1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,000 [♪ Music playing. A video by Laura Gautier, a member of the Go Church family. 2 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,840 Hello, Go Church family! I'm Laura. I'm here with Pastor Matt Hatovo. 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:14,760 Hey, everybody! 4 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:15,600 And Gilbert. 5 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:17,080 Hey, everyone! 6 00:00:17,080 --> 00:00:18,040 Welcome! 7 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:19,000 Yay! 8 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:19,920 It's good to be back. 9 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,200 It is good to be back. We're so glad to be with you today. 10 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:28,760 And we are so excited to get back into our series called Complete Unity. 11 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,280 I told you Laura would be back. 12 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:32,400 Laura's back. 13 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:33,720 I'm back. 14 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:35,160 Whoop, whoop. Excellent. 15 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:38,680 This is now the podcast team is in Complete Unity. 16 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:39,240 That's right. 17 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:40,160 Yes. 18 00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:42,200 So this is going to be a good series. 19 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:47,080 I've already just enjoyed our discussion, opening it up. 20 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:49,600 But we have a lot of things. 21 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:51,840 We have a lot of good things happening in Go Church. 22 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,000 Yeah, that's right. 23 00:00:55,000 --> 00:01:00,960 We are excited because as we get into the series, we're going to see more and more and more. 24 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:06,440 We're going to be able to understand the importance of unity with the Father, 25 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:13,320 unity between ourselves and unity, which brings results in our walk with the Lord. 26 00:01:13,320 --> 00:01:15,320 So I'm really excited about that. 27 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:19,600 Before we get into it, I just want to make a couple of quick announcements. 28 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:24,920 First announcement point is that we are this is part one. 29 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:30,080 Out of three parts for our February series called Complete Unity. 30 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:37,800 So we're as we always do, we record our podcasts, we release our podcasts on the Sunday. 31 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:44,080 And we expect over the course of the week that everyone at Go Church listens to the podcast 32 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:50,520 and is able to take thoughts, see new things. 33 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:55,720 And hopefully the discussion becomes more and more fruitful in our grow groups, 34 00:01:55,720 --> 00:02:03,680 because if you're part of Go Church, you're part of a group, because we are a group space church. 35 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:11,960 Like we also mentioned last last week in our introduction, in our series over the year, 36 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:19,200 we're really going to as much as possible touch upon the values of our grow groups. 37 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:27,440 And I'm so thankful for Lara because she came up with the acronym that I'm actually happy to say. 38 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:32,440 It's not like I have to hide behind my hands to say it, but the acronym is CAC. 39 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:33,880 What does CAC stand for? 40 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:38,920 It stands for Care, Accountability, Activation and Communication. 41 00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:40,360 And a tasty breakfast. 42 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:41,560 That's right. 43 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,560 I'm hungry now. 44 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:50,480 So what I will also say is that towards the end of this month, 45 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:58,320 so on the fourth Friday of this month, we're going to have our believers gathering. 46 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:00,280 It's been a while that we haven't had one. 47 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:10,120 So I'm really looking forward to getting together, worshipping the Lord together and just taking the time to minister to the Lord. 48 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:12,040 Yeah, that'll be February 23rd. 49 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:20,040 And we missed because of the Christmas holiday and then we missed because of some scheduling conflict in January. 50 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,680 February 23rd, it's a great opportunity for all of us to come together. 51 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:25,800 We call it a believers gathering. 52 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:28,200 Who's welcome at a believers gathering? 53 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:29,480 Everybody. 54 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:34,680 If you're hearing this, you're welcome and you're welcome to bring someone. 55 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:39,040 And we come together during that time. 56 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:43,960 And so, so many testimonies, I hear so many testimonies. 57 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:50,520 And in those testimonies is this phrase like I was in a time of worship, 58 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:55,760 I was in a time of prayer and the Lord spoke to me or I saw this truth. 59 00:03:55,760 --> 00:04:01,920 And that's what these believers gatherings are really designed for, is to create that space. 60 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:06,960 Maybe we should do it more often, but we're going to do it on February 23rd and it's going to be great. 61 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:07,840 Yeah, that's awesome. 62 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:09,920 So doors open at seven. 63 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:17,440 Typically, we start at seven thirty and sometimes it's an hour long, sometimes an hour and a half long. 64 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:18,360 Sometimes two. 65 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,360 Sometimes. Yeah, basically. 66 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:22,800 But it's always a great time. 67 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:23,880 This is what it is. 68 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:28,640 It's always special and we're always blessed with the presence of the Lord. 69 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:35,520 And that's that's what we come together for, because we're expecting to see the glory of God in manifestation. 70 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,760 Go Church Beirut and in Lebanon. 71 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:40,840 We're so excited about what the Lord is doing. 72 00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:44,560 And this is why we, you know, this is why we get together. 73 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,840 We talk about series and we build upon these series. 74 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:54,320 And, you know, we take a series for the month and then we dig deeper and deeper and deeper into it. 75 00:04:54,320 --> 00:05:02,120 It's not like we're just wanting to share theology or share, you know, the latest, coolest thing we heard about the Bible. 76 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:12,040 We want to unpack the word of God, which belongs to you as part of Go Church Beirut, because there is life, there is anointing, 77 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:21,440 there is power in that word that we can receive for ourselves, but also unpack in our lives, through our lives, for others around us, 78 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:25,720 because we can change dynamics in our families. 79 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:27,920 We can change the nation. 80 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,640 We can change the region with the word of God. 81 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:36,960 And so we start by applying that in our lives and walking out the word of God in our lives. 82 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:38,680 That's well said. 83 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:44,880 Praise the Lord. And so let's get into our series for this month called Complete Unity. 