1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,120 In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,840 Spirit, forever Amen. Glory be to the everlasting 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:10,720 mercies which sent you to us, O Christ, the light of the world 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:14,480 and the life of all. Give us wisdom by your law and 5 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:16,480 enlighten our impulses by Your knowledge. 6 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:20,560 Sanctify our souls by Your truth and grant that we may be 7 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:24,040 obedient to Your words and may fulfil Your commandments at 8 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,320 every hour. O You who enlightens the 9 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:31,480 rational with the knowledge of Your greatness, do enlight, O my 10 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:35,320 Lord, our thoughts, that we may meditate upon Your holy and 11 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:39,680 divine Scriptures at all times. O Lord of all, Father and Son 12 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:42,400 and Holy Spirit, forever. Amen. 13 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:11,480 This episode is directed in love and kindness to those who missed 14 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:15,800 church yesterday and many other Sundays. 15 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:20,040 And I want to start by saying you don't know what you are 16 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,440 missing out on or you don't know what you missed out on. 17 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:30,680 Let me share a number of the blessings you forfeit where, 18 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:36,040 whenever, for whatever reason, and whenever you miss church for 19 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:39,880 whatever reason. I'm going to read Psalm 84. 20 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:45,560 That's going to be a passage. How amiable or how adorable are 21 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:49,640 thy tabernacles, O Lord, the hosts and tabernacles, you know 22 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,520 that was the place where they would go and offer their their 23 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:54,480 sacrifices and their prayers, right? 24 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:58,240 So today our tabernacles are our churches and the altars. 25 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,960 My soul longs you, even faints for the court of the Lord. 26 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,759 My heart and my flesh give praise for the living God. 27 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,240 Yes, even the Sparrow has found a house and the pigeon a nest 28 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:17,480 for herself where they have raised their young, besides 9 29 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:20,880 altars. O Lord of hosts, my King and my 30 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:24,600 God, blessed are they that dwell in thy house. 31 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:29,600 They shall praise thee forever. Blessed is the man whose help is 32 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:33,240 from thee, in whom heart are thy ways. 33 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:37,560 They have passed through the valley of weeping, and have been 34 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:41,920 have made it a dwelling place. The Lord givers shall cover it 35 00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:44,920 with blessings. They shall go from strength to 36 00:02:44,920 --> 00:02:48,080 strength. The God of Gods shall be seen in 37 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,000 Zion. O Lord God of hosts, he my 38 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:55,240 prayer give ear. O God of Jacob, Behold, O God, 39 00:02:55,240 --> 00:03:00,280 our shield, and look up the face of thine, anointed for a day in 40 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:02,520 thy courts. Listen to this a day. 41 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:07,080 A day in thy courts is better than 1000. 42 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:11,200 I would choose rather to dwell in the House of my God than to 43 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:13,760 dwell in the tents of the wicked. 44 00:03:15,640 --> 00:03:18,440 For the Lord God is our supply and our helper. 45 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:20,880 The Lord will give grace and glory. 46 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:26,120 No good things will be withheld from them that walk uprightly. 47 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:31,160 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in thee. 48 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:36,400 All about being in the House of the Lord, in the course of the 49 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,600 Lord, in the altar of the Lord, in the presence of the Lord. 50 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:45,280 So as I said, what I'd like to touch up on and concentrate on 51 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:49,080 is, well, the message I'd like to give is what you miss out? 52 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:54,280 What we miss out when we miss church for one week, for two 53 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:59,160 weeks, for a month, 2 month, two months, since last Christmas, 54 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:03,520 last Christmas, or the last special occasion, a baptism, 55 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:09,080 wedding, be it a funeral that we haven't attended church. 