1 00:00:07,580 --> 00:00:09,980 Thank you. I'm again so delighted to be 2 00:00:09,980 --> 00:00:13,500 with you again tonight. For some of you that were here 3 00:00:13,500 --> 00:00:16,980 this morning, it was just a blessing to be invited. 4 00:00:17,260 --> 00:00:19,700 I was thinking this afternoon I could come here twice a year. 5 00:00:20,380 --> 00:00:24,660 I could suffer that flight for you anytime if you weren't here 6 00:00:24,660 --> 00:00:27,020 this morning. I've got these little crosses 7 00:00:27,020 --> 00:00:31,080 that I bought from Jerusalem. We want to be able to give you 8 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:34,440 1-2, take all you want. The only condition is if you 9 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,880 take this cross, you have to put it somewhere where and it says 10 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:41,640 Jerusalem on there that you will pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 11 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:43,720 That's our heart. They will pray for the peace of 12 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:45,280 Jerusalem. We also have a little prayer 13 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:49,080 card and basically if you're interested in knowing more about 14 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:53,560 our ministry, it has a little QR code in the back and we can give 15 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:57,040 you some more information. But so if we give a lot of books 16 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:01,040 away, a lot we, you know, books that we buy, a lot of books from 17 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:05,080 Israel that actually are not ISBN, books that published by 18 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:11,200 Israelis in the last 150 years. And we have quite a library. 19 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,920 We're actually trying to redo our web page to catalogue all 20 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:16,640 those books. But we make them available for 21 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:20,640 free for anybody We want them. We probably ship every week a 22 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,680 few books to people these days. Very rarely the people read 23 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:26,760 books. Most of my books are right here, 24 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:33,120 but some people are still into the printed word in book form. 25 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,760 Again, I wanted to say how deeply grateful for your prayers 26 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:41,240 and partnership we are. We're just so blessed with that 27 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:44,760 and hopefully the next couple of years we look to do to do some 28 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:51,520 more things with you here maybe in WA and also in Israel as you 29 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:57,200 go on your tour. We're just to tell you a little 30 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:58,800 bit about our ministry that we wanted to. 31 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:01,040 We didn't really go over this morning. 32 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:04,880 We're humbled, you know, we're really humbled these days with 33 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,000 every opportunity to minister. And we rejoice in the 34 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,840 fruitfulness that we see in so many of our ministries. 35 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,520 And I think it's a we've just, you know, moved on and moved on 36 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,120 and moved on. American European Bethel Mission 37 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,760 is one of the oldest messianic ministers in the world. 38 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:25,800 It was started by a rabbinical student in Odessa, Russia, and 39 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,080 the Doctor Rosenberg, Leon Rosenberg started it as a great 40 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:31,000 book about him, just a fabulous guy. 41 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:35,480 Just to tell you, he led so many people to the Lord in Odessa 42 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:38,840 that kicked him out. He moved from there to 43 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:40,800 Frankfurt. He led so many people to the 44 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:42,320 Lord and Frankfurt, they kicked him out. 45 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,280 I mean, during that time if you were a Jew, you lived in Jewish 46 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:47,400 communities, kind of ghetto like places. 47 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:50,120 But he was such an evangelist, it was unbelievable. 48 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:53,680 He moved from there to Lots Poland and then Lots Poland. 49 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,440 He felt that the Lord wanted him to kind of move out his tent 50 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,640 stakes a little bit. So he opened an orphanage for 51 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:04,520 pogrom children. And basically in 1939, when 52 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,480 Hitler went down the Polish corridor, there were 269 53 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,120 children at Bethel in Lots, Poland, who perished in the 54 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:15,200 Holocaust. And Leon Rosenberg was actually 55 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:17,400 at Wheaton College in America raising funds. 56 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:21,280 His wife Fanny was in Germany. They survived some, most of 57 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:23,640 their children survived. They moved to America. 58 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:27,360 They moved to Los Angeles and just kind of got their bearings. 59 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,880 So right after the war and then somebody bought them a home in 60 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,040 Santa Barbara and this is how they ended up have moving their 61 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:37,920 headquarters there. And then David Ben Gurion was 62 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:39,480 the 1st Prime Minister of Israel. 63 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:42,840 He had known about Doctor Rosenberg's work in Lots, Poland 64 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,320 and asked him, would you be willing to come to Israel and 65 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:50,480 open a orphanage for Holocaust surviving children, which he 66 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:52,360 did. And this is the property we 67 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,720 still have today. We actually have had, have 68 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,360 expanded quite a lot. But let me just tell you a 69 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,840 little Side Story about that, just as you want to know about 70 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:03,200 our ministry over COVID. We, I got a pass. 71 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,280 I, I have some connections. It's kind of my style. 72 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:10,800 And I got a pass from the Department of Health in 73 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:12,560 Washington DC that we could travel. 74 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:16,000 So we travelled to Israel. Myself and one of my board 75 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,000 members travelled to Israel about 6 times over COVID. 76 00:04:19,519 --> 00:04:22,920 And we just wanted to go there and encourage people see what we 77 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:24,680 could do. COVID was crazy in Israel. 78 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:27,440 A lockdown was even crazier than it was for you. 79 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:29,600 And so we just went there and did. 80 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,720 I mean, it was so crazy. Let me tell you that the Israeli 81 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:36,880 government made me have a COVID test every day and they would 82 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:41,520 send some medical people to Bethel $150.00 every time we did 83 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:43,360 it. And it was just, it was 84 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:45,600 insanity. But that's my opinion of it 85 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,240 anyway. But anyway, during that time, I 86 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:50,800 was saying to Maxim Devadav, our director and Israel, I said, we 87 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:52,280 know, let's do something different. 88 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:56,880 Let's see if we can find anybody that was here in this orphanage, 89 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,120 which has stopped being an orphanage in about 1968. 90 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,640 Anybody that was here, their children, their grandchildren 91 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,480 and any relative. So we started kind of doing this 92 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:10,760 search around Israel and around the Middle East, and we found 68 93 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:14,520 people that were related to men. They were like ancient that had 94 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,480 been orphans there. And so we did this gathering 95 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:20,360 there. Not one of them was a believer, 96 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,480 not 0. But it was an incredible time we 97 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,160 had this whole afternoon. They let me speak for about two 98 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,520 hours of my whole story, my testimony, where I went. 99 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:31,160 They talked and talked and talked. 100 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,600 They left, we didn't have dinner for them, but they left after 101 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:39,840 dinner and we gave away 74 Bibles and everybody. 102 00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:42,520 And we didn't like force it. We just had them there as people 103 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,520 were going out. And basically I, you know, me, I 104 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:47,880 said this is the word of God. This is the word of God. 105 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:49,640 And it was an incredible experience. 106 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,600 So that's a rich history of our ministry in Haifa. 107 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:54,400 And in Haifa we don't want to make money. 108 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,400 We have a 60 bed. Basically. 109 00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:03,160 It's AI would say probably a class 2H2 star hotel. 