1 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,520 Hi and welcome to the Via Zion Sermon podcast. 2 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:14,840 We are a local church based here in Chennai, India. 3 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:18,640 We are so glad you are with us and hope that this will 4 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,040 encourage, inspire and instill fresh faith in you. 5 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:27,360 We begin our new year with the theme for the year 2024, which 6 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,920 is set apart. We look at how each of us who 7 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:35,000 follow Jesus can live lives that are consecrated and separated 8 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:39,760 for Him, both privately and publicly, with His help and 9 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:43,000 leading. We pray that as you listen, you 10 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:47,520 would be challenged to live such a life of victory and peace. 11 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:51,760 Hi Church, what a joy it is to bring God's Word to you today. 12 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:56,320 As you know, we've been doing over over the past three weeks 13 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,880 the theme of being set apart. We looked at how the Triune 14 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:06,520 Godfather, Son and Holy Spirit have set each of us apart for 15 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:09,080 something very big. And today we're going to be 16 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:14,280 concluding the month's series with this theme, which is we are 17 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:18,760 set apart to know God as much as the Godhead. 18 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:23,200 Each of them have set us apart for specific things. 19 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,000 I believe that we have been set apart to know them in their 20 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,240 entirety, to know them in their fullness. 21 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:33,120 I love this verse from Acts chapter 17, which explains to us 22 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,800 what God's plan was when he created the world. 23 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:38,560 This is what it says. The God who made the world and 24 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,280 everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not 25 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:43,960 live in temples built by human hands. 26 00:01:43,960 --> 00:01:47,080 And he's not served by human hands as if he needed anything. 27 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,400 Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and 28 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,920 everything else from one man. He made all the nations that 29 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,960 they should inhabit the whole earth, and he marked out their 30 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:59,720 appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 31 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,880 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out 32 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:08,840 for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 33 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:12,280 I was reading this verse this week and I was just reading it 34 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:16,800 over and over again because and as I was mulling over that, this 35 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,160 verse came to mind. And as I was reading it, I 36 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,160 realized this, that more than anything else, the crux is this. 37 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,200 We were created for relationship. 38 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,640 We were created in order that we would know our Creator. 39 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:30,320 She already knows us. She knows us inside out. 40 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:31,840 He knows us like the back of his hand. 41 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:36,960 But we were created and we were called and chosen so that we 42 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,800 would know him, and that is what we're going to be looking at 43 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:41,840 today. Whatever you feel you have been 44 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:46,920 set apart for this whole month and this whole year, I want us 45 00:02:46,920 --> 00:02:51,680 to begin with this focal point that we have been set apart to 46 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,920 know, God, I remember watching this Tamil movie many, many 47 00:02:55,920 --> 00:02:57,680 years back where there was this joke. 48 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,000 Bunch of these guys get caught by the cops at a signal and 49 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,960 they're trying to get out of it. And so one of the guys said, you 50 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:07,720 know what, I know the IG was one of, you know, the cops. 51 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,000 I know this guy. And he says, oh really? 52 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,400 And then he adds on, the same guy says, but he doesn't know 53 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:15,760 me. So many of us have this 54 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,920 relationship with God wherein I know about God. 55 00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:20,640 So it's not really a relationship per SE. 56 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:23,360 It's more like I know about God. I know what he's capable of. 57 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:26,680 I know people who know him, but that's where it'll stay. 58 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:28,560 And we have been content with that. 59 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:32,720 But God is calling us into 2024 with this place of saying, I 60 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,280 want you to really know me. When you look at the word know 61 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,320 in this context, when you look at it in the original, it 62 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:43,040 actually means to intimately know, to know by experience. 63 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:45,800 And that is what God is calling us into. 64 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:49,720 He's setting us apart to know Him because only when we know 65 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:54,040 Him can we live for Him. Only when we know Him does our 66 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:56,760 life actually experience transformation. 67 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:58,160 Until then, it's just head knowledge. 68 00:03:58,160 --> 00:03:59,800 It hasn't translated into our heart. 69 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:01,680 It hasn't translated into our lives. 70 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:03,920 And so today, we're going to be focusing on two different 71 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:06,840 chapters, one in the Old Testament and one in the New, 72 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:09,360 and we're going to understand a little bit more on how we can 73 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:12,360 better know this God. I'm going to be reading from 74 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,519 Isaiah chapter 40, three, verse 10, and as I read this I want 75 00:04:16,519 --> 00:04:18,959 you to allow the scripture to actually sink in. 76 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,840 Isaiah 43 verse 10 says You are my witnesses, declares the Lord 77 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,840 and my servant whom I have chosen so that you may know and 78 00:04:26,840 --> 00:04:30,680 believe me and understand that I am he before me. 79 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,600 No God was formed, nor will there be one after me. 80 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:37,840 When you read this entire chapter, you kind of feel bad 81 00:04:37,840 --> 00:04:42,560 for God because he is almost giving them a reason again to 82 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:46,040 turn back to him. The Israelites had wandered far. 83 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,920 There was apostasy, there was idolatry, There was a running 84 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:52,440 after other gods. Worship practices had become 85 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:54,560 defiled. They had become like one of 86 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:58,360 their neighbors, and God was planning to send them into exile 87 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,440 just so that he would get their attention, just so that they 88 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:05,080 would he would discipline them. And as they are heading into 89 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:09,120 exile as the enemy, kings have come all around them, she is 90 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,800 saying this is who I am. I'm the one who created you. 91 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,960 And in this particular verse, he says, you are my witnesses, my 92 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:21,240 servant, whom I have chosen so that you may know and believe 93 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:25,800 me, emphasize or know, so that you may know and believe me. 94 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:29,080 God is not asking us to believe Him without a knowledge of Him. 95 00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:32,680 He's asking us to get to know Him, because the more we know 96 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:36,880 Him, the more we believe in Him. And interestingly, the only way 97 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,680 you and I can be witnesses for him in the world is if we 98 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,320 actually know Him. Unless I know God to be my 99 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:45,320 personal savior, to be my healer. 