84 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:55,760 I'm so blessed that Christelle got to join us last week and introduce the series, share from her heart about this series, 85 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,960 about this title of the series, which I really, really like. 86 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:09,200 I so enjoy the name of this series and the fact that it's not just unity, but it's complete unity. 87 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:17,080 And the more I just sit down and think about the series, the more I realize, well, it's important. 88 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,440 You know, there's different elements to it. 89 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:25,720 And actually, that's what we're going to look at over the course of the month. 90 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:31,160 Over the course of this month, we're going to talk about this in three parts. 91 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:37,880 So part one, which is what we're going to dig into today, is unity with God the Father. 92 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:43,760 Part two next week, we're going to build on that and we're going to talk about unity with one another, 93 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:49,120 because unity is not complete unity unless it involves one another. 94 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:56,240 And in part three, we're going to talk about unity bringing results. 95 00:06:56,240 --> 00:07:04,240 So how about we read the purpose of our series together and we can just elaborate on this. 96 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:06,920 Laura, would you like to read that for us? 97 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:13,320 We want the Go Church family to grow in unity with the Father so that we can grow in unity with one another, 98 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:16,600 so that the world will be able to see Jesus. 99 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:23,000 When we love one another, we fulfill the commandment of God by showing Jesus to the world. 100 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:23,800 Praise God. 101 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:24,840 Amazing. 102 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:26,200 Yeah, I like that. 103 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:28,320 I like that we always have a purpose to what we do. 104 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:28,880 Yeah. 105 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:34,560 It keeps us on track, you know, and this is hopefully what we do on podcasts, 106 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:41,040 also models the dynamics of discussions and grow groups, because, you know, it's not a free for all Q&A, right? 107 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:44,960 We're looking at the Word of God concerning complete unity, 108 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:54,000 concerning the love of God, concerning our walk with one another so that the world will be able to see Jesus. 109 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:54,720 Yeah. 110 00:07:54,720 --> 00:08:02,480 Our purpose in this message, it really echoes our purpose as a church, our values as a church, 111 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:08,400 to experience the unconditional love of God, grow in His love and then go. 112 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:16,200 Go is at the root and also then at the pinnacle of what we're aiming at. 113 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:22,520 Our purpose is to take that which we've received from Him and give it away. 114 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:30,680 You made the comment about grow groups are not a place where, you know, it's a debate of ideas. 115 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:39,720 And the reason for that is debating ideas doesn't help me grow. 116 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:48,000 And debating ideas will not empower me to go with His love to the rest of the world. 117 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:53,200 But something you said, Gilbert, when you were beginning there is from First Peter, 118 00:08:53,200 --> 00:09:03,640 that the Word of God, if we'll take the Word of God in, the Word of God will make us grow and grow what? 119 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:09,720 Grow strong in Him. If we grow strong in Him, He is love. 120 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:21,040 And this discussion that we're having this week really gives us the opportunity to look at who He is, what He's like. 121 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:25,960 And as we look at Him, you know what happens. We are made like Him. 122 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:27,640 Yes. 123 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:34,920 Praise God. So I really want to read a passage of scripture in the truth New Testament. 124 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:41,080 I wanted to read it to Pastor Matt and to Lara before the mics were on, but we said, hey, let's not do the... 125 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:42,320 We're sharing this with everyone. 126 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:47,120 Yes. Let's not do the Bible study before the Bible study. Let's get into this. 127 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:55,240 And I just thought it's a great passage because this is actually the passage that Christel was reading 128 00:09:55,240 --> 00:10:00,320 when the Lord actually spoke to her heart and said, you know, this is what the church needs to get. 129 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:03,760 It's, you know, it is about unity. 130 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:11,320 And actually, I'm sure we'll get into this over the month, but the Lord even shared that word with Pastor Matt. 131 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:18,520 And he shared it with us as part of the Emerge team. 132 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:22,640 The lead team at Go Church Beirut. 133 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:32,040 And he was talking to us about how important unity is and how important it is that we never find ourselves in a place of division. 134 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:41,480 And so we talked about unity and division last week, and we talked about it being like math swords, right? 135 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:50,560 Kind of whereby this really stood out to me when I saw it is that unity is it means singular. 136 00:10:50,560 --> 00:10:52,680 It means singularity. It means oneness. 137 00:10:52,680 --> 00:11:00,680 So it doesn't mean, you know, many parts that are just kind of put together with super glue or gorilla glue or whatever that looks like. 138 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:04,640 But it's a single unit. That's what unity is. 139 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:10,640 It's a single it points to one whole part. 140 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:20,120 And actually, as I was reading in John, Chapter 14 through to 17, 141 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:29,720 and I was reading through the Passion Translation, actually, and there was a part that was talking about union or to be united with. 142 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:35,280 And this is what Jesus was was was praying out in John 17. 143 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:40,040 The word in Aramaic was actually shrunk into one. 144 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:44,760 You know, it means like compressed into a single point. 145 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:50,280 You know, that's that's what the word union or unity means when he talks about being. 146 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:56,080 I am one with you, Father, and they are one together. 147 00:11:56,080 --> 00:12:06,120 And so it literally talks about they are shrunk into one or they were they are compressed together into a single unit. 148 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:11,640 And I just it's such a powerful image when we see what unity means. 149 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:18,680 So let me read through First Corinthians, Chapter one, verses four through to ten. 150 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:23,000 I'm going to read it in the truth New Testament. 151 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:32,480 And and hopefully we're going to get to see all three parts over the month that we're going to talk about in this passage. 152 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:38,800 And we'll take it from there. So First Corinthians, Chapter one, verse four. 153 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,680 This is Paul talking to the church. 154 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:49,680 I am always thankful to God for you because he has shown you so much grace through your union with Christ Jesus. 155 00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:56,600 So immediately here we see union, unity with Christ Jesus because you live in Christ. 