110 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:05,720 It used to be a hostel, but we've been converting it more 111 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:07,720 and more. We have family rooms, we have 112 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:11,400 couples rooms, and then we have obviously some larger rooms for 113 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:13,840 10 or 12 kids. But you are welcome there 114 00:06:13,840 --> 00:06:15,280 anytime. We don't want to make money 115 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:17,600 there. We charge $30 a day and 116 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:21,040 basically just takes care of our utilities and our expenses. 117 00:06:21,280 --> 00:06:23,920 We charge $45.00 a day for dinner and breakfast. 118 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,080 So we get a lot of guests, a lot of Calvary chapels actually 119 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:31,520 using our the first second day of their trip to kind of bring 120 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:34,080 the overall cost of the tour down. 121 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:36,120 And hopefully you'll have those experiences. 122 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:39,560 But if you are travelling in Israel, please be our guest. 123 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,520 Just call me. I talk to your pastor, Pastor 124 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:45,400 Keith, the pastor Israel. And I would be very happy to 125 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:47,800 accommodate you. In Germany, our ministry, Kings 126 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:50,720 and Priests is doing really a tremendous work, a tremendous 127 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:52,800 impact. I just watched them yesterday. 128 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:54,320 They had a big outreach yesterday. 129 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:57,160 I mean, it brought me to tears to see these young people 130 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:00,880 responding to the Gospel with the worship that they do and the 131 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:03,680 basically the, the, the, the ministry that they have. 132 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:07,040 So again, if you're in Germany, please be our guest at our Kings 133 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:08,640 and Priests ministry. It's really good there in 134 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:10,880 Ukraine. We can continue to minister in 135 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,560 Kiev with a daily bread ministry that we partner with quite a 136 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:18,720 number of other ministries with to provide bread daily for the 137 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,880 people in Kiev. And then we also partner with an 138 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:26,000 abandoned baby refuge that we have been working with there in 139 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,520 Kiev. In Odessa, we have a partner 140 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:30,800 there. Oleg has been with me quite a 141 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:34,040 while though, probably about 20 years, and he continues to 142 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:36,040 impact the community with the gospel. 143 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:39,560 And it's been pretty, pretty forceful in the Middle East. 144 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:42,280 As I said, we continue with our many, many partners that we've 145 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:46,960 developed in my last 25 years at ABM and I recently returned from 146 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:49,920 Israel a month ago. And I would just say that this 147 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:52,880 is the situation in Israel grieves me. 148 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:56,280 That's that's all I can say. It's a grieves you. 149 00:07:56,360 --> 00:08:00,640 You can tell the fear, the uncertainties have gripped the 150 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:04,720 entire region in a way I've not experienced in my 30 years going 151 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:07,920 to Israel. It is just an amazing, amazing 152 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:10,960 situation that demands our prayers. 153 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:14,600 So you can well imagine, the last 24 months have been 154 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:15,960 horrific, as I said this morning. 155 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:19,600 But again, the opportunities to proclaim the gospel of Jesus 156 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:23,120 Christ are endless. And I've never in my life seen 157 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:24,920 it this way. The way it is now. 158 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:27,720 There's a hopelessness. We have a lot, we have more 159 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:30,640 visitors at our congregation in Haifa than we've ever 160 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:32,440 experienced. People that we don't know the, 161 00:08:32,799 --> 00:08:34,880 we don't know how they get there, how they come there. 162 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:39,080 And there's another congregation about two miles from us, An Arab 163 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:43,360 pastor has a congregation there. It's pretty mixed, some Jewish 164 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:47,320 people, some Arab people, some a lot of Slavic people, and he has 165 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:49,960 pretty big complication, about twice as large as ours. 166 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:55,360 And he's always telling me the same thing on Shabbat in Haifa. 167 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:57,800 Yeah. The congregation actually 168 00:08:57,800 --> 00:08:59,920 continues to grow. We able to do more and more 169 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:01,840 things. And actually yesterday we had a 170 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:06,840 cowboy pastor teaching, a cowboy pastor pastor teaching there 171 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:10,080 with his group. And what a great encouragement. 172 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,200 We have weekly Bible studies now. 173 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:14,160 We have meetings. We finally, we just started some 174 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:17,560 home groups. And so it's moving along in a 175 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:21,200 way that we haven't seen in the entire time I was there. 176 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:24,920 When I was there last month, we had a baptism and some new young 177 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,440 believers that came to know Jesus and were baptised in the 178 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:30,960 Jordan River with just a wonderful experience. 179 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:34,080 And it what a blessing to the congregation, especially to the 180 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:37,640 older members to see young people making a profession of 181 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,520 faith to Christ in Jordan. We continue to support our 182 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:43,400 partners today and we look forward to another outreach in 183 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:47,080 Jordan and working with Syrian refugees in the Syrian refugee 184 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:49,960 camp, which we've developed a relationship over the last few 185 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:52,280 years. And for the next 18 months, 186 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:54,960 we'll be doing another that reach their God willing. 187 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,040 So as I said, you can imagine the tension in the Middle East 188 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:01,640 is at a level I've never seen desperate, desperate need for 189 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:05,200 one thing. Prayer, prayer, please pray. 190 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:07,600 And I think this is what is needed. 191 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:12,680 As I shared this morning, the word tells us that if my people 192 00:10:12,680 --> 00:10:15,680 will humble themselves and pray, I will heal their land. 193 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:19,080 And I think this is the only hope that there is, is people 194 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:25,080 wouldn't pray. So now we see the greatest 195 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:28,120 evangelical opportunities in my 25 years. 196 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:31,160 We're developing plans right now to figure out how we can 197 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:34,120 capitalise on that. And you bring the gospel out, 198 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:39,080 invite people more people out. We plan for 2027 to have at 199 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:43,080 least 20 visiting pastors that we will invite to Haifa and 200 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:45,160 basically promote that in the community. 201 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:48,560 And we, we're looking at how can, how Lord, how can we 202 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:51,600 evangelise the best and and the most effective way. 203 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:53,000 Let me just tell you a little Side Story. 204 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:57,440 We have gotten so much favour in Israel, especially for the way 205 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:01,400 we've done our ministry for the last 20 years, that this last 206 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:07,280 week a school near Tel Aviv between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem 207 00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:11,000 called Maxim and said I'd like to bring my kids a Jewish 208 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,360 school, 0 Christian. I'd like to bring my kids, 40 209 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:16,960 kids, for three days to stay at Bethel. 210 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,200 And what I want you to do for two nights, I want you to tell 211 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:23,760 them what's it like being a Jew and a believer? 212 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:26,320 And, and you know, it is that's against the law. 213 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:30,960 But this teacher invited him. We went to our lawyer, made sure 214 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,000 everything was copacetic and kosher. 215 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:38,800 And Max did and he was so effective that he was basically 216 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:42,000 he's a high school students and he was, they basically asked him 217 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:44,720 to give his testimony. And Maxime told me he spoke 218 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:49,560 twice as long as it were they were planning to, to, to speak. 