100 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,600 To be my Redeemer. Only when I get to know Him as 101 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:53,680 my brother, my friend, my king, does my life begin to show the 102 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:59,440 changes that are so evident. Only then am IA really firm and 103 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:01,840 strong witness in the world he has placed me. 104 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:05,120 So it's so important to understand from Isaiah 43, we're 105 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:08,360 going to go through a couple more verses following this, but 106 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,960 there are three problems which happen 3 Problems that come 107 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:15,800 around if we don't know God. The first thing that I foresee 108 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:20,320 is that if we don't, we know God, if we choose not to know 109 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:23,560 Him by experience, not to grow in our knowledge of Him, The 110 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:27,200 first thing is that we will not perceive His works. 111 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:31,200 What do I mean by that? Continuing in Isaiah 43 verses 112 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:34,320 16 to 19, it says this is what the Lord says. 113 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,680 He who made a way through the sea, a path to the mighty 114 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:39,640 waters. Who drew out the Chariots, the 115 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:42,000 horses, the army and the reinforcements together. 116 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:44,440 And they lay there never to rise again. 117 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:46,440 Extinguish, snuffed out like a Wick. 118 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,720 Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. 119 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,240 See, I am doing a new thing now it springs up. 120 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:57,080 Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the 121 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:00,160 wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 122 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:04,200 If I don't know God, I will not perceive his works. 123 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,160 What does that look like? Lot of times in our life, It 124 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:10,280 will not look like the splitting of a Red Sea moment. 125 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:12,600 Our victories don't look so public. 126 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:16,240 Our victories are not so visible to the whole world, but they are 127 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:19,280 private victories. And if I don't know God, if I'm 128 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:22,280 not in touch with him, if I'm not growing in my intimacy with 129 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:24,520 him, I will miss out on what he's doing. 130 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,720 Interestingly, I will also miss out on what he's about to do. 131 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:32,080 If you look here, he's reminding them of what happened when the 132 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:35,320 when the exodus happened. And he said the Red Sea split. 133 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:39,160 You guys walked on, you know, on on on dry ground, there were 134 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:41,960 horses and Chariots which were left in the ocean. 135 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,280 And now he's saying, guess what? I'm doing a new thing. 136 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,040 We're in the middle of a barren wilderness. 137 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:51,080 Streams are going to flow. He was talking about the coming 138 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:52,360 of his son. He was talking about 139 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:54,400 restoration. He was talking about the spirit 140 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:55,920 of God, which would be poured out. 141 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,800 And the interesting thing is it doesn't look anything like this 142 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:04,000 Red Sea moment. And so I want us to look at this 143 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,960 little closely and realize that so many times we are like these 144 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:09,600 Israelites. We're talking about something 145 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:13,320 that happened in the past. We have moments where we felt 146 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:15,640 like God abandoned us. We have moments where we think 147 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:17,080 God. You didn't answer that prayer. 148 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:19,280 You didn't come through for me the way I wanted you to. 149 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:23,880 I didn't see the miracle. But God is saying, wait, I'm 150 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:26,640 doing a new thing. Do you not perceive it? 151 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:30,400 If I'm not in connection, intimate connection with God, if 152 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:34,840 I'm not in communion with him, I can miss out on what he is doing 153 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:38,280 next. It is so essential that we 154 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:40,760 understand that the many things that are happening in our lives 155 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:43,159 right now, that's not a result of karma. 156 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:45,960 That's not a result of a coincidence. 157 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:52,000 No, it is the movement of a God who is alive and and well in 158 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:57,280 command when in leading our lives He is aware of everything 159 00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:01,640 and he is moving things for his glory, for His purposes. 160 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,200 So many times we have looked at our life and looked at that one 161 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,840 demotion, or looked at one that rejection and thought the the 162 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:11,280 heavens fell and that God had washed his hands off. 163 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:15,320 Maybe if you look at that and then you realize God was moving 164 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:19,600 even in the midst of that valley, it changes your way of 165 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,360 viewing him. It changes the way you view his 166 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:26,120 work in your life. If we don't have a relationship 167 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,800 with God, if we don't know God intimately, the first problem is 168 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:32,040 that we will not perceive his works. 169 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,160 And that's a dangerous place to be in because each of us are 170 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:37,120 right now. If you look at 2024, I believe 171 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:39,960 God is transitioning a lot of us into a new season. 172 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:43,080 He's birthing new things, He's releasing new things, He's 173 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:45,960 removing old things. And in that season, if we are 174 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,520 not aware of his works, if we are not growing in our 175 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,480 relationship with him, we will miss what he's trying to show 176 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:56,120 us. We will miss His awesome, mighty 177 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:59,080 deeds. The second thing that happens 178 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:02,600 when we don't know God is that we will not discern His will for 179 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:05,040 us. So often I've heard this a lot. 180 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:06,880 You know, being in a pastoral capacity. 181 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,240 Many of them say, OK, I don't know what God's will is. 182 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:12,360 I don't know what God's will is for my marriage. 183 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:14,200 I don't know what God's will is for my career. 184 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:16,760 I don't know what God's will is for my child. 185 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:21,760 Well, that is a decent and a well intended question. 186 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:23,760 It's not a bad thing to not know God's will. 187 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:27,040 It's not a terrible thing. But when we were babes in Christ 188 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:29,760 and just getting to know the Lord, it's allowed. 189 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:32,920 It's understandable. But as you grow as a Christian, 190 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,440 as you grow in maturity, as you start hearing the Lord more 191 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:40,800 through His word, through His voice, you need to be able to 192 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:43,800 discern His will. You can't be what you wear when 193 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:45,680 you just started out. There has to be growth. 194 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:50,920 There has to be maturity. Isaiah 43 verses 22 to 24. 