1 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:10,960 Hi and welcome to the Via Zion Sermon podcast. 2 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,000 We are a local church based here in Chennai, India. 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:17,240 We are so glad you are with us and hope that this will 4 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:20,280 encourage, inspire and instill fresh faith in you. 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:24,080 We have started a series called The Kingdom Life based on the 6 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:27,920 life and teachings of Jesus from the Gospel according to Mark. 7 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,800 We look at how we must live our lives on this earth as followers 8 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,720 of Jesus in a way that is countercultural yet powerfully 9 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:39,160 impactful. As you listen in, our hope is 10 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:44,080 that you will be motivated to live, love, lead and serve just 11 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,920 like Jesus. Hi Church, what a joy it is to 12 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:49,200 bring God's word to you. Today. 13 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:52,920 We are completing our series on the Kingdom Life today, and 14 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,280 today we are talking about the greatest in the Kingdom. 15 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,720 We hear a lot about the goat, the greatest of all time. 16 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:01,120 There was a movie that just came out. 17 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:04,000 We have athletes who are called the greatest of all time. 18 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,840 They call the goats. But God is calling us to 19 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:12,440 understand who the real MVPS are in the Kingdom, and that's what 20 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:14,000 we're going to be looking at today. 21 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,520 The disciples, much like I, seem to have had a debate on who the 22 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,200 greatest in the Kingdom was. They were probably arguing about 23 00:01:20,200 --> 00:01:21,920 it. In one gospel, it says they were 24 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:24,600 arguing about it and God knew what was in their hearts and 25 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:26,240 then taught them about servanthood. 26 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,200 And in the book of Matthew, Matthew chapter 18 specifically, 27 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,120 they asked Jesus. They came to him and asked who 28 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,840 is the greatest. And Jesus had a very interesting 29 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,440 answer for them. And as we close the series out, 30 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:43,440 I believe God is calling us into a renewed ideas of our self. 31 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,240 You know that we come to a place of knowing really who we are and 32 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:51,040 what our privileges are. And I believe that when we 33 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:56,280 understand that each of us will be considered the greatest in 34 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:59,040 the Kingdom. So Matthew chapter 18 verses one 35 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:00,000 to five. This is what it says. 36 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,440 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked who then is 37 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,000 the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven? 38 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,560 He called a little child to him and placed the child among them. 39 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,360 And he said, truly, I tell you, unless you change and become 40 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:15,800 like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of 41 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:18,920 heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the 42 00:02:18,920 --> 00:02:22,120 lowly position of this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of 43 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:27,880 heaven, and whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes 44 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:31,880 me. Luke chapter 18 verses 15 to 17 45 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:35,480 says his people were also bringing babies to Jesus for him 46 00:02:35,920 --> 00:02:39,360 to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, 47 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:42,480 they rebuked them, but Jesus called the children to him and 48 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,080 said, let the little children come to me and do not hinder 49 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:49,200 them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 50 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:52,560 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of 51 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,960 God like a little child will never enter it. 52 00:02:56,200 --> 00:03:00,760 God Jesus is using a simile. He's using the simile of a 53 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:02,680 child. He's saying unless you are like 54 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,800 a child, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. 55 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:08,760 And it's very interesting because we assumed that in in 56 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,520 believing in Jesus, we've got access into the Kingdom. 57 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,280 But I wonder if many of us, because of the lack of childlike 58 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:17,960 faith, childlike wonder, childlike patience, childlike 59 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:22,360 humility, maybe we're still not really experienced the Kingdom 60 00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:24,160 of God. And it says over here very 61 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:27,920 clearly, unless you become like a child, you will never enter 62 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,440 the Kingdom of God. What if what we are experiencing 63 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,720 right now in terms of, you know, the, the, the life, the new life 64 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:38,120 in Christ, what if we are experiencing it just outside the 65 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:40,520 realm of the Kingdom of God? What if we haven't entered into 66 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:42,640 the depths of it? What if we haven't entered into 67 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:47,120 the magnificence of it purely because we are missing this one 68 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,360 element? And so I want to just ask us 69 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,840 today if we would come to this place of saying, I want to be 70 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:56,080 childlike. Let's not get mistaken. 71 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:59,200 He's not calling us into childish behaviour because like 72 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,880 the apostle writes, Apostle Paul writes, I once thought like a 73 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:04,920 child, acted like a child, spoke like a child. 74 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:08,680 But now I'm being matured. And God is calling us into 75 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:13,680 maturity, yes, but he's calling us into a place of childlike 76 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,519 humility, childlike obedience. And when I think about it, it's 77 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:20,760 funny because I'd realise it has to be a simile because when you 78 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,320 look at children, children tend to be self willed, children tend 79 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:26,600 to be stubborn, children tend to be disobedient. 80 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:30,520 They tend to do, you know, things that are not so upright. 81 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:32,880 And it says that we were conceived in sin. 82 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:36,520 So there is folly wrapped up in the heart of a child. 83 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,840 It's true. So Jesus was not asking us to be 84 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:42,440 childish. Instead he's saying there is 85 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:46,560 something about a little child, the pure innocence, the the 86 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,640 absolute dependency on their parents. 87 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:53,800 And he's calling us to that kind of dependency on him. 88 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:56,880 He's calling us into being true children. 89 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:02,440 And it's it cannot be an accident that when we accept 90 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,320 Jesus, it says we become children of God. 91 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:09,040 But I wonder in that, you know, that phrase of children of God, 92 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,080 how many of us are actually completely embrace the fact that 93 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:16,000 I'm a child of God? Because that will change the way 94 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,200 we look at many things. When we look at the Gospels, 95 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:23,920 there is a steady transition of how we look at God, how we view 96 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:25,600 this relationship. As you know, this is not a 97 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:27,720 religion, this is a relationship. 98 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:29,720 I have a relationship with the living God. 99 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:34,280 And there are many times in the Gospels where it is eluded to 100 00:05:34,280 --> 00:05:37,080 the fact that we are calling Jesus our master. 