219 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:55,040 So this is just a little example of an openness that we just, we 220 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:57,280 haven't seen before. People that we've worked with in 221 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:01,120 hospitals and different places, they're really searching for for 222 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:02,960 something. And, and I think we've just been 223 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:05,000 a good example for them. You know, we haven't pushed 224 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,080 anything and we've just been there in the name of Jesus to, 225 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:11,680 to help, support, to love, and then to continue in our 226 00:12:11,680 --> 00:12:14,400 ministry. So we're really encouraged and 227 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:18,560 we're really blessed and we will continue sharing this message. 228 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:23,320 For God's love of Israel is definitely my message and I will 229 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:27,200 continue to do that as long as I have the the ability. 230 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:31,240 This evening I want to share some thoughts from the word that 231 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:35,920 speaks to us about adoption. Adoption as children of God. 232 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:41,040 I think it's important that we really realise that we can, we 233 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:46,680 can address God as ABBA Father. You know, for me, I've been 234 00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:49,880 praying about what to share with you and praying about this. 235 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:53,200 I've been really thinking a lot about this whole idea that we 236 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:58,720 live in a world today with many fatherless children, many 237 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:04,840 fatherless children, men, women, families with fathers that are 238 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:09,600 just absentee, alcoholism, drug addiction. 239 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:15,880 We have a world today within that experiences fatherlessness 240 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:19,480 in a way that I think is really something that needs to be 241 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:21,600 addressed in the Church of Christ. 242 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,160 It's significant, and it's significant to me personally. 243 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:28,200 So this message really spoke to me. 244 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:31,440 As you know, I have a father, but I don't have a father. 245 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:35,800 You know, my father was absent from day one and you know he 246 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,800 died quite a number of years ago after he smoked cigarettes from 247 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:42,840 the war on. He met my mother in the in the 248 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:46,760 resistance. And of course you can imagine 249 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:50,200 their mental health was not exactly kosher. 250 00:13:51,560 --> 00:13:55,640 ABBA in Aramaic is the word that translate to father or daddy. 251 00:13:56,080 --> 00:14:00,680 It conveys a sense of closeness, trust, affection, akin to a 252 00:14:00,680 --> 00:14:03,200 child addressing a loving parent. 253 00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:06,440 And this is the kind of relationship that we can have 254 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:08,440 with the Lord our God, our Father. 255 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:10,560 Let's pray. Father, thank you, Lord, thank 256 00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:14,040 you today for your word, Lord. Thank you that your word will 257 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:17,160 speak to us, Lord. As as I have no ability, Lord, 258 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,520 but you do, Lord. Your word speaks to us, Lord. 259 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:23,760 So I pray, Father, that Lord, with the busyness of our minds, 260 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:27,240 the thoughts of tomorrow, the beginning of a week, Lord, I 261 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:30,840 just pray, Lord, let us put things aside and open our hearts 262 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,680 and our minds, Lord, to to what you have for us tonight. 263 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,400 Lord, I pray your Holy Spirit would be here ministering here. 264 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:40,480 And Lord, I pray you'd be with those that are here, those are 265 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:44,720 that are online tonight, Lord and Lord, that you would move 266 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:47,040 our hearts, Lord, change our hearts, change our minds. 267 00:14:47,040 --> 00:14:51,520 Please Lord in Jesus name, Amen. I was born shortly after the 268 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:53,640 war. My mother as I said was a 269 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:56,680 Holocaust survivor and fortunately was able to get 270 00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:58,360 away. She was became a resistance 271 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:02,680 firefighter for the French resistance for five years as and 272 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:04,560 my parents met during the resistance. 273 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:09,200 So you can imagine the emotional and mental challenges post war 274 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:11,880 were endless. My parents were married and 275 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:13,720 divorced to each other four times. 276 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:19,040 Seriously, my mother's very Jewish and very, if you 277 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:21,640 understand Judaism, you marry once, you don't get a second 278 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:24,280 chance. My mother just died a few months 279 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:27,280 ago at 104. Big, big hoots. 280 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:31,840 But I mean, this lady was a survivor and survived many, many 281 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:34,240 years. She was very, very with it until 282 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:36,600 she was about 102. And then she started slipping a 283 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:39,120 little bit. But I'll tell you how, how 284 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,840 focused this woman was. My mother always said she wanted 285 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:46,080 to live to be 100 and four. 104th birthday was in January. 286 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:50,760 On the 26th of January. She died on the 27th of January. 287 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:54,720 She had lunch, she took a nap and went to sleep and can never 288 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,400 came back. What a incredible woman. 289 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:00,520 She came. She professed faith in when she 290 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:04,520 was 86 because I badgered her with Bibles every single 291 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:07,600 Christmas. I gave this woman a Bible and 292 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:09,120 she's a Jew, so she kept them all. 293 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:14,720 And, and, and so she, she, she did make a profession of faith. 294 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:18,080 She lived in a Holocaust survivors, a condominium 295 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:21,640 programme in San Francisco. She lived with us for, I mean, 296 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,880 in Santa Barbara for 35 years and moved up there for the last 297 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:28,240 15 years of her life just to try to be with people that she had 298 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:32,400 things in common with. We were fortunate after the war, 299 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,120 we still had our family. My grandfather was a very wise 300 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:36,440 man. We had resources. 301 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:41,240 We were able to be sent away to school and we're young, five 302 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:43,560 years old. I was already a pretty angry 303 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:46,440 young man. I vividly recall one thing that 304 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:48,480 I want to share with you as I talk about this tonight. 305 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,280 I was in a school in Naples, Italy, and I didn't speak 306 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:56,040 Italian. I'd spoke French, but after the 307 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:59,360 war and even those first few years, I just weren't any 308 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:03,240 schools or private schools. And so my grandfather had worked 309 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:07,359 with a jeweller in Rome pre the war that we had survived. 310 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:10,920 And he'd called them and said, you know, I want to my kids, the 311 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:14,119 family home is a very problematic situation. 312 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:17,240 Can you recommend a school? And this friend of my 313 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:20,000 grandfather said, yeah, I know of this school in Naples, Italy, 314 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:22,160 and it's run by Sacred Heart nuns. 315 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:25,200 And it'll be a great place for them to get some care and 316 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:30,480 nurture in some early education. So we went there and and you can 317 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:34,280 imagine I was already not a happy boy and I met this nut in 318 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:35,720 there. And this is interesting because 319 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:39,040 I have to tell you, I remembered her name all my life. 320 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:42,520 Her name was Madhur de Musee, Sister de Musee. 