1
00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,440
We welcome you to the We Are 
Zion sermon podcast. 

2
00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:13,400
We are a church based out of 
Chennai, India. 

3
00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:16,520
We are thrilled that you tuned 
in today and hope that you will 

4
00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:20,400
be refreshed, revived, and 
energized by what you hear. 

5
00:00:21,240 --> 00:00:24,480
Our desire is that you will live
life with a renewed sense of 

6
00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:28,200
purpose that stems from a 
vibrant faith in Jesus. 

7
00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,680
The Holy Spirit is on the move, 
and yet many times we miss out 

8
00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:36,480
on what He's doing in and around
us because we are agitated, 

9
00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:41,320
anxious, or too busy. 
When we enter the rest that God 

10
00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:45,120
has given us in Jesus, we are 
able to experience the Holy 

11
00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:48,880
Spirit with greater sensitivity 
and live with greater 

12
00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:52,400
confidence. 
This Pentecost, we meditate on 

13
00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:56,480
how the Holy Spirit brings rest 
to us and also enables us to 

14
00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:59,320
live at our fullest capacity and
potential. 

15
00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:02,000
As we get into God's Word, I 
just want to. 

16
00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:07,080
Remind you that the Pentecost 
Sunday, while it's not many, 

17
00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:08,920
many times we've actually 
overlooked it. 

18
00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:11,320
We're like, it's just, you know,
well, fifty days after 

19
00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:13,880
resurrection or whatever, but 
you have to understand it 

20
00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,600
literally shifted church 
history. 

21
00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:19,760
The church which was starting to
gather. 

22
00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,680
People are starting to gather 
together and pray and wait on 

23
00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:24,760
God. 
And he had said wait for the 

24
00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:26,920
gift that I'm going to give you.
And when they waited, when they 

25
00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,080
tarried in Jerusalem, the Spirit
of God fell on them. 

26
00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:33,800
And that was the day that the 
Jews had Shavuot. 

27
00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,840
We celebrated as Pentecost when 
the gift of the Holy Spirit was 

28
00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:38,880
given. 
He is a gift. 

29
00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,600
And so even as we get into God's
Word, my desire for you is that 

30
00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:45,760
you will desire this gift if you
haven't experienced him yet, 

31
00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:47,920
that you would invite him. 
And He's already in your life. 

32
00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,120
The minute you said yes to 
Jesus, he came into your heart. 

33
00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,640
But the experience of him is an 
ongoing, everyday thing. 

34
00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,240
And sometimes it really requires
us to surrender our preconceived

35
00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,200
notions about Him, letting us 
side our biases. 

36
00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:06,120
Maybe you've, you know, been 
wounded by people misusing, you 

37
00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:07,720
know, the understanding of the 
Holy Spirit. 

38
00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:11,680
But today I pray for a fresh 
revelation for you personally. 

39
00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,240
So even as we get into God's 
word, I was just, when you look 

40
00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,680
at the news all around, right, 
the world seems to be in chaos. 

41
00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,040
Wars around the world, markets 
are crashing. 

42
00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:25,920
There are lockdown precautions 
being set in place. 

43
00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:28,880
It looks like it's not getting 
better. 

44
00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:29,920
In fact, it looks like it's 
going. 

45
00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:33,880
From bad to worse. 
But where does this leave us? 

46
00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:38,720
The Spirit filled believer 
follower of Jesus. 

47
00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,520
Where does it leave us? 
What is our stance supposed to 

48
00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:43,840
be? 
And when I was just thinking 

49
00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,640
about it, we took a short break 
as a family and I had a lot of 

50
00:02:47,640 --> 00:02:50,880
time just to meditate on things 
on, you know, kind of. 

51
00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,720
Allowing God to. 
Heal certain things, give me 

52
00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:56,560
revelation on certain things, 
Help me pray again. 

53
00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,160
I hadn't hadn't been able to 
pray for a while because of the 

54
00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,800
kind of chaos that was created 
around, you know, us because of 

55
00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:05,880
different circumstances. 
But in the midst of it, the 

56
00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,640
three things I realized which 
caused the greatest chaos in our

57
00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:10,920
life are three PS. 
The first thing is problems. 

58
00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,880
The second thing is people, and 
the third thing is our 

59
00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:17,120
personality. 
Three PS And these are usually 

60
00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:21,320
the reasons for continual chaos 
in our lives, the problems that 

61
00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:25,280
just seem to come out of every 
closet, every corner, just kind 

62
00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,560
of blind side us people, 
difficult people, people who are

63
00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:30,680
divisive, people who are 
deceptive. 

64
00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:34,200
Come in, shake your life up. 
And then of course our 

65
00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,360
personality doesn't help because
some of us are aggressive, some 

66
00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,440
of us are very docile, some of 
us are evasive. 

67
00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:42,400
Our personality types are 
different. 

68
00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:47,360
But all of it contributes to the
fact that chaos exists, coexists

69
00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:49,280
with us. 
We don't live in a non chaotic 

70
00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,080
world. 
Even the most calm person 

71
00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,800
experiences some level of stress
and strain thanks to one of 

72
00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:58,800
these three. 
PS And the sad thing about 

73
00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,880
these, the agitation and the 
stress that is caused because of

74
00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:04,960
one of these three PS, is that 
it begins to disrupt our 

75
00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:08,960
emotions, right? 
It hurts our bodies because it 

76
00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,840
hurts our minds. 
And then it eventually starts to

77
00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,120
leak into relationships and 
eventually our faith takes a 

78
00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:17,600
beating. 
And I realized that in all our 

79
00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,200
lives, this happens whether we 
like it or not. 

80
00:04:20,399 --> 00:04:23,360
We feel a bit weather beaten 
after a certain set back. 

81
00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:25,960
We feel a bit, you know, 
crashed. 

82
00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:27,720
After a particular. 
Encounter. 

83
00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:32,520
But I believe in this next 
season with Pentecost being the 

84
00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:36,720
pivotal, you know, moment, God 
is shifting us and calling us 

85
00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,080
and beckoning to us to step into
a season of rest. 

86
00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:43,360
And if you're like me, you're 
probably going, God, I could use

87
00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,720
some rest. 
But what we mean by rest is not 

88
00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:50,320
exactly what God means by rest. 
And that's what I want to look 

89
00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:55,520
at today because I believe that 
this Pentecost, Ruach brings the

90
00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,600
rest in restoration. 
That's what I've titled today's 

91
00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:01,320
sermon. 
Ruach brings the rest in 

92
00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:05,920
restoration. 
When we talk about rest, there's

93
00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:08,360
a frequent misunderstanding. 
We think of rest as, you know, 

94
00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:13,480
sleeping it off, slacking off, 
taking a back step, sabbaticals.

95
00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:15,720
We have so many words for it, 
and none of these are bad on 

96
00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:19,960
their own. 
But many times we inadvertently 

97
00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:23,080
give up on our responsibilities.
Many times the things we are 

98
00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,800
paid to do, we don't do in the 
name of I need rest. 

99
00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:30,720
And many times we abdicate 
responsibilities in the name of 

100
00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:33,840
pursuing rest. 
And that is not the rest that 

101
00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:36,080
God is talking about. 
Because when you rest in these 

102
00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,600
ways, when you slack off in your
job, when you are signing out 

103
00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:42,080
and checking out of 
responsibilities, there is an 

104
00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:46,280
element of guilt that creeps in,
shame creeps in, sinful habits 

105
00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:48,800
get put in place that is not of 
God. 

106
00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,280
And so that's not the rest that 
God is talking about. 

107
00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,200
God in Hebrews chapter 3 through
the writer of Hebrews talks 

108
00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:57,960
about a different kind of rest 
and that is what we are going to

109
00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:00,920
be looking at today. 
When God says strive to enter 

110
00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:02,480
the rest, he's talking about the
rest that. 

111
00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,480
Jesus, God for us, when he died 
on the cross, when he rose 

112
00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:09,680
again, when he ascended and gave
us the Holy Spirit, He now says,

113
00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:13,280
you have the word of God, which 
is powerful, which is able to, 

114
00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:16,840
you know, distinguish between 
spirit and soul, bone and 

115
00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:18,080
marrow. 
It's so powerful. 

116
00:06:18,280 --> 00:06:21,960
He says, now that you've entered
this rest as followers of Jesus,

117
00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:25,440
it's important that you enjoy 
that rest, right? 

118
00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:27,800
And so the rest that he's 
talking about is different. 

119
00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:32,440
It is basically doing all that 
you were created to do, doing 

120
00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:36,120
all that you were called to do 
from a place of inner stillness 

121
00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:40,480
and calm confidence. 
Not a confidence in yourself, 

122
00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,440
but a confidence in the God who 
called and created you. 

123
00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:47,680
So let's look at Hebrews chapter
3, verses 7 to 14 to understand 

124
00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:49,720
better what this looks like in 
context. 

125
00:06:50,280 --> 00:06:53,520
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit 
says today, if you hear His 

126
00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:57,920
voice, do not harden your hearts
as in the rebellion on the day 

127
00:06:57,960 --> 00:06:59,680
of. 
Testing in the wilderness where 

128
00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:03,360
your Father's put me to the test
and saw my works for 40 years. 