195 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:53,920 This is what it says. Yet you have not called on Me in 196 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:57,720 prayer and worship or Jacob, but you have grown weary of Me or 197 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:00,080 Israel. You have not brought me your 198 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:03,440 sheep or goats for your burnt offerings, nor honored Me with 199 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:06,200 your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with 200 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:09,440 offerings, nor wearied you with demands for offerings of 201 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:11,920 incense. You have not bought me sweet 202 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:15,200 cane with money, nor have you filled me with the fact of your 203 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,240 sacrifices. But you have burdened me with 204 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:21,400 your sins. You have buried me with your 205 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,720 wickedness. What is this whole thing talking 206 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:25,720 about? This is God dialoguing with his 207 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,320 people. And he says, you have not met my 208 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:33,320 expectations. You have not done what I desired 209 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:35,280 of you to do. You do what you please. 210 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:40,600 So often when we're not in a place of knowing God's heart, of 211 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:44,720 not knowing God's word, we miss out on understanding what His 212 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:48,600 expectations for our life are. It's so easy to say I don't know 213 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:50,880 what God wants me to do, so I'll just do whatever I want. 214 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:53,320 But the more you grow in His Word, the more you're in 215 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:56,680 communion with Him. You become more aware of what He 216 00:11:56,680 --> 00:12:00,440 expects of you. You will actually feel the nudge 217 00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:02,600 saying do not watch that. That's not needed. 218 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:06,520 Don't send that text. Stay quiet. 219 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:10,640 Speak now. You will have those impressions 220 00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:13,080 very strongly the closer you walk with him. 221 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:17,360 And therefore you know His will. You know how to respond. 222 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:19,280 You know what to say. You know what not to say. 223 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,840 And this is not carefully crafted, curated public 224 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:26,360 relations. No, this is because of a deep 225 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:28,840 inner work that the Holy Spirit is doing in your life. 226 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:33,800 Here is the problem. Too many of us are not spending 227 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:37,240 time with God to know what's on God's heart for us. 228 00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:40,200 We want the easy way. We go to our pastor and say, 229 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:41,720 what do you think? I have this question. 230 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:46,560 Should I do this or not? If it is given to you by someone 231 00:12:46,560 --> 00:12:48,760 else, it becomes a rule, it becomes a regulation. 232 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:53,480 But when God explains it to you through his word, through 233 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:56,240 someone trusted, it could be a someone who's a leader even. 234 00:12:57,240 --> 00:12:59,760 And if it resonates with you of something that God has already 235 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:03,800 been teaching you, it re emphasizes that, it reinforces 236 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:06,840 it. And that's when you get, you 237 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:09,120 know, schooled in how to actually discern his will. 238 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:13,640 If you don't know God, like the people of Israel, you can get it 239 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:15,720 completely wrong. You can be doing these things 240 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:20,880 that seem right, that seem maybe even wholly, but it could be far 241 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:24,080 from reaching God's heart because you have missed 242 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:28,240 understanding his will. When you know God, you know his 243 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:30,960 will for your life. You can't get it wrong. 244 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:36,520 Then the third thing is that when you know, don't know God. 245 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:39,360 The first thing is when you don't know God you do not 246 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:43,280 perceive His works. The second thing is that you 247 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:46,240 could miss His will, that you won't discern His will. 248 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:49,800 The third thing is you won't grasp the depths of your 249 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:52,080 salvation. What does that look like? 250 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,960 When I look at Isaiah 43, verse 25, this is what it says. 251 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:59,160 I even eat. I am He who blots out and 252 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:03,560 cancels your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not 253 00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:06,840 remember your sins. You know, when you make a 254 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:10,720 mistake in an exam paper on a project, most of us had a 255 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:13,600 whitener, am I right? My kids use it a lot, as well as 256 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:15,280 as used as much as a pen in our home. 257 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,840 So what we do is we cover the mistake with that whitener and 258 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:22,160 then we allow it to dry. And sometimes you can write over 259 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:24,840 the whitener, sometimes you have to leave it, you know, because 260 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:27,800 it looks different. The page doesn't look as it was. 261 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:34,840 Our human methods to blot out mistakes are so inadequate, 262 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:39,000 whereas the work that Jesus did on that cross and through the 263 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:42,960 tomb changed the way we looked at forgiveness, changed the way 264 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:47,040 we looked at blotting, he says. I have forgiven and cancelled 265 00:14:47,040 --> 00:14:49,840 your transmissions for my name's sake, for my sake. 266 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:54,040 He does it because of who he is. He does it because he's the 267 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,800 Redeemer. He does it because he's the 268 00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:00,520 atonement. He did it all, and therefore 269 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:04,240 every sin has been washed clean. Imagine that every sin. 270 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,040 It's not like a couple have been kept and reserved to shame us 271 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:09,040 now and then. No, he says. 272 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:12,800 I've forgiven you everything. The slate is wiped clean. 273 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:16,520 And the problem is when we don't know God, when we're not 274 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,120 progressively growing in our knowledge of Him, and we're not 275 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:21,720 growing closer to Him, not deepening our intimacy with Him, 276 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:28,320 we progressively begin to forget the depths of our own salvation. 277 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:31,440 And that's when we start withholding grace from others. 278 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:33,920 That's when we withhold forgiveness from others. 279 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,640 But when we constantly are in relationship with Him, every 280 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:41,160 time you open the word, when the word is leading you, it should 281 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:45,880 leave you with this feeling of going, my goodness, if not for 282 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:49,720 grace, I'm finished. God, I don't know how you 283 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,280 decided to save me, but I'm so grateful. 284 00:15:54,440 --> 00:16:00,680 When you grow in your knowledge of God, you begin to grasp the 285 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,560 height, depth and width of God's love for you. 286 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:06,520 And it's hard to not live transformed by that. 287 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:12,720 Too often we live in this place of forgetting just how forgiven 288 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:14,960 we are. We forget just how much grace He 289 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:18,280 has shown us. We forget how much mercy has 290 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:22,280 been showered upon us. But God is saying, if you know 291 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:27,360 me more, you won't forget. You'll be in constant view of 292 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:31,760 just how far reaching my salvation has been. 293 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:38,280 We have three kids, as you know, and each of them, because 294 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:40,560 they've been with us for different periods of time, from 295 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:43,440 the time they were born, they know us to a different degree. 