56 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:15,040 This is what we miss out on, beloved #1 the ambience, the 57 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:17,200 blessedness of the House of the Lord. 58 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:21,160 When you enter the House of the Lord, why is it that when we are 59 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:25,520 talking and we're engaged in conversations and what have you, 60 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:29,080 in humor, and soon as we enter the House of the Lord, for those 61 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:33,280 who respect and honor and Revere the presence of the Lord, we are 62 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:36,640 quiet, we are silenced. We enter the House of the Lord 63 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:40,240 and we focus on the front, which is the altar or the cross that 64 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:45,480 that is in the altar. We miss out on that when we we 65 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:49,880 forfeit that ambience and our souls will be longing for that 66 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,920 ambience. We miss out on the protection of 67 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:56,880 being in the House of the Lord in the presence of the Lord 68 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,800 being protected. Beloved, yes. 69 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:02,920 You know, people will say what do you mean being protected from 70 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:07,960 natural disasters, from wars? Yes, possibly, possibly, but not 71 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:13,200 so much being protected from the flaming arrows of Satan the 72 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:17,320 enemy and his demons that are shooting against us. 73 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,400 Yes, you will say, you know, even a church. 74 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,280 Sometimes when I sit there and I'm trying to concentrate, 75 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:28,040 Robbie, but my mind goes away. My mind wanders and sometimes 76 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:30,480 even evil things come to my mind. 77 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:32,960 Do you know why? Let me tell you why, beloved, 78 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:37,440 just imagine and this is a life experience. 79 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,200 I was at home one afternoon in Australia and I used to play 80 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:44,240 soccer for the the Assyrian Church youth group. 81 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:50,640 I was left or right defense. I got a call and one of my 82 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:53,680 teammates said we have a game against another team. 83 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,760 It's such a place come as soon as I got in the car, I I dressed 84 00:05:57,760 --> 00:05:59,720 up, got in the car, went to the field. 85 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:03,040 As soon as I got onto the field, I started kicking the ball. 86 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,120 And then, you know, a minute after that we started playing. 87 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,640 And the first pass that was given to me was was what we call 88 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:12,560 a hospital pass was it wasn't a good pass. 89 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,120 I had to stretch my leg and I stretched my groin. 90 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:18,120 Now why? Because there was no warm up. 91 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,480 Just imagine you get on a field and you start running and 92 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:23,840 putting everything you have into it. 93 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:26,120 You're going to be sick because there's no warm up. 94 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,880 Your body is in shock. There needs to be a warm up 95 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:31,760 before we enter the House of the Lord. 96 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,320 And what is that? Warming up is when you come to 97 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:37,400 the early morning prayers, the the early morning prayers 98 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,880 slaughtered supper. It always begins an hour before 99 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:45,280 the actual service of the the celebration of the Divine 100 00:06:45,280 --> 00:06:48,480 Liturgy of Holy Qurbana. One hour if it's at 10:00 AM be 101 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:53,680 it it begins usually at 9:00 AM or 9:15 if it's at if Raza 102 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:57,800 starts at 9:00 AM. If the liturgy starts at 9815 103 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,480 and that is where you enter the House of the Lord and you sit in 104 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:06,520 the ambience and the peace and the and the tranquility of the 105 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:09,840 House of the Lord and you start clearing the mind. 106 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:13,200 You start talking to the Lord. You invite, invoke the Holy 107 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:16,760 Spirit to come into your mind, your heart, your soul, to clear 108 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:21,040 everything away so that you are focused on the liturgy that you 109 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:25,800 are going to enter into. Yes, some say, well, we don't 110 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:28,000 understand the language. You don't need to understand the 111 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:30,000 language. Even if you do understand the 112 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,200 language, you still won't come. That's an excuse. 113 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:34,880 And we've proven that to be invalid. 114 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:41,720 How? California, Central Valley 115 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:45,000 residents, oh, we don't understand the service. 116 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,120 We don't understand their aromatic language. 117 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:48,400 It's gibberish. Well, it's not. 118 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:52,200 It's a language Jesus spoke. Well, we serve the liturgy in 119 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:57,560 the English language. The attendance is still 120 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:00,520 unsatisfactory, more than unsatisfactory. 121 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:02,320 So it's not the language barrier. 122 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:06,720 It's not it's the loving the the world, loving the world and 123 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:11,280 what's in the world, loving to be everywhere there is joy and 124 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:17,400 celebration and and and jubilee and dancing and and smoking and 125 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:19,400 doing whatever you want to do, right? 