Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We
want to thank you for joining us today, and we
hope you find today's sermon impacting as you
listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk.
To find service times and watch messages online,
see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now,
enjoy this week's message. I want to pray for
us as you open your Bible to the Gospel of John.
Gospel of John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, John
chapter 4. We're going to try to get there this
morning. Father, in Jesus' name. Lord, I come
before you today. Lord, we come before you today
as your children, as the family of God. We come
around your word. Lord, it's the time of breaking
bread with you, so to speak. Lord, you are the
great feeder. The shepherd, even as we sang about
it this morning, we're not alone. Jesus, the
Lord is my shepherd. You are our feeder. You
feed us and you cause us to receive the truth
of your word. Lord, you give us both milk and
meat. You give us both honey and curds. You are
the God who brings the fullness of your kingdom
and your word. to come into our heart. Lord,
we open our heart to receive from you. I ask
you to help me deliver it. You're the master
teacher. You're the master preacher, Lord. You
can do more in a little bit than I could do all
afternoon. Lord, quicken. Quicken rhema words
to your people. Lord, illuminated thoughts, encounters,
revelation. illumination of the heart. Cause
people to fall in love with you. Minister to
their heart and their mind in Jesus Christ's
holy name. And everybody said, amen, amen. All
right, let's, I better turn there myself. John
chapter four. Thank you, Jenny. We are, we're
kind of, slow walking, and I don't mean on purpose,
but kind of started with this thought a few weeks
ago about, well, I guess it was a couple months
ago, about talking about the revelation that
God had hidden in the beginning of Passover.
So when we're dealing with Exodus 12, and we're
dealing with God revealing the blood of the lamb,
the plying it on the doorposts of their house,
the eating of the lamb, the preparation of the
lamb, all of that. And then he adds the caveat.
This is where we really began to draw from. He
adds the caveat after he alone could provide
the blood and he alone provided a perfect lamb.
He told them that they had to go into their homes
and for a week, They had to clean out their homes
of the leaven. Leaven in scripture represents,
in today we would say it's yeast. It represents
that which causes bread to rise. But in the Old
Testament, leaven means it's sin. It's connected
to the process that causes a puffing up. And
we started our journey a couple months ago. Periodically
we've had some guest speakers and then we've
had communion. We started looking at 1 Corinthians
5 where the apostle Paul actually was dealing
with trying to sort the church out of going,
I've got to bring you back to what happened in
Passover because you really are now. Christ is
our Passover lamb and now you must keep the feast
with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
And so the Holy Spirit brings and starts talking
to the church about God did something clear back
in Exodus with the children of Israel that was
not fully revealed. It was veiled all the way
until we get to the revealing of Jesus where
Jesus would become the Passover lamb. And in
the midst of the Passover lamb, he would now
say, I want you to join me. I'm paying for the
sin of the world, but I want you to understand
that there is partnership in my kingdom and you
have a responsibility with me, the joy of extending
my father's kingdom. And that means what? That
we're to eat the feast, meaning what? We're to
experience eating of this Christian life, eating
the word and the eating and drinking. Jesus talks
about that, if you will, in Isaiah 55. Oh, come
eat, come buy without money. How do you do that?
Well, it's a spiritual principle. Come and drink
deeply of all that he has. You eat it. Which
way? You eat it by receiving it. So when we talk
spiritual things and you're reading the Bible,
you go, what does it mean to eat the word? Well,
there's not a bunch of people just walking around,
you know, with a leather Bible, like a Heath
bar, trying to gnaw off the word of God and to
eat it. That is not what's happening. The eating
represents the receiving of it and allowing it
to get into both here and here. Because in the
mind of God, The heart and the mind have 18 inches
that are connected. God never just deals with
your mind. He's always dealing with your heart.
And when he deals with your heart, it's never
just your heart. He's trying to renew your mind.
So everything about God deals with this process
that's connected. It's mind and heart, heart
and mind, mind and heart, right? Now, when we're
looking at this, this is the genius of Jesus.
