1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,840 Now for the third Sunday I want to open with John. 2 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:05,720 Chapter 15. Greater love has no one than 3 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:07,680 this. Then he lay down his life for 4 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:10,000 his friends. You are my friends if you do 5 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,720 whatever I command you. No longer do I call you 6 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,600 servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing. 7 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:19,560 But I have called you friends for all things that I heard from 8 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:24,280 my father, I have made known to you, and I put over this a 9 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:27,080 growing relationship. How you know, we're called to 10 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,800 have a growing relationship with God. 11 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,960 Christianity is not just merely believing the right thing so 12 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,160 that you can go to heaven or just be in right standing with 13 00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:39,400 God. We should understand that God 14 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:43,320 literally wants to have a relationship with us where we 15 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:47,000 know him and he knows us. And that's such a wonderful 16 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:51,320 thing to think about that God has that for us and to also to 17 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,360 hear the invitation that he would have for us to grow in our 18 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,320 relationship with him. Few weeks back we celebrated 19 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:02,920 Easter, Good Friday, the death burial, and also on Sunday the 20 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,640 resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is alive. 21 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:11,080 And yet as this chapter is unfolding, it's Jesus talking to 22 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:13,560 his disciples before he goes to the cross. 23 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,240 And one of the things he wants them to understand about the 24 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:20,280 cross is that this is about his relationship with them, in this 25 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:23,720 case a growing relationship. He, as he says, well, greater 26 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,000 love has no one than this. Then he would lay down his life 27 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,720 for his friends and he said to them, and I want to call you 28 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:33,160 friends. And I think that would be such 29 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,280 an amazing thing. Never remember, they were his 30 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:37,760 disciples. He taught them very well how 31 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,400 important it was that they would be his servants. 32 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:43,520 And then he also taught them how important it was for them to 33 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:47,520 grow in their stewardship. And I talked about how that we 34 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,960 have a relationship with God that basically just like when 35 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,600 we're raising children, we start out in the servant stage if he 36 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:57,400 would because, well, you have to tell the children what to do 37 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,000 because you're protected, protecting them. 38 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:02,240 And slowly you're training them and developing them. 39 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:05,560 And what we would call from a spiritual or scriptural point of 40 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:08,759 view, stewardship, and that is being responsible for life. 41 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:11,640 But then on this third level, he's saying, OK, now it's time 42 00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:14,280 for us to really have a deep relationship. 43 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:17,000 Now it's time for you to be my friends. 44 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,840 And I want you to know the price I'm willing to pay for that 45 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,960 friendship, says the Lord. I really believe with everything 46 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,160 within me that God is saying to the body of Christ today, it's 47 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,480 time for us to have a new relationship with him. 48 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:30,640 The firmer things have come to pass. 49 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,240 It's a new day, says the Lord. Amen, church. 50 00:02:33,640 --> 00:02:36,280 And God wants you to know this is your new day. 51 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,120 This is your new season, this is your new time. 52 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,840 And God's saying I'm inviting you into a new relationship. 53 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:47,000 Just let me bring you in, says the Lord, to a greater dimension 54 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,640 of experience with me. This past week I went and saw a 55 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:52,920 movie. It was called a Great Awakening. 56 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:56,360 And as you know, I talk a lot about the awakenings that have 57 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:59,000 been a part of the history of the United States of America, 58 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:03,400 because America has been used in a very special way in history. 59 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:08,600 And this year we'll be celebrating 250 years since the 60 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:13,360 Declaration of Independence. And we've had an amazing history 61 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,520 as a nation. It is definitely a blessed 62 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:18,880 history. And I've always brought out how 63 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:21,600 important it is for us to realize that's because of the 64 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,120 church and the Christians and our participation in the greater 65 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,240 society. It's important for us to 66 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:30,400 understand this because even secular historians in the past 67 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:34,760 have talked about the fact that America's had three, most say, 68 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:38,000 some say even four major awakenings. 69 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,280 And that was something happened in the church. 70 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:44,000 The church became more alive and through that it impacted the 71 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,560 greater society. And I believe with everything 72 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:48,320 within me, we need the same thing. 73 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:51,240 Well, George Whitfield was a part of that first Great 74 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,040 Awakening. And that was when in the early 75 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,560 days of American history, actually before the Declaration 76 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,560 of Independence, there were a lot of people who came here 77 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:04,960 often times for religious freedom, but mostly they came 78 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:08,360 for economic freedom and opportunities that coming to a 79 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:14,280 new land would afford them. But God had moved upon George 80 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,959 Whitfield and John Wesley, and they had this very special 81 00:04:17,959 --> 00:04:20,360 relationship with God in England. 