1 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:12,760 Hello, a big welcome to the Via Zion Sermon podcast. 2 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:15,440 We are a church based out of Chennai, India. 3 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,800 We are thrilled that you tuned in today and hope that you will 4 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:22,240 be refreshed, revived, and energized by what you hear. 5 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:25,760 Our desire is that you will live life with a renewed sense of 6 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,320 purpose that stems from a vibrant faith in Jesus. 7 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:34,280 The year 2025 is 1 where we'll be positioned by God to possess 8 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,240 our promise. Today's sermon, the earth's 9 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:41,680 outcry, our cry for justice and mercy is a call for all of us to 10 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:45,960 get deeply sensitive about the needs of those around us and to 11 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:49,240 begin to intercede passionately on their behalf to God. 12 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,360 We pray that you would be moved and burdened by what ails the 13 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:57,120 world and give more time this year to standing in the gap. 14 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,160 Hi church, It's such a joy and a privilege to be in God's Word to 15 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:03,200 you today that I consider it an honor. 16 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:06,840 Even as we've been going through the book of Genesis, we've been 17 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:10,520 seeing from the life of Abraham. Our theme for this year, for 18 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:14,280 2025, is that we are positioned to possess the promise. 19 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,600 And even as we've been looking a lot of times, the way we are 20 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:21,080 positioned always is towards something that our hearts 21 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:23,760 desire. But if we are seeking God, and 22 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,080 if we are in love with what God is doing in and through around 23 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:29,920 the world, and especially as we meditate on His Word, we 24 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,600 suddenly see that we desire for what God wants. 25 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,520 And that's where His will and our wants collide. 26 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:38,280 And we soon realize we need to accomplish God's will here on 27 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,880 earth. And as we move towards that, we 28 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:44,840 are positioning ourselves towards finding what God has in 29 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:46,840 store for us, which means we are obedient to Him. 30 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:50,240 We are led by His Word, we are led by the Holy Spirit, we are 31 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:53,640 directed by His Word, and we keep in step every time. 32 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,720 And there are struggles. There are times we fall back. 33 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,640 There are times when we give in to things that crave our own 34 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:01,840 desires. But that's where God 35 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:05,240 continuously keeps shaping us. And last week we saw that, you 36 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:09,520 know, when Abraham is seated there with his wife on a day, we 37 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,600 saw three people were coming and they and God himself was among 38 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:14,800 them. And he has this conversation 39 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:16,480 with Abraham about Sodom and Gomorrah. 40 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,200 And so today we're going to be looking specifically in that 41 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:21,960 chapter, Genesis chapter 19, because I believe there's a 42 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,600 mandate for each and every one of us, whichever city we are 43 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:27,320 part of. Some of you, especially who are 44 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:30,800 watching online are seated in cities probably where your work 45 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:34,320 has taken you or probably where suddenly because you got married 46 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:35,880 and your spouse is, then you've settled there. 47 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,880 Or probably God's taking you to that place because that's where 48 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,040 the offer came. And at the end of the day, as 49 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:43,960 you're seated there or some of you are there because of college 50 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:46,600 and you're thinking, why am I here in this city? 51 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,480 But I pray that as we hear the sermon today, God will give a 52 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:55,080 renewed understanding of why God places us in certain cities for 53 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:58,680 a certain season of time and what our heartbeat has to be. 54 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:00,840 And so today I've titled my sermon. 55 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:05,440 It's called the Earth's Outcry, Our cry for Justice and mercy. 56 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:08,000 We're living in a world where there's chaos. 57 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,040 We're living in a world where there is so much hatred toward 58 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:12,400 one another. We're living in a world where 59 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:15,840 many a times are unable to see where there's a clear 60 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:17,640 demarcation between the privileged and the 61 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:20,640 underprivileged. I believe God is called calling 62 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:22,920 us and positioning us for some great things to do. 63 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:25,640 And the reason why I have named this the earth's outcry is 64 00:03:25,640 --> 00:03:27,760 coming out of this chapter from Genesis chapter 19. 65 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:30,680 And I want us to read this particular verse, Genesis 66 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:34,880 chapter 19, verse 13, because we are going to destroy this place. 67 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:39,800 The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that He 68 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,480 has sent us to destroy it. This is the NIV. 69 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:44,200 But I'm going to read from a message and this is what it 70 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,000 says. The two men said to Lot. 71 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:48,640 Do you have any other family here? 72 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:51,360 Sons, daughters, anybody in the city? 73 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,800 Get them out of here. And now we are going to destroy 74 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,800 this place. The outcries of victims here to 75 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:01,280 God are deafening. We've been sent to blast the 76 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:06,720 space into oblivion. We've been sent to blast this 77 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:09,720 place into oblivion even as we read. 78 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:13,240 To give you a bit of context, we saw last week that Abraham was 79 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:16,200 contending with God and saying God even if there are 40, even 80 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,360 if there are 35, another 30. And it came down to even if 81 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,760 there are 10. We saw last week also that God 82 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:26,040 is a God of mercy and a God of judgement. 83 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:32,040 A lot of times we are loving the fact that when God acts out of 84 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,120 mercy, when he restores, when he rebuilds, when he looks upon his 85 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,960 people with kindness, but there's a God of judgement also, 86 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,320 because God doesn't like when injustice prevails, when 87 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:43,800 injustice is there. And you might be thinking, you 88 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:45,760 know what? I've had a lot of injustice. 89 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:49,880 Things happen, yes, But when the outcry of the land is so much, 90 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,800 God intervenes because everything that he's created 91 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:59,240 starts to cry out for justice. And what we see here is there 92 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:03,560 were two people who were sent by God and we see that as they walk 93 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:07,040 into the city, Lot sees them, invites them in, and the 94 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:12,360 depravity of the society is what these is what caused this 95 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:13,640 particular statement to come with. 96 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:16,520 They give a reason as to why they want Lot and his entire 97 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:21,040 household to leave so that God can drain and down Sulphur and 98 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:23,720 kill the entire city. There are three things that I 99 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:26,280 want to emphasize in this. But before that I wanted to come 100 00:05:26,280 --> 00:05:28,200 to that clear verse which says outcry. 