Because in all of the Old Testament, there was
mention of the Holy Spirit. But when we deal
with the Old Testament scriptures, talking about
Genesis to Malachi. You only see the Holy Spirit
come upon a few people. Normally it's on the
priest, it's on the prophet or the king, or once
in a while for very specialized purposes such
as Beziel who made all of the ephod and the garment,
the spirit of the Lord came on him for works
of service to add for the furniture. So people
didn't have the Holy Spirit individually. That
only came in limited portion. As we get to the
New Testament. The genius of this. As God is
beginning to breathe upon the mouths of the prophets.
Both in the major prophets and the minor prophets.
He is breathing on that there is a breakthrough
that's coming. Not only with Messiah who would
be the anointed one. Who would walk in the fullness
of the anointing and the Holy Spirit. But there
would become a crescendo where we would have
a partnership with him. And when you get to Jesus
and you get to his life, it's amazing how many
things Jesus talks about in regard to the Holy
Spirit. Now, let me just say this caveat because
I know we all come from various backgrounds.
I came from a pretty ultra conservative background.
theologically, just being raised in a Mennonite
home and having an understanding of God the Father,
having an understanding of Jesus Christ the Son.
And we talked about the Holy Spirit, but there
was never really a handle to be able to embrace
his ministry, his word. He was always the mysterious
one that you just didn't talk about because he
seemed like every time you talk about it, he
moved. Right? It messed with you. So if you're
focused on Christianity being logical, you most
of the time stay away from the Holy Spirit. I
hate to say it that way, but that's the reality.
Now listen, I was born on Wednesday and in church
on Sunday. I've been in church over 57 years
of my life. Some of you are older. I have heard
more messages than I am on dietary supplements.
I am just telling you. You know, I have a, I
have drawers full of messages that I have heard
over the years, but I'm telling you the mindset
that most of us came out of, if we came out of
a evangelical traditional setting, which was
great to build a platform is we have not actually
honored the Holy Spirit to the degree that we've
honored the father and the son. So it's kind
of father, son, Holy Spirit. And whether you
realize it or not, you've kind of treated him
as junior. I've kind of treated him as junior
and he's not junior. He's a full part of the
Trinity. He is in himself. He is God. Now, this
is the genius of Jesus. When Jesus comes on the
scene, and I want to encourage you as you read
the Bible, and I'm praying that you read the
Bible, and I'm I'm hoping you haven't bought
the lie that said, I don't have to memorize scripture
anymore. I don't have to know the word of God
anymore. I just need to just experience. No,
no. Who told you that? That's why I love the
Awana thing. It's like, listen, if they're required
to have 21 verses in their heart and they're
only five years old, what should be the level
of the word of God inside of you? The reality
is, you and I should have the Bible inside of
us that in any situation, we should be able to,
not out of religion, but out of relationship,
call to mind what Jesus or the Father has said.
Right? Because what Jesus says is what the Father
says. Right? Listen, this whole idea... Now I'm
on a tangent, Duane, so here we go. This whole
idea of what New Age promotes and what people
want to do is move themselves into a form of
nothingness. I'm just going to clear my mind
and just think of nothing. That's a lie. Do you
know that that is actually the very opposite
of what God asked you to do? Now, are we supposed
to meditate? Yes. On what? His word. We're not
here just to meditate on nothingness. Most of
us deal with that already. Right? I want you
to think a little bit, not just go to a place
of nothing. You've been there a long time. Let's
get you to a place of something. Hallelujah.
Okay. The whole point. If you don't get to a
place of nothingness, the place is you clear
your mind to what? Begin to put God's word in
it so that it does what? It actually, you dwell
on what he said and it begins to shape you in
your emotions and in your heart and in your thinking.
Biblical meditation is actually thinking about
who he is and re -hearing again what he has said.
Why? That's how we've been told to live. Without
it, you're not actually actively drawing from
the water of life. Jesus said, we'll get to this
eventually. If anyone will come to me, out of
his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
He spoke that of the Holy Spirit. But folks,
you have to have the word in you so that the
water flowing out of you is clean. So that it's
not just your own thoughts and your own feelings.
He wants you to live in partnership and in tandem
with the word and with the spirit. Now this is
the genius of Jesus. I want to go back to this
because Jesus has to start the scene by training
the disciples to begin to shift their filter.
