WEBVTT 00:00:02.250 --> 00:00:05.250 Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We 00:00:05.250 --> 00:00:07.669 want to thank you for joining us today, and we 00:00:07.669 --> 00:00:10.169 hope you find today's sermon impacting as you 00:00:10.169 --> 00:00:12.689 listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk. 00:00:12.949 --> 00:00:15.949 To find service times and watch messages online, 00:00:16.210 --> 00:00:20.109 see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now, 00:00:20.129 --> 00:00:24.670 enjoy this week's message. Would you turn in 00:00:24.670 --> 00:00:27.910 your Bibles, if you would, please, to John chapter 00:00:27.910 --> 00:00:30.910 4. We might get... farther than what we did first 00:00:30.910 --> 00:00:34.530 service this morning. I had them open to John 00:00:34.530 --> 00:00:37.030 4, and at least you're as far as we got for the 00:00:37.030 --> 00:00:39.909 first service right there. And we did a little 00:00:39.909 --> 00:00:42.850 bit of a review. Great. It's great to see everyone 00:00:42.850 --> 00:00:47.070 this morning. Welcome, welcome. Hey, guys. I'm 00:00:47.070 --> 00:00:49.250 so glad you're in the house of the Lord. I trust 00:00:49.250 --> 00:00:54.130 that you, just in that worship time, you experienced 00:00:54.130 --> 00:01:00.640 God's closeness and nearness. Just thank you, 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:03.780 Jenny, for playing. I really did feel so strongly 00:01:03.780 --> 00:01:08.140 this morning as, was it Jenny? Oh, it wasn't 00:01:08.140 --> 00:01:10.260 Jenny. Who was it? Jackie? Jackie. All right. 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:13.379 I get them all mixed up. You know, I thought 00:01:13.379 --> 00:01:16.799 it was a great idea to name all our kids J names. 00:01:19.260 --> 00:01:23.099 Jenny, Jackie, Jesse, and I get them all mixed 00:01:23.099 --> 00:01:28.379 up now. So anyway, but sounded like you. I mean, 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:31.540 there you go. I guess that's a great compliment. 00:01:32.359 --> 00:01:38.439 Anyways, I love you. Okay. All right. So I'm 00:01:38.439 --> 00:01:40.180 like, why are they laughing? And then I looked 00:01:40.180 --> 00:01:42.959 down. Oh, well, there you go. Okay. All right. 00:01:44.420 --> 00:01:48.060 All right, here we go. We'll start again. This 00:01:48.060 --> 00:01:51.959 morning, I did sense so strongly in the prayer 00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:53.859 room as I gave you that word, the Lord spoke 00:01:53.859 --> 00:01:57.870 to me of how how he is so desirous to have all 00:01:57.870 --> 00:02:02.930 of us. Now when I say all of us, I mean to be 00:02:02.930 --> 00:02:07.150 able to give ourselves completely to him. How 00:02:07.150 --> 00:02:10.689 easy it is, even for me, to be distracted with 00:02:10.689 --> 00:02:14.169 things about God and not just give him the fullness 00:02:14.169 --> 00:02:17.090 of the attention. And I think it's a word for 00:02:17.090 --> 00:02:22.349 all of us that as the Lord speaks these things 00:02:22.349 --> 00:02:25.050 that are on his heart. That is the heart of God. 00:02:25.129 --> 00:02:29.990 His love for us is to impart himself to us. I 00:02:29.990 --> 00:02:32.050 mean, that's the goal of the New Testament, isn't 00:02:32.050 --> 00:02:35.930 it? Not, yes, to get us saved, but way more than 00:02:35.930 --> 00:02:40.389 get you saved, to actually have Christ be formed 00:02:40.389 --> 00:02:44.000 in you. That's the whole point of the New Testament. 00:02:44.139 --> 00:02:47.479 That's the whole, if we call it the whole, the 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:51.680 full meal deal. If you're like me and you're 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:56.560 looking not just to buy a la carte, right? Christianity 00:02:56.560 --> 00:03:01.020 is not an a la carte option. And we've made it 00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:03.020 that. We'll just take a little salvation and 00:03:03.020 --> 00:03:05.379 that's what we'll have. No, no, no. It comes 00:03:05.379 --> 00:03:09.020 with the full meal deal. His whole goal and purpose 00:03:09.020 --> 00:03:15.479 in mind is to get Christ formed in you. That 00:03:15.479 --> 00:03:18.800 Christ would be, yes, he dwells in you when you 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:21.639 accepted Jesus Christ through salvation, through 00:03:21.639 --> 00:03:24.930 the faith that he gives you. But he doesn't want 00:03:24.930 --> 00:03:27.569 you just to stay with that initial deposit. He 00:03:27.569 --> 00:03:31.889 expects you to walk with him, to grow with him, 00:03:31.990 --> 00:03:35.530 and in fellowship and in discipleship, he's what? 00:03:35.650 --> 00:03:39.409 Being formed in you that he would take up more 00:03:39.409 --> 00:03:44.870 residence. Amen? All right, got six of you that 00:03:44.870 --> 00:03:47.810 are getting that this morning. Let's dive into 00:03:47.810 --> 00:03:51.030 this. I think it's important that you understand 00:03:51.030 --> 00:03:55.169 as we're, I know I'm in this series of from Passover 00:03:55.169 --> 00:03:58.530 to Pentecost, and I want to eventually get us 00:03:58.530 --> 00:04:02.870 into the book of Acts, but I feel compelled to 00:04:02.870 --> 00:04:06.969 lay for us a foundation so that you and I both 00:04:06.969 --> 00:04:12.740 understand how important it was that God revealed 00:04:12.740 --> 00:04:17.220 the necessity of the Holy Spirit all the way 00:04:17.220 --> 00:04:20.279 through the scriptures as part of our partnership. 00:04:20.500 --> 00:04:25.319 It was his goal. And as believers, if we can 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:27.860 have an understanding of the building blocks 00:04:27.860 --> 00:04:32.860 of our faith, to see that there is to be a progression 00:04:32.860 --> 00:04:38.439 in our discipleship and partnership in extending 00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:43.269 his kingdom. I hope that you understand as I'm 00:04:43.269 --> 00:04:45.629 preaching and delivering the word this morning, 00:04:45.670 --> 00:04:50.250 I do feel it's part of my mandate to try to remove 00:04:50.250 --> 00:04:56.430 the staves or the stopping places where we have 00:04:56.430 --> 00:05:02.689 put in our heart stopping places to say, Lord, 00:05:02.829 --> 00:05:07.069 that's enough. I don't want this that is revealed 00:05:07.069 --> 00:05:10.220 in your word. I'm fine with where I'm at. It's 00:05:10.220 --> 00:05:13.680 time to move that stave. It's time to remove 00:05:13.680 --> 00:05:19.319 that section. And it's to actually become what 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:25.139 God intended us to be. Now, Jesus is the only 00:05:25.139 --> 00:05:29.319 one that can lead us into this, right? He's the 00:05:29.319 --> 00:05:33.819 one that fills the gap. He's the one that bridges 00:05:33.819 --> 00:05:37.480 where our relationship was with the father that 00:05:37.480 --> 00:05:40.779 was broken. Jesus is that gap that does that. 00:05:40.839 --> 00:05:44.040 He's the one that pulls both the Old and the 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:47.220 New Testament together in him. And before we 00:05:47.220 --> 00:05:51.459 dive into the fullness of why God would want 00:05:51.459 --> 00:05:55.079 the disciples and our understanding of Pentecost 00:05:55.079 --> 00:05:57.920 and why it's so important, before we dive into 00:05:57.920 --> 00:05:59.980 the fullness of that and look at the book of 00:05:59.980 --> 00:06:03.240 Acts, and specifically Acts chapter 2, when that 00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:06.759 day of Pentecost fully arrived, we need to see 00:06:06.759 --> 00:06:11.480 that our biblical framework must include load 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:17.040 -bearing blocks about the Holy Spirit and understand 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:21.420 it's the Father's heart to give us the Holy