1 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,160 We welcome you to the Via Zion Sermon podcast. 2 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:14,720 We are a church based out of Chennai, India. 3 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:17,960 We are thrilled that you tuned in today and hope that you will 4 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:21,720 be refreshed, revived, and energized by what you hear. 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,280 Our desire is that you will live life with a renewed sense of 6 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:29,080 purpose that stems from a vibrant faith in Jesus. 7 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:34,560 The year 2025 is 1 where we will be positioned by God to possess 8 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,920 our promise. This Easter we look at Jesus, 9 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,760 the living message. In him we have hope for the 10 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,720 future and faith for today. Would you choose to believe him 11 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:48,120 for everything you need in this season? 12 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,200 I just had a joy and a privilege for all of us to gather together 13 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,880 online, even as we get to hear God's Word and even for a start. 14 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,240 I want to wish all those who are watching and listening a happy 15 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:04,280 and a blessed Easter. I've titled today's sermon as 16 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,360 the living message. The living message. 17 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:11,920 Today you and I all are carriers of God's message, but I want to 18 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:13,880 remind us that it's a living message. 19 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,560 It's not something that happened 2000 years back, but it's alive 20 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:20,640 today in all of us. We just finished and we saw in 21 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,480 the Good Friday sermon, as we celebrated Good Friday, we saw 22 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,160 that the cross is a connector. We saw the cross is a separator. 23 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:31,440 We saw the cross is as an equipment and even as we do our 24 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:35,640 Christian life, we need to understand that we are carriers 25 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:38,040 of his living message. Today I want to ask you what are 26 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:39,760 some of the things that we carry in our lives? 27 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:43,360 We carry our own stories, probably our story of where we 28 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,440 are from, story of some of the things that we like, things that 29 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,960 define us, things that shape us, things that we kind of like say 30 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:53,440 this is who we are. But today, are we intertwining 31 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,640 that with the living message that's living within us? 32 00:01:57,880 --> 00:01:59,880 Because many a times we detach us ourselves. 33 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:03,520 We play that to the audience. But I pray and believe that the 34 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,240 intertwining of the living message will be so intertwined 35 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:10,199 with that DNA that it'll start showing up in every facet of our 36 00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:14,200 life, not just in select days, but every day. 37 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:19,360 And I want to talk to you about what this one big story is all 38 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:20,640 about. The living message. 39 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:25,040 It is why it's important is because every other religion, 40 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:29,320 every other person who's worshipping anyone else, it 41 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:32,160 stops till their work here on earth was done. 42 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:37,040 When we follow Jesus, ours get a renewed sense of purpose because 43 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:39,680 he's risen. He's risen and that's a fact. 44 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:43,120 And so today a lot of you will will come across compelling 45 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:45,520 facts saying that I don't think Jesus rose again. 46 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:46,960 I think it was a fabricated thing. 47 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,480 Well, you're not alone. Way back, 2000 years back, even 48 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:54,360 when the very incident that happened, the Pharisees and the 49 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:57,920 high priests that day itself said, let's start spreading that 50 00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:00,920 his disciples took away the body and they're saying that he rose 51 00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:02,360 again. But there are a couple of 52 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,480 instances that we read time and again that he showed up to 53 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,000 people and we're going to be looking at that because those 54 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:13,160 are evidences for us as to why we have to be carriers of this 55 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:15,920 living message. Even as I want to emphasize, I 56 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:19,120 want to emphasize that today we believe and trust the word of 57 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,080 God because it's inspired by the Holy Spirit. 58 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,200 As it's inspired by the Holy Spirit, the impression is 59 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,960 falling upon people, people like you and me who've given 60 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,640 ourselves to the obedience to saying, Jesus, you are my God, I 61 00:03:31,640 --> 00:03:33,920 will follow you. And because of that following, 62 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,600 he impresses upon our hearts to put down words. 63 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:38,240 And that's what's happened time and again. 64 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:42,520 And disciples, followers, prophets, you know, kings have 65 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:45,520 put words down, have prophesied about Jesus. 66 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:47,800 And we see that God is the one who created the world. 67 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:52,040 God created man in his likeness. We say he gave the command to 68 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:53,520 have dominion and rule over them. 69 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:57,240 He put them in a garden and he told him that to work and so 70 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:00,120 today work is not something that started after the fall. 71 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:05,080 In fact, work was intended as God had created mankind and 72 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,880 there in that very garden he'd also placed Eve. 73 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:11,800 He also we also saw that sin came into that garden because we 74 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:16,040 want content to just rule and be as it is. 75 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,160 We were tempted. The minute doubt was put, the 76 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:23,040 minute questioning was put, we questioned even the very command 77 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,520 God had given. Will, will you die if you 78 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,960 consume this fruit? And that one incident turned 79 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:33,840 down the entirety of mankind where we kind of like moved into 80 00:04:33,840 --> 00:04:38,760 this lifelong hold of sin. And even as we see, we see that 81 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:44,360 as man progressed, sin started getting bigger and bigger and 82 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:48,480 there was a remnant few who time and again followed God from Noah 83 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:50,000 and then all the way up to Abraham. 84 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,120 And then from Abraham's life we've been seeing how God called 85 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:55,400 him. And from there a nation gets 86 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:57,240 birthed. The nation was in slavery. 87 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,080 They moved to the promised land. They've seen the handiwork of 88 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,720 God, yet since still ruled in their hearts. 89 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:07,640 And what prevails is they move into slavery time and again 90 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,560 after having their own kingdoms. They are amongst rulers and when 91 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:17,240 Jesus comes into the picture, the message for them was they 92 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:21,640 were supposed to be living in freedom when the Messiah comes 93 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:23,920 and they thought it's going to be physical freedom. 94 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,800 The problem with physical freedom is there's always a 95 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:28,720 limitation. There's no one else who can 96 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:30,560 carry it forward. There was not. 97 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,040 God tried it with mankind and his lineage, but we failed 98 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:37,400 because sin was governing the hearts and so God had to deal 99 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:39,480 with sin. And so when God came into the 100 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:43,040 picture, when Jesus in his when Jesus was sent down to earth for 101 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:45,520 it says for God sold out the world that he sent his only 102 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:48,000 begotten Son. So when his Son came down, he 103 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,280 didn't come to set a physical freedom, right. 104 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:56,080 He came to set our hearts, the very thing that holds us, binds 105 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,960 us, and keeps us corruptible. He came to set us free from 106 00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:03,000 that. And that's why this message is 107 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:04,920 very important. And that's why I've titled it as 108 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:07,240 Living message, because it's alive. 109 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:09,600 Jesus is alive. His message is alive. 110 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:14,200 You and I are today carriers of that living message, so I don't 111 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:17,360 want any of us to be holding back or moving to a place where, 112 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:20,320 no, I believed it once. No, I have to believe it because 113 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:24,200 in believing, in trusting in him, in seeing him work, when I 114 00:06:24,280 --> 00:06:27,200 hold on to his words, that's what today, the word of God is 115 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:29,600 so important. A lot of us today are relying on 116 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:31,520 so many other things. There's so many other 117 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:35,320 distractions today, so many of the voices, so many of the 118 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:37,800 interpretations, so many other people to follow. 119 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,600 But would you follow Jesus, who's the living message? 