Now I don't know if you do this, but I try to
do this. When I'm reading the word of God, there
are several things that we should always keep
in mind when we're engaging with the scriptures,
right? First thing is, I need to remove my preconceived
ideas of what I think I already know about that
passage. If you've read the Bible any point of
time or over and over, especially those of us
that have walked with the Lord for a while, you
know, If you've read the Bible 50, 60, 70, 80
times through, you can develop a real hardening
of calcified arguments of what you think you
know. So each time you come to the word of God,
you have to begin to say, Lord, I'm setting aside
what I think I know about this. And I'm coming
to the teacher. I'm asking you, Holy Spirit,
to begin to reveal to me your word, not just
in understanding application, but in the depth
of application. Okay. Now, when we read, like
we're going to look here in John four, which
is a very famous passage, we're going to get
to it in Jesus name. It's a very famous passage.
And when you look at the woman at the well, some
of us can actually quote the scriptures. the
whole chapter. The reality is it was such a pivotal
thing that Jesus was doing with the Samaritan
woman. But if I don't come to the scriptures
in John 4 afresh, I'm going to have just have
rehearsed in my mind what I already know. And
I'm wanting to come to the scriptures, say, okay,
Lord, show me how to see in this scripture fresh.
So the first time I read John 4, if I'm studying
for something, I'm setting everything aside and
I'm reading it as though I've never read it before.
Then the next time, because I don't just read
it once, the next time I read it, I'm now putting
filters in. How do I put filters in? Why do I
put a filter? Well, a filter, if it's a godly
filter, is a great thing. It means I'm going
to begin to ask the Lord, Lord, show me in the
gospel of John, show me every time you start
talking about the Holy Spirit. So now I'm coming
to the gospel of John, not just as a historical
document, not just as an encounter of John's
witness first person with Jesus, not just trying
to learn the culture of the day of what I would
learn. What did it mean to them? What was the
culture in them? What was the historicity of
it? Now I'm putting a filter on it. I'm saying,
God, speak to me and show me how you're highlighting.
Because this is one of the things that I believe
we're We're supposed to be moving forward together
as a church. Show me how much emphasis you put
on the Holy Spirit. And now I read the gospel
again with a fresh filter of highlighting Holy
Spirit. Every time Jesus began to reference or
speak to him, of him, about him, minister things
that would be referenced to him. And it brings
a fresh appreciation as I'm reading the gospels
of going, well, yes, Jesus came to fulfill the
work and his mission was to die on the cross.
He knew his mission. His mission was to be the
lamb that was slain for the foundation of the
world. His mission was to rise again and break
the power of death and sin and break the fear
of death. But he didn't have much time. After
that, so he constantly, from the moment he was
baptized in the water Jordan that started his
official ministry of the anointing coming upon
him, which was the Christos itself, the very
oil of God, the Holy Spirit. From that time on,
he began, which was his, from that time on means
he started ministry, live ministry, what? Constantly
pointing to the reality of the Spirit of God.
and the engagement with it. So that's why you
have the picture. He's the word and the spirit,
and we need him. Now, so much did Jesus do this
that he had to start, begin to frame this in
his disciples. And we've looked at this a few
weeks ago in Matthew 6, verse 5. Before Jesus
ever decided to teach the disciples to pray,
he had to do what? He had to remove Two major
pitfalls in their life. Matthew 6, 5 says, and
when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.
Why would Jesus, before he ever taught them to
pray, our Father in heaven, why would he drill
down on this? Because there's nothing worse.
There's nothing worse than actually saying you
believe something and then refusing to live it.
Now, sometimes it can be a refusal. Sometimes
we're just not aware that we're living duplicitous.
The whole point that Jesus was trying to remove
out of the disciples was, I don't want you living
a life that is separate. What you believe is
in this category, how you live is in this category.
The very first thing that I'm going to teach
you to do is bring your life into alignment and
allegiance that what you believe and what you
live will match up. Now that is really, really
important to live in New Testament understanding.
Because hypocrisy, which we all have a nature
of falling into, and you've probably heard us
say, I won't go to church, they're full of hypocrites.