Spirit 00:06:21.420 --> 00:06:25.300 so that we can partner with the will, the purpose, 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:30.819 and the heart of God. If there's anything of 00:06:30.819 --> 00:06:34.800 why we've received the Holy Spirit, it's to receive 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:40.660 partnership for fellowship. and extending his 00:06:40.660 --> 00:06:45.600 kingdom and his will. Okay? So as we continue 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:48.199 to go through the scriptures, we should see both 00:06:48.199 --> 00:06:51.019 the strategic and the incredible connections 00:06:51.019 --> 00:06:55.019 that Jesus Christ released to his disciples about 00:06:55.019 --> 00:06:58.100 receiving the heart of the Father and the partnership 00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:01.120 with God's will, his plan, his purpose, and how 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:04.920 the Holy Spirit is... At the center of every 00:07:04.920 --> 00:07:08.000 one of these things. The Holy Spirit is at the 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:11.120 center of releasing God's will. Releasing God's 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:13.639 plan. Releasing and furthering God's purpose. 00:07:13.819 --> 00:07:17.060 And releasing the extending of God's kingdom. 00:07:17.319 --> 00:07:22.060 It is the Holy Spirit. That Jesus spends most 00:07:22.060 --> 00:07:27.959 all of his ministry. Focusing on the evidence 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:31.600 of the partnership. of connecting God's will 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:35.420 with the Holy Spirit. If you think about it, 00:07:35.459 --> 00:07:39.540 notice that Jesus said, if you don't believe 00:07:39.540 --> 00:07:43.120 me, believe. Remember when he said this? If you 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:45.240 don't believe the words I've given to you, which 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:47.300 the words that I give you are not mine, they 00:07:47.300 --> 00:07:51.259 come from the Father, at least believe the works 00:07:51.259 --> 00:07:56.060 that are done in his name. Now, can you connect 00:07:56.060 --> 00:07:59.600 that a bit? He's saying the works that are done 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:02.399 are done by who? The Holy Spirit that's connected 00:08:02.399 --> 00:08:05.019 to the will, to the purpose, and the extended 00:08:05.019 --> 00:08:09.439 of the kingdom of God. Jesus again bringing everything. 00:08:09.660 --> 00:08:12.699 Notice he didn't say, yes, he talked about himself. 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:15.759 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man 00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:19.060 comes to the Father but by me. the Lord's ministry 00:08:19.060 --> 00:08:24.079 was more about introducing the Holy Spirit. Yes, 00:08:24.139 --> 00:08:26.680 he revealed himself for his purpose and what 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:30.540 he was called to do and who he was, but the majority 00:08:30.540 --> 00:08:35.159 of the gospels focuses on the ministry of the 00:08:35.159 --> 00:08:38.519 Holy Spirit as he's operating in Jesus' life 00:08:38.519 --> 00:08:42.600 and what he would do in the lives of those who 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:46.399 would now confess him, yield to him, and become 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:50.279 disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:55.159 key. And that's the genius of Jesus. He's the 00:08:55.159 --> 00:08:58.980 master teacher, isn't he? I mean, he's the one. 00:08:59.100 --> 00:09:04.750 I mean, I like to put it this way. Jesus, you 00:09:04.750 --> 00:09:08.629 may think you have a little lunch, but Jesus 00:09:08.629 --> 00:09:11.509 can take your little lunch and feed thousands. 00:09:12.269 --> 00:09:16.389 Now, I would like this to actually work at Subway 00:09:16.389 --> 00:09:20.889 for me, especially at Jimmy John's. That is even 00:09:20.889 --> 00:09:24.190 a better sandwich. You know, I just buy the small 00:09:24.190 --> 00:09:27.690 minimum six inch sub and all of a sudden the 00:09:27.690 --> 00:09:29.789 power of the Holy Ghost would multiply it and 00:09:29.789 --> 00:09:31.750 I could eat for weeks. Hallelujah. That would 00:09:31.750 --> 00:09:35.269 be, that would be wonderful. But that is the 00:09:35.269 --> 00:09:38.450 nature. If they, well, I'm using a kind of a 00:09:38.450 --> 00:09:41.529 silly illustration to say the nature is Jesus 00:09:41.529 --> 00:09:45.769 knows how to take something small. and know how 00:09:45.769 --> 00:09:50.269 to expand it in discipleship and extend his presence, 00:09:50.309 --> 00:09:54.289 his nature, and his truth inside of you. He takes 00:09:54.289 --> 00:09:56.929 the deposit that he puts inside of you. It was 00:09:56.929 --> 00:10:01.429 never meant to stay just a little six -inch sub 00:10:01.429 --> 00:10:05.649 in Jesus. You were never meant just to stay in 00:10:05.649 --> 00:10:09.850 the original deposit of your salvation. God is 00:10:09.850 --> 00:10:13.730 always about multiplying that little lunch. About 00:10:13.730 --> 00:10:16.730 multiplying the loaves and fishes. Why? Even 00:10:16.730 --> 00:10:20.809 the leftovers of the revelation as you walk with 00:10:20.809 --> 00:10:24.370 him is meant to carry with you that you still 00:10:24.370 --> 00:10:27.870 get more of that supernatural residue even as 00:10:27.870 --> 00:10:31.149 you walk further with him. That's the whole point 00:10:31.149 --> 00:10:34.190 of Christ being in you and walking with you and 00:10:34.190 --> 00:10:39.169 talking with you and fellowship because God multiplies 00:10:39.169 --> 00:10:44.029 his heavenly presence. In you. And there should 00:10:44.029 --> 00:10:49.649 be something in us that says, I want that. I 00:10:49.649 --> 00:10:53.909 want that. I kind of, I'm going to stay with 00:10:53.909 --> 00:10:58.110 my sub analogy here. The reality is Jenny and 00:10:58.110 --> 00:11:02.629 I can go into the same sub shop. We can go into 00:11:02.629 --> 00:11:06.830 Jimmy John's and I want a large sandwich. And 00:11:06.830 --> 00:11:08.990 I'll look at the special and I'll find the special 00:11:08.990 --> 00:11:11.029 and I'll say, you know, this sandwich for this 00:11:11.029 --> 00:11:13.370 amount. And she goes, I just don't want that 00:11:13.370 --> 00:11:15.570 much and so I'll just take this. But it costs 00:11:15.570 --> 00:11:23.230 the same amount. Get the full sandwich. And that's 00:11:23.230 --> 00:11:28.090 what I feel like my job is in the pulpit this 00:11:28.090 --> 00:11:32.110 morning is saying, quit settling for half a sub. 00:11:34.830 --> 00:11:42.009 Get the full sandwich. My goodness. How many 00:11:42.009 --> 00:11:43.870 are hungry for Jimmy John's right now? Anyway, 00:11:43.929 --> 00:11:47.870 all right. Lord. All right. Now, let's talk a 00:11:47.870 --> 00:11:53.190 little bit. Come on. If you pray harder, just 00:11:53.190 --> 00:11:56.029 pull it out of me. Here it goes. All right. We 00:11:56.029 --> 00:11:58.570 need to understand something. As we looked at 00:11:58.570 --> 00:12:00.970 last week, and I just remind ourselves, before 00:12:00.970 --> 00:12:04.529 Jesus, as he's starting the ministry and the 00:12:04.529 --> 00:12:08.070 disciples are watching Jesus move in his relationship 00:12:08.070 --> 00:12:12.250 with the Father, this This was so important because 00:12:12.250 --> 00:12:17.350 Jesus had to remove in the disciples' mindsets 00:12:17.350 --> 00:12:22.230 from two streams. There were two streams that 00:12:22.230 --> 00:12:25.149 were really affecting the disciples. And in Matthew 00:12:25.149 --> 00:12:30.090 chapter 6, Jesus... describes two of these streams. 