101 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:32,640 When we look at outcry, outcry, usually, you know when we use 102 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:35,720 that word, it means a strong expression of anger and 103 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:37,920 disapproval. But when you look in terms of 104 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:44,400 the Bible, the Hebrew word is sakah, which refers to a loud 105 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:48,160 outcry often associated with distress, anguish and a. 106 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:51,920 Plea for help. Now, you need to understand, if 107 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:57,080 this land had certain demonic strongholds, there were people 108 00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:00,960 in bondages, There were people being treated, you know, without 109 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:02,560 any justice. There are people who've been 110 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:06,160 removed of their rights. There were people who have been 111 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:07,480 violated. There were people who have been 112 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:08,840 abused. There were people who've been 113 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:12,480 victims. And this outcry has reached. 114 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:17,240 God and God is deciding to act and who can stand all the time. 115 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:22,720 When we see calamities, we think and most often complain, God, 116 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:25,000 why is this happening? Don't you love your people? 117 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:28,080 And we fail to understand probably the way God sees it, 118 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:31,320 it's entirely different. And so as we look into this, 119 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:34,920 we're going to see God as we as individuals have been placed in 120 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:38,280 different cities. We've been placed because of our 121 00:06:38,280 --> 00:06:41,360 work, because of our studies, because of our families. 122 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,720 Whatever the reason can be, we are placed in cities. 123 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:46,280 And in fact, one of the things we'll see at least in the next 124 00:06:46,280 --> 00:06:49,560 20-30 years in India is the fact that our cities are going to 125 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:51,600 expand. Every year when the Parliament, 126 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,520 when they announce budgets, they're announcing budgets for 127 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:58,640 expansion in terms of cities, towns becoming cities, Cities 128 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,120 become having their own airports, connectivity and 129 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,440 everything. And so we see this modernization 130 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:08,120 happening, which is basically moving the entire economic 131 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:12,720 status of these towns and places where people are gathering into 132 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:15,360 uplifting them into a particular economic standard. 133 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:20,880 But in this midst, are we doing what is right as we as 134 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:24,320 godchildren, are we aware of what some of the outcries of our 135 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,760 own cities are? I remember 20 years back when 136 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:30,600 Chris Tomlin came out with the song You're the God of the City, 137 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:37,760 and it resonated a lot because. Our cities needed God to 138 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:40,800 intervene. Our cities needed the God of 139 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:44,440 justice to walk. Our city needed the God of mercy 140 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,160 to move through the hearts of people so that their hearts will 141 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:50,320 be broken. So as we look into this, we see 142 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:53,960 that these inhabiting cities that when we are in our ears and 143 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:58,040 our hearts are open, we are in the cities where we are burdened 144 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:02,520 by what's burdening society and burdening the people. 145 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:07,120 A lot of times we are burdened by things that concern us on a 146 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:09,480 peripheral level. For example, if you're staying 147 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:12,000 next to a water body and if that water body is getting polluted, 148 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:13,560 you're burdened by that. Why? 149 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:14,680 Because you're staying next to it. 150 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:16,840 It affects certain things. But God is asking, could you 151 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:21,040 move further to what is burdening in the spiritual 152 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:22,280 level? Because there are many 153 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:25,440 strongholds that are being built, many ideologies that are 154 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:29,800 being formed, many things established that will go to ruin 155 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:33,240 generations ahead. Remember, we're not serving a 156 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:37,080 God of one generation, we're serving the God of all time, 157 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:40,600 which means when God is moving us to do certain things, it's 158 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:44,000 across generations. Even as I'm standing here and 159 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:48,960 talking, we're just going into a 2 day workshop, The workshops 160 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,400 titled Legacy Builders. And the reason is we are 161 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:57,880 committed to making sure we will be sensitive to what God is 162 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,480 calling us to do for the next generation, one life at a time, 163 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:05,000 one life at a time. And so today as we look into 164 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:07,440 this, our own God to move our hearts. 165 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:11,400 Why is it important? Because we see when Lot took 166 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:15,040 Sodom and Gomorrah, he took it out of his own physical need. 167 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:18,320 There there was tension arising between the herdsmen of Abraham 168 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,400 and the herdsmen that he had. And when Abraham said, hey, 169 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:24,360 we're too big, why don't you find a place where you have to 170 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:25,840 go? What did his eyes see? 171 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:29,480 His eyes saw the green pastures that were near Sodom and Gomar, 172 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:34,400 and he went there and settled. And often times we are moved to 173 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:38,000 a city because of certain openings that we've desired for. 174 00:09:38,560 --> 00:09:40,880 A lot of us desire to probably go out of the country. 175 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:43,480 A lot of us desire to move from one city to another. 176 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:47,320 A lot of us probably move plan to move from towns to cities. 177 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:51,000 I don't know what your interests are, but when God moves you as a 178 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,640 follower of Christ, our mandate is for God to do something 179 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:58,120 bigger because the outcry of the land will definitely break our 180 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:00,040 hearts because it's breaking God's heart. 181 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,760 And we see that as he went there, he was led by what he 182 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:07,320 saw. But God wants us to move to a 183 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:09,360 place where we just don't. Move. 184 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:12,600 By what we see, but we also do it because we are there. 