126 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:24,440 Drinking, being being drunk and being, you know, disorderly 127 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,840 immorality. We like to be in those presence 128 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:34,039 rather than in the simple ambience, blessings, presence of 129 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:38,640 our Lord in his house. My recommendation is, and I 130 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:42,280 encourage you, yes, those who struggle cheering church during 131 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,720 the service with your minds wondering, no, this Sunday, this 132 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:52,920 coming Sunday, Yeah, next Sunday, go to church early, go 133 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,200 to church 1015 minutes early, half an hour early. 134 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:59,040 Just sit there and pray and meditate on what you are doing, 135 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:02,520 where you are, and what you are going to enter in whose presence 136 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:07,320 you're going to enter. You are depriving your soul of 137 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:10,800 the joy and peace of being in the House of the presence of the 138 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:12,680 Lord. When we don't enter the, when we 139 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:18,120 don't attend church, beloved, we miss out on praising and 140 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:22,880 worshipping the Lord in the house at his presence with your 141 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,640 heart, with our hearts and minds and body. 142 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:30,360 Yes, some will say, well Jesus explains, Jesus commands, Jesus 143 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:34,320 has told us that if we are to pray, we can go into our room 144 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:36,160 and pray. Let me ask you a question. 145 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:45,240 Those people that are homeless and most of them believe in God 146 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:48,160 because when you approach them, they actually bless you. 147 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,320 God bless you when you speak to them. 148 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,360 They know Jesus Christ they know. 149 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:58,160 So when one of those homeless people wants to pray, is he to 150 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:00,440 go and find a room? A room? 151 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:04,360 I need a room to pray because the Lord Jesus said that I can 152 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:06,800 enter a room. There is no room. 153 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:10,240 So what does then the Lord in tell when he says that he who 154 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:13,320 prays must enter his room? Meaning enter your mind, your 155 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:16,520 soul and what other place than the church? 156 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:18,760 Because there's not that many distractions. 157 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:22,560 The next door neighbour's dog will not start barking, the the 158 00:10:22,560 --> 00:10:25,720 next door neighbors will not start playing their Maruchi 159 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:28,960 music or what have you. The phone will not go off. 160 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:33,200 Although today people are so disrespectful, even if we have 161 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:36,680 the signs every now and then during the slides, please switch 162 00:10:36,680 --> 00:10:41,320 off your phone. They are so arrogant and 163 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:43,840 disrespectful to God and to those around them. 164 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:47,120 They still leave their phones on or they're on their phones. 165 00:10:47,560 --> 00:10:50,880 Well, that's not Facebook telling you, Hey, hey, come look 166 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:52,440 at me. That's not your Instagram 167 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:55,120 telling you, look at me. That's you wanting to engage 168 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:57,960 yourself, right? But there is no, there should be 169 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:00,440 no distractions in the House of the Lord. 170 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,920 So come into the House of the Lord and then you enter your 171 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:11,600 room, your room, you pray to the Lord in your heart and body. 172 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:16,280 Why do I say body prostrations? Don't be reluctant, don't be 173 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:17,960 ashamed. Some of you have reached out and 174 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:21,160 said that I'll be I want to kneel before the altar of the 175 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:24,120 Lord during church. Some do God bless you. 176 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:26,720 But it's that's just that some people look at me. 177 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:28,760 I don't know how people are going to proceed, but don't 178 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:31,560 worry about the people. You're not there for the people 179 00:11:31,560 --> 00:11:33,480 you're not there. You're there for Christ and for 180 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:36,480 your own salvation. You're there for your own 181 00:11:37,680 --> 00:11:40,440 forgiveness and cleansing. Kneel. 182 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:44,240 Kneel before the Lord. Because in Matthew chapter 15, 183 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:49,800 verse 24, the Canaanite woman kneeled before the Lord to 184 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:51,440 receive healing for her daughter. 185 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:56,920 In Matthew chapter 17, verse 14, the man knelt before the Lord 186 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:01,000 Brickley, and he knelt and begged for mercy for his Son, 187 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:04,000 and he received it. In Matthew chapter 8, verse 2, 188 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:07,560 the leper knelt before Jesus Christ and he received 189 00:12:07,560 --> 00:12:09,720 cleansing. Who do we kneel before when 190 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,640 we're at the church? Not the priest, not the deacons, 191 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,760 not the patriarch, not the bishops, not the people, not 192 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:18,040 just the altar. The material in the altar? 