156 00:12:56,600 --> 00:13:00,320 You have been blessed with all his heavenly riches. 157 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,600 He has blessed you in every conceivable way. 158 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:11,600 You know that all his riches are yours and you're able to speak his many blessings over your lives. 159 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:27,080 So we automatically so I'm pausing here, but we immediately see that our union with the Father through Jesus leads us to enjoy all these heavenly blessings, 160 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:31,360 all these riches that the God has in store for us. 161 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:37,440 So when we're united with him, everything that belongs to him belongs to us. 162 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:47,360 Let me read on verse six. This is possible because all we taught you about Christ was imparted to you when you believed in him. 163 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:52,040 For this reason, you do not lack any of his spiritual gifts. 164 00:13:52,040 --> 00:14:04,320 They are yours to enable you to persevere in faith as you look with eager expectation for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed in his full majesty and glory. 165 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:15,120 He will keep you strong to the very end so that on that glorious day when you come before our Lord Jesus Christ, you will be without any blame or guilt. 166 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:24,840 God is faithful and he is able to do this because he has called you to live at one with his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. 167 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:26,440 So all that belongs to us. 168 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:37,680 Every single every single part of that that we don't lack any spiritual any spiritual gifts that we we are blessed with all these heavenly riches that, you know, 169 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:41,120 we are able to speak his many blessings over our lives. 170 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:47,480 Yeah. All of that because he has called you to live at one with his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. 171 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:49,720 Let me let me tie this up. 172 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:59,360 Verse 10, I urge you strongly in his name to be in agreement with one another. There should not be any divisions among you. 173 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:05,880 You should be united perfectly, even agreeing together in the way you think. 174 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:16,800 So so we see here these these three parts, we see our union with the father, we see that he urges us strongly to be in unity with one another. 175 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:20,800 And he calls it what I really like is you should be united perfectly. 176 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:23,640 Yeah. Perfect unity, complete unity. 177 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:34,120 I really like that. And then he talks about when we have unity with the father, unity with one another, then there are results that come. 178 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:36,160 Yeah, we start to see the blessings. 179 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:39,000 We start to walk in these spiritual gifts. 180 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:46,120 We start to be able to effectively serve one another in the strength of God. 181 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:51,120 And that's the thing. Everybody wants the results of unity. 182 00:15:51,120 --> 00:16:00,520 I mean, without a doubt, even if you don't know exactly what they are, let me tell you, you want the results of unity. 183 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:06,520 The the thing is, all those results are in that oneness. 184 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:20,560 They're in that that fellowship together where I was just reading in the my Bible where it says we've been called to live as one. 185 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:28,000 The translation I have is we have been called to live in fellowship and we've looked at that word fellowship a lot, you know, 186 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:35,200 which is not just being together, but it's acting as one. 187 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:40,640 It's putting energy and effort together. And yeah. 188 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:50,320 And it and Paul, he said, I'm telling you, the whole church at Corinth, and that applies to the church in Beirut, there should be no division among you. 189 00:16:50,320 --> 00:17:04,880 Why? Because there's no division in the plan of God and there's no division in God's plan for his relationship with us. 190 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:10,760 His there's no division in between the father and the son. 191 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:16,480 They are at one. They're they're two separate, but they're at one. 192 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:19,920 How can that be? Well, that's what we're going to talk about. 193 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:34,760 Yeah. So we kind of started from the end here talking about how unity leads to results and how the Lord planned it this way because he's trying to get us to a certain place. 194 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:47,240 And he's trying to get us to to like he's trying to enhance our walk with him and help us enhance our walk with others so that we can accomplish this great big plan. 195 00:17:47,240 --> 00:18:00,080 But let's go back to the very beginning and talk about that plan that God has that, you know, that that initial intention, which is revealed. 196 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:11,080 In the story of redemption, because unity and perfect unity was actually his intention from the very beginning. 197 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:28,200 So if we if we go back to the story of creation, we see that we were created or mankind was created for perfect unity with the father, perfect unity with God. 198 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:51,120 And so how about we go we go back to Genesis one and we look at the story of the creation of man in chapter one versus twenty six through to twenty eight. 199 00:18:51,120 --> 00:18:57,560 So let me read this. I'm going to read it from the New King James version, Genesis, chapter one, verse twenty six. 200 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:01,920 Then God said, let us make man in our image. 201 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:06,640 Sorry, I'm going to cut myself off here, but I love the language. 202 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:09,040 Let us make man in our image. 203 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:14,160 So already we see that God is united. 204 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:23,400 We saw that last week, but I'm just I want to emphasize this again, that he already had unity in himself. 205 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:29,000 That is his character. That is his nature that he is unified. He is united. 206 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:33,560 Yeah. And so man was created from a place of unity. 207 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:38,680 Yeah. Yeah. So let me go on to say this. 208 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:41,920 So let me let me go on to read this this verse. 209 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:45,920 Then God said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. 210 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:55,640 Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 211 00:19:55,640 --> 00:20:02,240 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God, he created him male and female. 212 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,280 He created them. Then God blessed them. 213 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:10,520 And God said to them, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. 214 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:19,280 Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth. 215 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:32,320 And God said, see, I have given you every herb that yields seeds, which is on the face of all the earth and every tree whose fruit yields seed to you, it shall be for food. 216 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:47,040 So I'm going to stop right there. But we automatically see that there is unity in the design of the creation of mankind, because he it says it a couple of times. 217 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:53,000 God created man in his own image. And that image is the image of unity. 218 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:57,120 Let us make man in our image. 219 00:20:57,120 --> 00:21:03,760 And he goes on to say, you know, you have dominion over everything in the earth. 