WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:03.100 But I feel like God has just put a scripture 00:00:03.100 --> 00:00:09.859 on my heart that is a word that I've been meditating 00:00:09.859 --> 00:00:12.400 on for about two weeks now. I haven't written 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:17.420 anything down about this word. But as I was paddling 00:00:17.420 --> 00:00:22.500 my kayak, this word kept coming to me over and 00:00:22.500 --> 00:00:26.440 over and over. And I want to share it with you 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:30.819 this morning from the book of 1 Kings. chapter 00:00:30.819 --> 00:00:36.679 19. And so if you'll go there with me, it's about 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:46.500 Elijah. And so let's just take a moment and let's 00:00:46.500 --> 00:00:51.439 pray. Father, I'm just asking that even if this 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:55.799 is for one person here this morning, as you have 00:00:55.799 --> 00:01:01.100 put a pause on the word that I was going to preach, 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:07.840 as I put a pause, as you have put a pause on 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:15.000 that, I just ask that this word would go in to 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:21.200 somebody this morning. And we just open up our 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:24.319 hearts to what you have to say. Give us ears 00:01:24.319 --> 00:01:30.060 to hear. what you have to say in Jesus' name. 00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:36.480 Amen. Somebody asked me what was the best part 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:39.640 about the trip. And I shared with you already 00:01:39.640 --> 00:01:43.840 that it was physically demanding. But the best 00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:46.799 part about my trip was not the fishing or the 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:48.939 pictures. Some of you saw the pictures I posted 00:01:48.939 --> 00:01:54.700 on Facebook. The best part about the trip was 00:01:54.700 --> 00:01:59.400 that I was alone for eight days. I've never experienced 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:01.640 that. There were a few people I saw at Portages 00:02:01.640 --> 00:02:05.879 and I talked with them, but for the most part, 00:02:05.900 --> 00:02:09.960 for eight days, I was by myself. And it wasn't 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:14.680 that I was away from my family or my wife. What 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:21.240 really made being alone quality was that I had 00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:27.520 no cell reception. I had no media to scroll. 00:02:28.860 --> 00:02:35.520 I had no news to listen to. I had no sports to 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:40.300 give myself to. For eight days, it was me and 00:02:40.300 --> 00:02:46.080 Jesus. And I listened to his voice. And about 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:49.939 the third or fourth day, I began to hear God 00:02:49.939 --> 00:02:53.199 speak to me. on a level that I had not heard 00:02:53.199 --> 00:02:59.219 in a long time. Hearing God. And as I would paddle, 00:02:59.300 --> 00:03:02.599 I would sing often. A lot of times I would just 00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:06.259 listen, but many times I would sing to the Lord 00:03:06.259 --> 00:03:11.979 and just converse with the Father and talk with 00:03:11.979 --> 00:03:16.680 Him. I believe that everybody, whether it's eight 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:21.360 days or whether it's a portion of each day, You 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:25.659 need time alone with the Father. There are seasons 00:03:25.659 --> 00:03:29.599 maybe that you need a retreat like that to get 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:32.460 alone with God, to hear from Him for an extended 00:03:32.460 --> 00:03:37.800 period of time. That's very difficult. It's never 00:03:37.800 --> 00:03:42.259 happened for eight days in my life ever. The 00:03:42.259 --> 00:03:45.599 longest I'd ever been alone was three and a half 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:51.659 days. And it was just an amazing, amazing experience. 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:56.460 And while I'm talking with the Lord, one night 00:03:56.460 --> 00:04:01.120 when I was preparing a meal, this verse in 1 00:04:01.120 --> 00:04:05.960 Kings 19 came to my heart. Now to give you some 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:10.300 background, if you back up and get the story 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:14.870 that set this up. Elijah had just won an incredible 00:04:14.870 --> 00:04:20.069 victory. He had challenged the prophets of Baal, 00:04:20.069 --> 00:04:23.750 and he had taunted them. He challenged them to 00:04:23.750 --> 00:04:27.540 a duel of who was God. The God that answers by 00:04:27.540 --> 00:04:31.459 fire. He is God. And of course, the prophets 00:04:31.459 --> 00:04:34.459 of Baal went first and they called out all day 00:04:34.459 --> 00:04:39.120 and they cut themselves and they cried out with 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:41.759 everything that they had. And all the while, 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:44.540 Elijah was walking back and forth and