101 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:41,240 He is the king, He is the ruler and I am his servant. 102 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:45,280 And it talks about how we know you have to do the tasks laid 103 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,560 out and he would say well done, good and faithful servant. 104 00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:53,240 Luke 17 verse 10 says so you also, when you have done 105 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:56,440 everything you were told to do, should say we are unworthy 106 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:58,720 servants. We have only done our duties. 107 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:04,600 So there is this element where we are servants serving the 108 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:09,000 pleasure of our master and it it talks about this obedience that 109 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,960 is required, this submission, right? 110 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:15,800 But it really speaks to our purpose in serving God. 111 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,840 When we know God, we love him, we tend to serve him. 112 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,160 But then God calls us into a deeper relationship from a 113 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:26,080 servant master relationship. He's calling us to a friendship 114 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:30,600 because in John 1515, he says I no longer call you servants 115 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,240 because a servant does not know his master's business. 116 00:06:33,840 --> 00:06:36,760 Instead, I have called you friends for everything that I 117 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:39,000 learned from my father, I have made known to you. 118 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:43,560 God is calling us now into a friendship, a friendship much 119 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:45,880 like Abraham and God where he could. 120 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:48,360 He knew what God was planning for Sodom and Gomorrah. 121 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:51,240 He was made Privy to it. He could intercede accordingly. 122 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:54,520 And God is calling us into a friendship, so we are no longer 123 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:57,120 just servants who who go about serving him. 124 00:06:57,120 --> 00:06:59,800 Yes, we do that, but He's calling us into a friendship 125 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:02,840 where we know what's on his heart, we know his plans. 126 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:08,920 But then it goes one step further where he actually adopts 127 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,840 us as sons. It's called sonship. 128 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:16,040 And that is a beautiful place of very deep intimacy. 129 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:21,520 John chapter one verse 12 says yet to all who did receive him, 130 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:24,840 to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to 131 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:28,600 become children of God. And so it moves us from a place 132 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:31,240 of just serving out of submission. 133 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:34,960 It moves us out of a place of knowing his heart of having a 134 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:38,840 knowledge of God to a deeper place of privilege. 135 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:42,160 Because when you get adopted, you, you become the legal heir 136 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:46,480 and you have all the privileges that are made available to a 137 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,000 son. And the beautiful thing about 138 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,480 this is, you know, this relationship is, is one with the 139 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:54,840 perfect father. So I want you before we go any 140 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:59,760 further to 1st put aside your picture of your family, to put 141 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:02,200 aside your picture of your relationship with your parents. 142 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:05,560 I want you to put aside whatever preconceived notions you have of 143 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:08,880 a father because the Heavenly Father is perfect in every way. 144 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:10,840 He's the giver of every good gift. 145 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:14,720 It says whatever we have as this, you know, mould of a 146 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,400 father, of an earthly father. Maybe you didn't have one, maybe 147 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,120 you did have one. Maybe it was a less than perfect 148 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:22,440 relationship, maybe it was a very good relationship. 149 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:25,880 But even that has to be put aside for us to understand what 150 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:29,960 it looks like to be adopted into the family of God, to have God 151 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:34,039 the Father as our Father. It changes everything. 152 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:37,600 This adoption is incredible. It changes our life. 153 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,200 And so I want us to look today at what this actually does for 154 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:44,680 us. We know that a child, when you 155 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:47,280 look at a child, a little infant, we know about its 156 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:48,960 innocence, we know about its humility. 157 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:51,880 But God is calling us deeper. He's saying if you are a child 158 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:53,360 of God, you would behave differently. 159 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:55,960 If you are a child of God, you would you would come to me 160 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:57,760 differently. You would depend on me 161 00:08:57,760 --> 00:08:59,200 differently. And that's what we're going to 162 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:01,920 be looking at today. So no longer does he call you 163 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,920 servants, He calls you friends. But more than that, he calls you 164 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,760 a child of God. And two big themes I want to 165 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,320 leave with you today. The first thing is that a child 166 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:15,160 of God has a fresh identity. Whatever your identity has been 167 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,840 thus far, God is erasing it to say you are now a child of God. 168 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:22,920 Whatever your name is, you can say I am Christine. 169 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:25,880 I'm a child of God. No longer am I Christine, 170 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:29,800 daughter of Victor and Sunithi. No longer am I Christine, a 171 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:32,080 content writer. All of that is legitimate. 172 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:37,440 But when I accepted Jesus, my primary identity changed. 173 00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:40,280 I'm no longer Christine Jayakaran. 174 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:45,160 I am Christine, child of God, and that is so important because 175 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:49,000 in this fresh identity everything begins to change. 176 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,320 A lot of our problems in humanity today, a lot of our 177 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:56,520 problems world over are because our identities are completely 178 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:59,000 skewed. We have the largest identity 179 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,440 crisis today. People say I identify as this 180 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,120 and they use a pronoun. What if you identified as a 181 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:09,360 child of God? It changes everything. 1 John 182 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:11,240 chapter 3 verses one to two says this. 183 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:15,160 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we 184 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:19,320 should be called children of God, and that is what we are. 185 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:22,320 The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know 186 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:24,200 Him. Dear friends, now we are 187 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:27,800 children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made 188 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:32,160 known, but we know that when Christ appears we shall be like 189 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,720 Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 190 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:40,680 Fundamental sentence there. We should be called children of 191 00:10:40,680 --> 00:10:44,560 God and that is what we are. That is our new label, that is 192 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:48,240 our new identity. I was recently at a conference 193 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:51,400 in Goa and they gave us these ID cards. 194 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:55,800 Right now, this ID card is what people look at and they know who 195 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:57,880 I am. So my name is printed on it, 196 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:01,040 right? And it talks about the place I'm 197 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:03,200 from. Now if you go to other 198 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:05,520 conferences, many times they would write what your 199 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:09,040 designation is below it. So when people look at you, they 200 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:12,920 know this is so and so and this is what they do and this is 201 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:19,160 where they come from, right? When you and I accept Jesus as 202 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:22,680 our personal saviour, we get a brand new identity. 