82 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,000 They had what they called the Holy Club, and they were people 83 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,160 that just sold out for God. John Wesley came to the United 84 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:27,880 States and had a great influence. 85 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:31,680 Methodist Church is part of that beginning that he did here in 86 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,680 the United States of America. But George Whitfield was an 87 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:38,640 amazing preacher. And when he came, they say that 88 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:43,040 he's had like 30,000 sermons in his life. 89 00:04:43,280 --> 00:04:46,320 And I don't know who added all these things up, but there's 90 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:49,040 different numbers based on whether you called it a sermon, 91 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,280 if he spoke to a small group or not. 92 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:55,480 But he was a person who just preached everywhere and any 93 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,440 opportunity had. And so he'd preach in a city, 94 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:00,600 get on a horse and go to another city. 95 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,720 And he was trained as an actor, but he had this special 96 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:06,560 anointing from God where he could literally speak to 97 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:10,400 thousands of people. And they say literally that it 98 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:13,680 impacted all the 13 colonies, preparing the way for the Great 99 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:17,160 awakening that changed the nation, leading to the 100 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:20,320 Declaration of Independence. This particular film that talks 101 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:22,400 about his relationship with Benjamin Franklin. 102 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:25,560 So it's very interesting. I'm going to try to get it here 103 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:27,120 at the church. If I don't see more 104 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:29,200 availability. It's been kind of hard to track 105 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,720 down where it's at and the opportunities you can go see it. 106 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,320 But I'd encourage you, if you haven't, to take that 107 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:38,040 opportunity because this is a time when God's doing something 108 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:40,160 new. I believe this is a time for a 109 00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:44,120 new awakening for us to declare and her participate in. 110 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:47,280 And we need to have the faith that we can change a nation. 111 00:05:47,280 --> 00:05:50,520 Can anybody say Amen to that? How do you know we can change a 112 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,680 nation? And part of the changing of the 113 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:57,240 nation requires a change in US. And so that's why it's important 114 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:00,520 for us to recognize that. And today, going in John chapter 115 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:04,600 16, this is Jesus again as he's getting ready to leave, his 116 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:07,760 disciples said, I still have many things to say to you, but 117 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:11,600 you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the spirit of 118 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:13,960 truth has come, he will guide you into all truth. 119 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:17,120 For He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He 120 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,080 hears, He will speak, and He will tell you things to come. 121 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,120 He will glorify Me. For He will take what is a mine 122 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:27,320 and declare it to you. All things that the Father has 123 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:29,560 are mine. Therefore I said that He will 124 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,240 take of mine and declare it to you. 125 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,520 Now in this reference, and this is the Scripture I've been using 126 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:39,240 time and again because I love the fact that it talks about God 127 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:42,600 saying to us how important it is for us to realize He is a God of 128 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:45,320 appointed times. There's some things that we're 129 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:49,040 not ready for at this time, but when we are ready, that's when 130 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:51,880 God begins to move. And I believe that God has made 131 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,040 us ready for this time. Amen. 132 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:57,480 Well, Jesus Christ is talking about His departure and saying 133 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:00,200 to them, well, you're not going to be an orphan when I leave. 134 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:01,960 You're not going to be left alone. 135 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:05,320 He said matter of fact, I'm leaving, but my heart's desire 136 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:08,880 is that wherever I am, you may be, and it's important for you 137 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:10,760 to know I want to be where you are. 138 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:13,440 Now, some people take that scripture only to think that 139 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:16,480 Jesus can't wait till we get to heaven, but that's not what he 140 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:18,720 was talking about. He was talking about the fact 141 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:22,400 that there is a present tense reality in the presence of God 142 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:23,640 that we can have. Amen. 143 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:27,040 Well, the first Great Awakening was really about people being 144 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:30,000 born again. And like I said, that was a 145 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:33,800 different concept for most of those colonial people who had 146 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:36,840 come from countries where they had a state religion. 147 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:40,080 People were born into their church and they basically had 148 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:42,680 the religion of their country or the kindred, whatever. 149 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:47,960 But George Whitefield and later on Wesley as well, told people, 150 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:51,120 no, you need to be born again. And so that brought an amazing 151 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:54,080 awakening. There was a second awakening 152 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:57,160 where people began to see how important it was for people to 153 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:01,120 have a changed life and have social change as a part of that. 154 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,400 And then all the sudden people began to see something from the 155 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:08,120 Lord about a second work of grace called the baptism of the 156 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:10,720 Holy Spirit. In the early days it was what 157 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:12,840 was called the holiness movement, later became the 158 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:15,760 Pentecostal movement, later became the Charismatic movement, 159 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:20,120 but the emphasis was upon the move of the Holy Spirit and the 160 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:22,960 experience that we can have in the Holy Spirit. 