1 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:10,200 We welcome you to the Via Zion Sermon podcast. 2 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:13,080 We are a church based out of Chennai, India. 3 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:16,360 We are thrilled that you tuned in today and hope that you will 4 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:19,920 be refreshed, revived, and energized by what you hear. 5 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:23,400 Our desire is that you will live life with a renewed sense of 6 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:26,840 purpose that stems from a vibrant faith in Jesus. 7 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:32,200 The year 2025 is 1 where we will be positioned by God to possess 8 00:00:32,439 --> 00:00:35,480 our promise. As we are in the Advent season, 9 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:39,040 we look afresh at Jesus, the quintessential promise. 10 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:42,800 Whatever this year has looked like with its highs and lows, we 11 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:44,600 bring it all back to Jesus without. 12 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:46,600 Whom? This year would have been empty 13 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:49,800 and unbearable. He isn't just a promise that God 14 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,400 made, but He is the promise giver and promise keeper. 15 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:58,000 Hi, just want to wish you a very Merry Christmas. 16 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:02,760 Whatever I hear has looked like this past month has been amazing 17 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,600 in that anticipation didn't drop, expectation didn't drop 18 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:10,480 because you know, if God could send Jesus to earth, if he could 19 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,720 do this amazing thing for us and through whom we have salvation, 20 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:18,240 the very great gift of Jesus is enough to celebrate. 21 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,200 In spite of what you may have lost this year, in spite of the 22 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,200 things that may not have happened, whatever 23 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:25,680 disappointments, whatever setbacks you may have had, maybe 24 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:29,000 you had a great year. But I pray that as we meditate 25 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:33,080 on God's Word today that we would be refreshed in the fact 26 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,560 that the miraculous can still happen today, just like the 27 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:41,000 miraculous happened 2000 years ago when Jesus entered the 28 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,320 Earth's atmosphere. So much shifted, history was 29 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:46,320 made, things were never the same. 30 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,640 And today we're going to be looking at how Jesus is the 31 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,560 fulfiller of every promise. This whole year we've been 32 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,680 looking at positioned to possess the promise, right? 33 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,640 And through the year we looked at different elements of it. 34 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,840 We just finished up a whole series on Joshua entering the 35 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,440 promised land. And then we got into actually 36 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:08,000 looking at the Christmas story and the different parts of it 37 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,760 where we looked at the kings, the shepherds, we looked at Mary 38 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:13,520 and Joseph, the vessel, the steward. 39 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,080 And today we're going to be looking at how every promise 40 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:21,960 finds its culmination in Jesus. Every promise in the Bible finds 41 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,280 its fulfillment in Christ. We're going to be looking at 42 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:28,120 that, understanding it better. Last week, December 21st, on 43 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:32,080 Sunday we had our Carol service which was an amazing time when 44 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:36,680 we had carols by candlelight, we had a play, we had a dance and 45 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,840 overall the theme of the evening was Jesus, the promise giver and 46 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,600 the promise keeper and the operative word there is Jesus 47 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,040 and I want to bring that word to you today. 48 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:51,680 If you haven't accepted Jesus as your saviour, today would be the 49 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:54,240 best day for it that you would say yes to him. 50 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:57,800 It's a very simple thing. To invite Jesus in your life is 51 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:00,320 a simple prayer and you just have to accept that you're a 52 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,120 Sinner and invite him into your heart. 53 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:06,680 But if you are someone who says I follow Jesus, I love Jesus, he 54 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:08,960 is my God. And you have been feeling 55 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,200 disillusioned at the end of the year, which is normal. 56 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:13,520 You've been feeling exhausted, you've been feeling weary. 57 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,000 I just want to bring it back to this that Jesus is the 58 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,400 fulfillment of every promise, every promise you are believing 59 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:23,120 for every promise you are standing on Jesus. 60 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,840 In Jesus, we find fulfillment. What does that mean? 61 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:28,440 We're going to be looking at that today when I was just 62 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,600 researching the prophecies that were made about Jesus. 63 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:34,480 It's amazing. There are hundreds of prophecies 64 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:39,160 about Jesus, and Jesus has already fulfilled so many of 65 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:41,440 those. And in his second coming, he's 66 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:43,200 going to fulfill another bunch of those. 67 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,840 But you know the thing about his birth, Jesus coming to earth, 68 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:48,760 which is what we celebrate in the season. 69 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:53,040 There are 10 specific prophecies in the Old Testament which Jesus 70 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:57,200 fulfilled to the T. We look in Isaiah Chapter 9 71 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,840 where it talks about a son being given and how the government 72 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,240 would rest on his shoulders. We looked in Isaiah 7 on how 73 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,000 it's said that the virgin will give birth to a son and you will 74 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,800 call him Emmanuel. We looked in my Micah 5 verse 2 75 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,160 where Bethlehem is pronounced as a place of birth. 76 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,560 Of a ruler. We looked at Hosea Chapter 11 77 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:22,280 was one where it talks about how out of Egypt God calls his Son, 78 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:27,080 which explains the escape of Jesus, Joseph and Mary to Egypt 79 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:29,000 during the time of Herod's outrage. 80 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:34,800 We look at Numbers 2417 where this is a Pagan prophet, a Pagan 81 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:40,160 Pagan seer who speaks saying out of Jacob a scepter will rise, a 82 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:43,840 star will come speaks about Jesus. 83 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:49,120 Psalm 72 verse 10 talks about how the kings of Tarshish and of 84 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,640 distant shores will bring tribute to him. 85 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,720 Speaks of the kings who will visit from the east. 86 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:59,880 Psalm 72 verse 9 talks about how desert tribes will bow before 87 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:01,320 him and his enemies like the dust. 88 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:05,040 It talks about the shepherds would bring their worship to 89 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:09,240 him. Jeremiah 31 verse 15 talks about 90 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:12,680 the massacre of little boys at the time of Jesus birth. 91 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,000 It says there was a voice heard in Rama weeping and wailing. 92 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,360 Rachel refusing to be comforted talks about the big massacre of 93 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:22,800 happened that happened of little boys under the age of 2. 