220 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:18,160 So there is already a. I don't want to sound too poetic, but like there is already a marriage of man and his authority in creation. 221 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:24,360 Like we are already in unity with our purpose at the very beginning. 222 00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:28,880 This is how God had designed mankind, that this is man. 223 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:31,600 And this is what man is supposed to look like. 224 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:34,200 This is what man is able to do. 225 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,360 This is what I'm expecting him to do. 226 00:21:36,360 --> 00:21:42,320 And it's not only, you know, we weren't created for work. 227 00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:46,080 You know, we were created for fellowship with him, for love with him. 228 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:51,720 We go on to see in Genesis three that the Lord regularly walked with Adam. 229 00:21:51,720 --> 00:22:00,240 Right. There was this they walked together and we see at that point where where Adam was hiding, hiding and the Lord was looking for him. 230 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:04,280 They were not in that moment anymore walking together. 231 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:06,640 They were not in a picture of unity. 232 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:13,080 But the initial image of creation was unity. 233 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:16,560 There was unity between God and man. 234 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:20,080 This is how God had designed mankind. 235 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:26,840 This is how God intended for mankind to live and move and walk and and have his being. 236 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:34,040 So, you know, you mentioned about that Genesis chapter three that man walked with God. 237 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:42,280 That's the the let's say that's the action after the creation. 238 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:50,000 And we don't see much of that in the first chapters of Genesis because then Genesis chapter three, 239 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:54,920 where God comes and he's looking for man. 240 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:58,840 Adam, where are you? And it's very bad. 241 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:02,080 But I want to point something out. 242 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:05,160 This really this really ministers to me. 243 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:13,400 Hebrews 11 five says, by faith, Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death. 244 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:21,320 And he was not found because God took him up, for he obtained the witness that before 245 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:26,760 his being taken up, he was pleasing to God. 246 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:30,080 And without faith, it's impossible to please God. 247 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:35,560 There's this man named Enoch, who is the seventh from Adam. 248 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:41,080 And the Bible says that Enoch walked with God. 249 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:46,320 Hebrews 11 says that he did that by faith. 250 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:51,240 Why? Why did Enoch walk with God by faith? 251 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:55,320 Forget about how. Why? 252 00:23:55,320 --> 00:24:00,160 But when Enoch was little. 253 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:10,480 His great, great, great grandpa, Adam, would tell stories about how he walked with God. 254 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:21,040 Enoch had to hear about it somehow, that the creator would come and walk and have time 255 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:23,480 together with man. 256 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:31,680 And so at some point, when Enoch just started going out by himself and saying, God, I'm 257 00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:35,440 going to walk and I just believe you're going to walk with me. 258 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:42,540 And he did that so much that finally the Lord said, OK, you're closer to me than you are 259 00:24:42,540 --> 00:24:47,200 the rest of the people that are on the earth. 260 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:50,080 You can come on home with me. 261 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:55,440 Enoch's story is beautiful and rich for a lot of reasons. 262 00:24:55,440 --> 00:25:10,040 I love that picture that the intent of fellowship, of connection, of unity in creation made it 263 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:18,520 outside of the garden, passed down into Adam's kids and grandkids where there was a desire. 264 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:23,440 Man, if we could just get back to that. 265 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:26,520 And we can because of Jesus. 266 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:28,520 That's right. 267 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:30,160 Hallelujah. 268 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:36,280 So God's intention for us was unity with himself. 269 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:38,600 That was his idea. 270 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:44,920 I like that in Psalm 8, we see. 271 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:49,960 So let me actually read this because it's just such a powerful, such a beautiful passage 272 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:53,720 of scripture, Psalm 8, verse four through to six. 273 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:54,960 The psalmist says this. 274 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:59,640 What is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you visit him for you 275 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:02,520 have made him a little lower than the angels. 276 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:08,480 So this translation, Elohim, you could also say made him a little lower than God and you 277 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:10,880 have crowned him with glory and honor. 278 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:14,980 You have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands. 279 00:26:14,980 --> 00:26:17,980 You have put all things under his feet. 280 00:26:17,980 --> 00:26:24,240 It's just it's amazing that the Lord is mindful of us. 281 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:31,880 The Lord visits us and desires to spend time with us and has put things under our feet, 282 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:37,680 has put things in our hands that he has made us a little lower than himself. 283 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:41,740 He has made us in his own image, his own likeness. 284 00:26:41,740 --> 00:26:42,740 That was his intention. 285 00:26:42,740 --> 00:26:49,360 His intention was to make an extension of himself in us. 286 00:26:49,360 --> 00:26:55,440 And that is so powerful when you see it and when you see yourself in it. 287 00:26:55,440 --> 00:27:04,400 And the fact is, you know, we share this a lot during our call to actions, during our 288 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:05,480 big Sundays. 289 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:12,440 But yeah, we are born in this world and we are born in this world separated from God. 290 00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:20,400 And God found a way for us to come back into this relationship and fellowship with him. 291 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,200 That separation was never his idea. 292 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:25,080 That was the devil's idea. 293 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:34,200 The fact is, God created us for unity and the devil put his foot in and basically created 294 00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:35,520 division. 295 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:47,680 So if we look at Romans chapter 5 verse 12, it says this, Therefore, just as through one 296 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:55,080 man sin entered the world and death through sin and thus death spread to all men because 297 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:56,880 all sinned. 298 00:27:56,880 --> 00:28:01,220 That is the condition that man finds himself in. 299 00:28:01,220 --> 00:28:09,200 You know, at birth in this world before we come back to the Father through Jesus Christ. 300 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:10,200 Yeah. 301 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:14,520 And that word death, it's important for us to understand that that word death does not 302 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:18,920 mean a casket and a body that's not breathing. 