161 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:26,320 Now I believe this is important for us to see and This is why 162 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:29,440 I'm sharing this word today because there is a change of 163 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:33,120 mindset that we've to have in our approach to understanding 164 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:36,760 both the Holy Spirit and how we relate to God in order for us to 165 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:39,760 fully participate in all that God has for us. 166 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,840 So in thinking about the Holy Spirit, I want you to notice 167 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:46,280 that when Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit, He was 168 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:49,360 talking about the Holy Spirit coming and it being all about 169 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:52,800 Him. When the Holy Spirit comes, the 170 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:55,000 Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth. 171 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:57,760 The Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance the things that I 172 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:01,080 said. The Holy Spirit will lead you 173 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:04,640 and guide you, and the Holy Spirit will speak to you about 174 00:09:04,680 --> 00:09:06,320 all the things that I had for you. 175 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,320 And He'll begin to show you really who I am. 176 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:13,840 Now the purpose of this is to understand that the Holy Spirit 177 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:18,920 comes not to speak of itself, but to speak of Jesus Christ. 178 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:21,680 And this is a part of this transition that we need to 179 00:09:21,680 --> 00:09:25,240 understand that God is doing today in the church because he 180 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:29,600 wants us to have this mindset about it all being about Jesus 181 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:33,720 Christ being the person of God that we are to relate to, to 182 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:36,600 understand. Now in thinking about the Holy 183 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:39,040 Spirit, I was a part of what was called the Jesus People 184 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:40,880 movement, the charismatic movement. 185 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:44,120 And often times in speaking about the Holy Spirit, people 186 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:46,680 want to make the Holy Spirit more personal people. 187 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,640 So sometimes people were saying things about the Holy Spirit 188 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,400 that we're really not based upon the scripture. 189 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:54,360 And I want to talk to you a little bit about that today. 190 00:09:54,680 --> 00:09:58,000 One guy actually wrote a book called Good Morning Holy Spirit, 191 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:00,760 and he was encouraging people, when you wake up in the morning, 192 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:02,520 just start talking to the Holy Spirit. 193 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:06,040 Now the problem with that is not, it's not biblical and the 194 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,720 Bible, no one talked to the Holy Spirit. 195 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:11,400 People talk to the Father in the name of the Son. 196 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,160 It's important for us to understand patterns. 197 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:16,520 Not like God's up in heaven saying, Nope, you're praying 198 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:17,880 wrong. Can't listen to that. 199 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:21,000 But the most important reason we have to know these things is the 200 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:24,640 mindset it gives us in our relationship with God and how 201 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:27,680 important that is. I grew up on the King James 202 00:10:27,680 --> 00:10:30,960 Version Bible and mentioned that last week and one of the changes 203 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:34,840 that came over time was in the King James Version and speaking 204 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:38,920 about the Holy Spirit. It would use the term it or 205 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:43,360 itself because when they were translating the Bible from the 206 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:47,480 Greek language, which is what the New Testament was, the word 207 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:52,200 spirit is a word that's neuter. It doesn't have a gender, male 208 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:55,080 or female. So as a pronoun, we have he, 209 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,520 she, or it. Obviously when talking about 210 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:00,720 female gender, when talking about the male gender. 211 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:04,640 But there's the word it that talks about no gender. 212 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,280 Now, when you think about this and you think about being called 213 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:10,760 an it, it made sense. A lot of people are saying we 214 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:15,000 can't call the Holy Spirit an it and that scripture says itself. 215 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:17,080 So they came up with newer translations. 216 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:19,800 I, for one, started reading from the new King James Version. 217 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:24,320 But we have to understand that based on that thinking, we, 218 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:27,800 we're really trying to interpret God from our understanding to 219 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,000 using our feelings to explain God. 220 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,320 And I want to explain that to you because it's important for 221 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:34,720 us to see how the Holy Spirit works. 222 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:38,600 Now it makes sense If somebody called you an it, how many know 223 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,800 they don't sound too good? You it that just don't sound 224 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:45,440 right, does it? As a kid, there used to be a 225 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:49,240 show called Adams Family and they had this strange relative 226 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:51,920 called it anybody else to remember it from the Adams 227 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,000 family? So of course it makes sense. 228 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:55,880 You don't want to call somebody in it. 229 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:59,200 But the point of it from a pronoun perspective is simply 230 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:04,280 this is saying that there is no gender related to this. 231 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:09,080 And now we need to understand why that's important for us 232 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:14,040 again, so that we can see how does this relate to how I relate 233 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,640 to God? Well, it's important to see here 234 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:20,560 that when Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit, when we have an 235 00:12:20,560 --> 00:12:24,520 experience in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit is not an end within 236 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:27,520 itself. The Spirit is the agency, if you 237 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:31,720 would, or God's presence, that what brings us to Christ. 