94 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:27,480 Daniel Chapter 9 verse 25 talks about a time when the word would 95 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:32,160 go out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the anointed 1. 96 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:37,280 The anointed 1 is Jesus Himself. Jeremiah 23 verse 5. 97 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,320 It talks, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will 98 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:44,560 raise up for David a righteous branch, a king who will reign 99 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:46,600 wisely and do what is just and right. 100 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:50,200 And you know the word, the root word for branch is the same word 101 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,920 As for someone from Nazareth. What an incredible. 102 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:57,040 It cannot be coincidence, it can't be chance. 103 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:00,240 These were specific words given by the prophets. 104 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:03,120 They were given an utterance and these guys spoke it out to a 105 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:05,840 people that didn't understand, that didn't perceive. 106 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,640 But these words were recorded and hundreds of years later it 107 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:12,880 found its fulfilment in Jesus birth. 108 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,000 And you know it's interesting when they look at the statistic 109 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,680 laws of one person fulfilling hundreds of prophecies, it's 110 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:21,480 practically impossible. And yet. 111 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,480 Jesus did that. The prophets who wrote these 112 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:28,680 were men over different seasons of life, different eras, 113 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:32,400 different writing styles, different calls, and yet they 114 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:36,760 all echoed the same thing, that a savior was coming, a Redeemer 115 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:38,760 was coming. Restoration was coming. 116 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,960 Jesus is foreshadowed in everyone of the Old Testament 117 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,040 books this whole year. When I did the Bible in one 118 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:50,840 year, I was amazed that every. Book of the Bible, every book of 119 00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:54,040 the old. Testament has the mention of a 120 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:56,960 Redeemer talks about the redemption that comes through 121 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:00,200 blood. It talks about a person who 122 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:04,320 would stand in as a substitute, and we know now that that was 123 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:08,080 Jesus. So even as we sit today for this 124 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:10,720 service, even as we're spending time here in the presence of 125 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:12,200 God, I don't know what your mood is. 126 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:15,240 I don't know if you're ecstatic, you're satisfied, you're 127 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:19,200 content, or you are restless, You're disappointed either way. 128 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,760 Either way, I want to ask you a question, which was something 129 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:27,200 that I have been mulling over when I ended this year. 130 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:31,040 When I end this year, I'm turning a year older and for me, 131 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:34,040 it just feels like a lot to contemplate and think about. 132 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:36,560 And I've spent a lot of time just thinking what this year 133 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:39,960 look like taking stock, looking at my victories, looking at my 134 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:42,800 losses, looking at the things I learned, looking at the areas I 135 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:44,360 messed up in. You know, when I was taking 136 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:48,440 stock, like almost like an inventory, I realized that, you 137 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:52,720 know, even if Jesus didn't do one more thing for me, I am 138 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:55,600 sorted. Salvation was the greatest gift. 139 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:58,720 The fact that I can call on His name, night or day is enough. 140 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:03,280 And so the question I wanted to bring for you is this is Jesus 141 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:05,760 enough? Yes, He's the fulfillment of 142 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:07,640 every promise. But maybe you're in the weight 143 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:08,440 and you're saying, you know what? 144 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:11,640 My promise hasn't come through. That child I've been waiting for 145 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:13,600 hasn't happened. That marriage I've been 146 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:15,760 believing God has got for me hasn't happened. 147 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:18,520 I still haven't met Mr. or Miss Wright. 148 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:21,480 Maybe you're saying that Dream job is evading you. 149 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:26,200 That degree is still far away, whatever it is. 150 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:29,840 My question to you is this is Jesus enough? 151 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:33,280 If you take away the accolades, the achievements, the blessings, 152 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:36,640 the the waiting, the disappointment, the losses, you 153 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,840 take all of that aside. The question he's asking us is, 154 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,039 am I enough? Is Jesus enough? 155 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:46,520 Why am I asking this? Why am I asking this? 156 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,920 Well, when we read the book of Hebrews, Hebrews Chapter 11, 157 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:53,000 there's this famous passage which is called the Hall of 158 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:54,680 Faith, just like the Hall of Fame. 159 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:57,760 There's this thing called the Hall of Faith, which is 160 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:01,600 basically Hebrews 11. The writer writes down right 161 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:05,600 from Adam to all the judges and the kings. 162 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:08,640 He mentions people by name and says they were commended for 163 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,520 their faith because of the way they stood their ground, because 164 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:13,720 of the way they worshipped God, because of the way they took 165 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,880 land and territory. And as he's mentioning this, he 166 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:19,880 comes to verse 13. And I won't read this for you. 167 00:09:20,680 --> 00:09:23,520 All these people were still living by faith when they died. 168 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,600 They did not receive the things promised. 169 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:31,520 They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting 170 00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:34,840 that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 171 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:40,680 What an interesting passage. When I read this, my heart first 172 00:09:40,680 --> 00:09:43,080 sank. I was like, oh goodness, so am I 173 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:45,800 going to enter heaven with half my promises undone? 174 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,680 Am I going to live in this place of limbo, not knowing whether 175 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:52,040 what I got as a promise was from God? 176 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:54,600 It was discouraging. And when you go on to read, it 177 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:57,720 says people who say such things show that they're looking for a 178 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,480 country of their own. If they had been thinking of the 179 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:02,720 country they had left, he's talking about Abraham and 180 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:05,240 others, they would have had opportunity to return. 181 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:09,200 Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. 