watching 00:04:44.540 --> 00:04:47.420 them and he was taunting them. And he'd say, 00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:51.920 where is your God? He can't answer by fire. And 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:56.579 one time, one translation says, is your God sitting 00:04:56.579 --> 00:05:01.480 on the toilet? And so he was mocking the prophets 00:05:01.480 --> 00:05:08.120 of Baal. He had great boldness mocking the prophets 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:12.680 of Baal. And then it was his turn. And he said, 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:14.500 we're going to do something before I call on 00:05:14.500 --> 00:05:18.120 the name of my God. We're going to cover the 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:21.120 altar. We're going to cover the sacrifice. We're 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:23.839 going to flood it with the very thing that should 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:26.939 extinguish the fire. We're going to flood it 00:05:26.939 --> 00:05:29.560 with water. And so they brought the water and 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:33.439 they poured it on the sacrifice. And then Elijah 00:05:33.439 --> 00:05:39.279 called on the name of the Lord. And fire. came 00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:42.720 down from heaven, licked up all the water, licked 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:45.779 up the sacrifice, burned the sacrifice in front 00:05:45.779 --> 00:05:49.579 of them all. And the people, the people that 00:05:49.579 --> 00:05:52.620 were watching this began to cry out and say, 00:05:52.660 --> 00:05:58.079 the Lord, he is God. The Lord, he is God. And 00:05:58.079 --> 00:06:02.660 Elijah took the 400 prophets of Baal and put 00:06:02.660 --> 00:06:06.439 them all to the sword. Sounds like Hollywood, 00:06:06.620 --> 00:06:10.319 doesn't it? And it was on the heels of that, 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:17.459 that Elijah, he went into a deep depression. 00:06:17.500 --> 00:06:19.399 That's not really what I'm going to talk about 00:06:19.399 --> 00:06:28.600 today. But he began to fear Jezebel. And we see 00:06:28.600 --> 00:06:33.160 in verse 1, Ahab had told Jezebel everything 00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:35.519 Elijah had done and how he had killed all the 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:39.500 prophets with the sword. And Jezebel sent a messenger 00:06:39.500 --> 00:06:42.620 to Elijah to say, may the gods deal with me, 00:06:42.860 --> 00:06:46.120 be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow 00:06:46.120 --> 00:06:48.600 I do not make your life like that of one of them. 00:06:50.180 --> 00:06:54.980 This was the power of this wicked, wicked false 00:06:54.980 --> 00:07:03.379 prophetess. Elijah was afraid and ran for his 00:07:03.379 --> 00:07:08.800 life. And when he came to bear Sheba in Judah, 00:07:09.060 --> 00:07:15.100 he left his servant there while he himself went 00:07:15.100 --> 00:07:26.480 a day's journey into the wilderness. He came 00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:34.279 to a broom brush. He sat down under it and prayed 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:40.879 that he might die. I've had enough, Lord, he 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:44.240 said. How many of you have ever told God that? 00:07:45.379 --> 00:07:50.839 Maybe you weren't like, maybe not severe so much 00:07:50.839 --> 00:07:58.040 as Elijah. Maybe. Maybe. God, I've had enough. 00:08:01.220 --> 00:08:09.860 God, I can't take it anymore. Take my life. I'm 00:08:09.860 --> 00:08:15.879 no better than my ancestors. And he lay down 00:08:15.879 --> 00:08:22.540 under the bush and fell asleep. Now here's the 00:08:22.540 --> 00:08:28.000 part that began to speak to me. These phrases 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:31.639 that we're about to read kept coming over and 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:35.980 over into my heart all week. All at once an angel 00:08:35.980 --> 00:08:45.129 touched him and said, Get up and eat. He looked 00:08:45.129 --> 00:08:50.649 around and there by his head was some bread baked 00:08:50.649 --> 00:08:58.509 over hot coals and a jar of water. He ate and 00:08:58.509 --> 00:09:04.190 drank and lay down again. And the angel of the 00:09:04.190 --> 00:09:06.950 Lord came back a second time and touched him 00:09:06.950 --> 00:09:13.200 and said, Get up and eat, for the journey is 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:22.200 too much for you. So he got up and ate and drank. 00:09:22.679 --> 00:09:28.019 Now listen to this next sentence. Strengthened 00:09:28.019 --> 00:09:38.070 by that food. Everybody say that food. Strengthened 00:09:38.070 --> 00:09:44.370 by that food, he traveled 40 days and 40 nights 00:09:44.370 --> 00:09:49.970 until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 00:09:51.370 --> 00:09:59.590 And he went into a cave. That food. Now here 00:09:59.590 --> 00:10:06.149 I am. I'm at the campfire. And I had... Fried 00:10:06.149 --> 00:10:12.029 some walleye and some rice, some Spanish rice. 00:10:15.190 --> 00:10:18.070 And I'm looking at this food and this phrase 00:10:18.070 --> 00:10:21.070 is going into my mind from this chapter of Scripture. 