238 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,720 It's the agent by which when we come into a service like this, 239 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:39,760 we have the sense of Christ. How do you know when we worship 240 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:41,320 and praise? You can have a sense that God is 241 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:43,960 in our midst. And how do you know that? 242 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,960 That's because the Bible says that when we come with the right 243 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:49,560 understanding, we should know Jesus is singing in the 244 00:12:49,560 --> 00:12:54,040 worshipping congregation, and the agency that makes us aware 245 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:58,560 of that is the Holy Spirit. When we participate in the 246 00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:01,320 sacraments of the church in different aspects of what we do, 247 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:04,880 we should realize it is about having an encounter with Jesus, 248 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:08,560 and the agency by which that's possible is the Holy Spirit. 249 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:11,480 Let me explain how it works in this particular scripture 250 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:15,840 because Jesus, in talking about the need to be born again, says 251 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:17,880 this. Most of the sure life say to 252 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:21,480 you, unless one is born with the water and of the Spirit, he 253 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:25,120 cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is 254 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:27,240 flesh. That which is born of spirit is 255 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:29,840 spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you 256 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:34,240 must be born again, but the wind blows where it wishes. 257 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:38,200 You hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from 258 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:42,280 and where it goes. So is everyone who has been born 259 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:44,520 of the Spirit. How many out there can say I've 260 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,720 been born again? How many know we should see it 261 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:50,400 as an amazing experience And that's what literally 262 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:55,200 transformed the colonies and made a foundation for America to 263 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:58,280 become a great nation. Now, how does Jesus say that 264 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:01,920 works? Well, the Holy Spirit's at work 265 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:04,680 and it's kind of like wind. I mean, when the wind's blowing, 266 00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:08,200 if you're just sensitive without watching The Weather Channel, 267 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:12,120 you just feel something and you might see the effect of it 268 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,840 moving the trees or in a storm, literally blowing over the 269 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,360 trees. But the Spirit represents that 270 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:21,200 which is unseen and not tangible. 271 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,520 If you would. But in speaking about being born 272 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:26,480 again, how are you born again? Well, you start out by saying, 273 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:29,080 well, somebody might say you need to receive Jesus in your 274 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:30,880 heart. OK, I want to receive Jesus in 275 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:32,840 my heart. Or Jesus Christ died on the 276 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:35,120 cross. So if you confess your sins, 277 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:38,080 he'll forgive you and you can be born again. 278 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:40,480 And so there's many different ways people will talk about it, 279 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,120 but how you know the new birth has to do with opening up your 280 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:47,520 heart to Jesus. But what does the Holy Spirit 281 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:49,440 do? Well, the Holy Spirit is the 282 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:53,880 agent by which you sense that. That's why I remember growing up 283 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:57,520 in church and people saying, you know, you can be, you can know 284 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:00,080 that you're born again because something happens inside of you. 285 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:03,160 You just know and you're nowhere that you're born again. 286 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:05,240 Amen. That's the work of the Holy 287 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:07,400 Spirit. But the point is, is it's 288 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:12,160 focused on Christ, his work, what he's done, and what you 289 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:15,680 want him to do in your life. That's why I put up here in the 290 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:18,760 Scripture said you must be born of water and of the Spirit. 291 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:22,200 I put those two words up there and put equal sacrament. 292 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:25,560 A sacrament is not a common term often used in Protestant 293 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:29,040 churches, but we use it because it is the word that has been 294 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:32,280 traditionally spoken of. And we actually believe that 295 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,920 whatever we do in church, we should experience something, 296 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:40,160 just like I said, in worship and praise when we had our water 297 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:42,720 baptism today. The Bible says in Romans chapter 298 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:46,680 6 that when we are baptized, we're buried with Christ in 299 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:49,440 baptism. That just as we are buried in 300 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:52,600 his death, we can also experience his what 301 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:55,280 resurrection. However, you know, that means 302 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:59,480 something happens and that's what sacrament means. 303 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:01,640 It means that God lay something out. 304 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:04,440 He says do this, and if you do that, this is what I'm going to 305 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:06,800 do. So we need to have that old 306 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:11,320 nature washed away if you would. When we take the Lord's Supper, 307 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:13,320 which we'll do at the close of the service. 308 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:17,480 The Bible says that when Jesus instituted that, he said taking 309 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:20,760 the bread, this is my body. When he took the cup, he said 310 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:22,600 this is the cup of the new covenant. 311 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:26,280 And so we see the elements. There's something visible, but 312 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:28,760 that visible represents Christ to us. 313 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:31,560 Amen. So although it's not Christ in 314 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:35,640 the sense that physically it's him, it is a representation of 315 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:38,240 him. And yet it is the Holy Spirit 316 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:41,200 that's going to do that work, whether we're taking communion 317 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:47,040 or whether we're being baptized. But again, the focus is on Jesus 318 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:51,840 Christ and the effect comes through the working of the Holy 319 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:54,280 Spirit. But the thing that we have to 320 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:58,280 understand is in coming from the Holy Spirit movement, 321 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:01,840 charismatic movement, to this next phase that God has for us, 322 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:06,440 we have to shift our focus even more so than in the past to 323 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:09,000 think, well, this is about Jesus Christ. 