185 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:16,520 Because by what he's doing and then through our hearts its not 186 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:19,600 a wish list that comes through. Lots of eyes were on greener 187 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:23,440 pastures because it was a ready made solution and lot of us are 188 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:28,080 thinking if only I can go to another city it probably be the 189 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:31,520 opportunities would be greater. Opportunities will be greater 190 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:34,520 for all of us who worship Jesus, will be greater wherever we are 191 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:38,440 at if we keep our eyes on Jesus because God will open doors that 192 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:41,480 we've not expected. God will provide in ways in 193 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,720 which we've not expected. So today I want us to move to a 194 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:46,920 place of seeing and understanding God. 195 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:50,680 What are some of the cries that we need to be intentionally 196 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:53,920 aware as your followers? Because we can't just move into 197 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:55,560 a city and think, you know what, the city doesn't affect us. 198 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:57,760 No, you need to move into the city and understand what the 199 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:02,840 city's DNA. Is from the historical side to 200 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:07,400 where it is today we need to see and move saying God as long as 201 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:09,440 I'm here, what do you want me to fulfill what do you want me to 202 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:14,480 pray pivotally. It's interesting that when you 203 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:17,760 read in Genesis chapter 15 as I was preaching about it. 204 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:20,680 Abraham had got this covenant from God. 205 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:22,560 He got the promise for his child, and then he got a 206 00:11:22,560 --> 00:11:25,080 covenant for his entire generation that is going to 207 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:27,440 come, you know, about 400 years. And it's interesting when he's 208 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:31,680 talking about the entire of Israel, of how they'll come into 209 00:11:31,680 --> 00:11:33,360 Egypt. They'll be under slavery, and 210 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:34,800 then they'll be redeemed from there. 211 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:37,800 They'll be moving out. You know, Moses will come, and 212 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:39,680 then he'll take them out. He's giving him this whole 213 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:42,040 thing. And he says you won't go and 214 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:45,520 occupy these lands until the sin of the Amorites has reached his 215 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:50,480 full measure. And I'm wanted to pause here for 216 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:53,800 a second because many a times we'd seek the prosperity of the 217 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:57,600 land. When we think, OK, the the thing 218 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:00,080 looks really great, the predictions look really great, 219 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:02,120 but we don't know what's happening in the background. 220 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:05,160 This is where we need to be spiritually connected to realize 221 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:07,840 God is this land reaching its full measure. 222 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:10,720 Because there'll be seasons when God will ask you to move out of 223 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:13,840 certain places. You should be obedient and not 224 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:16,160 be convinced by what you see in their physical eyes. 225 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:20,040 Sodom and Gomorrah had reached its full potential with regard 226 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:23,160 to its sin, and what God had to respond was to wipe it away. 227 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:27,480 In Jeremiah 15 it says. Therefore this is what the Lord 228 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:29,280 says. If you repent, I will restore 229 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,520 you, that you may serve me. If you utter worthy, not 230 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:36,120 worthless words, You will be my spokesperson that this people 231 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,560 turn to you, but you must not turn to them. 232 00:12:39,560 --> 00:12:42,480 I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of 233 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:44,600 bronze. They will fight against you, but 234 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:47,120 they will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue you and 235 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:48,160 save you Dick. As a Lord. 236 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:50,440 I will save you from the hands of the Wiccan and deliver you 237 00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:54,680 from the grasp of the cruel. A lot of times we feel so 238 00:12:54,680 --> 00:12:56,120 isolated. We feel, you know what, God? 239 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:58,480 Everything in the city is working against me. 240 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,240 But we need to realize when God's placed us there, the 241 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:04,320 heaviness of the warfare will be there, but nothing will touch 242 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:06,360 us. When we are there, when we are 243 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:10,080 doing God's work, God will use us, but nothing will touch us. 244 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:13,120 He won't make. He won't cause us to collapse. 245 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:16,160 He won't cause us to break. So today I want us to be aware 246 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:18,320 because God is the defender of the weak. 247 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,920 When we are on God's side, He is a defender. 248 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:24,920 He's a defender. We are sometimes so worried, 249 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,360 God, will we be crushed under this, But God saying, no, I will 250 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:32,520 work things out and we have to come to a place where we 251 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:36,640 realized that we can be still and yet do what God's calling us 252 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:39,600 to do. Psalm 37, verse 7 says be still 253 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:41,520 before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. 254 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:45,520 Do not fret when people succeed in their ways when they carry 255 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:48,480 out their wicked schemes. The reason why I'm reading this 256 00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:54,120 is because the mandate for us is to respond to what the cry of 257 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:57,320 our city is. And when we respond to that cry 258 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,960 for justice and mercy to flow, God is saying I want to be in 259 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:03,440 that place to restore all of humanity. 260 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:06,320 And so today, even as we go into this, there are three things 261 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:10,120 that I want to take as lessons from this 19 and the first thing 262 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:14,520 is the outcry of the land should break our hearts and move our 263 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:18,480 hands. The outcry of the land should 264 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:21,680 break our hearts and move our hands. 265 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,960 Yeah, we saw last week, it's similar to the lines of last 266 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:28,800 week where we saw that God, we asked her, what breaks your 267 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:30,520 heart? But today I'm coming to a place 268 00:14:30,520 --> 00:14:33,160 is the outcry of the land breaking our hearts. 269 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:37,280 I want to talk to people, especially for those who think 270 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:39,080 they're settled in that particular city, for those who 271 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:41,880 really made those big investments of buying a House 272 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:44,280 of, you know, probably being there because your kids are all 273 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:49,200 there is the outcry of that land breaking your hearts and moving 274 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:52,560 your hands. The reason is when it breaks 275 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:55,480 your hearts and move your hands, the outlook that you have on the 276 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:59,120 city will be entirely different. You suddenly will be involved in 277 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:02,240 making sure that there are certain things you're fulfilling 278 00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:04,800 because you know it's far bigger than what you've been dreamt. 279 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:07,000 Of. God will start using you in ways 280 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,520 to change the Society of that city. 281 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:11,920 Let's read from Genesis chapter 19 was one to three. 282 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:15,400 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was 283 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:16,560 sitting in the gateway of the city. 284 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:19,640 When he saw him, he got up to meet them and bowed down with 285 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:21,960 his face to the ground. My Lords, he said, please turn 286 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:25,720 aside your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend 287 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:28,680 the night and then go your way early in the morning. 288 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:30,760 No, they answered, we will spend the night in the square. 