00:12:30.190 --> 00:12:32.730 Before he ever teaches them what he's going to 00:12:32.730 --> 00:12:35.669 teach them about prayer, and I believe it's not 00:12:35.669 --> 00:12:39.110 so much about prayer as it was the understanding 00:12:39.110 --> 00:12:42.470 of how to approach the Father, which is a form 00:12:42.470 --> 00:12:45.070 of prayer, but sometimes we make it more formal 00:12:45.070 --> 00:12:48.289 than what I think Jesus was trying to do. So 00:12:48.289 --> 00:12:50.570 he's taking the disciples, and in Matthew chapter 00:12:50.570 --> 00:12:53.830 6, verses 5 through 13, the very first thing 00:12:53.830 --> 00:12:57.210 he does is he tells them two things not to do. 00:12:57.370 --> 00:13:01.009 How many were raised in a home that the first 00:13:01.009 --> 00:13:03.289 thing your parents told you before they told 00:13:03.289 --> 00:13:06.129 you what to do is they told you what not to do? 00:13:06.889 --> 00:13:09.230 Okay, you're in good company because that's what 00:13:09.230 --> 00:13:13.409 Jesus is doing right here. They ask us, teach 00:13:13.409 --> 00:13:16.389 us how to pray, and Jesus says, here's two things 00:13:16.389 --> 00:13:20.019 you don't do. He says it this way, when you pray, 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:25.000 do not be like the hypocrites. So the first thing 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:29.100 that Jesus has to remove from the disciples is 00:13:29.100 --> 00:13:32.639 he has to remove from them the filters in their 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:37.399 mind that religion and their upbringing actually 00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:40.720 placed inside of them. There were staves, if 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:43.100 you will, that I talked about earlier that actually 00:13:43.100 --> 00:13:47.350 began to shape them. Why? They saw And lived 00:13:47.350 --> 00:13:50.549 in a culture that knew God. Was to love God. 00:13:50.789 --> 00:13:54.870 Was about God. Did everything they did even for 00:13:54.870 --> 00:13:58.149 God. In fact, God wrote about some of their attitudes 00:13:58.149 --> 00:14:01.610 even in Isaiah. Is this the fast I call? Is this 00:14:01.610 --> 00:14:03.909 the fast that I want? Is this the offerings that 00:14:03.909 --> 00:14:06.070 I want? I'll tell you what I want. I want your 00:14:06.070 --> 00:14:09.470 heart to be about. Because you can actually become 00:14:09.470 --> 00:14:12.269 a hypocrite in the midst of doing everything 00:14:12.269 --> 00:14:15.840 you think you're doing for God. And the first 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:19.379 thing he had to do to reset the stage in the 00:14:19.379 --> 00:14:21.940 disciples' mind is he taught them how to pray 00:14:21.940 --> 00:14:25.399 because they saw something different. He had 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:30.279 to remove the hypocrisy. He had to remind them 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:33.220 that there's no place when you're coming to the 00:14:33.220 --> 00:14:37.019 Father for believing something and living contrary. 00:14:38.379 --> 00:14:43.460 Ooh, sharabah. That'll preach. See, in Jesus' 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:47.559 heart, in approaching the Father, because the 00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:50.500 Father sees everything, knows everything, there's 00:14:50.500 --> 00:14:56.440 no thing hiding from him. He doesn't play the 00:14:56.440 --> 00:15:00.879 religious game. Therefore, the first thing they 00:15:00.879 --> 00:15:03.919 have to understand is that the Father sees all, 00:15:04.059 --> 00:15:08.220 and the Father wants what? He wants the truth 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:12.389 of what is believed. To what is actually lived. 00:15:13.309 --> 00:15:16.250 Don't divide your heart. Thinking that you're 00:15:16.250 --> 00:15:18.990 pleasing God. When your heart is far from it. 00:15:19.470 --> 00:15:21.870 I mean I could give you prophecy after prophecy. 00:15:21.990 --> 00:15:24.590 That's in the scripture. Jesus quoted the famous 00:15:24.590 --> 00:15:28.490 one out of Isaiah 6. Starting in verse 9. This 00:15:28.490 --> 00:15:30.629 people worships me with their lips. But their 00:15:30.629 --> 00:15:34.070 heart is far from me. What was he trying to do? 00:15:34.210 --> 00:15:41.799 He was trying to remove. The hypocritical. of 00:15:41.799 --> 00:15:46.039 being involved in something of God, for God, 00:15:46.179 --> 00:15:50.019 with God, while being divided in their heart, 00:15:50.059 --> 00:15:52.139 their thinking and their emotions and their will. 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:58.059 God sees it all, bring it to him. And then the 00:15:58.059 --> 00:16:01.059 next thing he does is he moves on in a few more 00:16:01.059 --> 00:16:06.759 verses and he says, and do not be like the heathen. 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:12.200 Now we would think, okay, first of all, that's 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:14.919 kind of a little bit harsh when he says, don't 00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:18.059 be like the heathen. So he says, don't be like 00:16:18.059 --> 00:16:20.919 the hypocrites when you pray and don't be like 00:16:20.919 --> 00:16:23.139 the heathen. Why would he say, don't be like 00:16:23.139 --> 00:16:26.179 the heathen? The heathen kind of sounds kind 00:16:26.179 --> 00:16:29.100 of derogatory, but bottom line, it was a term 00:16:29.100 --> 00:16:31.580 that they would use for what? Being ignorant 00:16:31.580 --> 00:16:35.889 about God. To say that they were heathen means 00:16:35.889 --> 00:16:38.830 they didn't understand his nature. They didn't 00:16:38.830 --> 00:16:40.889 understand God's character. They didn't understand 00:16:40.889 --> 00:16:44.409 who Yahweh was or Jehovah was. They were completely 00:16:44.409 --> 00:16:47.570 in the dark without understanding. Their minds, 00:16:47.690 --> 00:16:50.129 are you ready for this? Their minds had been, 00:16:50.169 --> 00:16:52.730 come on Solomon, I'm looking at you. Their minds 00:16:52.730 --> 00:16:57.490 had been shaped by culture and idolatry of how 00:16:57.490 --> 00:17:01.110 in their own system they were able to connect 00:17:01.110 --> 00:17:04.910 with their God. So two things that they had to 00:17:04.910 --> 00:17:08.589 do. They had to remove the hypocrisy and then 00:17:08.589 --> 00:17:11.869 they had to remove any type of stimulus or input 00:17:11.869 --> 00:17:16.650 that came from any form of idolatry or culture 00:17:16.650 --> 00:17:20.890 of the world of thinking how, quote, God would 00:17:20.890 --> 00:17:24.509 answer them or respond to them. Folks, you understand 00:17:24.509 --> 00:17:27.690 that that is the very same thing that has to 00:17:27.690 --> 00:17:30.630 be removed from our lives as well. Because in 00:17:30.630 --> 00:17:33.509 order for us to embrace who God says he really 00:17:33.509 --> 00:17:36.609 is and who Jesus is trying to portray the father 00:17:36.609 --> 00:17:40.130 as, you have to remove the hypocritical religious 00:17:40.130 --> 00:17:44.549 tradition. As long as I do this, I'm good. No, 00:17:44.609 --> 00:17:47.880 no, no, no, no. And I have to remove the influence 00:17:47.880 --> 00:17:50.720 of where culture says, well, if I just do this, 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:52.539 and if I just do this, and this is how God will 00:17:52.539 --> 00:17:54.619 hear me. And Jesus defines it over there. They 00:17:54.619 --> 00:17:57.240 think that by their many words and repetition, 00:17:57.339 --> 00:18:00.900 they'll be heard. That's what all the other nations 00:18:00.900 --> 00:18:04.599 who worshiped other gods actually modeled. And 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:10.420 it's easy sometimes for that current to get mingled 00:18:10.420 --> 00:18:15.819 into the stream. Because if we're not actually 00:18:15.819 --> 00:18:20.740 understanding of who our father is, we'll pick 00:18:20.740 --> 00:18:24.180 up other things that will try to define God for 00:18:24.180 --> 00:18:28.599 us. Religion will try to find him or idolatry 00:18:28.599 --> 00:18:32.519 will try to define him. Once Jesus told them 00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:35.960 the do nots, then he could move them into, and 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:37.759 this is important where we're going this morning 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:41.200 because we are going somewhere. It might be slow. 00:18:41.690 --> 00:18:45.049 But we are going there in Jesus' name. He said, 00:18:45.049 --> 00:18:49.589 then you can pray in this manner. Our Father 00:18:49.589 --> 00:18:57.190 in heaven, hallowed be your name. This is one 00:18:57.190 --> 00:18:59.309 of the very first times that we begin to really 00:18:59.309 --> 00:19:04.170 deal with as the disciples encounter that Jesus 00:19:04.170 --> 00:19:08.519 is now passing. His intimate relationship that 00:19:08.519 --> 00:19:12.220 they saw with him and the father, now he's giving 00:19:12.220 --> 00:19:17.539 them permission to engage God who is holy, who 00:19:17.539 --> 00:19:22.740 is pure, who is true into a father relationship. 