129
00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:08,600
Therefore I was provoked to that
generation and said they always 

130
00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:10,800
go astray. 
In their heart they have not 

131
00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:14,000
known my ways. 
As I swore in my wrath they 

132
00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,480
shall not enter my rest. 
Take care, brothers, lest there 

133
00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:21,600
be in any of you an evil, 
unbelieving heart leading you to

134
00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:25,600
fall away from the living God. 
But exhort one another every 

135
00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:28,880
day, as long as it is called 
today, that none of you may be 

136
00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:31,520
hardened by the deceitfulness of
sin. 

137
00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:34,920
For we have come to share in 
Christ, if indeed we hold our 

138
00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,680
original confidence firm to the 
end, as it is said today. 

139
00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:42,000
If you hear His voice, do not 
harden your hearts as in the 

140
00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,640
rebellion. 
Going down to Hebrews chapter 4,

141
00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:47,840
verses 1:00 to 3:00 and 9:00 to 
11:00, it says. 

142
00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:51,280
Therefore, while the promise of 
entering His rest still stands, 

143
00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:54,680
let us fear lest any of you 
should seem to have failed to 

144
00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:57,360
reach it. 
For good news came to us just as

145
00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:00,480
to them, but the message they 
heard did not benefit them, 

146
00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:03,560
because they were not united by 
faith with those who listened. 

147
00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:06,840
For we who have believed, enter 
that rest. 

148
00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:11,240
So then there remains a Sabbath 
rest for the people of God, for 

149
00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:15,280
whoever has entered God's rest 
has also rested from his works, 

150
00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:19,680
as God did from his. 
Let us therefore strive to enter

151
00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:23,240
that rest so that no one may 
fall by the same sort of 

152
00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:27,560
disobedience. 
We who have believed enter that 

153
00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:29,600
rest. 
You and I, as believers in 

154
00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:30,960
Jesus, have entered the rest 
already. 

155
00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,400
Isn't that amazing? 
And yet it says, verse 11 says, 

156
00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:38,480
let us therefore strive to enter
that rest, which means I have 

157
00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:42,440
entered the rest but not yet 
achieved the fullness of that 

158
00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:43,840
rest. 
And therefore there's this 

159
00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:48,440
process for as long as I'm 
alive, I'm in that rest, but not

160
00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:51,320
yet fully in it. 
So it's it's striving to keep 

161
00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:55,000
entering that rest. 
And so today we're going to be 

162
00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:59,280
looking at how does Ruach bring 
rest in the restoration. 

163
00:08:59,560 --> 00:09:02,880
All of us, as followers of Jesus
are, have entered a new 

164
00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,240
dimension of the new creation 
life. 

165
00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,000
It is a life where the old is 
gone, the new has come. 

166
00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,640
So I'm in the process of my life
being restored. 

167
00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:12,520
I am out of the clutches of the 
enemy. 

168
00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:15,720
I'm in the Kingdom of light. 
The Kingdom of darkness has 

169
00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,640
stopped holding, exercising 
control over me. 

170
00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:21,840
But as I walk in the Kingdom of 
light, I'm still letting go of 

171
00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:25,560
the snares and the sins and the 
struggles that the old man had. 

172
00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:28,480
And in that process God is 
rebuilding me. 

173
00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:32,040
He is restoring me. 
And I find that many times in 

174
00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:36,280
this process of needing 
restoration, I start to strive 

175
00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:40,800
to restore myself. 
For example, I've always had a 

176
00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:46,120
problem with anger. 
I can in a moment, my anger will

177
00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:48,520
hit from zero to 100. 
I could say a bunch of things 

178
00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:51,840
that are completely terrible, 
and I could hurt the ones that 

179
00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:55,720
love me the most. 
And yet it has been an ongoing 

180
00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:59,280
work in progress when there have
been months on end when I didn't

181
00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:01,000
get angry. 
But there could just be one 

182
00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,920
trigger point when I let loose 
of my tongue and cause a lot of 

183
00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:06,240
damage in a man in a span of 5 
minutes. 

184
00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:10,880
And I'm learning that in the 
midst of that restoration, the 

185
00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:15,120
Holy Spirit being the agent of 
renewal and restoration, I have 

186
00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:20,600
so many times strived to shut my
mouth, strived to say the right 

187
00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:24,920
thing, but it came across false.
It came across inauthentic, it 

188
00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:29,160
came across insufficient because
I was striving in my own 

189
00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:31,560
strength. 
But on the other hand, in recent

190
00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:34,560
years I've employed the Holy 
Spirit in this space and said, 

191
00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:37,360
Lord, I am really. 
Dying to say something mean 

192
00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:39,600
right now. 
I don't know how to shut my 

193
00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:40,880
mouth. 
Can you help me? 

194
00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:44,240
And immediately the Holy Spirit 
brings this level of 

195
00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:46,920
self-control. 
Sometimes he won't let me say 

196
00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:50,520
it, but he'll make me actually 
walk backwards within myself and

197
00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:53,720
see, hey, is this a them problem
or is it a me problem? 

198
00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:57,760
Invariably it's a me problem. 
And so this is what it looks 

199
00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:01,440
like when we start striving too 
much for our own restoration. 

200
00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:04,360
Many times you might have been 
hit with a particular set back 

201
00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,040
or a struggle where your name 
was on the line. 

202
00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:10,520
Or maybe you had to save face 
and you found yourself striving 

203
00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,920
to protect your reputation, to 
protect your name, to actually 

204
00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:17,680
vindicate yourself. 
The beautiful thing is that in 

205
00:11:17,680 --> 00:11:20,000
the new creation life, when 
you're walking in step with 

206
00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,440
Jesus, He is our vindication. 
He fights for us. 

207
00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:26,520
He saves our face. 
He gives us the words to say 

208
00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:30,720
when accused. 
We forget that, and we begin to 

209
00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:33,400
strive. 
And there's this beautiful 

210
00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,160
passage where it says, work out 
your own salvation with fear and

211
00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:38,440
trembling. 
And some of us take it to the 

212
00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:41,280
next level of of trying to work 
every detail out. 

213
00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:44,960
But what that actually means is 
you need to invite the Holy 

214
00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:49,400
Spirit in where He wrestles with
you, He brings things to 

215
00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:51,880
resolution, He brings 
conviction. 

216
00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:55,200
He works in you and through you 
to afford a change. 

217
00:11:55,440 --> 00:12:00,160
It isn't a solo business. 
We are Co laboring with him. 

218
00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:04,160
And so here I want to help us 
understand that in the process 

219
00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:07,840
of restoration, we need to enter
a place of rest knowing that 

220
00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:09,480
God, you do all the heavy 
lifting. 

221
00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,440
I need to keep showing up. 
I need to keep surrendering. 

222
00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,680
I keep need to keep submitting 
my hard headedness to you, my 

223
00:12:15,680 --> 00:12:20,200
stubbornness to you, my 
wilfulness to you so that you 

224
00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:23,040
can do your greatest thing in 
me. 

225
00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:25,960
Everything about salvation was a
gift. 

226
00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:29,840
By grace through faith, we have 
been saved. 

227
00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:32,440
Nothing about salvation had 
anything to do with you, and 

228
00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:36,720
it's all done on that. 
At that moment when God made 

229
00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:41,760
this covenant with us, He took 
up everything on Himself. 

230
00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:44,760
All I need to do is I had to 
call on His name, repent of my 

231
00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:48,080
sins, confess. 
And I walked into a relationship

232
00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:51,040
and that's all. 
But the process of restoration 

233
00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:56,600
requires me to keep coming back 
to that throne room and with the

234
00:12:56,600 --> 00:13:00,720
help of the Holy Spirit, walking
forward, confronting the darkest

235
00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,320
sides of me, bringing it into 
the light and continuing to 

236
00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:08,920
walk. 
Forward When you look at the 

237
00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:12,360
restoration of an art piece. 
I was watching a couple of 

238
00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:13,960
videos to better understand 
this. 

239
00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:17,040
When there's an art piece that 
has been kept in storage for a 

240
00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:20,760
long time, fungus or mould or 
it's just gotten, you know, old 

241
00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:24,880
and the colours have faded, 
expert artists work on restoring

242
00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:28,680
it and it takes hours. 
Very intricate. 

243
00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:30,080
They have to sit in the right 
room, right? 

244
00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:34,440
Lighting work on every detail of
the original painting without 

245
00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:37,440
spoiling what was originally 
done by the master, but 

246
00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:40,000
restoring it to its original 
beauty. 

247
00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:44,400
Restoration is hard work and so 
many times we take it on 

248
00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:47,720
ourselves to bring restoration. 
God may have given you a promise

249
00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:50,960
about restoring you financially,
and here you find yourself 

250
00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:54,000
hustling and bustling, doing 
multiple jobs, you know, 

251
00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,280
moonlighting and this and that, 
and you're wondering why it's 

252
00:13:57,280 --> 00:13:59,320
not happening. 
Well, maybe it's time you stop 

253
00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:04,320
striving for your own 
restoration and find rest as God

254
00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:06,880
restores you. 
Maybe you've been waiting for 

255
00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:09,360
restoration in your health. 
You've been claiming those 

256
00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:11,720
promises, you've been visiting 
those doctors, you're eating 

257
00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:14,200
those supplements, but you're 
yet to see the promise. 

258
00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:17,240
I want to encourage you. 
Would you find rest? 

259
00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:19,880
As the Holy Spirit brings 
restoration. 

260
00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:22,520
That's what I mean when it says 
Ruach. 