296 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,840 So our oldest knows us the best because he he joined our 297 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:51,560 marriage soon after we got married within the first year 298 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:54,080 this guy was born. And so he knows us really well. 299 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:56,840 So growing up, I would just have to look at him. 300 00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:59,200 If he's done something wrong outside, I just have to look at 301 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:01,640 him. I will pin him with my gaze and 302 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:03,320 he'll know exactly what he's done wrong. 303 00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:06,359 And so he would get the hint and he would stop doing whatever it 304 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:07,560 is. I didn't have to raise my voice, 305 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,280 didn't have to spank him. I would just look at him and he 306 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:13,440 knew sometimes he would know there's an impending punishment. 307 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:16,359 He knew us that well. Now the second one came around 308 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:20,680 our daughter and so I think just by virtue of being the second, 309 00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:22,680 there was a third on the way very soon. 310 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,839 So we didn't have much time to establish culture with her, so 311 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:28,800 she just learnt on the job. Now what happened, 312 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:32,360 unfortunately, along the way was our older one told her how to 313 00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:35,240 read our signals. They would say, oh, they look at 314 00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:38,200 you like this, it means this. You know, he kind of schooled 315 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:40,000 her on these things, gave her these hacks. 316 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,160 The only problem was the hacks were wrong for her. 317 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:44,720 It worked for him. But she was a different child. 318 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:48,440 She had different needs. She she, she would pick us off 319 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,400 in very different ways. And so the way what he was 320 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:55,400 teaching her didn't really sit. The cues she was getting were 321 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:56,440 wrong. It didn't apply to her. 322 00:17:56,440 --> 00:18:00,200 So for a long time she would misread the cues we gave. 323 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:03,000 A couple of times in public she would actually ask me in front 324 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,320 of other people, Mom, why are you staring at me like that? 325 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:10,120 You know, she would put me on the on the defensive then came 326 00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:12,400 along at 3rd. And this guy is so smart. 327 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:14,640 He learnt off the first two guys mistakes. 328 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:17,120 So he didn't have to actually be taught culture. 329 00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:20,080 He just observed what they were doing, that stuff that was 330 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:22,840 getting them into trouble and he just avoided doing it. 331 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:25,880 She was just learning of them. He was putting it off, but it's 332 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:27,800 only over the last three years of. 333 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:32,440 So I thank God for COVID that each child developed this 334 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:34,640 independent relationship with us. 335 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:39,160 So it was not a, you know, a relationship that the oldest had 336 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:40,920 that he kind of just passed on and said, you know, these are 337 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:45,400 the hacks, be careful. But each one of them understood 338 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:47,680 our hearts better. They understood the why behind 339 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:50,440 certain rules. They understood why we say 340 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,520 certain things, why we have certain standards, why we have 341 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:56,560 certain expectations. And it was built on a 342 00:18:56,560 --> 00:19:00,200 relationship, everyday relationship, conversations. 343 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:05,640 And if we want to know God and His expectations for us, if we 344 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,360 want to understand why he works a certain way, if we want to 345 00:19:09,360 --> 00:19:13,360 understand His will, it will only be it'll only happen 346 00:19:13,360 --> 00:19:16,960 through a relationship. The cues you get of other 347 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:20,080 believers and other followers of Jesus won't be enough because 348 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:22,120 he's got a tailor made relationship with you. 349 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:26,920 He wants you to seek Him, and he will be found by you, he says. 350 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:28,080 Pursue me. I'm here. 351 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:32,760 I'm not running anywhere. He's calling you into a personal 352 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,720 relationship with him. You don't need to get the cues 353 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:39,960 from fellow believers. The cues help, but they're not 354 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,920 everything. Nothing replaces a personal 355 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:47,960 one-on-one walk with God. Now we've looked at what it 356 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:50,000 looks like when we don't know God. 357 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:52,400 These are the things that happened, these three things. 358 00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:54,840 God. What is the plus point? 359 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:56,920 Why should I actually pursue God? 360 00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:58,920 Why do I actually have to get to know him? 361 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:01,520 Is it essential that I need to know my maker? 362 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:04,600 Is it essential that I need to know this creator God, the one 363 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,000 who saved me and called me? Is it essential? 364 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:10,880 I believe it is. Paul writes this in the book of 365 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:12,560 Ephesians. He's writing to this Ephesian 366 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:15,560 church and they were a church that was hungry for the gospel. 367 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:18,680 And so the teachers and the God the apostles were teaching them 368 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:22,800 and strengthening them. And Paul is so happy at their 369 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:24,840 progress, and this is what he writes to them. 370 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:30,360 Ephesians 1 verses 15 to 17 he says For this reason, ever since 371 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:33,640 I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all 372 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:37,120 God's people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you 373 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:41,120 remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of 374 00:20:41,120 --> 00:20:44,880 our Lord Jesus Christ, the Glorious Father may give give 375 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:49,520 you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know 376 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:53,200 him better. Just that last word. 377 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:56,560 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the 378 00:20:56,560 --> 00:21:01,320 Glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and 379 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:05,680 revelation so that you may know him better. 380 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:13,360 God gave us the Holy Spirit. Jesus ascended post the 381 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:14,880 resurrection. He ascended back. 382 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:17,040 He's seated at the right hand of the Father. 383 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:20,160 But he gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit 384 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:22,720 is the one who enables us to know Him better. 385 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:25,720 Last week we looked at how the Holy Spirit brands us and sets 386 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:28,080 us apart for the new life in Christ. 387 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:31,760 And today we're going to be looking at how the Holy Spirit, 388 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:36,440 how he works in us to help us know God better and the Passion. 