120 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:45,560 When you read his word, His word comes alive in you. 121 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:49,080 And when you are called to do what he's called you to do, the 122 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:53,000 living message gets activated. And so today for our meditation, 123 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,040 I have taken Romans chapter 10, verses 9 to 13. 124 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,920 And this is what it says. And what is God's living 125 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:01,560 message? It is the revelation of faith 126 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:05,200 for salvation, which is the message as that we preach. 127 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:09,040 For if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus Christ is 128 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:11,640 Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the 129 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:15,120 dead, you will experience salvation. 130 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:18,720 The heart that believes in Him and receives the gift of the 131 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:22,760 righteousness of God, and then the mouth confesses, resulting 132 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:25,080 in salvation. For the Scriptures encourages us 133 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,760 these words. Everyone who believes in Him 134 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:32,080 will never be disappointed. So then faith eliminates the 135 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,920 distinction between Jew and non Jew, for he is the same Lord of 136 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:40,560 all, and he has enough treasures to lavish generously upon all 137 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:43,080 who call on him. And it's true, everyone who 138 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:47,160 calls on the Lord's name will experience new life. 139 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:52,680 And I want to ask you today, is this living message alive in 140 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:54,120 you? Because each of us have our own 141 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:57,280 salvation story. There is a point of time when we 142 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,000 knew that we needed a Saviour. There was a point of time when 143 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,680 we knew the clutches of sin was so strong. 144 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,440 There was a point in time when we knew that we can't do our 145 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:10,440 next day all by ourselves. We needed help. 146 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:13,880 That's when we realized we need to invite Jesus in. 147 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:16,760 And it gives us a clear indication of what it is to be 148 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:19,000 said. If we publicly declare with our 149 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,880 mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and when we believe in our 150 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:26,640 hearts God raised him from the dead, we will experience 151 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,720 salvation. 2 important things it says here. 152 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:31,760 We publicly declare with our mouth. 153 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:34,440 And the other thing is we believe with our hearts that 154 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:35,919 Jesus Christ has raised from the dead. 155 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:39,039 If there's anything that sets us apart from everyone else in the 156 00:08:39,039 --> 00:08:43,520 world who follows a God is the fact that we believe a risen 157 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:46,000 God. We believe a risen God. 158 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,640 We believe in a God who controls the universe. 159 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:52,560 We believe a God who holds the universe with his hands. 160 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:57,800 We believe in God who's central to humanity. 161 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:00,320 We believe in a God who believes in relationships. 162 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:04,040 We believe in a God who wants to do something in and through US. 163 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,480 And that happens because he's alive today. 164 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:11,280 He was alive 2000 years back. He's alive today, and he will 165 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:14,320 always be alive. That's what we believe in. 166 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,360 That is the central thing of our faith. 167 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:22,000 This resurrection of Jesus is the hinge for our doorway. 168 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:25,480 Because today I'll tell you, many instances in life will 169 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:28,080 come, many doubts will come, many things will happen in our 170 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:31,320 life. But if that hinge is shaken, 171 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:34,480 everything that we believe about Jesus will be shaken. 172 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:37,240 Everything that we hold on to him will be shaken. 173 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:40,760 Because today this living message, it's easy to live it 174 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:42,960 out today in this world. You can have the right 175 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:45,920 wallpaper, You can have the phone case to say, jeez, you're 176 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:47,360 a Jesus follower. You can probably have the 177 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,800 wristband to say that you're a Jesus follower. 178 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:52,320 You might have that symbol in your car to say you're a 179 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:55,080 follower of Jesus. You can have everything right 180 00:09:55,640 --> 00:10:00,600 outwardly, but if you fail to believe inwardly that Jesus 181 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:06,080 Christ is Lord, he is risen from the dead, we will struggle. 182 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,280 We will struggle. Why is it important to declare? 183 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:14,240 Because when we declare, we tell on whose side we are. 184 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:19,400 We tell on whose side we are. This is not a showcase where we 185 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:22,080 need to go physically and stand in a particular place to tell 186 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:23,600 where we are. We need to declare. 187 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:27,720 Today, every tribe, every creature has to declare that 188 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:30,360 Jesus Christ is Lord. And that is comes out when we 189 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:32,200 open our mouths. That's why it's so important. 190 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:36,960 When we worship, we worship and we exalt him with our own words 191 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:40,200 because God needs to hear whether I am worshipping him, 192 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:43,760 the person next to me who's my spouse, who's my child, they 193 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,200 need to also open their mouth and wash because they need to 194 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:50,880 tell who Jesus means to them. So even as we read this, I'm 195 00:10:51,680 --> 00:10:56,640 taking this passage specifically because it's easy to go back to 196 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:00,720 the resurrection story and take all the living encounters that 197 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:03,760 were there. We have Mary, we have are the 198 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:07,880 disciples, we have Thomas, we have the other two disciples 199 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:09,800 were walking and then they encountered Jesus. 200 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:14,360 We have all these supporting stories, but they were all first 201 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:17,200 eyewitnesses. And even as I was preparing, I 202 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,600 was like God, how do we make this relevant even today? 203 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:25,000 We all need to come to a place of having a divine encounter 204 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,880 with God. And I was reminded Paul alone 205 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:31,160 had the divine encounter and he tells that in One Corinthians 206 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:32,960 chapter 15. And that's going to be the 207 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:37,000 passage we meditate on today. But even as we meditate, we are 208 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,480 called to respond to this living message. 209 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:41,880 So how you and I respond is very important. 210 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:45,440 So today I want to ask you, how are we called to respond to this 211 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,240 living message? The first thing that I have for 212 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:51,280 you is the living message is real only when we start 213 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:56,560 believing the one who's living. So when we see in the New 214 00:11:56,560 --> 00:11:59,880 Testament right after Jesus is resurrected and when he appears 215 00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:03,040 to his people and when he's there with them, he's there for 216 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:04,680 a little over a month and a half. 217 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:07,960 And then as he goes up into heaven to say, I'm coming back, 218 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:10,880 the assignment given to them was to tell them that Jesus is 219 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:12,480 alive. He tells them, go and wait in 220 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:15,840 Jerusalem until you receive the Holy Spirit and the rest. 221 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:18,680 We know what happens after that. The church gets born. 222 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:22,080 And then today we are all gathering as different parts of 223 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:26,240 his body across the globe. But the living message is real 224 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:28,480 only when we believe. Because when we believe, what 225 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:32,560 happens is faith kicks in. It gives room for faith and 226 00:12:32,560 --> 00:12:37,240 faith starts getting activated in our lives day in and day out. 227 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:40,040 You start going back to God saying God, I believed in you in 228 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:42,440 this. And God says, keep trusting me, 229 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:45,800 hold on to me. And what happens in our earthly 230 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:48,080 bodies? In our earthly bodies, we have 231 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:50,960 different experiences. We have experiences with people, 232 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:52,640 we have experiences with circumstances. 233 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:55,520 We have experiences in certain cities today, especially with 234 00:12:55,560 --> 00:12:58,200 all the migration that's happening around, we all move 235 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,960 from city to city. We all move from places, from 236 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:04,080 towns to cities. We all have different kinds of 237 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:07,600 experiences. And all those tend to also form 238 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:10,440 our faith. We get dented in certain places. 239 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:13,240 We get literally broken in certain places. 