289 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:34,280 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered 290 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:36,160 his house. He prepared a meal for them, 291 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:39,120 baking bread without yeast, and there they ate. 292 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:43,880 We see that these two people left Abraham and God was talking 293 00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:48,640 to Abraham and as they left, they moved towards Sodom and 294 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:51,560 Gomorrah. And we as we read from Lot's 295 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:54,160 life, you see Lot was there probably was a person of 296 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:57,160 influence when you read an ancient literature, especially 297 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:00,240 how they functioned. The Gate, City gates were all 298 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:03,560 the the influential people of the city where that's where they 299 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:05,720 met with the people who came into business. 300 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:08,960 They understood what was happening across other cities. 301 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:12,600 They were people who were at least to a certain extent to 302 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:15,120 make important decisions for the city. 303 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:18,080 And we see Lot being there and he sees these two men's and he 304 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:22,680 invites them to his house. There's probably a reason why he 305 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:25,600 invites them. We don't know the reason, but to 306 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:29,000 us, as we read this passage, it looks clearly that there was 307 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:31,920 definitely an intention. Probably if he kept them in his 308 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:34,160 house, hosted them the next day, he would have revealed it. 309 00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:39,120 But things looked different and as we see there, I strongly 310 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:42,240 believe God has placed an influence on each of our lives. 311 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:44,360 A lot of times we are doubting that. 312 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:47,880 And so a lot of times when we fight, we're fighting that very 313 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:50,840 influence that God's caused us to have. 314 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:52,920 You're asking Pragya Sham. I moved to the city. 315 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:55,320 I don't know anyone, no. But you will eventually know 316 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,640 someone the the when you move into a city. 317 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:01,040 We. Bring our influence into it, 318 00:17:01,760 --> 00:17:04,920 whatever God's laid into our hearts, whatever God's been 319 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:07,280 using of our hands and as we serve the city in whatever 320 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,480 capacity. And when I say serve the city, 321 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:13,160 probably some of you are led towards certain nonprofits or 322 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:16,480 certain good works that are happening in different places 323 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:19,520 that your contributors for that and you're putting your hands 324 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:20,920 into it. You're serving the community on 325 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:24,839 a weekly basis or probably your hearts are towards certain non 326 00:17:24,839 --> 00:17:26,720 profits where restoration has been happening. 327 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:29,080 You're probably moving to certain non profits where 328 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:31,120 education is seen because education made a difference in 329 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:33,360 your life. You want to impart that this is 330 00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:36,960 where we see when we get our hands into what God's calling us 331 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:39,520 to do, we will see greater things happening. 332 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:44,320 And the reason why I'm saying this is not had influence, but I 333 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:49,400 believe it just stayed with his eyes and didn't go beyond his 334 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:53,640 heart and hands. Because if it moved beyond his 335 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:55,680 heart and hands, I think the. Outcome of the. 336 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,440 City would have been different. The outcome of Sodom and 337 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:01,880 Gomorrah would be different. If he was living the life that 338 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:06,320 God had called him to do, he would have been a big difference 339 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:08,920 in that city. And in fact, I think to a 340 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:13,200 certain extent, Abraham knew about his cousin and that's why 341 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:15,920 he contended with God. He said, God, I know these 342 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:18,040 people. And it's interesting because 343 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,880 many a times because Abraham also had gone there and rescued 344 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:24,640 Lot and the entirety of Sodom and Gomorrah with with his 345 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:26,520 people. And that's why he gets to meet 346 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:29,200 Melchi said they can. So when we see this, what are we 347 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:31,640 doing with our influence today? If I have to leave you with that 348 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:34,440 question, because we all have certain influences, like you 349 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:37,920 might be like I'm just starting my career, you will eventually 350 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:40,760 build an influence. You will move to your local 351 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:43,280 church there, which you're part of a move to a local place where 352 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,960 God's doing something. Seek God and he will move you to 353 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:49,080 a place where you'll be able to use your influence. 354 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:50,720 Everyone of us have something to give. 355 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:54,400 Everyone of us. I strongly am a firm believer 356 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:57,040 that everyone of us have influence. 357 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:00,640 It's comes down to whether we want to give, whether we want to 358 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:04,000 choose it to give towards God because when he chose it to give 359 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:05,440 towards God, what does it look like? 360 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:07,120 It looks like we are serving people. 361 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:09,880 It's a mirror reflection of serving people. 362 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:12,880 We're not serving ourselves. You're not like, OK, I'll come 363 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:15,480 here. I'll just make sure I own I no, 364 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:17,040 you suddenly will think, you know what? 365 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:21,640 Even that's why the beauty which I see in India is we all have 366 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:24,400 people who help us, you know, because of the different runs of 367 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:26,840 economic society. We have people who come to Tina 368 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:28,640 houses. We have people who come to help 369 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:31,280 us with cooking and we suddenly care for them much more. 370 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:34,720 We suddenly start, you know, I, they're helping me and then they 371 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:38,600 say their son, he's in school and you know, he needs certain 372 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,400 things. You start helping in small ways. 373 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:43,120 That's where our influence moves. 374 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:46,280 Find out God, in this season when I'm 30, what do you want me 375 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:48,120 to do? What is the what should my 376 00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:49,720 response be to the outcry of the land? 377 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,440 When I'm 40, dot, what should my response be to the outcry of the 378 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:56,320 land? Are we just progressing towards 379 00:19:56,320 --> 00:20:00,160 our wants and making ourselves comfortable today? 380 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,800 I would love to say church. The response of the church to 381 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:08,640 the outcry of the land is only probably 5 to 10%, five to 10%. 382 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:12,240 The remaining 90 are so comfortable this coming and 383 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:16,080 being served. But the gospel of Jesus is not 384 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:20,280 about being served but to serve. And so if you're looking to a 385 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:24,320 place of being served, you will be served for a season or 386 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:27,120 probably for a, but you will leave out empty and you'll feel 387 00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:30,280 unfulfilled. And so I want to ask you today, 388 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:34,120 our own cities that we live has its own deep roots of sin and 389 00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:38,200 things that are plaguing it. Can we invite God and can we 390 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:41,760 seek God diligently and pray? Can we ask God to open our 391 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:44,520 spiritual eyes so that the strongholds are revealed? 