00:10:22.730 --> 00:10:26.929 And I just felt the question come to me, how 00:10:26.929 --> 00:10:31.789 long is this food going to strengthen you? And 00:10:31.789 --> 00:10:36.679 I said, well, probably about eight hours. I was 00:10:36.679 --> 00:10:42.120 physically exerting myself miles and miles every 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:45.419 single day. When I got to the campsite, usually 00:10:45.419 --> 00:10:47.779 when we get to the campsite, we hang around a 00:10:47.779 --> 00:10:50.639 fire and then we stay up late into the night 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:53.879 and we watch the stars. But I was so exhausted 00:10:53.879 --> 00:10:57.139 that as soon as the dishes were washed, I would 00:10:57.139 --> 00:11:02.860 crawl into my tent and fall asleep. The food 00:11:02.860 --> 00:11:07.480 that I ate would last. A little while. And in 00:11:07.480 --> 00:11:10.679 the morning I had to make another fire. And cook 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:15.860 some oatmeal. And that oatmeal last me. The oatmeal 00:11:15.860 --> 00:11:20.080 does not last as long. As fresh fried walleye. 00:11:20.179 --> 00:11:24.299 I'm just telling you that. You need. Sometimes 00:11:24.299 --> 00:11:26.779 you just need fresh fried walleye. That's just 00:11:26.779 --> 00:11:31.179 the truth. And it's a glorious thing. I feel 00:11:31.179 --> 00:11:33.299 the anointing of the Lord right now. As I'm saying 00:11:33.299 --> 00:11:38.750 this. You need that. You need that. I didn't 00:11:38.750 --> 00:11:41.149 hear what Dale said, but I know it wasn't important. 00:11:44.029 --> 00:11:47.970 What'd you say? Fried chicken. Fried chicken 00:11:47.970 --> 00:11:55.309 with friends. Hallelujah. The strength of that 00:11:55.309 --> 00:12:00.769 food. Elijah, this food was unlike any other 00:12:00.769 --> 00:12:05.970 meal. That Elijah had ever eaten before. This 00:12:05.970 --> 00:12:12.129 food was not typical bush food. This food, this 00:12:12.129 --> 00:12:16.629 bread. That had been fresh baked over coals. 00:12:17.049 --> 00:12:28.509 This jar of water. Was made by an angel. Elijah. 00:12:29.500 --> 00:12:35.799 was being fed by the hand of an angel. Bread 00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:41.840 cooked over hot coals, a jar of water, and Elijah 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:44.500 drank it and went back to sleep, and he ate it 00:12:44.500 --> 00:12:48.879 and went back to sleep. And a second meal was 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:53.240 prepared for him. This was the bread of heaven. 00:12:54.039 --> 00:12:57.419 It very well could have been like... Like the 00:12:57.419 --> 00:13:02.039 manna only prepared and baked. That the Israelites 00:13:02.039 --> 00:13:06.220 had many years before, 40 years in the wilderness. 00:13:07.139 --> 00:13:14.039 The bread of angels. The bread of heaven. That 00:13:14.039 --> 00:13:21.840 which God himself instructed an angel to feed 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:27.759 the prophet in his weariness. And in His place 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:31.519 of need. And I want to tell you in your place 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:35.240 of need this morning, in your place of weariness, 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:41.279 in your place of saying, God, I just don't have 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:44.679 it in me anymore. I want to tell you in that 00:13:44.679 --> 00:13:50.879 place that God has prepared a meal for you. He 00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:57.389 has prepared food for you. But it is up to you 00:13:57.389 --> 00:14:01.309 and I. I love what Elijah did because he's discouraged. 00:14:01.590 --> 00:14:05.210 He's afraid. He is at the end of his rope. But 00:14:05.210 --> 00:14:07.309 you know what he did? He went into the wilderness. 00:14:08.169 --> 00:14:13.809 And he positioned himself before the Lord. And 00:14:13.809 --> 00:14:15.590 I want to tell you the mistake that we often 00:14:15.590 --> 00:14:18.690 make when we feel like this is that we turn to 00:14:18.690 --> 00:14:23.889 everything but God. And we listen to all the 00:14:23.889 --> 00:14:26.950 other voices. And I want to ask you this morning 00:14:26.950 --> 00:14:29.850 the question that I felt like God was asking 00:14:29.850 --> 00:14:35.690 me during the trip. What are you feeding on? 00:14:37.669 --> 00:14:42.750 What are you eating? Because if you are eating, 00:14:43.450 --> 00:14:46.549 The stuff, and here I'm not talking about the 00:14:46.549 --> 00:14:49.090 food that we're about to feed our bodies with. 00:14:49.190 --> 00:14:54.230 I'm talking about the food that feeds your spirit 00:14:54.230 --> 00:14:58.210 man. What are you feeding on? Because some of 00:14:58.210 --> 00:15:03.330 you are starving. Some of you are starving because 00:15:03.330 --> 00:15:07.889 you are not eating the food that God has provided 00:15:07.889 --> 00:15:15.480 for you. What are you feeding on? Are you feeding 00:15:15.480 --> 00:15:22.000 on food that will give you strength? Or are you 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:28.580 feeding on junk that will do nothing for you? 00:15:29.980 --> 00:15:35.860 What are you feeding on? What are you feeding 00:15:35.860 --> 00:15:44.269 on? The strength of that food took Elijah. 40 00:15:44.269 --> 00:15:52.350 days and 40 nights to the mountain of God. Now 00:15:52.350 --> 00:15:55.169 that mountain, you can read about that encounter 00:15:55.169 --> 00:15:57.690 on your own. It was an incredible encounter and 00:15:57.690 --> 00:16:00.789 it gave Elijah the instructions for the rest 00:16:00.789 --> 00:16:05.289 of his life. And it was an awesome encounter. 