240 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:16,520 We literally are feeling so spent out. 241 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:19,920 And so in the midst of all this, with all the issues that 242 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:24,280 happened in our life, we have a certain kind of understanding 243 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:27,000 when it comes to belief. And I don't know today what 244 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:31,240 belief yours is looking like. Probably yours looks tampered 245 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:32,840 with. Probably you feel like you know 246 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:35,080 what? This Christian faith is so hard 247 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:38,320 and you go, it's so battered or you're probably like having so 248 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:40,640 much doubt. But I would ask you, would you 249 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:43,560 go back to the moment when you accepted Jesus into your life? 250 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:48,240 Because that was one of faith. That was the one where you 251 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:51,640 decided to have faith because that's what's holding that 252 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,440 hinge. And I pray and believe that we 253 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:58,680 will realize that that's what belief looks like. 254 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:00,600 That's what our believing looks like. 255 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,160 A lot of times our believing is often times associated with 256 00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:07,440 happiness. But the truth is the word 257 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,680 happiness doesn't actually is not existing. 258 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:13,080 In the Bible it's always referred to as joy. 259 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:17,240 Joy is what gets birthed out of having faith. 260 00:14:17,560 --> 00:14:21,680 Joy is what gets birthed out of trusting someone. 261 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:25,160 Happiness is what I experienced out of what I have. 262 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:27,920 And so today I want us to come to a place where we are not 263 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:32,280 settling down for happiness. We are wanting joy because the 264 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:34,680 joy of the Lord will be our strength. 265 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,280 You know, Disney started these theme parks and they are 266 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:39,320 byliners. Happiest place on Earth. 267 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:42,320 Happiest place on earth is only when you step into that 268 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:46,200 territory of theirs happiness. The happiest place on earth is 269 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:49,040 only when you start spending money on the things that they 270 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,320 have curated. Happiest place on earth is only 271 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:55,280 when you're experiencing certain things that they have built. 272 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:57,880 But true happiness doesn't lie there. 273 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,120 The joy that comes in knowing the Savior. 274 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:05,440 The joy comes in trusting Him. The joy comes when we hold on to 275 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:07,640 Him. The joy comes when we realize 276 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:13,920 that He is more than enough. So I pray that as we allow this 277 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:17,760 living message to work in and through us, we will experience 278 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:20,080 joy. Every step of the way. 279 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:25,720 We will experience joy in the living message when we allow it 280 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:27,640 to start working in and through our lives. 281 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:29,800 There's this kind, certain kind of wrestling that happens. 282 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,240 You'll suddenly realize, you know, this very thing that I 283 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:36,040 want to experience joy. I can't because all this while 284 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:39,160 I've built my identity around a certain thing that's become my 285 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,440 entity and that's not a God Orient or identity. 286 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:45,200 And so you suddenly realize that is wrestling that has to happen. 287 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:47,960 So the living message, when it starts working in and through 288 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:51,680 our lives, will start confronting our very own demons. 289 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:54,680 It'll start confronting our very own habits. 290 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:59,360 It'll start confronting our very own nature, because that's not 291 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:02,960 of gods. And that's when Paul writes the 292 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:04,720 Ephesians. He says you need to put on the 293 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:07,120 full armor of God because you need to know who you're 294 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:08,960 wrestling with. A lot of times we think we're 295 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:12,120 wrestling against people, but we're wrestling against the 296 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:15,120 principalities. A lot of times internally, why 297 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:19,160 we're struggling to harbor or allow room or grow the living 298 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:22,840 message is because we are struggling internally. 299 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:26,320 The living message seems so different. 300 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:29,920 To you, it might look like God. If I allow the living message to 301 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:32,560 be part and parcel of my life, people will trample over me. 302 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:35,240 If I allow the living message to be part and parcel, I'll be 303 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:37,840 taken for granted. If the living message works in 304 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:41,000 and through my life, people will see me as I'm not strong enough. 305 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:48,040 But that's where we trust God. That's where we completely rely 306 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:49,600 on Him. If there's one thing that's 307 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:55,320 evident is if that 120 people, if they receive the Holy Spirit, 308 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:58,680 if they saw Jesus face to face, if that living message they 309 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:02,360 carried into every place that they went, and today we are all 310 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,720 recipients of that. There's something right about 311 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:07,960 the living message. It's tested. 312 00:17:08,079 --> 00:17:12,400 It's proved over centuries. Let's read Ephesians chapter 6 313 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:14,200 versus 11 to 13. I'm taken from the Passion 314 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:16,720 translation. It says put on God's complete 315 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:20,160 set of armor provided for us so that you will be protected as 316 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:22,599 you fight against the evil strategies of the Accuser. 317 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:26,240 Your hand to hand combat is not with human beings but with the 318 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:28,600 highest principalities and authorities operating in 319 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:31,760 rebellion under the realms, for they are a powerful class of 320 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:37,320 demon gods and evil spirits that hold this Dark World in bondage. 321 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:41,080 Because of this, you must wear all the armor that God provides 322 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:45,760 so you're protected as you confront the Slanderer, for you 323 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:50,040 are destined for all things that would rise victorious. 324 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:54,400 A couple of few things that come out of this as key themes 325 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:58,560 because the living message, when we sit with it in our own 326 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,240 hearts, if I'm sitting across my own heart and the conversations 327 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:04,320 having with my own thoughts, the living message saying you can 328 00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:07,160 rise above, you don't need to allow anxiety to set in. 329 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:09,920 You don't need to allow body image to set in for God's 330 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:12,600 created you. You need to put your hope in 331 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:14,840 God. The confronting thing for me 332 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:18,200 time and again is because I'm so used to these patterns, I've 333 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:21,440 built systems around it. I've built comebacks against it, 334 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:24,800 build certain things around it that will work in my favor. 335 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:27,160 Suddenly the living message is telling me you don't have to be 336 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:29,680 in control. I love God to be in control. 337 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:33,080 And I'm like, no, I've fought for my I've fought my own 338 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:34,640 battles. I know what to be done. 339 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:38,280 But this is where we realize the principality that we need to 340 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:41,160 fight is far bigger. It's not hand to hand combat. 341 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:43,400 And So what are some of the things that Paul is telling? 342 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:44,880 He's telling put on the full armor. 343 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,040 Don't put on part armor and get into battle. 344 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:50,040 Don't think you can just battle anxiety by just putting the 345 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:52,840 helmet of salvation. You you need to put on the full 346 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:55,800 armor, which means you need to have the sword, the shield, the 347 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:58,120 boots, because there are places where you're not supposed to go. 348 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:00,720 There are places where you're supposed to hold the shield so 349 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:02,360 that you leave those words right there. 350 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:05,760 There are certain times you need to combat it by spirit, which 351 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:08,840 means I pray when I wade through it, but I pray it out, but I 352 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:12,320 say, God, you are great. I come against every demon 353 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:15,240 that's attacking and sometimes we forget a helmet. 354 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,040 We need to wear a helmet saying God protect my mind so that I 355 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:20,160 don't allow the enemy to have anything. 