Yes, but we're recovering hypocrites. We are
all in the process of trying to arrest, our belief
from being separate from how we live and to move
and allow the spirit of God, his word and his
spirit to now, to actually have a place where
God operates in us out of relationship. And I
don't have what I think and I don't have what
I do on two different pages. What I think and
what I do is on the same page. The second thing
Jesus has to remove in Matthew 6 is verse 7.
And when you pray, do not be like the, use vain
repetitions as the heathen do. For they will
be, they think they'll be heard by their many
words. Verse 8, therefore do not be like them.
Now why was Jesus saying, we looked at this a
little bit, don't do the religious hypocritical
thing, but then don't do the heathen thing. Now,
that could mean a lot of things to a lot of people,
but what he was driving at here with don't be
like the heathen was, we had to take real inventory
of what the people and the culture of what the
people believed actually influenced how they
thought God would answer them. So everyone that
didn't know Yahweh or Jehovah had a view of how
their God would answer them. You, you, you, oh
man, I got to come down here. Scott, you got
to get this because we see it most clearly on
Mount Carmel with Elijah and the prophets of
Baal. Baal was a quote deity. that they served,
that believed that Baal, there was the Baal of
the harvest, there was Baal of fertility. All
of these things either came under the grouping
of Yahweh or it came under the grouping of another
deity. Baal just happened to be one. Then there
was Chemosh, and then there was Molech, and then
there was Milcom, and then there's, I mean, on
and on and on. We could go for false deities
that claim to be gods. The heathen who've been
raised in foreign nations and foreign places
had their God and their approach. And some of
their stuff was wackadoodle. Okay? Now, they
looked at the Israelites and how God chose to
them, but here was the clear distinction. When
it came... And I love it. I mean, Muhammad Ali
stole it a little bit. But when it came to the
showdown on the mountain, the showdown, the thriller
in Manila, it wasn't Ali and Frazier. It was
Elijah and Baal on Mount Carmel. And when that
happened, when Elijah set the boundaries and
here's who's going to show who's going to be
God, guess what the prophets of Baal did? They
began by their words. And if you read the scriptures
carefully, it went on for hours. By their repetitions
over and over, they were calling. Finally, you
know, I love this about Elijah. He was his Holy
Spirit. And he mocked them. He made fun of them.
Literally, if you look at the Hebrew, it says
it this way. Oh, speak louder. He must be relieving
himself. Now, that's the sanitary version in
the New King James. Let me tell you in the hip
hop translation what that means. He's going number
two and he went somewhere to be by himself. Call
a little louder. And so what did they do? They
started cutting themselves with lances and generating
blood flow as a form of sacrifice. And Elijah
was mocking them the whole time. Why? You had
recorded in the scripture five to six hours of
them petitioning Baal through all forms of pleading
of the same things over and over. And then Elijah
does what he does. Begins to bring the water
three different times, drench the sacrifice,
almost making it impossible in the natural. If
your level of sight was God who answers by fire,
he was actually just removing the realm of possibility
from living by sight. But if you knew from the
heart of who God was, And when God, when he called,
it's just a very simple prayer of asking God
to reveal himself, show Israel who God is. And
God answered by fire, not just fire with a little
bitty Bic lighter. Then all of a sudden, notice
it says, when Elijah prayed to open the heavens,
there was a cloud the size of a man's hand. When
he called down for fire, it doesn't say, and
the Lord flicked his Bic. And there was a little
flame. And the people rejoiced. No, no, no. Fire
fell from heaven, licked up the sacrifice, burnt
all the wood, the stones, licked up the water,
cleared down into the trenches, down into dry
ground. It was irrefutable that the God who he
had relationship with was totally different than
the God who the heathen served. And so Jesus
had to bring the disciples because in the culture
where the disciples were living, just like our
culture, cultural mindsets and perspectives are
constantly trying to influence how you might
get God to answer prayer. And Jesus said, I can't
have you fall into hypocriteness where you become.
You believe one thing and live another. But I
can't have you listen to the community think
that it's been influenced by all forms of different
philosophies and ideologies. You've got to bring
your perspective back into the true word of God
and understand. Now you can understand what I'm
trying to bring you to. God is your father. Now,
when Jesus teaches that, You know I've been long
-winded when my iPad shuts down on me. He goes,
I gotta bring you down to father. Why? Because
I've gotta teach you. You've gotta step out of
Old Testament thinking and be careful of other
influences and let me bring you into the fact
that the father is a giver. And if you don't
understand that he wants to give relationship
and he wants to give of himself. You see, when
we hear giver, if we've been raised in church
or we're suspicious, we automatically think,
oh, here he goes. He's going to talk about giving.
