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Hello, a big welcome to the We 
Are Zion sermon podcast. 

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We are a church based out of 
Chennai, India. 

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We are thrilled that you tuned 
in today and hope that you will 

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be refreshed, revived, and 
energized by what you hear. 

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Our desire is that you will live
life with a renewed sense of 

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purpose that stems from a 
vibrant faith in Jesus. 

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The year 2025 is 1 where we will
be positioned by God to possess 

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our promise. 
Today's sermon, Real Friendship 

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Radical Priesthood is an 
exhortation for all of us to 

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grow deeper in our relationship 
with Jesus while living out our 

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God ordained purposes here on 
earth. 

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We pray that you would be 
challenged and motivated to give

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more time this year to prayer 
and enjoying the presence of 

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God. 
Good morning, everyone. 

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All right. 
I have a bit of a Pentecostal 

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background, so it'll be nice if 
you can interact with me today. 

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This morning, Tina and Gershom 
said that you all are doing the 

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promise for this year. 
The word that you got is 

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possessed to promise, isn't that
right? 

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So and no, who who is a better 
person to study? 

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You know, when it comes to 
possessing the promise than 

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Abraham, right? 
He is the icon of all icons when

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it comes to walking in the most 
unlikely, impossible promises of

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God, right? 
You know, most of you are 

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familiar with the generally 
you're familiar with the story 

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of Abraham. 
So today my message is based on 

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Genesis chapter 18, and the 
message is called Real 

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Friendship and Radical 
Priesthood. 

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OK, we're going to look at 
Genesis 1816 to 33 and we're 

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going to learn a lot from this 
passage. 

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A lot. 
I want to encourage you to just 

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take your pen and take notes if 
you want to, because God is 

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really going to speak to us this
morning. 

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But before we do that, can we 
just close our eyes and welcome 

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the Holy Spirit? 
Father God, we just welcome you 

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here this morning. 
We are ready. 

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Our hearts are receptive and our
minds are alert, and we want to 

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hear what you have to say to 
each one of us. 

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Can we all just whisper to the 
Holy Spirit? 

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Speak to me today, this morning,
individually to me. 

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Holy Spirit, would you hide me 
behind the cross as I shared, 

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and would you come and speak to 
everyone, Lord? 

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We come at this time into your 
hands and Jesus name I pray, 

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Amen. 
OK. 

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Now, I want us to read this 
passage, Genesis 1816 to 33. 

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But before we read that passage,
OK, I want to give us a bit of a

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background, right? 
How many of you like watching 

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television? 
And at the beginning of a TV 

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show, it'll say previously on, 
you know, and then they show you

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what happened previously. 
So let's go previously on the 

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1st 15 verses of Genesis, what 
actually happened. 

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And that I'm going to paraphrase
for you. 

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And then we'll read the Bible. 
Right now. 

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I wanted to just let your 
imagination go wild and think of

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this beautiful day. 
It was a hot, sunny, scotching 

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day in Abraham's life, and he 
was just chilling outside his 

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tent, probably fanning himself 
with a leaf. 

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And then he noticed three men 
who had come outside of his 

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tent. 
They just suddenly appeared 

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there. 
No WhatsApp message, nothing. 

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They're just there. 
Ibrahim being the hospitable guy

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that he is, he just leaps up and
he goes to meet them and he says

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hi. 
And then he suddenly notices 

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very quickly that one of them is
the Lord himself, accompanied by

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two angelic beings. 
He invites them to rest, and 

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then he quickly runs off and 
goes to Sarah and says, babe, 

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time to bake some of that 
amazing bread that you make 

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because we've got some guests. 
Then he goes and selects one of 

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his best, best calves, and then 
he gives it to his house up and 

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says, go cook some food. 
S they bring this amazing 

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preparation of biryani and they 
bring some curd raita and some 

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milk. 
OK, this is actually in the 

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Bible. 
Read it. 

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Well, not the biryani, but the 
curd in the milk. 

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Yeah. 
So they cook the meat, the curd 

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in the milk and they bring it. 
And then the three men eat this 

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scrumptious meal they make, wipe
their pleats clean and then they

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come and one of them says to 
Abraham, you are going to be a 

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dad soon, right? 
You're going to have a child, 

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you're going to be a father. 
And this mind blowing because 

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Abraham is like 1 Tata, right? 
He's so old, he's so aged, he's 

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like, but the promise comes 
alright, are you with me right 

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now? 
What is happening is while this 

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angelic being is promising 
Abraham, this Sarah is inside 

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the tent and she's listening. 
She's eavesdropping sometimes. 

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Don't you do that when your 
parents or people are having a 

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conversation, even at 
restaurants, which is like 

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listening what's happening? 
And this is an important 

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conversation, right? 
It's mind blowing. 

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It's about her own life. 
So she's eavesdropping. 

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And when she hears the part 
about God saying you're going to

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have a child, she is. 
She's too amused. 

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She says this is ridiculous. 
OK, Abraham has back problems. 

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My uterus is all dried up. 
I don't think I can ever have a 

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baby. 
This is completely nuts. 

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She says what happens is because
she says this inside of her 

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tent, but then the Lord hears 
her, correct? 

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You know this story, The Lord 
hears her. 

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Is it because she was loud when 
she said this? 

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No, because it's God and he 
hears everything, right? 

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So he hears her and he goes and 
tells Abraham. 

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Guess what? 
Why did Sarah laugh? 

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Why did she find this 
ridiculous? 

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I was trying to make a promise 
to her and of course Sarah feels

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really embarrassed that she was 
caught, right? 

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You feel called out and she's 
like no, no, I did not laugh. 

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She lies and says I did not 
laugh, but the Lord says no, I 

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heard you laugh. 
I know that you laughed. 

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Now. 
That's it. 

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That is the story, the back 
story of what happens in the 1st

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15 verses of Genesis 18. 
Now, can we go to the Scripture 

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and actually read this passage? 
So I'm gonna do something 

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different. 
Normally, we usually read out 

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the passage. 
I want, Caleb, if you can just 

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play the audio Bible loudly so 
we can all hear and you can 

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follow the Scripture here. 
OK. 

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Can you all see that? 
Is it big enough for you to see?

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Yeah. 
Cool. 

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Then the men rose from there and
look towards Sodom, and Abraham 

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went with them to send them on 
the way. 

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And the Lord said, Shall I hide 
from Abraham what I am doing, 

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since Abraham shall surely 
become a great and mighty 

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nation, and all the nations of 
the earth shall be blessed in 

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him? 
For I have known him in order 

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that he may command his children
and his household after him, 

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that they keep the way of the 
Lord, to do righteousness and 

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justice, that the Lord may bring
to Abraham. 

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But he has spoken to him, 
because the outcry against Sodom

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and Gomorrah is great, because 
their sin is very grave. 

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I will go down now and see 
whether they have done all 

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together according to the outcry
against it that has come to me. 

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And if not, I will know. 
Then the men turned away from 

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there and went toward Sodom, But
Abraham still stood before the 

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Lord, and Abraham came near. 
Would you also destroy the 

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righteous with the wicked? 
Suppose there were 50 righteous 

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within the city, would you also 
destroy the place and not spare 

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it for the 50 righteous that 
were in it? 

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Far be it from you to do such a 
thing as this, to slay the 

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righteous with the wicked, so 
that the righteous should be as 

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the wicked. 
Far be it from you. 

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Shall not the judge of all the 
earth do right? 

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If I find in Sodom 50 righteous 
within the city, then I will 

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spare all the place for their 
sakes. 

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Indeed, now I, who am but dust 
and ashes, have taken it upon 

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myself to speak to the Lord. 
Suppose there were 5 less than 

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the 50 righteous. 
Would you destroy all of the 

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city for lack of five? 
If I find there 45 I will not 

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destroy it. 
Suppose there should be 40 found

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there. 
I will not do it for the sake of

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40. 
Let not the Lord be angry, and I

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will speak. 
Suppose 30 should be found 

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there. 
I will not do it if I find 30 

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there. 
Indeed, now I have taken it upon

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myself to speak to the Lord, 
Suppose 20 should be found 

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there. 
I will not destroy it for the 

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sake of 20. 
Let not the Lord be angry, and I

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will speak. 
But once more, suppose 10 should

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be found there. 
I will not destroy it the sake 

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of 10 So the Lord went his way 
as soon as he had finished 

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speaking with Abraham, and 
Abraham returned to his place. 

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Right. 
Such an interesting, intriguing 

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passage. 
No, I found this one of the 

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strangest passages in the Bible.
Right. 

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I'm from Bombay and we bargain a
lot when we go to the market. 

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We don't buy anything without a 
bargain. 

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But bargaining with the Lord 
about a city? 

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This sounds so weird and odd. 
God seems to be on a mission 

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trip, correct? 
He first comes and he gives some

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good news, a promise to Abraham.
And immediately after that, on 

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that same mission trip, he is 
now going to go visit Sodom and 

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Gomorrah. 
But something happens before 

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he's going to. 
He could have just taken off, 

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right? 
Why did he have to tell Abraham 

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what he's doing? 
But he goes and he tells 

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Abraham, guess what? 
I'm gonna go visit these cities.

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And these cities are sold. 
Look at this verse. 

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Because the outcry against Sodom
and Gomorrah is so is so great. 

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Because of that, I'm gonna go 
visit. 

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What is this outcry? 
Have you thought about that? 