193 00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:21,480 No. We kneel before the Gospel of 194 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:25,480 our Lord, which is the Word of God, the Divinity, the Word of 195 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:28,440 God, God Incarnate, Jesus Christ Himself. 196 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:32,120 We kneel before the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, which denotes 197 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:35,120 his humanity. He was crucified on that cross. 198 00:12:35,680 --> 00:12:39,040 We kneel before the Holy Eucharist, the Purbana Khadijah, 199 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:43,240 which is the real presence of Jesus Christ in the bread and 200 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:48,040 wine which we receive from the Chalice and the Peyton kneeling 201 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:57,040 according to verse three. If the animals, the Sparrow and 202 00:12:57,040 --> 00:13:01,720 the pigeons have found place to rest, you know, you see in many 203 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:03,960 church buildings, you'll see that the, there are, there are 204 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:08,640 nests of, of birds, pigeons, sparrows. 205 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:13,160 You know, I believe that when they've, when they've knitted 206 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:16,560 their net or when they have have built their nest there, they've, 207 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:22,560 they've understood in some way that this is the house where our 208 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:27,080 Lord our Creator will be praised and he will dwell in it, in his 209 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:29,400 spirit, in the word, in the Eucharist. 210 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:35,000 You see, we deprive ourselves from that rest as well. 211 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:40,560 That is the rest of the body and the mind and the soul in the 212 00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:45,760 House of the Lord. We deprive from the rest of the 213 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:51,200 mind, body and soul, from the hustle and the bustle of this 214 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:56,200 world, the politics, the finances, the work issues, the 215 00:13:56,200 --> 00:14:01,400 family issues, relationship, health, disasters, immorality, 216 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:05,720 cruelty, and the list will go on and on and on. 217 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:10,880 One resting place is the House of the Lord, which is the 218 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:14,520 Church, Umrah. You see how blessed is the 219 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:18,280 Assyrian language. We have two words Church in the 220 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:23,720 English language will denote denote the building and also the 221 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:27,080 body of Jesus Christ. But in the Assyrian language we 222 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:33,040 have ETA and we have Umrah, Umrah, dwelling place. 223 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,240 We usually refer to the buildings as Umrah. 224 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:39,320 We do say sometimes we go to ETA. 225 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:45,600 Yeah, we are going to go to the ETA to celebrate and partake in 226 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:49,640 the ETA of the worship of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Umrah, 227 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:54,000 which is the dwelling place. Never mind who's there. 228 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:58,280 What's going on? Not understanding the language. 229 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:00,200 And I just refuted that. I'm sorry. 230 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:02,520 Correct me if I'm wrong. I refuted that. 231 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:05,240 Steven, how many years have we had English Raza here? 232 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:09,280 At least 13. Yeah, I could not be doing it. 233 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:14,200 Just at least 13 years of English service, Right? 234 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:19,880 We get the same 30 to 40 attendants and thank God they 235 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:23,240 are not those who attend the morning Mass, although some of 236 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:25,120 the choir people do because they have to. 237 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:29,320 We need a choir. Where are you, O beloved youth? 238 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:33,240 It was for you. The church went out of her way, 239 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:35,280 and rightly so, to reach out to you. 240 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:38,240 Where are you at 4:00 in the afternoon? 241 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:40,720 You know what? At 10:00 in the morning? 242 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:42,200 You're sleeping. Yes. 243 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:44,000 OK, fine. We understand. 244 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:45,920 You don't understand. You don't understand the 245 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:49,160 language and and the liturgy. Where are you at 4:00 PM 246 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:53,600 preparing to go out to your usual hangout places on a 247 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:58,320 Sunday, fishing, hunting, whatever it may be. 248 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:03,480 So there's no excuse. So I should strike that not 249 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:07,000 understanding, but giving it the benefit of the doubt. 