389 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:39,320 Translation. It says deepening to grow in 390 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:43,800 deepening intimacy with Him. The Holy Spirit helps us to grow 391 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:48,240 in deepening intimacy with Him. You and I cannot do the 392 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:49,880 Christian walk without the Holy Spirit. 393 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:53,960 If we try, we will fail. This was talked about by the 394 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:56,880 prophets when they said not by might, not by power, but by my 395 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:59,280 Spirit. Anything we attempt to do in 396 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:03,520 this era, our power, our might will fail us. 397 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:05,360 It's the Holy Spirit who will help us. 398 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:09,000 So the goal of having the Holy Spirit is to know God better 399 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:13,920 because he gives us the wisdom and revelation to understand the 400 00:22:13,920 --> 00:22:17,760 scriptures, to understand God's will, to sense His ways. 401 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:22,960 He's the one. So my question to you is, Are 402 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:25,600 you ready to get to know God through the Holy Spirit? 403 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:28,880 We sometimes look at this Holy Spirit as the help or the 404 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:31,880 paraclete or the one who comes alongside and enables us. 405 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:35,160 But will you utilize the Holy Spirit for what his primary 406 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:38,680 purpose is? And that is to probe the depths 407 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:41,640 of God's heart, to get to know God better. 408 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:47,520 I've often told you my story where it's one of having illness 409 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:51,840 growing up, having setbacks, growing older, having setbacks 410 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:54,880 again in my health. And so, you know, consistently 411 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:56,720 I've seen God the Healer come through. 412 00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:00,600 But it's in the last 10 years or so that I've seen different 413 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:04,360 attributes of God, which has broadened my understanding. 414 00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:05,880 And I know I've just scratched the surface. 415 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:09,600 I see God now as a provider. I see God as a sustainer, the 416 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:13,040 one who holds us up and keeps us from collapsing, the one who is 417 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:17,680 a planner who plans every detail of our lives to the greatest, to 418 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:23,560 the minutest detail. I see God as the one who joins 419 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:25,640 Dots, who doesn't leave anything. 420 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:27,040 You know, nothing's up to chance. 421 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:31,080 I see the God of the future. I see him as the God of my 422 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:34,800 present, the God who loves me beyond. 423 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,320 I can ever put words to it. That's how much he loves me. 424 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:40,000 So I have started seeing and like I said, it's only 425 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,160 scratching the surface. I know so little of God, but I 426 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:47,280 look forward to the next 40 years or so of growing in my 427 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:49,480 knowledge of him with the Holy Spirit's help. 428 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:54,520 And so I want to ask you this, Do you want to get to know God 429 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:57,200 more? Because when you know God more, 430 00:23:57,200 --> 00:23:59,240 there are three benefits just from Ephesians. 431 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:03,120 One, it's not a, it's not a, you know, a huge list just from 432 00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:04,800 Ephesians. One, when I look at Ephesians 433 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:10,440 one, there are three things that happen when I start to know God 434 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:13,800 more. And these three are very, very 435 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:14,720 important. Why? 436 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,520 Because when I start to understand these things, these 437 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:20,520 are the tenets, so to speak, of the Christian life. 438 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:23,600 When I have the Holy Spirit, he's giving me more wisdom, He's 439 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:26,560 giving me more revelation, to understand things that are way 440 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:29,440 beyond my pay grade. And when I'm understanding these 441 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:33,960 things, I begin to live a more wholesome and fulfilled life. 442 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:39,160 A follower of Jesus cannot afford to do this journey 443 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:42,960 without the Holy Spirit, because if we try it, we'll be striving 444 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:44,800 in our own strength and we will fail. 445 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,120 And when we fail, we won't have the energy to even get back up. 446 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:50,280 But as the Holy Spirit, as we will. 447 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:55,320 Look at this now, it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to keep 448 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:57,160 running. To keep running. 449 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,640 So three things from Ephesians chapter one that I want to leave 450 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:05,160 you with we looked at. When we don't know God, we miss 451 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:10,320 out on perceiving His His work. We don't discern His will. 452 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:13,400 We also don't grasp the entirety of salvation. 453 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:18,760 But when we do know God, When we do know God, we discover the 454 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:22,720 hope to which we were called Ephesians, chapter one, verse 455 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:24,720 18, he says. I pray that the eyes of your 456 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:28,720 heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope 457 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:31,880 to which he has called you the riches of his glorious 458 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:37,080 inheritance in his holy people. The word hope here is not, you 459 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:39,440 know, when we say, oh, I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. 460 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,880 I hope tomorrow is a holiday. I hope that you know my the 461 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:46,240 costume turns out well. That's how we use hope in our, 462 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:50,800 you know, everyday language. Hope is this amazing, amazing 463 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:53,040 thing which is the fuel for our faith. 464 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:58,360 I can believe in Jesus. But hope says that believing in 465 00:25:58,360 --> 00:26:01,120 Jesus is worth it because he will stay the same yesterday, 466 00:26:01,120 --> 00:26:04,280 today, and forever. Hope tells me that he will not 467 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:06,960 change. Like the shifting shadows, hope 468 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:08,640 tells me that better days are ahead. 469 00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:11,480 Hope tells me that this new season is going to be different. 470 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:15,160 Hope tells me that in the middle of hardship, there is light at 471 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,240 the end of this tunnel. That's what hope is. 472 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:21,640 Hope is the fuel. But more than that, hope is 473 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:27,320 realizing that there is a possibility for heaven here on 474 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:31,160 earth right now. Our final hope is that there is 475 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:32,920 eternity. I have, you know, eternity with 476 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:38,280 Jesus, which is amazing. Streets of gold, mansions, 477 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,200 rewards. Yes, that is my hope. 478 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:44,480 That is my ultimate hope. But what is the hope for life on 479 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:48,720 earth? I believe that the hope that we 480 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:52,160 have is that there's going to be consistently intersection 481 00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:54,040 between heaven and earth right now. 482 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:57,960 You know when those moments happen, it's when you get healed 483 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:00,560 from that one ailment you can't talk to anybody about. 484 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:05,160 That's heaven touching earth. It's when that one relationship, 485 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:08,760 which was so frail gets restored, that's heaven touching 486 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:10,960 earth. When that door closes and 487 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:13,440 another opens, that's heaven touching earth. 