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There is something God has heard
an outcry from this city and 

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He's telling Abraham about this.
I want you to know this word 

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outcry, right? 
I love, I love reading sometimes

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the the Hebrew root words 
because it really gives us the 

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meaning right of the word. 
The meaning of that word outcry 

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is the word Zak, right? 
And it means a cry, a loud call,

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a shout used to describe the 
screams of the oppressed. 

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This outcry was basically the 
the cry of the hearts of victims

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of abuse and violence and 
injustice and neglect. 

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There's another verse I want us 
to visit, right? 

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If you go to Ezekiel chapter 16,
verse 49, God says, now this was

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the sin of your sister Sodom. 
She and her daughters were 

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arrogant, overfed and 
unconcerned. 

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They did not help the poor in 
the needy. 

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They were haughty and they did 
detestable things before me. 

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Therefore I did away with them, 
as you have seen. 

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Imagine this. 
I want you to just think of this

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picture. 
People were so crushed under the

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oppression, completely 
disregarded by the leadership, 

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by those who had power to help. 
And God heard their their cries.

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And he comes down and he says, I
need to see this with my own 

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eyes and I need to bring 
justice. 

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OK, Now we're gonna not justice 
is not the topic here. 

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But can we quickly detour just 
for a minute? 

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Just bear with me while we talk 
about God's judgment, OK? 

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A lot of people say, a lot of 
Christians, in fact, say I don't

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believe in a God who judges. 
I believe God is just very 

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merciful, very sweet and kind, 
and he's good and he doesn't 

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judge. 
They can't identify with this 

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vengeful God from the Old 
Testament. 

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They say God is a God of mercy. 
Now mercy is a beautiful thing, 

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but if you think that God 
overlooks suffering, injustice, 

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and brokenness in the world, 
you're missing the point. 

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Because real mercy doesn't show 
a blind eye to pain. 

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Mercy and justice go hand in 
hand. 

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If I show mercy to the 
perpetrator of a crime, 

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automatically I'm being in just 
to the oppressed, correct? 

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So God shows mercy, yes, but he 
also shows justice. 

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They go hand in hand. 
So that's what God's judgment is

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about. 
When people paint a picture of 

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God being a very violent, angry 
God, bloodthirsty from the Old 

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Testament and bench full. 
No, no, that is not what it is. 

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God is a merciful God. 
You see, many people look at the

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story of Sodom and Gomorrah and 
only think of the fire, the 

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destruction. 
But actually this is a God whose

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heart is aching for the people 
that are crying out to him. 

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I see a God of mercy. 
Do you? 

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Yeah. 
He's responding to real deep 

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hurt and he doesn't act 
arbitrarily right. 

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He doesn't just go off and do 
his own thing. 

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He's discussing and involving 
another person, a close friend 

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in the equation. 
He's telling Abraham, he invites

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Abraham to stand in the gap. 
Abraham wouldn't have even had 

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this whole prayer. 
Would this whole verse, this 

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00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:11,920
whole section would not be in 
the Bible if God hadn't told 

235
00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:13,960
Abraham what he was about to do,
right? 

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Our God isn't one who sits back 
and chills while the world is 

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suffering. 
He moves towards the world. 

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I want you to remember this 
because people paint God to be a

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distant. 
A lot of people who are 

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questioning the Christian faith 
will say, oh, but what about 

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00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:33,480
suffering? 
God just ignores some. 

242
00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:35,800
No, no, God moves towards 
suffering. 

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00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:38,160
He's moved. 
His heart is moved. 

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00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:40,360
Now coming back to the passage, 
right? 

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I told you that was a short 
detour. 

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00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:45,680
Coming back to the passage, what
is Abraham's response when he 

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hears this awful thing that God 
is going to do, right? 

248
00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:53,200
He immediately engages in a back
and forth with God, which we can

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00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:55,680
call prayer, right? 
This passage is known as 

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00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:58,560
Abraham's prayer, correct? 
But it's good for you to 

251
00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:01,320
remember while you look at this 
passage that if we call this 

252
00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:04,200
Abraham's prayer, prayer is 
actually a back and forth with 

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00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:07,520
God, right? 
Most of us consider prayer as 

254
00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:13,040
this activity where we go to God
with a grocery list of our ranks

255
00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:15,880
and verbal diarrhea, and we're 
like, God, this is what I'm 

256
00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:17,600
going through. 
You know, you're just like 

257
00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:19,000
vomiting everything in his 
presence. 

258
00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,040
We have no time or space to 
engage in conversation with him.

259
00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:24,880
We don't actually listen. 
So that's one small note I'm 

260
00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:28,720
going to make, but let's come 
back to this prayer, OK? 

261
00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:30,880
This prayer is interesting, and 
I'll tell you why. 

262
00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:35,160
It's the first recorded extended
prayer in the Bible. 

263
00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:40,200
It's the first time a human has 
come before God with such a bold

264
00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:42,400
petition. 
And it's been recorded. 

265
00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:45,640
And it's more than just a 
prayer. 

266
00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:49,800
It's not just a prayer. 
It seems like a negotiation, 

267
00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:57,240
doesn't it? 
Abraham here is acting not just 

268
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as a person who's praying. 
He's acting as a priest. 

269
00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:05,280
You know, you go to you go to a 
Catholic Church and you confess 

270
00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:06,560
to the priest. 
What does the priest do? 

271
00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:10,480
He prays on your behalf. 
That's the concept right here. 

272
00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:14,280
Abraham is being a priest. 
God has invited him to stand in 

273
00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:17,079
the gap and be the legal 
representative of this city. 

274
00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:21,720
Now, it's not mentioned in the 
Bible that Abraham is a priest. 

275
00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:24,280
So don't hold a gun to my head 
and say what you said. 

276
00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:28,200
You know, I'm not saying that 
the Bible says that the function

277
00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:29,960
of the priest is very evident 
here. 

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00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,760
Does that make sense? 
Actually, if you go 

279
00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:36,240
chronologically, Melchizedek is 
the first mentioned priest in 

280
00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:39,640
the Bible, but that's all it 
mentions, that he's a priest. 

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00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:43,480
The first time the function of a
priest is detailed out, it is 

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00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:47,480
here in the life of Abraham. 
So today we're going to talk 

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00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:49,840
about initially first, OK, 
there's lots of things I want to

284
00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:51,080
talk to you about. 
Please bear with me. 

285
00:17:51,360 --> 00:17:52,880
And if you're bored, just raise 
your hand. 

286
00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:57,360
But yeah, no one's going to do 
that anyways. 

287
00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:00,360
I'll try to trick you all into 
doing it just anyways. 

288
00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:02,200
So we're going to talk about 
three things. 

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00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:07,560
The first priest, Abraham the 
Great priest, and then the kind 

290
00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:09,440
of priest that God is calling us
to be. 

291
00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:13,600
OK, So shall we begin everyone 
with me alert? 

292
00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:16,960
OK, let's go with the first 
priest. 

293
00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:21,040
Can we read verses 22 and 23? 
The men turned away and went 

294
00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:24,120
towards Sodom, but Abraham 
remained standing before the 

295
00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:26,360
Lord. 
Then Abraham approached him and 

296
00:18:26,360 --> 00:18:29,280
said, will you sweep away the 
righteous with the wicked wicked

297
00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:31,880
when we read the Bible? 
No. 

298
00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:33,640
Sometimes you have to read 
little carefully. 

299
00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:39,120
This part really confused me. 
It says Abraham was standing 

300
00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:40,640
before the Lord. 
What does that mean? 

301
00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:44,440
I'm standing before you. 
Then it says again that he 

302
00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:47,360
approached him. 
How does that make sense? 

303
00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:49,800
How can you approach someone 
when you're already standing in 

304
00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:51,560
front of them? 
Doesn't make sense. 

305
00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:54,920
No. 
Did he go away and then again 

306
00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:56,680
come and approach him? 
No, no, no. 

307
00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:59,880
That is why we we have to 
understand English is such a 

308
00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:02,760
limited language. 
Let's look at what the word 

309
00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:05,360
approached actually means in the
original. 

310
00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:11,360
It is the word Nagash. 
Nagash means approaching, it's a

311
00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:14,200
technical term which means 
approaching the bench or 

312
00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:16,960
producing a legal argument, 
right. 

313
00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,880
Do you know a lawyer stands in, 
he says he stands in front of 

314
00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:23,520
the judge, right. 
But then sometimes he approaches

315
00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:27,200
the judge with with an argument.
So that is the approach, the 

316
00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:30,240
word use here. 
That is what Abraham is doing. 

317
00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:36,760
He's approaching God as a lawyer
with boldness and fearlessness, 

318
00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:39,360
might I add, and we'll talk 
about this boldness and 

319
00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:43,320
fearlessness a little later, OK?
What he does is incredible. 

320
00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:47,640
Abraham isn't just asking God to
save his family. 

321
00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:49,520
Just think of this. 
This whole chapter could have 

322
00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:53,800
been 2 verses, right? 
If God said I'm going to destroy

323
00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:58,160
Sodom, and he could have just 
said, yeah, my brother and my 

324
00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,120
cousin and I don't know, was he 
his cousin or his nephew is 

325
00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:02,520
there. 
My family is there. 

326
00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:05,840
Just just. 
Spare them and then you can do 

327
00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:07,800
what you want to do. 
No, no, no. 

328
00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:11,720
Abraham was very clear with his 
intention. 