392 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:48,160 Can we claim the blood? Can we rally Christ's body to 393 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:51,600 intercede the bride? It's not what we can get from 394 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:54,560 the city, but who we can be for the city. 395 00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:58,760 We need to start asking God. God, give me these eyes to see. 396 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:01,840 One of the beautiful things we see about cities in the Bible is 397 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:04,800 the fact that cities is where the gospel spread because they 398 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:07,800 were places of influence, Because from there it's moved 399 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:09,720 across to different territories surrounding it. 400 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:13,760 And this is what Peter says in One Peter chapter 2. 401 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,320 And I want to leave this thought as we complete this point. 402 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:19,520 It says, friends, this world is not your home, so don't make 403 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:23,120 yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the 404 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:26,840 expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life in your 405 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:29,360 neighborhood so that your actions will refute their 406 00:21:29,360 --> 00:21:32,320 prejudices. Then they'll be one over to 407 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:36,480 God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he 408 00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:39,960 arrives. So I pray that you won't just be 409 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:46,680 like Lot who uses the influence for their own personal gain, but 410 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,440 it'll be for something bigger, it'll be for something bigger, 411 00:21:50,120 --> 00:21:53,640 it'll be for something bigger. The second thing that we see is 412 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:58,400 the outcry of the city or the land that we are in should cause 413 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:03,080 us who are the remnant to relent for God's righteousness, to 414 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:06,120 relent for God's righteousness because, because if we are not 415 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:10,320 relenting and asking God, God may your righteousness come down 416 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:13,360 because we need, we will be plagued by it. 417 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:16,640 The very thing that God wants us to have in terms of convictions 418 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,640 won't go down deep into our hearts. 419 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:25,520 Genesis 19 was a six to 11 lot went outside to meet them and 420 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:28,920 shut the door behind him and said no, my friends don't do 421 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:30,840 this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who 422 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:33,840 have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you and 423 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:36,800 you can do what you like with them. 424 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:40,800 But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under 425 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:43,520 the protection of my roof. Get out of our way, they 426 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:45,320 replied. This fellow came here as a 427 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:47,840 foreigner and now he wants to play the judge. 428 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,120 We'll treat you worse. Than them, they kept bringing 429 00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:54,520 pressure on Lot and moved forward to breakdown the door. 430 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:58,000 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the 431 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:01,680 house and shut the door. Then they struck the men who 432 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:04,600 were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so 433 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:06,280 that they could not find the door. 434 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:13,280 As we read this, I'm reminded that there's definitely a clear 435 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:18,360 case as to his influence not permeating or not going beyond 436 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:23,400 business. His convictions were not seen to 437 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:26,240 the people of the land. And he probably thought, you 438 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:27,920 know, I'm a foreigner here, why should I? 439 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:31,280 No, as a foreigner, you can ask for God's mercy. 440 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:34,600 You can ask for God's hand. And today's a lot of us will 441 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:36,840 feel like a foreigner in the places that we are in. 442 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:40,480 But that doesn't stop us from playing for that land, for 443 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:42,680 praying, for the for, for praying. 444 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:44,440 And interesting God bring this thing down. 445 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:47,360 This is none of you. This is man's selfish motive 446 00:23:47,360 --> 00:23:49,120 that's become a stronghold today. 447 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:53,080 So today the response of the people in Lot was questioned has 448 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:54,960 nothing to do with spiritual conviction. 449 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:58,760 Clearly it's evident that this aim was just business. 450 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,720 He grew it. He was an influential person, 451 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,000 but he did protect his own interests. 452 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:09,880 And he probably didn't state his own convictions because he 453 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:11,960 thought, you know what? This is this, this doesn't make 454 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:14,440 a difference. But the truth is, you and I are 455 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:19,080 called to be a light on a hill so that we'll be seen, which 456 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:20,800 means our convictions have to be clear. 457 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:26,480 Let us not wait for the knocking on our front doors to happen so 458 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:28,640 that people know what our convictions are. 459 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,480 They people should have known that they can't go to Lot's 460 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:35,080 house because this is not who Lot is. 461 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:38,240 They should have known we can't go here because this is where 462 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:40,680 he's a different person entirely. 463 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:44,560 They shouldn't have been able to cross the gates of his house. 464 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:49,600 But the depravity is so that it's so clear that he was so 465 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:52,520 wishy washy that they came there knocking on the door. 466 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:57,240 Let us not wait. Maybe be known as Christ 467 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:00,080 followers who are living with His values. 468 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:04,320 Yes, we don't bribe. Yes, we don't. 469 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:08,360 We don't partake of injustice. We are people of integrity. 470 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:12,920 We stand with the longing what God has put in our heart to see, 471 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:15,800 to act justly, to live, to show mercy. 472 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:22,000 When we do this, we stand in the gap and we respond to the outcry 473 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:26,640 of the city. Each of us are in need of 474 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:30,520 redemption, each of us, and I believe the cities are in need 475 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:32,840 of redemption. And that's why I believe God has 476 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:35,680 positioned us today as his bride to pray and intercede for the 477 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:39,360 city. Lord's story is an example where 478 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,280 when we have certain convictions, but you know, we 479 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:43,920 keep it and we're like, what do they think? 480 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:48,880 No, allow it to permeate. May it may what you believe be 481 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:52,360 seen in your hands so that it's seen and evident you won't 482 00:25:52,360 --> 00:25:58,560 partake of it. You standing up for the truth is 483 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,800 taking the side of God, taking the side of God. 484 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:09,120 When we can see that the culture of the land when we allow it to 485 00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:11,360 linger long enough, it permeates in us. 486 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:14,800 It permeates in us. It moves in and through us. 487 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:16,880 It suddenly makes us numb. Certain things. 