488 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:18,640 When a long standing prayer was answered, heaven intersected 489 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:23,880 with earth. When God outdid your plans and 490 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:27,040 give you something way better than you ever imagined, heaven 491 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:31,000 just invaded into earth. That is hope. 492 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:34,920 He talks about the riches of his glorious inheritance. 493 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:37,480 So often we look at inheritance as something we get only after 494 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:39,720 we die. While that is assured in Jesus, 495 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:42,040 you are assured A glorious inheritance in heaven. 496 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:46,800 I believe our inheritance starts right now and that inheritance 497 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:49,600 is incredible. It's protection. 498 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:53,120 It's promotion. It's increase. 499 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:58,360 It's also joy amidst pain. It's also laughter amidst tears. 500 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:02,480 It's beautiful. The Christian life is so 501 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:06,680 beautiful because all of it intertwines so effortlessly. 502 00:28:09,360 --> 00:28:12,480 When we know God, we discover the hope that we are called to. 503 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:15,600 Your hope is very important. What are you hoping in? 504 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:18,600 Are you just hoping that the bad days will end? 505 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:23,840 Why not begin to believe that in Jesus there is victory assured? 506 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:27,760 Stand in that victory. Are you believing for something 507 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:32,080 big Hope says that he will outdo them all. 508 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:34,280 God will do more than you must or imagined. 509 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:39,600 The second thing is that when we know God, we experience the 510 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:44,280 power that we have access to. I love what it says in the 511 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:48,760 message version Ephesians chapter one verses 19 to 20 in 512 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:51,640 the NIV. It says his incomparably great 513 00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:55,800 power for us who believe that power is the same as the mighty 514 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:59,320 strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and 515 00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:02,200 seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. 516 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:06,360 In the message it says endless energy, boundless strength. 517 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:10,400 If you live in a city like Chennai, you know what the heat 518 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:13,120 does to you. You literally feel like, you 519 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:16,520 know, like we used to have those rasna ads where there's a straw 520 00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:19,080 that the sun puts on people's heads and sucks their juices 521 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:20,880 out. That's what summer looks like in 522 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:22,040 Chennai. It's already begun. 523 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:25,240 And I was reading that, and I was thinking, Lord, I want that 524 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:28,440 endless energy, boundless strength. 525 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,840 Because to run the Christian race, I can't do it in my own 526 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:33,520 strength. I can't do it with my own power. 527 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:37,640 I need God's help. I need to depend on his 528 00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:39,800 strength. I need to tap into his power. 529 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:45,120 A powerless Christian is an oxymoron because every Christian 530 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:48,360 has access to the Holy Spirit. It's like having this amazing 531 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:51,800 generator set up in your building, but it's not plugged 532 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:54,080 in. Where is the power going to come 533 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:56,600 from? That is not just your primary 534 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:59,240 source, it's your backup source and everything else. 535 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:04,800 You and I cannot afford to live the Christian journey and walk 536 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:07,360 this life without the power of God. 537 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:12,200 Too often we have run on our own strength and faded out. 538 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:14,960 We have literally drained our own batteries. 539 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,840 But God is saying, come to me, the resurrection power dwells in 540 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:21,160 You tap into that, plug into that. 541 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:26,040 The source to connect to that is the Holy Spirit. 542 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:29,800 Invite him and ask him to flood your life with his strength. 543 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:34,720 Jesus is the source of that power. 544 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:36,600 The Holy Spirit helps us access that. 545 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,440 So what happens? How does this tangibly translate 546 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:41,880 into our lives? There have been seasons. 547 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:45,240 I've watched friends. Marriages have crash landed. 548 00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:48,160 They've ended. When they look like they would 549 00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:51,600 collapse. A supernatural strength came 550 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:53,040 into them. They were able to get up and go 551 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:56,120 to work every day. They were able to look after 552 00:30:56,120 --> 00:31:00,520 their children in the middle of the the debris of their lives. 553 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:05,920 I've watched people pick up the pieces after dream jobs ended, 554 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:10,640 when businesses closed down, How they woke up the next morning, I 555 00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:12,720 don't know. How they went on with their 556 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:15,240 lives, I don't know. But I know that the power of God 557 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:18,720 was evident, that it literally held them up when they couldn't 558 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:24,080 stand. When you feel like you're ready 559 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:28,000 to throw in the towel, you will feel a supernatural power coming 560 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:30,680 and say you can get up. You can do this. 561 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:33,200 It will literally lift you up. It will hold you up. 562 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:34,840 When the world is collapsing around you. 563 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:38,080 That's the evidence of the resurrection power. 564 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:41,560 It doesn't mean that you're going to become like a superhero 565 00:31:41,560 --> 00:31:44,800 and fly here and then, oh, as humans, we need rest. 566 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:46,840 God rested. I need to rest. 567 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:49,600 But on the days that I'm functioning, I'm functioning at 568 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:53,560 high capacity purely because of the power of God at work in my 569 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:55,480 life. And so I want to encourage you, 570 00:31:56,680 --> 00:32:00,760 wherever you are, whatever your life looks like right now, will 571 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:04,760 you ask God for His power? Will you tap into his strength? 572 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:08,720 Because the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is 573 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:11,920 now in you and me. What is our excuse? 574 00:32:12,320 --> 00:32:16,240 So when we know God, we experience the power that we 575 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:18,840 have access to. The third thing, When we know 576 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:23,560 God, we comprehend the authority that Christ holds. 577 00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:29,000 This is a big one. Ephesians 1 verses 21 to 23 It 578 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:31,920 says I'm going to continue from the previous word, seated him at 579 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:35,600 his right hand in the heavenly realms far above all rule and 580 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:39,160 authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked 581 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:42,120 not only in the present age, but also the one to come. 582 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:47,160 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be 583 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:50,480 head over everything for the church, which is His body, the 584 00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:54,520 fullness of him who fills everything in every way. 585 00:32:55,520 --> 00:33:00,920 When I was reading this verse, I just had a renewed sense of awe 586 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:03,800 for our God. Imagine this. 587 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:07,240 He's seated so far, high in the heavenly realms. 