203 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:25,880 Like I said, Christine, child of God. 204 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:30,680 But interestingly, just like on this ID card indicates where I'm 205 00:11:30,680 --> 00:11:36,920 from and what I do, my identity in Christ helps me to be 206 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:41,840 identified by the way I live. Many times we discount that. 207 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,880 You know, I, I say this often, I don't have much of an escape. 208 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:48,040 My name has Christ in it. The minute I walk into a room, I 209 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:49,760 introduce myself. They know I'm a believer. 210 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:53,440 They know I'm a Christian, but I know that my life has to 211 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,040 demonstrate that I'm a believer and follower of Jesus. 212 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:59,320 I don't have an option. But I wonder for you as a 213 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:05,280 follower of Christ, can people identify that you follow Christ 214 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:08,600 by how you live, by the things you do and the things you don't 215 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,200 do, by the things you stand for, the things you don't stand for, 216 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:14,880 that your convictions, your mentality, the way you speak. 217 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,560 Does your identity come through because of how you live? 218 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:23,960 1 John chapter 3 verses 9 to 10 says no one who is born of God 219 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:27,240 will continue to sin because God's seed remains in them. 220 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:29,560 They cannot go on sinning because they have been born of 221 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:31,560 God. This is how we know who the 222 00:12:31,560 --> 00:12:33,840 children of God are and who the children of the devil are. 223 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:37,600 Anyone who does not do what is right is not God's child, nor is 224 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:40,960 anyone who does not love their brother and sister. 225 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:45,440 The first part of this identity is that we are identified by 226 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,480 what we do. We are identified by what we 227 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:50,760 don't do. We are identified by the things 228 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:53,160 we stand for. What are you standing for in 229 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:56,560 your office, in your community? Do you stand up for justice? 230 00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:59,680 Do you stand up for truth? Do you stand up to be a voice 231 00:12:59,680 --> 00:13:02,240 for the vulnerable, for a voice for the voiceless? 232 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:07,600 How do you live the way we live, the way we speak, the way we 233 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:10,680 refrain, All of it speaks volumes. 234 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:14,720 And that is how we know. That is how people know who you 235 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:17,560 belong to on your own. You may have a regular name. 236 00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:20,160 You may not have a name that gives you away, like me, But 237 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:22,440 what if your life gives you away? 238 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,840 And that's what happens when I have a fresh identity in Christ. 239 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:28,520 When I have this identity in Christ, people look at me and 240 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:31,440 they say there's something different, There's something new 241 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:36,120 about this person. We are identified by what we do 242 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:40,240 and what we don't do. I have a friend who had a 243 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:44,120 lifestyle of a same sex attraction for a long time, but 244 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:47,400 he told me that when he met Jesus it radically changed 245 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:50,400 overnight. He said I no longer fit into 246 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:53,080 those old groups because of the way I lived now. 247 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:57,280 I had this overpowering hunger and passion for Jesus and no one 248 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:01,040 else. And he said people began to know 249 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:06,080 me just by how I lived, just by what I stood for justice because 250 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:08,720 of the love I had for God, which was just exuding. 251 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:11,960 Coming out of Maine, people knew that I was different. 252 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:14,160 People knew my lifestyle had changed. 253 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:18,360 Could I ask you, when people look at you, do they know that 254 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:20,200 you have a fresh identity in Christ? 255 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:24,040 Or do you come across as this person whose identity is solely 256 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:26,840 in what you do, what you bring to the table, your family, your 257 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:30,080 heritage, your networks? But what if it comes down to 258 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:34,640 this is what I am in Christ? I stand for the right in Christ. 259 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:39,560 I fight for justice in Christ. I will value the things God has 260 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:43,800 entrusted to me. We are identified by what we do 261 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:46,880 and what we don't do. The second way of people 262 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:50,320 identifying is with this new identity, with this identity of 263 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:52,640 child of God. The second thing I believe is 264 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:56,320 that people will identify us by God's hand on us. 265 00:14:57,120 --> 00:14:59,440 When I turned 40 last year, this was my prayer. 266 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:01,920 God, I want to feel your mighty hand on me. 267 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:06,280 And through this year I've had a series of things that happened. 268 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:09,960 When I look back in hindsight, if it wasn't for God's hand on 269 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:12,120 me, I wouldn't have made it through. 270 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:15,920 And I want to explain to you this a little bit more. 271 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:19,280 What does it look like to have God's mighty hand on you? 272 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:22,240 Hebrews chapter 12 verses 7:00 to 11:00. 273 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,800 It says end your hardship as discipline. 274 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:28,280 God is treating you as His children for what? 275 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:30,560 Children are not disciplined by their father. 276 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:33,920 If you are not disciplined and everyone undergoes discipline, 277 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:37,760 then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 278 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:42,280 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and 279 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:46,000 we respected them for it. How much more should we submit 280 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:47,760 to the Father of spirits and live? 281 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,720 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best, but 282 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:55,800 God disciplines us for our good in order that we may share in 283 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:58,760 His Holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at 284 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:03,520 the time, but painful later on. However, it produces a harvest 285 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:07,680 of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by 286 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:09,680 it. Last week we looked at suffering 287 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:13,520 and suffering well, making suffering work for us when when 288 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:16,480 we see that suffering actually does good, that God redeems all 289 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:18,960 of our suffering. But today when we look at this, 290 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:23,480 we have to identify, understand that as a child, Christine, a 291 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:27,800 child of God is a legitimate daughter when she allows God's 292 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:31,400 hand to discipline her. And I would encourage you to 293 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:33,760 identify the same thing. Some of the struggles in your 294 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,480 life may have been God correcting. 295 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:40,280 You may have been God in loving care, disciplining. 