00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:08.779 That was the encounter I think Elijah was craving. 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:11.120 But until you have that encounter, I want to 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:16.139 tell you, God has sustenance for you. What are 00:16:16.139 --> 00:16:20.980 you feeding on? Are you feeding on the news? 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:25.019 See, these are all the things that I was able 00:16:25.019 --> 00:16:28.960 to turn off when I went into the wilderness. 00:16:30.570 --> 00:16:34.129 And it took about three days to purge all those 00:16:34.129 --> 00:16:38.490 voices out of my body. You know what I found 00:16:38.490 --> 00:16:44.090 out? I'm feeding too much on that stuff. I'm 00:16:44.090 --> 00:16:48.929 not feeding on the food that God had for me. 00:16:50.190 --> 00:16:54.539 You know, in John chapter 4, Jesus is with the 00:16:54.539 --> 00:16:57.080 woman at the well. It's an incredible encounter. 00:16:57.419 --> 00:17:01.539 Jesus prophesies over this woman and exposes 00:17:01.539 --> 00:17:05.539 to her her life. And she is overwhelmed by it 00:17:05.539 --> 00:17:09.660 all. And it's during that conversation that says, 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:16.240 The time is coming. Things that Jesus said like, 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:18.380 hey, the time is coming when people are neither 00:17:18.380 --> 00:17:21.220 going to worship here nor in Jerusalem, but true 00:17:21.220 --> 00:17:24.900 worshipers will worship God in spirit and in 00:17:24.900 --> 00:17:28.640 truth. Hallelujah. He taught us during that conversation 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:31.680 about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, how the 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:35.660 Spirit of God would well up from within us and 00:17:35.660 --> 00:17:38.559 become a fountain of eternal life. And he's having 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:41.220 this conversation with this woman who has had 00:17:41.220 --> 00:17:44.279 500 husbands and is now living with a man that 00:17:44.279 --> 00:17:48.859 he's not married to. And Jesus chose this woman 00:17:48.859 --> 00:17:52.059 to be the evangelist that would win the entire 00:17:52.059 --> 00:17:55.940 town to Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. We should never 00:17:55.940 --> 00:17:59.480 write anybody off. God has purposes for everybody. 00:17:59.619 --> 00:18:02.099 And you feel like your life has fallen apart 00:18:02.099 --> 00:18:04.759 and like you haven't done things well? Jesus 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:08.279 will still choose you and use you. Hallelujah. 00:18:08.539 --> 00:18:12.500 To do great things for God. I feel the presence 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:16.099 of the Lord right now. Hallelujah. The disciples 00:18:16.099 --> 00:18:19.480 weren't there because they were off in the village 00:18:19.480 --> 00:18:26.039 buying food. And they came back. They came back 00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:33.059 with their Jimmy Johns. And they laid it out 00:18:33.059 --> 00:18:35.559 before Jesus. They said, Jesus, come and eat. 00:18:35.579 --> 00:18:37.319 They were astonished that he was talking with 00:18:37.319 --> 00:18:42.519 a woman. And you know what Jesus told them? I 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:48.859 have food that you do not know about. And they 00:18:48.859 --> 00:18:53.299 thought, what did, did he get some McDonald's 00:18:53.299 --> 00:19:02.339 when we weren't looking? And Jesus told them, 00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:07.319 he said, my food is to do the will of my Father. 00:19:09.160 --> 00:19:16.420 To obey Him. That was what fed His Spirit. The 00:19:16.420 --> 00:19:19.059 food that God has for you, it starts with the 00:19:19.059 --> 00:19:22.960 Word of God. It starts with the infilling of 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:27.000 the Holy Spirit. But the food that God has for 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:31.339 you is abundant. The sources that God wants to 00:19:31.339 --> 00:19:34.019 feed you from when you're in the center of His 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:37.829 will. are everywhere. How many of you felt fed 00:19:37.829 --> 00:19:40.730 from God as people were sharing the words that 00:19:40.730 --> 00:19:43.930 God had put on their heart this morning? Do you 00:19:43.930 --> 00:19:46.269 know what that is? That's God giving you food 00:19:46.269 --> 00:19:50.970 to eat. Hallelujah. There is the food of encouragement 00:19:50.970 --> 00:19:54.250 that God wants you to impart to one another. 00:19:54.410 --> 00:20:00.430 That's food that we need to eat. I am on a... 00:20:01.019 --> 00:20:04.480 Boundary Waters Facebook group, imagine that. 00:20:05.599 --> 00:20:08.420 And we talked together about the Boundary Waters. 