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:27.359 You see, you have to remember, and we'll go back 00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:32.099 to this, ever since the fall of mankind in the 00:19:32.099 --> 00:19:35.779 garden, And Adam and Eve were ushered out of 00:19:35.779 --> 00:19:38.299 the garden and there was a cherub put in the 00:19:38.299 --> 00:19:43.859 way with the flaming stored. Sin separated us 00:19:43.859 --> 00:19:48.279 from God. It didn't change God, but it changed 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:54.220 us. And it changed how the Lord had to deal with 00:19:54.220 --> 00:19:59.960 us. And so from that point on, all the way up 00:19:59.960 --> 00:20:04.559 to Jesus' time, what had been reinforced? Distance, 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:10.000 distance, distance, distance. Even though God 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:12.440 had been saying through his prophets, even though 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:15.799 God came and visited Abraham in covenant making 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:20.160 and visited him. in person where Abraham saw 00:20:20.160 --> 00:20:22.859 the angel of the Lord and walked with him and 00:20:22.859 --> 00:20:25.660 interceded over Sodom and Gomorrah, even though 00:20:25.660 --> 00:20:28.960 Moses went up on the mountain and ate and drank, 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:31.240 70 elders ate and drank in the presence of the 00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:33.519 Lord, even though Moses stayed up on the mountain 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:36.599 40 days and 40 nights twice, even though you 00:20:36.599 --> 00:20:39.980 begin to see this, what got emphasized mostly 00:20:39.980 --> 00:20:43.700 to the people, the takeaway, distance, distance, 00:20:43.779 --> 00:20:49.109 distance. And what was Jesus' primary purpose? 00:20:50.410 --> 00:20:54.950 Yes, of course it was to be that pure and holy 00:20:54.950 --> 00:20:59.109 sacrifice as the Lamb of God, the God -man, if 00:20:59.109 --> 00:21:01.069 we would say it, the Son of Man and the Son of 00:21:01.069 --> 00:21:03.710 God, as Jesus referred to himself in the various 00:21:03.710 --> 00:21:05.910 gospels. The Son of Man, the Son of God, what 00:21:05.910 --> 00:21:08.589 did he do? He came to take away the sin of the 00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:12.529 world. He became the sacrifice for humanity's... 00:21:12.859 --> 00:21:17.160 blunder and he and he bridged the gap now through 00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:19.720 the cross and the resurrection of Christ who 00:21:19.720 --> 00:21:23.839 bridged now the gap and became if you will the 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:26.859 mediator which he is of the new covenant through 00:21:26.859 --> 00:21:33.559 faith now Jesus because of that now has the right 00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:38.200 given the right by the father to do what to bring 00:21:39.009 --> 00:21:45.230 Back his people into what? A personal, fatherly, 00:21:45.230 --> 00:21:52.069 and son and daughter relationship. That's the 00:21:52.069 --> 00:21:55.369 whole point. It wasn't just satisfying the requirement 00:21:55.369 --> 00:22:02.450 of the law. Yes. Yes. And the other. See, where 00:22:02.450 --> 00:22:06.119 most of us have lived, many of us, Is that we've 00:22:06.119 --> 00:22:09.299 just got our salvation. And that's what we've 00:22:09.299 --> 00:22:12.480 kept around. We have not understood. That that 00:22:12.480 --> 00:22:18.779 was never the purpose. In the garden. The garden 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:23.960 wasn't salvation. The garden was what? Relationship. 00:22:26.359 --> 00:22:29.299 The garden. If I could say it this way please. 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:35.319 Was partnership. In fact. The walking and the 00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:39.059 talking with the Lord in the garden was the very 00:22:39.059 --> 00:22:43.940 means of which now, Duane, Lon, I'll just use 00:22:43.940 --> 00:22:45.519 you. You sit here on the end. There's a couple 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:49.880 here. The whole means of fellowship in the garden 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:53.400 was to do what? Are you ready? It meant to extend 00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:59.500 the garden to a larger expression of the garden. 00:23:01.549 --> 00:23:03.630 You go back and read the original commission. 00:23:05.099 --> 00:23:07.960 Before sin ever entered in, it was not an issue 00:23:07.960 --> 00:23:11.279 of trying to get clean or trying to present myself 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:15.119 and feel right. No, they were completely clothed. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:18.180 Most commentator scholars believe they were clothed 00:23:18.180 --> 00:23:20.339 in light. They didn't have, even though they 00:23:20.339 --> 00:23:24.220 were made, they had the propensity to be fallen. 00:23:24.299 --> 00:23:27.799 They were not fallen. They were clothed in light. 00:23:27.960 --> 00:23:32.180 And that fellowship meant what? They obeyed God 00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:35.660 and enjoyed his company. enjoyed theirs and the 00:23:35.660 --> 00:23:39.960 whole point was the fellowship every day they 00:23:39.960 --> 00:23:43.640 had an expectation that God would visit them 00:23:43.640 --> 00:23:48.140 now please just get the framework here the original 00:23:48.140 --> 00:23:52.839 design of mankind of us being created in his 00:23:52.839 --> 00:24:02.579 image was visitation how far have we actually 00:24:02.579 --> 00:24:11.720 allowed The influence of Christianity that's 00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:15.279 not based on original purpose to shape us into 00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:21.400 something different. I know that was a big yee. 00:24:23.359 --> 00:24:28.839 But let's just try to ease into it. Original 00:24:28.839 --> 00:24:34.470 purpose and design was what? To love God. And 00:24:34.470 --> 00:24:39.630 to be in his presence. And to be joy to him. 00:24:40.910 --> 00:24:46.089 To walk with him. To talk with him. Come on. 00:24:47.549 --> 00:24:51.569 To have fellowship with him. And what to receive 00:24:51.569 --> 00:24:56.430 his will. So that we could partner with him. 00:24:56.569 --> 00:25:01.109 In what he wanted. In what where he placed us. 00:25:01.170 --> 00:25:05.529 And what he created. And so much so that he allowed 00:25:05.529 --> 00:25:08.890 Adam and Eve to not only name the creation, but 00:25:08.890 --> 00:25:12.849 then what the original charge was to extend the 00:25:12.849 --> 00:25:16.849 garden of what we have here in the boundaries 00:25:16.849 --> 00:25:20.829 of the garden and extend it to a place that had 00:25:20.829 --> 00:25:25.349 not yet been his kingdom extended to it. Even 00:25:25.349 --> 00:25:28.710 though he's over all things and in charge of 00:25:28.710 --> 00:25:31.769 all things, apparently there was a boundary between 00:25:31.769 --> 00:25:34.410 the garden And the rest of the place that wasn't 00:25:34.410 --> 00:25:36.970 like the garden. So the charge was what? Take 00:25:36.970 --> 00:25:40.569 what I have given you here. In my name. In my 00:25:40.569 --> 00:25:43.490 presence. In my power. In my fellowship. In my 00:25:43.490 --> 00:25:47.450 love. And now take this and extend it. It wasn't 00:25:47.450 --> 00:25:50.009 just about. God just wasn't wanting to. You know 00:25:50.009 --> 00:25:51.930 what? I think I want to farm some more acres. 