324 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:13,480 This is about focusing on a person because that's the 325 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:17,119 tangible expression that God has given to us. 326 00:17:17,319 --> 00:17:20,599 Look what the Scripture said, Jesus said to him, Have I been 327 00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:22,880 so long time yet? You do not know me. 328 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:26,200 He who has seen me has seen the Father. 329 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:29,920 So how can you say? Show us the Father a little 330 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:32,120 while longer and the world will see me no more. 331 00:17:32,120 --> 00:17:33,480 But you see me. Why? 332 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:36,440 Because I live. You will live also at that day 333 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:39,880 you will know that I'm in my father, you and me and I and 334 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:41,920 you. He who has my commandments and 335 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,560 keeps them. It is he who loves me, and he 336 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:48,800 who loves me will be loved by my father, and I will love him. 337 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,520 And what will I do? Manifest myself to him. 338 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:56,400 Now this scripture of the setting of this is again, Jesus 339 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:58,960 Christ is getting ready to leave his disciples. 340 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:03,200 And in this case Phillip is like, OK, show us the Father. 341 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:05,720 You're going to the Father. Won't you show us the Father? 342 00:18:06,120 --> 00:18:10,440 What's Jesus say? Don't you know, Philip, have I 343 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:14,360 been this long time with you that you don't realize that when 344 00:18:14,360 --> 00:18:18,400 you see me, you've seen the Father, that the Father's in me 345 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:22,880 and I in him, and ultimately we want to be in you. 346 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:27,440 It's important for us to see that Jesus Christ is making the 347 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:29,520 declaration that the Scripture does. 348 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:34,240 That is, He is the visible image of the invisible God. 349 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:39,000 So when he came here, even as he addressed the Father, it's 350 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:42,800 important for us to understand that his life, his attitudes, 351 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:47,200 the way he lived his life were also the attitudes of the Father 352 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:49,560 as well. Why is that important? 353 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:51,720 Well, some people look at the Old Testament God and they 354 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:54,400 think, well, he was the meanie, so he sent his Son, Jesus 355 00:18:54,400 --> 00:19:00,040 Christ. That's God the Nice makes it 356 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:03,400 possible for us to be forgiven, and even though we're still bad 357 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:06,800 people, we'll hide under the covering of Jesus Christ. 358 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:09,120 No, no, no. He wants us to understand the 359 00:19:09,120 --> 00:19:12,520 plan of God has been consistent from the beginning, that God has 360 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:16,480 always been there and God has always loved us. 361 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:20,520 He's always loved humanity. We're his creation. 362 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:23,840 Amen. And he didn't just create us, He 363 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:27,600 created us with a purpose. He didn't just create planet 364 00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:29,360 earth. The Bible says in the prophecy 365 00:19:29,360 --> 00:19:33,400 of Isaiah, He didn't create the earth for it to be empty and 366 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:35,520 void. He created it for people. 367 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,600 He created for a purpose. And guess who's going to fulfill 368 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:43,360 that purpose? You and I, but focusing on Jesus 369 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:46,760 Christ as the visible image, it also gives us something that we 370 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:50,800 can see that we can relate to because he is the first born 371 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:52,440 among many brothers. So let me know. 372 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:54,160 It's good for us to see what he's like. 373 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:58,280 I mean, to focus on that personal side is vitally 374 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:02,240 important, but also recognize that it's through that we will 375 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:04,720 obtain all the things that God has for us. 376 00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:08,280 Now I want to pose something very important from the 377 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:13,040 Scripture and that is. To ask the question, will we 378 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:18,440 sense him after that the Holy Ghost has come, or will we see 379 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:23,040 him? Jesus said, I'm going to leave, 380 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:25,520 but I'm going to come back. Isn't that what that scripture 381 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:28,160 said? And he said, and when I come 382 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:32,640 back, the world's not going to see me, but you're going to see 383 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:34,360 me. And then he said something more 384 00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:37,760 important than that. And you will also know me. 385 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:43,400 So in the Holy Spirit we can sense God's presence. 386 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:47,800 And I love to sense the presence of God and what that can do for 387 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:50,720 me. But He tells me that He wants us 388 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:54,560 also to see Him. And how is that possible? 389 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:59,040 Well, I will come and manifest myself to Him. 390 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:02,680 Now, this is something that God has been speaking me in recent 391 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:04,840 days. I've shared with you from time 392 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:08,040 to time how God's been speaking to me and saying I want to 393 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:11,440 expand your understanding and want you to see me in a way 394 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,400 you've never seen me before. And so I've been allowing God to 395 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:18,720 just open my understanding to a greater dimension because I want 396 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:21,120 God to manifest himself to me. Amen. 397 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,680 And what He says is you can see me. 398 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:30,760 Now, that doesn't mean I'm going to physically see him, but in 399 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:34,360 the situation that I'm in, I'm going to see him. 400 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,880 You see, as a part of what God was speaking to me in this 401 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:41,960 season as He's been preparing me for this time, as I began to see 402 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:45,960 God sitting on the throne, as the one who sits on the throne. 