329
00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:17,560
He says, would you, would you 
spare the whole city for this, 

330
00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:20,760
for the sake of 50 righteous. 
Doesn't he start with his 

331
00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,720
negotiation at 50? 
He says Would you spare the 

332
00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:26,960
whole city for the sake of 50 
people? 

333
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:30,240
I want you to realise what 
Abraham is doing. 

334
00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:31,720
Please be with me for a minute, 
OK? 

335
00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:34,960
Abraham is trying to do 
something big here. 

336
00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:39,480
He isn't casually bargaining or 
petitioning. 

337
00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,880
This is a deep exploration. 
He's trying to explore the 

338
00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:47,280
nature of this righteous God 
that he's standing in front of. 

339
00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:52,120
He wants to see does mercy and 
justice actually Co exist in 

340
00:20:52,120 --> 00:20:55,280
this God? 
Abraham is saying could you 

341
00:20:55,280 --> 00:21:00,480
value the righteousness of a 
small group of people so much? 

342
00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:03,400
Could you would? 
He's asking God, would you value

343
00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:06,640
the righteousness of 50 people 
so much that it will cover the 

344
00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:09,120
sins of the rest of the city? 
Does that make sense? 

345
00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:12,680
He's not saying spare just the 
few people. 

346
00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:16,520
He's saying for the sake of the 
righteousness of the few, can 

347
00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:18,640
you spare the rest of the 
sinners? 

348
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:23,240
He's saying spear the good, the 
bad and the ugly because of 

349
00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:27,000
these small righteous people, 
small group of righteous people.

350
00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:32,120
There's a German academic and 
Old Testament scholar called 

351
00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:35,280
Gerard von Rad, and he's a 
really rad guy. 

352
00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:39,840
OK. 
He said he has a commentary on 

353
00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:42,120
this passage. 
I love reading Bible 

354
00:21:42,120 --> 00:21:43,480
commentaries. 
He has a commentary on this 

355
00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:46,160
passage and this is what he says
in his commentary. 

356
00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:50,080
I want you to read that. 
It is amazing how Yahweh's 

357
00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:53,800
gracious righteousness dawns on 
Abraham and increases his 

358
00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:57,760
courage as the dialogue goes on 
until he reaches the astonishing

359
00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:00,560
fact that even a very small 
number of righteous people could

360
00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:04,680
so please God, so please a 
righteous God, that it would 

361
00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:11,240
stem the judgment So predominant
is God's will to save over God's

362
00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:14,920
will to punish. 
Abraham is basically trying to 

363
00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:19,520
see how few people does it, how 
less does that make sense? 

364
00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:22,320
He's bargaining to find out how 
much righteousness is required 

365
00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:24,400
to save the whole city. 
Is 40 OK? 

366
00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:26,640
What about 30? 
What about 35? 

367
00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:29,960
What about 20? 
You know, then he comes right 

368
00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:33,960
down to this verse. 
He says for 10 people, will you 

369
00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:36,480
spare it? 
And God says something amazing. 

370
00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:40,560
He said yes, the righteousness 
of 10 people is enough to save 

371
00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:43,280
the entire city. 
What an amazing thing God is 

372
00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:46,200
saying. 
We have to understand this, but 

373
00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:49,080
then, you know, I called this 
passage weird. 

374
00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:52,440
No, because this happens. 
God comes down to yes, for 10 

375
00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:55,920
people, I will save this city. 
And then the weirdest thing 

376
00:22:55,920 --> 00:23:00,080
happens. 
Verse 33, when the Lord had 

377
00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:02,520
finished speaking with Abraham, 
he left and Abraham returns 

378
00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:05,440
home. 
How weird. 

379
00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:08,440
I hate anti climaxes. 
You know when you're you're 

380
00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:12,080
reading the passage. 
And you're like, yeah. 5040 yes,

381
00:23:12,360 --> 00:23:17,240
yes, something is going to 
happen now. 0201510 And then 

382
00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:18,760
you're like, what are you 
expecting? 

383
00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:25,960
5. 4321 and guess save right, 
That's the expectation of this 

384
00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:29,920
passage. 
But no, that doesn't happen for 

385
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:32,360
some reason. 
Abraham packs up and says OK, 

386
00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:35,520
now I'm going home. 
Why do you have you thought 

387
00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,880
about that? 
Why do you think Abraham left 

388
00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:39,760
and went home? 
Come on, guys. 

389
00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:42,480
Let's little back and forth. 
Why do you think Abraham left 

390
00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:47,240
and went home? 
But clearly it wasn't. 

391
00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:52,240
No. 
But did birthday 10 did? 

392
00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:55,480
Was he able to count 10? 
OK, Possible that he just gave 

393
00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:56,760
up. 
He thought 10 must be enough. 

394
00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:00,320
What else? 
Pardon. 

395
00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:04,040
The Lord finished talking to 
him. 

396
00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:06,000
That's another. 
We are just speculating here, 

397
00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:07,400
OK? 
We don't know the exact reason. 

398
00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:09,880
I have two more speculations, if
you will. 

399
00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,040
Maybe he was scared that he's 
pushing God too much because 

400
00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:16,360
every time he says don't, if you
don't get angry, I'll suggest 

401
00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:17,840
one more thing. 
Like he's standing in the 

402
00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:20,920
presence of a glorious, 
terrifying God, right? 

403
00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:23,000
Who's going to destroy a city. 
So he's little scared. 

404
00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:25,440
He's pushing and pushing it. 
I think he must have thought 

405
00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:28,080
I've pushed too much and like 
you said, 10 is enough and I'm 

406
00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:29,520
going back. 
That's one possibility. 

407
00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:34,560
The other possibility is he must
have thought, oh, if I do come 

408
00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:38,720
down to one, who is the one he 
has to bank on? 

409
00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:43,000
Lot, correct? 
And even Lot, who's a believer, 

410
00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:48,280
he knows his own nephew, his 
righteousness is limited, right,

411
00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:51,880
to save the entire city. 
He knows that perhaps that 

412
00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:55,120
amount, the quantity of 
righteousness in Lot is not 

413
00:24:55,120 --> 00:25:03,920
enough to save the entire city. 
And so he gives up and he goes 

414
00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,440
away. 
Perhaps he realized there's no 

415
00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:10,960
one who's actually as righteous 
to save the entire city. 

416
00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,520
Was his negotiation useless? 
Sometimes I think about it. 

417
00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:17,320
God anyways, destroyed. 
No Sodom. 

418
00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:22,800
Was his negotiation useless? 
No, it's because at the end of 

419
00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:27,440
his negotiation, Abraham 
understands and brings out a 

420
00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:31,080
very important life, faltering 
truth about God. 

421
00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:35,960
And this is the truth. 
God will allow the righteousness

422
00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:40,120
of someone else to save an 
unrighteous person. 

423
00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:42,680
He arrived at this. 
You know, you do your scientific

424
00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:44,480
experiments and you arrive at a 
conclusion. 

425
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:47,200
Abraham arrived at this 
conclusion. 

426
00:25:49,360 --> 00:25:51,840
And you know when I'm taking 
this, you know where I'm going. 

427
00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:56,800
It brings us to the next 
section, the great high priest. 

428
00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:01,760
Who is the great priest? 
God in his foreknowledge, 

429
00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:05,760
knowing every person on earth 
knew that there is not one man 

430
00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:07,360
righteous. 
You know there's a verse in the 

431
00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:08,840
Bible. 
All have sinned and fallen short

432
00:26:08,840 --> 00:26:11,400
of the glory of God. 
Not one person righteous enough 

433
00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:18,240
to stand in the gap. 
And so he became the one 

434
00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:24,960
righteous man who came down on 
earth and lived that sinless, 

435
00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:30,960
righteous life which Lot should 
have lived, which Abraham could 

436
00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:33,160
have lived. 
Abraham's own righteousness was 

437
00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:37,160
not enough, right? 
He became that righteous man and

438
00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:40,920
lived on earth. 
But he did two other things. 

439
00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:44,760
He also became the one who took 
the punishment for all the 

440
00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:47,680
wickedness in the world and died
on the cross. 

441
00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:50,680
And did it end there? 
No. 

442
00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,880
Then he rose again and became 
the real high priest who stands 

443
00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,600
before God and intercedes for US
forever. 

444
00:26:58,360 --> 00:27:02,600
How amazing is that Common? 
You know what, it blows my mind.

445
00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:06,960
I think we don't actually spend 
enough time meditating on the 

446
00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:09,560
magnitude of what God did for us
on the cross. 

447
00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:15,440
He became Emmanuel to become 
that one righteous man so that 

448
00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:18,600
he could die for us. 
I want us to look at a little 

449
00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:23,120
comparison between the first 
priest and the great priest, 

450
00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:25,000
Abraham. 
Was he a good priest? 

451
00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,320
I think he was a really good 
priest, right? 

452
00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:36,920
But Jesus was a great priest. 
Abraham prayed for the 

453
00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:38,480
Canaanites. 
The Sodomites were the 

454
00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:40,840
Canaanites, and they had 
previously attacked him in 

455
00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:42,720
battle, but he still prayed for 
them. 

456
00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:44,680
He said, I'm still going to pray
for this land. 

457
00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:47,800
You know what Jesus did? 
He prayed for those who were 

458
00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:50,120
actually killing him. 
Do you remember? 

459
00:27:50,120 --> 00:27:52,680
He said, Father, forgive them. 
He prayed for those who were 

460
00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:56,440
killing him. 
Abraham risked his life. 