588 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:11,280 He's above every ruler, every authority, every power, every 589 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:14,320 dominion, every name that is invoked. 590 00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:19,720 You invoke anyone's name. Jesus Christ is above that. 591 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:21,840 That is the level of his authority. 592 00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:26,640 It's amazing because that is how powerful he is. 593 00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:29,440 No demon, no deity, no illness, no entity. 594 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:34,160 Nothing stands a patch near our God. 595 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:36,600 That's the God whose name is on our lips. 596 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:39,720 Some of us are so stubborn to use the name of Jesus. 597 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:41,320 We'd much rather use the name God. 598 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:46,040 She gave us a name to call on, and that is the name that is 599 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:49,600 above every other name. That is the name at which every 600 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:54,120 knee must bow down before. That is the name at which demons 601 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:56,680 shriek and shadow. Not at our names. 602 00:33:57,800 --> 00:33:59,560 It's not our name that is going to do anything. 603 00:33:59,560 --> 00:34:03,000 It won't trigger anyone. But the name of Jesus is so 604 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:08,760 powerful that it makes every other name look like nothing. 605 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:12,800 This is the God we worship. This is the God that I have a 606 00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:16,040 relationship with. When you know God, you 607 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,639 understand the authority that he carries. 608 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:22,600 For too long we have been shaking in our boots about the 609 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:24,560 enemy. For too long we've been saying, 610 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,480 well, if I do this one particular thing, the enemy will 611 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:29,719 hit my family. If I pray too much, he's going 612 00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:32,560 to do this. If I serve him, it always 613 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:34,239 happens like that. The warfare is too much. 614 00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:36,960 I can't handle it. The time is up. 615 00:34:38,159 --> 00:34:40,600 Like I said, the powerless Christian is an oxymoron. 616 00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:46,440 The Christian without authority is also an oxymoron because we 617 00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:48,840 have the authority that Jesus gave us. 618 00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:53,880 What is holding you and me back? Why are we still looking at the 619 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:57,480 enemy like he is all powerful? Why are we still shaking in our 620 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:00,760 boots looking at him? We have the God like David said. 621 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:06,840 I have the God of Angel armies. The rest of Israel quick looking 622 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:09,640 at Goliath, but David said who is he? 623 00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:14,400 I serve the living God. What giant have you been facing 624 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:16,640 and looking at and saying I can't get over this? 625 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:19,920 I don't have any authority. Maybe your mental illness has 626 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:22,600 got into a place where you literally feel like it's broken 627 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:24,880 your will to live. It has pulled you to your knees. 628 00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:30,000 Can I just say something? Our God is more powerful than 629 00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:33,920 anything, than any disease, than any kind of illness, than any 630 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:36,880 kind of mental set back. He is more powerful. 631 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:41,720 You serve a God whose name at whose name demons shriek and 632 00:35:41,720 --> 00:35:44,960 leave. We have that authority in Jesus 633 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:46,280 name. Let's use it. 634 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:50,920 I love this verse because it says over here God placed all 635 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:54,800 things under his feet and appointed him to be head over 636 00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:56,880 everything for the church which is his body. 637 00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:00,640 If Christ is the head of the church and we are the body, it 638 00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:03,360 implies that under his feet means it's under our feet as 639 00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:08,480 well. The authority that Jesus had, he 640 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:12,040 delegated it to us. If you've ever watched the 641 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:16,080 traffic police in Chennai, it's a life threatening job because 642 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:18,720 of the fact that nobody follows rules, People do whatever they 643 00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:21,280 like. And sometimes in certain 644 00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:24,880 signals, certain spots in the city, we have volunteers who 645 00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:26,960 help them out. So the traffic police take a 646 00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:28,720 break or they're not at that signal. 647 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:31,560 And these layman volunteers come and stand there. 648 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:34,720 Now these guys just wear a jacket, which has, you know, the 649 00:36:34,720 --> 00:36:38,800 reflectors on it, but they don't have any kind of hand signal. 650 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:40,240 Nothing. They just come, they stand and 651 00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:42,960 they try to order traffic. And when you watch them, 652 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:45,920 sometimes it's really sad because no one respects their 653 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:47,880 authority. They're just ordinary laymen who 654 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:49,360 come and stand there to help out. 655 00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:53,280 But you should watch sometimes when they are relieved and a 656 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:55,400 police officer comes and stands in his stead. 657 00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:58,600 This is what happens the minute the cop comes there with his 658 00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:02,960 uniform, with his badge, with his, you know, he's got his, the 659 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:04,760 credit card machine to find anybody. 660 00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:07,400 The minute he comes and stands in the middle, you should watch 661 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:09,280 the way people's behaviour changes. 662 00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:13,040 Why? Because he's carrying authority. 663 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:16,440 He's got the delegated authority that the government has given 664 00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:19,640 him when he stands there. People better listen to what he 665 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:22,200 says. The poor layman volunteer 666 00:37:22,200 --> 00:37:26,640 doesn't carry that authority, you and I, I cannot keep 667 00:37:26,640 --> 00:37:28,360 behaving like that. Lame and volunteer. 668 00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:31,200 Today in Jesus we have that authority. 669 00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:35,920 You can call on his name anytime, night or day, and she 670 00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:38,880 sends armies of angels to protect you. 671 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:41,120 She himself when he walked on her. 672 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:46,480 Jesus gave us the authority to drive out sickness and demons 673 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:49,160 and shield people, he said. I give you all authority. 674 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:53,600 Why are we walking around with our head bowed down, with our 675 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:57,600 knees trembling, when we need to be walking strong and tall with 676 00:37:57,600 --> 00:38:02,000 the authority that was given to us at the name of Jesus? 677 00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:05,480 Every knee must bow, every tongue must confess that he is 678 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:08,240 Lord. So as I close, I want to leave 679 00:38:08,240 --> 00:38:13,160 this with you. This week we we lost someone who 680 00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:17,040 is a giant in the faith. I call her Auntie Mariamma. 681 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:21,240 Mariamma Auntie is Pastor Bijou's mom and she was a giant 682 00:38:21,240 --> 00:38:23,840 in the faith in the sense that she and her husband together 683 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:26,720 planted hundreds of churches across the country. 