403 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:50,200 And the Bible says he rules in the affairs of men as well as in 404 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:53,920 the affairs of heaven. He is God all the time. 405 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:57,560 Amen. And so when I'm watching the 406 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:02,000 news and I'm hearing this person say they're going to do this and 407 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:06,600 this person say they going to do that, I understand everybody has 408 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:08,400 an opinion about what they're going to do. 409 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:11,040 And help me know there's a whole lot of programming you can watch 410 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:12,960 them. It has more opinions about it, 411 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:18,680 so you can listen to them. Usually you can hear the slant 412 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:20,280 that they're trying to get you to know. 413 00:22:20,280 --> 00:22:23,880 But when I watch anything, I might be trying to certain what 414 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:25,960 exactly is the truth in the matter. 415 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:30,840 But I always know this. God sits on the throne, Amen. 416 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:36,280 Give the Lord of praise. And what I also do is I say, 417 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:41,160 Lord, I want to see what you're doing because, Lord, I know that 418 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:44,120 whatever's happening in the world, you're doing something. 419 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:47,480 And some people will say, well, I know what God's doing. 420 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:50,440 I have these Bible prophecies. And they'll go back and they'll 421 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:51,800 say, well, this is what's going to happen. 422 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:54,080 This is what's going to happen. And some of these people have 423 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:57,760 been saying the same thing now for 100 years, and it hasn't 424 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:00,360 happened. That tells me people haven't 425 00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:04,720 been where they can see it yet. But God says to his church, you 426 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:08,400 can see what I'm doing. In our own individual lives, 427 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:10,600 sometimes we're in the midst of a crisis. 428 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:12,880 And when you're in the midst of a crisis, how many you know you 429 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,560 don't feel God as much. I know there's times when you 430 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:19,320 do, you go through a desperate, oh, I'm so glad I sense God. 431 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:22,520 Well, when you first get that bad news and all the strength 432 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:24,960 goes out of you, you're like not feeling it. 433 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:29,040 Or maybe it's a situation that you thought God was going to do 434 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:31,280 something and it turned out differently. 435 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:33,400 Or you've been standing on a promise. 436 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:34,920 It doesn't seem to be working out. 437 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:38,480 Sometimes you can feel well, you feel like you're not even a 438 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:41,480 Christian some days I'm you know, you don't always feel the 439 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:45,840 same everyday and I've learned this as you get older. 440 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:47,920 You don't always feel the same as you're used to when you were 441 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:52,880 younger. So our feeling can be very 442 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:57,400 deceiving, but what we see will never be deceiving. 443 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:00,400 And God says, I want to bring you to a place where you can 444 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:05,200 begin to see me if you would. And being aware of me built on 445 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:09,480 the person of Jesus Christ. But again, practicing it in 446 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:11,800 church, where you see him in the baptism, you see him in the 447 00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:13,880 communion, you see him in the worship and praise, you see him 448 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:15,840 here, you see him there. And then leaving the House of 449 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:18,240 God and saying, I can still see him. 450 00:24:19,120 --> 00:24:22,880 My God is at work in my family. God is at work in my business. 451 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:25,600 God is at work in my job. God's at work in all things. 452 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,360 Amen. And I really believe that we're 453 00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:30,760 in a time of great change. People in the world will tell 454 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:32,680 you the same thing. Some are calling it the 4th 455 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:34,560 turning. Other people are just talking 456 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:36,920 about how AI is transforming the world. 457 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:38,600 And who knows what's going to happen? 458 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:40,320 Whose jobs are going to still be there? 459 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:43,360 Well, there's all kinds of information out there, but I can 460 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:46,120 tell you this much. I'm going to be looking for God 461 00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:49,960 to be in the midst of everything that's in our lives because I 462 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:53,680 believe what God can do. Now that brings me to Moses. 463 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:56,800 And it says it came to pass when Moses entered the Tabernacle, 464 00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:59,680 that the pillar of cloud descended, stood at the door of 465 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:02,440 the Tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. 466 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:04,840 All the people saw the pillar called standing at the 467 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:08,120 Tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshipped each 468 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:12,240 man in his tent door. So the Lord spoke to Moses face 469 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:15,520 to face as a man speaks to his friend, and he would return to 470 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:17,680 the camp. But his servant Joshua the son 471 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:21,120 of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the Tabernacle. 472 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:23,920 And again the setting here. I read it to you in the opening 473 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:28,080 is the children of Israel are wandering in the wilderness. 474 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:31,560 The Lord has given Moses a pattern to build a Tabernacle. 475 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:35,120 It was called the Tabernacle of meeting and it was a place where 476 00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:38,960 they could meet God. And Moses had this very face to 477 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,720 face encounter with God. And literally when he went to 478 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:45,600 the Tabernacle of meeting, you could see the pillar of fire or 479 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:48,800 the pillar of a cloud, some visible demonstration that would 480 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,720 be before Moses. And that's why the Bible says he 481 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:54,320 spoke to God face to face as a man does his friend. 