer. 

774
00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:30,040
You don't know how to pray. 
It's fine. 

775
00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:31,720
It's just a conversation with a 
friend. 

776
00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:34,600
Sit with him. 
Say, Lord, I am. 

777
00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:36,000
Here I'm willing to. 
Be a vessel. 

778
00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:39,080
I want to be a steward. 
I want to steward the things 

779
00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:40,920
that you've entrusted to me. 
What are the things you've 

780
00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:44,640
entrusted to me, Lord if God? 
Starts highlighting. 

781
00:40:44,640 --> 00:40:47,680
Things and people to pray for, 
those are the things you're 

782
00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:52,800
probably called to steward, and 
I pray that you will steward. 

783
00:40:52,800 --> 00:40:55,400
It well. 
Some of us are just waiting to 

784
00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:57,520
get married that we're not. 
Stewarding our singleness, 

785
00:40:57,520 --> 00:40:59,880
right? 
Some of us are in marriage 

786
00:40:59,880 --> 00:41:02,920
waiting to get out that you're 
not stewarding your marriage and

787
00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:05,240
God is going to ask you, hey, I 
gave you that. 

788
00:41:05,240 --> 00:41:08,680
Spouse as imperfect. 
As they are as imperfect as you 

789
00:41:08,680 --> 00:41:11,680
are, my desire is. 
That you will steward. 

790
00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:14,680
It God gave you those children, 
they're not a deterrent, they're

791
00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:15,920
a blessing. 
They're a reward. 

792
00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:19,280
They're a heritage. 
God gave you that job that you 

793
00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:22,720
are slacking off at. 
God is saying, will you steward 

794
00:41:22,720 --> 00:41:25,640
it right? 
Will you do it all as unto me? 

795
00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:28,520
God has been saying. 
Probably to you. 

796
00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:32,920
Are you digging deeper? 
Roots Are you investing in the 

797
00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:36,360
community of believers? 
Are you stewarding? 

798
00:41:36,360 --> 00:41:39,640
That. 
Position Well, God is asking 

799
00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:42,480
these questions of us. 
What is it that? 

800
00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:47,840
God's asking. 
You today to steward a new as 

801
00:41:47,840 --> 00:41:49,000
we. 
Conclude I just want to leave 

802
00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:51,160
this. 
With you, you know a vessel 

803
00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:53,280
needs to be held by the right 
person. 

804
00:41:53,720 --> 00:41:56,400
Like we talked about it, It 
matters who fills it and who 

805
00:41:56,400 --> 00:41:58,840
wields it. 
You know, a vessel. 

806
00:41:58,840 --> 00:42:02,280
Needs to be held by the right 
person to fulfill its full 

807
00:42:02,280 --> 00:42:07,200
utility you as a person, as 
someone has accepted Jesus who 

808
00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:10,480
knows him, who loves him. 
You are a vessel of honor 

809
00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:15,680
because you are held by him. 
A steward needs to hold on to 

810
00:42:15,680 --> 00:42:19,240
the right things to live out his
full purpose. 

811
00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:23,160
You know in our church when we 
want to label things, we have a 

812
00:42:23,160 --> 00:42:25,520
bunch of shelves from IKEA. 
Where? 

813
00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:26,560
We have things. 
Labeled. 

814
00:42:26,560 --> 00:42:28,320
And I didn't have the time to 
pick up labels. 

815
00:42:28,320 --> 00:42:31,560
So our hospitality team got 
masking tape and we just wrote 

816
00:42:31,560 --> 00:42:34,200
on that and we stick the masking
tape as a label. 

817
00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:38,760
And this week when I was 
thinking about stewardship, I 

818
00:42:38,760 --> 00:42:41,920
realized that each of us need to
have this sticker placed on us, 

819
00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:44,720
preferably on the forehead, so 
that every time we look into the

820
00:42:44,720 --> 00:42:48,440
mirror, we realize this, that we
are not an owner. 

821
00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:54,880
We're just managers of our 
homes, our cars, our jobs, our 

822
00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:57,120
marriages, our children. 
We're not owners. 

823
00:42:57,440 --> 00:43:00,160
We don't own anything, you know,
And so the. 

824
00:43:00,160 --> 00:43:03,000
Next time you. 
You look at things and think, 

825
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:06,040
wow, I can't believe I have all 
this. 

826
00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:07,800
Or maybe you're thinking. 
Well. 

827
00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:09,880
If I had all that, I would be 
more happy. 

828
00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:11,960
I want to just encourage you 
that we are not an owner of 

829
00:43:11,960 --> 00:43:14,640
anything. 
I'm not an owner of my house. 