296 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:45,080 And that is how we identify God's hand on someone. 297 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,480 So often we judge someone, we look at someone and say, oh, 298 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:49,360 they're going through this hardship. 299 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:51,160 They're probably really far away from God. 300 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:54,720 It's interesting because it is possible that in deep communion, 301 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:57,200 God is working on them. God is taking them to the next 302 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,680 level of their anointing. God is taking them to the next 303 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:04,119 level of conquest. The evidence of whose mighty 304 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:06,160 hand you're under will be very obvious. 305 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,520 The way you live, the way you speak, the things that you say 306 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:13,040 to one another will determine if you're under the mighty hand of 307 00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:15,839 God or under the mighty hand of something else. 308 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:20,560 If you're under the hand of of mammon, the spirit that causes 309 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:23,839 greed and and needs more of accumulation, the way you live 310 00:17:23,839 --> 00:17:26,160 will be different. The way you view the world will 311 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:28,079 be different. But when you're under the mighty 312 00:17:28,079 --> 00:17:33,000 hand of God in every situation, you will feel His comfort even 313 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:35,720 in the midst of disciplining. You will know He means good. 314 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:38,000 He's going to bring something tremendously good out of it. 315 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:43,200 Whose hand you are under matters, and it'll be displayed 316 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:45,920 for all to see. Even when you're going through 317 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:49,720 hardship, they will know. This person is still thanking 318 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:51,320 God. This person is still praising 319 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,280 God. They are submitted to a higher 320 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:57,920 power which is beyond our understanding. 321 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:02,760 On this ID card, the name of the organizers, the name of the 322 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:07,160 committee which which actually had this this symposium is 323 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,920 mentioned on top. My name is below the When I am 324 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:14,920 under the mighty hand of God, it is very clear what the hierarchy 325 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:17,720 looks like. I am underneath Him. 326 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:21,640 He is the authority. He is the reigning ruling 327 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:24,360 supreme authority. I am under his care. 328 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:28,480 So when that happens, my identity gets so shift so many 329 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:29,880 times. We look at some of some of the 330 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:33,120 verses in the Bible and we say, oh, we are little gods, so I'm 331 00:18:33,120 --> 00:18:34,640 on par with God. We are not. 332 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:39,200 We are under his mighty hand. We are under his rule and reign. 333 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:41,960 I do not get to equate myself to God. 334 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,440 I get to come before him and submit it or in reverence and 335 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:47,000 say, Lord, do with me as you will. 336 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:50,800 The hardest prayer that I've prayed this year has been let 337 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:53,560 your will be done. You do with me as you will. 338 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:55,160 You do with the situation as you will. 339 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:59,240 You know what is best, God. It's so easy to want to control 340 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:01,920 the narrative, but God says let me be God. 341 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:05,360 And that's what it looks like when someone sees us with this 342 00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:07,400 new identity. I'm a child of God. 343 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:10,880 They identify me by my life, the things I stand for, the things I 344 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:14,320 don't stand for. They also identify me by whose 345 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:19,120 mighty hand I'm under. Who is your ruling authority? 346 00:19:19,120 --> 00:19:21,040 Who is the one that you submit to? 347 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,560 Who is the one that you come under them and say, you know 348 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:26,600 what, you've got me, you've got me covered. 349 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,600 I love that imagery which comes in the Psalms where he says he 350 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:35,440 covers us with his feathers. Picture a mother hen holding her 351 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:37,480 wings out so that her little chicks come under it. 352 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:40,280 That is the kind of protection we have. 353 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:43,040 That is the kind of care that he provides us. 354 00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:46,240 And that's the kind of position we have in this new identity. 355 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:50,960 We are under him. He protects, he Shields, even in 356 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:54,200 the midst of disciplining. He's holding us close and that's 357 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:57,000 amazing. So the first thing is a fresh 358 00:19:57,120 --> 00:20:00,080 identity. Maybe your identity thus far has 359 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,840 been in the things that have been told you about you. 360 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:06,640 They said you will be called a divorcee because you've divorced 361 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:09,200 your spouse. You will be called a single 362 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:10,560 parent because that is what you are. 363 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,520 Your identity is probably that you went through trauma. 364 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:16,880 Your identity was probably you were victimized. 365 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:20,960 Those were your old identities. God is calling you into a fresh 366 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:23,760 identity where he says all of that is erased. 367 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:26,000 I know the pain it's caused you. I'm not forgotten. 368 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:28,840 But now I called you a child of God. 369 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:32,520 And when he calls you that, it should change the way you live. 370 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:36,360 The apostle Paul many times talks about putting on this new 371 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:40,240 self in Christ, which is humility and meekness and love 372 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:43,440 and compassion. And he's saying, put that on 373 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:47,760 because that is what people see. That is what people encounter. 374 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:51,080 And remember that you are identified by God's hand on you. 375 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:54,840 Sometimes it will feel heavy. The hand of God can feel heavy. 376 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:58,680 But most often it's a hand that gently nudges us, leads us, 377 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:04,400 protects us, and people will see us in this new identity for 378 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:09,600 whose name we come under. The second thing, the second 379 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:14,360 overarching theme, I believe when we know our fresh identity, 380 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,080 we receive something called access. 381 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:20,560 Now this, this ID card didn't have any kind of barcode or it's 382 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:23,680 just a basic ID card. But when you have your office ID 383 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:26,040 cards, there will be some sort of a code. 384 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:28,440 And when you enter the office, you're supposed to put it in the 385 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:30,840 scanner right? When you put it in the scanners, 386 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:34,320 when your door opens, ideally, what does that do? 387 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:37,240 It limits those who can enter the office and those who cannot. 388 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:39,640 You don't have this. You can't enter the office. 389 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:42,400 You have it. You enter and your timestamp is 390 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:45,040 entered and you know they have a tracking of everything. 391 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:49,800 But the point is this, this identity is what gets us access. 