No, no, no. I'm not talking about giving. I'm
talking about learning to receive from the giver.
You have to understand something. The reason
Jesus spent as much time with the disciples that
he did trying to reframe their mindset is that
they had presets already in their heart and mind
through doubt and unbelief about who God really
was. It was affected through their religion and
it was affected through culture and the people
around them. And Jesus had to bring them back
to, when you pray, you pray this way. And then
you pray his kingdom come, his will be done on
earth as it is in heaven. And then he starts
again by bringing them back to the father as
a giver. Father, give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us. Do you notice what we're doing
here? You notice that the father is doing, what
is he doing? He is saying this. He is a. giver.
He is a supplier. He is a protector. He is a
forgiver. He is a leader. Lead us not into temptation
and deliver us not. He's dealing with the nature
of the father that the heathen could not grasp
and the religious could not grasp out of their
understanding because God was always distant.
So God, Jesus was bringing the disciples past
the distance up close and he was removing vain
repetition. to recognize the father was always
looking for sons and daughters to live in fellowship
and partnership. And that's huge. Because the
whole thing of kingdom partnership is what? The
activation of his will, the operating in his
way by God's words. How many in this room have
been on a cruise before? Whether it's river cruise,
ocean cruise, just a few of us? Okay, let me
explain how this works. You guys should be teaching
this seminar here. The reality is, a cruise is
you begin to pay for a general package. And that
package says, here's what's going to be. the
route. Now for Jenny and I, we've taken several
cruises over our 33 years of marriage. We did
one on our 20th wedding anniversary and we went
from Barcelona, Spain and ended up in Venice,
Italy. It was incredible. We loved it. It's time
of our life. We'll never forget it. 14 days on
the Mediterranean. Now the whole point of why
am I using the cruise? Because If you understand,
and this is what people want to know. How do
I know the will of God? I want to know the will
of God. Marcy, I want to know the will of God
for my life. What's the will of God for my life?
Get on the general cruise. What does that mean?
It means that you have to understand what God's
plan was from the beginning. And embracing salvation.
Remember, no man can come to the Father. No man
or woman can come to the Father except the Spirit
of God. Draw them. and Jesus requires salvation
requires what he gives grace and he gives you
faith right from the start to believe the message
whereby faith you accept his will and his way
and his word if you just accept it cerebrally
you're not saved you actually have to do what
you actually have to bring That will, that way,
that word by faith, and that's why Romans 10
and 9 says, if I confess with my mouth and, somebody
say and, you can be Pentecostal, and believe
in my heart that God has raised him from the
dead, I shall be saved. What's the point? You
got to hear yourself believe that you have faith
in what he's already done for you. puts you on
the ship because that is God's will. What? To
do what? To get you on the cruise ship journey,
if you will. It's a limited analogy, but just
work with me. To begin to know his full will.
His full will is to restore you back to the place
of where fellowship was broken. When sin and
death came in, in the garden, what happened?
Adam and Eve were ushered out of the garden of
close fellowship and proximity and ushered out
of extending that beautiful fellowship, the will,
the ways, and his word on the earth without harassment
and vexation. So what did Jesus' death do? His
death paid the price. so that fellowship could
be restored. And going back here to Chelsea here,
so that you would know his will. What's his will?
That you would walk in the intimacy of God, you'd
walk in the fellowship of God, and you would
be in partnership with God, extending his will
and his work and his ways on the earth. That
is the cruise ship. And if you don't get on that
path, but you kept standing on the shore going,
well, I just don't, I want to know the specific
will for my life. Can I just give you a little
hint? You'll never engage properly with the spirit
of God, what your specific will is until you
get on the cruise ship of his general will. Because
the excursions of his specific will. This is
the other thing I found out. There are little
excursions once you get on the ship. That were
designed to give you greater understanding and
experience. But you'll never know what they are
until you get on the ship. Now I don't know if
somebody is recording this. But in God's house
this morning is get on the ship. Get on the ship
of his revealed will. Meaning you have to actually
recognize that what you're doing should be engaged
by faith that you want fellowship. You want closeness.