830
00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:17,680
I may have bought my house, but 
I'm not an owner. 

831
00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:21,360
I'm a steward. 
He was asking me, will you use 

832
00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:24,080
that home for my kingdom's 
purposes, for my glory? 

833
00:43:24,720 --> 00:43:28,040
That car that you love it. 
You're not an owner. 

834
00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:30,760
Yeah, you're paying the EMI. 
You feel the pinch every month. 

835
00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:34,280
But he's the owner. 
You're the manager. 

836
00:43:36,360 --> 00:43:40,000
And a steward needs to hold on 
to the right things to live out 

837
00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:42,640
his full purpose. 
Because many times we're holding

838
00:43:42,640 --> 00:43:46,040
on so tightly to that car, that 
house, that dream, that 

839
00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:49,760
ambition, that person. 
Those. 

840
00:43:49,760 --> 00:43:50,440
Things. 
Those. 

841
00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:54,720
Substances that we're not. 
Holding on to Jesus tightly. 

842
00:43:54,720 --> 00:43:56,800
Enough. 
The one who actually entrusted 

843
00:43:56,800 --> 00:43:57,680
all of this. 
Too. 

844
00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:00,480
I love. 
That passage in. 

845
00:44:00,880 --> 00:44:04,520
I think it's in the Book of 
Chronicles where Chronicles of. 

846
00:44:04,520 --> 00:44:06,920
Kings where? 
David is dedicating all that 

847
00:44:06,920 --> 00:44:09,600
he's kept for the Temple, and 
he's going to give it to Solomon

848
00:44:10,440 --> 00:44:12,600
and he's he's. 
Telling God and God's told him, 

849
00:44:12,600 --> 00:44:13,960
you're not going to build the 
temple for me. 

850
00:44:13,960 --> 00:44:18,440
Solomon's going to do it, but. 
David goes before him and he 

851
00:44:18,440 --> 00:44:22,320
says, God, who am I that you are
mindful of me and my family? 

852
00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:27,120
You chose me out of nothing. 
Everything I have is yours and 

853
00:44:27,120 --> 00:44:28,480
I've looked back. 
At that scripture. 

854
00:44:28,480 --> 00:44:31,240
So many times these past few 
years and realized that 

855
00:44:31,600 --> 00:44:33,800
everything I have none of it. 
Is mine. 

856
00:44:34,320 --> 00:44:38,080
It's his. 
It's on loan to me and I need 

857
00:44:38,080 --> 00:44:39,120
to. 
Steward. 

858
00:44:39,120 --> 00:44:40,920
It well, I need to steward it 
right? 

859
00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:44,240
I need to steward it God's will,
so remember that a. 

860
00:44:44,240 --> 00:44:47,360
Vessel needs to be held. 
By the right person, a steward 

861
00:44:47,360 --> 00:44:50,240
needs to hold on to the. 
Right things in order for them 

862
00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:52,800
to fulfill their purpose. 
What are you holding? 

863
00:44:52,800 --> 00:44:56,160
On to who holds you. 
Some of you are. 

864
00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:58,320
Being held in. 
The wrong relationship. 

865
00:44:58,560 --> 00:45:01,280
Some of you are being held by 
the wrong ideas. 

866
00:45:02,560 --> 00:45:03,880
Wrong. 
Concepts. 

867
00:45:04,200 --> 00:45:07,120
Wrong attitudes and God is 
saying, would you switch the 

868
00:45:07,120 --> 00:45:10,800
ownership of that vessel to me, 
a vessel? 

869
00:45:10,800 --> 00:45:13,520
Must carry what it's. 
Intended to carry in order to 

870
00:45:13,520 --> 00:45:17,400
fulfill its fullest potential. 
You remember that clay pot I 

871
00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:19,440
showed you? 
It's meant to carry something 

872
00:45:20,240 --> 00:45:22,160
stewards must. 
Carry out. 

873
00:45:22,160 --> 00:45:26,720
The responsibility given to them
at the end of our lives. 

874
00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:30,480
If you want to hear well done, 
good and faithful servant, you 

875
00:45:30,480 --> 00:45:34,680
should have been faithful One 
Corinthians chapter 4 verses. 

876
00:45:34,680 --> 00:45:38,320
One to two in the ESV says this.
This is how one should regard us

877
00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:41,480
as servants of Christ and 
stewards of the mysteries of 

878
00:45:41,480 --> 00:45:43,960
God. 
Moreover, it is required of 

879
00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:46,440
stewards that they be found 
faithful. 

880
00:45:48,720 --> 00:45:51,720
The vessel has to be faithful. 
To hold what is inside. 