392 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:56,720 When you and I embrace this new identity completely, God, I'm a 393 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:59,120 child of God. I can be dependent on you. 394 00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:03,040 I can be completely relaxed and the fact that you're caring for 395 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,720 me, your mighty hand is on me. The way I live will draw people 396 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:07,800 to you. I know it. 397 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:12,000 When you rest in that identity as a child of God, you now have 398 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:16,040 infinite access. Concerts have something called 399 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:18,120 as an all access pass. You can go to the green room, 400 00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:20,720 You can go to the stage. You can go anywhere but here. 401 00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:25,360 This is infinite access. You can go multiple hundreds of 402 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:29,000 times before the Father. You can go anytime to the throne 403 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,320 room. You don't need the right words. 404 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:35,120 You don't need the right outfit. All you need to do is just 405 00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:40,000 access Him and that is the privilege of a child of God. 406 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:44,600 John chapter 16 verses 25 to 28. I'm reading it from the message 407 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:46,560 version. It says I've used figures of 408 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:48,200 speech in telling you these things. 409 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:51,640 Soon I'll drop the figures and tell you about the Father and 410 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:54,360 plain language. Then you can make your request 411 00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:57,280 directly to Him in relation to this life I've revealed to you. 412 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:00,760 I won't continue making requests of the Father on your behalf. 413 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:04,120 I won't need to because you've gone out on a limb, committed 414 00:23:04,120 --> 00:23:07,880 yourselves to love and trust in me, believing I came directly 415 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:10,360 from the Father. The Father loves you directly. 416 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:13,000 First I left the Father and arrived in the world. 417 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:15,640 Now I leave the world and travel to the Father. 418 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,560 I love this line that says I won't need to make requests of 419 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:22,440 the Father on your behalf, believing you believe that I 420 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:25,480 came directly from the Father. The Father loves you directly. 421 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:31,360 No longer do I need to go to an intermediate person, a mediator 422 00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:35,040 and say, can you pray for me? It is amazing to have community 423 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:37,480 to rally prayer around you because there are many times in 424 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:39,400 our lives we can't pray. We don't have the words. 425 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:41,360 And that's when the community holds us up. 426 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:46,360 But for those of us who are able in in a good place where we we 427 00:23:46,360 --> 00:23:50,480 need a breakthrough, but we're hesitating to go to God directly 428 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:52,120 because we somehow feel unworthy. 429 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:54,480 Or maybe you feel God hears my mother's prayer better. 430 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:57,000 Or maybe you feel God hears my wife's prayer better. 431 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:00,040 Or maybe you feel only if your pastor prays will that 432 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,240 breakthrough come? I want to negate that today. 433 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:07,920 You and I have infinite access. You have infinite access. 434 00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:11,680 God is calling us to access the King himself. 435 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:14,720 Remember this. You have access to the King. 436 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:19,480 When we moved into our parents house 2025 years back, we moved 437 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:23,200 into this place where my parents now even today still live. 438 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:27,040 And it was one of the, it was the days before my gate and apna 439 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:29,720 complex and all of that. So you just had to come. 440 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:31,640 And we had a car. We showed it and they would let 441 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:35,200 us pass. So my brother and I, even though 442 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:38,240 we were the children of the owner, would be very different. 443 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:40,320 When we enter, we'd always pause and slow down. 444 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,640 They'll actually make us, you know, lower our window and we'll 445 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:44,600 say, no, we're, we're the son or the daughter. 446 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:48,920 And they would let us in. Fast forward to when both of us 447 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:52,040 got married and our spouses would drive in and they would 448 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:54,440 just confidently cross the security. 449 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:55,800 They would go and they would just wave at them. 450 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:57,240 They would wave back and they would go in. 451 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:00,200 And it was so funny for us because, you know, the ones who 452 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,080 were the children, the alleged children were so diffident and, 453 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:05,480 and hesitant to go through right royally. 454 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:09,640 But the two people who married us knew their position so well 455 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:11,400 and they would just breeze through. 456 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:15,280 And it got me thinking that so many times I have thought that I 457 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:17,440 didn't have access to the King. I thought I should ask my 458 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:20,600 parents, or I should ask my husband, or I should ask someone 459 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:22,320 else, a friend or an intercessor. 460 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:25,520 But God has been reminding me that you have access. 461 00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:28,560 You have complete access, infinite access. 462 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:30,920 Same thing. You want to ask me 20 * 30 times 463 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:34,760 in a day, go for it. You don't have any kind of 464 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:37,560 hindrances to reach me. There is no obstacles to 465 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:40,680 reaching him. I have complete access to the 466 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:43,400 King. Why am I diffident in 467 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:45,760 approaching him? Why am I hesitant, thinking, oh, 468 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:47,520 you know what, I can't keep asking. 469 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:50,880 He loves persistent prayers. He loves travailing prayers. 470 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:54,000 He loves those prayers which are more of groans than words. 471 00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:57,120 He understands. He loves it when you just bring 472 00:25:57,120 --> 00:26:01,040 tears before him. You have access to the King. 473 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:03,720 Too many times when we come to him, we have the servant 474 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:06,920 mentality. Oh, I need to, you know, grovel 475 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:10,120 and bend and beg. He's saying, come to me as a 476 00:26:10,120 --> 00:26:12,120 child. A child says daddy, I need this, 477 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:15,440 dad, I'm struggling. Dad, I don't have money. 478 00:26:15,680 --> 00:26:17,040 What am I going to do this month? 479 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:21,320 What is it you have been needing and who have you been having 480 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:25,880 access to instead of the king? So often we have been accessing 481 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:29,960 the things and the people that have no solutions for us. 482 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:35,080 Instead of going straight to the king who owns the Kingdom, have 483 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:39,040 you been needing rest? He says come to me all who are 484 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:41,480 tired and heavy laden, I will give you rest. 485 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:44,800 He doesn't say go to my leaders, go to my the little junior 486 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:46,480 shepherds. He said come to me. 487 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:49,640 Have you been needing company? Are you feeling so isolated? 488 00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,880 He says I will never leave you nor forsake you, don't be 489 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,720 afraid. Have you been needing provision? 490 00:26:56,720 --> 00:27:00,720 He says I will grant you all that you need according to my 491 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:03,000 riches. Jehovah Jaira. 