356 00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:22,720 It talks clearly who they the enemy is the enemy is a 357 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:26,840 slanderer who is a slanderer Anything that is against truth 358 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:29,200 is slandering. So when God says I've redeemed 359 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:33,040 you, the slanderer will come and say are you really redeemed that 360 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:35,160 sin is too big? Can he really redeem you from 361 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:37,240 that? So I want you to come to a place 362 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:39,560 today. The confrontation that we do is 363 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:43,280 not with the part gospel but with the full gospel is with an 364 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,840 understanding that I've been created, sin existed, I've 365 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:50,920 repented, I've been redeemed and today I am in this renewal phase 366 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:53,040 till I'll be restored back to God. 367 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:55,840 This renewal phase is the hardest because this is where 368 00:19:55,840 --> 00:19:58,520 you and I will constantly be challenged. 369 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:03,120 This is where you and I will be constantly be struggling with 370 00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:05,760 where we say God I need you more than ever before. 371 00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:10,960 Is this not with one aspect of God or one understanding of God 372 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:13,840 is for the whole understanding of what seeing God you're about 373 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:16,560 everything. Let me not just render you to 374 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:20,120 this one thing that I think will work best because I've seen you 375 00:20:20,120 --> 00:20:21,240 come through in this one area now. 376 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:25,600 He's everything. He's everything He. 377 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:28,680 When I start living out this message, He will teach me how to 378 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:31,520 allow time to work. Time doesn't bow down to my 379 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:35,680 command. Time is when it fulfills it 380 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:37,800 within the span that God's allotted for me. 381 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:45,600 We are fighting the slanderer. Satan is the real slanderer. 382 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:48,480 Today a lot of us are having the opposites of the living message 383 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:51,840 where it's a dead message, where it's a hurt message, where it's 384 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,040 an abandoned message. God saying can I redeem it and 385 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,560 make it a living message again because I'm alive, I'm alive. 386 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:01,120 I want to ask you today what aspect of Jesus is actually 387 00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:03,600 drawing you today? You know, one of the things that 388 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:07,520 we get to do with photography, especially and filming is we 389 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:10,720 have certain attachments, filters, we call this that we 390 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:15,240 add on lenses. And so here I have a couple of 391 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:19,840 circular polarizer. And if you notice here, you see 392 00:21:20,120 --> 00:21:24,280 that the polarizer is basically it sits right on top of the 393 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:26,600 lens. And so whatever image that I'm 394 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,760 seeing, it adds a bit more clarity. 395 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,480 And I'll, I'll explain to you in terms of what clarity I'm 396 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:36,520 talking about. So if you see, let's say you're 397 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:41,560 shooting an ad of a car and you know the car has, if it's glossy 398 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:45,400 around the wherever light, the wherever the light source is, 399 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:47,680 there'll be a sense of reflection that hits out. 400 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:50,680 And so you know, you'll notice, OK, oh, this place looks a 401 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:54,000 little bit overexposed or has a little bit of the light source 402 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,200 more. And so it doesn't look uniform. 403 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,720 And so that's where the circular polarizer comes. 404 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:02,560 And the circular polarizer, what does it do is the minute I 405 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:08,280 attach this onto the lens, what it does is it cuts off certain 406 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:11,520 kinds of light that actually come through the lens. 407 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:13,680 It doesn't allow certain lights to pass through. 408 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:17,520 It cuts certain things off and it diminishes that. 409 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:19,400 And it allows for a clear picture. 410 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,200 In fact, as we look in this, you can see how it looks like, how 411 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:26,040 the sky is well exposed. You can see the Blues, the 412 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:28,800 whites in the sky, whereas the image here just shows an 413 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:31,640 overexposed image. So, so it adds more clarity. 414 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:36,120 And even as I was preparing, God was reminding me that a lot of 415 00:22:36,120 --> 00:22:42,400 us are avoiding using a polarizing filter because we 416 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:46,240 want our image to be seen on it. We want our reflection to be 417 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:48,360 seen on it. So one of the major things that 418 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,280 the polarizer does is it cuts off reflection. 419 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:56,600 And every time the living message has should not have a 420 00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:58,440 reflection of me, it should have a reflection of him. 421 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:01,840 The living message should be of him entirely. 422 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,920 And so when I'm looking at certain things and when I, I 423 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:07,760 want to have my reflection so that people know that this is 424 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:09,640 me. People know that, but God saying 425 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:13,960 no, just just add the letter and, and it says here when you 426 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:19,160 add a polarizer, what happens is it allows for the enhancement of 427 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:22,200 the colours, it creates dramatic skies. 428 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:26,440 It allows for things to be seen much more with character. 429 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:31,880 And I and it got me thinking, God, am I not allowing that in 430 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:34,120 my life? Am I, am I making it everything 431 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:37,480 about myself? Because when we tamper with a 432 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:40,320 living message, it has a reflection of us. 433 00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:44,560 God's asking, would you allow me to cut certain lights off? 434 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:47,200 It doesn't have to because that's what the living message 435 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:49,600 does. It cuts a lot of the eye. 436 00:23:50,120 --> 00:23:53,640 As John the Baptist says, Lord, may you increase and may I 437 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:56,960 decrease. In Acts chapter 8, there's a 438 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:00,680 story of Simon the sorcerer. And we see that Philip is 439 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:03,760 preaching there. He and he's a well known 440 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:05,600 sorcerer. So he's had fame, he's had 441 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:09,560 people come to him. He's built an entire community 442 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:12,000 around it, you know, so he's respected and all that. 443 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:14,920 But when Philip comes into town, when he starts talking about 444 00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:17,480 Jesus, he thinks, OK, you know, what? 445 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:19,760 If I go along with him, I might be able to get that power. 446 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:24,040 And so he accepts. And he also receives baptism. 447 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:27,640 And then the word goes to Jerusalem and Peter and John 448 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,880 come in to help with Philip. Even in this revival that's 449 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:32,280 starting to happen in this village. 450 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:35,920 And as it's happening, as Peter's laying hands, people are 451 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:37,080 being filled with the Holy Spirit. 452 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:40,680 He goes up to Peter and he says, here, I'll give you money. 453 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:42,920 Can you pray over me so that I'll have the Holy Spirit? 454 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:49,240 You see, if it was a true message, if the living message 455 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:52,280 was really working in and through him, he would have known 456 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:56,160 that this can't be bought. And when there is still an 457 00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:01,000 impression of I in it, if when it when there's an impression of 458 00:25:01,120 --> 00:25:06,240 my own agenda, my own thinking, my own way, God cannot have his 459 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:08,160 way. And so today I want to ask you, 460 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:11,040 can we move to a place of repentance? 461 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:16,920 In fact, Peter goes on to tell him you have defiled this and 462 00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:20,520 mind you, in the early church, anything that happened to the 463 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:24,160 early church, people just felt that Luke has not mentioned 464 00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:26,120 anything after that. It's obvious it would have 465 00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:27,840 definitely offended him, what Peter told. 466 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:34,360 And I pray that we will always keep the living message alive in 467 00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:36,680 us. We won't tamper with the living 468 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:38,320 message. We won't make it about us. 469 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:44,520 God wants us to look at it and say this is because of the Lord 470 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:49,440 doing something in our lives. And I love the fact that these, 471 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:53,560 as these light waves get selectively cut, they are 472 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:56,240 polarized in a particular direction which allows for a 473 00:25:56,240 --> 00:26:00,000 clear image. I pray us will be reduced. 