261
00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:28,240
Brings the rest in restoration. 
We were recently in Vietnam and.

262
00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:31,360
As we were there, there's this 
beautiful basilica called the 

263
00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:34,480
Notre Dame Basilica. 
It looks very much like the 

264
00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:38,680
Notre Dame Cathedral in France, 
but this is a smaller version 

265
00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:41,160
and we couldn't visit it because
they were renovating it. 

266
00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:43,960
And if you look at this picture,
this is what I took from where I

267
00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:47,440
was standing. 
The entire frontage was covered 

268
00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:49,680
by scaffolding. 
And they were doing an intricate

269
00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:53,960
remodeling by keeping the 
original, you know how it should

270
00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:56,280
look, but they were kind of 
doing a lot of repairs on it. 

271
00:14:57,160 --> 00:14:59,920
And as they were working this, 
the scaffolding looked like it 

272
00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:02,160
was obscuring the view of the 
basilica. 

273
00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,960
But nevertheless, you could see 
behind the scaffolding as to how

274
00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:07,760
beautiful the original structure
was. 

275
00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:11,440
And then, as we were just 
standing outside and looking at 

276
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:15,720
it, one wall. 
Where the scaffolding was very 

277
00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:19,920
intensely put together had 
beautiful Bourgain villa just 

278
00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:23,480
popping over it right And this 
is the picture of that and it 

279
00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:27,600
had the sign said sorry for the 
inconvenience, but as I was. 

280
00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:29,920
Taking that picture, it was like
for me. 

281
00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:34,480
A prophetic image of what our 
lives look like when the Holy 

282
00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:37,040
Spirit is actively at work in 
restoring our lives. 

283
00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:41,280
Because while we might look like
we have scaffolding on us being 

284
00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:44,880
overhauled by God, being 
reworked, being touched up, 

285
00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:50,920
there is still rest that God is 
giving us because the Holy 

286
00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:52,360
Spirit is doing the heavy 
lifting. 

287
00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:55,200
I keep showing up. 
I keep saying here I am Lord, 

288
00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,400
work on me, use me. 
And what people get to see is a 

289
00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:01,720
sight for sore eyes. 
As I stood there looking at 

290
00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:05,000
those flowers, I thought of what
God does in my life while I'm 

291
00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:06,720
being restored for the next 40 
years. 

292
00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:08,160
I'm probably going to be getting
restored. 

293
00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:11,640
But along the way, the fruit 
that my life bears, the aroma of

294
00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:14,720
Christ that I carry, will keep 
blessing people along the way. 

295
00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:19,640
And that's the beauty of 
experiencing rest in the 

296
00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:22,560
restoration. 
And that is only mediated by the

297
00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:24,360
Holy Spirit. 
You and I on our own are 

298
00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:27,560
incapable of resting truly, 
because just the way we are 

299
00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:30,680
wired, we are wired to, you 
know, get excited. 

300
00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,320
We have an adrenaline gland 
which is always ready to pump. 

301
00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:37,200
We have our amygdala which is 
always on high alert for 

302
00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:39,400
anything fearful or anxiety 
causing. 

303
00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:44,720
But we have a God, a Holy Spirit
who knows the mind of God, who 

304
00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:48,120
knows the ways of God, who is 
drawing us closer to Jesus. 

305
00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:53,200
He's the one who's advocating 
for this restoration, working 

306
00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,680
hard at it, but he's also 
bringing rest at the same time 

307
00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:02,160
and. 
A year back when I was just 

308
00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:05,800
waiting on God for the direction
for church, I believe God gave 

309
00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:08,800
me this verse, Acts Chapter 9 
verse 31 which I want to share 

310
00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:12,440
with you because I didn't have 
the leading at any point in the 

311
00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:15,119
last year to share it out loud. 
It was just something I was 

312
00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:19,480
quietly believing for Acts 931. 
I'm reading it from the KJV. 

313
00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:24,720
Then had the church's rest 
throughout all Judea and Galilee

314
00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:29,440
and Samaria and were edified. 
Walking in the fear of the Lord 

315
00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:32,600
and in the comfort of the Holy 
Ghost were multiplied. 

316
00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:37,800
This is post the death of 
Stephen. 

317
00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,280
There's huge amount of 
persecution which broke out. 

318
00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:43,520
When the persecution happened, 
the church broke into bits and 

319
00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,080
dispersed. 
And the beautiful thing was the 

320
00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:51,120
disciples were going across the 
lands and home groups were being

321
00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:52,800
started up. 
Churches were starting to be 

322
00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:55,360
birthed. 
It was not the end, it was 

323
00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:59,560
merely the beginning. 
But at that moment this 

324
00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:02,240
inconspicuous verse jumps out at
us. 

325
00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:07,080
It says then the churches had 
rest throughout all these 

326
00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:09,920
regions and what happened when 
they had rest? 

327
00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:12,840
They were edified. 
They walked in the fear of the 

328
00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,720
Lord and the comfort of the Holy
Ghost, and they multiplied. 

329
00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:19,560
They grew in number, and that's 
what I want to bring us today. 

330
00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:23,160
I believe that God is bringing 
the church into a season of 

331
00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:26,520
rest, but it's not a season of 
rest where we slack back, you 

332
00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:28,920
know, just kind of lay back and 
say, you know what, our job's 

333
00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:30,240
done. 
Let people come in. 

334
00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:33,440
That's not what it means. 
It is talking about a deep sense

335
00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:38,320
of trust in God, His Word, His 
promises, and his impending 

336
00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:40,640
return. 
It is trusting that God is who 

337
00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:43,160
he says he is. 
It is trusting that the Kingdom 

338
00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:45,360
is in His hands, not in the 
hands of our leaders. 

339
00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:48,720
It is trusting that everything 
He allows on the earth is 

340
00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:52,520
completely watched over by Him, 
that He is mindful of us. 

341
00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:55,240
That's what it looks like to be 
at rest. 

342
00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:59,280
And the interesting thing is 
when you and I, as part of the 

343
00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:05,040
church, when we are at rest, God
can move upon us and do His work

344
00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:07,840
in US in wholeness. 
Think about it. 

345
00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:12,640
If you are agitated, if you are 
going through upheaval after 

346
00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:15,120
upheaval, ups and downs, ups and
downs. 

347
00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:17,040
Your faith is all over the 
place. 

348
00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:19,360
You're questioning. 
God, you're one minute doubtful,

349
00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:22,520
one minute high on faith. 
And you're going through these 

350
00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:28,200
incredible ups and downs many 
times when you're in the 

351
00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:30,280
doldrums, when you're actually 
doubting God. 

352
00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,520
Your doubt comes from a place of
is God really with me? 

353
00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:37,800
Is he hearing my prayer? 
Did he really say these things 

354
00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:40,320
to me? 
But when I come to a place of 

355
00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:44,040
deep rest internally, when I'm 
resting in the fact that you 

356
00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:47,400
know what, God is almighty, He's
solved and he knows what he's 

357
00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:51,120
doing, I can actually begin to 
see God move. 

358
00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:54,200
I can actually begin to sense 
his voice again. 

359
00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:58,080
I can actually begin to see Him 
change things on the earth for 

360
00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:01,800
for the betterment of people. 
I can actually begin to see His 

361
00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:05,280
Kingdom come and His will be 
done in spite of global 

362
00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,280
upheavals. 
That's what happens when you and

363
00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:12,840
I come to a place of rest. 
And just like that verses, there

364
00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:17,800
are three things that the Holy 
Spirit does when we allow 

365
00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:21,680
ourselves to rest in him. 
When I rest in Christ, when I 

366
00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:25,400
rest in God, the Holy Spirit 
first of all brings edification.

367
00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:29,520
What is it to be edified? 
The word edifice, right, of a 

368
00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,840
building comes from this word 
and basically it means to be 

369
00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:38,120
rebuilt, to be strengthened, to 
be reinforced, to be built up. 

370
00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:42,080
The word is oikodomio, which 
means that there is a enabling 

371
00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:45,080
to be strong and sturdy and to 
stand fast. 

372
00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:48,760
And the Holy Spirit is the one 
who helps us to do that. 

373
00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:52,280
You know, in the coming seasons 
of our lives, things are not 

374
00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:54,480
going to get better in the sense
that all the wars are all going 

375
00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:56,440
to disappear. 
Things are just going to, you 

376
00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:58,560
know, plateau out. 
No, it's going to probably get 

377
00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:00,840
more intense because that's what
the word of God says. 

378
00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:06,080
But when I am at rest. 
When my spirit is at rest, when 

379
00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:07,840
the. 
Spirit of God rests on me. 

380
00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:11,240
I begin to be edified by Him. 
I begin to be rebuilt. 

381
00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:13,320
I begin to be strengthened by 
Him. 

382
00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:17,760
And this deep enrichment happens
where He nourishes me from 

383
00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:20,840
within. 
He begins to fill me with a 

384
00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:24,800
strength that is not my own. 
He begins to help me see things 

385
00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:29,040
the way God sees it. 
And He leaves me more refreshed 

386
00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,560
than I ever was. 
He also reinforces my faith. 

387
00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:34,320
Many times our faith gets 
wobbly. 

388
00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:37,440
If you've been watching the news
of late, even in our own 

389
00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,720
country, some days are scary 
when you think, God, where is 

390
00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:42,840
this all going to go? 
What's going to happen to 

391
00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:44,840
minority groups? 
What's going to happen to us? 