488 00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:18,880 We are like, you know what, can't be dealing with it. 489 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:22,160 Let's just go with the flow. No, we are called to be 490 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:24,400 different. Large story is an example of how 491 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:29,480 we allow us being comfortable taking the forefront. 492 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:32,080 So today, where can we start from? 493 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:33,640 Let's move down into our own lives. 494 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:37,680 Where did Christ save us? He saved us from our own wreck. 495 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,240 And a lot of times this is where I beautifully love God's 496 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:46,440 salvation plan, where we are called to minister, where we've 497 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:49,840 been saved from. If we have been saved from an 498 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:53,640 emotional mess, God uses mightily there because that's a 499 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:56,200 sphere of influence. If God saved us from the 500 00:26:56,200 --> 00:27:00,480 addictions of alcohol and drugs, God will use us that because 501 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:02,160 that's where we found true freedom. 502 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:06,480 If God restored our marriage, we will serve that because that's 503 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:09,920 our point of influence. Where is our redemption story? 504 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:14,120 For me, it's abandonment. When I when I realized God saved 505 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:17,160 me from abandonment, that I have a God who sees, a God who hears, 506 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,480 a God who knows me. That becomes my biggest area of 507 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:22,560 influence. And so today I love it when I 508 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:25,120 can tell people, hey, you're more than what you believe in. 509 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:28,480 You might feel like a stranger in a foreign land, but God has 510 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:31,840 positioned you here to do something far bigger. 511 00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:36,080 So can we start from where we've been saved? 512 00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:39,600 And start picking life because that's where we've received the 513 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:43,080 most from God and that's where we are giving off most what 514 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:46,600 we've received from God. Two Corinthians, chapter 5, 515 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:49,160 verses 16 to 21. And this is what it says. 516 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:51,400 Reading from the message. Because of this decision, we 517 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,640 don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. 518 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:59,760 We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong. 519 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:03,000 As you know, we certainly don't look at Him that way anymore. 520 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:07,880 Now we look inside and what we see is that anyone united with 521 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,400 the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new, the old life is 522 00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:14,640 gone and new emerges. Look at it. 523 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:18,680 All this comes from God, who settled the relationship between 524 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:22,200 US and Him, and then He called us to settle our relationships 525 00:28:22,360 --> 00:28:25,840 with each other. God put the world square with 526 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,720 himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start 527 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:31,880 by offering forgiveness of sin. God has given us the task of 528 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:33,800 telling everyone what he's doing. 529 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:40,640 We are Christ's representatives. We are Christ's representatives. 530 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:43,680 God uses us to persuade men and women to drop the differences 531 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:46,760 and enter into God's work of making things right between 532 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:48,520 them. We are speaking for Christ 533 00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:50,880 himself now. Become friends with God. 534 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:55,560 He's already a friend with you today. 535 00:28:55,600 --> 00:29:00,040 I would ask you, let's take our head out of the pit. 536 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:05,880 You know, ostriches are known to put their head, dig a hole and 537 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:08,600 put their head in. And as I was reading up, they 538 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:12,200 said that that's a myth. You know, a lot of times they're 539 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:14,000 doing that because they have long necks. 540 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:21,120 They are doing that because they are caring for the eggs that are 541 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:26,080 there inside in the ground. But an interesting trait of the 542 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:31,920 ostrich is when troubles, when they sense trouble around, they 543 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:35,400 think they can camouflage themselves by putting their neck 544 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:41,120 into the ground and burying it. And it got me thinking, as 545 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:46,280 Christians today, are we like ostriches, burying our head into 546 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:49,960 the ground because we don't want to respond to what's happening 547 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:54,160 around us? We can't be threatened by what's 548 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:58,480 happening in our cities. We need to respond with what's 549 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:04,200 happening in our cities today. The strongholds of sin have to 550 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:09,160 break the impact and the the the the strongholds that are taking 551 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:11,760 shape in different forms have to be pulled down. 552 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:15,400 Things that are collapsing, families and marriages have to 553 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:19,200 be pulled down. And today, are we burying our 554 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:25,720 heads into our holes just so that we'll be comfortable? 555 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,720 If you want to save ourselves, we can go. 556 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:31,320 The world as the world. Leads. 557 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:34,160 But if we are here as Christ follows, we need to respond in 558 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:36,360 the way God's calling us to respond. 559 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:42,160 I would encourage you to read 2 Timothy chapter 3. 560 00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:45,920 It talks about the world that we're living in today, of who 561 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:47,880 will be. Surrounded by and it's not 562 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:51,600 changed much, but today, what is our response towards this? 563 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:53,360 What's our response towards this? 564 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:57,920 Because God is saying if I have called you into this city, you 565 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:00,680 need to respond for righteousness to come down. 566 00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:02,320 And that will come only when we understand. 567 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:04,720 Are we first in the right standing with God? 568 00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:09,480 Have we really dealt with the sin patterns in our life or have 569 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:13,840 we been covering it up? The third thing is when the 570 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:18,080 outcry of the land should make a hearts beat for the eternal and 571 00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:22,400 not for the temporal. Genesis 1923 to 26. 572 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:26,440 By the time Lot reads or the sun had risen over the land. 573 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:29,520 Then the Lord rained down sulphur and Sodom and Gomorrah 574 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:32,040 from the Lord out of the heavens. 