And you want really by design understanding that
God never meant you to be disconnected. But he
empowered you to do what? Take faith. fellowship,
his presence, his word, and now move it into
an area where you live and are where he's established
you. Once that happens, then the Lord, I got
to pick on the big guys while I can, right? Then
the Lord can be specific in your heart. about
revealing the nuances of his perfect design and
perfect will for your life, but only when you're
operating in the purposeful will of God. See,
that's why the Spirit of God says that you might
know the good, the acceptable, and the perfect
will. You see, many times people miss the perfect
will because they will not embrace the general
good and acceptable will of God. And then they
want to, now I'm going to say this carefully,
then they want to pull on the prophetic, Duane,
which is very real, the prophetic grace of God,
but they're wanting to pull on the prophetic
past the revealed general will and bring specific
into their life, thinking that they can accomplish
it without getting back on the general will.
And it's a fallacy. Those words never end up
coming to pass. Why? Because they actually access
them through selfish gain. Let me say that again.
You can have, you can get prophetic words and
it's not the prophet's issue, it's my heart's
issue. Now there's a lot to be said on that and
I'm just gonna put a pause on that but just let
that drop where it needs to drop. So what was
Jesus trying to deal with? With the disciples.
Well, he wanted them to begin to embrace the
idea of kingdom partnership because God is a
giver. And if he's a giver, what does he give?
And this is absolutely fundamental that you get
this. He's a giver of himself. You can boil every
other gift and grace down in the Bible. It connects
back to the one who gave it. So the essence of
God as a giver is he gives of himself in a multi
-varied, multi -graced perspective. You say,
well, where do we see that? Well, let's go to
James chapter one, verse 17. If right before
I read this, think of this. If God is the giver,
think of it. And he's talked everything from
God is good. It's holy. It's right. It's true.
It's pure. Then everything that God gives can
have nothing wrong with it. Now, this is a big
deal because many of us came out of mindsets
that said, Father. Good. Son. Good. Holy Spirit.
Not sure. Who gave us the right to take someone
that is completely holy, pure, righteous, and
true, and now bring suspicion on who he is and
what he does? Let's look at this. James 1 .17.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of lights,
in whom there is no variation or shadow due to
change. This probably is one of the biggest verses
that I use to try to destroy. The thoughts of
cessationism. And if you didn't understand anything
I said, then you're a good place. Because you
don't even know what cessationism is. But there
are many in this room that do. That believe that
somehow God removed part of the Holy Spirit's
assignment of building the church through the
gifts that he gives. And now he only gives, instead
of giving a V8, he gives a V4. It's insane. Because
every gift that he gives is good. It means there's
no shadow of variation. That means, Jihad, that
means that everything that God gave in the beginning
has no sliding, diminishing scale as until his
return. It means that everything that he gives,
he gives in a perfect measure, the same way he
gave it. Why? Because it's connected to him.
It's connected to God himself. God doesn't give
a lesser version of himself. He doesn't give
a lesser version. Oh, because you lived in first
century. But now that you're living in 20th century,
Chris, you only get the, you know, we're kind
of in an eco environmental kind of century. So,
you know, back then they needed all the horsepower.
Now you just kind of get the electric toned down
version. No, God is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. There's no variation with him and
his gifts. See, we've always applied it. If you've
raised a church like I was, you've always applied
it to God's character and nature. Very few applied
it to his gifts. But it's clearly the context
of the revelation is there's no variation or
shadow or change of the gifts. Because every
good and perfect. Come on with me. Gift. Not
every perfect character of the father. That was
the given. The character of the Father is now
translating to the gifts because the gifts are
of the Father. And for me to say it's less now
than it was is actually to pick up a spirit of
doubt and unbelief at the minimal. It's possibly
antichrist. Why? Because it's trying to diminish
Holy Spirit. Are you doing okay? All right. Now,
we believe salvation is a gift from God. And
that was Jesus' mission. Righteousness, sanctification,
justification, redemption, and restoration. All
of those things are a gift. And when we read
Ephesians 2 .8, We recognize there's no way we
can earn it. There's no way we can buy it. There's
no way we can present ourselves as something
worthy of it. Everyone has fallen short of this
gift of salvation, gift of the sanctification
part, the cleansing part, gift of the justification
part, which is what? Fulfilling the law part,
the redemption part, the process of making one.
giving back what was lost. There's none of us
that could do any of that from any angle. And
Ephesians 2, 8 says it this way. For by grace,
you have been saved. Now listen, through faith.