182 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:12,440 Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has 183 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,600 prepared a city for them. So it's talking about Abraham, 184 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:20,640 Isaac, Jacob and and Joseph and guys who in faith did certain 185 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:23,880 things, you know, spoke certain blessings over their children 186 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:26,760 and generations. And then they were no more. 187 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,520 And then what really got my attention was they did not 188 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:33,400 receive the things promised. So if you and I are still in the 189 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,200 wait, we are in very good company, right? 190 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:40,280 But the interesting thing that I want to again ask you is, is 191 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:43,360 Jesus enough? Even in this prolonged weight? 192 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:45,560 Is Jesus enough? Is he sufficient? 193 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:49,920 Would you be OK if Jesus was all you got? 194 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:54,400 But the fun fact is this, those of us who live in the era. 195 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:58,720 Of AD after Jesus made his way to earth. 196 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:02,480 Our story is little different from the ancients mentioned in 197 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:04,480 Hebrew 11. Let me explain why. 198 00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:09,200 Hebrews 11 verses 39 to 40 says these were all commended for 199 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:10,640 their faith. Faith. 200 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:14,440 Yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had 201 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:18,440 planned something better for us, so that only together with us 202 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:21,960 would they be made perfect. What does that look like? 203 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:24,320 So they didn't receive their promise, right? 204 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:28,000 They were commended for it, but God had something better. 205 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:30,240 What had he planned better? It was the coming of His Son 206 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:34,360 Jesus to earth so that together with all of us, they wouldn't be 207 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:36,760 made perfect. Jesus coming to earth perfected 208 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:41,960 everyone who had gone before, and in coming now we have this 209 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:47,280 confidence that every fulfillment of every promise is 210 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,280 possible. Everything that is promised in 211 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:52,520 the world when you take it and claim it, When I take it and 212 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:57,200 claim it, we can believe that it is yes and Amen in Christ Jesus. 213 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,120 That is what 2 Corinthians 120 it says. 214 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:02,480 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in 215 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:05,360 Christ. And so through him the Amen is 216 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:07,760 spoken by us to the glory of God. 217 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:11,720 What does that mean? Every promise, every promise 218 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:14,920 made by God through the Scriptures, when you and I take 219 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:18,040 it appropriate and say this is mine, God, I'm believing for 220 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,960 that sevenfold Abrahamic blessing because I'm an heir 221 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:22,800 according to the promise by faith. 222 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:28,320 Every promise is yes and Amen. So I have news for you today. 223 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:32,800 You can count on God coming through for you on every promise 224 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:36,840 ever made if he made a promise. Many times we make promises to 225 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:39,560 each other and we don't keep it. Recently I was having a 226 00:12:39,560 --> 00:12:43,640 conversation with my oldest. He just finished his exams. 227 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:45,640 It was close of, you know, school. 228 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:49,080 He came home and at 7:00 he said I need to get on and play Call 229 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:52,400 of Duty and I thought we were going to watch a family movie. 230 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:54,080 So I said what are you talking about? 231 00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:56,280 We had planned something else and he said no. 232 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:58,560 Well, I made a promise to my friend that I would play for 233 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:04,320 him, play with him and for me. I couldn't, as I sorry to say, I 234 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:06,840 was the worst possible role model at that moment. 235 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:08,800 I said why would you make a promise like that? 236 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:11,160 I think you should break it. I think it's worthwhile breaking 237 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:13,200 it because time with your family is more important. 238 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:15,400 But my son stood on his ground and said it's a principle, I'm 239 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:18,120 not breaking it. I told him I put it off many 240 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:19,280 times. I'm going to play with him. 241 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:21,560 And so we went ahead and watched without him. 242 00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:25,200 I was seething the whole time, but I realized how different God 243 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:29,040 is as a parent and how God, how different and how trustworthy 244 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:32,640 God is that when he makes a promise, never breaks it. 245 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:34,880 He's not a man that he would like. 246 00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:39,760 You can count on him coming through for in Jesus, every 247 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:43,480 promise made is yes, and he isn't that exciting. 248 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:46,760 But I want to leave this with you. 2 warnings. 249 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:48,960 Things that I've learnt the hard way. 250 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:52,720 I always assume when God gave me a promise, I take it like a dog 251 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:54,560 with a bone. I hold on to the promise and God 252 00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:58,360 will come through and he does. But in recent years what God has 253 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:02,000 done is he has trained me through the promises, evolution. 254 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:05,640 That promise has to take stock in my life, it has to really put 255 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:08,520 roots into my life and to do that God has tested me. 256 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:12,320 He's allowed me to walk through refining fires till the promise 257 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,680 has been tested. So wanting one, the promise will 258 00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:19,720 go through its testing. It will try you and prepare you 259 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:22,720 for the promise, the fulfillment of the promise. 260 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:25,600 How do I know this? Psalm 105, verse 19. 261 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:28,680 I'm reading from the amplifiers talking about Joseph. 262 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:31,960 Joseph had a prophetic word. He knew that the sun and moon 263 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:34,440 and the 12 stars were going to bow before him. 264 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,080 He knew those sheaves of wheat were bowing to him. 265 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:39,840 He was coming and telling his family prematurely. 266 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:46,200 But that word so close to 13 to 14 years for fulfillment, Joseph 267 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:48,560 had to grow up. Joseph had to go through trying 268 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:52,240 and refining to actually be elevated to that position. 269 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:57,200 And this is what it said until the time that his word of 270 00:14:57,200 --> 00:14:59,680 prophecy regarding his brothers came true. 271 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:03,000 The word the Lord tested and refined him. 272 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:06,880 The promise will refine him. That's important. 273 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:09,880 The promise will refine you. The second warning I want to 274 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:13,600 leave with you is the timeline of fulfillment is in His 275 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:16,320 sovereign hands. You and I have no control over 276 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:18,120 timeline. So if He's given you promise, 277 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:20,440 there is no guarantee it's going to happen immediately. 