392
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:49,040
Lord, it feels like the end 
times are closer than ever 

393
00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:52,360
before, too close for comfort. 
And that's when your faith gets 

394
00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:56,600
reinforced, when you sit with 
the Holy Spirit in this place of

395
00:21:56,600 --> 00:22:01,320
rest and say, Lord, speak to me.
Tell me how I actually face all 

396
00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:04,480
of this. 
Foundations which are shaky get 

397
00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:08,840
reinforced. 
We are edified from within, The 

398
00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:11,160
psalmist writes. 
The sons of Korah write in Psalm

399
00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:15,440
46, verses 10:50. 
Be still and know that I am God.

400
00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:17,520
I will be exalted among the 
nations. 

401
00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:20,880
I will be exalted in the earth. 
The Lord of hosts is with us. 

402
00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:24,240
The God of Jacob is our fortress
seller. 

403
00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:28,440
The last verse of the sun, 
that's what we read. 

404
00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:34,600
Be still and know that I am God.
If I'm not still I will not know

405
00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:37,560
him. 
The sons of Korra, they were the

406
00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:41,400
descendants of Korra and his 
gang who led a rebellion with 

407
00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,200
Moses as their leader. 
When Moses they they rebelled 

408
00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:47,960
against Moses leadership and 
what happened was God told Moses

409
00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:51,720
separate the rest of the 
community away from Korra and 

410
00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:55,960
God opened the ground up under 
Kora's family tents and 

411
00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:59,000
swallowed all of them up and 
then the ground closed back over

412
00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:01,840
them. 
And so when these guys wrote the

413
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,600
Psalm, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the 

414
00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:07,880
heart of the ocean, yet I will 
not be shaken for God is within 

415
00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:10,160
her. 
These guys knew the reality of 

416
00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:14,640
who their God was and so they 
were instructing generations to 

417
00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:19,640
come be still and know God. 
Be still and know Him. 

418
00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:24,440
He will be exalted. 
They knew the problem with man 

419
00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:27,760
exalting himself above God and 
so they could confidently stay 

420
00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:32,800
still yourself and know. 
God know that he is God. 

421
00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:36,520
That's what edification looks 
like, coming to a place of 

422
00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:38,520
stillness and saying, Lord, I 
want to know you. 

423
00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:41,240
And in knowing God, he fills us 
with his strength. 

424
00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:45,080
He fills us with his love. 
He fills us with wisdom and 

425
00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:47,760
understanding. 
The second thing that we saw 

426
00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:50,400
from that Acts 931, it says they
were edified. 

427
00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:52,320
They were walking in the fear of
the Lord. 

428
00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:55,080
The second thing that the Holy 
Spirit does when He's resting on

429
00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:57,280
us is enables us to walk in the 
fear of God. 

430
00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:00,760
In Isaiah 11 verses 2 to 3, 
there's this prophecy that 

431
00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:02,760
Isaiah gives about Jesus who is 
coming. 

432
00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:05,680
It says the Spirit of the Lord 
shall rest upon him, the spirit 

433
00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:09,680
of wisdom and understanding, the
spirit of counsel and might, the

434
00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:12,480
spirit of knowledge and the fear
of the Lord and His delight 

435
00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:13,840
shall be in the fear of the 
Lord. 

436
00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:18,640
He shall not judge by what is I 
see or decide disputes by what 

437
00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:22,880
his years hear. 
They were talking about Jesus. 

438
00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:24,960
He was talking about Jesus who 
was going to come. 

439
00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:28,080
But the interesting thing is the
reinforcement of the word fear 

440
00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:31,080
of the Lord. 
What is this fear of the Lord? 

441
00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:32,920
Jesus would walk in the fear of 
the Lord. 

442
00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:36,520
Jesus was God himself and yet he
was walking in the fear of the 

443
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:39,040
Lord, and his delight will be in
the fear of the Lord. 

444
00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,320
Jesus was modelling what it 
looks like to walk in an awe 

445
00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:47,960
filled reverence of God himself.
He was basically. 

446
00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:51,880
Bringing to us first hand 
understanding of what it was 

447
00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:54,520
like to walk on this earth 
sinless. 

448
00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:57,160
And yes, you and I are frail. 
We are. 

449
00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:00,080
Human we are prone to sin, but 
the model. 

450
00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:04,160
Was set for us in Jesus and 
walking in the fear of the Lord 

451
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:07,320
is basically walking in a way 
that pleases. 

452
00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:11,560
When Jesus got baptized, he came
out this voice from heaven said 

453
00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,720
here is my son in whom I am well
pleased. 

454
00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:18,880
Jesus had done nothing yet he 
had not pursued the Kingdom. 

455
00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,800
He had not established it. 
He had just come, came to the 

456
00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:24,800
Jordan, got baptized by his 
cousin and that was it. 

457
00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:27,920
That was all God needed. 
And he said, here's my son in 

458
00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:30,960
whom I am pleased, walking in 
the fear of the Lord is walking 

459
00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:33,720
in obedience, it's walking in 
submission. 

460
00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:36,840
It is keeping the first thing 
first, which is God himself. 

461
00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:41,080
And it is walking in a way that 
delights his heart, walking in 

462
00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:43,640
such a way that every part of 
our life, the private, the 

463
00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:49,280
public, the personal, everything
pleases him, honours him. 

464
00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:52,000
Many times we think, well, if I,
you know, I behave well at 

465
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,280
church. 
God's pleased God. 

466
00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:57,880
Desires that you live in such a 
way that pleases him Monday to 

467
00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:00,000
Sunday and Sunday to Monday 
again. 

468
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,760
He cares that you live in such a
way that honours him. 

469
00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,200
When you're all alone in a room,
when you're in front of your 

470
00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:09,000
pastor, when you're sitting with
your children, when you're with 

471
00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:11,080
your extended family who drive 
you crazy. 

472
00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,720
How you behave in every place, 
how you live, The decisions you 

473
00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:17,880
make in your business behind 
closed doors, the way you work, 

474
00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:23,600
the way you live with a certain 
integrity, all of it matters for

475
00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:25,960
the Christian. 
The compartments are all 

476
00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:28,640
connected. 
There is a leakage from each 

477
00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:30,040
thing. 
If I'm living in a with a lack 

478
00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:32,360
of integrity at work, it will 
seep into my marriage. 

479
00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,920
It will seep into my parenting. 
It will see sweep into my seep 

480
00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:38,400
into my leadership. 
There is no separation. 

481
00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:41,640
Too many of us are living in 
this place where we live in the 

482
00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:43,880
fear of man. 
We've forgotten what it looks 

483
00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:47,760
like to live in the fear of God.
Living in the fear of God means 

484
00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:51,440
that I'm living conscious of 
God's gaze upon me. 

485
00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:55,280
He cares how I speak to my maid.
He cares how I speak to my 

486
00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:57,520
little child. 
He cares how I speak to my 

487
00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:00,040
parent. 
He cares how I how I live 

488
00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:01,800
privately. 
The choices I make. 

489
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,280
Many of us think God cares about
only the huge things. 

490
00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:06,960
Well, I'm sorry to say, God 
cares about the smallest thing. 

491
00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:11,520
Not because he's a micromanager,
but because he he delights in 

492
00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:14,720
his people. 
I am the apple of his eye, which

493
00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:16,720
means he keeps his gaze on me 
all the time. 

494
00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:21,120
Which means it brings a smile to
his face when I forgive someone.

495
00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,960
It brings a smile to his face 
when I go out of my way to love 

496
00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:26,880
someone who's not so loving 
towards me. 

497
00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:30,200
That is the God we worship. 
His gaze is on us. 

498
00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:34,440
How are you living? 
When you are at rest and the 

499
00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:37,080
Holy Spirit rests on you, you 
walk in the fear of God. 

500
00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:42,400
The third thing is that you will
grow and multiply many times. 

501
00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:44,400
This is always met with this. 
Or is it? 

502
00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:48,440
Is this a prosperity teaching? 
No growth multiplication 

503
00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:51,360
expansion is a Kingdom thing. 
You look at all of Jesus 

504
00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:53,880
analogies about the Kingdom, 
it'll always show something 

505
00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:57,600
small starting out really really
tiny and inconspicuous and just 

506
00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:01,840
growing accommodating more 
spreading white. 

507
00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:05,640
The apostle Paul wrote in two 
Corinthians Chapter 9 verses 

508
00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:08,040
11:50. 
He said he who supplies seed to 

509
00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:11,640
the sower and bread for food 
will supply and multiply your 

510
00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:15,080
seed for sowing and increase the
harvest of your righteousness. 

511
00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:19,480
You will be enriched in every 
way to be generous in every way,

512
00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:22,120
which through US will produce 
Thanksgiving to God. 

513
00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:25,680
For the ministry of this service
is not only supplying the needs 

514
00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:28,120
of the Saints, but is also 
overflowing in many 

515
00:28:28,120 --> 00:28:31,680
thanksgivings to God. 
Basically, the Corinthian church

516
00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:35,160
had been generous and Paul was 
commending them and saying, hey,

517
00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:37,160
you know what? 
Your generosity, it didn't just 

518
00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:39,080
bless one person or two, it 
blessed the body. 