461
00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:02,200
He stood in front of this fear 
of awesome God, fear evoking 

462
00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:03,680
God. 
He stood in front of him and 

463
00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:06,840
bargained for a city. 
He risked his life by doing 

464
00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:10,040
that. 
But Jesus actually gave up his 

465
00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:13,840
life for all of mankind. 
Abraham did it for a few people,

466
00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:16,080
for one small city, two small 
cities. 

467
00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:20,880
Lastly, Abraham walked away 
after a point. 

468
00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:25,640
He couldn't could he possibly 
couldn't stand there forever. 

469
00:28:26,120 --> 00:28:32,720
But Jesus never walks away and 
he never goes home till today. 

470
00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:38,600
He stands and he prays for us. 
If you and I have accepted Jesus

471
00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:41,960
as our personal Saviour and we 
believe in the work of the 

472
00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:46,320
cross, you have access to 
salvation from punishment. 

473
00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:49,760
We all deserve to die. 
Fire has to come from heaven, 

474
00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:53,400
and justice killed all of us for
the lives that we live. 

475
00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:57,480
But because of Jesus, because 
we've accepted Him in our lives,

476
00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:01,080
this one man's righteousness has
saved us all. 

477
00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:05,360
How awesome is that? 
Isn't it awesome? 

478
00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:12,160
Can we be content though with 
salvation is my next question. 

479
00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:17,000
What happens after we get saved?
Are we getting saved so that we 

480
00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:20,560
can attend church every Sunday? 
Do youth meetings, plan 

481
00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:22,120
programs? 
Sing songs? 

482
00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:25,880
It's such a nice, happy life. 
All the while. 

483
00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:30,840
Struggling with secret sins, 
spending hours, hours scrolling 

484
00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:34,240
through our phone, trying hard 
to make relationships work. 

485
00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:37,080
Is that the life that we are 
called to be? 

486
00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:39,280
Just. 
I've become a Christian now. 

487
00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:41,800
I'll just be. 
I'll just eh, like you know, 

488
00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:45,840
make my way through life. 
No, here's the truth. 

489
00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:51,200
Our great high priest calls us 
to also be priests. 

490
00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:53,760
We are called to be a royal 
priesthood. 

491
00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,640
We are called to be holy priests
ourselves. 

492
00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:01,040
I want us to read 2 scriptures 
right? 

493
00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:04,720
Revelation 16 says he made us to
be a Kingdom, to be priests unto

494
00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:08,840
his God and Father. 
This isn't something some 

495
00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:11,960
distant idea for a select few. 
You have to remember this, 

496
00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:17,480
before the curtain tore in the 
temple, priesthood was for few 

497
00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:23,520
people. 
But today it is not an idea for 

498
00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:25,680
a select few. 
It is a reality for all of us 

499
00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:28,760
who belong to Jesus. 
We've been bought into this role

500
00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:32,960
not as passive bystanders, but 
as active participants in God's 

501
00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:34,320
Kingdom. 
This is the word of God. 

502
00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:37,800
Guys, I didn't make this up then
one Peter 25. 

503
00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:40,320
You're familiar with this verse.
You yourselves, like living 

504
00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:43,600
stones, are being built up into 
a spiritual house to be a holy 

505
00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:46,800
priesthood, to offer spiritual 
sacrifices acceptable to God 

506
00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:50,320
through Jesus Christ. 
This is more than just a title. 

507
00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:53,920
We are being called to a 
purpose. 

508
00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:57,520
We are living stones. 
We are being shaped and formed 

509
00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:00,880
into something sacred, something
set apart for God. 

510
00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:04,320
As priest, we're not just 
serving the temple. 

511
00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:06,400
We're not just offering our 
lives. 

512
00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:09,040
You know, sometimes it's easy to
think that if I'm serving in 

513
00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:11,680
church, I'm one first class 
priest. 

514
00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:17,080
No, I want to mention something 
very important. 

515
00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:20,880
God isn't looking in you and me.
God isn't looking for a 

516
00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:24,320
ritualistic priest. 
He's looking for a radical, 

517
00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:30,720
bold, passionate priest. 
Right. 

518
00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:34,880
If you think that helping out in
church, attending meetings, 

519
00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,880
bring being a part of the media 
team, volunteering, singing, 

520
00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:41,240
leading worship, participating 
in all events, if that qualifies

521
00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:43,680
you to be a holy priest, you're 
very mistaken. 

522
00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:48,240
We are mistaken if you think 
that there's a call upon our 

523
00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:51,600
lives to be holy. 
And holiness doesn't come from 

524
00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:54,040
attending church. 
It comes from wrestling with God

525
00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:57,560
in the secret place. 
It comes from saying no to sin, 

526
00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:01,920
actively walking away from 
temptation, from seeking his 

527
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:06,600
face faithfully, coming before 
him with boldness and appraise. 

528
00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:09,960
Remember I told you, we'll come 
to this topic of boldness and 

529
00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:13,240
fearlessness. 
Let's talk about that now. 

530
00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:18,760
Did you notice that there is a 
frankness and a fearlessness 

531
00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:22,000
with which Abraham prays? 
The audacity, I tell you, 

532
00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:26,440
standing before this God in just
being, I'm gonna talk to him. 

533
00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:29,160
Where do you think that boldness
comes from, guys? 

534
00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:33,760
Why was Abraham, why did he give
himself the liberty to talk to 

535
00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:41,160
God like this? 
Let's explore that thought a 

536
00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:43,920
bit. 
OK, Look at verse 17. 

537
00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:48,000
Before even the negotiation 
starts, God says, shall I hide 

538
00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:49,640
from Abraham what I'm about to 
do? 

539
00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:53,920
Remember that? 
Let's unpack this verse for a 

540
00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:57,120
bit and see what God is doing. 
He's doing something very cool 

541
00:32:57,120 --> 00:32:59,120
here. 
He's basically telling Abraham 

542
00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:04,880
how much he trusts him, correct?
I saw this meme on Instagram a 

543
00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:08,520
while ago, OK, it says your 
secret is safe with me and my 

544
00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:13,200
best friend. 
You know, when you have a big 

545
00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:16,040
come on, you have to relate to 
this, when you have a very big 

546
00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:19,760
secret in your heart, which even
you know, you shouldn't be 

547
00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:22,840
telling someone, but there's 
that one special friend who you 

548
00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:25,600
go to and you'll you'll say 
something like, I don't know if 

549
00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:29,280
I should be telling you this, 
but what? 

550
00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:30,960
What are you doing when you say 
that phrase? 

551
00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:32,600
I don't know if I should be 
telling you this. 

552
00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:35,720
You're basically, you've already
decided you're gonna tell them. 

553
00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:38,560
You're basically saying, I don't
know if I should be telling you 

554
00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:40,640
this to let them know that you 
trust them. 

555
00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:45,240
Correct. 
No, that's what God is doing 

556
00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:47,320
here. 
God is saying, I don't know if I

557
00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:51,400
should be telling you this, but 
Abraham, shall I? 

558
00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:54,400
How can I hide from you what I'm
about to do correct? 

559
00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:59,440
Now do you see that God is 
saying I trust you enough to 

560
00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:05,320
tell you the secret of my heart?
This is because God considered 

561
00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:09,920
Abraham a friend. 
And let's talk. 

562
00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:12,639
We talked about priesthood, but 
let's talk about friendship now.

563
00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:18,600
I love this verse in James 223. 
It says Scripture was fulfilled.

564
00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:21,520
That says Abraham believed God 
and you just counted to him as 

565
00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:25,280
righteousness and he was called 
a friend of God. 

566
00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:27,400
You know there are only two 
people in the Old Testament were

567
00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:31,840
called friends of God, Abraham 
and Moses. 

568
00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:35,040
It says in Exodus. 
You should go home and read 

569
00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:39,840
Exodus 20. 
Sorry, 33 It says God spoke to 

570
00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:42,960
Moses face to face like he did 
with a friend. 

571
00:34:43,199 --> 00:34:45,840
OK, what? 
What do you think qualified 

572
00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:49,520
these two people in the Old 
Testament to be called friends 

573
00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:53,000
of God? 
I think that's something for us 

574
00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:55,040
to think about. 
Actually, let's think about it 

575
00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:57,680
in general. 
What qualifies people to be a 

576
00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:01,000
good friend of ours? 
OK, I think there are three 

577
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:03,200
qualifiers. 
I know there are many, but let's

578
00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:07,880
talk about 3 qualifiers, OK? 
A friend is someone you 

579
00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:10,880
regularly meet with. 
A friend is someone who shows up

580
00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:13,920
for you no matter what, and a 
friend is someone you trust 

581
00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:19,440
deeply. 
Let's talk about the first one. 

582
00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:21,720
A friend is someone you 
regularly meet with. 

583
00:35:23,960 --> 00:35:26,360
Isn't. 
Face to face meeting important 

584
00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:30,840
in earthly friendships. 
If you have a friend that just 

585
00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:33,560
never wants to meet you in 
person, you get a little SUS. 

586
00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:37,040
You're like, are they really my 
friend, right? 

587
00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:39,800
Suddenly you feel there's a 
distance between us. 

588
00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:42,880
Why do long distance 
relationships? 

589
00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,680
They're a little tough to 
maintain because face to face 

590
00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:53,560
interactions are very important.
Why are face to face 

591
00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:55,880
interactions important? 
You know what, when you meet 

592
00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:58,480
someone online. 
I don't know young people. 