474 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:03,080 He will be increased. The resurrection story is all 475 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:05,000 about Him. And so when the resurrection 476 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:07,160 story comes into my life, it'll be all about Him. 477 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:09,600 It'll have nothing to do with me. 478 00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:16,080 True belief is when I allow my sinful nature to be confronted 479 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:20,680 by Jesus grace to bear it all, then only can I allow the living 480 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,320 message of hope to live out in my life and I pray. 481 00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:29,280 We won't chase after happiness. We will chase after joy. 482 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:34,240 We will chase after joy. Polarizer cuts off. 483 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:37,000 This polarizer lens cuts off the light waves that the enemy keeps 484 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:38,720 throwing at you and accusing you. 485 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:41,560 The polarizer shows me who I am in Christ. 486 00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:46,360 And because I believe in Jesus, a lot of times when we are when, 487 00:26:46,360 --> 00:26:48,120 as I mentioned, when you're sitting in the table and 488 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:51,720 confronting the very thing that we are asking God to say, God, 489 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,800 this is who I want to be because you are in me. 490 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:58,320 If he says I'm saved, if he says I'm free, if he says I'm an 491 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:01,120 overcomer, he will show otherwise. 492 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:05,480 So I pray that as you, as you allow the living message to 493 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:07,640 work, you will cut off whatever the enemy is saying. 494 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:11,760 You will cut off whatever your own understanding and thinking 495 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:14,120 is saying. You'll listen to what God is 496 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:16,600 saying. Matthew chapter 5, verses 14 to 497 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:19,320 16 says this. Here's another way to put it. 498 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:23,560 You're here to be light, bringing out the God colours in 499 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,480 the world. God is not a secret to be kept. 500 00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:30,280 We are going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. 501 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:34,640 If I make you light bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide 502 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:36,600 you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light 503 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:38,080 stand. Now that I've put you on a 504 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:41,760 hilltop on a light stand, Shine, keep open house. 505 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:44,760 Be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll 506 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:49,480 prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in 507 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:52,760 heaven, this generous Father in heaven. 508 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:57,400 And what does this look like 'cause when I love and when I 509 00:27:57,400 --> 00:27:59,760 have, I have this attachment, when I'm, when I'm thinking 510 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:03,480 about that, the picture that I draw out will have lot of the 511 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,200 living message in it. It won't be me. 512 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:09,000 It'll say it'll have Lord. Lord, this marriage is not about 513 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:10,840 me. It's because God is working in 514 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,200 this marriage. This, this parenting is not 515 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:15,120 about me. It has God working in this. 516 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,920 This job is not about me. I, to my knowledge, I don't 517 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:21,080 deserve it, but God has come through to it. 518 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:23,760 This blessing that he's given, I don't deserve it. 519 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:27,960 But this is coming because God is working in and through it. 520 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:33,280 So I pray today, maybe never take a fractured image of us and 521 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:35,440 be satisfied with the reflection that we see. 522 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,560 But as you put the polarizer, can we allow God to cut off 523 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:42,400 those light so that we'll be able to get a clear image of who 524 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:47,640 God says we are? God says we are in one 525 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:51,960 Corinthians chapter one, verse 10, it says he chose the lowly, 526 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:53,920 the laughable in the world's eyes. 527 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:59,000 Nobody's to shame the somebody's, for he chose what is 528 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,560 regarded as insignificant in order to supersede what is 529 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:05,960 regarded as prominent, so that there would be no place for the 530 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:08,040 prideful boasting in God's presence. 531 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:14,880 For it is not from man that we draw a life, but from God, as we 532 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:18,200 are being joined to Jesus the anointed. 1 And now he is a 533 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:21,240 God-given wisdom, our virtue, our holiness, our redemption, 534 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:22,920 and this fulfills what is written. 535 00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:27,400 If anyone boasts, let him only boast in all that the Lord has 536 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:31,040 done. So today as we are pursuing 537 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:34,040 things in our world, it has nothing to do with us. 538 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:36,720 Anything we do has to do with Jesus. 539 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:42,000 So maybe boast about Jesus. I would also want to give an 540 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:44,440 encouragement. You don't get to tap out way too 541 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:46,520 early. For all those of you are on the 542 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:50,360 fringes thinking, you know what? I'll figure this Jesus out. 543 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:53,240 Don't tap out before it's time. Trust him. 544 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:55,200 I pray may faith kick in. I pray. 545 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:59,080 May you stand up to the enemy. He needs to know that you are 546 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:02,720 there to fight against him. He shouldn't know that you're on 547 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:04,440 his side. He needs to see you on the 548 00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:07,360 opposite side. I pray God will give you the 549 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:12,200 eyes to see clearly that you won't be combating with the part 550 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:15,320 gospel, but you'll combat him with the full gospel knowing 551 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:17,800 that you're out to take the enemy completely. 552 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:21,920 The living message will work in and through you so that the 553 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:24,440 world will see it. As we read that God's not going 554 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:26,440 to place you, just hidden somewhere. 555 00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:28,360 He's going to place you and you're going to tell. 556 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:33,000 This is possible because of God. The second thing is the living 557 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,160 message moves and rearranges our inner state. 558 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:40,000 When resurrection, when we start believing Jesus, it moves and 559 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:42,320 rearranges our inner state. What does that look like? 560 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:46,480 It looks like God moving pieces and parts of our heart to shape 561 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:48,560 it. And that is the tough part. 562 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:52,000 We are happy when things move and change outwardly, but God 563 00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:54,200 saying I want to move and change things internally. 564 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:57,400 One Corinthians chapter 15 verses 8 to 11. 565 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,080 This is what it says. And at last all that he appeared 566 00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:03,760 to me also to 1 abnormally born. For I am the least of the 567 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:07,000 apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle because 568 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,560 I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God, I am 569 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:14,520 what I am and his grace to me was not without effect. 570 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:18,680 Now I worked harder than all of them, yet not I but the grace of 571 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:22,680 God that was in P Whether then it is I or they. 572 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:27,760 This is what we preach and this is what you believed Paul's 573 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:30,480 telling them as we read the first few verses. 574 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:36,560 What you believed is because I, who didn't deserve this, have 575 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:39,800 received it. And So what happens is when Paul 576 00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:43,000 received Jesus, he was called to Damascus. 577 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:46,280 Ananias comes and prays over him and there's a period of time God 578 00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:47,680 starts working in and through him. 579 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:51,480 And I believe in that period of time, God sets right his heart 580 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:56,560 condition, everything that was cued, God set it right and 581 00:31:56,560 --> 00:32:01,360 suddenly salvation made sense. Suddenly the Messiah made sense. 582 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,000 Suddenly the prophecies made sense. 583 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:07,880 Suddenly all of scripture started making sense. 584 00:32:10,240 --> 00:32:13,120 Paul, when we see in his early life what's like this religious 585 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:15,720 police, he was going after everyone. 586 00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:20,280 But the minute he turned to becoming Paul, from Saul to 587 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:24,160 Paul, he went after everyone who didn't know Jesus. 588 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:26,080 Look at the mantle that was put on him. 589 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:29,320 It was diametrically opposite to what he was called for. 590 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:31,160 You know, he would have thought, you know what? 591 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:33,040 I'm a Jew. I've, I've learned under the 592 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:34,720 right people, I know what I'm doing. 593 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:36,920 I know why I'm called. I know who I'm do. 594 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,360 But the minute when Jesus comes in, he uses everything that he 595 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:43,040 has, but he turns it around. His audience changes. 596 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:47,040 He no longer was even identified as a preacher to the Jews. 597 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:49,120 He was identified as a preacher to the Gentiles. 