321 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:45,600 And for some reason she took a liking to me. 322 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:47,480 And I know that's hard to believe, but she did. 323 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:53,080 And she told me I remember this and I say share this with people 324 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:55,400 all the time. She said, Jimmy, God loves you. 325 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:58,720 He's your father. He sent his Son to save you. 326 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:01,920 You may not understand the significance, but you will. 327 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:08,040 And you know, every day of my life, that little interaction 328 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:12,720 has spoken to me and I embrace God every day of my life. 329 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:17,800 I didn't become a believer till 1976 and I went, but I did go. 330 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:20,200 I was very Catholic, That's one time. 331 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:24,520 But as soon as I got old enough, I became a very nothing very 332 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:27,800 quickly. But the Lord had mercy on me and 333 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,680 I came back to him in the 76. But this little incident had 334 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:36,120 such an impact on me that basically that that lacking that 335 00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:39,720 I had that we all need as a father was I had it there I was 336 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:42,600 I was there with God. I can't even remember situations 337 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:45,080 that I won't bore you with tonight, but I will remember 338 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:48,200 situations. I remember being in Vietnam and 339 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:50,240 in Vietnam. I, you know, my, one of my 340 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:53,280 hobbies was drinking. And that's what we did. 341 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:55,600 We, we worked hard and we drank hard. 342 00:18:56,080 --> 00:18:58,240 And I remember that I, I was promoted. 343 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:02,200 And so now I had responsibilities for, for men. 344 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:07,320 I became a staff Sergeant. And I remember laying in bed and 345 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:09,440 thinking, I don't know what I'm going to do. 346 00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:14,760 I got drunk every day. And so I got out of bed, I got 347 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:19,640 on my knees and I said, God help me. 348 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:26,000 And I never had another drink from that day until much, much 349 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,480 later after the war. What I want to say by telling 350 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:33,640 you these two stories that listen, believe one thing, God 351 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:37,600 always shows up. He always shows up. 352 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,920 And I think we, we are the ones that minimise that. 353 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:45,600 The Bible mentions God as our Father approximately 170 times. 354 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:49,800 Calling God our arbour father is also mentioned three times in 355 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:52,800 the word caring a profound significance. 356 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:56,080 Let's begin with today by examining 3 scriptures from the 357 00:19:56,080 --> 00:20:00,640 Word and my message entitled as I said, Adopted children of God. 358 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,360 If you have your Bibles, please turn to Galatians 4 and we're 359 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:07,480 going to be looking at 4 through 7. 360 00:20:08,360 --> 00:20:11,560 Excuse me? Galatians 4, verse 4 through 7. 361 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:16,240 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of 362 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:20,160 a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that 363 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:23,720 we might receive adoption to sonship. 364 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:28,000 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into 365 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:32,160 your hearts, the Spirit who calls out ABBA Father. 366 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:36,080 So you are no longer a slave, but but God's child. 367 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:41,400 And since you are his child, God has made you also His heir. 368 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:46,520 So in Galatians 4/6 it tells us because you are his sons, God 369 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:49,720 sent the Spirit of his Son into your heart and the Spirit who 370 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:53,160 calls out ABBA Father. The significance of this verse 371 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:59,320 is profound because it basically addressing 3 key doctrines such 372 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:03,960 as adoption, the Trinity, and the intimate relationship we can 373 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:08,520 have between believers and God. And let me just ask you tonight, 374 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:11,360 we're all coming from different places. 375 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:13,760 We all have our issues, all have our struggles. 376 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:17,920 When is the last time you cried out, ABBA? 377 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:21,640 Father, help me. You don't have to answer that, 378 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:25,360 but it's a question that I think we should all ask ourself. 379 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:28,560 The verse underscores the doctrine of adoption. 380 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:32,760 We believers are not merely servants, but we're granted the 381 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:37,440 status of sons and daughters or children of God through our 382 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:42,160 faith in Jesus Christ. It's so big and it's stated so 383 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:44,320 clearly in Galatians 4, four, and five. 384 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:49,440 The adoption signifies a legal and relational transformation, 385 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:53,800 elevating believers to be heirs of God's promises. 386 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:58,360 That is incredible as we read God's Word and we see who God 387 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:04,240 is, granting us us full rights and intimacy with God as God's 388 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:06,560 family. Furthermore, the role of the 389 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:11,400 Holy Spirit is evident here. God sends the Spirit of His Son 390 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:15,520 into believers hearts, affirming the work of the Spirit in 391 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:18,040 salvation. Do you realise that when you 392 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:21,680 confess Jesus Christ as Lord, the Spirit of God is in you. 393 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:26,880 And the only reason we're not, it's not part a big part of our 394 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:30,280 lives. We quench, we quench the Spirit. 395 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:33,640 One of the big things that Calvary Chapel does it, 396 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:38,600 especially in the early days, is ask people, do you want to 397 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:41,560 activate the work of the Spirit that's already in you? 398 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:44,720 And it was amazing in those days, the people that would come 399 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:47,400 up and the movement of God's Spirit that we saw. 400 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:51,560 But even but today I see again and again that people don't 401 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:55,720 really embrace the idea of God's Spirit inside them. 402 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:59,160 That Spirit that will guide you and direct you and take you 403 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:00,920 places that you've never dreamed about. 404 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:04,920 Like I said this morning in my message, God allows us to be 405 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:08,520 everything we could never be. That's my phrase. 406 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:14,360 God allows us to be everything. We could never be the Holy 407 00:23:14,360 --> 00:23:17,400 Spirit in salvation. The Spirit's presence confirms 408 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:20,160 for us believers that we're God's children. 409 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:25,400 The Spirit enables us to have that personal and dynamic 410 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:29,720 relationship with God. And if that's an issue, listen 411 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:33,760 just in your quiet time, in your prayer time, as the Spirit of 412 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:38,640 God reveal to you that intimate relationship that you have with 413 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:42,480 the Father. The intimate relationship is 414 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:47,440 evident in the Spirit's cry. ABBA Father ABBA, as I said, is 415 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:52,480 an aromatic term, meaning a term of endearment akin to calling 416 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:56,640 somebody daddy or Papa. And it was used by Jesus in in 417 00:23:56,640 --> 00:24:01,800 Mark 1436 when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane to God, He 418 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:04,320 cried out. ABBA Father, do you remember 419 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:07,680 those verses? And basically, we have the same 420 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:11,080 possibility. The inclusion highlights that 421 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:16,480 believers to the Spirit share Jesus familial relationship with 422 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:21,440 the Father, enabling us to approach God with boldness, love 423 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:24,960 and confidence that he will show up. 424 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:32,200 He will show up the spirits indwelling and cry provides for 425 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:36,200 us assurance of salvation. The internal testimony of the 426 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:41,400 Spirit confirms our status as God's children, countering 427 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:47,120 doubts, countering fear, countering worry, affirming 428 00:24:47,120 --> 00:24:51,160 their eternal inheritance, and this is so evidence in Romans 8 429 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:55,720 verses 15 and 16. So the context of Galatians. 430 00:24:55,720 --> 00:25:00,320 This verse contrast to freedom of sonship with legalism were 431 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:02,680 not under the law. Paul argues that believers are 432 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:07,640 no longer under the law and the law's teachings, but are free as 433 00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:11,360 God's children empowered by the Spirit of grace. 434 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:14,240 The Spirit of God is all about grace. 