575 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:35,040 Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying 576 00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:37,280 all those living in the cities and also the vegetation in the 577 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:40,400 land. But Lot's 5 looked back and she 578 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:43,800 became a pillar of salt. And I'm going to read from 579 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:45,760 worse. This is the first where Lot's 580 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,920 wife turned back. The second is when Lot's 581 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:52,120 daughters took things into their own hand. 582 00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:55,040 It says it was 36. So both of Lot's daughters 583 00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:58,360 became pregnant by their father. The older daughter had a son, 584 00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:01,720 and she named him Moab. He's the father of the Moabites 585 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:03,360 of today. The younger daughter also had a 586 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:08,080 son, and she named him Benami. He's the father of the Ammonites 587 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:12,600 of today. Clearly, it's evident that 588 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:17,360 Lord's trust in God and Lord's understanding of the God of his 589 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:22,880 uncle did not go past him. His wife definitely didn't catch 590 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:28,080 on to it, Didn't have an understanding of who this 591 00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:32,440 goddess, the God of Abraham, his daughters didn't seem to care 592 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:35,160 because they seem didn't seem to understand that this God of 593 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:37,600 Abraham will sustain us because if there's anything that's 594 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:40,240 happened in Lord's life is because he is sustained them. 595 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:44,840 Even the sons in law that lot had didn't trust him, didn't 596 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:47,880 take him at his word. So it's clearly evident that 597 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:51,600 there was, there was so much of confusion in Lord's life. 598 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:59,360 And when things became worse, people settled for what was 599 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,800 temporary rather than what was eternal. 600 00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:04,880 And we can see today, this can be any one of us. 601 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:10,160 You know, it's sounds OK, we won't be like Lord's wife. 602 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:14,880 But the truth is when when it comes to the reality, we can 603 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:18,920 become because a lot of us have a lot of things tied to our 604 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:20,440 physical things here on this world. 605 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:26,400 A lot of us have our hearts and our attention tied to the money 606 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:29,320 that we make to the things that we have deposited and our 607 00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:32,520 growing or we to the things that we've bought to the things that 608 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:35,880 we have. God will deal with our heart 609 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:37,960 idols. So I don't know what your heart 610 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:40,200 idols are today because God clearly constantly does a 611 00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:43,200 cleansing of our heart idols. If you've been dependent on 612 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:46,400 something, God hits it down. If you've been prideful, God 613 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:49,120 knocks it off. If you've been if you think 614 00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:52,080 you're too good, God makes us aware that you know, I think we 615 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:57,200 we, we still a lot of work in progress, but God's clearly 616 00:33:57,200 --> 00:34:00,880 saying. That we need to know what is 617 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:03,400 eternal, because when we make decisions based on what's 618 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:06,720 eternal, we will start living our life here with greater 619 00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:12,440 purpose. What does it look like when the 620 00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:15,080 outcry of the land? We will start looking at things 621 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:18,320 that and why do we start playing against dominions over the paths 622 00:34:18,320 --> 00:34:21,080 of darkness we pull down? Because those are things that 623 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:22,639 will plague the following generation. 624 00:34:22,639 --> 00:34:26,719 Those are things which if left untouched now we'll just grow 625 00:34:26,719 --> 00:34:30,719 into something and it'll just become like will will have it's 626 00:34:30,719 --> 00:34:33,360 own nature which will define the city, which will define the 627 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:36,639 people living in that city. We can't allow that, not on our 628 00:34:36,639 --> 00:34:39,280 watch. So that's why when we move 629 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:42,679 towards things eternal, we suddenly are moving towards, 630 00:34:42,679 --> 00:34:45,800 hey, these are things which will deflect us from following God. 631 00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:49,520 These are things which will create a false sense of idols in 632 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:51,920 our heart that will cause us to steer away, which will say, you 633 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:53,000 know what God, we don't need you. 634 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:54,639 We will move towards other things. 635 00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:59,000 God is asking us today, can we make a heart check? 636 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:01,200 Right? Because the outcry of the land 637 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:03,600 is moving us towards eternal things. 638 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:05,800 What is that? Finding Life. 639 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:10,960 From the life giver who's Jesus eternity sin no more where sin, 640 00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:13,040 the clutches of sin are breaking. 641 00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:18,080 The daughters took matters into their own hand. 642 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:22,160 And we see King Saul had to fight the Moabites and the 643 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:25,240 Ammonites. We see that they waged war with 644 00:35:25,240 --> 00:35:30,120 Jehoshaphat. We see Balam coming and speaking 645 00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:32,080 was caused to speak against Israel. 646 00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:34,720 And then we see the entire episode where a donkey opens his 647 00:35:34,720 --> 00:35:38,240 mouth. But it's interesting that after 648 00:35:38,240 --> 00:35:42,560 that, when we read that passage, it says that the women were sent 649 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:45,440 out to go and distract the men of Israel. 650 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:48,520 And many of them had sinned. Many of them had sinned. 651 00:35:49,240 --> 00:35:53,280 And we see a Levite who drew a spear right into the men in the 652 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:56,320 into an Israelite man and a woman who was sinning right 653 00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:59,840 there. That is what God's calling us to 654 00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:04,120 take a stand on, that we stand to pull down the schemes of the 655 00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:07,880 enemy, the schemes of the enemy, because the schemes of the enemy 656 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:11,080 works with the heart of man and causes man to respond towards 657 00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:14,320 that. God did give a command to the 658 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:17,440 Israelites in Deuteronomy that the Ammon, no one from their 659 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:20,840 generation can enter, 10 generations can enter into the 660 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:23,640 God's temple. And we see that there was a 661 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:27,920 point of time when after that, God redeemed and brought a 662 00:36:27,920 --> 00:36:31,320 Moabite woman into the lineage through which David was born, 663 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:32,880 eventually through which Jesus was born. 664 00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:36,240 Ruth, her name is, she was a Moabite woman. 665 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:38,520 Why? Because she trusted the God of 666 00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:42,200 Naomi. She came with Naomi and she 667 00:36:42,280 --> 00:36:44,320 married Boaz. And we see that God has a 668 00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:51,040 redemptive plan. But our focus, God's redemption 669 00:36:51,040 --> 00:36:54,080 plan, his love for his kind, is far bigger. 670 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:57,880 But are we responding to the outcry of our land? 671 00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:01,960 Are we responding to the outcry of our land? 672 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:05,520 And so today, as I conclude, I want to conclude with one thing. 673 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:10,040 How OK the outcry of the land? How can we? 674 00:37:10,240 --> 00:37:11,920 Move. Or what can we do? 675 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:14,760 And that's what I wanted to leave us with as I was part of a 676 00:37:14,760 --> 00:37:16,640 prayer movement. And as we were talking, they 677 00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:20,400 came up with this particular way of praying. 678 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:22,600 And I believe it's very important for all of us, 679 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:24,960 especially when you're moving from a city to a city. 680 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:27,000 When you're driving, you will encounter something called a 681 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:29,400 check post. A checkpost is when the 682 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:32,920 territory of one land finishes and the territory of another 683 00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:35,240 land begins. And so eventually there's a 684 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:38,800 trading off of even the jurisdictical power. 