278 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:23,280 It could happen in the next two years, five years, 10 years, 20 279 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:27,640 years, 30 years. But He's still in charge. 280 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:30,640 And the beautiful thing about those of us who know Jesus is 281 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:34,440 eternity has begun now. And like I've shared this many 282 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:38,400 times, sometimes answers happen beyond the grave. 283 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:40,640 What does that mean? My grandparents have prayed for 284 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:45,520 us 8 grandkids for years, faithfully every afternoon. 285 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:49,080 Many of us went off track. Many of us gave up on God. 286 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:52,000 Many of us didn't pursue the things God had meant for us. 287 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:56,880 We went wayward. But their prayers ricocheted 288 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:00,760 through eternity. And after their time, those 289 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,080 prayers were answered, many of us returned to the Lord. 290 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:06,880 Many of us got into ministry. Many of us pursued God with with 291 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:10,240 a passion that they had. But it happened after their 292 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:11,720 lifetime. Did they see the promise 293 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:12,520 fulfilled? They didn't. 294 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:15,160 But they prayed with such faith and God answered. 295 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:19,760 And the beautiful thing about the fulfillment of promises for 296 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:23,640 the believer is it It happens either in life, in death, or 297 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:26,720 beyond. God is not limited by time. 298 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:32,160 Psalm 90 was 4 says 1000 years in your sight, or like a day 299 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:38,840 that has gone by or like a watch in the night, 1000 days thousand 300 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:43,880 years one day time. God is the inventor of time. 301 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,840 He exists out of time. He knows when the child has to 302 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:49,840 be conceived. He knows when that life partner 303 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,320 needs to be brought and he knows when the job has to be changed. 304 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:54,480 He knows when the salary has to be increased. 305 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:58,960 Nothing, nothing in all of creation is beyond His control. 306 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:03,840 His power is endless. So wait on it, It will come to 307 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:06,200 us. God is not a man to lie. 308 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:09,079 He's not a man to change his mind like I did with my son, 309 00:17:09,079 --> 00:17:11,200 trying to get him to break His promise. 310 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:14,880 God isn't like that. And you know, the miracle of 311 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,319 Jesus's birth, Everything that happened when you read Luke 312 00:17:18,319 --> 00:17:21,960 chapters 1 and 2, when you read Matthew chapter 1, you just 313 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,240 realize that everything about it is miraculous. 314 00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:29,440 So angels visiting Mary and Joseph, divine conception, kings 315 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:34,440 just following an astronomical, you know, of new star and just 316 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:38,800 coming from the east, shepherds being greeted by angels, Anna 317 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:41,360 and Simeon coming into the temple at the right time. 318 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:44,600 Everything is supernatural, everything is miraculous. 319 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,000 But the beautiful thing is today you and I live in the 320 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,680 miraculous. The minute we said yes to Jesus, 321 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:54,680 we entered that story. We entered that story. 322 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:57,600 Salvation brought us in. It initiated us in the 323 00:17:57,600 --> 00:17:59,760 miraculous. Today you and I, you know 324 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:03,320 salvation doesn't just mean that one and done moment of accepting 325 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:06,440 Jesus and being saved, but salvation is a lifelong thing 326 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:09,600 where God is renewing us, He's restoring. 327 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:12,960 US. He's redeeming us and so we have 328 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:17,040 entered the miraculous and today, I believe today is as 329 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:19,720 good as any to tap into the miraculous. 330 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:21,680 And I want to leave 2 main thoughts with you. 331 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:26,480 There are two reasons why we can tap into the miraculous because 332 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:30,160 just like that first Christmas, on this Christmas, Jesus's 333 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:32,680 presence makes all the difference. 334 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:36,680 You think about that first Christmas Jesus came was God in 335 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:39,200 the flesh. He was not a mini God. 336 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:43,080 He was not a lesser than God. He was God in all his fullness 337 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:46,400 and he made his appearance in the flesh. 338 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:49,040 John chapter one verse 14 says this. 339 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:52,680 The Word became flesh. And made His dwelling among us. 340 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:56,080 We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, 341 00:18:56,080 --> 00:19:00,080 who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 342 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:03,680 Isaiah 9 and Matthew 1 echoes it. 343 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:06,920 Where a virgin will give birth to a son, His name shall be 344 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:12,280 called Emmanuel. God with us, God amongst us, God 345 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:16,560 within us. Jesus's presence made all the 346 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:20,000 difference then. It makes all the difference now. 347 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:23,600 No matter what your ear look like, No matter what the last 348 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:27,440 few months look like. If you are here right now with a 349 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,680 beating heart, with lungs that are enabling you to breathe, 350 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:33,760 with legs that move, with hands that function, with an intellect 351 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:37,400 that is right now grasping what is being spoken, God has been 352 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:40,400 with you. Even if your faculties are 353 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,000 failing, but you are able to just listen to this. 354 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:45,720 God has been with you. His hand of protection has been 355 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,280 on you. Nothing has separated you from 356 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:50,240 His love. Not, not tragedy, nor 357 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:54,080 devastation, not height nor depth nor persecution. 358 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:55,640 Nothing distanced Himself from you. 359 00:19:56,320 --> 00:19:59,600 If you felt distanced, it was not because He left. 360 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,800 It was because of the presence of pain and pressure and 361 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:06,160 problem. Sometimes that takes up 362 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:08,880 precedence over the presence of God. 363 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:11,440 He never left. We just lost our awareness of 364 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:13,840 Him. And I was just realizing today 365 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:16,320 the kind of noise we have in our lives. 366 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:22,440 The noise of our laptops, our iPads, our phones, the noise of 367 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:25,760 TV's with non-stop entertainment, the noise of 368 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:29,520 YouTube and it's reels and it's and it's posts and the things 369 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,840 that just trigger us to listen to all kinds of voices, bring 370 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:34,720 all kinds of news into our systems. 