250 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:11,760 Never mind what's going on in church, the politics of the 251 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:15,200 church, the problems of the church, the schisms of the 252 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:18,280 church we have. Don't worry about that if you're 253 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:24,160 not a part of it, don't worry about it if you're not a part of 254 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:26,680 that problem. You focus on the Lord Jesus 255 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:29,240 Christ. If you're not a part of that 256 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:31,760 problem, be a part of fixing the problem. 257 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:34,920 If not, don't worry about it. Don't deprive yourself from the 258 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:39,120 House of the Lord. Many people say to me, we don't 259 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:43,960 attend fellowship. And unfortunately, as much as I, 260 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:49,800 I, I am, I am, you know, disheartened to admit it. 261 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:53,160 Is that when we enter fellowship, we're supposed to 262 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:58,960 share Christ with one another, but we're too busy about quickly 263 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:03,200 being served food. And we argue, why isn't the food 264 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,760 ready? Why I'm I need to take my 265 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:08,560 tablets? And then as soon as we sit on 266 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:11,599 the table and the gather and the the conversation begins. 267 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:16,839 It's either gossiping, it's either cussing or it's either 268 00:17:16,839 --> 00:17:20,359 hatred. And you know what, we just don't 269 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:22,319 want that fellowship. How sad is that? 270 00:17:22,599 --> 00:17:26,119 But God bless you at least attend your church service. 271 00:17:26,319 --> 00:17:28,480 Come and worship. We're going to be look at what 272 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:30,960 else you're depriving yourself with from. 273 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:35,560 Don't deprive yourself from the blessed rest in the House of the 274 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:40,080 Lord. The strength verses 5 and seven. 275 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:45,400 You are our prayer, our shield, the strength that we received in 276 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:47,360 the House of the Lord. You're missing out on the 277 00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:49,880 strength to strength being strengthened. 278 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:53,560 You know, it's a pit stop. It's a pit stop. 279 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:59,880 You're doing your laps seven days a week. 280 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:04,000 You're doing your laps, and on the first day of the week, 281 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,600 that's that pit stop. Pit stop for new tires, right? 282 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,560 The first thing they do is change their tires. 283 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,520 Well, the tires are like the shoes in the parable of the 284 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:20,920 Prodigal Son, which denoted the grace of the Spirit and the 285 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:24,560 prompting of the cultivation of holiness in us. 286 00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:29,640 We come there and we are prompted by the Holy Spirit. 287 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:32,320 By the grace of the Holy Spirit, we are corrected, we are 288 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:38,520 rebuked, and we are GED on. We are encouraged to continue 289 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:44,360 our life, our struggle, our toil, continue soldiering on 290 00:18:44,360 --> 00:18:48,720 every day and trying to attain that holiness that we have been 291 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:53,080 called to. We become refueled by the 292 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:57,040 sweetness of the Holy Scriptures that are read from the Old 293 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:00,360 Testament, from the Law, from the Prophet, from the the the 294 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:04,040 the Pauline Epistles, from the Holy Gospel itself, which is the 295 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:10,440 power of God to reinstate and return us to the pious living in 296 00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:12,800 Jesus Christ. For all those who have been 297 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:16,320 believed, who have believed in Him and have been saved to 298 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:21,080 continue a life, a pious life. For those who have been saved 299 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:25,680 and are trying and struggling to live the new life in Jesus 300 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:32,600 Christ, to attain eternal life. There is an reevaluation in this 301 00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:35,640 pit. Stop reevaluating the strategy 302 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,760 and the tactics. How am I going to, you know, 303 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:42,920 the, the, the 10 laps to go? What tactics am I going to use? 304 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:44,840 Am I going to drop back a little bit? 305 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:48,400 Am I going to go from the inside or go up, up the fence? 306 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:51,800 No, no, we don't. We know it's it's not, it's not 307 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:56,800 actually a race, but we re evaluate our strategy in life, 308 00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:01,760 our tactics in life. We re evaluate where we are in 309 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:05,920 life with Jesus Christ because if there is no Jesus Christ, 310 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,000 listen to me, please stop everything. 311 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:13,200 Stop everything again, stop the vacuuming, stop the washing of 312 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:15,920 the dishes. Pull to one side if you have to 313 00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:19,640 stop looking at the screen. If you're if you're listening to 314 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:22,080 the to this episode on your computer, stop. 315 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:26,040 Just stop for a second and listen without Jesus Christ. 