303 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:22,380 That word death means separation. 304 00:28:22,380 --> 00:28:26,020 So there are three kinds of death that we see in the scripture. 305 00:28:26,020 --> 00:28:31,360 Physical death, physical death, and then the second death or eternal death. 306 00:28:31,360 --> 00:28:38,640 And when it's a beautiful picture what you just painted there with your words, a baby 307 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:51,520 born into this life is subject to the one sin that one man committed, which was Adam. 308 00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:55,480 And through that one sin, death has spread to all. 309 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:56,480 What is that death? 310 00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:00,880 It is separation from the living one. 311 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:04,360 And what is the gospel? 312 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:13,040 The gospel is the power of God because there is a revelation of the righteousness of God 313 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:19,180 where he, the innocent, covered the guilty. 314 00:29:19,180 --> 00:29:26,320 Not just to cover, but to make us new, to make a new creature in him. 315 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:29,240 And in that new creation, what is it? 316 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:31,280 There's a new life. 317 00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:36,480 That's why Jesus said, you must be born again. 318 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:41,920 If you're listening to this and you think, I've heard people talk about that. 319 00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:48,040 I've heard that phrase before, newborn, born again, but I don't know if that's ever happened 320 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:49,760 to me. 321 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:57,720 Listen, you want to know that you know that you know that you're born again. 322 00:29:57,720 --> 00:29:58,880 Why? 323 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:03,440 Because you don't want to be disconnected. 324 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:05,840 You don't want to be separated. 325 00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:10,960 You want to have complete unity and that starts with being connected to the Father. 326 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:12,940 And it's not hard. 327 00:30:12,940 --> 00:30:14,840 You don't have to go anywhere. 328 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:16,480 You don't have to talk to anyone. 329 00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:20,880 It doesn't cost anything because Jesus paid it all. 330 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:27,000 The Bible says that if you believe in your heart that God raised up Jesus from the dead 331 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:32,760 and you'll confess with your mouth that he is Lord, the Bible says you're saved. 332 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:37,760 And that qualifies you for that new creation. 333 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:43,800 Second Corinthians 517 says, therefore, if anyone that includes you is in Christ, they 334 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:46,800 are a new creature. 335 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:48,880 All the old things are passed away. 336 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,280 Behold all things are become new. 337 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:52,760 So you can say that right now. 338 00:30:52,760 --> 00:30:58,980 Say I believe God raised me Jesus from the dead and I believe that Jesus is my Lord. 339 00:30:58,980 --> 00:31:04,840 And in your spirit, there is a new creation, just like the one we read about in Genesis. 340 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:12,560 And that new creation means all the old is passed away and the new is come. 341 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:13,880 Hallelujah. 342 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:14,880 Glory to God. 343 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:16,840 Praise the Lord. 344 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:17,840 I'm excited. 345 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:18,840 Wow. 346 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:21,200 Can we ever talk about that enough? 347 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:22,320 No. 348 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:28,600 And the thing that we should do is tell other people. 349 00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:29,600 Yeah. 350 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:30,600 Yeah. 351 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:31,800 That's right. 352 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:32,800 That's right. 353 00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:33,800 Praise the Lord. 354 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:38,880 You know, Romans chapter six, verse 23 says this, for you have seen for yourself that 355 00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:44,520 sin pays wages, eternal death and separation from God. 356 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:49,840 But God's gift to you is eternal life that is yours in Christ Jesus your Lord. 357 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:50,920 Glory to God. 358 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:51,920 That's mine. 359 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:53,040 That's mine, too. 360 00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:54,040 That's mine. 361 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:56,640 Praise the Lord. 362 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:00,080 Life, eternal life, the way God has it. 363 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:01,080 Yeah. 364 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:02,560 And Jesus made it clear. 365 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:03,920 What is eternal life? 366 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:07,360 Is it just this never ending life? 367 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:08,360 No. 368 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:14,240 Eternal life, according to Jesus in John 17, three, is knowing the Father. 369 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:15,240 That's right. 370 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:21,360 It is connection with Him because He is life. 371 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:23,880 He is light. 372 00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:28,520 That's all through, especially John and the epistles of John. 373 00:32:28,520 --> 00:32:30,320 We see that again and again. 374 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:36,880 John had this great revelation on the life and the light of God. 375 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:39,280 And we receive Him. 376 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:42,480 We're connected to that life. 377 00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:44,440 That's right. 378 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:45,440 John said it. 379 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:48,560 If you know the Son, then you know life. 380 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:49,560 Yeah. 381 00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:50,560 Praise the Lord. 382 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:51,560 Glory to God. 383 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:54,520 So hopefully you don't shout too loud. 384 00:32:54,520 --> 00:33:00,360 I'm going to read John chapter 14, verse six in the in the passion translation. 385 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:07,720 And it is so, so powerful, especially in the context of our series for the month. 386 00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:08,720 So Jesus says this. 387 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:12,960 Jesus explained, I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life. 388 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:17,640 No one comes next to the Father except through union with me. 389 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:21,200 To know me is to know my Father too. 390 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:26,200 And that is the truth of the story of redemption. 391 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:31,680 That God sent Jesus, His only Son, to the world to live like we did. 392 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:38,280 You see, the story of redemption is a story of unity because Jesus emptied Himself of 393 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:39,560 all power. 394 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:46,300 He separated Himself from this perfect heavenly union with the Father, came down to live as 395 00:33:46,300 --> 00:33:47,300 a man. 396 00:33:47,300 --> 00:33:53,480 He did live as a man unified with His Father in the Spirit, but He lived in the world like 397 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:54,480 we did. 398 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:58,120 So He was united to us in humanity. 