519
00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:43,120
And your generosity is going to 
cause so much of an overflow of 

520
00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:45,080
Thanksgiving. 
And he's saying, because you 

521
00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:48,720
gave your seed to someone else, 
God who supplies seed will 

522
00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:50,800
multiply it. 
He will also multiply the 

523
00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:55,080
harvest of your righteousness. 
You will be enriched in every 

524
00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:58,360
way, he says. 
So that you will be blessed and 

525
00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:00,200
you will continue to be a 
blessing to others. 

526
00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:04,720
When the Spirit of God is 
resting on you, there will be 

527
00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:07,200
growth in your life, a 
supernatural kind of increase. 

528
00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:10,480
It will not look like what you 
can calculate on your excel 

529
00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:12,880
sheet or. 
What you can plan for it will be

530
00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:15,960
beyond your plans. 
It will be in such a way that 

531
00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:18,120
you cannot take credit for it 
because you didn't plan for 

532
00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:20,120
that. 
He will do. 

533
00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:23,200
What only God can do, it'll be 
God induced, it'll be God LED, 

534
00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:26,880
but it'll be purely supernatural
that you and I cannot take 

535
00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:29,320
credit. 
Our striving, our hustling will 

536
00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:31,720
not bring that kind of increase.
It is God. 

537
00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:36,320
This is talked about throughout.
Scripture in Isaiah 54, he says 

538
00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:39,400
strengthen, lengthen your tent 
pegs, you know, spread your 

539
00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:40,880
curtains while you're going to 
expand. 

540
00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:44,640
He's talking to people who are 
heading into exile because that 

541
00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:47,440
is the promise of the Kingdom. 
The Kingdom is ever increasing. 

542
00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:50,920
It is growing. 
Many people tell us, oh, I loved

543
00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:53,320
it when church was just five 
people or 10 people. 

544
00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:55,800
But anything that is healthy 
grows. 

545
00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:58,080
Anything that is not healthy 
will not grow. 

546
00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:01,960
That's a biological fact. 
And whatever is in biology is 

547
00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:04,120
informed by the creator of all 
the earth. 

548
00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:06,440
And So what is healthy will 
grow. 

549
00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:10,080
And so when the. 
Spirit of God rests on you 

550
00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:13,880
without beyond your control. 
Things will start to multiply. 

551
00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:16,880
Things will start to grow. 
You will begin to be a blessing 

552
00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:19,960
to many. 
And as I was meditating on this,

553
00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:23,040
the Lord gave me this beautiful 
story that I want to leave with 

554
00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:26,040
you from the Word of God. 
It is the story of David and 

555
00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:29,080
Abigail. 
Abigail was the wife of Nabal, 

556
00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:33,120
and the story is found in One 
Samuel chapter 25, verses 1 to 

557
00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:34,480
33. 
I'm not going to read the whole 

558
00:30:34,480 --> 00:30:36,520
of it. 
It's a long passage, but I'm 

559
00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:38,880
just going to pick and choose 
some verses from it to help you 

560
00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:43,600
understand what it looks like to
be at rest and to employ the 

561
00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:45,920
Holy Spirit's help in the way we
live. 

562
00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:51,000
David was not yet king. 
He was on the run from Saul. 

563
00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,640
He was hiding in the wilderness.
And while he was in the 

564
00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:57,520
wilderness, Nabal, who was this?
He was a bit of a cranky guy. 

565
00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:01,480
Was was very foolish in the way 
he dealt with things, short 

566
00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:04,400
tempered, loudmouthed. 
He was married to a beautiful 

567
00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:06,680
woman called Abigail, who was 
said to have been a woman of 

568
00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:08,720
discernment. 
He's one of the most popular 

569
00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:11,360
baby girl names actually for the
last 10 years at least. 

570
00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:18,000
Now David was in the wilderness 
when Nabal's guys had shepherds 

571
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:21,160
had been in the same region. 
So David and his men, he had a 

572
00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:24,480
group of men who were warriors 
who were lionhearted men. 

573
00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,080
They had kept guard of Nabal's 
guys. 

574
00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:32,160
So a couple of months later he 
hears that Nabal's whole company

575
00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:35,640
would shearing their sheep. 
So basically when they shear the

576
00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:37,840
sheep, it was the the season 
shift. 

577
00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:39,360
They were actually going to 
probably sell it. 

578
00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,200
There was there was going to be 
an increase of, you know, wealth

579
00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:44,160
already. 
Nabal was very rich. 

580
00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:45,640
That's what it says. 
He was very rich. 

581
00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:48,280
He had so much. 
He had thousands of cattle, you 

582
00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:53,400
know, 1000 donkeys and etcetera.
So what David does was he says 

583
00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:58,200
to his young men, go up to. 
Carmel and ask Nabal to give us 

584
00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:00,400
some of its feast time. 
They're feasting. 

585
00:32:00,400 --> 00:32:03,440
They probably have surplus. 
Let them give us something to 

586
00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:04,880
eat. 
Right? 

587
00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:09,080
So David's men go to Nabal. 
They request just as their 

588
00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:12,280
leader David had asked them. 
They requested very kindly. 

589
00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:14,800
They said, you know your men 
were in Kamal cup some time 

590
00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:15,960
back. 
We looked after them. 

591
00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:18,040
Nothing of theirs got you know 
went missing. 

592
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:21,360
So could you please reward us by
giving us something to eat? 

593
00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:23,720
You guys are feasting anyway, 
can you share with us? 

594
00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:29,000
And this is what David answered.
Nabal answered David's servants.

595
00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:31,600
It says, Who is David, who is 
the son of Jesse? 

596
00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:34,400
There are many servants these 
days who are breaking away from 

597
00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:36,160
their master. 
Shall I take my bread and my 

598
00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:39,520
water and my meat that I have 
killed for my shearers, and give

599
00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:41,120
it to men who come from I don't 
know where? 

600
00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:44,800
So David's young men turned 
away, came back and told him all

601
00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:48,560
this. 
Then David told his men, Every 

602
00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:52,320
man, strap on your sword. 
David also strapped on his 

603
00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:54,720
sword. 
And 400 men went up after David,

604
00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:58,920
but one of the young men told 
Abigail what happened. 

605
00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:03,600
And this is. 
What the man told David, he 

606
00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:06,960
says, Behold, David, send 
messengers out of the wilderness

607
00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:09,160
to greet our master, and he 
railed at them. 

608
00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:12,600
Yet the men were very good to 
us, and we suffered no harm, and

609
00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:15,600
we did not miss anything when we
were in the fields, as long as 

610
00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:18,280
we went with them. 
They were a wall to us both by 

611
00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:21,840
night and by day, all the while 
we were with them keeping the 

612
00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:23,640
sheep. 
Now, therefore, know this, and 

613
00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:27,000
consider what you should do, for
harm is determined against our 

614
00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:30,400
master and against all his 
house, and he's such a worthless

615
00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:32,400
man that one cannot speak to 
him. 

616
00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:38,120
What did Abigail do next? 
Abigail made haste, took 200 

617
00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:42,000
loaves and two skins of wine and
five sheep already prepared, and

618
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:46,640
five sears of parched grain and 
100 clusters of raisins, 200 

619
00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:49,920
cakes of figs, laid them on 
donkeys said to her, Young men, 

620
00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:51,760
go before me, I will come after 
you. 

621
00:33:51,760 --> 00:33:58,280
I'm going to stop right there. 
Abigail was a woman of 

622
00:33:58,280 --> 00:33:59,960
discernment. 
This is what was used to 

623
00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:01,720
describe her earlier in the 
chapter. 

624
00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:03,800
How did she know what to 
provide? 

625
00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:07,880
She just knew she had to do what
she had to do, and the alarm at 

626
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:10,520
hearing how her husband had 
responded to good men, to men 

627
00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:13,480
who had protected, spurred her 
on to do this. 

628
00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:17,679
Now coming further down, she's 
going down the hill, David and 

629
00:34:17,679 --> 00:34:20,880
his men angry, ready for war, 
ready to wipe out. 

630
00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:25,520
All the males of Nabal's family 
are walking up the same 

631
00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:28,159
mountain. 
They come face to face and this 

632
00:34:28,159 --> 00:34:30,719
is what happens. 
When Abigail saw David, she 

633
00:34:30,719 --> 00:34:33,719
hurried and got down from the 
donkey, fell before David on her

634
00:34:33,719 --> 00:34:36,800
face, bow to the ground. 
She fell at his feet and said, 

635
00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:39,199
On me alone, my Lord, be the 
guilt. 

636
00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:43,040
Please let your servant speak in
your ears, and hear the words of

637
00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:45,440
your servant. 
Let not, my Lord, regard this 

638
00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:48,480
worthless fellow Nabal, For as 
his name is, so is he. 

639
00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:50,719
Nabal is his name. 
Folly is with him. 

640
00:34:50,719 --> 00:34:53,920
But I, your servant, did not see
the young men of my Lord whom 

641
00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:56,639
you send. 
Now then, as the Lord, as the 

642
00:34:56,639 --> 00:34:58,960
Lord lives. 
And as your soul lives, because 

643
00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:02,440
the Lord has restrained you from
blood guilt and from saving with

644
00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:05,760
your own hand, now then, let 
your enemies and those who seek 

645
00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:07,720
to do evil to my Lord be as 
Nabal. 

646
00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:11,760
Now let his present that your 
servant has brought to my Lord 

647
00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:14,120
be given to the young men who 
follow my Lord. 