684 00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:32,000 I had the profound joy of spending a week with her when we 685 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:35,640 moved to Mumbai and I had her, it was just like 5 days. 686 00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:40,720 I got a crash course in in just being around her and seeing the 687 00:38:40,720 --> 00:38:43,080 spirit of God active in her life. 688 00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:46,040 She was just recovering from cancer at the time and I 689 00:38:46,040 --> 00:38:48,520 remember just spending time with her in the afternoons. 690 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:50,160 We would shift. We were shifting our home. 691 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:53,160 I would take the kids there. I'll spend time with her and she 692 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:58,280 would tell me story after story of God's work in her life and 693 00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:02,520 her obedience to God. And you know, she had single 694 00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:07,280 handedly, with the Lord's help, delivered so many men and women 695 00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:10,800 of the demonic. And not just that she loved 696 00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:12,720 people. Her home was always open. 697 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:16,160 She entertained people. She housed the homeless. 698 00:39:16,280 --> 00:39:19,440 She looked after the broken. She helped the helpless. 699 00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:23,240 She raised four children along with her husband together. 700 00:39:23,240 --> 00:39:26,160 She was his right hand. She helped uncle in the ministry 701 00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:28,880 throughout. But what really touched me was 702 00:39:28,880 --> 00:39:34,360 that she knew God intimately. She was soaked in his word. 703 00:39:34,600 --> 00:39:37,400 I would walk in every afternoon and she had a word for me. 704 00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:39,040 She had a scripture that she would give me. 705 00:39:39,240 --> 00:39:42,400 She had a lyric of a song in either Tamil or Malayalam or 706 00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:45,840 Hindi. She always had smiles on her 707 00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:47,560 face. She was walking through a 708 00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:50,480 painful season. But the season didn't define 709 00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:53,240 her. How God did that relationship 710 00:39:53,240 --> 00:39:54,400 with her. God did. 711 00:39:55,840 --> 00:39:59,320 She would undergo chemo and she would lead nurses to Jesus. 712 00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:02,640 She would come and be in recovery and be encouraging 713 00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:05,040 somebody or the other who walked into her son's house. 714 00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:07,640 And when I watched her, I was so young. 715 00:40:07,640 --> 00:40:08,480 At the time. I was just 30. 716 00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:11,720 It was 10 years back, I remember thinking. 717 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:18,040 Wow, what a testimony. And I believe that's what Isaiah 718 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:21,520 was talking about, that you are my witnesses, that you would 719 00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:27,360 know God intimately. Auntie was an effortless 720 00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:31,680 testimony for Jesus just because the power of God was active in 721 00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:34,680 her life. Just because she walked in the 722 00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:40,200 authority that she knew she had because of Jesus, just because 723 00:40:40,240 --> 00:40:41,960 she knew the hope of her calling. 724 00:40:41,960 --> 00:40:43,880 And she didn't want anyone to miss out on that hope. 725 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:47,240 Anybody she met, she would say, Do you know Jesus? 726 00:40:47,720 --> 00:40:51,040 You need him. And I want to ask you today, 727 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,760 will you make this a year of getting to know God more? 728 00:40:55,920 --> 00:40:58,120 Whatever your resolutions have been, maybe you've already 729 00:40:58,120 --> 00:40:59,600 broken your resolutions for the year. 730 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:01,960 That doesn't matter. Would you keep this one 731 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:07,400 resolution that you will grow in your knowledge of God, that you 732 00:41:07,400 --> 00:41:09,640 will ask the Holy Spirit every day? 733 00:41:10,120 --> 00:41:12,640 Lord, I want to know a little bit more about God today. 734 00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:15,160 I want to know a little bit more about you. 735 00:41:16,160 --> 00:41:19,760 Help me. Because if we did, the way we 736 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:24,200 live will be so different. We will see and experience 737 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:26,120 heaven, touching earth on the daily. 738 00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:29,840 We will walk in. The power that is available to 739 00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:33,480 us no longer will be plugged. Will we be plugging into all the 740 00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:38,640 wrong sources, friends, social media, people? 741 00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:44,880 Relationships will be so directly plugging in to the King 742 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:48,560 of Kings, the Lord of Lords, for he is the source of all power. 743 00:41:48,720 --> 00:41:51,240 And then we will walk in that authority. 744 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:53,760 No sickness can hold dominion over us. 745 00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:56,240 Will you walk through sickness? You could. 746 00:41:57,160 --> 00:42:00,000 Will you experience grief? You could, but that will not be 747 00:42:00,000 --> 00:42:03,600 the final word in your life. Jesus will have the final word 748 00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:06,640 because He is the One who's seated in the heavenly realms, 749 00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:12,200 far above all principalities and past far above every name that 750 00:42:12,200 --> 00:42:14,960 has ever been invoked. So whatever your sickness is 751 00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:20,040 today, he's far above it. Whoever it is that has tormented 752 00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:23,120 you, trampled you, put you into the ground, His name is far 753 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:25,120 above. He has the authority. 754 00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:28,040 He has the final say. The way you live will be 755 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:31,280 different when you know God intimately. 756 00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:37,600 I would urge that this will be a year, 2024, as we've begun this 757 00:42:37,600 --> 00:42:40,240 month. It'll be a year of knowing God 758 00:42:40,360 --> 00:42:43,520 deeper. Can I pray for you, Father in 759 00:42:43,520 --> 00:42:45,640 heaven? I just pray that each one of us 760 00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:50,080 here today, that Lord, we won't be content with what we know of 761 00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:52,400 you. But this will be a year of going 762 00:42:52,400 --> 00:42:55,800 intentionally deeper with you, of getting to know you more and 763 00:42:55,800 --> 00:42:57,920 more. Lord, deepen our intimacy with 764 00:42:57,920 --> 00:43:02,320 you, Holy Spirit. Help us, Father, If we have been 765 00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:06,680 distant from you, if we have turned the other way because we 766 00:43:06,680 --> 00:43:09,680 didn't see you come through, we are sorry we come back to you. 767 00:43:09,680 --> 00:43:12,240 This this year. We ask that we will pursue you. 768 00:43:12,240 --> 00:43:17,800 We thank you that Lord, you have called us to seek you so that we 769 00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:19,800 will be found. You've said, Call unto me, and I 770 00:43:19,800 --> 00:43:21,680 will tell you great and unsearchable things. 771 00:43:21,880 --> 00:43:24,800 For those of us who've been seeking answers, We pray in the 772 00:43:24,800 --> 00:43:28,280 name of Jesus that you would give us the answers we are 773 00:43:28,280 --> 00:43:31,200 seeking. For those who have turned to 774 00:43:31,280 --> 00:43:36,280 other sources today, today, I encourage you to turn back to 775 00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:40,120 Jesus, for He is the answer. He has the answers you need. 776 00:43:40,360 --> 00:43:44,240 He is what you are looking for. Father, I thank you that in your 777 00:43:44,240 --> 00:43:50,680 name we have the authority, We thank you that in your name 778 00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:57,360 there is so much power. Help us Lord to call on you, to 779 00:43:57,360 --> 00:44:00,520 call on you on the day of trouble, to call on you every 780 00:44:00,520 --> 00:44:04,240 day to seek your face and to do your will. 781 00:44:05,120 --> 00:44:07,120 Help us and be with us. In Jesus name. 782 00:44:07,720 --> 00:44:08,920 Amen. Amen. 783 00:44:09,640 --> 00:44:12,400 Even as you get into this week, can I just urge you that this 784 00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:15,920 will be your primary goal through the year, whatever your 785 00:44:15,920 --> 00:44:19,240 resolutions are. Primary resolution to know God 786 00:44:19,240 --> 00:44:20,760 more. God bless you. 787 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:24,880 Have an amazing, amazing week. Thanks for listening to this 788 00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:28,000 message. We hope you were blessed to hear 789 00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:31,720 more messages like this. Make sure to subscribe and check 790 00:44:31,720 --> 00:44:34,400 out our podcast channel for past episodes. 791 00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:38,160 If you like what you are hearing, consider rating us, 792 00:44:38,280 --> 00:44:41,320 subscribing and even sharing it with friends. 793 00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:46,000 That would really help us. For more content from Via Zion 794 00:44:46,360 --> 00:44:50,560 and to connect with us, go to Via Zion dot in. 795 00:44:51,080 --> 00:44:54,600 Remember, whoever finds Jesus finds life.