435 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:20,800 I say Galatians 46 encapsulates the transformative reality of 436 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:25,280 the gospel through Christ for believers as adopted children of 437 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:30,000 God, indwelt by the Spirit, invited, invited into an 438 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:34,320 intimate, ushered relationship with God, our God, our loving 439 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:37,520 Father and I. I could never describe with you 440 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:42,000 accurately, properly in words what that has meant to me. 441 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:47,200 My siblings have lived their whole life without a father and 442 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:51,440 to see the effect, it's black and white, my friends, black and 443 00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:58,560 white, because fatherlessness is impactful, it is problematic. 444 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:02,920 It is an issue. We would, we need to have 445 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:05,400 fathers. We need that, not only that 446 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:10,200 love, but we need that guidance, that counsel, that direction 447 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:13,880 that we can get. Embracing God is our Maker is 448 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:17,960 one thing, but embracing Him as our Father is an incredible 449 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:23,720 blessing. In Romans 15815 it says the 450 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:27,240 Spirit you receive does not make you slaves so that you live in 451 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:30,920 fear again. Rather, the Spirit you received 452 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:36,200 brought you about your adoption to sonship, and by Him we cry. 453 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:41,560 ABBA Father, let me encourage you, if you need to cry ABBA 454 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:45,360 Father, for your situation, for your circumstance, do it. 455 00:26:46,120 --> 00:26:49,520 Do it. And then, if it doesn't become 456 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:52,320 fruitful for you, my phone number is available. 457 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:57,640 Let's analyse the spiritual significance here in Romans 815, 458 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:01,200 noting his connection to Galatians 6 by highlighting its 459 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:04,640 unique contributions. Both Romans and Galatians 460 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:08,320 emphasise the doctrine of adoption and the role of the 461 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:11,920 Holy Spirit in our lives. That intimate relationship with 462 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:17,360 God, expressed through the idea of crying out ABBA, Father the 463 00:27:17,360 --> 00:27:20,680 Spirit, affirms that believers through the Spirit are adopted 464 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:23,200 as God's children. As I said, sharing Christ's 465 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:27,280 familiar relationship. That's amazing that that's this 466 00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:30,120 is our family. God is our family. 467 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:33,360 In Romans 815, we observe a unique message. 468 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:37,320 Romans explicitly contrast the spirit of slavery with the 469 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,800 spirit of adoption. This addresses our human 470 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:44,080 condition. We're being enslaved by so many 471 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:46,240 sins. We're enslaved by this. 472 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:52,120 My wife and I have this new thing now when we're together at 473 00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:55,560 night, we're both busy. She does a lot, still does a lot 474 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:58,680 of work, helping people with special kids. 475 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:03,600 I work pretty much full time. We have this thing. 476 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:05,840 We get home, we're going to do our little business. 477 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:09,200 And then we say for two hours we're putting our phones down 478 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:10,480 and we're not going to touch them. 479 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:12,600 Nobody calls us, nobody anything. 480 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:15,000 We're just, we put them down and we don't. 481 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:17,520 Now the two hours has become three hours. 482 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,960 It's become four hours. And what we want it to become is 483 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:24,720 we come home, we get done and we put this thing away for the 484 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:27,920 night. And, you know, because this is 485 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:32,480 slavery and it, and I don't say that necessarily as a negative 486 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:36,680 thing, but The thing is it, it, it's basically controls us. 487 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:43,720 You know, I, I, I have 4000 friends on my phone and it's a 488 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:46,920 blessing for me because it saves me 3000 lunches. 489 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:53,840 But the point is this can take over us and basically it can 490 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:57,640 basically enslave us, but there's so many other things 491 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:00,000 that enslave us in our culture, in our world. 492 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:02,600 And we all know what they are. I know what they are for me. 493 00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:04,040 And when you know what they are for you. 494 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:06,880 And so basically Romans is talking about that. 495 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:10,600 He's in 815. He's it's a contrast between the 496 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:14,280 spirit of freedom and the spirit of adoption in the spirit of 497 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:16,440 fear. The spirit liberates believers, 498 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:20,560 replacing fear with the assurance of God's bold love, 499 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:24,400 acceptance. No matter what, God is there for 500 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:26,640 you. No matter how dark part of the 501 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:31,040 place you may be in, how hopeless of a situation you 502 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:33,000 would think you're in, God is there. 503 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:34,400 And you know why I know He's there? 504 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:38,120 Because read this book and He was there for people far worse 505 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:42,560 and far more down than we will ever think about being. 506 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:48,440 The phrase adoption and sonship, It's a, it's a Greek word, who 507 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:51,160 is Thea? And it reinforces the legal, 508 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:53,720 rational status of believers in Christ. 509 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,880 You know, in the Roman culture of this time, adoption was a 510 00:29:56,880 --> 00:30:00,840 formal act of granting full inheritance rights. 511 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:05,720 Theologically, it's basically the assurance that believers can 512 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:08,280 be secure in place of God's family. 513 00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:11,640 Listen, when you adopt A child, it's your child. 514 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:15,320 You don't give them back. I adopted three children. 515 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:19,120 These are my children. These children will inherit from 516 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:22,440 us. Nobody dare ever say that 517 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:24,520 they're not our children. They're our children. 518 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:27,440 God gave them to us. Circumstances were that my wife 519 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:30,440 couldn't have children, but we said God makes a lot of children 520 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:35,320 and we took three and, and this is a perfect example of that. 521 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:40,400 When we are adopted into God's family, we are there forever. 522 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:44,680 No way that God is going to give you away. 523 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:49,320 The spiritual is enabling us to cry out ABBA Father, and it 524 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:54,160 serves as an internal witness confirming for us this reality. 525 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:59,200 And Romans 815 also reflects the cooperative work of the Trinity 526 00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:02,400 in salvation. The Father adopts believers, the 527 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:05,800 Spirit indwells. Remember I said you become a 528 00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:08,520 believer. The Spirit indwells and 529 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:12,280 testifies to their sonship and the Son's relationship with the 530 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:17,080 Father is a model for believers intimacy with God. 531 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:22,360 You know the question I ask myself often, how intimate am I 532 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:26,040 with God? There is nothing about this guy 533 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:30,800 that God doesn't know. But I think, well, you know, you 534 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:35,400 know what I'm saying. God intimately knows every 535 00:31:35,400 --> 00:31:40,600 single detail about this grumpy little old Jew, and he knows 536 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:45,120 everything about you. And so I encourage you, I 537 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:49,320 encourage you to see that intimacy is so fruitful in the 538 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:52,840 things in our lives. Again, remember the ABBA Father 539 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:55,360 cries of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane? 540 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:59,360 It's a wonderful example. It's in Mark 1436 demonstrating 541 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:03,320 that believers participate in Christ's divine sonship through 542 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:07,240 the Spirit. So unlike Galatians, which 543 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:10,160 focuses on freedom from legalism, Romans is set in 544 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,280 context of suffering and escological hope. 545 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:17,360 The assurance of adoption sustains believers amidst 546 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:22,320 trials, reminding them that their presence suffering are 547 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:27,480 transient compared to the glory awaiting them as God's children. 