00:25:54.690 --> 00:25:57.730 God was not thinking that. Well I just want a 00:25:57.730 --> 00:25:59.930 few more almond trees. A few more hazelnuts. 00:25:59.970 --> 00:26:03.680 A few more oranges. I'm into big. acreage that 00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:08.079 wasn't what God was thinking he was saying what 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:12.480 I want a garden experience and the garden experience 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:16.920 extending has a connection with how much you 00:26:16.920 --> 00:26:22.920 know me let me say that again the garden growing 00:26:22.920 --> 00:26:29.700 comes down to original design of knowing God 00:26:29.700 --> 00:26:34.099 and partnering now in his will, in his way, and 00:26:34.099 --> 00:26:36.759 his truth. That's what was to extend the garden. 00:26:37.539 --> 00:26:43.839 The plants to till, to tend, to keep was still 00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:49.440 under the guise of what? Fellowship. Are you 00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:54.619 there? Many times we miss that. We automatically 00:26:55.660 --> 00:26:59.180 Because it's easy for us, we automatically translate 00:26:59.180 --> 00:27:04.319 tilling, tending, and doing that to work. Work 00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:11.740 was not defined work until sin came. Prior to 00:27:11.740 --> 00:27:18.500 that, it was what? Partnership. Are you there? 00:27:20.890 --> 00:27:24.009 Get the definition of work until what? Sin came. 00:27:24.170 --> 00:27:27.529 By the sweat of your brow, Will, you will till 00:27:27.529 --> 00:27:31.329 the ground and eat of it and weeds will be your 00:27:31.329 --> 00:27:34.210 portion all your life. That's because of sin. 00:27:35.109 --> 00:27:39.410 Prior to that, it was not named work. It was 00:27:39.410 --> 00:27:45.130 named what? Will of God partnership. Will of 00:27:45.130 --> 00:27:51.349 God fellowship. Will of God communion. presence 00:27:51.349 --> 00:27:59.109 and you being in it and it was what together 00:27:59.109 --> 00:28:06.410 that is incredible so God Jesus has to do what 00:28:06.410 --> 00:28:10.710 he has to start pulling the staves of things 00:28:10.710 --> 00:28:14.970 that we've maligned and misdefined and in the 00:28:14.970 --> 00:28:18.069 disciples he had to pull out the hypocrisy and 00:28:18.069 --> 00:28:22.559 he had to pull out the ignorance of idolatry 00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:25.859 of how other nations, other cultures chose to 00:28:25.859 --> 00:28:29.180 worship their God, that there was any bleed over, 00:28:29.299 --> 00:28:32.660 it had to be eradicated so that they could come 00:28:32.660 --> 00:28:35.740 purely to the one that he set in the stage going, 00:28:35.960 --> 00:28:40.740 when you pray, pray this, our father. He sets 00:28:40.740 --> 00:28:43.680 the stage right from the beginning to say he 00:28:43.680 --> 00:28:48.240 wants fellowship and relationship as an Abba, 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:54.819 as a dad. Not as a harsh dad or somehow a broken 00:28:54.819 --> 00:28:59.920 dad, but as a dad whose nature it is in wholeness 00:28:59.920 --> 00:29:04.220 and in goodness to do what? To extend inheritance 00:29:04.220 --> 00:29:11.859 and all that he has to the fruit of his loins, 00:29:11.859 --> 00:29:16.359 so to speak. That's the nature of what a dad 00:29:16.359 --> 00:29:21.359 is. without getting gross or trying to paint 00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:24.740 too many pictures, the nature of a father is 00:29:24.740 --> 00:29:29.380 what? A giver. The nature of a mother is what? 00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:34.279 A receiver and a nurturer. By nature, just in 00:29:34.279 --> 00:29:39.299 your sexuality, men are givers of seed. Women 00:29:39.299 --> 00:29:43.660 are receivers of seed. Right? We're doing okay. 00:29:44.990 --> 00:29:46.609 You haven't bought the woke agenda yet. There's 00:29:46.609 --> 00:29:55.089 only two sexes, right? Okay. Okay. Okay. Come 00:29:55.089 --> 00:30:19.819 on. There's no shim. By nature, the Father is 00:30:19.819 --> 00:30:24.700 a giver. And when you remove sin, every father 00:30:24.700 --> 00:30:33.619 is to be a giver of what? Life. That's why Jesus 00:30:33.619 --> 00:30:38.420 has to introduce the disciples. yes, they had 00:30:38.420 --> 00:30:41.000 the platform that he's holy, he's righteous, 00:30:41.119 --> 00:30:44.779 he's true, he's good, he's to be revered, he's 00:30:44.779 --> 00:30:47.119 to be worshiped. All of that was important because 00:30:47.119 --> 00:30:51.299 all of that is true of God's nature. But because 00:30:51.299 --> 00:30:55.700 of sin, and God was getting ready to reveal that 00:30:55.700 --> 00:30:59.390 he was bringing... payment for that breach. Once 00:30:59.390 --> 00:31:03.569 Jesus came, Jesus's focus was, yes, I've come 00:31:03.569 --> 00:31:06.789 to finish the work and the will of the father 00:31:06.789 --> 00:31:10.930 to bring the breach, to close the breach. According 00:31:10.930 --> 00:31:14.089 to Isaiah, I found no one who would stand in 00:31:14.089 --> 00:31:17.950 the gap. So my own arm stood in the breach. Jesus 00:31:17.950 --> 00:31:21.230 was the fulfillment of that prophecy. And in 00:31:21.230 --> 00:31:25.250 addition to being the breach filler or the gap 00:31:25.480 --> 00:31:28.579 filler between God and man. He was also the one 00:31:28.579 --> 00:31:32.059 who would point to how to have relationship with 00:31:32.059 --> 00:31:37.339 the Father and how to partner with the Holy Spirit 00:31:37.339 --> 00:31:41.279 who would be the Spirit of the Father and the 00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:48.200 Son on the earth. That's why Jesus introduced 00:31:48.200 --> 00:31:51.490 them to the Father's nature and character. And 00:31:51.490 --> 00:31:54.690 his very first example of this, and you can see 00:31:54.690 --> 00:31:58.230 it in the Lord's prayer here. The very first 00:31:58.230 --> 00:32:01.710 example is our father in heaven. He goes back 00:32:01.710 --> 00:32:05.269 to hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, 00:32:05.509 --> 00:32:08.470 your will be done as in heaven. So he established 00:32:08.470 --> 00:32:11.250 the father. He establishes that it's all about 00:32:11.250 --> 00:32:14.250 the will of the father, the purpose of the father 00:32:14.250 --> 00:32:18.609 for God's glory, all encompassing. And then he 00:32:18.609 --> 00:32:22.710 moves to what? The first thing. give us this 00:32:22.710 --> 00:32:26.930 day our daily bread. The very first thing he 00:32:26.930 --> 00:32:31.690 does after describing the father is to remind 00:32:31.690 --> 00:32:35.890 the disciples that God by his nature, when you 00:32:35.890 --> 00:32:40.009 remind yourself who he is, he doesn't remind 00:32:40.009 --> 00:32:43.869 them of God's holiness. He starts that with his 00:32:43.869 --> 00:32:47.009 name being holy. So he does. He says, hallowed 00:32:47.009 --> 00:32:49.529 be your name. Our father in heaven, hallowed 00:32:49.529 --> 00:32:53.240 be your name. You see, in the old covenant, it 00:32:53.240 --> 00:32:57.359 was reversed. It was hallowed be your name. And 00:32:57.359 --> 00:32:59.420 we'll talk about God. It never got to father. 