492 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:05,360 Have you been needing Peace of Mind? 493 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:11,360 He says My peace, which breaks down every wall I give you, This 494 00:27:11,360 --> 00:27:13,280 is our God. This is the king that we have 495 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:16,040 access to. Why have we been settling for 496 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:19,920 anything less than him? I want to encourage the men who 497 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:22,920 are watching right now. Maybe you have a wife or a 498 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:26,400 sister or a friend who you've been leaning on to intercede for 499 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:28,440 you. He's calling you into the inner 500 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:30,480 place today. He says the throne room is open. 501 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,920 Thanks to Jesus, the whalest stone, you have access. 502 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:37,800 Come to me. Bring your worries to me 503 00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:41,040 directly. Maybe you're a young woman and 504 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:45,160 you have older women that you go and present your request to come 505 00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:47,840 to him directly. Have your people around you. 506 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:49,880 I'm not saying not to. Please have those people who 507 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:52,160 pray for you, who intercede for you, surround you like a 508 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:54,160 backbone and pray you through and give. 509 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:56,320 Pray for courage, pray for encouragement. 510 00:27:56,320 --> 00:28:01,800 We need them. But don't give up on accessing 511 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:06,080 the King directly. Have you been living like an air 512 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:07,720 of the Kingdom? That's what I want to ask you 513 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,440 today. I love this verse from Romans 514 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:14,360 chapter 8 verses 14 to 17. It says for those who are led by 515 00:28:14,360 --> 00:28:16,520 the Spirit of God are the children of God. 516 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:20,080 The spirit you receive does not make you slaves so that you live 517 00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:22,240 in fear again. Rather the Spirit you received 518 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:24,560 brought about your adoption to sonship. 519 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:28,640 And by him we cry, ABBA. Father, the Spirit himself 520 00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:31,440 testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 521 00:28:31,760 --> 00:28:36,320 Now if we are children, then we are heirs of God and Co heirs 522 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:40,000 with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that 523 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:45,440 we may also share in his glory. So often we forget that we are 524 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:47,560 heirs of God and Co heirs in Christ. 525 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:51,920 We're living like paupers. Oh, I don't have anything. 526 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:55,720 Oh, nothing is going on. Everything I touch goes down to 527 00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:58,720 ashes. We have this mentality which is 528 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,000 I have nothing, but God is calling us into a place of 529 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:05,160 saying you are a son of a king. You are a daughter of a king. 530 00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:08,760 Act like it, pray like it, hold yourself up like it. 531 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:16,600 You have access to God himself. Let the Holy Spirit lead you 532 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,360 into the throne room. Have you been burdened about 533 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:21,560 something? Stop going to people first. 534 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,880 Go to God. He will direct you who to go to. 535 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:27,360 A lot of times without wisdom we lean on the wrong person and 536 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:30,160 they let us down. Go to God, Go to the king first. 537 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:33,720 The king will depute. He will alert you as to who you 538 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:35,920 should lean on. But first go to the king. 539 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:38,400 Have you been struggling with sickness? 540 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:41,280 Go to the king. Have you been struggling with 541 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:43,680 with a relationship? Take it to the king. 542 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:50,040 I can tell you this, in almost 30 years of reading the Word, of 543 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:54,120 seeking God in the in the quiet places, I have found that His 544 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:57,080 Word has answers for everything. Everything. 545 00:29:57,080 --> 00:30:00,480 There has not been one situation in my life where His Word has 546 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:05,120 not answered my problem. Why have we been going to other 547 00:30:05,120 --> 00:30:07,280 sources instead of going to the King? 548 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:12,880 It's time that you and I accessed the King, the second 549 00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:15,160 part of our access. We have infinite access. 550 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:17,120 Yes, we have infinite access to the king. 551 00:30:17,320 --> 00:30:19,880 We have infinite access to our inheritance. 552 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:24,040 You know, in today's world, the word inheritance is so messed 553 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:26,600 up. We see these inheritance laws 554 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:28,480 that have been placed, sometimes quite unjust. 555 00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:32,640 We see how families break up and completely disintegrate because 556 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:35,000 of an inheritance that went awry. 557 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:39,160 You know, sometimes we're settling for earthly 558 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:43,720 inheritances, which tend to spoil, fade and justice perish 559 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:47,440 and we forget that we have something called as an eternal 560 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:49,560 inheritance, a spiritual inheritance. 561 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:53,400 Because you know what? This is what God tells us, that 562 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:57,920 we have every spiritual blessing thanks to Christ Jesus, every 563 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:00,480 spiritual blessing. And oftentimes I've thought, 564 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:03,360 what is the use of that? God, we need land now, we need 565 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:07,560 health now, we need influence now We need these. 566 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:09,800 These are the tangible things of of earth. 567 00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:14,920 But I'm finding that when he says you need the you have 568 00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:18,920 access to the inheritance. That is what we actually need. 569 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:23,840 Let me explain that you Matthew 25 verse 34 says the king will 570 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:26,520 say to those on his right, come you who are blessed by my 571 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:30,160 Father, take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you 572 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:35,240 since the creation of the world. God is offering to you and me 573 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:38,680 the inheritance which is the entire Kingdom irrespective of 574 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:40,960 our gender. In India we have certain laws 575 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:44,040 and abroad there are certain laws with certain groups cannot 576 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:47,400 in make and take an inheritance. We find women may not get an 577 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:49,040 inheritance. It feels so unjust. 578 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:54,440 But here the Father, the father has given us each the entire 579 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:57,560 Kingdom. I remember the story someone was 580 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:01,720 saying they've gone for this huge buffet lunch, like 5 star 581 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:05,200 level buffet lunch. The person sees everything in 582 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,440 the buffet and then ask the waiter, would you have sambar 583 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:10,600 rice? Sambar and rice. 584 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:13,720 There was everything under the sun except the sambar rice. 585 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:17,600 And he was asking him for that. So many times you and I look at 586 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:20,680 the Kingdom like that. We're walking by this tiny 587 00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:23,160 little place on the Kingdom. We're satisfied with what God 588 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:24,600 has blessed us with. Ohio. 589 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:27,480 You know what, I can pray. I hear God, I'm sorted. 590 00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:29,480 He's given me peace. He's given me a little joy. 591 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:31,960 I'm good with this. But God is saying the Kingdom is 592 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:34,000 yours. The inheritance is all around 593 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:37,200 you. Will you have you have access? 