00:20:10.359 --> 00:20:15.319 Today, or yesterday, or maybe Friday, I can't 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:20.640 remember, a gentleman texted me that I'd never 00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:26.089 heard of before. And because I had written on 00:20:26.089 --> 00:20:28.450 the page, it's not a spiritual group, but I write 00:20:28.450 --> 00:20:33.910 sometimes about my spiritual encounters. Maybe 00:20:33.910 --> 00:20:37.849 not with strong words, but I try to put it out 00:20:37.849 --> 00:20:43.329 there. And he wrote me a note and he said, I've 00:20:43.329 --> 00:20:47.170 been on the Boundary Waters page for two or three 00:20:47.170 --> 00:20:49.869 years now. Now you need to understand that there's 00:20:49.869 --> 00:20:53.829 20 ,000 people on this page. He said, I've been 00:20:53.829 --> 00:20:56.930 on the page for two or three years now, and you 00:20:56.930 --> 00:20:59.690 are the most encouraging person in the whole 00:20:59.690 --> 00:21:03.210 group. And I don't say that to pat myself on 00:21:03.210 --> 00:21:09.410 the back. When he reached out with that word 00:21:09.410 --> 00:21:13.849 of encouragement for me, do you know what that 00:21:13.849 --> 00:21:19.509 did for me? It was like a meal that I was feeding 00:21:19.509 --> 00:21:25.549 on. I just want to ask you, what are you feeding 00:21:25.549 --> 00:21:36.589 on? What voices are you listening to? What voices 00:21:36.589 --> 00:21:41.710 are you listening to? Elijah went on the strength 00:21:41.710 --> 00:21:45.569 of that food. You know what that tells me? That 00:21:45.569 --> 00:21:48.609 tells me that that food was not just physical 00:21:48.609 --> 00:21:54.640 bread. It came from heaven. You don't eat a piece 00:21:54.640 --> 00:22:02.079 of bread and journey for 40 days. There was something 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:07.400 spiritual in there. It came from heaven. Hallelujah. 00:22:08.359 --> 00:22:12.700 What are you feeding on? The sustenance that 00:22:12.700 --> 00:22:17.240 God has for you will carry you where you need 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:23.019 to go. Now, as we were worshiping this morning, 00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:28.359 the Lord brought me to Colossians chapter 1. 00:22:28.619 --> 00:22:33.539 And this phrase kept coming up to me as we were 00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:39.859 worshiping. It's all about Jesus. Isn't it? It's 00:22:39.859 --> 00:22:44.579 all about Jesus. It is all about Jesus. Hallelujah. 00:22:44.700 --> 00:22:49.490 This life that we live is all about Jesus. Praise 00:22:49.490 --> 00:22:53.549 God. It is all about following Him. And so I 00:22:53.549 --> 00:22:57.009 turned, you didn't see me turn there, but I was 00:22:57.009 --> 00:23:00.250 turning to Colossians chapter 1. And I want to 00:23:00.250 --> 00:23:02.670 give you something that you can feed on because 00:23:02.670 --> 00:23:08.089 it is all about Jesus. He is an amazing, amazing 00:23:08.089 --> 00:23:13.490 God. Amen? And we have got to feed on Him. And 00:23:13.490 --> 00:23:17.369 in Colossians chapter 1, oh hallelujah, this 00:23:17.369 --> 00:23:19.910 is so good. I don't even know where to start 00:23:19.910 --> 00:23:23.329 reading because it's all so good. But let's start 00:23:23.329 --> 00:23:29.049 reading in verse 13. For he has rescued us from 00:23:29.049 --> 00:23:33.609 the dominion of darkness and brought us into 00:23:33.609 --> 00:23:39.140 the kingdom of the Son that he loves. In Him, 00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:43.480 we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:47.380 Glory to God. Now, I want to tell you, as I'm 00:23:47.380 --> 00:23:50.000 reading that, you know what it's doing to me? 00:23:50.119 --> 00:23:55.460 It is feeding my soul. I want to read it again 00:23:55.460 --> 00:23:58.519 because it's talking about the kingdom of God. 00:23:58.619 --> 00:24:00.839 Do you know the kingdom of God is the kingdom 00:24:00.839 --> 00:24:06.140 of the Son, Jesus Christ. For he has rescued 00:24:06.140 --> 00:24:11.160 us from the dominion of darkness. Who in here 00:24:11.160 --> 00:24:14.799 was under the dominion of darkness? Who in here 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:18.380 was in the clutches of sin? Maybe you were gripped 00:24:18.380 --> 00:24:22.819 by addiction. You didn't even know the direction. 00:24:23.660 --> 00:24:27.220 your life was going, you might have even for 00:24:27.220 --> 00:24:31.819 a season enjoyed the dominion of darkness. But 00:24:31.819 --> 00:24:37.539 then it exercised its demonic influence over 00:24:37.539 --> 00:24:41.500 you. And Jesus, you turn to the Lord, and He 00:24:41.500 --> 00:24:45.140 has delivered us, rescued us from that evil dominion, 00:24:45.140 --> 00:24:49.759 and brought us into the kingdom of the Son. He 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:54.900 loves. Hallelujah. This, friends, is Jesus. In 00:24:54.900 --> 00:25:01.259 Him, we have redemption. Glory to God. Glory 00:25:01.259 --> 00:25:03.380 to God. I want to talk about that word redemption. 00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:06.480 I want to feed your soul for a little bit this 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:09.240 morning. Because when you gave your life to Jesus, 00:25:09.339 --> 00:25:12.160 it's not that he just gave you a ticket that 00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:15.579 when you die, you can get to heaven. That's not 00:25:15.579 --> 00:25:18.619 the only thing that happened. I'm no longer going 00:25:18.619 --> 00:25:21.720 to hell. I'm going to heaven. Well, I am happy 00:25:21.720 --> 00:25:25.220 about that. Praise God. I hope you're happy about 00:25:25.220 --> 00:25:29.460 that too. But Jesus did not just come to get 00:25:29.460 --> 00:25:35.390 you to heaven. He came to redeem your life. And 00:25:35.390 --> 00:25:39.170 this means that everything about your life that 00:25:39.170 --> 00:25:42.549 was garbage, that was junk, that was all the 00:25:42.549 --> 00:25:47.150 stuff, that Jesus is redeeming it. He is buying 00:25:47.150 --> 00:25:51.289 it back and he is turning it all around so that 00:25:51.289 --> 00:25:55.289 it will work for your good on your behalf in 00:25:55.289 --> 00:25:59.789 Jesus' name. Hallelujah. And so he is delivering 00:25:59.789 --> 00:26:03.309 you from the darkness, but he is using all of 00:26:03.309 --> 00:26:06.359 the stuff that was part of your past and turning 00:26:06.359 --> 00:26:10.480 it into a testimony for the glory of God. Hallelujah. 