399 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:03,640 That's why the story, the Christmas story talks about the promise of Emmanuel, which 400 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:05,840 is God with us. 401 00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:08,040 So God became man. 402 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:10,280 God became one with us. 403 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:14,440 He unified Himself in the flesh. 404 00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:18,040 He unified Himself on the cross with our sin. 405 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:21,480 So He became, He became sin. 406 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:29,520 He identified Himself with our sin so that we would identify ourselves with Him in His 407 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:30,520 resurrection. 408 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:35,520 So He, you could call this the great exchange, right? 409 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:42,160 He united Himself with my sin so that I can unite myself with His resurrection life. 410 00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:45,360 Once He beat the grave, He beat death. 411 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:53,380 And so really the story of redemption is the story of our unifying ourselves with Jesus 412 00:34:53,380 --> 00:34:58,200 in death, in burial, and then also in resurrection. 413 00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:00,120 Praise God. 414 00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:07,400 And so when we see that and when we get past the cross and we get into resurrection, we 415 00:35:07,400 --> 00:35:14,260 understand that whoever Jesus is, I'm now united with Him. 416 00:35:14,260 --> 00:35:18,200 Whoever Jesus has, I'm now united in that. 417 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:24,760 You know, whoever Jesus is in terms of position, in terms of relationship with the Father, 418 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:26,300 I now have that. 419 00:35:26,300 --> 00:35:34,800 So in unity with Jesus, I now have unity with the Father the way Jesus is connected to the 420 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:35,800 Father. 421 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:36,800 Hallelujah. 422 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:37,800 Praise the Lord. 423 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:38,800 Yeah. 424 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:40,320 Glory to God. 425 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:41,320 That's true. 426 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:42,840 And it's true about me. 427 00:35:42,840 --> 00:35:44,220 Yeah, that's right. 428 00:35:44,220 --> 00:35:48,960 And that's why we're talking about unity with the Father, because when we build the story 429 00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:53,120 from the ground up, when we see the story of redemption from the ground up, we understand 430 00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:55,840 that Jesus took my sin. 431 00:35:55,840 --> 00:36:04,000 So He came, He united Himself with everything that was wrong with me, put it in the grave, 432 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:08,540 threw it away, and now He beat the grave. 433 00:36:08,540 --> 00:36:12,520 And by default, I'm in unity with Him. 434 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:13,520 Praise the Lord. 435 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:21,600 I think that there's a verse in 2 Corinthians about this, Chapter 5, verse 21. 436 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:23,080 I'd like to read that. 437 00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:24,080 Yeah. 438 00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:26,120 2 Corinthians 5, 21. 439 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:35,880 He, that's God, made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin on my behalf. 440 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:45,560 Isaiah 53, 5 describes this exchange that you're talking about, the identification of 441 00:36:45,560 --> 00:36:58,520 Christ with sin, which meant that He was separated like me. 442 00:36:58,520 --> 00:37:00,000 Yeah. 443 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:10,960 But that act of identification meant that Romans Chapter 4, verse 25, when Christ was 444 00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:19,040 raised, He wasn't raised because He had paid the penalty for Himself. 445 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:22,920 He was raised because He'd paid the penalty for me. 446 00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:26,520 He was raised up for my justification. 447 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:31,160 And when He was raised for my justification, I was raised. 448 00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:40,920 So God put, 2 Corinthians 5, 21, He put sin on Jesus so that sin would do to Him what 449 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:53,160 it had done to me, separate, so that I would be made one with Him. 450 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:56,640 And there is the answer to Jesus' prayer in John 17. 451 00:37:56,640 --> 00:37:58,380 It's the text for our series. 452 00:37:58,380 --> 00:38:05,220 We haven't read it yet, but John 17, I in them and you in me, that they may be made 453 00:38:05,220 --> 00:38:12,800 perfect in one and that the world will know that you love them as you have loved me. 454 00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:13,800 Yeah. 455 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:14,800 Glory to God. 456 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:15,800 Glory to God. 457 00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:18,240 That is good news. 458 00:38:18,240 --> 00:38:20,240 Yes, it is. 459 00:38:20,240 --> 00:38:21,240 Hallelujah. 460 00:38:21,240 --> 00:38:26,360 And you know what, He did all of that because He loves us that much. 461 00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:27,360 That's the truth. 462 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,860 That's the motive for you. 463 00:38:29,860 --> 00:38:34,000 That is the motive for the whole redemptive story. 464 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:38,880 And there is no also for that. 465 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:42,040 It's just He loves me that much. 466 00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:43,520 Yeah. 467 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:45,040 So He loves us that much. 468 00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:47,560 He loved us when we were still His enemies. 469 00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:52,360 We're still dead, separated and our sins away from Him. 470 00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:54,280 He did all of that for us. 471 00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:58,160 He sent Jesus knowing that Jesus would have to go through all of that. 472 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:07,080 He would have to bear our sins like 1 Peter 2.24 says, He bore our sins in His own body 473 00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:14,400 on the cross that He having died to sins, you know, we would live for righteousness. 474 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:16,760 We would live in His righteousness. 475 00:39:16,760 --> 00:39:19,840 We would have that by whose stripes. 476 00:39:19,840 --> 00:39:20,840 We were healed. 477 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:21,840 Praise the Lord. 478 00:39:21,840 --> 00:39:22,840 Thank God. 479 00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:25,120 And He did that because He loves us. 480 00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:30,760 So if there's anything you're going to pick up from today's series, there's a lot that 481 00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:31,760 you should pick up. 482 00:39:31,760 --> 00:39:36,520 But if there's anything you can pick up, you can see the number one through Jesus. 483 00:39:36,520 --> 00:39:39,000 I am one with the Father. 484 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:42,120 It's not that, oh, you know, I'm close to the Father. 485 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:46,360 It's not like I have, you know, yes, you do have access to the Father. 486 00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:48,120 But you are one with Him. 487 00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:50,380 He joined Himself with you. 488 00:39:50,380 --> 00:39:54,240 There is no separation between you and the Father. 489 00:39:54,240 --> 00:39:56,720 You are literally one with the Father. 