685 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:41,280 And so the police or the checkpost, the authorities are 686 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:43,240 there. And so I would ask us to have 687 00:37:43,240 --> 00:37:45,880 this checkpost prayer. What is the checkpost prayer? 688 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:48,040 That we have a territorial we will. 689 00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:51,360 Stop it right there where it is, which means you're alert to 690 00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:54,200 what's happening in our cities. We are reading the news we are 691 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,800 seeing, we are understanding what are some of the things that 692 00:37:56,800 --> 00:38:01,520 are happening in our cities. We see that that there's a huge 693 00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:06,840 thing for bribe and receiving money that's not accounted for, 694 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:08,280 that we'll have to pray against that. 695 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:11,880 We are constantly getting news that there are so much of drugs 696 00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:13,400 that's being peddled into our city. 697 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:15,960 We are praying against that. So see, these are things. 698 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:19,920 So when we have this checkpost prayer in every area that we are 699 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:23,440 situated and we will start seeing things do, we'll ask God 700 00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:25,680 alert us, God will show us different aspects of the news 701 00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:29,160 which we need to really look at. Why? 702 00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:32,080 Because that's where God wants to escape. 703 00:38:32,080 --> 00:38:35,920 Because whatever we allow to get through this checkpost will 704 00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:39,400 diminish the work of the Great Commission will put us back by a 705 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:41,280 few years. And we can't allow that. 706 00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:45,000 We need to allow God to keep us at the forefront to see it. 707 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:47,720 And so today I would challenge you as you heard this, probably 708 00:38:47,720 --> 00:38:50,160 you've been like, you know what? I, I've been always cribbing 709 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:52,680 about this. Start thanking God now God, 710 00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:54,120 thank you for bringing me to the city. 711 00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:56,680 Start thanking God and saying, God, thank you for keeping me 712 00:38:56,680 --> 00:38:58,880 here. Thank you for enabling me to be 713 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:01,200 here, part of this. And today I want to give glory 714 00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:04,440 and honor to your name and ask him God, what is it that I need 715 00:39:04,440 --> 00:39:07,880 to do for my city? Start getting your hands dirty 716 00:39:08,400 --> 00:39:12,560 because today God wants us to come to a place that we'll be 717 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:15,560 people because we are that. The city prospers. 718 00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:17,000 Just imagine what that will look like. 719 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:21,040 A testimony comes up because the Christians are here, the city 720 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:23,920 prospers. The early church moved to that 721 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:26,680 different places. The gospel spread across cities. 722 00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:29,360 I believe God is establishing us today. 723 00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:33,680 To take reign. So that these strongholds won't 724 00:39:33,680 --> 00:39:38,480 rule it, but God will rule it. His people will be welcoming and 725 00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:42,960 will allow things to thrive in the right sense where God is in 726 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:47,880 centre of everything. Jeremiah chapter 29 was 4 to 14. 727 00:39:48,160 --> 00:39:51,160 When Israel is going into captivity, this is what God says 728 00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:53,320 to them. He says build houses, settle 729 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:55,920 down, plant gardens and eat what they produce. 730 00:39:56,360 --> 00:39:57,960 Marry and have sons and daughters. 731 00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:00,760 Find wives for your sons. Give your daughters in marriage. 732 00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:03,360 Increase in number that do not decrease. 733 00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:05,640 Also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which 734 00:40:05,640 --> 00:40:09,080 I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because 735 00:40:09,080 --> 00:40:11,320 if it prospers, you too will prosper. 736 00:40:12,760 --> 00:40:19,400 Today we cannot allow the outcry of the land to reach God. 737 00:40:19,480 --> 00:40:21,920 We need to stop it. We need to stand and say God, we 738 00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:25,200 are pulling down all the altars that man has created all the 739 00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:28,320 strongholds that are there to say that you deserve the glory, 740 00:40:28,320 --> 00:40:31,480 you deserve the honour Sutri as I conclude I want to ask this 741 00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:34,880 can the outcry of the land may break our hearts and move our 742 00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:41,800 hands made causes us the may cause us who are the remnant to 743 00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:44,200 bring down God's righteousness because we have allowed it to 744 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:46,400 into our lives. Now it has to move from our 745 00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:50,760 lives to outside to others. The third may our hearts beat 746 00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:53,360 for the eternal and not for the temple. 747 00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:56,160 Because things will fade away, buildings will be pulled down to 748 00:40:56,160 --> 00:40:58,120 40 years because they don't meet the guidelines. 749 00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:03,520 But things of God will last. Things of God will last. 750 00:41:05,480 --> 00:41:07,560 Lord, I just thank you, Lord, as we've heard your word. 751 00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:10,640 I pray Lord, the Holy Spirit move in the hearts of us. 752 00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:12,920 Lord, today we are all in different cities. 753 00:41:12,920 --> 00:41:17,800 Lord Jesus, I pray we'll have a deep longing, Lord, for the what 754 00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:19,280 you are calling us to do in the city. 755 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:22,960 I pray, Lord, we'll start with our salvation story, Lord, where 756 00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:25,560 you redeemed us, You lifted us from the mighty clay. 757 00:41:25,560 --> 00:41:27,880 And I pray that Lord, a heartbeat will be for that 758 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,720 mighty clay to be pulled down. Lord, in our own very own 759 00:41:30,720 --> 00:41:34,400 cities. Lord Jesus, move in and through 760 00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:35,720 US. Take charge of us. 761 00:41:36,120 --> 00:41:37,720 Keep us in the center of your will. 762 00:41:37,720 --> 00:41:39,560 Lord. I pray that Lord, the outcry of 763 00:41:39,560 --> 00:41:42,160 the land will be so evident. Lord, show it to us that I pray 764 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:44,200 the scales of our eyes will come down. 765 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:47,240 The comfortable things that we are longing for will be torn in 766 00:41:47,240 --> 00:41:48,680 our lives like how you told the wheel. 767 00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:51,800 Tear it Lord Jesus, expose our heart idols. 768 00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:55,960 Lord Jesus, that we will run after you, we will chase after 769 00:41:55,960 --> 00:42:01,360 you, we will look for you. Lord, be glorified, be honoured. 770 00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:06,440 Go Lord, go and do great things. Lord Jesus, we declare you are 771 00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:10,760 great, you are worthy. Lord, we want your Kingdom come, 772 00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:14,200 Your will be done on this earth that we are living in. 773 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:17,240 Lord Jesus, I pray that you will bless each and everyone. 774 00:42:17,240 --> 00:42:21,000 Lord, help us to respond to the outcry of our land. 775 00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:23,480 Your most holy name we pray. Amen. 776 00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:25,400 Amen. Church. 777 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:29,000 I pray that as you go, God will be glorified in and through your 778 00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:31,040 lives. Have a blessed week. 779 00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:34,760 God bless you. Thanks for listening to this 780 00:42:34,760 --> 00:42:37,880 message. We hope you were blessed to hear 781 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:41,600 more messages like this. Make sure to subscribe and check 782 00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:44,280 out our podcast channel for past episodes. 783 00:42:44,720 --> 00:42:48,040 If you like what you are hearing, consider rating us 784 00:42:48,200 --> 00:42:51,200 subscribing and even sharing it with friends. 785 00:42:51,600 --> 00:42:55,920 That could really help us. For more content from Via Zion 786 00:42:56,280 --> 00:43:02,520 and to connect with us, go to Via Zion in Remember, whoever 787 00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:04,560 finds Jesus finds life.