00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:14.839 Somebody's got to get excited about that. He 00:26:14.839 --> 00:26:18.240 redeems you. And then it says the forgiveness 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:24.460 of sins. The forgiveness of sins. We need to 00:26:24.460 --> 00:26:31.000 thank God right now that he has washed away all 00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:37.130 of the darkness. All the stuff that nobody sees. 00:26:38.710 --> 00:26:42.269 All the stuff that people did see or do see. 00:26:43.970 --> 00:26:51.630 The forgiveness of sins. Think about your sin 00:26:51.630 --> 00:26:55.170 for a moment. I don't want to do that, Pastor. 00:26:56.170 --> 00:27:01.309 Well, sometimes it's important to remember that 00:27:01.309 --> 00:27:07.670 pile. That pile. Some of you were really good 00:27:07.670 --> 00:27:14.930 at sinning. Some of you were really good at it. 00:27:15.609 --> 00:27:21.750 Some of you were better at it than others. Some 00:27:21.750 --> 00:27:32.509 of you carried shame for what you did for years. 00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:46.519 Can I remind you this morning that at the cross, 00:27:46.619 --> 00:27:57.500 Jesus delivered you and forgave you and washed 00:27:57.500 --> 00:28:13.000 away all of your sin. What are you eating? Are 00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:18.559 you still feeding on the shame? Are you still 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:22.460 feeding on the deception and the lies of the 00:28:22.460 --> 00:28:31.779 enemy? What are you feeding on? I want to remember 00:28:31.779 --> 00:28:36.740 that I'm forgiven. And that Jesus has delivered 00:28:36.740 --> 00:28:42.660 me and washed me from my shame. Hallelujah. taken 00:28:42.660 --> 00:28:55.119 it all. What are you feeding on? The Son is the 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:59.160 image of the invisible God. Now, I want to remind 00:28:59.160 --> 00:29:01.759 us this morning as I'm reading through this about 00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:05.480 Jesus. We're talking about Jesus. He's the one 00:29:05.480 --> 00:29:09.500 that lives in you. He's the one that now resides 00:29:09.500 --> 00:29:14.660 in you. Christ in me. The hope of glory. It is 00:29:14.660 --> 00:29:20.880 the great mystery. Jesus lives inside of me when 00:29:20.880 --> 00:29:24.220 I give my life to Him. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 00:29:24.259 --> 00:29:29.440 Ask your neighbor, is Christ in you? Is Christ 00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:35.140 in you? Is Jesus in you? Now I want to tell you 00:29:35.140 --> 00:29:37.799 who Jesus is this morning. I want to give you 00:29:37.799 --> 00:29:41.039 the description that Paul gave to the people. 00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:44.240 This is where we should feed. This is what we 00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:48.259 should eat. The Son is the image of the invisible 00:29:48.259 --> 00:29:54.759 God. The firstborn over all creation. In Him. 00:29:55.019 --> 00:29:58.500 Now imagine me out in creation. Some of those 00:29:58.500 --> 00:30:01.859 pictures I posted on my Facebook page. In Him. 00:30:02.589 --> 00:30:08.329 All things were created. Everything. He lives 00:30:08.329 --> 00:30:13.809 in me. Things in heaven. Things on earth. Visible 00:30:13.809 --> 00:30:20.049 and invisible. Whether thrones or powers or rulers 00:30:20.049 --> 00:30:24.670 or authorities. All things. Everybody say all 00:30:24.670 --> 00:30:30.130 things. Have been created through him and for 00:30:30.130 --> 00:30:36.359 him. He is before all things and in him all things 00:30:36.359 --> 00:30:41.559 hold together. Praise the Lord. He is the head 00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:48.940 of his body. The church. Do you know how much 00:30:48.940 --> 00:30:54.859 comfort that gives me? I'm just the pastor. He 00:30:54.859 --> 00:31:01.500 is the head. He is the head. You know, I know 00:31:01.500 --> 00:31:03.700 there's never any problems here at Faith Church. 00:31:04.920 --> 00:31:08.279 We never have any problems, do we, Shelley? No? 00:31:09.500 --> 00:31:14.339 We never have any problems here. But that's not 00:31:14.339 --> 00:31:22.720 true. Just so you know, that's not true. But 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:27.279 when I pray, you know what I can say to the Lord? 00:31:28.970 --> 00:31:32.769 I can say, Jesus, you have a problem in your 00:31:32.769 --> 00:31:40.630 church. Do you know how freeing that is? That 00:31:40.630 --> 00:31:45.849 this is not my church? I'm a pastor here, but 00:31:45.849 --> 00:31:50.789 it is not my church. He is the head of faith 00:31:50.789 --> 00:31:55.640 church. Amen? Let's just declare that together. 