482 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:57,760 And all the people would watch and say when Moses goes to 483 00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:00,960 church, we got to keep our eyes on it is something great is 484 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:04,200 going to happen when Moses goes to the Tabernacle of meeting 485 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:06,000 church. How many came today to a 486 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:07,840 Tabernacle of meeting? Amen. 487 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:11,680 I love that song today. Inviting Jesus in the room is 488 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:15,160 what it's all about. But the Bible says he had a face 489 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:21,440 to face experience with God. Moses was the friend of God. 490 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:24,760 He spoke to God face to face as a man does his friend. 491 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:28,880 Now this next verse of Scripture will tell you how much he loved 492 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:33,200 the presence of God. It says that he said to God, if 493 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:36,800 your presence does not go with us, do not bring us from here. 494 00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:39,560 Or how then will it be known that your people and I have 495 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:42,520 found grace in your sight, except you go with us? 496 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,840 So we shall be separate. Your people and I from all the 497 00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:47,520 people are upon the face of the earth. 498 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:51,640 So the Lord said to Moses, I will also do this thing that you 499 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:54,920 have spoken for. You have found grace in my sight 500 00:26:55,200 --> 00:27:00,640 and what I know you by name. Wow, that's powerful, isn't it? 501 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:05,560 But see in chapter 32, the children of Israel had been bad. 502 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:08,280 How many know they had a lot of days where they were bad. 503 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:11,760 In this particular case, they had made a golden calf and 504 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:14,040 worshipped it and said that was the God that brought him out of 505 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:18,000 Egypt, Got Moses a little upset, got mad, a little bit upset. 506 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,680 So in this chapter, Moses is like, now God, you're still 507 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:23,680 going to go with us, aren't you? Because if you're not going with 508 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:25,800 me, I'm not going to the promised land. 509 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:28,280 And that's one of the things I've shared over the years over 510 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:30,160 and over again. I love Moses because he loved 511 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:32,000 the presence more than the promise. 512 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:35,680 As charismatic Christians, we believe not only in salvation, 513 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:37,600 but we believe in the benefits of the cross. 514 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:40,080 He was wounded for our transgression, just bruised for 515 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:42,640 our iniquities, just chastised for our peace. 516 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:44,440 Yes, and by his choice we were healed. 517 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:47,320 Yes, I believe all those things. But no matter what promise the 518 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:51,000 Word of God gives to me, I have to be like Moses and say it's 519 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:55,040 the presence more than the promise that I'm looking for. 520 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:59,480 But I also think it's so beautiful here how God said, now 521 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:02,960 Moses, you know I'm going to go with you because Moses, I know 522 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:06,400 you. I think that's so amazing that 523 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:08,040 God knows me. How about you? 524 00:28:09,120 --> 00:28:13,200 I watch news articles and look at things that are happening. 525 00:28:13,200 --> 00:28:15,680 I'd like to see science. And so when you talk about 526 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:18,640 science and what's going on, they have these satellites and 527 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,960 they have these ways of traveling to the planets out 528 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:24,680 there, farther past the moon than ever before. 529 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:27,880 And when they talk about the Galaxy, they talk about 530 00:28:28,120 --> 00:28:32,760 universes, more universes, galaxies, more galaxies, how we 531 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:34,400 know everything out there is getting bigger and bigger. 532 00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:38,080 They're always looking for life because they can't believe that 533 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:40,480 there's something unique or special about planet Earth. 534 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:45,440 But there is as far as you can go and as far as you can see. 535 00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:47,680 They want to believe there's life somewhere else. 536 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,800 I'm sure there's people that are going to believe there's life 537 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:53,960 someplace else. I do know that the heaven is his 538 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:56,160 throne, so something's up there. Amen. 539 00:28:56,800 --> 00:28:58,520 But I want you to understand something. 540 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:02,000 It's so important to know that the Earth has been created for a 541 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:06,240 very special purpose. And as big as all of that is, 542 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:09,520 and even as big as planet Earth is, even though it looks quite 543 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:14,200 small in the major scheme of things, looking down on planet 544 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:18,240 Earth, God knows you. That blows my mind. 545 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:20,840 I think you know me. Little old me. 546 00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:25,120 Yeah, I know you. Lauren Cobrubius and you can 547 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:28,040 throw in your name there because he knows you isn't that amazing 548 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:32,120 and at the same time he's in but I want you to know me more than 549 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:35,760 you ever known me before. Now this is interesting because 550 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:38,880 Moses is all excited about the fact that he's in the presence 551 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:42,080 of God says, oh God, please show me your glory. 552 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:45,120 Then he said I will make my goodness pass before you. 553 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:47,520 I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. 554 00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:50,760 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will have 555 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:53,000 compassion and whom I will have compassion. 556 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:58,040 But he said you cannot see my face, for no man shall see me 557 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:00,000 and live. Wait a minute. 558 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,320 He just said he saw God face to face. 559 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:04,800 But God saying you can't see my face. 560 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:08,120 But what God was saying is most of us should see my face. 561 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:10,480 We have this personal connection, right? 