594 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:41,760 Will you take hold of it? What does it look like to have a 595 00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:44,840 spiritual in inheritance? It's so important to understand 596 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:46,520 it is not like an earthly inheritance. 597 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:49,360 It is not like a piece of land that your family gives you. 598 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:52,800 It is not like a house that is being waited on by you. 599 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:55,440 It is not like a sum of money that has to be returned to you. 600 00:32:55,440 --> 00:33:01,880 This is way bigger and it is way more powerful to receive than an 601 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:06,680 earthly inheritance. Colossians chapter 1 verses 1213 602 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:10,560 says giving joyful thanks to the Father who has qualified us to 603 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:14,960 share in the inheritance of his holy people in the Kingdom of 604 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:16,960 light. For he rescued us from the 605 00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:19,920 dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of Son He 606 00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:21,800 loves. So the first point of the 607 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:24,520 inheritance is that God has qualified us in Christ Jesus. 608 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:27,480 The minute you said yes to Jesus, you got this badge which 609 00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:29,760 said qualified, you get the inheritance. 610 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:34,080 Then we come and come to try and unpack what is this inheritance? 611 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:37,000 And I believe the inheritance is the Holy Spirit. 612 00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:41,080 In Ephesians chapter 1, verses 13 to 14, it says he is the 613 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:46,080 deposit, the first deposit or the seal of what is to come. 614 00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:50,160 And sometimes we underestimate the inheritance of the Holy 615 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:51,760 Spirit. We think, you know what, yeah, 616 00:33:51,760 --> 00:33:56,880 he's with us, He's in US is fine, but we miss what he 617 00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:01,000 actually brings to the table. Let me read Colossians chapter 1 618 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:02,600 verses 9:00 to 11:00. It says this. 619 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:06,920 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not 620 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:10,480 stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill 621 00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:13,679 you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and 622 00:34:13,679 --> 00:34:16,480 understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a 623 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:19,639 life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way. 624 00:34:19,639 --> 00:34:22,920 Bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge 625 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:25,560 of God, being strengthened with all power according to His 626 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:29,199 glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and 627 00:34:29,199 --> 00:34:32,440 patience. What am I trying to say here? 628 00:34:33,239 --> 00:34:37,000 Without the Spirit of God, without His leading, without His 629 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:41,159 infilling, I will not experience the tangible blessings that I'm 630 00:34:41,159 --> 00:34:43,960 looking for on earth. You want your business to 631 00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:45,639 thrive. Have you been doing it in your 632 00:34:45,639 --> 00:34:47,880 own strength? Lean on the Holy Spirit because 633 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:50,159 you have access to the inheritance that is in the Holy 634 00:34:50,159 --> 00:34:52,320 Spirit. It says that you will bear fruit 635 00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:54,400 in every good work. Whatever you put your hands to 636 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:56,560 will bear fruit. If the Holy Spirit is the one 637 00:34:56,560 --> 00:34:59,320 breathing life, it says that He will give fill you with the 638 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:02,280 knowledge of His will through all wisdom and understanding. 639 00:35:02,280 --> 00:35:04,360 Have you been struggling in an area of your health? 640 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:06,680 He will give you wisdom and understanding. 641 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:08,480 Have you been struggling with your studies? 642 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:10,120 He will give you wisdom and understanding. 643 00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:11,560 You understand what this is doing. 644 00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:15,400 The Holy Spirit is the one who opens up the inheritance. 645 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:17,920 So often we're striving God. What is this inheritance? 646 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:19,680 I want it. Is it a treasure box that I need 647 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:22,000 to open? The Holy Spirit is the one who 648 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:26,240 opens it up to you, situation on situation, day by day, minute by 649 00:35:26,240 --> 00:35:29,120 minute. He is the One who leads us into 650 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:31,800 all truth. He helps us understand what this 651 00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:34,120 Kingdom is about. He helps us to understand the 652 00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:36,720 inheritance I have. You could be sitting in a 653 00:35:36,720 --> 00:35:38,720 hospital room with complete peace. 654 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:43,240 And that my friend, is actually the inheritance that is yours to 655 00:35:43,240 --> 00:35:45,200 have peace that passes all understanding. 656 00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:50,240 Maybe you've been wondering, am I living a life that pleases 657 00:35:50,240 --> 00:35:52,360 God? But the people around you know 658 00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:55,840 that you have. That is because you have tapped 659 00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:58,840 into the inheritance, living a life worthy of the Lord and 660 00:35:58,840 --> 00:36:03,400 pleasing Him in every way. Maybe you've been starting to 661 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:06,720 understand a little bit more about God, growing in the 662 00:36:06,720 --> 00:36:09,920 knowledge of the Lord. That is your inheritance that 663 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:11,760 the Spirit of God is making available. 664 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:14,840 Maybe you've been strengthened in your inner man. 665 00:36:15,640 --> 00:36:18,120 In spite of all the buffeting and the suffering or the 666 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:21,600 punches, you've been feeling stronger than ever before. 667 00:36:22,240 --> 00:36:24,800 That is your inheritance because the Spirit is making it 668 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:28,280 available to you. So I want to remind you of this. 669 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:34,280 When you have this access, all access pass, you are now a child 670 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:35,880 of God. You have access to the King. 671 00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:38,240 You have access to the inheritance. 672 00:36:39,080 --> 00:36:41,760 Why are we living like we have nothing? 673 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:45,600 Why are we acting like, you know this Christian life is so hard. 674 00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:48,200 We should be the most joyous people on earth. 675 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:50,800 We should be the most content people on earth. 676 00:36:51,560 --> 00:36:54,240 We should be the most humble people on earth because we just 677 00:36:54,240 --> 00:36:58,040 know how undeserving we are and yet how graced we are for what 678 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:01,200 we need to do. God is calling us into a place 679 00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:06,040 of saying, will you come to me as a child completely dependent, 680 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:09,720 completely filled with wonder at him, running into his arms and 681 00:37:09,720 --> 00:37:11,240 saying, Lord, I know you will take care of me. 682 00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:15,200 I will not worry. I will trust you because I have 683 00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:17,120 access. I can come to you multiple times 684 00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:20,000 in a day. I can come to you no matter how 685 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:24,440 pathetically I'm put together. I can come as I am to you. 686 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:30,200 When I have that, I realise that my identity is really sealed in 687 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:32,560 you, God, no matter what anyone says. 688 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:34,880 Maybe it's a parent who has been speaking death over you. 689 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:36,920 You don't have to worry because you know who you are. 690 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:40,840 You are a child of God. You're being made into the image 691 00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:44,000 of Jesus. You are no longer what they have 692 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:46,760 labeled you as. You are a child of God. 693 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:50,280 Nothing defines you anymore on earth. 694 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:53,800 Who you are eternally matters more than anything else. 695 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:57,640 So remember this. As a child of God, you have a 696 00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:00,200 fresh identity. Live it out to the maximum. 697 00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:03,480 Live it out to the maximum. As a child of God, you have 698 00:38:03,880 --> 00:38:06,000 unlimited access. Unlimited. 