00:31:56.039 --> 00:32:01.099 He is the head of faith church. Let's declare 00:32:01.099 --> 00:32:06.880 it again. He is the head of faith church. Glory 00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:10.640 to God. He is the head of the body, the church. 00:32:11.599 --> 00:32:13.660 Do you know you can do the same thing for your 00:32:13.660 --> 00:32:17.880 family? Do you know that Jesus is in charge of 00:32:17.880 --> 00:32:21.940 your family if you'll let him be? You can give 00:32:21.940 --> 00:32:25.400 it to him. You can say, Lord, this is your family. 00:32:26.420 --> 00:32:32.240 I need you to work in my family. We belong to 00:32:32.240 --> 00:32:38.519 you. We serve you. Jesus, this is your problem. 00:32:39.640 --> 00:32:45.000 You are free, my friend. That doesn't mean you 00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:47.380 don't have responsibility or action, but that 00:32:47.380 --> 00:32:49.160 means he's the one that's going to take care 00:32:49.160 --> 00:32:53.519 of it. He's the one that's going to do it. He 00:32:53.519 --> 00:32:56.039 might show you what to do. He might give you 00:32:56.039 --> 00:32:58.740 a piece of wisdom. He might call you to repentance 00:32:58.740 --> 00:33:01.720 so that you can have healing in a relationship. 00:33:02.059 --> 00:33:05.799 You have a part to play, but it is Him that is 00:33:05.799 --> 00:33:12.079 going to do it. He's the head. He's the beginning 00:33:12.079 --> 00:33:16.400 and the firstborn from among the dead. So that 00:33:16.400 --> 00:33:22.450 in everything, He might have the supremacy. Now 00:33:22.450 --> 00:33:25.089 listen to this. This is the Jesus that lives 00:33:25.089 --> 00:33:27.390 in you. I can't even comprehend this. I don't 00:33:27.390 --> 00:33:30.250 even know how to say it to you. But I hope it 00:33:30.250 --> 00:33:34.890 does something on your inside to say, God is 00:33:34.890 --> 00:33:41.750 big and He lives in me. Listen to this. God was 00:33:41.750 --> 00:33:49.809 pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Christ. 00:33:55.500 --> 00:34:04.799 The fullness of God dwells in me. You can feed 00:34:04.799 --> 00:34:11.920 on that for a while. The fullness of God dwells 00:34:11.920 --> 00:34:17.559 in me. It's no wonder that says God is for us. 00:34:17.800 --> 00:34:22.000 Who can be against us? Whom shall I fear? The 00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:24.400 fullness of God who created everything in the 00:34:24.400 --> 00:34:29.440 universe. The fullness of God who brought us 00:34:29.440 --> 00:34:32.400 the Word of God. The fullness of God who sent 00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:35.619 His Son to die on a cross and redeem me. The 00:34:35.619 --> 00:34:39.000 fullness of God that has worked miracles. In 00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:41.780 fact, just in this room, let alone in the entire 00:34:41.780 --> 00:34:45.000 body of Christ, the miracles represented in this 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:50.869 room. The fullness of God dwells inside of you. 00:34:54.070 --> 00:34:56.329 You know, you get a hold of that and you'll quit 00:34:56.329 --> 00:35:09.170 worrying. The fullness of God lives in you. And 00:35:09.170 --> 00:35:13.150 through him, to reconcile to himself all things, 00:35:14.380 --> 00:35:16.440 whether things on earth or things are heaven, 00:35:16.500 --> 00:35:22.179 by making peace through his blood shed on the 00:35:22.179 --> 00:35:27.000 cross. Once you were alienated from God and were 00:35:27.000 --> 00:35:30.500 enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior, 00:35:30.719 --> 00:35:37.420 but now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical 00:35:37.420 --> 00:35:44.090 body through death to present you holy. In his 00:35:44.090 --> 00:35:57.030 sight. The holiness that is in Jesus. Has been 00:35:57.030 --> 00:36:04.610 transferred. To you. This is why. You can't stay 00:36:04.610 --> 00:36:08.869 in your sin anymore. This is why when the Holy 00:36:08.869 --> 00:36:11.469 Spirit convicts you of addiction and how you 00:36:11.469 --> 00:36:15.349 treat the temple of the Holy Spirit, it's because 00:36:15.349 --> 00:36:21.389 Christ lives in you. This is why you can't live 00:36:21.389 --> 00:36:25.690 like the world lives or be in love with the things 00:36:25.690 --> 00:36:30.130 that the world is in love with. Because Christ 00:36:30.130 --> 00:36:38.389 lives in you. You are holy. like Christ is holy. 00:36:40.829 --> 00:36:45.730 Have I attained perfection? No. But I am becoming 00:36:45.730 --> 00:36:50.289 more and more like Christ as He gives me strength 00:36:50.289 --> 00:36:55.309 and power. He sees me. It is God's will for my 00:36:55.309 --> 00:37:05.679 life to walk in holiness. Without blemish, free 00:37:05.679 --> 00:37:11.059 from accusation. Now here's the word. If you 00:37:11.059 --> 00:37:16.820 continue in your faith. Established and firm. 00:37:18.320 --> 00:37:21.420 And do not move from the hope held out in the 00:37:21.420 --> 00:37:27.059 gospel. That's why the enemy tries to feed you 00:37:27.059 --> 00:37:31.980 other things. To move your hope away from the 00:37:31.980 --> 00:37:40.400 gospel. You have to stay firm, planted in Him. 00:37:42.679 --> 00:37:46.659 This is the gospel that you heard and that has 00:37:46.659 --> 00:37:49.179 been proclaimed to every creature under heaven 00:37:49.179 --> 00:37:53.639 and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. 