562 00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:14,920 But there's a certain thing about what I am you cannot see. 563 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:17,440 Just like with the Ark of the Covenant I showed you a picture 564 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:19,240 of last week. You know, if you touch the Ark 565 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:22,800 of the Covenant, you could die. And there's something about God 566 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:24,840 that's so awesome He could kill you. 567 00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:27,000 That's amazing thought, isn't it? 568 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:30,760 But the point of all that is that God is saying, now, Moses, 569 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:31,960 you have to understand something. 570 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:35,440 It's not what you're seeing of me that's going to matter. 571 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:38,920 It's who you see in me that's going to matter. 572 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:41,560 Amen. And so, Moses, I want you to 573 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:44,480 understand something. And so I'm going to give you a 574 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:47,120 little glimpse of what you want to see, but you have to 575 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:52,000 understand something that my goodness, my mercy, my 576 00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:54,920 graciousness, what's going to pass before him? 577 00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:59,880 Everything that God was, that was demonstrated in the life of 578 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:04,200 Jesus Christ, that's what he would experience. 579 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:07,240 And this is something important to understand because sometimes 580 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:11,640 in our quest for more of God and what he is, we forget the fact 581 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:16,240 that God says no, remember, let's make this personal. 582 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:20,000 And that's why I say keep it about the person of Jesus 583 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:21,760 Christ. And that's why when we think 584 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:24,920 about sacraments or church service, everything is make it 585 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:29,400 personal because that's when you can really touch what God has 586 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:31,440 for you. Now, it's important to 587 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:35,120 understand that. So we want to see something 588 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:39,160 about what God is. And that's the key factor here. 589 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:42,120 Now I used the scripture a couple weeks ago as well, 590 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:45,200 looking at from a little different perspective today. 591 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:48,680 So I catch we need to catch the change of what I'm trying to say 592 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:52,480 here because he said hear now my words. 593 00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:56,320 If there's a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to 594 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:58,760 him and division. I speak to him in to ring. 595 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:02,760 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 596 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:08,360 I speak with him face to face, even plainly and not in dark 597 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:12,320 sayings, and he sees what the form of the Lord. 598 00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:16,680 Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? 599 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:21,160 And as I've explained in Numbers chapter 12, marrying an Aaron, 600 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:22,920 who are the brother and sister of Moses. 601 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:25,240 They're mad at him. They're even talking about him 602 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:28,200 and fighting with him. And God speaks from heaven. 603 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:32,080 How many know that's a good argument to have for Moses? 604 00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:36,480 I really believe that God wants to do awesome things for his 605 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:38,080 people. He said those who know they're 606 00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:40,480 God, they're going to do exploits in the anointing of the 607 00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:42,640 Holy Spirit. We're going to hear the voice of 608 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:44,240 heaven like never before. Church. 609 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:47,680 It's going to be powerful. But what God was saying about 610 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:52,920 Moses as he sees me face to face and he says he sees my form. 611 00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:56,520 I wasn't talking about the fact that Moses saw a burning Bush or 612 00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:59,960 pillar fire. Pillar of a cloud isn't that. 613 00:32:59,960 --> 00:33:04,000 He saw a mountain that was thundering and lightning and 614 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:07,480 shaking with like an earthquake. It was like through each and 615 00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:13,200 every one of his experiences, Moses saw who God was. 616 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:19,720 He saw something about God in a personal sense, and that's why 617 00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:24,000 for him it was such an important experience every step of the 618 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:29,760 way, because Moses saw the form of God, and God is saying to us 619 00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:33,240 today that he wants us to see that form. 620 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:37,760 And again, it's not talking about the visible in that sense, 621 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:42,320 but it's talking about seeing God in every situation, seeing 622 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:45,160 where God is in your life at this moment in time. 623 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:49,000 Because church, there's never been a time like this time. 624 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:51,200 That's why I love this scripture. 625 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:53,560 It says, beloved, we are children of God. 626 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:56,760 And in this case written a couple thousand years ago, he 627 00:33:56,760 --> 00:34:01,320 says, and it does not yet been revealed what we shall be, but 628 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:05,720 we know that when he's Speaking of Jesus Christ is revealed, we 629 00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:08,280 shall be what like him. Why? 630 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:14,400 For we shall see him as he is, and everyone who has this hope 631 00:34:14,639 --> 00:34:19,360 in him purifies himself, just as I am here. 632 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:21,280 Can we all bow our heads for just a moment? 633 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:28,560 Because this such an essential thing to witness, the moment 634 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:35,280 God's been telling you. It's a new time, hasn't he? 635 00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:40,120 You know, there's something new going on, something fresh in the 636 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:49,760 air. He's wanting us to sense and 637 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:55,600 know with confidence. He knows you and what you know 638 00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:57,240 of him. He's in, but you're going to 639 00:34:57,240 --> 00:35:01,120 know more. You're going to know more. 640 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:07,800 Father, we just thank you for this amazing time and believe 641 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:12,080 that we will see you in our lives in every circumstance and 642 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:15,600 situation. We'll see your form. 643 00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:19,560 This is Pastor Lauren Coverbius from Mount Zion Church. 644 00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:22,520 We thank you for joining us today and invite you to connect 645 00:35:22,520 --> 00:35:26,160 with our church family by visiting mountzion.org and 646 00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:28,760 following us on social media. God bless you.