598 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:51,640 And that is what the living message does. 599 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:55,600 Every time the living message comes into someone, it will 600 00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:58,800 change you inside out, which means everything that you 601 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:01,040 physically have gone through in terms of education, all that is 602 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:02,760 good. But he'll walk in and through. 603 00:33:02,760 --> 00:33:04,200 He'll give you a specific burden. 604 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:07,480 He'll give you a specific call. And that's why we see the Great 605 00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:09,360 Commission coming alive in each and everyone. 606 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:11,240 Is this not for missionaries? Is this not for those who've 607 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:12,560 dedicated their lives for Christ? 608 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:15,880 It's for each and everyone. Wherever you work, wherever you 609 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:18,920 are, wherever you're seated, wherever you go on a Monday to a 610 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:21,440 Friday, that's your Great Commission place. 611 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:24,440 And he sets you so that you'll be able to live it out in 612 00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:27,960 fullness right there. Fullness right there. 613 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:33,080 And you know, when Paul is actually arrested in Jerusalem 614 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:36,240 and he goes into Jerusalem, there's a huge confusion and 615 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,840 then he gets arrested. And then he tells the Roman God, 616 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:42,040 I would like to speak to the people. 617 00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:46,520 And when he's standing there and talking as we read Acts 22 618 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:51,200 verses 1 to 21, we see him boldly declare his faith. 619 00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:55,320 As I said in the beginning, as we read from Romans, when we 620 00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:58,360 believe and when we declare with our mouth, it's very important. 621 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:00,080 That declaration is very important. 622 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:04,280 We need to tell people where we were and what happened to where 623 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:08,120 we are are right now, currently. We give emphasis to the 624 00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:11,000 intersection that happens with the living message and what 625 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:15,679 happens beyond that, and this is what it says in Acts 22 verses 1 626 00:34:15,679 --> 00:34:17,880 to 21. It says, brothers and fathers, 627 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:20,760 listen now to my defence. When they heard him speak to 628 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:23,840 them in Aramaic, they became very quiet and Paul said, I am a 629 00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:27,320 Jew born in Tarsus of Sicilia, but brought up in the city. 630 00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:30,280 I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of 631 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:33,159 our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as 632 00:34:33,159 --> 00:34:35,480 any of you are today. I persecuted the followers of 633 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:38,480 this way to their death, arresting both men and women and 634 00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:41,320 throwing them into prison as the high priest and all the council 635 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:44,400 can themselves testify, even obtain letters from them to the 636 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:48,320 associates in Damascus and went there to bring these people as 637 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:50,199 prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. 638 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:53,360 And this is what's important because Paul is sharing his 639 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:57,120 encounter with Jesus, the personal encounter that we have. 640 00:34:57,120 --> 00:34:59,800 This is what is important is because this is where our 641 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:03,960 physical being and our spiritual being needs the living message. 642 00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:06,360 This is what it says. About noon, as I came near 643 00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:09,040 Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around 644 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:10,960 me. I fell to the ground and heard a 645 00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:13,360 voice to me. Saul, Saul, why do you you 646 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:15,440 persecute me? Who are you, Lord? 647 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:18,440 I asked. I'm Jesus of Nazareth, whom 648 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:21,600 you're persecuting, replied My companion saw the light, but 649 00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:24,840 they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to 650 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:26,800 me. What shall I do? 651 00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:28,680 I asked. Get up, the Lord said, and go 652 00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:31,320 into Damascus. Then you'll be told as you've 653 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:34,160 been assigned to do. My companions led me by the hand 654 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:36,640 to Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had 655 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:39,480 blinded me. And then we go on to read. 656 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:42,360 It says in verse 14. Then he said, The God of our 657 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:45,200 ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the 658 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:47,280 righteous, 1 and to hear words from his mouth. 659 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:51,600 You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and 660 00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:54,240 heard. And now what you're waiting, 661 00:35:54,240 --> 00:35:59,200 forget up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His 662 00:35:59,240 --> 00:36:03,880 name, calling on His name. So even as I mentioned about the 663 00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:08,600 living message, which moves and rearranges our inner state, the 664 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:12,800 important thing that happens with this living message coming 665 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:17,400 in is the physical appearance, The physical being, nothing 666 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:19,600 changes. But inwardly everything changes. 667 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:24,680 Inwardly everything changes. So a lot of you have done the 668 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,200 science experiments. So I've taken a, a jug. 669 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:30,280 Yeah, I fill it up with water. It's got 500ML of water. 670 00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:34,240 It's typically tap water. So it's treated, it doesn't have 671 00:36:34,240 --> 00:36:38,080 salt content on it. And so one of the things with 672 00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:43,280 regard to salt is God uses the thing he uses, uses the word 673 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:44,880 light. And then he uses the word salt. 674 00:36:44,880 --> 00:36:49,560 And then when he says salt, he asks us to be the salt in the 675 00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:51,200 world. And so this is, as I mentioned, 676 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:54,240 when the living message comes into us, we are like this where 677 00:36:54,240 --> 00:36:57,880 we don't have any taste. We, we've become numb to 678 00:36:57,880 --> 00:36:59,360 everything around. We're just surviving. 679 00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:02,120 We're just one among the crowd. We have our own agenda. 680 00:37:02,120 --> 00:37:04,760 We have a, a career plan of 35 years. 681 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,640 We have a savings plan. We have every kind of plan 682 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:10,440 possible. But then suddenly when the 683 00:37:10,440 --> 00:37:13,640 gospel comes in, when when I allow faith to come in, what 684 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:18,240 happens is this salt, this word, this living message starts 685 00:37:18,240 --> 00:37:21,760 working in and through my life. And then even before we know it, 686 00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:27,560 what happens is we see that the salt starts working its way in 687 00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:31,520 our life. And before we know it, the salt 688 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:35,040 is starting to make, gets dissolved completely. 689 00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:39,640 And when it gets dissolved, what happens is physically that it's 690 00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:44,120 not increasing, but the taste changes, the taste changes. 691 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:45,600 And what happens if the taste changing? 692 00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:49,680 This is now salty water. There's a certain kind of taste 693 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:51,680 to it. So with this, with it being 694 00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:53,720 dissolved now this has salt in it. 695 00:37:54,040 --> 00:37:57,520 And this got me thinking many a times I'm trying to look for a 696 00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:01,360 physical manifestation of what a God is actually doing in 697 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:03,400 worldly. So today, what does it look like 698 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:05,200 when God's dealing with me in worldly? 699 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:09,240 Everything changes if I'm coming from a family where anger has 700 00:38:09,240 --> 00:38:12,720 been a big issue. God starts dealing with anger 701 00:38:12,720 --> 00:38:15,440 because I'm allowing the living message to work in me with 702 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:19,640 peacelessness was a big issue in my life where I lacked peace 703 00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:22,640 because I've seen so many things that robbed my peace away. 704 00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:25,040 The living message suddenly gives me peace. 705 00:38:25,480 --> 00:38:28,800 If contentment was an issue, if I struggled with contentment, if 706 00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:31,920 as a single guy I struggle with committing to one person, I'm 707 00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:35,240 always, you know, trying to thrive on the fact of, you know, 708 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:39,400 dating more than 4-5 people at the same time. 709 00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:43,080 God, the living message works in me and he gives me a divine 710 00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:45,640 sense of contentment, which starts working in me. 711 00:38:45,720 --> 00:38:48,440 It doesn't change me outwardly, but it starts working in me. 712 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:55,480 The salt starts working in me. And Matthew chapter 15 verses 13 713 00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:58,000 to 16 is what it says. Let me tell you why you are 714 00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:01,120 here. You're here to be salt seasoning 715 00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:03,640 that brings out the God flavors of this earth. 716 00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:07,280 If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? 717 00:39:07,880 --> 00:39:12,000 You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. 718 00:39:12,320 --> 00:39:14,640 And I've taken the message version specifically because a 719 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:18,320 lot of us today have lost our saltiness Today. 