699 00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:07,960 Don't let anyone limit their access. 700 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:10,000 Don't let anyone define God for you. 701 00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:15,160 You know God for yourself. Get to know Him more as we 702 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:16,920 close. I want to read Matthew chapter 703 00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:23,320 18 verses one to five again. Go back to that one passage 704 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:25,040 which actually started this whole thing. 705 00:38:25,040 --> 00:38:28,720 It says he called a little child to heaven, placed the child 706 00:38:28,720 --> 00:38:33,160 among them, and he said, truly, I tell you, unless you change 707 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:37,200 and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom 708 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:40,680 of heaven. How many of us thought we were 709 00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:42,640 in the Kingdom of heaven, thought we were actually 710 00:38:42,640 --> 00:38:46,360 experiencing it, but barely have made one step inside? 711 00:38:46,520 --> 00:38:49,560 We haven't experienced it because we haven't changed and 712 00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:54,320 become like a child. Will you be that child who keeps 713 00:38:54,320 --> 00:38:56,560 running to the Father for every little thing? 714 00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:01,320 Will you be that child whose life is so different it'll mark 715 00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:05,800 you? Will you be that child who knows 716 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:08,960 their inheritance and lives like it, no longer lives with a 717 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:11,080 poverty mindset? Oh, I don't have anything. 718 00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:12,640 I don't know this, I have nothing. 719 00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:16,600 I have everything in Christ Jesus what I have, what I need 720 00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:21,520 for the season I have. It's been life changing for me 721 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:25,040 in the past one month or so to come to this place or saying 722 00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:27,480 God. Everything I have ever needed 723 00:39:27,480 --> 00:39:29,760 you've already given me on that cross. 724 00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:34,120 Everything was done. I will live with that joy and 725 00:39:34,120 --> 00:39:37,120 thankfulness. It has changed my life and I 726 00:39:37,120 --> 00:39:38,480 want to bring that to you as well. 727 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:41,760 Knowing that I can be delightfully helpless with him 728 00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:43,600 has been amazing, has been life changing. 729 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:47,080 Knowing that I can bring myself as I am to Him. 730 00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:49,240 I don't need an intermediate anymore. 731 00:39:50,720 --> 00:39:53,360 I don't need people who need to know everything about me and 732 00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:56,920 come to Him as I am, burden him with everything that burdens me 733 00:39:56,920 --> 00:39:59,440 and walk away completely unfettered. 734 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:02,280 That has been a release for me and I want to bring you into 735 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:04,840 that place. I want to bring you into that 736 00:40:04,840 --> 00:40:08,080 place that you can trust your father no matter what your 737 00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:10,320 earthly father has been like. He may have been absent, he may 738 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:13,600 have been present, may have been abusive, may have been really 739 00:40:13,600 --> 00:40:15,720 good. We have really tried hard. 740 00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:21,040 No matter what, this father is different. 741 00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:26,280 He's a perfect father, perfect in every way, perfect in every 742 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:30,600 way. He is endlessly patient, loving, 743 00:40:30,600 --> 00:40:35,600 without conditions, no strings attached, always ready, always 744 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:40,040 waiting, enthralled by you, imperfections and all. 745 00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:43,720 He loves us as we are and that should change everything. 746 00:40:43,720 --> 00:40:49,520 That should mark you for life. One Peter chapter 5 was five to 747 00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:54,080 seven pretty much sums up what a child of God looks like. 748 00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:57,720 We in the in the earliest verses it talks about how you should be 749 00:40:57,720 --> 00:41:00,800 like a lowly child. What does that look for? 750 00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:05,280 What does that look like? But all of you, leaders and 751 00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:08,440 followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other. 752 00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:12,800 For God has had it with the proud, but takes delight in just 753 00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:16,120 plain people. So be content with who you are 754 00:41:16,120 --> 00:41:20,560 and don't put on as God's strong hand is on you. 755 00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:23,200 He'll promote you at the right time. 756 00:41:23,920 --> 00:41:28,240 Live carefree before God. He is most careful with you. 757 00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:31,600 This is how we must live as children. 758 00:41:32,480 --> 00:41:34,520 Children of God. Completely humble Lord, I will 759 00:41:34,520 --> 00:41:37,200 not put on airs. This is who I am. 760 00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:43,440 Trusting that His hand is on us as it disciplines, as it loves, 761 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:45,840 as it soothes. He will promote us. 762 00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:49,600 But I especially love this. Live carefree before God. 763 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:53,120 Have you seen little children run in play in a playground? 764 00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:56,160 Absolutely carefree. Littlest ones, The ones who have 765 00:41:56,160 --> 00:42:00,360 not yet been touched by life's struggles, carefree, Keep 766 00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:02,600 running to their mother or father for a hug. 767 00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:05,280 Keep checking whether they are around the corner. 768 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:10,880 Live carefree before Him. He is most careful with you. 769 00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:15,480 That is your identity. That is the basis for your 770 00:42:15,480 --> 00:42:18,840 access. Can I pray for you, Father? 771 00:42:18,840 --> 00:42:21,880 I just thank you that each one of us here who have said yes to 772 00:42:21,880 --> 00:42:25,200 Jesus are a son and daughter of the Most High. 773 00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:28,080 God, I thank you for adopting us into your family. 774 00:42:28,080 --> 00:42:31,120 I thank you that you have made us heirs of God and coers with 775 00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:33,160 Christ. I thank you that Lord I have 776 00:42:33,160 --> 00:42:36,320 access to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. 777 00:42:36,840 --> 00:42:39,440 And God, I pray that towards your people you will multiply 778 00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:43,040 grace and peace, that your love will envelope people and embrace 779 00:42:43,040 --> 00:42:46,640 them and hold them up. We just pray that your strength 780 00:42:46,640 --> 00:42:50,000 would be a portion, that your hand would be upon us, that 781 00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:52,920 people will know us because of whose hand is upon us. 782 00:42:53,120 --> 00:42:55,000 People will know us because of how we live. 783 00:42:56,120 --> 00:42:59,800 God, I pray that we will live with this knowledge that we have 784 00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:02,320 direct access to You. For anyone who has been going to 785 00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:05,000 an intermediate that they will stop today and they will just 786 00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:09,040 cry out to you directly. God, Holy Spirit, I pray you 787 00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:12,680 would interpret the groans and the moans that we sometimes have 788 00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:14,560 and make it audible to the Father. 789 00:43:14,840 --> 00:43:17,280 We thank you Father God, for what you have meant to us. 790 00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:20,520 We thank You that You are perfect in every way, we thank 791 00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:22,280 you that you are good and you do good. 792 00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:27,240 We thank you that you're the giver of every good gift and we 793 00:43:27,240 --> 00:43:29,800 thank you that you are shaping us and moulding us into the 794 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:33,600 image of your Son. We love you, we glorify you, we 795 00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:36,840 honour you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 796 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:38,120 Amen. God bless you. 797 00:43:38,440 --> 00:43:41,600 I pray that you will live every day carefully like a child in 798 00:43:41,600 --> 00:43:43,600 the presence of your God. God bless you. 799 00:46:23,850 --> 00:46:49,480 Music. Thanks for listening to this 800 00:46:49,480 --> 00:46:52,560 message. We hope you were blessed to hear 801 00:46:52,560 --> 00:46:56,320 more messages like this. Make sure to subscribe and check 802 00:46:56,320 --> 00:46:58,960 out our podcast channel for past episodes. 803 00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:02,720 If you like what you are hearing, consider rating us, 804 00:47:02,880 --> 00:47:05,880 subscribing and even sharing it with friends. 805 00:47:06,280 --> 00:47:10,600 That would really help us. For more content from Via Zayan 806 00:47:10,920 --> 00:47:15,120 and to connect with us, go to Via Zayan dot in. 807 00:47:15,680 --> 00:47:19,200 Remember, whoever finds Jesus finds life.