881
00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:55,160
If there's a hole in a vessel, 
God forbid you're going to make 

882
00:45:55,160 --> 00:45:59,920
a mess. 
Thank God for Jesus, who fills 

883
00:45:59,920 --> 00:46:04,760
every hole in our lives, who 
fills the broken paths with his 

884
00:46:04,760 --> 00:46:07,160
wholeness. 
Thank God. 

885
00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:10,560
That when he calls us. 
As stewards, he's not looking 

886
00:46:10,560 --> 00:46:12,840
for the number game. 
He's not saying, Oh well, you. 

887
00:46:12,840 --> 00:46:14,760
Saved so many. 
People, I'm so proud of you. 

888
00:46:14,760 --> 00:46:17,760
Well done. 
He he looks at you and how you 

889
00:46:17,760 --> 00:46:19,640
steward the things he entrusted 
to you. 

890
00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:24,560
Be it that company, be it your 
home, be it your parents. 

891
00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:29,560
Be it an extended family member.
Whoever it was and he's. 

892
00:46:29,560 --> 00:46:31,560
Saying well done. 
Good and faithful. 

893
00:46:31,560 --> 00:46:35,080
Servant. 
Your success is dependent on 

894
00:46:35,080 --> 00:46:37,840
your faithfulness, nothing else 
as a steward. 

895
00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:42,760
So as we enter Advent, even as I
pray for you, I ask that you 

896
00:46:42,760 --> 00:46:45,880
would look at your own life. 
And ask yourself. 

897
00:46:46,160 --> 00:46:51,120
Am IA vessel for God to hold and
use as he sees. 

898
00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:55,280
Fit. 
Many times as frail vessels we 

899
00:46:55,280 --> 00:46:56,760
look at ourselves and think, you
know what? 

900
00:46:56,800 --> 00:46:59,240
I would be good for that I could
do that. 

901
00:46:59,240 --> 00:47:01,000
What they are doing. 
I think I could do it better. 

902
00:47:01,440 --> 00:47:04,680
But I would urge you that this 
month you would look to God and 

903
00:47:04,680 --> 00:47:07,920
say, Lord, I'm available. 
I'm a vessel. 

904
00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:10,120
For you, you can do with me as 
you see fit. 

905
00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:14,000
I ask you, would you be? 
Willing to be called a vessel of

906
00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:18,000
honor, would you allow God to 
sanctify and use you for His 

907
00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:20,640
purposes? 
My next question to you is. 

908
00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:23,680
Are you a faithful steward in 
the Kingdom? 

909
00:47:23,680 --> 00:47:26,600
Because everything you have is 
His. 

910
00:47:26,640 --> 00:47:27,680
You are not. 
An owner. 

911
00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:29,920
You're just a steward. 
Can I? 

912
00:47:29,920 --> 00:47:31,680
Just pray for you, Father I. 
Pray. 

913
00:47:33,520 --> 00:47:36,280
That Lord you will bless each. 
Person who is watching this 

914
00:47:36,280 --> 00:47:39,760
right now, I pray that, Lord, if
we have disqualified ourselves 

915
00:47:39,760 --> 00:47:43,320
as vessels, if we have not been 
actively stewarding what you 

916
00:47:43,320 --> 00:47:46,720
gave us, Lord, we thank you for 
this opportunity to say yes to 

917
00:47:46,720 --> 00:47:48,520
you again. 
I thank you that with you there 

918
00:47:48,520 --> 00:47:51,360
is no condemnation. 
I thank you that you love us so 

919
00:47:51,360 --> 00:47:54,080
deeply that Lord, even now we 
can say, Lord, I'm ready to be a

920
00:47:54,080 --> 00:47:57,720
vessel. 
I'm here to be a steward, and I 

921
00:47:57,720 --> 00:48:00,760
pray that everyone of us will 
say yes to these two callings on

922
00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:04,560
our life, that Lord, we'll be 
willing to carry your glory into

923
00:48:04,560 --> 00:48:07,040
every space we walk. 
Lord, Lord, we will be open to 

924
00:48:07,040 --> 00:48:10,400
being held by you, being filled 
by you, and emptied by you. 

925
00:48:10,720 --> 00:48:14,560
Father, I pray especially for 
those of us who are entrusted 

926
00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:17,080
with different. 
Responsibilities that we will 

927
00:48:17,080 --> 00:48:18,920
steward the season we are in 
well. 