316 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:33,160 If Christ is not the center, the pinnacle of your life, you have 317 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:40,640 no life because Jesus is life. And at church we re evaluate our 318 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:48,880 situation, our place with Jesus Christ and his church in faith 319 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:51,520 in general. Where do we stand in faith in in 320 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:55,920 general in church you re evaluate because again the 321 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:58,360 disrupt this distractions are minimal. 322 00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:02,360 Yes, I know I know again and I pray that those who attend 323 00:21:02,360 --> 00:21:06,360 church who listen to this episode at least you leave your 324 00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:09,360 phone in the car. You don't need it with you. 325 00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:13,040 Oh, I'm running a business. You can't run a business. 326 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:17,840 You can't love Mammon and the Lord leave your business for an 327 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:19,520 hour and a half. I assure you, you're not going 328 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:21,840 to go broke. You won't have to declare 329 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:24,840 bankruptcy. In actual fact, God will bless 330 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:28,520 you immeasurably with things that you didn't even think of, 331 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:34,240 you didn't even imagine. In church, we evaluate. 332 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:37,440 Am I only a mere hearer of the word? 333 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:42,520 And I'm a quick to respond Amen and shake my hand in agreeance. 334 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:47,480 But I don't do that word. Have I conformed to the patterns 335 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:52,080 of this world because the world says it's right, because 336 00:21:52,120 --> 00:21:56,360 Hollywood says it's right, because legislations say it's 337 00:21:56,360 --> 00:22:01,040 right, Does that mean I say it's right where Christ is telling me 338 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:05,000 and and command me that no, that is not right in my eye? 339 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:09,520 Where do I stand? Have I conformed to the patterns 340 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:14,320 of this world? We're missing out on much needed 341 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:18,960 correction and conviction at times, beloved conviction. 342 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:21,480 We need that. We need to be corrected. 343 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:25,560 We need to be admonished. And I've always confessed, and I 344 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:28,640 will confess, and I think I speak on behalf of a lot of my 345 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:32,920 brother priests, that when we are preaching, we too go through 346 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:37,120 conviction and correction. If no one does, I assure you, I 347 00:22:37,120 --> 00:22:40,160 confess. I'm telling you I am convicted 348 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:42,480 at times because we're human beings. 349 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,760 We've fallen, we miss out on the heartburns. 350 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:49,880 You know, heartburns are, I said not to be good, you know, and I 351 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:53,960 have, I've had reflux for 50 years at least, right? 352 00:22:55,120 --> 00:23:00,520 But sometimes it's good for your heart to be burned during the 353 00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:03,960 exposition of the Holy Scriptures, when they are read 354 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:08,280 and when they are expanded upon. During the sermon in Luke 355 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:12,120 chapter 24, verse 23, the two disciples who were on their way 356 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:14,840 on the road to a Maus, look at what they say. 357 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:20,600 They said to one another. Were our hearts not burning 358 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:26,400 within us while He was speaking to us in the road, while He was 359 00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:32,880 explaining the Scriptures to us? That happens during the service. 360 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:38,480 And again, you yourself have been an example and a witness to 361 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:42,560 when I receive messages on Messenger, text messages on on 362 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:47,880 Instagram, on Snapchat, on WhatsApp, on Viber. 363 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:52,480 When you message me and say, Robbie, your sermon today 364 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,600 touched my heart. I was in tease. 365 00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:59,680 That is not my sermon. That is not my sermon. 366 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:04,640 That is Jesus Christ speaking to you through the rusty tool that 367 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:07,200 is in his hand and he's using it. 368 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:11,840 That is Jesus Christ speaking to you through the vessel, the 369 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:16,320 unworthy vessel that he has chosen to speak to you through. 370 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:20,320 We need that heart. But, and we received that during 371 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:23,920 services, during the church services, not only from reading 372 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,880 the Scriptures, I'm sorry, even the hymns at times. 373 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:41,440 Because I have sinned, we sing your beloved, receive the nails 374 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:46,320 and the spear on my behalf. That burns the heart, beloved, 375 00:24:47,120 --> 00:24:50,920 that must crumble you and say, yes, Jesus died. 376 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:55,680 Jesus received the crown of thorns, The the, the, the, the 377 00:24:55,680 --> 00:25:00,480 spear and the nails. Jesus received them for my sake 378 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,960 because of my sins. If there's no confession and if 379 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:07,400 there's no conviction and if there's no admonishment, our 380 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:11,400 hearts are now turned to stone and we need to come back to 381 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:13,840 Christ so that he can soften that heart. 