371 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:41,280 We are surrounded by noise and therefore it many times has felt 372 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:43,960 like God left us, but He never did. 373 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:48,640 If Jesus had left you, you and I wouldn't be where we are. 374 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:52,200 He never left. His presence made all the 375 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:54,760 difference then, it makes all the difference now. 376 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:58,240 The second thing, the second reason why we can tap into the 377 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:03,600 miraculous is Jesus's Kingdom made its appearance then and it 378 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:06,840 has its appearance now. What did that look like? 379 00:21:07,360 --> 00:21:09,160 What did that look like? You think about the Angel 380 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:12,880 Gabriel visiting Mary, visiting Zechariah and the temple. 381 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:16,560 You'll think of the Angel Gabriel appearing in dreams to 382 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:19,280 Joseph, giving him specific directions, saying he do this, 383 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:23,800 do that. The angels in the field meeting 384 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:30,000 the shepherds and an entire choir of angels singing what was 385 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,600 happening? Heaven was opening up and 386 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:38,560 releasing its precious sun hits. The darling of Heaven had been 387 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:41,560 sent to earth, and Heaven was rejoicing. 388 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:43,320 Heaven was invading. Earth. 389 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:49,080 Luke chapter 2 verses 9 to 12, it says an Angel of the Lord 390 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,480 appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them 391 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:54,840 and they were terrified. But the Angel said to them, do 392 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:57,480 not be afraid. I bring you good news that will 393 00:21:57,480 --> 00:21:59,520 cause great joy for all the people. 394 00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:03,000 Today in the town of David, a saviour has been born to you. 395 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,240 He's the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you. 396 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:09,480 You will find a baby wrapped in cloth lying in a Manger. 397 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:13,280 He's still. Here, but who was announcing it? 398 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:17,560 The envoys from heaven has been sent to say hey, make way on 399 00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:20,880 earth. Heaven is infiltrating Earth. 400 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:27,480 It broke open the way for the Kingdom of God to begin its work 401 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:30,280 on earth. Today, it's not different. 402 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:33,720 When we read in Revelation chapter 5 verse 8, it talks 403 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,880 about how the prayers of saying the Saints are being offered 404 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:39,520 like sweet incense before the throne room of God. 405 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:44,000 Every time you and I pray in the name of Jesus, we are actually 406 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,200 accessing heaven. We are opening up heaven. 407 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,560 Heaven is hearing, answers are being sent, deliverance is being 408 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:53,480 sent. Jesus taught about thee says 409 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:55,920 when 2 of you are two or three of you are gathered there am I 410 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:59,120 in the midst of you? Whatever any of you agree and 411 00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:00,600 pray. It will be. 412 00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:03,360 I'm giving you the keys of the Kingdom, he said. 413 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:06,040 Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. 414 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:08,520 Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 415 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:13,040 This is the Kingdom of God. Isn't it amazing? 416 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:18,320 The Kingdom of God that made its appearance then is very much on 417 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:22,120 the move now. And so how do we apply these 418 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:24,400 truths to ourselves? So we know that God's presence, 419 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:26,800 Jesus presence made all the difference. 420 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,200 We know that the Kingdom made its appearance, but how do you 421 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:32,800 and I make that relevant to us today? 422 00:23:33,360 --> 00:23:36,280 How do I make this work in my favor today? 423 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:39,720 Maybe I'm utterly discouraged thinking God left me, but I just 424 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:42,360 want to come back to these two things that I want to leave with 425 00:23:42,360 --> 00:23:43,960 you to take away into the new year. 426 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:47,360 It doesn't end on December 31st. This doesn't have a validity 427 00:23:47,360 --> 00:23:49,920 expiring. This is for a lifetime. 428 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:52,840 The miraculous will invade your life. 429 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,880 But you need to do very specific things because if Jesus presence 430 00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:01,080 is with you and if His Kingdom has appeared on earth, there 431 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:03,440 should be a certain way in which we appropriate this. 432 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:04,960 There should be a certain way in which we live. 433 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:08,000 And the first thing I believe is that we need to believe and 434 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,880 boldly declare God's word. What does that look like? 435 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:16,240 Now you have to understand this. Jesus is God's word in the 436 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:18,920 flesh. He is God's word in the flesh. 437 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:22,600 In John chapter one we read about how in the beginning was 438 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:24,880 the Word. The Word was with God, the Word 439 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:29,480 was God. Jesus is the Word in the flesh. 440 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:31,400 Amen. And if. 441 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:33,920 He is the Word in the flesh. He define. 442 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:37,040 He completely defines miraculous fulfillment. 443 00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:40,560 God had spoken to prophets hundreds of years ago. 444 00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:45,600 All those words had found its fruition in Jesus himself. 445 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:49,720 They all came to pass when it became a man. 446 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:53,520 It came down and into earth and took shape and substance. 447 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,560 God's Word is still alive and active. 448 00:24:57,760 --> 00:24:58,840 It is still. Powerful. 449 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:01,040 The whole month of November we celebrated the month of the 450 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:06,440 Bible and we were looking at how Jesus, his word, is so powerful. 451 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:08,640 It's alive, it's active, it's relevant. 452 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:11,680 It still moves and works in our lives today. 453 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:14,480 It brings conviction, it brings correction. 454 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:17,720 And I want to just. Leave this with you. 455 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:20,720 Would you believe God's word for what it was? 456 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:24,440 Because the written word is powerful. 457 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:28,320 But the written word is only as powerful as much as we bring it 458 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:32,560 into our systems to rewire the way we think and behave and act. 459 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:37,400 Recently I was reading up on a genetic project that was done by 460 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:41,160 scientists to study the wiring of a brain and the effect that 461 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:43,440 prayer and belief in God has on it. 462 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:47,440 And was incredible because they said when one reads the 463 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:51,960 scripture aloud, new neural pathways start forming in the 464 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:54,720 brain because what your ear is listening to, your brain is 465 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:58,120 actually tracking and it's actually beginning to believe 466 00:25:58,120 --> 00:25:59,840 that which is being spoken over it. 467 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,200 And if you think about your life, most of our lives 468 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:07,240 patterns, our mindsets, our attitudes, our behaviour is 469 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:09,760 driven by what we speak to ourselves or what someone is 470 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:13,000 speaking to us. From little children, we have 471 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:16,360 people speaking either life over us or death over us. 472 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:21,760 And we begin to believe these lies and the truths as the 473 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:23,600 gospel truth. We believe that this is 474 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:27,680 everything we know, but as we get older, Romans 12 talks about 475 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:29,920 renewing our mind and being transformed. 