648
00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:18,120
Please forgive the trespass of 
your servant, for the Lord will 

649
00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:21,760
certainly make my Lord a sure 
house, because my Lord is 

650
00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:24,760
fighting the battles of the 
Lord, and evil shall not be 

651
00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:26,360
found in you so long as you 
live. 

652
00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:29,920
If men rise up to pursue you and
to seek your life, the life of 

653
00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:32,240
my Lord shall be bound in the 
bundle of the living, in the 

654
00:35:32,240 --> 00:35:35,680
care of the Lord your God and 
the lives of your enemies. 

655
00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:38,000
He shall sling out as from the 
hollow of a sling. 

656
00:35:38,240 --> 00:35:40,960
And the Lord has done to my Lord
according to all the good that 

657
00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:43,640
He has spoken concerning you and
has appointed you Prince of 

658
00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:46,040
Israel. 
My Lord shall have no cause of 

659
00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:50,040
grief or pangs of conscience for
having shed blood without cause,

660
00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:53,400
or for my. 
God working salvation himself. 

661
00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:56,360
And when the Lord is dealt well,
my Lord, then remember your 

662
00:35:56,360 --> 00:36:00,200
servant David said to Abigail, 
Blessed be the Lord, the God of 

663
00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:02,320
Israel who sent you this day to 
meet me. 

664
00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:06,080
Blessed be your discretion. 
Blessed be you who have kept me 

665
00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:10,200
this day from blood guilt and 
from working salvation with my 

666
00:36:10,240 --> 00:36:14,120
own hand. 
If you look at the narrative, 

667
00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:17,680
it's so in line with what we've 
been talking about, where many 

668
00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:23,520
times in our desperation to be 
restored, we are working out our

669
00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:28,600
own methods of being saved. 
David was promised a throne, but

670
00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:30,560
for 13 years he was treated like
a dog. 

671
00:36:31,840 --> 00:36:35,920
He was made to run around, hide.
Saul, instead of pursuing his 

672
00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:39,000
enemies, was pursuing David. 
David had to hide out in the 

673
00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:40,800
wilderness. 
He had to take his parents away,

674
00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:43,760
hide them, too. 
He had a motley crew of about 

675
00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:47,400
400 men who had disgruntled, 
angry young men who surrounded 

676
00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:49,520
them him with, you know, and 
they came together. 

677
00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:52,680
He had to go to the Philistines.
He had to defect there to 

678
00:36:52,680 --> 00:36:54,680
protect himself. 
What a life. 

679
00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:57,240
So much of stress, so much of 
anxiety. 

680
00:36:57,240 --> 00:36:59,840
No wonder he's such a powerful 
poet when he writes those 

681
00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:01,800
Psalms. 
But here's the thing. 

682
00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:08,040
Abigail, having the spirit of 
discernment in her, knew that 

683
00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:11,240
she could intercept this because
she did that. 

684
00:37:11,240 --> 00:37:15,240
She saved her household, she 
prevented unwanted bloodshed, 

685
00:37:15,440 --> 00:37:17,040
and she eventually grew her 
home. 

686
00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:19,120
We'll look at that in a bit. 
But here's the thing. 

687
00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:22,520
Here's what you know stood out 
to me out of the whole story. 

688
00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:27,120
Sometimes we're so stressed and 
stretched to mental and 

689
00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:29,240
emotional full capacity, we've 
hit our mark. 

690
00:37:29,240 --> 00:37:32,680
We cannot do more. 
We're desperately trying to work

691
00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:35,480
out how we can save ourselves, 
how we can get ourselves out of 

692
00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:38,920
a problem to save our name. 
We begin to fight the wrong 

693
00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:41,600
battles. 
And Abigail in discernment was 

694
00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:43,600
able to point that out to David.
She said, you know what? 

695
00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:45,520
You've been called to fight the 
Lord's battles. 

696
00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:47,840
This is not a battle you need to
fight. 

697
00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:51,680
Nabal is not your enemy. 
Nabal is crazy, yes, but this is

698
00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:54,560
not something you need to dirty 
your hands over, because when 

699
00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,360
you are going to get on the 
throne, which you will, may your

700
00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:00,760
hands be clean. 
And I wonder if because she 

701
00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:04,280
whispered these things to him in
the next chapter, he has a 

702
00:38:04,280 --> 00:38:07,720
chance to actually kill Saul. 
Saul and his men are in a cave. 

703
00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:10,960
David is so close. 
He could, his guys say, why 

704
00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:13,640
don't you just kill him? 
But he's as far be it from me 

705
00:38:13,640 --> 00:38:16,720
that I would touch the anointed.
I wonder if this piece of 

706
00:38:16,720 --> 00:38:20,360
discerning advice caused him to 
take the right choice there, 

707
00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:24,240
make the right choice there. 
It's time to ask the Spirit of 

708
00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:25,960
God, Lord, what battle must I 
fight? 

709
00:38:26,200 --> 00:38:27,880
There are some battles some of 
us are fighting. 

710
00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:30,560
We have no business fighting it 
because it is not meant for us. 

711
00:38:30,920 --> 00:38:33,400
But we have stepped into this 
because of maybe the pressure to

712
00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:36,400
save someone else or you know, 
to save our own face. 

713
00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:38,960
When God is saying, hey, can you
be silent because I want to 

714
00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:41,760
fight for you? 
Can you step, step out of this 

715
00:38:42,240 --> 00:38:45,400
so that I can make these things 
workout in your, in your favour.

716
00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:48,360
I am your vindication. 
You can't do it on your own. 

717
00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:52,920
It's interesting that Abigail 
didn't turn to Nabal and fight 

718
00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:55,440
with him. 
She decided to save the 

719
00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:57,360
household by going to the source
directly. 

720
00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:03,040
David could have easily wiped 
out all the males. 

721
00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:04,520
There was number scope for 
anything. 

722
00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:07,360
Further, she had tons of 
servants, shearers, and 

723
00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:11,080
shepherds, all of whom would 
have perished if David was 

724
00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:15,520
allowed to fight these men. 
In gentleness with discernment, 

725
00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:18,280
she fought for her household. 
She didn't argue about what has 

726
00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:20,280
to be done, she just did what 
she knew she had to do. 

727
00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:27,720
When we live in hyper anxiety, 
eternal rush, some of us live 

728
00:39:27,720 --> 00:39:29,480
like this. 
I think most of us, we live in a

729
00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:32,640
if you live in the fast-paced 
cities of India, at least you 

730
00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:34,280
feel like you wake up and you're
ready to run. 

731
00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:35,760
You just get up, you have to do 
things. 

732
00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:38,520
The buzz around you doesn't die 
till about 12 in the night. 

733
00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:40,920
You're still, you know, a buzz. 
You have adrenaline running 

734
00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:42,560
through you. 
You have to make quick 

735
00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:44,800
decisions. 
But the problem is when we live 

736
00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:48,600
in this permanently rushed and 
stressed stage, we tend to turn 

737
00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:51,160
away from God. 
He isn't our top most priority. 

738
00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:56,000
We tend to make decisions that 
are not always God honouring and

739
00:39:56,000 --> 00:40:03,280
it's time that you ask God to 
help you make decisions where 

740
00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:07,960
you are positioned in aweful. 
Reverence of him here if you 

741
00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:10,640
look at it in the beginning of 
that chapter. 

742
00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:16,080
David, when he wants to talk to 
Nabal's people, he says tell 

743
00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:19,960
them peace be to you, peace be 
to your house, peace be to all 

744
00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:23,480
that you have. 
This is the greeting that David 

745
00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:24,960
gave. 
And the interesting thing is 

746
00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:28,720
David spoke peace over Nabal's 
men's men, but Nabal didn't 

747
00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:31,000
receive that peace. 
But the beautiful thing was 

748
00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:35,640
Abigail read into that. 
Abigail became a peacemaker. 

749
00:40:36,480 --> 00:40:39,080
Isn't that beautiful? 
She accepted the peace extended 

750
00:40:39,640 --> 00:40:41,880
and in discernment she dealt 
with it. 

751
00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:46,200
She spoke peace to an agitated 
warrior. 

752
00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:48,640
He was a warrior. 
He he knew how to use his word. 

753
00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:51,560
He knew how to rally his men. 
He knew how to annihilate an 

754
00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:54,520
enemy. 
But she calmed him down. 

755
00:40:54,520 --> 00:40:58,800
She alerted him of how to walk, 
walk in the fear of the Lord. 

756
00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:03,080
She told him. 
She literally gave her forecast.

757
00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:06,160
You're going to be king soon. 
Do you want this on your on your

758
00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:09,760
plate? 
Do you want this kill on your 

759
00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:13,200
roster? 
She was basically giving him 

760
00:41:13,200 --> 00:41:15,280
direction of how to live in the 
fear of God. 

761
00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:19,400
David was edified because of 
Abigail's discernment. 

762
00:41:20,160 --> 00:41:23,280
She edified not just herself, 
but an entire household. 