548 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:32,480 A friend of mine died yesterday. Very close friend and hunting 549 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:33,920 buddy. Very close. 550 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:38,560 And you know, Jerry had cancer that he kind of didn't deal with 551 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:43,120 and it got him and he, I don't know why he didn't deal with it, 552 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:44,880 but he didn't. And they killed him. 553 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:51,600 But for the last two weeks, I actually was a little, I knew, I 554 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:53,320 knew in my heart he would die when I was here. 555 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:57,160 And I've been talking to him a little bit and talking to 556 00:32:57,160 --> 00:32:58,560 Stephanie, his wife and stuff like this. 557 00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:02,120 This guy could care less that he was going to die. 558 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:05,560 This is how close he was to the Lord. 559 00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:09,160 He's he's younger than me. He's he's in his 60s. 560 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:14,560 And he was just saying, you know, I'm being with Jesus soon. 561 00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:20,120 I'm with Jesus soon. He, he, his, his fear, his, his 562 00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:24,160 concern was for his wife and his children and what he would tell 563 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:26,200 his wife and his children. The times that I visited him, he 564 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:30,040 said, you know, follow Jesus and you're going to have this peace 565 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:35,440 when that day comes for you. That's what basically God gives 566 00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:37,400 us. This is what the Spirit of God 567 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:39,760 gives us. Jerry, He's a, he's, he's like 568 00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:42,480 your pastor. He's a he was a cop, a really 569 00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:50,160 bad dude, tough tough guy was basically a federal agent and 570 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:55,080 and really a tough guy Hunter strong tough and to see him like 571 00:33:55,080 --> 00:33:59,040 that because of his faith in Christ is a perfect testimony of 572 00:33:59,040 --> 00:34:01,000 what I'm trying to share with you tonight. 573 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:04,720 The spirit not only of firms believer status but also 574 00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:07,920 empowers them to live like this fellow. 575 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:09,880 I just told you that died yesterday. 576 00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:16,239 He lived by God's power and he died by God's power, not in fear 577 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:19,840 in any way. The cry ABBA father is a both a 578 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:24,360 declaration of identity and an act act of worship fostering 579 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:29,120 relational dynamic believers approach to God. 580 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:32,120 We trust him. We have to trust him. 581 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:35,000 And you know, it's amazing how we trust him when we're in 582 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:38,840 trouble or we go to him when we're in trouble or we go to him 583 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:42,280 when we need him. But listen, I encourage you, go 584 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:45,280 to him in the morning, cry to him in the morning. 585 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:49,199 I need you today, period. Go to him at night. 586 00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:56,960 Forgive me for today show me my way, show me my heart, oh God, 587 00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:02,560 the way you see it, you will see benefits from this kind of heart 588 00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:05,840 that you have never dreamed about if that's not your heart 589 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:08,720 tonight. While Galatians 46 emphasises 590 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:12,720 the spiritual in confirming believing sonship in the context 591 00:35:12,720 --> 00:35:16,320 of liberation from the law. As I said, Romans 815 broadens 592 00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:19,440 this address of freedom from sin, slavery and fear, 593 00:35:19,720 --> 00:35:24,200 particularly in the face of particularly in the face of 594 00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:27,840 suffering. Roman 15 also explicitly ties a 595 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:32,320 spirit testimony to assurance, laying the confidence that 596 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:34,720 believers have for our future glory. 597 00:35:34,720 --> 00:35:36,480 Do you ever think about future glory? 598 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:38,560 Do you ever think what it's going to be like? 599 00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:43,000 I just think of my 70 plus years and all the drama. 600 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:52,720 Can you imagine 700 years, 7000 years worshipping God, free from 601 00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:58,840 any fear, free from any anxiety, free from any tears and the 602 00:35:58,840 --> 00:36:01,360 biggest thing, free from any drama? 603 00:36:02,240 --> 00:36:07,120 Can you imagine? Both passages unite in 604 00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:11,680 portraying the Spirit as the age agent that transforms believers 605 00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:15,960 relationship with God into one of intimacy and freedom. 606 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:21,200 Let's go to the third verse tonight as we just finish up 607 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:26,080 here and it's from first John 3-1 and two, see what great love 608 00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:29,800 the Father has lavished on us that we should be called 609 00:36:29,800 --> 00:36:32,800 children of God and that is what we are. 610 00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:38,120 The reason the world does not know us is that they did not 611 00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:41,280 know Him. Dear friends, now we are 612 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:46,800 children of God, and what we will has not yet been been made 613 00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:52,600 known, but we know that when Christ appears we shall be like 614 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:56,520 him, for we shall see him as He is. 615 00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:01,120 What an incredible promise. We observe in first John 3-1 and 616 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:05,040 two, that now we are children of God, and what we will has not 617 00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:08,920 yet been made known, but what a great hope for our hearts. 618 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:13,680 However, we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like 619 00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:16,760 Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 620 00:37:17,240 --> 00:37:20,760 And I hope what that means is that this body can have some 621 00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:26,080 some stuff. I think it means we will be like 622 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:28,200 him. We will have his heart, we will 623 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:34,360 have the heart of God, but maybe we'll have a new body to look 624 00:37:34,360 --> 00:37:35,480 at. I'm praying. 625 00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:38,960 However, we know that when Christ appears we will be like 626 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,520 Him, so we shall see Him as He is. 627 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:45,160 What does that mean? We will see Him in all the 628 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:49,040 perfection that He is. I love to meditate on the Lord. 629 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:52,440 I love to meditate on the idea of his birth in Bethlehem where 630 00:37:52,440 --> 00:37:55,920 we're some of you who haven't been to Israel can go there. 631 00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:58,480 I love to meditate on the places where he walked. 632 00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:01,400 I love to meditate on the idea that he went up in the temple 633 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:03,920 steps and stood at the Second Temple. 634 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:07,160 I love to meditate on the idea that Jesus walked around the 635 00:38:07,160 --> 00:38:09,520 Galilee and every place that he walked. 636 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:11,080 Basically, we go through on these tours. 637 00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:13,680 You go to Israel, folks. I'll tell you, this is not an 638 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:16,560 advertisement. You go to Israel, you will never 639 00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:19,440 be the same. I have been to Israel over 100 640 00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:23,760 times and I have been to come home from Israel more times than 641 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:26,600 I want to tell you. And I said to my wife, I'm done. 642 00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:29,440 I've done my thing. I'm, you know, I'm as holy as I 643 00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:33,160 could possibly be. Not really, but I'm done. 644 00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:36,480 It's hard. We have friends here that have 645 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:38,800 been to Israel many times. Israel is hard. 646 00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:41,880 It's it's a small country with a lot of people with a 647 00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:45,080 infrastructure. It's hard, but you know when you 648 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:48,280 go with Jesus walked, will you go? 649 00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:52,240 When some of the Old Testament took place, it's basically like 650 00:38:52,240 --> 00:38:55,800 the pastor said to the group the other night, it's it's like the 651 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:58,640 Bible just came alive for you. All the things you've heard him 652 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:01,920 say all these years, all of a sudden you're there, you see it, 653 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:04,240 you're walking there. It is life changing. 654 00:39:04,240 --> 00:39:06,600 It is just an incredible experience. 655 00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:10,200 So we have observed in these three scriptures Galatians 46, 656 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:15,480 Romans 815 and 1st John 3-1 and two, which has the significance 657 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:19,000 of emphasising its connections to these passages by 658 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:21,200 highlighting some distinctive contributions. 