593
00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:03,200
I'm not young anymore, sadly, 
but addressing the young people 

594
00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:04,600
here, I don't know what apps 
you'll use. 

595
00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:07,720
Swipe right, swipe left. 
But after you swipe everything, 

596
00:36:07,720 --> 00:36:09,480
you're having a conversation 
with a person. 

597
00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:11,880
At some point you say let's meet
face to face. 

598
00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:16,840
No, why? 
It's because when you meet face 

599
00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:20,240
to face, you interact with the 
wholeness of a person. 

600
00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:24,280
You get to see their body 
language, the cues that they're 

601
00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:26,480
giving you. 
You get to hear their voice, 

602
00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:30,160
touch them, feel the warmth of 
their presence, and you're 

603
00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:35,680
blessed by that interaction. 
All your senses are engaged when

604
00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:39,600
you meet with someone in person.
Similarly, God wants to meet 

605
00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:42,840
with us like that. 
He wants to engage not just our 

606
00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:46,840
mind, but our hearts are all of 
our spiritual senses. 

607
00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:51,480
You know, there's a verse in the
Bible says your lips worship me,

608
00:36:51,480 --> 00:36:54,000
but your hearts are far away. 
Why? 

609
00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:56,920
If God didn't care about your 
whole being, why does he care 

610
00:36:56,920 --> 00:37:00,960
that your hearts are away? 
The problem is our senses are 

611
00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:06,360
being busy engaged with many 
things that are in the world. 

612
00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:09,840
And so our spiritual senses are 
not able to engage with God. 

613
00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:11,960
I was talking to Tina and 
Gershom about this just 

614
00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:14,200
yesterday. 
I love Netflix, guys. 

615
00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:18,960
I'm the biggest binge watcher 
there is, and I love to watch TV

616
00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:23,680
shows. 
OK, I'm a real, I'm a real fan 

617
00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:26,320
of good storytelling, gripping 
graphics. 

618
00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:29,480
And you know, then one you're 
pressing next, next, next. 

619
00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:33,720
And even though in between the 
episodes, when the screen is 

620
00:37:33,720 --> 00:37:36,520
black for a moment, you look at 
your own reflection. 

621
00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:37,960
You know how pathetic you feel, 
right? 

622
00:37:38,240 --> 00:37:41,720
You know, you have to stop 
watching, but you're just like 

623
00:37:41,720 --> 00:37:46,480
going next and next and next. 
On the flip side, I'm so 

624
00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:51,000
fascinated by the storytelling 
and gripped by media and 

625
00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:52,840
content. 
And on the flip side, I'm 

626
00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:56,760
wondering why am I struggling to
be in his presence, to spend 

627
00:37:56,760 --> 00:37:59,840
long hours waiting and listening
to him? 

628
00:38:00,480 --> 00:38:05,080
It's because cheap entertainment
had become my fascination. 

629
00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:11,480
It had captured my, you know, my
enamoured me and I couldn't 

630
00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:13,520
wait. 
I didn't find waiting in God's 

631
00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:15,920
presence in front of God's Word 
fascinating enough. 

632
00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:18,040
Do you relate to this or is it 
just me? 

633
00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:22,360
It can't be just me. 
If it's me, then I'm sorry and I

634
00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:23,760
don't want to believe it's just 
me. 

635
00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:29,360
My physical eyes were so 
captured by things of the world 

636
00:38:29,720 --> 00:38:32,880
that my spiritual eyes were not 
able to see what God is doing. 

637
00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:36,800
He wants to reveal himself to 
me, but my eyes are just 

638
00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:39,680
distracted. 
You know, everyone puts up their

639
00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:43,000
Spotify rapped at the end of the
year on social media. 

640
00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:46,680
Last year towards the end of the
year, I looked at my Spotify 

641
00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:49,200
rapped and it was a shameful 
demonstration of the junk. 

642
00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:52,640
I've been listening to some 
rubbish songs, podcasts that, 

643
00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:58,280
you know, entertainment that was
meaningless and my spiritual 

644
00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:02,560
ears had become deaf. 
I wasn't clearly able to listen 

645
00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:04,520
to the soft voice of the Holy 
Spirit. 

646
00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:07,720
I'm being vulnerable and honest 
with you guys, OK? 

647
00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:13,840
I felt the Lord convict me a 
couple of months back to abandon

648
00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:17,560
these temporary pleasures and to
pursue the secret place. 

649
00:39:18,720 --> 00:39:20,920
I've been trying to get up at 
4:30 every morning. 

650
00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:24,320
I've been doing it most days and
spending time in His presence 

651
00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:27,440
and waiting on Him. 
And it's the singular most 

652
00:39:27,440 --> 00:39:32,000
difficult thing to do, but it's 
also the singular most rewarding

653
00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:36,600
thing I've done. 
I struggled a lot at first. 

654
00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:39,280
I wrestled with my flesh. 
I had to fight it. 

655
00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:43,160
But as I started doing it and 
making it a discipline, I 

656
00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:46,120
realized it's much easier if I 
just keep my phone off for the 

657
00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:48,440
last two hours before I go to 
bed. 

658
00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:51,840
I'm less cluttered. 
My mind is more still. 

659
00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:53,960
I go to sleep well, I sleep much
better. 

660
00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:56,880
And then I wake up and I'm ready
to hear God's voice. 

661
00:39:57,440 --> 00:40:01,080
I really want to challenge you 
guys this morning to listen to 

662
00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:07,560
God, to meet regularly with Him.
The next thing, a friend is 

663
00:40:07,560 --> 00:40:09,720
someone who shows up for you no 
matter what. 

664
00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:12,360
You're familiar with this as 
well, right? 

665
00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:19,480
In 2022, in July, my dad had 
this major heart attack, OK, And

666
00:40:20,120 --> 00:40:22,840
he was so serious. 
He was admitted in the hospital 

667
00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:25,320
and in Bangalore. 
I live in Bangalore. 

668
00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:29,000
He was there and he had to go 
through a triple bypass. 

669
00:40:29,440 --> 00:40:33,000
Now, my kids were just one year 
old. 

670
00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:34,920
They were so small. 
They were crawling about. 

671
00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:37,840
And I'm so close to my dad. 
It was such a tough time for me.

672
00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:39,960
I was like shuttling between the
hospital spending. 

673
00:40:40,240 --> 00:40:43,200
I wanted to be the one being 
there every night, but then in 

674
00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:45,920
the daytime be with the kids. 
And it was such a mental crazy 

675
00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:48,920
time. 
After his operation, though, 

676
00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:50,320
everything went well. 
Praise God. 

677
00:40:50,320 --> 00:40:52,960
He was in the ICU. 
And when he was in the ICU, the 

678
00:40:52,960 --> 00:40:56,000
doctor said, oh, he's lost 
immense amounts of blood. 

679
00:40:56,560 --> 00:40:59,280
So we need you all to just call 
for people to come to donate 

680
00:40:59,280 --> 00:41:02,000
blood. 
And I just put a message out on 

681
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:05,280
my church WhatsApp group, you 
know that we require blood. 

682
00:41:05,480 --> 00:41:08,800
Anyone who's available still 
come can come. 

683
00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:14,280
Suddenly, like in within few 
hours, so many people from from 

684
00:41:14,280 --> 00:41:16,000
church started showing up 
friends. 

685
00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:18,560
Then they had forwarded it to 
other friends and people just 

686
00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:20,520
kept coming. 
They left work. 

687
00:41:20,760 --> 00:41:24,800
Some had like, braved the brutal
Bangalore traffic and come from 

688
00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:29,640
across the city to give blood. 
At one point, the doctors came 

689
00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:32,680
and said, we've actually got 
enough blood, but you know, you 

690
00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:35,240
can continue giving because a 
lot of other patients in need 

691
00:41:35,240 --> 00:41:38,120
are being helped here. 
Then after a point, the doctors 

692
00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:40,120
came back and said, OK, OK, 
we've got enough blood now. 

693
00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:42,520
Tell your friends they were 
like, what kind of network do 

694
00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:44,840
you have? 
They're like, tell your friends 

695
00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:48,200
to stop coming. 
I'm saying all this just to say 

696
00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:51,960
that these friends, whoever 
showed up, they dropped 

697
00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:54,840
everything else and they came, 
they turned up. 

698
00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:58,880
What happens when you show up 
for someone is you're saying you

699
00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:01,760
mean more to me than all that 
was going on in my life right 

700
00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:03,520
now. 
Everything I have left, 

701
00:42:03,520 --> 00:42:05,400
everything, and I'm here in 
front of you. 

702
00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:09,840
I've showed up. 
My question is, do we show up 

703
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:14,320
for God like this when the going
gets tough? 

704
00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:18,560
You know, life just deals some 
terrible cards to us now. 

705
00:42:18,560 --> 00:42:22,000
Sometimes I'm like Lord, this is
like drawfo after drawfo after 

706
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:23,920
drawfo. 
Have you all played Uno? 

707
00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:26,680
When someone gives you 3 
drawfores, it's the worst thing 

708
00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:28,600
and you feel like life is like 
that. 

709
00:42:28,600 --> 00:42:30,640
You're just waiting for 
something nice to happen and 

710
00:42:30,640 --> 00:42:32,240
it's just like one thing after 
the other. 

711
00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:36,120
Can you show up, show up in 
God's presence in times like 

712
00:42:36,120 --> 00:42:40,000
that? 
Do we show up when our alarm 

713
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:42,800
rings, we want to hit snows, we 
just want to go back to bed? 