763
00:41:23,280 --> 00:41:26,800
She strengthened them because 
she was able to operate out of 

764
00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:30,040
the spirit of rest. 
She was able to direct David in 

765
00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:33,320
the fear of God because she was 
coming from a place of deep 

766
00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:37,400
rest, deep discernment. 
And finally, like I was saying, 

767
00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:41,680
when we live edified, when we 
walk in the fear of God, growth 

768
00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:44,560
and multiplication happens. 
You know what happens soon 

769
00:41:44,560 --> 00:41:47,560
after, 10 days later, she does. 
She immediately tells Nabal she 

770
00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:49,200
doesn't keep it a secret. 
She said, this is what I've 

771
00:41:49,200 --> 00:41:52,680
done. 
He has a heart attack and 10 

772
00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:56,040
days later he dies. 
David hears about it, sends for 

773
00:41:56,040 --> 00:41:58,800
her and makes her his wife. 
She is his second wife, the 

774
00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:01,280
first being Mikhal, son of her 
daughter of Saul. 

775
00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:04,680
But this is her second wife. 
And eventually it says that she 

776
00:42:04,680 --> 00:42:07,240
has a child with him. 
His name was Daniel. 

777
00:42:07,240 --> 00:42:09,440
I think she has a child with 
David. 

778
00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:13,160
They become part of the royal 
family because soon after Saul 

779
00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:16,160
and his family die. 
David ascends the throne. 

780
00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:18,040
She's part of the royal 
entourage. 

781
00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:21,240
Now here's the deal. 
I'm not advocating for going and

782
00:42:21,240 --> 00:42:23,560
choosing some other spouse. 
That's not what I'm advocating 

783
00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:25,400
at all. 
This is what the word of God 

784
00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:30,240
says. 
But her obedience to that spirit

785
00:42:30,240 --> 00:42:33,960
of discernment within her, her 
ability to speak peace over a 

786
00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:37,400
very stressful, anxious 
situation, her ability to stand 

787
00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:40,000
in the gap as a peacemaker, to 
walk in the fear of the Lord. 

788
00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:42,440
And to draw. 
Others to that fear of the Lord,

789
00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:47,680
caused her line to not die out. 
God expanded her family. 

790
00:42:47,880 --> 00:42:51,120
God gave her greater visibility.
God multiplied her. 

791
00:42:52,160 --> 00:42:54,480
And here's the thing that I 
believe all of us need to 

792
00:42:54,760 --> 00:42:56,840
understand that God is always on
the move. 

793
00:42:57,200 --> 00:42:59,320
He's always moving. 
The Spirit of God is like he's 

794
00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:01,560
likened to wind that goes here 
and there. 

795
00:43:01,560 --> 00:43:03,280
We don't know where it comes 
from, where it goes. 

796
00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:06,240
But The thing is, many a times 
we don't feel the move because 

797
00:43:06,240 --> 00:43:09,160
we are so agitated. 
We are so stressed. 

798
00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:13,640
We have made it, you know, part 
of our language to say I am, you

799
00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:16,520
know, anxious. 
I, I I. 

800
00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:19,880
Am just so agitated. 
I'm in a state of panic. 

801
00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:25,320
But what if the onus is on you 
and me to enter the rest that 

802
00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:29,320
Jesus already got for us? 
What if it's on us to come to a 

803
00:43:29,320 --> 00:43:33,680
place of inner stillness just so
that the Holy Spirit can do what

804
00:43:33,680 --> 00:43:36,000
He has to do in wholeness in 
entirety? 

805
00:43:37,840 --> 00:43:40,840
When you and I begin to live 
from a place of rest, God shows 

806
00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:45,560
us the larger landscape of 
impact that our life is 

807
00:43:45,560 --> 00:43:47,880
creating. 
Abigail didn't know when she 

808
00:43:47,880 --> 00:43:51,000
stood in the gap for her husband
and her household that one day 

809
00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:53,960
she would be married to David 
and have a child who would be 

810
00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:56,040
part of the royal household. 
She didn't know this. 

811
00:43:56,640 --> 00:43:58,680
She did what she had to do 
eventually. 

812
00:43:58,680 --> 00:44:00,880
She saw the larger landscape of 
it. 

813
00:44:01,960 --> 00:44:06,520
Right today you don't know what 
your life actually is going to 

814
00:44:06,520 --> 00:44:09,320
create in terms of impact. 
If only you would come to a 

815
00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:12,920
place of rest and allow God to 
begin to rebuild you like only 

816
00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:17,640
He can, you will find that He 
will take the little you have 

817
00:44:17,640 --> 00:44:21,040
and begin to multiply it. 
I remember a couple of months 

818
00:44:21,040 --> 00:44:25,400
back I got a mail from someone 
in a nation where the the gospel

819
00:44:25,400 --> 00:44:28,520
is actually not welcome. 
She read one of my Bible plans. 

820
00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:30,680
She wrote a mail to me to say 
thank you. 

821
00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:32,800
I was able to read the Bible 
plan in my language. 

822
00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:38,160
I was so blessed by it and it 
moved me to tears because here I

823
00:44:38,160 --> 00:44:43,080
am sitting in a small room in 
Chennai, India, writing a plan. 

824
00:44:43,200 --> 00:44:46,880
My plan is translated by someone
in that nation and it's going 

825
00:44:46,880 --> 00:44:49,720
out to people who have 
underground churches, who don't 

826
00:44:49,720 --> 00:44:53,040
have the freedom to worship our 
God and who are being edified. 

827
00:44:53,920 --> 00:44:55,960
That's when God showed me the 
larger landscape. 

828
00:44:58,160 --> 00:45:03,440
When you are working at a call 
centre or in an IT park, the job

829
00:45:03,440 --> 00:45:06,120
you do. 
And the support you offer could 

830
00:45:06,120 --> 00:45:08,480
be blessing. 
Someone in another nation across

831
00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:11,920
the ocean. 
Your tech solution, The app you 

832
00:45:11,920 --> 00:45:14,600
create could bless some 
organization somewhere, which 

833
00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:16,920
lightens the load on some 
individual. 

834
00:45:18,080 --> 00:45:21,800
Your smile could change the life
of a student you teach. 

835
00:45:22,040 --> 00:45:25,160
Your gentle touch as a nurse or 
a healthcare provider can change

836
00:45:25,160 --> 00:45:27,400
the life of that person who's 
come in for treatment. 

837
00:45:28,360 --> 00:45:30,000
Your generosity towards your 
maid. 

838
00:45:30,240 --> 00:45:32,120
Your kindness towards your 
Watchmen. 

839
00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:35,080
These impact lives for years to 
come. 

840
00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:38,480
Many of us forget that this life
is not about us. 

841
00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:41,840
You're living in this small 
little bubble of yourself, your 

842
00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:45,080
needs, your mental health, your 
capacity. 

843
00:45:45,080 --> 00:45:48,360
But I want to remind you that 
the Spirit of God, as He 

844
00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:51,640
restores you, is restoring you 
to bring restoration to others. 

845
00:45:52,080 --> 00:45:54,360
He's rebuilding me so that I 
would rebuild others. 

846
00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:58,200
It's never about me. 
And so as He edifies me when I'm

847
00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:03,440
in rest, He begins to edify me. 
He teaches me to walk in the 

848
00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:06,080
fear of the Lord, and then he 
causes growth and multiplication

849
00:46:06,080 --> 00:46:10,560
all around me. 
The opposite of Abigail's life 

850
00:46:10,560 --> 00:46:13,880
was King Saul. 
He didn't have a spirit of 

851
00:46:13,880 --> 00:46:15,600
discernment. 
The Spirit of God left him, and 

852
00:46:15,600 --> 00:46:17,920
an evil spirit from God was sent
to torment him. 

853
00:46:18,360 --> 00:46:20,160
He was fighting all the wrong 
battles. 

854
00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:22,080
He forgot how to live in the 
fear of God. 

855
00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:26,600
He partially obeyed, blatantly 
disobeyed, walked in rebellion. 

856
00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:31,040
He consulted A soothsayer, which
was considered absolutely evil 

857
00:46:31,040 --> 00:46:34,920
in the eyes of God. 
His principles were not led by 

858
00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:40,080
the Holy Spirit, but on a whim. 
And eventually his entire family

859
00:46:40,080 --> 00:46:43,400
line dies. 
His three sons along with him 

860
00:46:43,400 --> 00:46:47,200
die on the battlefield. 
He leaves behind one son who's a

861
00:46:47,200 --> 00:46:49,920
cripple who doesn't make it to 
the throne. 

862
00:46:49,920 --> 00:46:55,960
His line eventually ends. 
Here's the thing, you want to 

863
00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:58,280
see growth and multiplication. 
There is a process. 

864
00:46:58,280 --> 00:47:02,840
It doesn't just happen. 
Are you resting enough in the 

865
00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:06,720
Holy Spirit so that you are 
edified, you are reinforced, you

866
00:47:06,720 --> 00:47:09,200
are rebuilt? 
Are you walking in the fear of 

867
00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:11,080
the Lord? 
If you aren't, it's OK, Now's a 

868
00:47:11,080 --> 00:47:14,520
good time as any to start. 
Would you allow the Holy Spirit 

869
00:47:15,320 --> 00:47:18,280
to lead you into a place of 
walking daily in the fear of 

870
00:47:18,280 --> 00:47:21,280
God? 
And will you then be open to 

871
00:47:21,280 --> 00:47:23,400
seeing the growth and 
multiplication that God brings, 

872
00:47:23,400 --> 00:47:27,160
which will blow your mind even 
as we close? 

873
00:47:28,240 --> 00:47:31,320
I've been listening to the song 
Come rest on us This. 

874
00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:35,760
Beautiful song that I've just 
been resting on really. 

875
00:47:36,280 --> 00:47:39,920
And the lines in that song was 
fire and wind. 