659 00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:24,200 Let me just share with you these things for a few moments. 660 00:39:24,360 --> 00:39:28,520 Similar to Galatians 46, Romans 8:15, first John 3-1 and two 661 00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:33,280 underscores the believers identity as children of God, a 662 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:37,680 status rooted in God's benevolent act of adoption. 663 00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:40,960 I mean, I don't know where some of you were before you knew the 664 00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:45,360 Lord, but I knew where I was. And I'll tell you something, I 665 00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:51,120 am nothing, nothing like I was before I knew Him. 666 00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:56,000 And this is God's benevolent act of adoption in me. 667 00:39:56,280 --> 00:40:00,320 He changed my heart, He changed my mind, He changed my life. 668 00:40:01,240 --> 00:40:06,040 I'm standing up here if you would have told me this. 38 669 00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:07,880 years ago I would have told you you're out of your mind. 670 00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:12,680 Not a chance. But look what God can do as we 671 00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:16,160 open our hearts to him. We heard in Galatians 46 672 00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:20,960 referred to the spirits enabling us to cry ABBA father Romans 815 673 00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:24,200 contrast the spirit of adoption with slavery. 674 00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:29,960 But in first John 31, it marvels at the love that is bestowed on 675 00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:33,720 us as believer, believers with the title, here's our title, 676 00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:38,080 Children of God. You are a child of God. 677 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:41,840 Don't ever doubt it. Don't ever, ever doubt it. 678 00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:45,640 All three passages affirm the relational intimacy and 679 00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:49,040 privilege of being God's family. You know, it's incredible when 680 00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:51,120 you're with believers. I would believe is all over the 681 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:53,520 world. I mean, I've been to 164 682 00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:56,640 countries in my life. I have travelled many, many 683 00:40:56,640 --> 00:40:59,640 countries as a believer. And you know what, it is got to 684 00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:02,440 be incredible when you come across another believer. 685 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:06,400 It is like your family. It's just like something just 686 00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:11,080 breaks all the barriers down when you know that somebody else 687 00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:15,320 is confessing Jesus Lord. See, this lady is like joy. 688 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:19,720 She is the sweetest lady. But listen, she doesn't know me 689 00:41:19,720 --> 00:41:23,360 from Adam. I am like nobody to her, she 690 00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:26,920 warns. She greets me warmly with 691 00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:30,080 affection. You know why she's no St. 692 00:41:31,080 --> 00:41:34,720 She's a Jesus person. This is something that happens 693 00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:38,080 to us as we're believer. It's initiated. 694 00:41:38,080 --> 00:41:43,120 This relationship, this familiar relationship is initiated by God 695 00:41:43,320 --> 00:41:46,080 because we love him. We have a family that we never 696 00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:49,480 ever dreamed that we could have. We're still how all have our 697 00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:52,400 problems, but that one thing that we have that holds us 698 00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:56,120 together is the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord and we believe 699 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:59,240 that God sent him to set us free and love us. 700 00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:05,240 The three texts emphasise A transformative identity. 701 00:42:05,240 --> 00:42:10,040 Galatians 4/6 and Romans 815, again I say focuses on the 702 00:42:10,040 --> 00:42:12,720 Spirit's role in confirming that identity. 703 00:42:12,720 --> 00:42:18,960 But first John 31 explains that is what we are emphasising the 704 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:23,640 press and reality of being God's children despite the opposition 705 00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:27,280 from the world and the world opposes us. 706 00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:30,440 We're crazy. My mother thought I was in a 707 00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:33,200 cult for about 20 years. She did. 708 00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:38,560 I gave a job up, job up as a head of a school to become a 709 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:40,200 pastor. She thought I was out of my 710 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:44,280 mind. But look how it all unfolded. 711 00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:49,160 Here we are 36 years later. Once again we discern the unique 712 00:42:49,160 --> 00:42:51,760 significance in John first, John 31. 713 00:42:51,960 --> 00:42:55,200 It commences with the exclamation of awe at the 714 00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:57,440 Father's great love in the Greek. 715 00:42:57,440 --> 00:43:02,200 This is the agape love we spoke. We speak about implying this 716 00:43:02,480 --> 00:43:05,920 extraordinary or astonishing love. 717 00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:09,280 Agape love is not love that we can ever have for one another. 718 00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:13,800 It's God love for us and extraordinary love and 719 00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:17,360 astonishing love. This love serves as a foundation 720 00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:21,400 for believers status as children of God, understanding God's 721 00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:24,840 gracious and unmerited initiative. 722 00:43:26,680 --> 00:43:29,640 So in contrast to Galatians and Romans, which emphasises the 723 00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:33,840 spiritual, as I've said many times, First John 31 centres on 724 00:43:33,840 --> 00:43:37,360 the Father's love and the source of adoption, aligning with 725 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:42,040 John's broader theme of God's love as we see in First John 48 726 00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:45,840 through 10. So this Scripture uniquely 727 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:49,440 harmonises the present reality and the future hope of being 728 00:43:49,440 --> 00:43:52,560 God's children. It affirms for us that we are 729 00:43:52,560 --> 00:43:56,880 children of God, echoing the assurance of Galatians 4, Romans 730 00:43:56,920 --> 00:43:59,600 8. However, verse 2 adds something. 731 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:06,840 What we has has not. What we will have has not been 732 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:09,400 made known. You ever think about that? 733 00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:13,080 What will it be like? You know, here's what I'm 734 00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:14,920 certain I told you that story of Jerry. 735 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:18,960 I am certain. I am certain that he had a 736 00:44:19,000 --> 00:44:22,880 little vision of what it was going to be like when he passed. 737 00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:27,240 I mean, this is the only way. I mean, who wants to leave their 738 00:44:27,240 --> 00:44:28,760 wife and their family? He had. 739 00:44:29,120 --> 00:44:32,880 He had a sense of what the future would look like for Him. 740 00:44:33,560 --> 00:44:37,680 What great freedom you have when you really have this idea. 741 00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:41,440 This indicates a future transformation distinct from 742 00:44:41,560 --> 00:44:44,680 other passages which primarily focus on the present. 743 00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:48,880 This Scripture spikes about the future, the promise that when 744 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:53,400 Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as He 745 00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:56,680 is. It introduces the concept of 746 00:44:56,920 --> 00:45:00,480 glorification. The believers will be conformed 747 00:45:00,480 --> 00:45:05,000 to Christ likeness, a process, a process which will be completed 748 00:45:05,240 --> 00:45:07,560 on His return. You know what my prayer is, and 749 00:45:07,560 --> 00:45:09,040 my prayer has been for many years. 750 00:45:09,320 --> 00:45:12,040 Oh Lord, let me be on the Mount of Olives a day. 751 00:45:12,040 --> 00:45:15,320 You come back because I want to be the first in line. 752 00:45:16,840 --> 00:45:19,320 But seriously, could you imagine being on the Mount of Olives on 753 00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:21,720 a visual trip when the Lord came back? 754 00:45:22,080 --> 00:45:26,080 The believers will be conformed to Christ's likeness, a process 755 00:45:26,080 --> 00:45:29,800 that will be unbelievable. It will be something that, 756 00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:33,000 beholding His glory, will transform believers. 757 00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:35,560 We see that in 2nd Corinthians 318. 758 00:45:35,840 --> 00:45:39,400 Neither Galatians nor women's explicitly address this this 759 00:45:39,400 --> 00:45:43,080 future transformation, but we can see this clearly in first 760 00:45:43,080 --> 00:45:45,520 John 3. And it knows that the world does 761 00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:48,320 not know us. The world does, because it is 762 00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:50,280 unaware of Christ. Why? 763 00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:52,320 Because the world lives for today. 764 00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:55,960 We live for today in Him. But we live with the hope of 765 00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:58,280 tomorrow. If we don't live with the hope 766 00:45:58,280 --> 00:46:00,320 of tomorrow, why are we believers? 767 00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:04,400 If our hope is not for tomorrow, if our hope is not in heaven, 768 00:46:04,520 --> 00:46:06,720 why are we believers? What's the point? 769 00:46:07,480 --> 00:46:09,200 What's the point? We're going to be good people. 770 00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:11,600 We could be good people without being here. 771 00:46:12,120 --> 00:46:15,880 Our hope is in tomorrow, our hope is in eternity. 772 00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:18,080 Our hope is in the promises of God. 773 00:46:18,280 --> 00:46:22,480 That tells us when you come back to the way I made you to be, you 774 00:46:22,480 --> 00:46:27,040 will be in a place that you have can't even imagine. 775 00:46:28,160 --> 00:46:31,040 The highlights of tension between believers and the world 776 00:46:31,040 --> 00:46:35,200 will be all gone basically. But we have tension in this 777 00:46:35,200 --> 00:46:39,160 world for those people who don't believe and they just see us as 778 00:46:39,800 --> 00:46:42,280 interesting and strange and whatever. 