476 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:32,880 Renewing our mind. Neurophysicians are able to 477 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:37,680 conclusively prove that prayer on the Word of God, reading it 478 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:41,240 aloud, declaring it aloud changes the way our brain is 479 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:43,520 wild. And I want to leave this with 480 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:48,880 you, that if Jesus is the Word who became flesh, and if he came 481 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:52,920 to earth as proclaimed by the prophets as God gave utterance. 482 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:57,880 Every word of God-given to you will come to pass, but it's time 483 00:26:57,880 --> 00:26:59,920 for us to no longer read it passively. 484 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:02,600 Just believe it. Just keep it on a post it and 485 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,040 justice leave it there. But it's time to believe it and 486 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:08,760 declare it with boldness. This is what the word of God 487 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:11,640 says. Isaiah 55 verses 10 and 11. 488 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:15,440 It says as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not 489 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:18,840 return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and 490 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:22,400 flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the 491 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:25,920 eater, so is my word that comes out from my mouth. 492 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:29,600 It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I 493 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:33,040 desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 494 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:36,760 God's word has been sent to you. You have it. 495 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:41,760 Romans talks about how faith comes by hearing and hearing by 496 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:44,560 the Word of God. What you speak out is what you 497 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:47,440 believe. What you speak to yourself is 498 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:50,160 what you believe. What someone speaks aloud to you 499 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:51,600 is what you believe about yourself. 500 00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:53,560 But I want to just reframe that for you. 501 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:58,480 What if you began to declare God's word on boldness and allow 502 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:02,000 it to rewire how you think? Rewire what you believe. 503 00:28:02,360 --> 00:28:06,560 If the Word became flesh, then God's Word we will still do the 504 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:09,960 miraculous in our lives. God's Word is known to bring 505 00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:12,120 things that are not as if they were. 506 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:15,040 It brings it into being. So don't stop believing the 507 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:16,680 Word. Don't stop praying the 508 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:19,520 scriptures into every sea, into every situation. 509 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:23,000 Maybe you have a health crisis. You have scriptures for that. 510 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:27,320 By His stripes I am healed. Maybe your heart has been 511 00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:29,960 shattered into a million places by heartbreak. 512 00:28:30,120 --> 00:28:32,920 You can say this, The Lord is close to the broken hearted. 513 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:37,080 He binds up all their wounds. Keep saying it till you believe 514 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:40,400 it. I was recently reading a story 515 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:44,360 about a person, a young man, who was struggling with anxiety. 516 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:47,720 Such crippling anxiety that when he woke up in the morning, he 517 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:51,000 couldn't get out of bed. He would hold his knees up to 518 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,440 his chest, still wrapped up in his blanket, and be shaking. 519 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:58,560 One of his mentors at church said, you know what, I think 520 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:02,120 it's time you stop just reading the Bible and declaring it 521 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:04,400 aloud. So as you read it, speak it out 522 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:06,280 loud so that your mind starts to hear it. 523 00:29:06,840 --> 00:29:09,240 So this is what he did. He started by taking one 524 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:12,200 scripture. God has not given me a spirit of 525 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,480 fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. 526 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:18,600 And every morning he would wake up and he sits up with his heart 527 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:21,360 racing, palm sweaty, mind racing. 528 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:24,520 He would just declare that loudly and gradually. 529 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:28,080 Nothing happened immediately, but over a few weeks the heart 530 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:32,920 racing slowed his reflex to run and hide stop. 531 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:37,560 Eventually he was able to get up and go about his day's tasks. 532 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:43,040 God's Word is powerful. If the Word became flesh and 533 00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:46,320 made its dwelling among us, we have proof that every word that 534 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:50,720 has been released by God will find fruition, will take shape, 535 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:54,960 will carry the substance, will do the needful work on earth. 536 00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:58,280 What has God promised you? Have you found yourself in the 537 00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:00,560 world? This won't make sense to you 538 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:02,720 unless you find yourself in the world every day. 539 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:05,960 Unless you're making notes. I don't understand how people 540 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,240 actually read the Bible and don't make notes from it because 541 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:11,600 none of us have a memory big enough to remember everything 542 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:13,800 we're reading. Even if you have a bookmark 543 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:16,440 option in your Bible app, make a note. 544 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:18,840 Write on things that you need to declare. 545 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:20,880 Write on the things you want to pray. 546 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:24,400 Pray the prayers of Jesus. Pray the scripture over every 547 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:31,520 situation because this is it. Whatever word every promise that 548 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:33,840 God has given you is yes and Amen in Christ Jesus. 549 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,600 What if you're missing it because we're not declaring it? 550 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:38,840 What if you're missing it because we're not making a note 551 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:44,160 and speaking it over our lives today? 552 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:49,640 My desire for you is that you would take the prominent and 553 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:52,480 less prominent situations of your life, bring it to the 554 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:56,160 throne room, and ask God to give you a promise for each. 555 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:01,440 As you start speaking those promises over it, I believe God 556 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:04,520 is going to change things. The miraculous power of Jesus, 557 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:09,040 His presence which changed everything, is going to change 558 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:11,800 your life. You have the word today. 