00:33:03.319 --> 00:33:06.220 Righteousness, holiness, and don't approach me 00:33:06.220 --> 00:33:11.500 because of sin. Jesus sets the mark straight. 00:33:11.559 --> 00:33:14.779 Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:33:18.500 --> 00:33:23.650 Meaning he. He already in prayer begins to change 00:33:23.650 --> 00:33:27.049 the framework of saying, now you've got to pray 00:33:27.049 --> 00:33:29.170 differently. That's why he said, don't pray like 00:33:29.170 --> 00:33:32.329 the heathen do. Why? Because they can't get close 00:33:32.329 --> 00:33:36.670 to the fellowship of a living Holy Father. And 00:33:36.670 --> 00:33:39.890 don't pray like the hypocrite that has just a 00:33:39.890 --> 00:33:43.849 standard form of tradition and religion and knows 00:33:43.849 --> 00:33:46.950 all the things about God without being able to 00:33:46.950 --> 00:33:49.329 approach God and the heart being totally pure. 00:33:49.509 --> 00:33:52.569 Once you remove both of those, you can now come 00:33:52.569 --> 00:33:58.529 to our Father. Hallowed be your name. And then 00:33:58.529 --> 00:34:00.410 you begin to understand that everything I do 00:34:00.410 --> 00:34:03.049 and everything he does is about his will. It's 00:34:03.049 --> 00:34:05.789 about honoring him, your kingdom. It's your kingdom. 00:34:05.829 --> 00:34:08.070 You're the king that sits on the throne. Your 00:34:08.070 --> 00:34:12.550 will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Now, 00:34:12.550 --> 00:34:16.429 meaning what? You must bring heaven's perspective 00:34:16.429 --> 00:34:20.989 down. That's what Jesus was doing in the Lord's 00:34:20.989 --> 00:34:25.230 prayer. He was reframing them and bringing heaven's 00:34:25.230 --> 00:34:30.110 perspective to them. Moses went up to get the 00:34:30.110 --> 00:34:35.150 law. Jesus came down to give the father's perspective 00:34:35.150 --> 00:34:40.510 to mankind. Are you there? He went up to get 00:34:40.510 --> 00:34:42.550 the law. When the children of Israel said, no, 00:34:42.650 --> 00:34:46.329 Moses, you go for us. Jesus said, now I'm the 00:34:46.329 --> 00:34:50.050 answer. To why the nations and why the nation 00:34:50.050 --> 00:34:53.190 couldn't fulfill everything in the law. God had 00:34:53.190 --> 00:34:57.530 to send me. I came down. So that you could understand 00:34:57.530 --> 00:35:06.030 who he is. And Jesus. Then starts with give us 00:35:06.030 --> 00:35:09.650 this day our daily bread. You see for some of 00:35:09.650 --> 00:35:12.369 us in this room. We don't know if we want what 00:35:12.369 --> 00:35:16.429 the Holy Spirit has totally. Which is such a 00:35:16.429 --> 00:35:21.050 tragic. to me. It's a travesty and tragedy at 00:35:21.050 --> 00:35:26.429 the same time. Because you can be saved and miss 00:35:26.429 --> 00:35:30.670 out on the fullness of your discipleship journey 00:35:30.670 --> 00:35:35.829 with Jesus. The whole point here is give us this 00:35:35.829 --> 00:35:41.809 day our daily bread. Do you understand why that's 00:35:41.809 --> 00:35:45.039 so important? Because daily bread means what? 00:35:45.159 --> 00:35:47.960 Not does it just mean provision that we've boiled 00:35:47.960 --> 00:35:51.619 it down to. No, it actually means understanding, 00:35:51.980 --> 00:35:58.460 illumination, revelation, and fellowship with 00:35:58.460 --> 00:36:03.199 God. You see, this is where we've missed the 00:36:03.199 --> 00:36:05.400 mark. We've taken give us this day our daily 00:36:05.400 --> 00:36:08.159 bread only to mean provision. God, give us the 00:36:08.159 --> 00:36:12.159 money we need. Yes, that is a small part of it. 00:36:12.750 --> 00:36:17.630 But the bigger part of it is give us the revelation 00:36:17.630 --> 00:36:21.550 of your word and of your presence and of your 00:36:21.550 --> 00:36:25.170 fellowship. Why? Because that prayer was taking 00:36:25.170 --> 00:36:30.750 us back to the garden. Give us this day our daily 00:36:30.750 --> 00:36:34.150 bread. Meaning what? Give us the provision of 00:36:34.150 --> 00:36:37.590 fellowship and communion that we had with you 00:36:37.590 --> 00:36:41.250 before we made such a foolish mistake and yielded 00:36:41.250 --> 00:36:45.389 our authority and that place that we once had. 00:36:46.349 --> 00:36:49.610 You see, even in the old covenant law, Kyle, 00:36:49.710 --> 00:36:52.309 in the old covenant, they changed bread every 00:36:52.309 --> 00:36:56.530 seven days. Some of us don't even believe in 00:36:56.530 --> 00:36:58.690 getting fresh. We haven't had fresh bread in 00:36:58.690 --> 00:37:01.889 years. Why? Because we've camped just around 00:37:01.889 --> 00:37:05.469 our salvation and we haven't wanted to grow in 00:37:05.469 --> 00:37:08.889 discipleship and partnership. And even in the 00:37:08.889 --> 00:37:11.730 old covenant, you've got to change your bread 00:37:11.730 --> 00:37:17.710 once a week. But he moves from the changing of 00:37:17.710 --> 00:37:19.929 the bread once a week to actually encouraging 00:37:19.929 --> 00:37:23.130 you. It's now not just once a week as a religious 00:37:23.130 --> 00:37:25.909 tradition. I'm moving you from Old Testament 00:37:25.909 --> 00:37:29.389 revelation into New Testament reality. I don't 00:37:29.389 --> 00:37:32.869 come to visit you on Sabbath only. I come to 00:37:32.869 --> 00:37:37.289 live with you every day. And I come to give you 00:37:37.289 --> 00:37:40.570 bread of revelation of my presence, my love, 00:37:40.730 --> 00:37:44.789 my power, my purpose every day in your heart. 00:37:46.139 --> 00:37:49.800 That's discipleship. And that's expanding the 00:37:49.800 --> 00:37:51.920 kingdom of God. Man, I could preach myself happy 00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:57.679 this morning. I could probably do a few of those 00:37:57.679 --> 00:38:06.260 up downs. Hallelujah. Are you hearing what the 00:38:06.260 --> 00:38:10.780 Holy Spirit is saying this morning? He had to 00:38:10.780 --> 00:38:15.090 get out of the... hypocritical mindset of religion 00:38:15.090 --> 00:38:18.969 and tradition and the no's that I just want to 00:38:18.969 --> 00:38:23.750 be safe. And they had to get out of the idolatrous 00:38:23.750 --> 00:38:26.909 perspective of culture of how to approach and 00:38:26.909 --> 00:38:30.690 do and live in other ways and get back to a place 00:38:30.690 --> 00:38:34.769 of getting the heart of what was written in the 00:38:34.769 --> 00:38:38.110 old and see it from the basis of he's a father 00:38:38.110 --> 00:38:41.329 that's now called us to have fellowship again. 00:38:42.580 --> 00:38:49.260 Not through just one tribe of the 12. Levi and 00:38:49.260 --> 00:38:54.579 everybody else just does their thing. No, Levi 00:38:54.579 --> 00:38:58.760 now was a picture of what all of God's people 00:38:58.760 --> 00:39:05.519 would do in grace through Jesus. And so he taught 00:39:05.519 --> 00:39:07.880 the disciples, the father's a giver. Give us 00:39:07.880 --> 00:39:09.860 this day our daily bread. Notice the next thing. 00:39:10.679 --> 00:39:14.599 And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. 00:39:14.639 --> 00:39:17.619 Do you notice the partnership there? Notice you 00:39:17.619 --> 00:39:25.920 can forgive debt and not love. Jesus is actually 00:39:25.920 --> 00:39:30.179 focusing on love. Why? In order to forgive other 00:39:30.179 --> 00:39:34.659 people, to be free of the debt that you have 00:39:34.659 --> 00:39:37.579 with the Lord, you actually genuinely have to 00:39:37.579 --> 00:39:42.550 love. You see, as a business owner, you can write 00:39:42.550 --> 00:39:46.510 off loss. And I'm not gonna ask you who's just 00:39:46.510 --> 00:39:49.329 written off people in their lives. You can write 00:39:49.329 --> 00:39:51.510 off people. That doesn't mean that you actually 00:39:51.510 --> 00:39:56.070 operated in the truth of forgiving and releasing. 