720 00:39:18,320 --> 00:39:21,600 A lot of us have lost we, we're thinking, you know what, God, I 721 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:23,720 don't want that saltiness because I'm not able to merge. 722 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:26,680 I would rather be bland because everyone around me likes bland. 723 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:29,040 But God saying, no, I want to add that salt because people 724 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:32,560 should see godliness. If godliness is the one which 725 00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:36,400 God desires of us, the living message has to work in and 726 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:39,240 through US completely. And so I pray today that the 727 00:39:39,440 --> 00:39:40,960 living message will work in and through you. 728 00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:44,040 A lot of us are so scared of the salt that we've moved away. 729 00:39:44,240 --> 00:39:46,400 We're like, I'm comfortable with just being the water. 730 00:39:46,720 --> 00:39:49,560 But God saying, have a daily dose of my salt in you. 731 00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:51,680 You'll be a blessing to everyone around. 732 00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:54,280 You'll be, you'll be tasteful to everyone around. 733 00:39:54,480 --> 00:39:56,280 You'll be graceful to everyone around. 734 00:39:56,520 --> 00:40:00,200 People will be able to see me, will be able to see the living 735 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:02,200 message working in and through your life. 736 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:05,520 They'll be able to taste of my work in and through your life. 737 00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:08,160 And so today I pray maybe not run away from whatever God's 738 00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:11,560 saying to do inwardly. Maybe run towards him because 739 00:40:11,560 --> 00:40:15,360 the more we run towards him, the more we are showcasing him to 740 00:40:15,360 --> 00:40:17,120 the world that God's placed us in. 741 00:40:18,160 --> 00:40:21,240 The third thing, the living message, which I want to 742 00:40:21,240 --> 00:40:25,960 emphasize is because when Jesus rose again, he gave us hope 743 00:40:26,240 --> 00:40:28,920 after death. The third thing is living 744 00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:31,560 message. Christ is our forerunner and is 745 00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:35,120 a hope for what is unseen. Christ is our forerunner. 746 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:38,800 So Jesus who rose again, when we read in One Corinthians 15, we 747 00:40:38,840 --> 00:40:42,240 see time and again he's talking to people because many people 748 00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:44,400 would have had doubt. If we die, where do we go? 749 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:46,600 Where does our soul go? Because when talking to the 750 00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:49,880 Corinthians, he's talking to the people who in the Greek culture 751 00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:52,400 who believe that their soul is what will go down. 752 00:40:53,080 --> 00:40:55,840 They believe that their soul is what will be left off. 753 00:40:56,080 --> 00:40:59,480 But he's saying a soul and body, a body, a earthly body, 754 00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:01,240 resurrection. And that's what Paul says. 755 00:41:01,240 --> 00:41:05,080 Even in Thessalonians, the dead in Christ will rise 1st and 756 00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:06,600 those who are alive will be joined. 757 00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:11,520 And so today as we believe this one thing is assured, that we 758 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:16,120 will live again in Christ. We will live again in Christ. 759 00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:20,280 So when we die here on this earth, when our time here is up, 760 00:41:20,520 --> 00:41:22,680 we don't grieve like others without hope. 761 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:26,760 We grieve with hope, knowing that they are with God and that 762 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:29,240 we get to live our lives with fuller so that one day when we 763 00:41:29,240 --> 00:41:31,560 close our eyes, we will see Him face to face. 764 00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:33,920 Will it be painful? Will it be empty? 765 00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:37,320 Will it be hurting? Yes, the emotions of it is real, 766 00:41:38,240 --> 00:41:42,320 but Jesus is there. The will it Will it seem so 767 00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:44,520 heavy? Yes, but the living message is 768 00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:47,720 there to carry us through. God will help us to walk through 769 00:41:47,720 --> 00:41:52,680 that so that we'll be able to see Jesus work in and through 770 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:56,000 US1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 2023. 771 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:59,280 This is what it says. But Christ has indeed raised 772 00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:02,600 from the dead the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 773 00:42:02,920 --> 00:42:05,560 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the 774 00:42:05,560 --> 00:42:10,480 dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all dies, so in 775 00:42:10,480 --> 00:42:14,680 Christ all will be made alive, but each in turn Christ the 776 00:42:14,680 --> 00:42:19,360 first fruits, then when he comes those who belong to him. 777 00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:24,200 What Paul is saying is Christ is the one who rose again from the 778 00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:26,040 dead. Everyone else died. 779 00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:31,000 He talks about through man death came, which means eternal death 780 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:32,680 came through Adam because of his sin. 781 00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:35,400 But we have resurrection life because of Christ. 782 00:42:35,680 --> 00:42:38,600 And because Christ rose again, all those who believe in him 783 00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:43,240 will be able to live again in eternity with him. 784 00:42:44,920 --> 00:42:48,280 The living message changes our trajectory for what God has in 785 00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:51,720 store from us. Everyone who witnessed Jesus 786 00:42:51,960 --> 00:42:54,680 face to face, it changed their course. 787 00:42:55,040 --> 00:43:00,080 Everyone who witnessed Jesus face to face their outlook at of 788 00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:02,960 their end was different. In fact, when we read about 789 00:43:02,960 --> 00:43:06,800 Peter, he said my Lord was crucified this week, crucify me 790 00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:10,080 upside down. We see everyone who who was 791 00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:13,160 martyred for Christ. We see time and again year after 792 00:43:13,160 --> 00:43:15,760 year as many have given up their life for the gospel. 793 00:43:16,080 --> 00:43:20,280 Many and many have like been imprisoned because of their 794 00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:23,360 faith. It's all because they know their 795 00:43:23,360 --> 00:43:27,680 hope is secure. The living message gives us hope 796 00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:30,200 for the future. So today, I don't know what it's 797 00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:33,440 hopeless in you. Probably you're scared for your 798 00:43:33,440 --> 00:43:35,600 children. Probably you're scared for what 799 00:43:35,640 --> 00:43:37,640 will happen five years, 10 years from now. 800 00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:41,440 Probably you're scared to what state our nation is going 801 00:43:41,440 --> 00:43:43,440 towards. Probably you're scared the 802 00:43:43,640 --> 00:43:45,160 looking at what's happening around the world. 803 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:49,160 God, what is going to happen? The living message is our hope. 804 00:43:49,840 --> 00:43:52,680 Will you trust in the living message? 805 00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:57,120 As we keep living this life, we see that there is a higher 806 00:43:57,120 --> 00:44:00,880 purpose that God's calling. This living message lifts us up 807 00:44:01,280 --> 00:44:04,640 from our earthly pursuits to realize what is ungodly 808 00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:07,480 pursuits. So suddenly you have this 809 00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:10,200 balancing act. As a Christian, you have to have 810 00:44:10,200 --> 00:44:13,240 our earthly pursuits because He's placed us here on this 811 00:44:13,240 --> 00:44:16,440 earth, but he also gives us this covering of heavenly pursuits. 812 00:44:16,680 --> 00:44:18,400 And so we have this time and again. 813 00:44:18,600 --> 00:44:21,200 And this is where we start realizing when the living 814 00:44:21,200 --> 00:44:23,400 message is working. And through me, I view 815 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:26,760 everything through this with the heavenly pursuits, and I view it 816 00:44:26,800 --> 00:44:29,800 on my earthly pursuits. And then we suddenly make the 817 00:44:30,040 --> 00:44:33,200 and with this we make choices. With this we see what works. 818 00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:35,240 With this we see, should I say yes to this? 819 00:44:35,240 --> 00:44:38,480 Should I say no to this? And that is where God wants us 820 00:44:38,480 --> 00:44:43,040 to be, where we are able to see things marked out for eternity, 821 00:44:43,320 --> 00:44:46,800 not marked out for this world. In Philippians chapter 1 verses 822 00:44:46,800 --> 00:44:51,080 21, it says for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. 823 00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:54,040 If I'm going to go on living in the body, this will mean 824 00:44:54,040 --> 00:44:57,960 fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? 825 00:44:58,160 --> 00:45:00,680 I do not know. I'm torn between the two. 826 00:45:00,680 --> 00:45:04,080 I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far, 827 00:45:04,080 --> 00:45:07,160 but it's more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 828 00:45:07,160 --> 00:45:09,480 Convinced of this. I know that I will remain. 829 00:45:09,480 --> 00:45:13,480 I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the 830 00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:17,560 faith, so that through my being with you again, you're boasting 831 00:45:17,560 --> 00:45:21,240 in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. 832 00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:24,480 What is Paul saying? He's saying the solution would 833 00:45:24,480 --> 00:45:27,840 be, I'm so happy to actually die because I know I'll be with my 834 00:45:27,840 --> 00:45:29,760 Saviour. But there's an appointed time 835 00:45:29,760 --> 00:45:31,840 for that. Till then, I will run this race 836 00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:35,360 well, till then I will do so that I add joy into the Kingdom 837 00:45:35,360 --> 00:45:37,680 here. Till then, I live right and do 838 00:45:37,680 --> 00:45:39,840 what God's called me to do today. 839 00:45:39,960 --> 00:45:43,760 The living message is not that we all just gather in a group 840 00:45:43,760 --> 00:45:46,920 and just believe in this. We have to be out there as we 841 00:45:46,920 --> 00:45:50,360 are out there. We are the one who carry hope 842 00:45:50,440 --> 00:45:54,760 into this place, hope into this world, hope into the 843 00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:56,840 hopelessness that the world is having. 844 00:45:57,520 --> 00:45:59,440 And so today, you and I, what are we doing? 845 00:46:00,320 --> 00:46:03,920 What are we doing? Are we running after the next 846 00:46:03,920 --> 00:46:06,160 big thing? Yes, lot of you might be 847 00:46:06,160 --> 00:46:08,000 thinking, you know what? The Christian life is boring, 848 00:46:08,000 --> 00:46:11,480 but boring is the best thing that can happen. 849 00:46:12,720 --> 00:46:15,200 Elegation that sounds totally off. 850 00:46:15,800 --> 00:46:18,000 And it sounds like that. It seems like that. 851 00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:21,720 But the more I realize the exciting thing is the living 852 00:46:21,720 --> 00:46:24,720 message is within us. That's all the excitement that 853 00:46:24,720 --> 00:46:28,160 can be. Everything else is just shape 854 00:46:28,160 --> 00:46:30,840 shifting, culture shifting for the time that we are in. 855 00:46:31,720 --> 00:46:35,000 And I was just listening to this podcast by Nikki Kamat. 856 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:37,520 For those of you, he's one of the founders of 0 Diane. 