559 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:15,920 What are you doing with it? The second take away I want you 560 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:19,200 to think about is the Kingdom. The Kingdom made its appearance 561 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:23,760 when Jesus first came to earth. The Kingdom is on the move today 562 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:26,240 and the violent taken by force. That's what it says. 563 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:28,440 When we say violent, it doesn't mean it's going to be 564 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:31,840 revolutionary in the sense of, you know, guns and axes and 565 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:32,960 knives. You know, it's not going to be 566 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:34,200 that way. It's going to be people, 567 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:37,400 ordinary people like you and me, who are filled with the Spirit 568 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:40,760 of God, who are exuding the glory of God, stepping into the 569 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:44,680 darkest places on the planet, tearing the presence of God into 570 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:46,920 those places. It's going to be you setting up 571 00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:50,240 a dance studio in a low income group and teaching little 572 00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:52,560 children dance and bringing light into their lives. 573 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:54,920 It it could look like you feeding the poor. 574 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:57,200 It could look like you helping the marginalized. 575 00:31:57,360 --> 00:32:00,080 It could help look like you helping the trafficked in 576 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:03,120 rescuing them. It could look like you're 577 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:05,800 training people who can't afford education. 578 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:08,720 That's what the Kingdom looks like. 579 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:12,680 The Kingdom of God is within us. That's what Jesus said. 580 00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:18,240 Luke 17 verses 20 to 21. Once on being asked by the 581 00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:21,160 Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied 582 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:24,080 the coming of the Kingdom of God is not something that can be 583 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:27,200 observed, nor will people say here it is or there it is 584 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:29,440 because the Kingdom of God is in your midst. 585 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:32,640 This is the thing, when you look at what all Jesus taught about 586 00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:35,240 the Kingdom, he talked about a woman mixing yeast in a bowl of 587 00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:38,000 flour. He said how the whole flower 588 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:40,040 would rise up because the east had permeated. 589 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:42,600 He talked about the Kingdom of God being like a mustard seed 590 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:46,800 that a that a gardener planted and it grown to the largest tree 591 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:50,320 where all the birds came and took shade. 592 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:54,560 She kept teaching about the Kingdom of God and in the in, 593 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:57,720 you know, the terms of somebody going after the lost, she talks 594 00:32:57,720 --> 00:32:59,320 about it as a farmer sowing seed. 595 00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:02,680 He was always making these analogies and he was comparing 596 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:04,520 things well, what was the greater perspective? 597 00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:08,680 He was saying it was ordinary. The Kingdom of God is not going 598 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:10,400 to look like a political situation. 599 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:13,120 It is not going to look prominent. 600 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:16,720 It's going to be obscure. It's going to be inconspicuous, 601 00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:19,600 but it's going to be very pleasant and very powerful. 602 00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:23,640 John the Baptist, when he first came to earth and he was 603 00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:26,760 baptizing people in the Jordan, he kept saying repent, but the 604 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:29,720 Kingdom of God is near. When Jesus came, he said the 605 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:30,920 Kingdom of God is. Here. 606 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:36,880 He had brought the Kingdom of God here today, you and I part 607 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:39,520 of this Kingdom. When we get when we say yes to 608 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:41,520 Jesus, we get adopted into his family. 609 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:46,120 We become subjects of this Kingdom, and subjects of the 610 00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:48,080 Kingdom do exactly what the king does. 611 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:51,960 And in Psalm 146, verses 7 to 9, this is what it talks about, 612 00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:55,680 what God does on the earth. It says He opposed the cause of 613 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:57,800 the oppressed. He gives food to the hungry. 614 00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:00,720 The Lord sets prisoners free. The Lord gives sight to the 615 00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:02,840 blind. The Lord lifts up those who are 616 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:05,000 bowed down. The Lord loves the righteous. 617 00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:08,440 The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the 618 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:11,639 fatherless and widow, but he frustrates the way of the 619 00:34:11,639 --> 00:34:13,880 wicked. This is the Kingdom life. 620 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:18,199 This is the Kingdom life and my desire for you is that you would 621 00:34:18,199 --> 00:34:23,280 seek and serve the Kingdom. Jesus said seek first the 622 00:34:23,280 --> 00:34:26,120 Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these 623 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:29,639 things will be added unto you. Paul wrote to the early church 624 00:34:29,639 --> 00:34:32,360 which was so consumed about what they ate and didn't ate and all 625 00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:34,080 of that. He said the Kingdom of God is 626 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:37,000 not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness, 627 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:41,320 peace and joy. Would you seek for yourself the 628 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:45,000 Kingdom? Many of us, we don't seek first 629 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,199 the Kingdom. We don't look at the way we 630 00:34:47,199 --> 00:34:49,480 live, whether it's honouring of the King. 631 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:52,080 We don't want to serve sacrificially. 632 00:34:52,080 --> 00:34:54,920 We want everything handed to us on a platen, then we will serve. 633 00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:58,280 You want all the right conditions, ducks in a row, then 634 00:34:58,280 --> 00:34:59,720 maybe I'll give something to God. 635 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:03,400 But The thing is, you have to seek first the Kingdom, because 636 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:07,240 now you're a subject. The Kingdom of this world is 637 00:35:07,240 --> 00:35:10,320 becoming quickly the Kingdom of our Lord and Christ, but it 638 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:13,160 depends on whether you are living in such a way to honour 639 00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:15,320 the King. Are you in right standing with 640 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:18,960 God and with man? Is the Shalom of Christ guarding 641 00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:20,920 your heart and mind? Are you a peacemaker? 642 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:23,920 Do you carry peace into every room you walk into? 643 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:28,400 Do you live with this unexpressible joy in spite of 644 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:31,840 every situation? Those are the things that mark 645 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:34,760 you as one of the Kingdom. And it doesn't just end with 646 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:36,600 seeking, but you've got to serve the Kingdom. 647 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:39,720 How do you serve it? I love this picture that you're 648 00:35:39,720 --> 00:35:42,640 going to see. It's it's a satellite picture of 649 00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:45,320 the Earth at night. So it's just one half of the 650 00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:47,040 Earth. It's night time. 651 00:35:47,240 --> 00:35:50,280 But all the lights that you see dotting the surface are 652 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:53,600 artificial lights in the cities that are, you know, in the 653 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:55,200 middle of the night or in the evenings. 654 00:35:55,960 --> 00:35:57,960 These are lights that are artificial lights. 