00:39:57.789 --> 00:40:01.590 God doesn't just come as the debt forgiver. He 00:40:01.590 --> 00:40:05.610 comes as the lover of your soul that forgives. 00:40:06.510 --> 00:40:09.150 And there's a big deal because that's the nature 00:40:09.150 --> 00:40:14.469 of a giving father. He gives love to forgive 00:40:14.469 --> 00:40:20.329 debt and trespass. Every area of the Lord's prayer, 00:40:20.489 --> 00:40:24.809 the Lord was redefining the disciples' relationship 00:40:24.809 --> 00:40:32.230 of how to engage a father. You see, because a 00:40:32.230 --> 00:40:35.900 father is a giver. The Father is a supplier. 00:40:36.519 --> 00:40:40.440 The Father is a protector. The Father is a leader. 00:40:40.800 --> 00:40:44.719 The Father is a forgiver and a deliverer. And 00:40:44.719 --> 00:40:47.179 can you see right in the midst of this, these 00:40:47.179 --> 00:40:50.380 categories of prayer explaining to the disciples 00:40:50.380 --> 00:40:53.380 as they were watching Jesus interact with God 00:40:53.380 --> 00:40:57.400 the Father, they saw it both naturally and spiritually. 00:40:57.719 --> 00:41:01.500 There was no hypocrisy in Jesus. There was no 00:41:01.500 --> 00:41:06.650 form of idolatry or ignorance. He was in full 00:41:06.650 --> 00:41:09.650 knowledge and understanding, completely engaging 00:41:09.650 --> 00:41:13.570 with a relationship that he saw was life -giving, 00:41:13.670 --> 00:41:18.349 not punitive. And right in the midst of it, as 00:41:18.349 --> 00:41:20.829 they're watching Jesus, so much so that their 00:41:20.829 --> 00:41:23.869 hearts burn, Lord, teach us to pray. We've not 00:41:23.869 --> 00:41:28.750 experienced it anywhere else. Right in the midst 00:41:28.750 --> 00:41:31.130 of it, they would experience now what would be 00:41:31.639 --> 00:41:34.760 Kingdom commissioning and kingdom partnership 00:41:34.760 --> 00:41:39.599 in which Jesus was actively walking in the Father's 00:41:39.599 --> 00:41:42.500 will, the Father's way, and the Father's word. 00:41:42.659 --> 00:41:46.199 And that's what he was trying to convey to us. 00:41:46.300 --> 00:41:50.599 He didn't stop there. You see, this is where 00:41:50.599 --> 00:41:55.940 we miss it. Because our Heavenly Father is a 00:41:55.940 --> 00:42:00.760 giver of gifts. That's his nature. Fact is, every 00:42:00.760 --> 00:42:03.500 good gift, all that we have as good comes from 00:42:03.500 --> 00:42:06.119 the Father. That's why James can say this in 00:42:06.119 --> 00:42:09.239 James 1, 17. It says, every good and perfect 00:42:09.239 --> 00:42:15.280 gift is from where? Above. Now, where does it 00:42:15.280 --> 00:42:23.579 stay above? No. Look at this. Every good gift 00:42:23.579 --> 00:42:30.409 and perfect gift is from above coming down. from 00:42:30.409 --> 00:42:34.590 the father of lights in whom there's no shadow 00:42:34.590 --> 00:42:39.190 or variation of change. So we have to establish 00:42:39.190 --> 00:42:41.730 right from the beginning, knowing the scripture 00:42:41.730 --> 00:42:44.150 that God, there's another verse that says, I 00:42:44.150 --> 00:42:48.449 am the Lord, I change us not. Says there's no 00:42:48.449 --> 00:42:51.030 shadow or variation of change with God. Meaning 00:42:51.030 --> 00:42:55.389 what? He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. 00:42:55.530 --> 00:42:58.389 We've just now looked at three verses that establish 00:42:58.389 --> 00:43:04.170 as witnesses that God does not change. Yet in 00:43:04.170 --> 00:43:14.230 our theology, we've tried to change him. You 00:43:14.230 --> 00:43:18.039 say, what do you mean? See, in Genesis 1, Verses 00:43:18.039 --> 00:43:22.699 26 and 27, he said, let us make man in our image, 00:43:22.760 --> 00:43:26.760 talking Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and after our 00:43:26.760 --> 00:43:30.619 likeness. So God created man in his own image. 00:43:31.099 --> 00:43:33.679 In the image of God, he created them male and 00:43:33.679 --> 00:43:39.179 female. So I need to ask you a question. When 00:43:39.179 --> 00:43:43.300 sin happened after a time in the garden, we don't 00:43:43.300 --> 00:43:45.320 know how long that was, but when sin happened 00:43:45.320 --> 00:43:52.059 in the garden, Did God change? Answer it honestly. 00:43:52.119 --> 00:43:57.880 Did God change? No, he didn't. So why did we 00:43:57.880 --> 00:44:10.619 stop seeing him as a father? See, whether you 00:44:10.619 --> 00:44:15.500 realize it or not, we've allowed cultural streams 00:44:15.500 --> 00:44:19.070 of teaching To try to keep us from embracing 00:44:19.070 --> 00:44:22.409 the fact that he always has been and always will 00:44:22.409 --> 00:44:27.789 be at the nature a life -giving father. And we've 00:44:27.789 --> 00:44:31.309 allowed substitutes to try to convince us that 00:44:31.309 --> 00:44:34.440 we should fear. Sometimes it's on the basis of 00:44:34.440 --> 00:44:36.920 our experience with our earthly fathers. Sometimes 00:44:36.920 --> 00:44:39.760 it's on the basis of our experience with earthly 00:44:39.760 --> 00:44:42.619 authorities. But the bottom line is, whatever 00:44:42.619 --> 00:44:45.840 it's tried to come in, it has tried to alter 00:44:45.840 --> 00:44:48.760 our perspective of the father. Therefore, we 00:44:48.760 --> 00:44:55.280 would have the defense mechanism of saying to 00:44:55.280 --> 00:44:58.860 God and his good and pure gifts that only come 00:44:58.860 --> 00:45:03.730 from himself. To say to him, no, I don't want 00:45:03.730 --> 00:45:08.519 you. Isn't that what, come on now, stay with 00:45:08.519 --> 00:45:12.800 me. Isn't that exactly what it is? That somewhere, 00:45:13.079 --> 00:45:16.519 some form of teaching, some form of understanding, 00:45:16.820 --> 00:45:19.860 some form of experience, some form of thing. 00:45:19.980 --> 00:45:24.039 If I had a dollar for every person that told 00:45:24.039 --> 00:45:27.360 me that they didn't believe in the fullness of 00:45:27.360 --> 00:45:29.420 the Holy Spirit or the gifts of the Holy Spirit 00:45:29.420 --> 00:45:32.719 because of some bad experience or somebody else's 00:45:32.719 --> 00:45:35.280 bad experience, you know how many pastors I've 00:45:35.280 --> 00:45:38.820 talked to, over the years have based their doctrinal 00:45:38.820 --> 00:45:41.900 perspective on somebody else's bad experience. 00:45:44.380 --> 00:45:49.719 And what does that do? It puts a stave into the 00:45:49.719 --> 00:45:53.059 church that says God can be trusted in everything 00:45:53.059 --> 00:45:57.780 else except this. That the Holy Spirit is weird. 00:45:58.599 --> 00:46:06.230 That the Holy Spirit is For some and not for 00:46:06.230 --> 00:46:09.670 others. That the Holy Spirit in that dimension 00:46:09.670 --> 00:46:12.730 now doesn't need to happen because now we have 00:46:12.730 --> 00:46:15.429 the whole Bible and now he doesn't operate in 00:46:15.429 --> 00:46:17.710 these things anymore. What happens? Somebody 00:46:17.710 --> 00:46:24.630 puts stave after stave after stave. And now you 00:46:24.630 --> 00:46:28.349 honestly don't believe that the Father's gifts 00:46:28.349 --> 00:46:32.230 that are pure, light, and full of truth actually 00:46:32.230 --> 00:46:36.369 are for you. And you actually make a doctrinal 00:46:36.369 --> 00:46:44.309 statement, and many do, that God changed. God 00:46:44.309 --> 00:46:49.489 has never changed. In fact, he's been trying 00:46:49.489 --> 00:46:53.730 to get us in New Testament understanding to embrace 00:46:53.730 --> 00:46:57.889 what he started in the garden all the way back. 00:46:58.960 --> 00:47:02.960 For the whole point of the garden was to expand 00:47:02.960 --> 00:47:07.440 what would be a representation of him living 00:47:07.440 --> 00:47:14.760 in us. You're the garden. You're the garden. 