876
00:47:39,920 --> 00:47:43,120
Come and do it again. 
Open up the gates, let heaven 

877
00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:45,880
on, re in. 
Come rest on us. 

878
00:47:47,040 --> 00:47:52,040
Too many of us are in so much 
motion all of the time, running 

879
00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:54,960
here and there, looking for 
solutions here and there. 

880
00:47:55,240 --> 00:48:00,000
Chat chief eating this web MD 
ING that talking to this 

881
00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:04,360
counsellor and that we have 
missed the greatest gift of this

882
00:48:04,360 --> 00:48:07,880
time that we have the Holy 
Spirit, our helper, our 

883
00:48:07,880 --> 00:48:14,280
counsellor, our guide. 
If only we would rest because in

884
00:48:14,280 --> 00:48:18,200
that upper room, if you read 
Acts chapter 2, I was just 

885
00:48:18,200 --> 00:48:20,000
reading it. 
In the message it says when the 

886
00:48:20,000 --> 00:48:22,760
feast of Pentecost came, they 
were all together in one place 

887
00:48:22,760 --> 00:48:25,000
without warning. 
There was a sound like a strong 

888
00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:28,160
wind, Gale force. 
No one could tell where it came 

889
00:48:28,160 --> 00:48:29,920
from. 
It filled the whole building. 

890
00:48:30,080 --> 00:48:33,640
Then like like a wildfire, the 
Holy Spirit spread through their

891
00:48:33,640 --> 00:48:36,440
ranks and they started speaking 
in a number of different 

892
00:48:36,440 --> 00:48:40,280
languages as the Spirit prompted
them. 

893
00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:46,800
Fire, wind. 
Many of us are living without 

894
00:48:46,800 --> 00:48:48,360
that fire. 
We need the wind of the Holy 

895
00:48:48,360 --> 00:48:50,760
Spirit to come and again ignite 
it. 

896
00:48:51,720 --> 00:48:55,040
Many of us have closed off our 
lives to the wind that is moving

897
00:48:55,040 --> 00:48:57,760
all around us. 
We put up tight shutters and 

898
00:48:57,760 --> 00:49:00,640
we're like, you know what, I'm 
good, I love Jesus, I have the 

899
00:49:00,640 --> 00:49:02,680
Father's love. 
That is enough. 

900
00:49:02,840 --> 00:49:05,960
I'm asking, would you lift the 
shutters of your life and say, 

901
00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:09,280
Spirit of God, come, wind of the
Holy Spirit, come. 

902
00:49:09,280 --> 00:49:12,640
Remove the shaft, remove the 
drawers so that what is left is 

903
00:49:12,640 --> 00:49:16,000
pleasing to you, so that what is
left blesses others. 

904
00:49:16,920 --> 00:49:20,240
When you look at Genesis chapter
one, just before God created the

905
00:49:20,240 --> 00:49:24,600
earth, it says that the Spirit 
of God was hovering over the 

906
00:49:24,600 --> 00:49:27,640
waters. 
Hovering is basically resting on

907
00:49:27,640 --> 00:49:30,800
the waters. 
It is not devoid of movement. 

908
00:49:30,800 --> 00:49:33,040
It is not devoid of creative 
capacity. 

909
00:49:33,040 --> 00:49:36,360
In fact, it's teeming with it 
and that's the Spirit of God. 

910
00:49:37,320 --> 00:49:39,680
He's ready to move. 
There is movement, there's 

911
00:49:39,680 --> 00:49:42,280
momentum. 
There is no chaos or confusion. 

912
00:49:42,280 --> 00:49:46,320
That is the enemy. 
But the Spirit of God, when he 

913
00:49:46,320 --> 00:49:49,200
is hovering over us, there is 
endless capacity, endless 

914
00:49:49,200 --> 00:49:52,920
opportunities and possibilities 
because that is when He has the 

915
00:49:52,920 --> 00:49:56,040
movement, the freedom of 
movement in our lives. 

916
00:49:57,440 --> 00:50:00,960
So I want to pray with you, 
asking you to give God a chance 

917
00:50:01,440 --> 00:50:05,440
that the fire of God will be set
ablaze in your life, not just 

918
00:50:05,440 --> 00:50:08,040
for yourself, but for others. 
That others would see the fire 

919
00:50:08,040 --> 00:50:09,960
of God in you and say I want 
what they have. 

920
00:50:10,880 --> 00:50:13,720
And that you would remove every 
blockade to the wind of the Holy

921
00:50:13,720 --> 00:50:17,360
Spirit, and you would allow Him 
to come in and fan into flame 

922
00:50:17,440 --> 00:50:19,280
everything that has to be fanned
into flame. 

923
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:23,080
Can we just pray together? 
Father, I just welcome you. 

924
00:50:23,440 --> 00:50:27,440
I thank you for your great love 
towards us in sending us the 

925
00:50:27,440 --> 00:50:29,640
Holy Spirit. 
We thank You for the Spirit of 

926
00:50:29,640 --> 00:50:32,800
Jesus that is working in our 
lives already. 

927
00:50:32,800 --> 00:50:35,400
We thank you Lord, even when we 
are unaware of Him. 

928
00:50:35,600 --> 00:50:37,680
He is so present. 
He is so real. 

929
00:50:38,680 --> 00:50:41,160
And I just. 
Welcome you, Holy Spirit, Would 

930
00:50:41,160 --> 00:50:44,800
you come in? 
Would you fan into flame every 

931
00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:48,280
dying ember? 
Put a passion for your name. 

932
00:50:48,480 --> 00:50:51,680
Put a holy passion, Lord, to 
live in a way that honours you. 

933
00:50:51,920 --> 00:50:54,600
Give us, Lord, a deep 
discernment. 

934
00:50:54,600 --> 00:50:58,080
Spirit of God, Spirit of wisdom,
spirit of counsel and mind. 

935
00:50:58,080 --> 00:51:00,480
Fill us with your strength so 
that we are edified. 

936
00:51:01,600 --> 00:51:04,440
And Lord, bring growth and 
multiplication in your people's 

937
00:51:04,440 --> 00:51:07,320
lives as they are edified, as 
they grow in the fear of the 

938
00:51:07,320 --> 00:51:09,760
Lord. 
We pray God, that territories 

939
00:51:09,760 --> 00:51:12,720
will enlarge. 
We pray, O God, that greater 

940
00:51:12,720 --> 00:51:14,680
exploits are done in the Kingdom
for you. 

941
00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:18,560
We pray, O Lord, that people 
will be blessed not. 

942
00:51:18,560 --> 00:51:22,080
Just with physical or financial 
prosperity, but with prosperity 

943
00:51:22,080 --> 00:51:24,840
of their soul. 
O God, minds will be set free, 

944
00:51:24,840 --> 00:51:29,280
hearts will be softened. 
I pray that Lord hands will be 

945
00:51:29,280 --> 00:51:32,800
opened up in generosity towards 
the the world all around them. 

946
00:51:32,800 --> 00:51:35,520
We pray in Jesus name that Lord,
you will. 

947
00:51:35,520 --> 00:51:40,400
Do something powerful in this 
moment, fire and wind, Would you

948
00:51:40,400 --> 00:51:43,920
do it again? 
Would you just come in, come 

949
00:51:43,920 --> 00:51:47,720
rest on us, rest on us. 
I pray for those with agitated 

950
00:51:47,720 --> 00:51:52,240
minds, restless hearts, that 
they will be stilled in Jesus 

951
00:51:52,240 --> 00:51:57,280
name so that God, you can move 
in their hearts, you can move in

952
00:51:57,280 --> 00:52:01,280
their lives. 
We love you, we honour you, we 

953
00:52:01,280 --> 00:52:04,880
bless your holy name. 
In Jesus name I pray, Amen, 

954
00:52:05,320 --> 00:52:08,960
Amen, God bless you. 
I'm believing that starting from

955
00:52:08,960 --> 00:52:11,800
today, this is not a one off 
thing, this is an everyday thing

956
00:52:12,040 --> 00:52:15,960
that the day of Pentecost as we 
celebrate it, that will become a

957
00:52:15,960 --> 00:52:18,720
lifelong pursuit of you to say, 
Lord, I want to enter that rest 

958
00:52:18,840 --> 00:52:20,840
today. 
I want to enter that rest today.

959
00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:23,240
I don't want to be rebellious. 
I want to enter your rest. 

960
00:52:23,880 --> 00:52:26,480
If that can be our everyday 
pursuit, I think our lives would

961
00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:30,160
look dramatically different. 
God bless you have an amazing 

962
00:52:30,160 --> 00:52:31,840
week. 
We hope you enjoyed today's 

963
00:52:31,840 --> 00:52:35,600
message and we're blessed. 
If you liked what you heard and 

964
00:52:35,600 --> 00:52:38,840
want to hear more messages from 
us, you could rate US and 

965
00:52:38,840 --> 00:52:43,040
subscribe to our podcast channel
for more content from We Are 

966
00:52:43,040 --> 00:52:46,840
Zion or if you would like to get
in touch with us, you can go to 

967
00:52:46,960 --> 00:52:53,040
We Are Zion dot In or follow us 
on Instagram, Facebook, and 

968
00:52:53,040 --> 00:52:56,840
YouTube. 
Most importantly, remember that 

969
00:52:56,840 --> 00:52:59,600
whoever finds Jesus finds life.