655 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:01,520 And if you notice, there are a lot of big gaps on the map. 656 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:05,320 The big gaps are actually desert landscapes like the sub-saharan 657 00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:08,840 and probably the Arctic areas, the tundra and other places. 658 00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:13,000 My question to you is, if we were to have a map of the 659 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:18,040 Kingdom of God with each of us being the light at any given 660 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:20,920 time, if someone was to take a telescopic image of us from 661 00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:25,080 outer space, if all of us were truly being the light, would we 662 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:28,640 light up the earth that we are on or would we be one with the 663 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:31,320 darkness? That's the question. 664 00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:34,480 If I'm part of the Kingdom, the Kingdom which made its 665 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:38,280 appearance that first Christmas, I need to be shining my light 666 00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:41,280 wherever I go. I can't keep shining it where 667 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:43,280 all the other lights are. Sometimes we're just shining it 668 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:46,080 so bright in church. But Jesus said, go into all the 669 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:48,800 world and preach and baptize and lead people to me. 670 00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:52,920 Teach them the things I taught. Drive out demons, rescue the 671 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:57,680 oppressed, set free the captive. This is what Jesus commanded us 672 00:36:57,680 --> 00:36:59,360 to do. But we are living within 4 673 00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:01,200 walls. We want what we want. 674 00:37:01,200 --> 00:37:04,280 We are pursuing what we desire. We need the. 675 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:05,960 Comfort of everything that we love. 676 00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:12,720 We have missed the picture. If you can agree with me and say 677 00:37:12,720 --> 00:37:16,640 yes, Jesus is enough. My question to you is, are you 678 00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:19,880 taking him at His word? Are you boldly declaring His? 679 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:22,200 Word out loud till you see the things. 680 00:37:22,240 --> 00:37:27,000 That the word says happen. Are you seeking and serving the 681 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:30,040 Kingdom? That's how we'll know if Jesus 682 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:34,400 is enough. As I was preparing this, it's a 683 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:38,600 challenge I took on myself. God, even if in 2026 none of the 684 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:41,720 things I'm asking you for happen, you are enough. 685 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:45,800 Your presence is enough. Serving and seeking your Kingdom 686 00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:48,720 is enough. That's a pledge I'm making to 687 00:37:48,720 --> 00:37:52,160 him. You are enough, God, because of 688 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:56,320 for everything you did for me, I want to live for you. 689 00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:01,160 I want to be content in you. God, if that is your prayer, can 690 00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:05,920 I pray with you, Jesus? I pray that you would touch 691 00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:09,760 hearts and minds right now if we have lived so caught up in 692 00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:11,800 ourselves, so obsessed about our own needs. 693 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:16,000 Sorry Lord, forgive us. And I pray that, Lord, today we 694 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:20,760 tap into the miraculous. Happened to the miraculous that 695 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:23,240 Lord, we will begin to believe your word afresh. 696 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:27,360 We start to declare it on you because God, you are word in the 697 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:30,480 flesh. You are proof that every word of 698 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:33,320 God is powerful. Nothing is impossible with you 699 00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:37,080 and we choose to trust you. Godfather, we pray if we've been 700 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:40,280 seeking the expansion of our own Kingdom, our own families, our 701 00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:43,880 own businesses, we're sorry. We pray that Lord we will seek 702 00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:47,680 first your Kingdom and that Lord we will do our part to shine 703 00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:50,920 bright where you have placed us. Forgive us Lord for the 704 00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:55,600 grumbling against bosses, against jobs, for not working as 705 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:57,840 in a way that you would be proud of. 706 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:03,240 We pray today God that we will seek and serve your Kingdom here 707 00:39:03,240 --> 00:39:06,720 on earth. We bless your holy name. 708 00:39:06,720 --> 00:39:11,200 In Jesus name I pray Amen, Amen. If you are saying I don't know 709 00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:16,000 Jesus, I want to just lead you in a simple prayer if that is 710 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:17,400 your desire. I want Jesus. 711 00:39:17,760 --> 00:39:20,720 I want him for myself. You seem to say that this guy, 712 00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:24,680 this, this God is with you. He's a manual God with us. 713 00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:30,480 He is through sickness, through health, through prosperity, 714 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:34,120 through failure, through setbacks, through the victories. 715 00:39:34,120 --> 00:39:36,800 He never leaves. He's a God who's with you 716 00:39:37,640 --> 00:39:39,880 because he was a man. He understands us. 717 00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:44,360 He feels our pain. And because of his death on the 718 00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:47,680 cross, because of his resurrection, today we have 719 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:51,120 victory over sin and death. Today by his wounds we are 720 00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:54,080 healed. No wound is too big for Jesus to 721 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:56,120 heal. So if that is what you want, you 722 00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:58,440 want a life of communion with Jesus. 723 00:39:58,440 --> 00:40:01,800 Can I ask you to repeat this very simple prayer just after 724 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:05,760 me? Jesus, I accept I'm a Sinner. 725 00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:10,240 Forgive me. I accept you into my heart. 726 00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:14,600 I invite you into my heart. I thank you for forgiving me. 727 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:18,800 I pray that I would live for you today and every day. 728 00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:23,600 Fill me with your strength, Fill me with your power, fill me with 729 00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:27,640 your wisdom. Teach me from your word, teach 730 00:40:27,640 --> 00:40:31,160 me from your family. In Jesus name I pray. 731 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:33,000 Amen. Amen. 732 00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:37,520 Welcome to the family of God. You are now a subject in the 733 00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:40,200 Kingdom of God and I just want to welcome you into this 734 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:44,240 beautiful new life. You are now a new creation and I 735 00:40:44,240 --> 00:40:46,640 want to encourage you that you would find a faith community, 736 00:40:46,640 --> 00:40:50,760 someone who will journey with you, people who will answer your 737 00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:53,800 questions, teach you how to read the word, and I would urge you 738 00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:56,360 to get into the Word of God. Get your hands on a Bible and 739 00:40:56,720 --> 00:41:00,280 start to read the word of God. Start speaking it aloud and see 740 00:41:00,280 --> 00:41:03,880 what God would do. Let's not give up on believing 741 00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:06,720 for the miracles. Let's tap into it through His 742 00:41:06,720 --> 00:41:09,440 Word, through His Kingdom. God bless you. 743 00:41:09,920 --> 00:41:12,760 Have an amazing last week of the year. 744 00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:15,880 Thanks for listening to this message. 745 00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:19,720 We hope you were blessed to hear more messages like this. 746 00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:24,080 Make sure to subscribe and check out our podcast channel for past 747 00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:26,400 episodes. If you like what you are 748 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:30,960 hearing, consider rating us subscribing and even sharing it 749 00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:33,520 with friends. That could really help us. 750 00:41:34,240 --> 00:41:38,840 For more content from Via Zion and to connect with us, go to 751 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:44,000 viazion.in. Remember, whoever finds Jesus 752 00:41:44,240 --> 00:41:45,040 finds life.