490 00:39:56,720 --> 00:39:58,520 And He did that because of love. 491 00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:05,120 So if there's anything that you see from unity, it is done in love. 492 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:12,120 It is fulfilled and completed because you say complete unity, perfected in love, through 493 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:13,120 love. 494 00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:19,800 Which, and this will get into our discussion for next week, but it's why Paul, the scripture 495 00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:26,520 that you read in Corinthians, it's why, you know, Paul points at it's absurd for Christians 496 00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:36,520 to have divisions among themselves because it's simply not part of our divine DNA. 497 00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:37,520 Yeah. 498 00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:41,200 Praise the Lord. 499 00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:47,480 So John chapter 14 verse 20, I'm going to read this in the passion translation again. 500 00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:55,640 I think the passion translation just, there's such revelation concerning unity between Jesus 501 00:40:55,640 --> 00:40:59,480 and the Father and us with the Father through Jesus. 502 00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:07,000 So John 14 verses 19 and 20, soon, Jesus is saying this to the disciples, soon I will 503 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:12,600 leave this world and they will see me no longer, but you will see me because I will live again 504 00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:14,640 and you will come alive too. 505 00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:19,800 So when that day comes, you will know that I'm living in the Father and that you are 506 00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:23,640 one with me for I will be living in you. 507 00:41:23,640 --> 00:41:24,680 Thank God. 508 00:41:24,680 --> 00:41:35,320 So he goes, it's funny because he's talking about, you know that I am living in the Father 509 00:41:35,320 --> 00:41:42,920 and then he goes on to talk about you are one with me and I am one with you. 510 00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:43,920 Yeah. 511 00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:49,600 Like he doesn't put a separation between his unity with the Father and then my unity with 512 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:50,600 the Father. 513 00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:51,600 It's all the same. 514 00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:52,960 It's all the same to him. 515 00:41:52,960 --> 00:42:01,640 So as much as he sees himself in the Father, he says, Hey, Pastor Matt, me, Lara, we all 516 00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:05,640 have this oneness with the Father. 517 00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:07,600 It's so big. 518 00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:08,600 Thank God. 519 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:09,600 Yeah. 520 00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:10,600 Praise the Lord. 521 00:42:10,600 --> 00:42:11,600 Praise the Lord. 522 00:42:11,600 --> 00:42:12,600 So this is the reality. 523 00:42:12,600 --> 00:42:19,440 The reality is that once we have this union with the Father, because we are one with the 524 00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:27,080 Father, he has changed our position in heaven and he has changed our access and the way 525 00:42:27,080 --> 00:42:29,600 we access the Father. 526 00:42:29,600 --> 00:42:43,080 And actually, I really like this scripture in Hebrews chapter 10 in verse 19. 527 00:42:43,080 --> 00:42:48,840 Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19, and now we are brothers and sisters in God's family because 528 00:42:48,840 --> 00:42:55,720 of the blood of Jesus and he welcomes us to come into the most Holy sanctuary in the heavenly 529 00:42:55,720 --> 00:43:00,200 realm boldly and without hesitation. 530 00:43:00,200 --> 00:43:03,560 That's so big. 531 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:04,560 That's so big. 532 00:43:04,560 --> 00:43:05,560 Yeah. 533 00:43:05,560 --> 00:43:06,560 Yeah. 534 00:43:06,560 --> 00:43:07,560 He's changed our access. 535 00:43:07,560 --> 00:43:08,560 Yeah. 536 00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:18,080 I mean, the way we have presence before the Father, the way we have this view of the Father 537 00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:22,280 and he has a view of us, there is no separation. 538 00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:23,640 There is nothing between us. 539 00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:26,440 There's not even a seam of glue. 540 00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:27,440 There is oneness. 541 00:43:27,440 --> 00:43:32,160 There is complete unity between us. 542 00:43:32,160 --> 00:43:38,480 And that also means that in that unity, our position changes. 543 00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:43,720 So we are now heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. 544 00:43:43,720 --> 00:43:45,440 We are seated in heavenly places. 545 00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:53,280 We have a heavenly citizenship. 546 00:43:53,280 --> 00:44:00,760 We are no longer identified with this earthly body, with the sin that is in the world. 547 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:03,160 We are no longer of the world. 548 00:44:03,160 --> 00:44:05,840 We are in the world, but we are no longer of the world. 549 00:44:05,840 --> 00:44:12,000 That is another thing that Jesus says about us in his prayer in John chapter 17, that 550 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:16,200 we are not to be identified with the world. 551 00:44:16,200 --> 00:44:18,600 God doesn't see us as part of the world. 552 00:44:18,600 --> 00:44:19,600 That's exactly right. 553 00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:21,780 He sees us as his children. 554 00:44:21,780 --> 00:44:26,160 He sees us as members of his family. 555 00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:27,160 Glory to God. 556 00:44:27,160 --> 00:44:28,160 Yeah. 557 00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:34,720 So how important is it for us to build in ourselves a consciousness of this relationship 558 00:44:34,720 --> 00:44:36,880 with him? 559 00:44:36,880 --> 00:44:42,880 It is precious because it was paid for with the precious blood of Jesus. 560 00:44:42,880 --> 00:44:45,920 It is unique throughout scripture. 561 00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:59,720 We see it's like that's really the text of the epistle of Hebrews that once, only once, 562 00:44:59,720 --> 00:45:06,240 the high priest could come into the presence of God and not without the shedding of blood. 563 00:45:06,240 --> 00:45:16,600 But with the offering of Jesus, the temple veil was torn in two and now we have this 564 00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:20,680 bold access to God. 565 00:45:20,680 --> 00:45:27,520 There is a unique connection that has been opened to us and it is precious because of 566 00:45:27,520 --> 00:45:30,480 the price that was paid. 567 00:45:30,480 --> 00:45:38,920 We need to build in ourselves this consciousness that there is no separation because I am in 568 00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:40,440 union with Christ. 569 00:45:40,440 --> 00:45:44,140 I have been made one with him. 570 00:45:44,140 --> 00:45:47,880 When God looks at me, he sees me in Jesus. 571 00:45:47,880 --> 00:45:48,880 Yeah. 572 00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:49,880 Yeah. 573 00:45:49,880 --> 00:45:50,880 Thank God. 574 00:45:50,880 --> 00:45:51,880 Praise the Lord. 575 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:56,560 And this is why, you know, we're going to go on to this and talk about this more next 576 00:45:56,560 --> 00:46:06,560 week, but Galatians chapter three, verse 26 says this, for you are all sons of God through 577 00:46:06,560 --> 00:46:09,080 faith in Christ Jesus. 578 00:46:09,080 --> 00:46:12,720 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 579 00:46:12,720 --> 00:46:17,600 It goes on to say this in verse 28, in case you were saying, oh, he said sons, but not 580 00:46:17,600 --> 00:46:18,600 daughters. 581 00:46:18,600 --> 00:46:19,600 Hold on. 582 00:46:19,600 --> 00:46:21,080 We're not done here yet. 583 00:46:21,080 --> 00:46:23,960 Verse 28, there is neither Jew nor Greek. 584 00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:25,680 There is neither slave nor free. 585 00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:31,440 There is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 586 00:46:31,440 --> 00:46:36,360 And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham seed and heirs according to the promise. 587 00:46:36,360 --> 00:46:45,760 So this is a God thought, but the way he sees me is not the way I look in the mirror and 588 00:46:45,760 --> 00:46:48,020 see myself in the natural. 589 00:46:48,020 --> 00:46:53,320 He doesn't see me with, oh, you're like a citizen of this country. 590 00:46:53,320 --> 00:46:54,320 You're this old. 591 00:46:54,320 --> 00:46:55,520 You're this tall. 592 00:46:55,520 --> 00:47:00,960 You can't ride this roller coaster because you're not this tall or you're overweight 593 00:47:00,960 --> 00:47:07,200 here or you don't have a six pack or you're a man and you're not a woman. 594 00:47:07,200 --> 00:47:08,200 You're from this place. 595 00:47:08,200 --> 00:47:09,440 You're not from that place. 596 00:47:09,440 --> 00:47:12,640 I'm literally one with Christ. 