00:47:16.699 --> 00:47:20.639 You're the building. You're the temple. The whole 00:47:20.639 --> 00:47:23.880 point of the Old Testament was to take external 00:47:23.880 --> 00:47:28.750 things, the vineyards, The fields, the physical 00:47:28.750 --> 00:47:32.929 temple always had representation of a type and 00:47:32.929 --> 00:47:36.210 shadow that pointed to a greater reality. So 00:47:36.210 --> 00:47:40.329 that when we get to 1 Corinthians 3, verse 9, 00:47:40.389 --> 00:47:45.670 it says, but you are God's field. You are God's 00:47:45.670 --> 00:47:48.929 building. Meaning what? Christ's whole point, 00:47:49.010 --> 00:47:52.949 Chris. Every time I say somebody's name, all 00:47:52.949 --> 00:47:54.369 of a sudden their eyes twitch a little bit. It's 00:47:54.369 --> 00:47:58.030 like, oh, all right. The whole point is Christ 00:47:58.030 --> 00:48:03.710 in you. What did Paul say? Christ in me, the 00:48:03.710 --> 00:48:06.170 hope of glory. Christ in you, the hope of glory. 00:48:06.250 --> 00:48:08.590 The whole point is that Christ would be what? 00:48:09.349 --> 00:48:13.969 Formed in you. Not just in the deposit of salvation 00:48:13.969 --> 00:48:17.530 alone, but that what? That God would now take 00:48:17.530 --> 00:48:21.219 that. if I could just say, take that dough and 00:48:21.219 --> 00:48:24.099 begin to knead it and grow it and build it and 00:48:24.099 --> 00:48:27.380 strengthen it and cause more of your life to 00:48:27.380 --> 00:48:31.539 be yielded to Christ. The whole point is God 00:48:31.539 --> 00:48:37.260 wants to what? Expand in you. I understand that 00:48:37.260 --> 00:48:40.579 there's multiple processes to it. It's not just 00:48:40.579 --> 00:48:44.889 a... He's doing it. It's by grace that you partner 00:48:44.889 --> 00:48:48.329 with grace. And it's his sovereignty. In addition, 00:48:48.469 --> 00:48:50.710 he gives you the faith to believe it. He says, 00:48:50.710 --> 00:48:54.789 now put off the old man. Means there's some choice 00:48:54.789 --> 00:48:58.730 of your will to put off your old nature. You 00:48:58.730 --> 00:49:01.769 can't completely put it off unless he helps you 00:49:01.769 --> 00:49:06.550 put it off. Right? But then he says, and put 00:49:06.550 --> 00:49:10.039 on the new man. Meaning what? I have to what? 00:49:10.079 --> 00:49:12.679 Have his help in putting on the new man, but 00:49:12.679 --> 00:49:16.079 I have to engage my will. The whole point is 00:49:16.079 --> 00:49:19.739 partnership. The whole point of the New Testament 00:49:19.739 --> 00:49:23.619 is actually living in fellowship with God and 00:49:23.619 --> 00:49:28.019 allowing Christ to fill me and to expand me that 00:49:28.019 --> 00:49:32.199 more of Christ I might, the old nature dies so 00:49:32.199 --> 00:49:35.099 that the new man lives in a greater, fuller, 00:49:35.099 --> 00:49:40.269 and I grow up into maturity. The goal is that 00:49:40.269 --> 00:49:44.710 Jesus would actually fill this five foot seven 00:49:44.710 --> 00:49:48.570 and three quarter person. And it's shrinking. 00:49:49.989 --> 00:49:55.110 I used to be five eight. But over time and gravity, 00:49:55.170 --> 00:49:57.670 come on. The whole point is that Christ spiritually 00:49:57.670 --> 00:50:03.070 would fill me and I would die to the old nature. 00:50:03.800 --> 00:50:07.340 That is not of his nature and of his will and 00:50:07.340 --> 00:50:10.519 his purpose. Why? That means he wants to expand 00:50:10.519 --> 00:50:15.079 me. That means he took the deposit of the Holy 00:50:15.079 --> 00:50:18.059 Spirit, the what? The seal and the guarantee 00:50:18.059 --> 00:50:22.199 of my salvation. He didn't just want it to stay 00:50:22.199 --> 00:50:26.039 in the ground. He wants it, what? To be invested. 00:50:28.880 --> 00:50:32.000 He didn't just bury salvation inside of me to 00:50:32.000 --> 00:50:35.079 have me have my name only in the Lamb's book 00:50:35.079 --> 00:50:37.860 of life. That's part of it. The other side of 00:50:37.860 --> 00:50:41.099 it is that the talents, the graces and the giftings 00:50:41.099 --> 00:50:44.639 would now be worked for what? Kingdom partnership. 00:50:45.960 --> 00:50:49.920 And what's the goal of kingdom partnership? Fellowship. 00:50:51.679 --> 00:51:00.570 Communion. Presence. Intimacy. The joy of relationship, 00:51:00.769 --> 00:51:05.510 of peace and security. The very thing that they 00:51:05.510 --> 00:51:08.849 had in the garden is what he's looking to establish 00:51:08.849 --> 00:51:14.230 in us. That's what he's after. Why would we ever? 00:51:15.119 --> 00:51:19.559 Want to say no to a gift that is holy and pure 00:51:19.559 --> 00:51:24.059 and true and has no shadow of variation or change 00:51:24.059 --> 00:51:28.719 but is only an expression of God himself. Why 00:51:28.719 --> 00:51:32.260 would we ever say no to it? It's because somewhere 00:51:32.260 --> 00:51:37.780 tradition or experience or faulty culture or 00:51:37.780 --> 00:51:44.510 ignorance of things got in and blocked. And God 00:51:44.510 --> 00:51:49.929 wants to kick those walls out in Jesus' name 00:51:49.929 --> 00:51:54.170 and begin to expand and give you the gifts of 00:51:54.170 --> 00:52:00.869 himself. If it is the Holy Spirit, it is God 00:52:00.869 --> 00:52:08.050 himself. God doesn't give bad gifts. God doesn't 00:52:08.050 --> 00:52:12.250 do weird. Nick, you and I can do weird on our 00:52:12.250 --> 00:52:18.630 own. But God doesn't do weird. God is perfect. 00:52:19.449 --> 00:52:25.630 He's holy. He's true. He's life -giving. He gives 00:52:25.630 --> 00:52:29.170 that which is of himself and of his nature. Can 00:52:29.170 --> 00:52:35.110 I pray with you? Father, in Jesus' name, Lord, 00:52:35.170 --> 00:52:38.190 we thank you this morning that you're here in 00:52:38.190 --> 00:52:45.579 this room. You are the gift giver. You are holy 00:52:45.579 --> 00:52:49.440 and true. And Lord, this morning, even as we 00:52:49.440 --> 00:52:54.579 look at the scriptures, Lord, we got to the same 00:52:54.579 --> 00:52:56.599 place that first service did. We still want to 00:52:56.599 --> 00:52:58.980 look at John 4, so help me get there next week. 00:53:01.340 --> 00:53:07.139 But God, build in us a platform to see what you're 00:53:07.139 --> 00:53:12.199 wanting to do. That Christ would be formed in 00:53:12.199 --> 00:53:15.670 us. Christ would be matured in us. Christ would 00:53:15.670 --> 00:53:19.309 grow in us. Not that Christ needs anything. The 00:53:19.309 --> 00:53:23.769 Holy Spirit is fully formed. We, the God part 00:53:23.769 --> 00:53:29.409 of us, would yield to us being made in your image. 00:53:31.929 --> 00:53:36.289 Expand the garden of your presence. Expand the 00:53:36.289 --> 00:53:39.780 fruit. of the spirit in our lives, the trees, 00:53:39.900 --> 00:53:42.920 the plantings, the extending of your presence 00:53:42.920 --> 00:53:46.219 of fellowship and communion. Lord, that we would 00:53:46.219 --> 00:53:54.139 be people who are life givers. Teach us to love 00:53:54.139 --> 00:54:00.559 you, Lord. Help us in spirit and in truth. I 00:54:00.559 --> 00:54:03.099 ask, Lord, that you would release this over our 00:54:03.099 --> 00:54:06.739 hearts in this congregation. that we would be 00:54:06.739 --> 00:54:12.099 a people hungry, hungry for you, hungry for more 00:54:12.099 --> 00:54:19.119 of you. Give us our daily bread. In Jesus' name, 00:54:19.280 --> 00:54:25.260 amen. Thank you for taking the time to listen 00:54:25.260 --> 00:54:28.179 to this week's message. We are so grateful for 00:54:28.179 --> 00:54:31.119 those who tune in each week and have given generously 00:54:31.119 --> 00:54:34.650 to this ministry. If you would like to give click 00:54:34.650 --> 00:54:37.429 the link in the episode description below. You 00:54:37.429 --> 00:54:39.989 can also help us by subscribing to this podcast 00:54:39.989 --> 00:54:42.210 and sharing it with your friends and family. 00:54:42.809 --> 00:54:45.590 Lastly, if you are in need of prayer send us 00:54:45.590 --> 00:54:51.349 a text message at 541 -625 -1365. We would love 00:54:51.349 --> 00:54:52.110 to pray with you.