382 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:20,320 Finally, and yet not final, we miss out on the assembly of the 383 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:23,680 body of Christ by which we are encouraged. 384 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:28,520 Beloved, we are encouraged to come together as Christians, not 385 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:33,160 only in weddings, not only in parties, not only in 386 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:36,320 conventions, not only at festivals. 387 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:37,800 No, no. But at church. 388 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:41,440 As Christians, as a Syrian Christians, yeah, we take pride 389 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:43,960 in our Syrianism. Yeah, I'm proud to be, you know, 390 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:46,160 for those who say, oh, Khashoggina doesn't have an 391 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:49,880 ounce of nationalism in his heart, define nationalism for 392 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:51,120 me. Define it. 393 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:54,640 Is it wrapping a flag around yourself and dancing at the 394 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:57,680 pool? Is it wrapping a frown, a flag 395 00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:00,680 around yourself and just taking pictures of yourselves and 396 00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:02,720 dancing? I think, I think that's this. 397 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:06,040 That's this refuting the, the flag. 398 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:09,280 No. Is it holding the flag and using 399 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:13,760 it as a, as the head of the of the dance, the handkerchief? 400 00:26:13,760 --> 00:26:16,680 No, That flag is our is our identity. 401 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:21,840 I think nationalism is this, when you know that you are a 402 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:26,720 Syrian, but you mostly know that you are a Christian Assyrian, a 403 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:31,080 Christian Assyrian. And if you're out of the realm 404 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:34,360 of Christianity, don't dare to call yourself Assyrian. 405 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,240 Yes, I'm going to get all these negative messages now. 406 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:40,360 Glory be to Christ our Lord, glory be to his name. 407 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:45,920 Come together as Assyrians come together in the body of Christ 408 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:48,240 that church. Encourage one another. 409 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:53,920 Pray for our Assyrian nation. The fast, the rogation of the 410 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:57,000 Ninevites is approaching. And I tell you, I tell you, 411 00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:01,640 those who wrap the flags around them won't be at church kneeling 412 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:06,200 before the Lord and beseeching the Lord to protect Assyria and 413 00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:10,040 to bless Assyria. And if it is his will and only 414 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:12,520 his will, that Assyria may return. 415 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:16,320 Not my own wisdom and understanding and my philosophy. 416 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:21,640 No, no, no, the will of God our Creator to sharpen as iron 417 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:24,720 sharpens one another. We deter ourselves. 418 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:30,560 We, we, we, we are missing out of all these blessings when we 419 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:32,720 come to church. And this hasn't even scratched 420 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:34,960 the surface. Beloved, I haven't even 421 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:37,920 discussed message. Missing out on confession, 422 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:43,960 forgiveness, absolving of sin, absolving of sin, celebrating 423 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:48,400 and honoring Jesus by commemorating His life, His 424 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:52,040 ministry, His suffering, His crucifixion, His death, His 425 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:54,280 burial, His resurrection, and His ascension. 426 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:56,440 I haven't even spoken about that. 427 00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:05,920 It is true that in verse 10 the psalmist writes, one day in your 428 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:10,840 court or your church is better than a 10,000 I have desired to 429 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:15,080 dwell in the House of God more than to dwell in the tent of the 430 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:18,720 wicked. Beloved, this is what we miss 431 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:23,160 out on. We miss out on the blessings 432 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:30,320 that God has provided graciously for His people and in particular 433 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:34,160 for His children through His Son out of Jesus Christ. 434 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:37,080 Praise and glory be to His holy name now that all times and 435 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:38,480 forever. Amen. 436 00:29:05,650 --> 00:29:07,650 We hope you enjoyed this week's message. 437 00:29:07,730 --> 00:29:10,890 Please don't forget to rate and review this podcast and share 438 00:29:10,890 --> 00:29:13,690 with your friends and family. For any future topics, 439 00:29:13,690 --> 00:29:16,770 suggestions, or to give us detailed feedback, please visit 440 00:29:16,770 --> 00:29:22,090 our link in the show notes. Linktr dot EE forward slash 441 00:29:22,170 --> 00:29:25,040 double edged sword. Until next time, God bless you 442 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:25,320 all.