597 00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:16,020 I am one with my brothers and sisters. 598 00:47:16,020 --> 00:47:19,160 I am the same in his eyes. 599 00:47:19,160 --> 00:47:21,940 I am literally in his eyes. 600 00:47:21,940 --> 00:47:24,800 When he sees me, he sees Jesus. 601 00:47:24,800 --> 00:47:32,560 And that perfect unity with the father changes my identity completely. 602 00:47:32,560 --> 00:47:39,680 And that helps me get over everything in my past because I am a new creature. 603 00:47:39,680 --> 00:47:41,440 All things have passed away. 604 00:47:41,440 --> 00:47:43,120 All things have become new. 605 00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:47,760 I am one with my father through Jesus. 606 00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:49,240 I'm a heavenly person. 607 00:47:49,240 --> 00:47:50,880 I'm a heavenly citizen. 608 00:47:50,880 --> 00:47:58,240 I don't have to identify with my sin because Jesus united himself with it and left it in 609 00:47:58,240 --> 00:47:59,240 the grave. 610 00:47:59,240 --> 00:48:00,240 Praise the Lord. 611 00:48:00,240 --> 00:48:02,240 We're going to talk about this in more detail. 612 00:48:02,240 --> 00:48:11,320 I do want to introduce this week's Grow Group discussion, which is actually the picture 613 00:48:11,320 --> 00:48:19,500 of our unity with God through Jesus, which is marriage. 614 00:48:19,500 --> 00:48:28,720 Because marriage is an earthly covenant between a man and a woman, but it is instituted in 615 00:48:28,720 --> 00:48:29,720 God's eyes. 616 00:48:29,720 --> 00:48:39,400 So actually, when I got married, I realized that it doesn't take two people to get married. 617 00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:41,680 It takes three parties to get married. 618 00:48:41,680 --> 00:48:46,160 It takes me, it takes my wife, and it takes the Lord. 619 00:48:46,160 --> 00:48:48,520 And he instituted that covenant. 620 00:48:48,520 --> 00:48:52,680 And we don't have much time to talk about this in a lot of detail. 621 00:48:52,680 --> 00:48:58,360 No, but in the Grow Group, what I'd like you to do, and it would be good if you think about 622 00:48:58,360 --> 00:49:05,120 this ahead of time, consider what God asked Adam to do, what God charged Adam to do, which 623 00:49:05,120 --> 00:49:09,000 was to rule and reign. 624 00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:15,600 And the first thing that Adam realized is, I can't do this alone. 625 00:49:15,600 --> 00:49:21,440 The very first realization was, okay, I have this divine call. 626 00:49:21,440 --> 00:49:23,480 I have divine equipment. 627 00:49:23,480 --> 00:49:25,080 I have the blessing of the Lord. 628 00:49:25,080 --> 00:49:29,520 In Genesis chapter 1, 28, God blessed. 629 00:49:29,520 --> 00:49:34,560 And that blessing was the able message for Adam. 630 00:49:34,560 --> 00:49:40,760 However, Adam said, hey, I need help. 631 00:49:40,760 --> 00:49:43,360 I can't do this by myself. 632 00:49:43,360 --> 00:49:50,080 And Adam was called and equipped to do something for the Lord. 633 00:49:50,080 --> 00:49:54,620 But the first thing he realized is he couldn't do it by himself. 634 00:49:54,620 --> 00:50:01,840 He was called to do it with his wife, but not just with his wife. 635 00:50:01,840 --> 00:50:05,520 They had to be connected and in union with God. 636 00:50:05,520 --> 00:50:08,400 So they couldn't do it independent of God. 637 00:50:08,400 --> 00:50:11,380 And once they were separated from God, they could no longer do it. 638 00:50:11,380 --> 00:50:20,520 It's a beautiful picture of really the problem that sin introduces and how Jesus solved that 639 00:50:20,520 --> 00:50:23,400 by taking sin out of the way. 640 00:50:23,400 --> 00:50:28,320 And the other thing I would encourage you to do, whether we were studying this or not, 641 00:50:28,320 --> 00:50:37,640 is to spend time looking at your identity in Christ. 642 00:50:37,640 --> 00:50:43,440 You might not know your passport number or your passport expiration date, but you should 643 00:50:43,440 --> 00:50:48,680 definitely know the details of your heavenly identity. 644 00:50:48,680 --> 00:50:54,420 And you can find that in the New Testament, these verses, anything that says in Christ, 645 00:50:54,420 --> 00:51:00,920 you can go through your Bible and underline that with a red pen or write those scriptures 646 00:51:00,920 --> 00:51:02,860 down on a piece of paper. 647 00:51:02,860 --> 00:51:05,240 Don't let Google do it for you. 648 00:51:05,240 --> 00:51:11,280 But you could use notes if you wanted in your phone if you're real techie. 649 00:51:11,280 --> 00:51:18,560 But I think this is going to be a great study and I'm looking forward to our next week's 650 00:51:18,560 --> 00:51:19,560 podcast. 651 00:51:19,560 --> 00:51:21,280 Yeah, it's going to be amazing. 652 00:51:21,280 --> 00:51:29,160 So for this week, please make sure to read Ephesians chapter five, verse 21 through to 653 00:51:29,160 --> 00:51:30,320 33. 654 00:51:30,320 --> 00:51:33,360 I insist that you start reading, men. 655 00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:38,800 I insist that you start reading from verse 21, not verse 22 chance Roy. 656 00:51:38,800 --> 00:51:43,840 I insist that you start reading from verses 21, not 22. 657 00:51:43,840 --> 00:51:50,500 But the goal here is really to look at marriage and to understand that marriage is a picture 658 00:51:50,500 --> 00:52:01,480 of our relationship with Jesus and how how we can really compare or learn from our relationship 659 00:52:01,480 --> 00:52:05,800 with Jesus and how we apply that to marriage and vice versa. 660 00:52:05,800 --> 00:52:09,600 So we're going to we're going to take a look at this, you know, maybe from a little bit 661 00:52:09,600 --> 00:52:16,900 more of a natural or practical side and see, see the truth of marriage in spiritual reality. 662 00:52:16,900 --> 00:52:19,840 So we're going to have a great time discussing this. 663 00:52:19,840 --> 00:52:24,880 And like Pastor Matt said, this is a great action point. 664 00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:30,680 And this is something that we should really all be doing daily, which is look at our identity 665 00:52:30,680 --> 00:52:31,760 in Jesus. 666 00:52:31,760 --> 00:52:36,040 Look at what unity with the father really means. 667 00:52:36,040 --> 00:52:40,920 Just take some time, close your eyes and and picture what that looks like. 668 00:52:40,920 --> 00:52:44,920 I am united with my father. 669 00:52:44,920 --> 00:52:49,160 There's there is no gap separation. 670 00:52:49,160 --> 00:52:56,300 There's not even like a little, you know, misapplied glue somewhere between me and him. 671 00:52:56,300 --> 00:52:57,300 It's perfect. 672 00:52:57,300 --> 00:52:59,360 Like we are perfectly united. 673 00:52:59,360 --> 00:53:04,800 And so if you just close your eyes and picture that and and and pick up a couple of scriptures 674 00:53:04,800 --> 00:53:10,960 that, you know, reveal that truth to you and just meditate on those, that is something 675 00:53:10,960 --> 00:53:18,160 that is super powerful and will take us a really, really, really long way. 676 00:53:18,160 --> 00:53:20,240 Can I give an example of what you're saying? 677 00:53:20,240 --> 00:53:21,240 Yes, please. 678 00:53:21,240 --> 00:53:25,620 I have on my phone as a wallpaper because of Jesus. 679 00:53:25,620 --> 00:53:29,560 I am a child of God that's in Galatians three twenty six. 680 00:53:29,560 --> 00:53:33,600 I am a spiritual contributor, not a spiritual consumer. 681 00:53:33,600 --> 00:53:34,600 I am alive. 682 00:53:34,600 --> 00:53:35,600 Romans six eleven. 683 00:53:35,600 --> 00:53:36,600 Glory. 684 00:53:36,600 --> 00:53:39,280 I am content in Christ alone. 685 00:53:39,280 --> 00:53:40,280 I am chosen. 686 00:53:40,280 --> 00:53:42,320 That's Ephesians one four. 687 00:53:42,320 --> 00:53:43,560 I have so many more. 688 00:53:43,560 --> 00:53:46,800 I have all the Galatians five. 689 00:53:46,800 --> 00:53:48,320 The fruit of the spirit. 690 00:53:48,320 --> 00:53:49,920 Yes, I am joyful. 691 00:53:49,920 --> 00:53:50,920 I am gentle. 692 00:53:50,920 --> 00:53:53,920 These are all me in Christ. 693 00:53:53,920 --> 00:53:54,920 That's my identity. 694 00:53:54,920 --> 00:53:56,040 That's awesome. 695 00:53:56,040 --> 00:54:00,800 But what's beautiful about that is it's where you see it all the time. 696 00:54:00,800 --> 00:54:01,800 Yes. 697 00:54:01,800 --> 00:54:03,480 Putting things where you see it all the time. 698 00:54:03,480 --> 00:54:11,840 And you know, that's that's key, because otherwise it just gets drowned out in the noise of life. 699 00:54:11,840 --> 00:54:13,840 But praise the Lord. 700 00:54:13,840 --> 00:54:18,200 Well, if you made it this far today, we want you to say actually, I just want to say thanks 701 00:54:18,200 --> 00:54:19,200 for sticking with us. 702 00:54:19,200 --> 00:54:25,520 This is a longer, longer podcast, but we want to say that we love you and we're praying 703 00:54:25,520 --> 00:54:26,520 for you. 704 00:54:26,520 --> 00:54:27,520 God bless you. 705 00:54:27,520 --> 00:54:30,240 Thank you for listening to this message. 706 00:54:30,240 --> 00:54:35,000 We want everyone to experience the unconditional love of God, grow in His love and go with 707 00:54:35,000 --> 00:54:36,920 His love to the rest of their world. 708 00:54:36,920 --> 00:54:41,240 We invite you to connect with us at one of our groups for our next gathering. 709 00:54:41,240 --> 00:54:49,400 And if no one told you yet today, we love you and believe God's very best for you.