928
00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:21,240
We will steward the 
responsibilities you've given 

929
00:48:21,240 --> 00:48:24,080
well. 
Further, I pray that we won't 

930
00:48:24,080 --> 00:48:26,640
just protect. 
What you have given us, but 

931
00:48:26,640 --> 00:48:29,560
Lord, we will understand your 
heart behind the things that you

932
00:48:29,600 --> 00:48:32,360
ask of us. 
I pray our obedience will be 

933
00:48:32,360 --> 00:48:36,120
immediate like Joseph's was. 
I pray that Lord, our hearts 

934
00:48:36,120 --> 00:48:39,000
will be so ready and willing for
you like Mary was. 

935
00:48:39,960 --> 00:48:44,680
Lead us gently God, we thank 
you, help us and bless us. 

936
00:48:44,680 --> 00:48:47,720
In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 
Amen. 

937
00:48:47,880 --> 00:48:50,600
Just want to encourage you that 
as you get into the season of 

938
00:48:50,600 --> 00:48:53,800
Advent, whatever situation you 
are facing, that you will 

939
00:48:53,800 --> 00:48:56,120
experience Jesus in greater 
measure. 

940
00:48:56,120 --> 00:48:59,040
He's just a prayer away. 
If you are going through 

941
00:48:59,040 --> 00:49:01,000
loneliness, you're going through
a hard situation. 

942
00:49:01,000 --> 00:49:03,400
Just call on the name of Jesus. 
He's Emmanuel. 

943
00:49:03,720 --> 00:49:07,200
He's closer than you know. 
Few announcements for you. 

944
00:49:07,200 --> 00:49:09,880
We have our Christmas Eve 
service. 

945
00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:12,840
We don't have a service on 25th.
We have our Christmas Eve 

946
00:49:12,840 --> 00:49:17,000
service on December 24th evening
for timings and any other 

947
00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:20,200
details to reach out to us. 
We also have our New Year's. 

948
00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:23,440
Eve. 
Service on December 31st night. 

949
00:49:23,920 --> 00:49:25,800
We also have our Thanksgiving 
service. 

950
00:49:26,480 --> 00:49:28,280
It's an annual service. 
That we have. 

951
00:49:28,280 --> 00:49:33,480
With lunch where we just share 
stories of God's goodness within

952
00:49:33,480 --> 00:49:34,960
the church and. 
If you would like to be a. 

953
00:49:34,960 --> 00:49:38,440
Part of that, please join us on 
December 28th. 

954
00:49:39,040 --> 00:49:42,920
December 21st we have an. 
Exciting event happening at 

955
00:49:42,920 --> 00:49:44,840
church. 
It's our Carol service. 

956
00:49:44,840 --> 00:49:46,240
We don't have a morning service 
that day. 

957
00:49:46,240 --> 00:49:49,080
We have an evening service. 
We have a lovely play being put 

958
00:49:49,080 --> 00:49:51,480
together. 
We have a choir that's getting 

959
00:49:51,480 --> 00:49:53,160
ready. 
We have a beautiful dance being 

960
00:49:53,160 --> 00:49:55,200
put together. 
And if you would like to come 

961
00:49:55,200 --> 00:49:57,640
for that and bring family and 
friends, it's a great 

962
00:49:57,640 --> 00:50:00,880
opportunity to invite friends to
church who otherwise may never 

963
00:50:00,880 --> 00:50:02,760
come in. 
So bring them in for that 

964
00:50:02,760 --> 00:50:05,560
because we're celebrating the 
best kept promise that's 

965
00:50:05,560 --> 00:50:10,800
happening on December 21st. 
Just want to you that whoever 

966
00:50:10,800 --> 00:50:14,120
finds Jesus finds life. 
If you're looking for life, he's

967
00:50:14,120 --> 00:50:16,680
the one you need. 
God bless you, have an amazing 

968
00:50:16,680 --> 00:50:19,920
week. 
Thanks for listening to this 

969
00:50:19,920 --> 00:50:23,040
message. 
We hope you were blessed to hear

970
00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:26,760
more messages like this. 
Make sure to subscribe and check

971
00:50:26,760 --> 00:50:30,880
out our podcast channel for past
episodes if you like what you 

972
00:50:30,920 --> 00:50:31,640
are. 
Hearing. 

973
00:50:31,920 --> 00:50:35,760
Consider rating us subscribing 
and even sharing it with 

974
00:50:35,760 --> 00:50:38,160
friends. 
That would really help us. 

975
00:50:38,840 --> 00:50:43,440
For more content from Via Zion 
and to connect with us, go to 

976
00:50:43,440 --> 00:50:48,640
viazion.in. 
Remember, whoever finds Jesus 

977
00:50:48,840 --> 00:50:49,720
finds life.