00:37:55.519 --> 00:38:00.239 That's just one example of what you and I should 00:38:00.239 --> 00:38:05.590 be feeding on. And I want to ask you simply this 00:38:05.590 --> 00:38:11.409 morning, what are you feeding on? Let's pray. 00:38:15.789 --> 00:38:22.090 Father, I ask you right now, as your spirit is 00:38:22.090 --> 00:38:25.730 in this room, I can sense you in this place ministering 00:38:25.730 --> 00:38:31.170 and speaking to people. There have been people 00:38:31.170 --> 00:38:34.630 in this room and... Different seasons of my own 00:38:34.630 --> 00:38:38.969 life, God. Where I have been feeding on the wrong 00:38:38.969 --> 00:38:43.710 things. And this morning, God, we simply need 00:38:43.710 --> 00:38:47.449 to acknowledge it. And we need to come back to 00:38:47.449 --> 00:38:52.650 the table of the Lord. Elijah went through junk. 00:38:52.849 --> 00:38:57.469 And so do we. But he positioned himself to hear 00:38:57.469 --> 00:39:06.420 from God. To feed on what God had for him. God, 00:39:06.460 --> 00:39:12.960 I ask this morning that you would see the heart 00:39:12.960 --> 00:39:19.039 cry of every person here. People that have been 00:39:19.039 --> 00:39:22.420 feeding on the wrong stuff. And they end up believing 00:39:22.420 --> 00:39:25.800 the wrong stuff. And they end up worrying and 00:39:25.800 --> 00:39:30.679 fretting. And they end up with vain imagination. 00:39:33.260 --> 00:39:35.840 And they end up, oh God, with all kinds of thoughts 00:39:35.840 --> 00:39:40.019 that are not your will and not your plan because 00:39:40.019 --> 00:39:45.800 they're feeding on the wrong stuff. This morning 00:39:45.800 --> 00:39:52.539 I ask that you'd help us to turn. God, it took 00:39:52.539 --> 00:39:55.920 a couple days to flush all that stuff out of 00:39:55.920 --> 00:40:02.980 me. And I don't want to go back. God, I want 00:40:02.980 --> 00:40:06.420 to feed on what you have for me. I want to dwell 00:40:06.420 --> 00:40:09.059 in the land, feed on your faithfulness. I want 00:40:09.059 --> 00:40:11.579 to eat the meal that you have for me. I want 00:40:11.579 --> 00:40:17.179 to receive all that you've got for me. God, direct 00:40:17.179 --> 00:40:20.460 from your word. I want to receive from your spirit. 00:40:20.639 --> 00:40:23.139 I want to receive from the brothers and sisters 00:40:23.139 --> 00:40:25.840 that you've put in my life. I want to receive 00:40:25.840 --> 00:40:28.380 from the many different ways that you speak to 00:40:28.380 --> 00:40:33.849 my heart. I want to hear your voice. Friend, 00:40:33.889 --> 00:40:35.849 if you're here this morning and you just freely 00:40:35.849 --> 00:40:40.010 confess, I've been having some of the wrong voices 00:40:40.010 --> 00:40:44.789 in my heart and in my mind. They've been influencing 00:40:44.789 --> 00:40:49.349 me in the wrong direction. If that's you, I'd 00:40:49.349 --> 00:40:51.289 just like you to stand up all over this place. 00:40:51.409 --> 00:40:52.849 You might have been a Christian. You might be 00:40:52.849 --> 00:40:55.570 an elder or a deacon in the house. But you've 00:40:55.570 --> 00:40:57.670 been giving yourself to the wrong voice. Just 00:40:57.670 --> 00:41:00.630 stand up all over this place. And by doing that, 00:41:00.670 --> 00:41:02.230 you're just saying, God, I want to give myself 00:41:02.230 --> 00:41:05.909 to the right voices in Jesus' name. It takes 00:41:05.909 --> 00:41:10.030 courage to do that, I know. Just asking you. 00:41:10.090 --> 00:41:20.610 Come on. Come on. Come on. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 00:41:25.219 --> 00:41:32.360 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh my God. You're doing 00:41:32.360 --> 00:41:34.500 a work right now. Just as if you're standing. 00:41:35.300 --> 00:41:39.420 I want you to just. I want you to just confess 00:41:39.420 --> 00:41:41.420 those things in your heart to the Lord right 00:41:41.420 --> 00:41:47.719 now. And just say God. I just repent of. Of listening 00:41:47.719 --> 00:41:52.179 to the wrong voice. About how I view myself. 00:41:53.840 --> 00:42:00.460 My situation. My future. God, I want to listen 00:42:00.460 --> 00:42:05.480 to you. I want to feed on the food that you are 00:42:05.480 --> 00:42:13.000 preparing for me. Hallelujah. God, these standing 00:42:13.000 --> 00:42:16.079 right now, I just pray that you'd give them special 00:42:16.079 --> 00:42:22.110 grace to overcome. I pray they would know there 00:42:22.110 --> 00:42:25.329 is therefore now no condemnation for those that 00:42:25.329 --> 00:42:29.610 are in Christ Jesus. For those that are in Christ 00:42:29.610 --> 00:42:37.030 Jesus. Hallelujah. Have been set free. In Jesus 00:42:37.030 --> 00:42:45.630 name. We belong to you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 00:42:47.409 --> 00:42:55.190 And this will apply to. Anybody here this morning, 00:42:55.289 --> 00:43:06.250 if you are here and you are just saying, God, 00:43:06.409 --> 00:43:11.750 I want to give myself to feed on the things that 00:43:11.750 --> 00:43:15.389 God has for me. I want you to stand as well. 00:43:16.090 --> 00:43:19.489 And I want you to say, God, here I am to feed 00:43:19.489 --> 00:43:23.269 on the things that you have given for me. Hallelujah, 00:43:23.730 --> 00:43:28.329 hallelujah, hallelujah. Oh God, we praise your 00:43:28.329 --> 00:43:32.590 name. We praise your name. We give you glory. 00:43:32.809 --> 00:43:35.469 God, just express that to the Lord right now. 00:43:35.949 --> 00:43:38.809 Just say, Lord, I want to feed on what you have 00:43:38.809 --> 00:43:41.269 for me. In Jesus' name.