714
00:42:43,120 --> 00:42:45,880
Can we show up? 
Can we put that off and show up?

715
00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:51,560
Can we show up in God's presence
even when we're tempted to go 

716
00:42:51,560 --> 00:42:53,480
and do something we're not 
supposed to do? 

717
00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:57,080
To open that Incognito tab to, 
you know, engage in something 

718
00:42:57,080 --> 00:43:01,760
sinful? 
I want to challenge us this 

719
00:43:01,760 --> 00:43:04,360
morning to show up for God no 
matter what. 

720
00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:11,280
Lastly. 
A friend is someone who you 

721
00:43:11,280 --> 00:43:14,560
trust deeply. 
Yeah. 

722
00:43:14,960 --> 00:43:16,360
A friend is someone you trust 
deeply. 

723
00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:18,320
Without trust, friendship is 
very shallow. 

724
00:43:18,320 --> 00:43:21,400
No, an acquaintance, Like if I 
don't share secrets with 

725
00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:22,840
someone, they're just an 
acquaintance. 

726
00:43:23,160 --> 00:43:26,040
I don't go and tell the 
shopkeeper all my secrets 

727
00:43:26,040 --> 00:43:28,520
because he's just someone I know
I go and buy vegetables from. 

728
00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:31,840
But my friends, I share my 
deepest secrets with them. 

729
00:43:32,880 --> 00:43:36,800
And this was the kind of trust 
that Abraham and God shared. 

730
00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:41,680
Do you remember this verse? 
The Lord confides in those who 

731
00:43:41,680 --> 00:43:43,680
fear him. 
He makes His covenant known to 

732
00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:45,880
them. 
I want to take a moment to read.

733
00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:48,160
That's the NIV version. 
I want to read this in a couple 

734
00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:52,320
of different versions. 
The NLT says the Lord is a 

735
00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:56,760
friend to those who fear him. 
The ESV version says the 

736
00:43:56,760 --> 00:43:59,840
friendship of the Lord is with 
those who fear Him. 

737
00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:04,400
And my favorite by far is King 
James. 

738
00:44:04,400 --> 00:44:08,560
New King James version says the 
secret of the Lord is with those

739
00:44:08,560 --> 00:44:12,040
who fear Him and He will show 
you His covenant. 

740
00:44:12,240 --> 00:44:15,840
You know why I like this word 
verse the best, that word 

741
00:44:15,840 --> 00:44:18,320
secret. 
Let's go back to that root word,

742
00:44:18,320 --> 00:44:20,320
right? 
The root word of the word secret

743
00:44:20,320 --> 00:44:24,720
is the word sword, which means a
confidential conversation, a 

744
00:44:24,720 --> 00:44:30,240
private council, a sacred 
intimacy paints the picture of a

745
00:44:30,240 --> 00:44:34,200
small, tight, trusted circle 
where deepest matters of the 

746
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:37,440
heart are discussed. 
I want you to think about this 

747
00:44:37,440 --> 00:44:41,920
for just a moment. 
God, the creator of the whole 

748
00:44:41,920 --> 00:44:47,040
known universe, known and 
unknown universe, He desires. 

749
00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:50,880
You and me to be in his inner 
circle. 

750
00:44:51,520 --> 00:44:53,880
How mind blowing is that? 
Come on. 

751
00:44:55,640 --> 00:44:58,360
He wants to reveal his heart, 
his mysteries. 

752
00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:01,520
He wants to entrust us with the 
secrets of his heart. 

753
00:45:03,160 --> 00:45:06,760
You know that song? 
I don't know if you'll sing it 

754
00:45:06,760 --> 00:45:09,040
here. 
Break my break my heart, for one

755
00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:11,080
breaks here. 
We sing that now. 

756
00:45:11,080 --> 00:45:14,000
And when it comes, that's the. 
I think it's the bridge of the 

757
00:45:14,000 --> 00:45:15,640
song. 
And we're all belting it in 

758
00:45:15,640 --> 00:45:18,120
church. 
But do we know what breaks 

759
00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:22,520
Scott's heart? 
What exactly breaks Scott's 

760
00:45:22,520 --> 00:45:24,880
heart? 
My husband loves football so 

761
00:45:24,880 --> 00:45:27,440
much. 
He's always playing FIFA on the 

762
00:45:27,440 --> 00:45:30,880
PS, or he is. 
He goes every Sunday 

763
00:45:30,880 --> 00:45:32,640
religiously. 
He'll go to play football with 

764
00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:34,200
some guys at church. 
OK. 

765
00:45:34,920 --> 00:45:39,840
When he comes back from football
I have to only interact with him

766
00:45:39,840 --> 00:45:42,760
for 20 seconds to know whether 
his team won or lost. 

767
00:45:43,920 --> 00:45:47,680
Because if he's grumpy he's just
giving me one word answers. 

768
00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:51,320
Then I know, OK, he's had a bad 
match, but then if he's happy, I

769
00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:53,240
know he's won. 
You know right? 

770
00:45:53,240 --> 00:45:56,320
With people you're close to, you
know what bums them out? 

771
00:45:56,600 --> 00:46:02,480
You know what upsets them. 
Do we really know what breaks 

772
00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:07,000
God's heart or ara press 1 sided
hurried. 

773
00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:10,360
This is what breaks my heart. 
This is what is worrying me kind

774
00:46:10,360 --> 00:46:15,280
of Press. 
Please fix it God, without 

775
00:46:15,280 --> 00:46:18,560
spending time in God's presence.
Let's not even presume to know 

776
00:46:18,560 --> 00:46:22,000
what burdens God's heart. 
Let's not even believe we know 

777
00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:25,680
anything about what is the 
outcry that has reached God's 

778
00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:28,200
heart. 
Abraham knew the outcry that 

779
00:46:28,200 --> 00:46:31,360
reached God's heart 'cause he 
walked and stood before God. 

780
00:46:31,760 --> 00:46:33,800
We are not walking with God 
every day. 

781
00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:37,640
We will not receive the burdens 
of God's heart. 

782
00:46:38,520 --> 00:46:42,000
You know, sometimes we have 
become so calloused to the pain 

783
00:46:42,000 --> 00:46:43,960
around us. 
There's brokenness and suffering

784
00:46:43,960 --> 00:46:46,160
around us, but it's all of the 
place. 

785
00:46:46,160 --> 00:46:49,360
You open social media content, 
we're watching the TV shows. 

786
00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:53,480
We've become so numb to actual 
need around us. 

787
00:46:54,000 --> 00:46:57,560
We are so self absorbed and 
focused on our priorities that 

788
00:46:57,560 --> 00:47:01,320
people have just become blurry 
shapes in the periphery of our 

789
00:47:01,320 --> 00:47:03,520
vision. 
You know lot of this. 

790
00:47:04,720 --> 00:47:07,680
Violent content, lot of it numbs
us guys. 

791
00:47:07,680 --> 00:47:13,800
It makes us numb to suffering. 
I just want to say there's an 

792
00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:18,320
outcry in our nation from broken
people, homeless people, 

793
00:47:18,320 --> 00:47:23,240
helpless people, marginalised 
people, violated people, people 

794
00:47:23,240 --> 00:47:26,920
who are raped and suffering and 
children and babies and 

795
00:47:26,920 --> 00:47:29,320
orphanages and homes on the 
streets. 

796
00:47:31,440 --> 00:47:34,440
Does this sound even slightly 
bother us? 

797
00:47:37,840 --> 00:47:40,120
I felt the conviction of the 
Holy Spirit. 

798
00:47:40,120 --> 00:47:45,000
Lord, you know. 
Do we even hear this outcry or 

799
00:47:45,000 --> 00:47:49,120
is the sound in our churches so 
loud that it just drowns out the

800
00:47:49,120 --> 00:47:50,920
music? 
The music is so loud it's just 

801
00:47:50,920 --> 00:47:53,600
drowning out this outcry. 
We are not able to hear it. 

802
00:47:54,320 --> 00:47:59,600
Are we so self absorbed with our
own events, our own things, that

803
00:47:59,600 --> 00:48:02,680
we barely lookout and sense 
what's going on in our city? 

804
00:48:02,680 --> 00:48:05,280
Do you all know what the outcry 
of Chennai is? 

805
00:48:06,400 --> 00:48:09,960
This church, this community 
should be very familiar with it.

806
00:48:11,080 --> 00:48:14,400
You should be very familiar with
what that cry is that is going 

807
00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:17,680
up to heaven because you are 
dwelling in that secret place 

808
00:48:17,680 --> 00:48:20,840
with the Father and you know the
heart of God. 

809
00:48:27,120 --> 00:48:29,640
I'm coming to a close now. 
I've spoken enough. 

810
00:48:29,800 --> 00:48:33,040
I just want to challenge you all
on a couple of things, right? 

811
00:48:35,240 --> 00:48:43,920
The first thing is, have have we
fully embraced the depth of what

812
00:48:43,920 --> 00:48:46,200
our great high priest did for us
on the cross? 

813
00:48:46,280 --> 00:48:48,360
I'm just recapping what Jesus 
did for us. 

814
00:48:48,360 --> 00:48:52,640
Have you fully understood that? 
If any of you hasn't, don't feel

815
00:48:52,640 --> 00:48:55,480
like you've fully accepted what 
Jesus did on the cross to you. 