779 00:46:42,720 --> 00:46:47,080 But our hope is in Him and we need to hold that on, hold on to 780 00:46:47,080 --> 00:46:50,120 that in our hearts. It frames believe the believers 781 00:46:50,120 --> 00:46:54,160 identity and we will be misunderstood by the world. 782 00:46:54,360 --> 00:46:58,560 We will be opposed by the world. God is opposed by the world. 783 00:46:58,840 --> 00:47:02,400 But basically we need to reinforce together with each 784 00:47:02,400 --> 00:47:05,280 other the distinctiveness as God's children. 785 00:47:05,520 --> 00:47:07,920 You will never have better fellowship than you will have 786 00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:10,520 with another believer. I have better fellowship with 787 00:47:10,520 --> 00:47:13,160 Israel Carmody that I have with my own brother. 788 00:47:13,920 --> 00:47:17,600 And it's not because we're just, we're coming from different 789 00:47:17,600 --> 00:47:21,480 places. We have different priorities, We 790 00:47:21,480 --> 00:47:24,880 have a different sense of who we are. 791 00:47:25,840 --> 00:47:27,880 And I don't even know Israel Carmody that well. 792 00:47:29,160 --> 00:47:32,280 While not explicitly stated in verses 1 and 2, the broader 793 00:47:32,280 --> 00:47:37,560 context of John 3/3 as we finish implies that the aspiration to 794 00:47:37,560 --> 00:47:42,240 become like Christ purifies believers, motivating us to 795 00:47:42,240 --> 00:47:45,280 righteous living. When we think about becoming 796 00:47:45,280 --> 00:47:48,360 like Christ, it's got to do something to us. 797 00:47:48,520 --> 00:47:52,200 It's got to speak to us. I'd love to be convicted. 798 00:47:52,640 --> 00:47:56,120 I love to be convicted. I love for the Lord to show me 799 00:47:56,120 --> 00:48:01,680 you are a dummy and I, I, I, I, I wanted, I appreciate it. 800 00:48:02,080 --> 00:48:05,520 And basically when we see this and we really understand that 801 00:48:05,520 --> 00:48:07,840 God can inspire us to Russia's living. 802 00:48:08,040 --> 00:48:11,400 The ethical dimension complements the relational 803 00:48:11,400 --> 00:48:15,520 emphasis of Galatians and Romans where the Spirit empowers us to 804 00:48:15,520 --> 00:48:19,760 have intimacy with God and does not directly address any 805 00:48:19,760 --> 00:48:22,840 transformative or moral implications. 806 00:48:24,320 --> 00:48:29,120 So as we finish up tonight, I just want to share with you ABBA 807 00:48:29,120 --> 00:48:34,560 Father is a profoundly spiritual expression frequently employed 808 00:48:34,840 --> 00:48:39,080 in Christian context to convey an intimate, trusting 809 00:48:39,080 --> 00:48:44,720 relationship with God, akin to addressing your own mother or 810 00:48:44,720 --> 00:48:47,640 your own father. And even better with that 811 00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:51,080 because it doesn't come with all the complexities. 812 00:48:51,960 --> 00:48:55,360 The reason I even thought about this message, I cannot tell you 813 00:48:55,680 --> 00:49:00,680 how many people I speak to, I counsel, I work with who have 814 00:49:00,680 --> 00:49:05,680 the most horrible relationship with their fathers, more so than 815 00:49:05,680 --> 00:49:08,680 their mothers often. And it's it's it's 816 00:49:08,680 --> 00:49:10,640 circumstantial. And I try to explain this, 817 00:49:11,120 --> 00:49:16,680 unpack your Father's stuff, try to understand, you know, how did 818 00:49:16,680 --> 00:49:22,480 he get from there to here? And basically it will allow you 819 00:49:22,480 --> 00:49:25,200 to again address something of this world. 820 00:49:25,600 --> 00:49:29,120 The Spirit of God's and his love in your heart will make will 821 00:49:29,120 --> 00:49:32,560 change you in ways that you have never experienced. 822 00:49:32,560 --> 00:49:36,440 If you haven't already, I trust these 3 verses who resonate with 823 00:49:36,440 --> 00:49:41,240 your heart regarding God's extraordinary, extraordinary, 824 00:49:41,520 --> 00:49:45,200 boundless love. We're obligated to love our 825 00:49:45,200 --> 00:49:46,920 earthly fathers. You're obligated. 826 00:49:47,480 --> 00:49:54,320 You know, I told pastor this week, I said, listen, when I was 827 00:49:54,320 --> 00:49:57,320 going to become a pastor, it was a very big change for me. 828 00:49:58,120 --> 00:50:02,360 But I had this pastor in my life, a friend of your pastor, 829 00:50:02,800 --> 00:50:05,320 Ricky Ryan, who loved me for some reason. 830 00:50:05,440 --> 00:50:08,760 I'm not a lovable guy, but he loved me and he encouraged me 831 00:50:08,760 --> 00:50:11,360 and he brought me up into what I needed to be. 832 00:50:12,480 --> 00:50:14,280 And so we were actually in Israel. 833 00:50:14,560 --> 00:50:17,640 And I said, you know, Ricky, I'm not ready to be ordained. 834 00:50:18,600 --> 00:50:20,760 I'm not good to go. I don't know. 835 00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:25,000 I don't know what's going on. So there's a place in Israel is 836 00:50:25,000 --> 00:50:26,400 my favourite place called Anghetti. 837 00:50:26,400 --> 00:50:30,200 I was telling the group yesterday and in Anghetti's that 838 00:50:30,200 --> 00:50:35,040 that teaching about Saul relieving himself in The Cave, 839 00:50:35,040 --> 00:50:37,240 remember? And David is there with his men 840 00:50:37,800 --> 00:50:40,160 and then Saul is out of The Cave back with his men. 841 00:50:40,160 --> 00:50:44,120 And he basically says, Saul, hey, Saul, I had you in my 842 00:50:44,120 --> 00:50:47,520 crosshairs. And if you're a military person 843 00:50:47,520 --> 00:50:51,280 or 100% crosshairs, you know, it's kind of like dead centre. 844 00:50:51,840 --> 00:50:53,640 I could have killed you dead centre. 845 00:50:54,360 --> 00:50:57,880 But the words that moved me that day and have moved me ever since 846 00:50:58,240 --> 00:51:05,680 is David's response. Saul, I will let the Lord decide 847 00:51:05,680 --> 00:51:09,000 between you and I and that that spoke to me. 848 00:51:09,760 --> 00:51:12,760 We went back to the hotel that night and I was broken. 849 00:51:12,880 --> 00:51:17,120 And what it was, it was I despised my father. 850 00:51:18,160 --> 00:51:21,280 And that's what stopped me. And thank God it stopped me 851 00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:24,440 because I think it would have affected my ability to minister 852 00:51:24,440 --> 00:51:28,160 all my life. I came home, call my father. 853 00:51:28,160 --> 00:51:33,040 I hadn't talked to me over 20 years and said that's Jim, I 854 00:51:33,040 --> 00:51:35,280 want to call you. I want to ask you forgiveness. 855 00:51:36,160 --> 00:51:38,920 And it didn't turn out the way you would want it to turn out, 856 00:51:39,200 --> 00:51:41,760 but I did it. You know, he didn't actually 857 00:51:41,760 --> 00:51:45,360 care. And but I did it and it totally 858 00:51:45,440 --> 00:51:49,280 was liberation. And I think what I'm trying to 859 00:51:49,280 --> 00:51:54,480 point here is we are called biblically to love our mother 860 00:51:54,600 --> 00:51:58,920 and father no matter what, no matter what. 861 00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:02,480 And I have ministered to people whose fathers are in prison for 862 00:52:02,480 --> 00:52:05,040 murder. And I said, you called to love 863 00:52:05,040 --> 00:52:08,200 that man no matter what. God commanded it. 864 00:52:08,480 --> 00:52:12,720 And it's in the word. Our sinful nature frequently, 865 00:52:12,720 --> 00:52:16,160 frequently renders these relationships far more 866 00:52:16,160 --> 00:52:18,560 challenging and dismissive for us. 867 00:52:18,560 --> 00:52:22,360 And I encourage you tonight, don't let that happen because 868 00:52:22,360 --> 00:52:26,760 there's freedom is freedom in making those things the way God 869 00:52:26,760 --> 00:52:30,640 expects them to be today. It serves as an extra 870 00:52:30,640 --> 00:52:34,760 extraordinary encouragement to recognise that God, our Father, 871 00:52:34,880 --> 00:52:40,840 our Father gives us perfect, basically boundless love. 872 00:52:42,240 --> 00:52:46,960 May God bless you tonight. Sincere gratitude for you, for 873 00:52:46,960 --> 00:52:51,600 your attention, for your love. And I love to look at your faces 874 00:52:51,600 --> 00:52:56,320 because I see that at least God's allowing me to minister to 875 00:52:56,320 --> 00:52:58,480 you. God bless you and let me pray. 876 00:52:59,280 --> 00:53:01,040 Father, thank you, Lord, thank you for your word. 877 00:53:01,040 --> 00:53:05,080 Thank you for this these great 3 verses, Lord, that speaks to us 878 00:53:05,080 --> 00:53:11,600 so directly, Lord of the kind of Father that you are, that that 879 00:53:11,600 --> 00:53:14,920 provides us a salvation, that provides us your spirit. 880 00:53:14,920 --> 00:53:17,880 Lord, that provides us an understanding. 881 00:53:17,880 --> 00:53:21,080 Lord, Lord of this transformative love, Lord, that 882 00:53:21,080 --> 00:53:23,480 that is beyond our understanding, beyond our even 883 00:53:23,480 --> 00:53:26,640 our acceptance. Lord, Lord, let us accept this 884 00:53:26,640 --> 00:53:29,440 love. Lord, that your love, Lord, the 885 00:53:29,440 --> 00:53:34,280 love of God, which is endless. Lord, please Lord, speak to us 886 00:53:34,280 --> 00:53:37,280 as you would speak to me. Lord, speak to those who would 887 00:53:37,280 --> 00:53:40,160 you and speak to tonight. Father, Lord bless this 888 00:53:40,160 --> 00:53:44,240 congregation, Lord bless Pastor Keith, Lord and his team. 889 00:53:44,240 --> 00:53:48,320 Lord use them, empower them. And Lord, let your spirit reign 890 00:53:48,560 --> 00:53:52,920 in this congregation and in this community in Jesus name, Amen. 891 00:53:54,120 --> 00:53:55,200 Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jim. 892 00:53:55,200 --> 00:53:57,440 I'm just going to get the apostles to come forward. 893 00:53:57,440 --> 00:54:00,440 Stay there, man. Well, if you could come join us, 894 00:54:01,200 --> 00:54:04,840 Marty, is Thomas here? Tom, I probably outside on 895 00:54:04,840 --> 00:54:09,280 security. Tom, Marty, you could come if 896 00:54:09,280 --> 00:54:10,760 you could stand and we just stand. 897 00:54:10,920 --> 00:54:13,200 You've been sitting for a while. We just pray, just kind of pray 898 00:54:13,200 --> 00:54:16,560 for Jim. He leaves at 3:00 in the 899 00:54:16,560 --> 00:54:18,400 morning. I've told him he'd catch a bus. 900 00:54:21,080 --> 00:54:26,360 So, and we're just going to pray over particularly the ministry 901 00:54:26,360 --> 00:54:34,560 in Israel and our, our, our God can guide us in in this 902 00:54:34,560 --> 00:54:36,120 partnership. So let's do that. 903 00:54:36,920 --> 00:54:39,960 Gather around him. Heavenly Father, we thank you 904 00:54:39,960 --> 00:54:44,560 for James being with us. We thank you for him sharing his 905 00:54:44,560 --> 00:54:47,520 heart. We thank you for the work that 906 00:54:47,520 --> 00:54:50,120 he does in Israel for your people. 907 00:54:50,600 --> 00:54:54,880 We thank you, Lord, that He has been able to connect us as a 908 00:54:54,880 --> 00:55:00,240 church where we can touch the ground of Israel, not only with 909 00:55:00,240 --> 00:55:04,800 our hearts, but with our feet and with our resources. 910 00:55:04,960 --> 00:55:11,120 And we can bless your people that you love, that you chose, 911 00:55:11,480 --> 00:55:16,240 and that, Father, we owe so much to be with James as he travels. 912 00:55:16,240 --> 00:55:18,560 Give him safe travel. Bless him and guide him. 913 00:55:18,760 --> 00:55:23,000 Give him great wisdom for decisions on the future of the 914 00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:27,240 missions and how it's to work, particularly with Ukraine and 915 00:55:27,240 --> 00:55:31,520 other places that are war torn. We pray especially for that 916 00:55:31,520 --> 00:55:36,480 outreach for the unwanted children, father, the abandoned 917 00:55:36,480 --> 00:55:40,600 babies, father. Help us to to lift these little 918 00:55:40,600 --> 00:55:43,040 kids up. Father, in some way that we can, 919 00:55:43,880 --> 00:55:46,200 we can love them too. In Jesus name we pray. 920 00:55:46,200 --> 00:55:48,040 And everyone said Amen. God bless you, God bless you. 921 00:55:48,040 --> 00:55:49,760 Thank you, thank you, thank. You. 922 00:55:49,760 --> 00:55:50,480 Thank you. Thank you. 923 00:55:50,800 --> 00:55:51,280 Any questions?