857 00:46:37,520 --> 00:46:41,400 He has titled one of his new podcasts called, he's calling it 858 00:46:41,400 --> 00:46:44,400 as the more boring your business, the higher the 859 00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:48,560 likelihood of making money. The more boring your business, 860 00:46:48,560 --> 00:46:50,600 the higher the likelihood of making money. 861 00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:51,960 And I was just I just thought about that. 862 00:46:51,960 --> 00:46:55,800 I said, and I have to reverse. The more boring your life seems, 863 00:46:55,800 --> 00:46:59,480 the more likelihood of the living message actually making 864 00:47:00,120 --> 00:47:03,600 coming alive in you. Because it's interesting that 865 00:47:03,800 --> 00:47:06,720 the only thing that has to be an activator in your life has to be 866 00:47:06,720 --> 00:47:09,200 the living message. Because if the living message is 867 00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:12,520 active, everything else will have a fragment of the living 868 00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:14,600 message. Suddenly your parenting will 869 00:47:14,600 --> 00:47:16,320 have a fragment of the living message. 870 00:47:16,480 --> 00:47:19,440 Your it'll stem out of that. Your marriage will have a 871 00:47:19,640 --> 00:47:21,400 reflection of the living message. 872 00:47:21,560 --> 00:47:24,640 Your work, your ideas, everything you're doing in terms 873 00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:29,000 of that will have the reflection of the living message. 874 00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:31,600 Everything that God's called you to do for his Kingdom will have 875 00:47:31,600 --> 00:47:32,920 a reflection of the living message. 876 00:47:33,120 --> 00:47:36,600 And this changes everything entirely. 877 00:47:37,760 --> 00:47:40,600 So if your Christian life looks boring, you're headed in the 878 00:47:40,600 --> 00:47:42,240 right direction. Keep going at it. 879 00:47:42,400 --> 00:47:45,080 Keep believing with hope. Keep trusting Him. 880 00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:49,480 The living message in US is hope for the someone that you're 881 00:47:49,480 --> 00:47:52,400 waiting to come down, that we will see him face to face. 882 00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:55,800 We need to live with that daily, else we will lose focus. 883 00:47:56,040 --> 00:48:00,240 Else we will lose focus. The victory comes through our 884 00:48:00,240 --> 00:48:03,560 Jesus Christ, as Paul concludes in One Corinthians 15, he says. 885 00:48:03,800 --> 00:48:06,640 But thanks be to God, he gives us a victory through our Lord 886 00:48:06,640 --> 00:48:08,720 Jesus. Therefore, my dear brothers and 887 00:48:08,720 --> 00:48:11,640 sisters, stand firm, let nothing move you. 888 00:48:11,640 --> 00:48:15,240 Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because 889 00:48:15,240 --> 00:48:17,960 you know that your labour and the Lord is not in Maine. 890 00:48:18,360 --> 00:48:21,280 And even as I'm reading this, I'm taking it specifically into 891 00:48:21,280 --> 00:48:23,800 whatever He has to do in and through you, the living message, 892 00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:25,560 because everything stems out of that. 893 00:48:25,760 --> 00:48:30,000 And I want to charge you today. Stand firm, church, let nothing 894 00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:33,360 move you. Always give yourselves fully to 895 00:48:33,360 --> 00:48:35,360 the work of God. Let the living message which 896 00:48:35,360 --> 00:48:40,600 works in you work its way fully. Let it not work, partly so that 897 00:48:40,600 --> 00:48:44,880 your labour is not in vain, your neighbor is not in vain. 898 00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:55,320 I pray that we will be obedient to the living message, obedient 899 00:48:55,320 --> 00:48:58,040 to the living message, because the living message is true. 900 00:48:58,560 --> 00:49:01,520 It's there. It's not for a select few, it's 901 00:49:01,520 --> 00:49:03,360 for all those who hear the name of Jesus. 902 00:49:03,600 --> 00:49:06,280 It's for all those who hear and know that Jesus Christ is Lord. 903 00:49:06,440 --> 00:49:10,200 It's for all those who know that Jesus is alive today. 904 00:49:12,640 --> 00:49:14,880 I want to read from Romans chapter 8, verse 28. 905 00:49:14,880 --> 00:49:16,640 And this is what it says in the Passion. 906 00:49:16,640 --> 00:49:19,520 It says for we are convinced that every detail of our lives 907 00:49:19,520 --> 00:49:21,520 is continually woven together for good. 908 00:49:21,960 --> 00:49:24,880 For we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his 909 00:49:24,880 --> 00:49:29,480 design purpose. And I pray that the living 910 00:49:29,480 --> 00:49:35,000 message would be woven into our message and in turn, the fusing 911 00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:38,080 would be so much that the living message will be our message. 912 00:49:38,720 --> 00:49:40,720 The living message will be our message. 913 00:49:41,960 --> 00:49:46,560 We'll start doing that which God is working in and through us, 914 00:49:46,800 --> 00:49:49,160 the out working. So everything that stems out 915 00:49:49,360 --> 00:49:52,240 will stem out from a place where God is in control. 916 00:49:52,840 --> 00:49:56,480 It'll shape our purposes. It will reveal his plans for us 917 00:49:56,600 --> 00:49:59,080 so that we are not sitting here aimless. 918 00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:02,160 We're not sitting here confused, but we're sitting here 919 00:50:02,160 --> 00:50:06,040 purposeful to say, God, I'm thankful that you're alive. 920 00:50:06,320 --> 00:50:09,640 I'm thankful that I have hope. I'm thankful that I can pursue 921 00:50:09,640 --> 00:50:12,800 all that you've called me to do because you're living and 922 00:50:12,800 --> 00:50:18,760 working inside of me. So church, even as I pray, I 923 00:50:18,760 --> 00:50:21,320 want to ask you, can you allow the living message? 924 00:50:21,320 --> 00:50:23,080 I don't know. Probably a lot of you are like, 925 00:50:23,280 --> 00:50:25,560 you know what, this year has been hard, has been rough. 926 00:50:25,880 --> 00:50:28,360 And so the living message is more like a dying message. 927 00:50:28,920 --> 00:50:32,160 I pray he can come in. The God who broke through the 928 00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:36,320 tomb, the God who came and showed himself up to everyone is 929 00:50:36,320 --> 00:50:37,720 willing to come into your life today. 930 00:50:38,040 --> 00:50:41,240 And if you can commit and ask and say, God, I want you to come 931 00:50:41,240 --> 00:50:43,600 in. I've heard this for time for for 932 00:50:43,640 --> 00:50:47,560 for far too long. I've, I, I know you rose again, 933 00:50:47,560 --> 00:50:49,160 but I don't believe it with all my heart. 934 00:50:49,160 --> 00:50:51,360 I would ask you, Can you believe with all of your heart? 935 00:50:51,680 --> 00:50:54,720 Faith, Let it arise saying, God, I believe with all of my heart. 936 00:50:54,960 --> 00:50:57,200 And may you confess with your mouth wherever you are, if you 937 00:50:57,200 --> 00:51:00,000 can just open and say, Lord, I confess that you are Lord and 938 00:51:00,000 --> 00:51:02,480 God, you died for my, for my sins. 939 00:51:02,480 --> 00:51:04,160 And on the third day you rose again. 940 00:51:04,280 --> 00:51:07,840 I believe it and I confess it. Can we allow him and say, Lord, 941 00:51:07,840 --> 00:51:12,760 I give you access to move in and arrange as I saw Lord, for all 942 00:51:12,760 --> 00:51:15,480 this while I've just been water, but I want salt in it so that 943 00:51:15,480 --> 00:51:18,640 I'll be the taste that you're adding me into this place, Lord 944 00:51:18,640 --> 00:51:20,680 Jesus. Lord, add in me the right 945 00:51:20,680 --> 00:51:23,480 amount, Lord Jesus, so that and that comes down to us where we 946 00:51:23,480 --> 00:51:26,040 allow him every day. Can we move to the world? 947 00:51:26,200 --> 00:51:29,200 Can we move to times where we will have our intimate times 948 00:51:29,200 --> 00:51:33,360 with Him, to worship Him, to receive from Him so that we can 949 00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:38,440 be the salt here on this earth and maybe come to a restful 950 00:51:38,440 --> 00:51:40,120 place that Christ is our foreigner. 951 00:51:40,640 --> 00:51:42,840 Lord, as long as you have. I pray, Lord, for those who are 952 00:51:42,840 --> 00:51:45,200 fearful of their future. I pray for those who are 953 00:51:45,200 --> 00:51:48,680 fearful, Lord Jesus, of what hopelessness looks like. 954 00:51:48,680 --> 00:51:52,120 I pray they'll find hope in you because of the living message. 955 00:51:52,400 --> 00:51:54,720 I pray even right now, or each and everyone who's listening and 956 00:51:54,720 --> 00:51:56,400 watching, that your hand come upon them. 957 00:51:56,400 --> 00:51:59,520 Lord, I pray for those who had a battered time. 958 00:51:59,520 --> 00:52:02,960 Lord Jesus, they'll experience the freedom that comes from you. 959 00:52:03,200 --> 00:52:06,480 They'll experience the living message that can permeate 960 00:52:06,480 --> 00:52:08,880 through everything, Lord Jesus, everything. 961 00:52:09,160 --> 00:52:12,400 I pray that, Lord, their hinges will be fixed today because of 962 00:52:12,400 --> 00:52:14,440 faith. It'll be fixed. 963 00:52:15,000 --> 00:52:19,080 It'll be fixed, Lord, that door of unbelief will be opened up 964 00:52:19,080 --> 00:52:22,520 because the faith is in your for resurrected Savior, that you 965 00:52:22,520 --> 00:52:26,200 will come alive, come alive in the name of Jesus. 966 00:52:26,440 --> 00:52:28,560 Come alive that they'll experience miracle after 967 00:52:28,560 --> 00:52:29,960 miracle. They'll experience your 968 00:52:30,160 --> 00:52:34,040 abundance internally, Lord Jesus, and in the right time, 969 00:52:34,040 --> 00:52:36,440 they'll be able to showcase it to the watching world that you 970 00:52:36,440 --> 00:52:38,880 won't just keep, that they won't hide themselves, but they'll 971 00:52:38,880 --> 00:52:41,880 move to the place when they have, when they're ready to take 972 00:52:41,880 --> 00:52:43,880 their message, or they'll be able to testify of the living 973 00:52:43,880 --> 00:52:45,400 message that's working in and through them. 974 00:52:46,400 --> 00:52:48,560 I pray, Lord, for your peace, love, and joy over each and 975 00:52:48,560 --> 00:52:50,120 everyone. Be with each and everyone of us. 976 00:52:50,360 --> 00:52:53,080 I pray as we receive this Easter message that we won't just 977 00:52:53,080 --> 00:52:55,360 receive it, but we will abide in it. 978 00:52:55,720 --> 00:52:59,160 We will thrive in it. We will ask for your Kingdom to 979 00:52:59,160 --> 00:53:01,480 come. Your will be done in our lives. 980 00:53:01,480 --> 00:53:04,760 Thank you Lord, for people who saw you face to face. 981 00:53:05,400 --> 00:53:08,120 And we are living with that hope for we can't wait to see you 982 00:53:08,120 --> 00:53:09,680 face to face. We thank you for the assurance 983 00:53:09,680 --> 00:53:13,440 your word says for those who still believe in you without 984 00:53:13,440 --> 00:53:15,120 seeing, Lord, it's credited to them. 985 00:53:15,120 --> 00:53:18,760 And I pray that we all will be forerunners, Lord Jesus to say, 986 00:53:18,760 --> 00:53:20,280 Lord, we want to see you face to face. 987 00:53:20,280 --> 00:53:24,360 We believe that you are coming. We thank you that you, we thank 988 00:53:24,360 --> 00:53:28,920 you that you are a forerunner, and we'll continue to hope in 989 00:53:28,920 --> 00:53:32,640 what is unseen. Lord, go before us, be with us, 990 00:53:32,640 --> 00:53:34,920 bless us. In your most holy name we pray, 991 00:53:35,640 --> 00:53:38,960 Amen, Amen, Amen. So Church, even as you go out 992 00:53:38,960 --> 00:53:42,360 this week, as we start a brand new week, I pray that as you 993 00:53:42,360 --> 00:53:45,880 celebrate Easter with family, loved ones, as you share a meal, 994 00:53:46,200 --> 00:53:49,080 that you'll be the living message that God's called you to 995 00:53:49,080 --> 00:53:51,240 be. He'll strengthen you, He will 996 00:53:51,240 --> 00:53:54,640 guide you, He'll be with you. I pray for His blood covering up 997 00:53:54,640 --> 00:53:57,880 on each and everyone of you. I pray that the living message 998 00:53:58,040 --> 00:54:01,360 will take root. Faith will be strengthened that 999 00:54:01,360 --> 00:54:03,400 we will be able to see His Kingdom come. 1000 00:54:03,400 --> 00:54:07,840 His will be done and you will be a witness to this watching 1001 00:54:07,840 --> 00:54:09,480 world. God bless you all. 1002 00:54:10,320 --> 00:54:13,960 We as a church, as we as I wish you all a happy and a blessed 1003 00:54:13,960 --> 00:54:15,080 Easter. God bless you all. 1004 00:54:16,680 --> 00:54:18,520 Thanks for listening to this message. 1005 00:54:18,880 --> 00:54:22,360 We hope you were blessed to hear more messages like this. 1006 00:54:22,760 --> 00:54:26,680 Make sure to subscribe and check out our podcast channel for past 1007 00:54:26,680 --> 00:54:29,040 episodes. If you like what you are 1008 00:54:29,040 --> 00:54:33,560 hearing, consider rating us, subscribing and even sharing it 1009 00:54:33,560 --> 00:54:36,160 with friends. That would really help us. 1010 00:54:36,880 --> 00:54:41,440 For more content from Via Zion and to connect with us, go to 1011 00:54:41,440 --> 00:54:46,640 Via Zion dot in. Remember, whoever finds Jesus 1012 00:54:46,840 --> 00:54:47,680 finds life.