816
00:48:56,520 --> 00:48:59,480
Cross for you today. 
There is an opportunity after 

817
00:48:59,480 --> 00:49:03,040
this for us to come before God 
and just bring our hearts before

818
00:49:03,040 --> 00:49:07,840
Him and come to the cross. 
Have we cultivated a deep 

819
00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:11,440
friendship with God? 
Or is our friendship with the 

820
00:49:11,440 --> 00:49:15,320
world so strong that it gets in 
the way of us coming before? 

821
00:49:15,320 --> 00:49:20,200
God, it gets in the way of our 
pursuit of the Holy of the 

822
00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:27,080
secret place. 
How do we respond to the call 

823
00:49:27,080 --> 00:49:30,360
upon each of our lives? 
There's a call to be a holy 

824
00:49:30,360 --> 00:49:33,320
priest. 
Have you responded to that call?

825
00:49:33,600 --> 00:49:36,440
Do you carry a burden for 
brokenness around you? 

826
00:49:39,160 --> 00:49:41,080
Do you go? 
I love that there was 

827
00:49:41,080 --> 00:49:42,920
intercession here. 
Very few churches have 

828
00:49:42,920 --> 00:49:44,760
intercession in the middle of 
their service. 

829
00:49:45,080 --> 00:49:48,120
I'm so happy to see that. 
Do we? 

830
00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:50,920
Come and stand. 
Before the throne room of God 

831
00:49:50,920 --> 00:49:57,440
and make bold prayers. 
Lastly, are we sensitive to the 

832
00:49:57,440 --> 00:50:03,320
outcry of our land right? 
Or are our senses so numbed by 

833
00:50:03,320 --> 00:50:06,600
the things we're consuming and 
consumed with or our own 

834
00:50:06,600 --> 00:50:09,280
struggles, problems? 
Me, myself and I is our biggest 

835
00:50:09,280 --> 00:50:13,840
problem that we don't see and 
hear the outcry in our land 

836
00:50:15,880 --> 00:50:19,480
today morning there's an 
invitation to become real 

837
00:50:19,480 --> 00:50:24,960
friends with God and function as
holy priest in his presence. 

838
00:50:28,840 --> 00:50:32,280
Possessing the promise is that 
the that's the word right for 

839
00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:34,200
this year possessing the 
promise. 

840
00:50:35,840 --> 00:50:39,400
We all want that part right. 
We want to possess the promise 

841
00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:42,640
and become this person whose 
there's all all of us have an 

842
00:50:42,640 --> 00:50:45,840
impossible thing we are praying 
for and believing that this 

843
00:50:45,840 --> 00:50:46,760
year. 
This is the word. 

844
00:50:46,760 --> 00:50:49,320
So I will get it and I assure 
you you will. 

845
00:50:50,000 --> 00:50:53,080
Abraham got everything that God 
had promised him. 

846
00:50:53,080 --> 00:50:59,080
He possessed the promise, but I 
also assure you that a pursuit 

847
00:50:59,080 --> 00:51:05,280
of His presence and a posture of
Brer precede possessing the 

848
00:51:05,280 --> 00:51:09,480
promise. 
These two things have to be in 

849
00:51:09,480 --> 00:51:12,640
our lives before we possess the 
promise of God. 

850
00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:15,960
Can we close our eyes and look 
to the Lord? 

851
00:51:16,400 --> 00:51:21,960
And I just want to encourage all
of us to get into that posture. 

852
00:51:21,960 --> 00:51:28,880
Of prayer this morning. 
I don't know what the Lord is 

853
00:51:28,880 --> 00:51:30,680
speaking to you. 
I don't know what He's. 

854
00:51:30,680 --> 00:51:33,320
Saying to your hearts this 
morning. 

855
00:51:33,840 --> 00:51:39,800
But there is a tug, an urge, a 
pull into the secret place. 

856
00:51:41,600 --> 00:51:46,600
I just sense that there are some
of us here who have just had 

857
00:51:46,600 --> 00:51:49,160
such dry spiritual lives. 
We've just. 

858
00:51:49,160 --> 00:51:54,080
Not at all experienced God. 
In a long time we've not heard 

859
00:51:54,080 --> 00:51:58,000
the voice of God. 
It's an unfamiliar sound for 

860
00:51:58,000 --> 00:52:03,560
some of us, and you're even 
ashamed to say that to to any of

861
00:52:03,560 --> 00:52:06,760
your leaders, to speak about to 
any about it to anyone, because 

862
00:52:06,760 --> 00:52:10,480
from the outside it all looks 
great and dandy. 

863
00:52:11,320 --> 00:52:13,440
But the Lord is inviting you 
this. 

864
00:52:13,440 --> 00:52:17,920
Morning to come before him and 
say, Lord, I desire your 

865
00:52:17,920 --> 00:52:28,200
presence more than anything. 
Lord, I desire you more than 

866
00:52:28,200 --> 00:52:35,080
anything. 
Let's quiet in our hearts and 

867
00:52:35,560 --> 00:52:39,680
focus on him and say, Lord, we 
invite you in our hearts. 

868
00:52:39,680 --> 00:52:42,360
We invite you to invade and 
change us. 

869
00:52:42,800 --> 00:52:46,840
Lord, we do not want to walk by 
this entire year. 

870
00:52:46,840 --> 00:52:50,680
You have a year ahead of you 
been refusing to walk by this 

871
00:52:50,680 --> 00:52:55,800
year living. 
Mediocre plane. 

872
00:52:56,680 --> 00:53:01,400
Vanilla Christian lives. 
I want to be on fire for you. 

873
00:53:01,880 --> 00:53:07,160
I want your presence. 
I want your word. 

874
00:53:07,560 --> 00:53:14,360
I want your your Holy Spirit to 
guide me in every area of my 

875
00:53:14,360 --> 00:53:18,480
life. 
There's perhaps some of us 

876
00:53:18,480 --> 00:53:23,280
struggling with secret sins that
have gripped us that we don't 

877
00:53:23,280 --> 00:53:29,160
know how to let go of, but it's 
shame to even admit it to 

878
00:53:29,160 --> 00:53:32,640
someone. 
There's grace this morning to 

879
00:53:32,640 --> 00:53:37,680
bring it before the throne room 
because he will show mercy. 

880
00:53:38,440 --> 00:53:44,840
The same God that shows mercy to
all generations is here. 

881
00:53:44,840 --> 00:53:45,680
This. 
Morning and he. 

882
00:53:45,680 --> 00:53:50,960
Wants to show us mercy, and He 
wants us to desire holiness. 

883
00:53:51,280 --> 00:53:55,480
He wants us to desire His 
presence more than anything. 

884
00:53:59,640 --> 00:54:02,280
Perhaps we're struggling with 
addictions. 

885
00:54:02,640 --> 00:54:05,720
And not even. 
Outrageous addictions. 

886
00:54:05,720 --> 00:54:12,320
Addictions to our devices, to 
content, to conversations, to to

887
00:54:12,320 --> 00:54:14,400
humour. 
That is not healthy. 

888
00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:20,800
I don't know what your struggle 
is, what your what addiction 

889
00:54:20,800 --> 00:54:24,200
you're struggling with, but the 
Lord wants you to be delivered 

890
00:54:24,440 --> 00:54:39,040
this morning. 
Just express your desire in your

891
00:54:39,040 --> 00:54:45,880
own words to have more of him 
and, and Lord, I come before you

892
00:54:45,880 --> 00:54:49,800
today. 
Lord, I invite you, Holy Spirit,

893
00:54:49,800 --> 00:54:52,640
to move in our hearts. 
Move in my heart. 

894
00:54:52,880 --> 00:54:56,840
We are so flawed and fragile. 
We are so weak and weary. 

895
00:54:56,840 --> 00:55:01,440
Lord, we are so helpless when it
comes to sin. 

896
00:55:01,440 --> 00:55:07,560
We are so imperfect, Lord, and 
we need you more than anything 

897
00:55:07,560 --> 00:55:08,880
in our lives. 
We need. 

898
00:55:08,880 --> 00:55:13,640
You. 
And your presence, we refuse to 

899
00:55:13,640 --> 00:55:17,960
move ahead into this year 
without you, Lord, and without a

900
00:55:18,120 --> 00:55:21,800
strong, deep desire for more of 
you. 

901
00:55:21,800 --> 00:55:29,280
Lord, would you come? 
Holy Spirit, would you come and 

902
00:55:29,280 --> 00:55:34,840
invade our hearts? 
We invite you, Lord. 

903
00:55:35,440 --> 00:55:40,200
Lord, we come before you this 
morning, everyone here, Father 

904
00:55:40,200 --> 00:55:44,840
God, with a desire for 
something, Lord, a desire that 

905
00:55:44,840 --> 00:55:48,640
has consumed us, captivated our 
hearts. 

906
00:55:49,240 --> 00:55:53,320
Lord, the longing, whether it's 
for a marriage partner, whether 

907
00:55:53,320 --> 00:55:57,360
it's for a child, whether it's 
for healing, whether it's for 

908
00:55:57,360 --> 00:56:01,000
mental deliverance from mental 
health issues, whether it's 

909
00:56:01,000 --> 00:56:04,760
deliverance from physical 
ailments, whether it's 

910
00:56:04,760 --> 00:56:07,880
deliverance from sin that we are
struggling with. 

911
00:56:08,440 --> 00:56:11,480
There is desire in this room 
this morning. 

912
00:56:12,040 --> 00:56:16,000
There is desire for freedom, 
desire for breakthrough. 

913
00:56:16,560 --> 00:56:22,640
And I believe the Lord is here. 
Some of us have become skeptical

914
00:56:22,640 --> 00:56:24,600
in our hearts. 
Will the Lord? 

915
00:56:25,200 --> 00:56:27,400
You know, some of us are like 
Sarah. 

916
00:56:27,400 --> 00:56:30,840
We, we, we are mocking. 
It's not even possible. 

917
00:56:31,480 --> 00:56:34,960
But the Lord is here to remind 
you it is. 

918
00:56:35,520 --> 00:56:39,760
He is going to come through. 
You will possess that promise 

919
00:56:39,760 --> 00:56:44,960
when you hold on by faith and 
cling to the secret place. 

920
00:56:47,560 --> 00:56:52,120
Lord, I pray that every heart 
here would be drawn into your 

921
00:56:52,120 --> 00:56:55,360
presence, Father God. 
Every heart here, Father God, 

922
00:56:55,640 --> 00:56:59,920
would be set on you. 
Lord, sometimes it's easy to 

923
00:56:59,920 --> 00:57:04,680
make these desires our pursuit, 
but there is a call this morning

924
00:57:04,680 --> 00:57:10,920
to focus and bring back our 
desire and rest it only on Him. 

925
00:57:12,040 --> 00:57:16,680
And like Abraham was willing to 
lay down his most precious thing

926
00:57:16,680 --> 00:57:20,840
on the altar, are you willing to
lay down that desire? 

927
00:57:20,840 --> 00:57:25,120
I know this is just such a weird
thought, but the Lord says if 

928
00:57:25,120 --> 00:57:29,160
you are willing to give that 
desire before me and make me 

929
00:57:29,720 --> 00:57:35,080
your pursuit, make my presence 
your pursuit, I will. 

930
00:57:35,080 --> 00:57:38,400
Come through for you. 
That is the promise this 

931
00:57:38,400 --> 00:57:43,480
morning. 
So can we bring our biggest 

932
00:57:43,480 --> 00:57:45,840
desires before Him? 
Is it a job? 

933
00:57:45,840 --> 00:57:50,560
Is it clarity in your purpose? 
Some of us don't know what we're

934
00:57:50,560 --> 00:57:53,360
doing. 
We're confused about the future.

935
00:57:54,080 --> 00:58:00,880
But the Lord says, bring your 
burdens to me, bring your 

936
00:58:01,280 --> 00:58:06,640
feariness to me this morning. 
He invites you, whatever it is, 

937
00:58:07,880 --> 00:58:12,240
the good, the bad, the ugly. 
He invites you to leave it on 

938
00:58:12,240 --> 00:58:18,600
the altar. 
I pray this morning my son just 

939
00:58:18,600 --> 00:58:23,880
came up and stood next to me and
he is such a promise, just like 

940
00:58:23,880 --> 00:58:27,400
Abraham, Godhead promised us 
we'll have children. 

941
00:58:27,400 --> 00:58:30,960
And it was just so impossible. 
And I'm here to stand as a 

942
00:58:30,960 --> 00:58:34,880
testimony to encourage you that 
whatever that impossible thing 

943
00:58:34,880 --> 00:58:37,240
is, that God will give it to 
you. 

944
00:58:38,520 --> 00:58:42,680
So can you lift your hands up 
full of faiths, lift it towards 

945
00:58:42,680 --> 00:58:46,640
heaven and say, Lord, I believe.
I do not mock you. 

946
00:58:46,640 --> 00:58:50,000
I do not, I do not hold any 
disbelief in my heart. 

947
00:58:50,040 --> 00:58:53,640
I wholly believe you that you 
will come true for me. 

948
00:58:54,680 --> 00:58:56,680
Come on, make that prayer your 
own. 

949
00:58:56,680 --> 00:59:00,080
Lift your voice and say, I 
believe, O Lord, in your 

950
00:59:00,080 --> 00:59:02,400
promise. 
I believe that I will possess 

951
00:59:02,400 --> 00:59:06,640
that promise. 
I believe in these impossible 

952
00:59:06,640 --> 00:59:08,640
situations around me that they 
will break. 

953
00:59:08,760 --> 00:59:10,640
There will be breakthrough for 
me. 

954
00:59:11,000 --> 00:59:17,280
I receive it. 
Declare that I repent, O Lord, 

955
00:59:17,280 --> 00:59:21,920
of cynicism, of skepticism, of, 
of disbelief. 

956
00:59:21,920 --> 00:59:34,080
Lord, 
I thank you, Jesus. 

957
00:59:35,240 --> 00:59:42,160
Thank you, Father. 
Father. 

958
00:59:42,160 --> 00:59:44,800
God, would you move? 
Lord, would you move in our 

959
00:59:44,800 --> 00:59:47,600
hearts, not just at this moment 
through the weak? 

960
00:59:47,600 --> 00:59:49,320
Lord, would you move in our 
hearts? 

961
00:59:49,880 --> 00:59:53,560
Would you? 
Would you really stir us with 

962
00:59:53,560 --> 00:59:56,600
desire for you, Lord? 
Would you stir us, Lord? 

963
00:59:56,600 --> 00:59:59,520
It's so difficult. 
Some of us are struggling to 

964
00:59:59,520 --> 01:00:02,000
read the word of God. 
That's the picture that I got 

965
01:00:02,000 --> 01:00:06,520
just now, that we're just not 
able to study and read the word 

966
01:00:06,520 --> 01:00:09,680
of God. 
But there's an invitation this 

967
01:00:09,680 --> 01:00:12,640
morning to fall in love with the
word of God. 

968
01:00:14,920 --> 01:00:18,360
There's an invitation to come 
before God and. 

969
01:00:19,680 --> 01:00:28,240
Admit these things that are 
difficult to do, Lord, those of 

970
01:00:28,240 --> 01:00:32,200
us who struggle to come before 
Your Word, Lord, to open Your 

971
01:00:32,200 --> 01:00:35,680
word and find it interesting. 
Our fascinations have been 

972
01:00:35,680 --> 01:00:40,520
captured by things around us. 
Would you fascinate us again 

973
01:00:42,080 --> 01:00:45,440
this morning? 
Would you help us fall in love 

974
01:00:45,440 --> 01:00:48,240
with You? 
There's a call to come back to 

975
01:00:48,240 --> 01:00:54,880
that first love. 
And as we do that the Lord will 

976
01:00:54,880 --> 01:00:57,520
move in our lives. 
Can we just lift our hands and, 

977
01:00:58,080 --> 01:01:02,280
and pray and commit this time, 
not just this time, but this 

978
01:01:02,280 --> 01:01:05,680
week into our, into our, into 
God's hands and say, Lord, would

979
01:01:05,680 --> 01:01:09,000
you continue to confirm to me 
the word that you have spoken 

980
01:01:09,000 --> 01:01:11,920
this morning? 
I want to invite you to just go 

981
01:01:11,920 --> 01:01:14,000
after the service and pray with 
someone. 

982
01:01:14,840 --> 01:01:18,160
If God has moved in your heart 
this morning, would you talk to 

983
01:01:18,160 --> 01:01:22,480
someone and get prayed over 
because the Lord is here today? 

984
01:01:22,640 --> 01:01:26,440
He walks among us, and he. 
Desires to touch us. 

985
01:01:26,440 --> 01:01:34,160
He desires to bless us. 
Let's commit ourselves to Him. 

986
01:01:34,160 --> 01:01:38,800
Lord, we thank you. 
I know, Lord, that we will, that

987
01:01:38,800 --> 01:01:41,720
this community is gonna see 
awesome breakthroughs. 

988
01:01:41,720 --> 01:01:44,720
This here. 
And we claim it in the name of 

989
01:01:44,920 --> 01:01:48,000
Jesus. 
We claim it we want to hear 

990
01:01:48,000 --> 01:01:52,200
testimonies of impossible things
coming through Lord, of promises

991
01:01:52,200 --> 01:01:54,040
being possessed like never 
before. 

992
01:01:54,040 --> 01:01:57,680
Lord. 
But I also pray that the posture

993
01:01:57,680 --> 01:02:02,400
of this community will always be
prayer, that the pursuit of this

994
01:02:02,400 --> 01:02:08,400
community will be your presence.
And as we keep our eyes fixed on

995
01:02:08,400 --> 01:02:12,800
you, O Lord, fixed on your 
things, would you take care of 

996
01:02:12,800 --> 01:02:19,600
all that belongs to us, continue
to work in our hearts and 

997
01:02:19,600 --> 01:02:23,320
continue to stir our spirits. 
So God, and move in us this 

998
01:02:23,320 --> 01:02:26,640
morning. 
We thank you for your sweet, 

999
01:02:26,640 --> 01:02:31,880
sweet, sweet presence, for the 
sweet fellowship of the Spirit 

1000
01:02:32,560 --> 01:02:35,440
and the love of the Father that 
is in this place. 

1001
01:02:35,440 --> 01:02:47,120
Lord, in Jesus name I pray. 
Thanks for listening to this 

1002
01:02:47,120 --> 01:02:50,200
message. 
We hope you were blessed to hear

1003
01:02:50,200 --> 01:02:53,960
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1004
01:02:53,960 --> 01:02:56,600
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1005
01:02:57,080 --> 01:03:00,400
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1006
01:03:00,520 --> 01:03:03,520
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1007
01:03:03,880 --> 01:03:08,240
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1008
01:03:08,560 --> 01:03:12,760
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1009
01:03:13,320 --> 01:03:16,920
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