Can we say that last part? Through faith. Okay,
half of you. Let's try it one more time. Through
faith. Now listen, it's through faith. And this
is not of your own doing. It is a gift of God,
not a result of work so that no one would boast.
But are you seeing here that the focus is the
grace that was given you, enabling you to receive
salvation, has one key truth that if you don't,
are you ready? Here's the key word, partner with.
Asa, partner, okay? By faith. Now notice faith
in, sorry, I'm messing with you. Faith in general
means what? It's not static. It requires you
doing your part. This is why this is so important,
because everything that starts from faith, including
your salvation, has the same engine of partnership
in every other gift of God that's already been
given to you in Christ. Its level of operation
always demands what? Partnership. But we have
categorized, we have limited where we believe
it for salvation, but then everything else, pin.
What happened? Doubt and unbelief came in. Somebody
else's experience talked me into not believing
why that word isn't what was said. Every gift
from God, remember? comes down as holy, comes
down as pure, comes down as true, comes down
as connected to God, and is now operating, not
by my own works, but by grace and faith. Which
means what? Every other application that's connected
to God, that's written in the scriptures, that
is Holy Spirit, follows the same way. By grace
and faith in who he is. And when we run into
areas, and this is so important, and Jenny, if
you could come and begin to play for me. Play
for me some kind of exposing the lie type of
music. Okay. No, I'm messing. We've been married
for 33 years. I give her these big requests.
Hallelujah. This is where we have to do. and
allow the Holy Spirit to begin to work out of
us places where we find that we don't actually
believe God's word. Remember when Jesus, let
me give you an example. Remember when Jesus came
down from the mountain of transfiguration? He
took up Peter and John and they went up. To the
mountain. Right after Caesarea Philippi. Right
after Jesus had declared. Just a chapter or two
before. Peter had the revelation. You are Christ.
The son of the living God. Then the next thing
we see. Is in the same area. Close to that. They
went up to the mountain. And Jesus revealed.
The state of who he was. prior to the word becoming
in flesh, they saw him as the radiant, pure,
glorious son of God. And then Moses, their eyes
were open. They saw Moses and Elijah communicating
with the son. And then Peter had the idea of,
hey, let's build three tabernacles. And God goes,
shut up, Peter. No, he said, what? He said, you
shall hear my son only. The next encounter we
see from that encounter As they're walking down
the mountain, Jesus gives them some heavy news
that he was going to be killed and died, that
he would be, and they're not to speak of it until
he's dead and raised to life. And they walk down
the mountain and all the other disciples that
didn't get a chance to go up to the mountain
were dealing with a demon inside of a child that
they had been praying for that they couldn't
get breakthrough. And when Jesus comes on the
scene with Peter, James, and John, the parent
of the child in exasperation says, Lord, if you
can do anything, would you please deliver and
pray for my son? And Jesus didn't even allow
him to get out the words of compassion because
Jesus had separated his compassion for the man
that he loved from the doubt and unbelief that
was actually the evil. And Jesus stopped him
and says, if, if I can do anything, Read it again
in black and white. If, I mean, think of it.
This man had been living with this child that
had had epileptic fit. I know what that's like.
Jenny and I fought epilepsy in her life for years.
And when God delivered her, it was like, my God,
Scott, you know what that's like. You had it
the same way too. The reality is I can only put
myself in that parent's reaction of having a
boy that had been. almost drowned and burned
in the fire every time these seizures would come
on him. And so when he saw the most trained team
in the world not be able to do anything, he just
blurted out of his soul, not even thinking, thinking
he was honoring God. He says, if you can do anything.
And Jesus had to stop him cold right there. If.
And what happened? with that if stop. Folks,
you have to look at the black and white and get
a color picture as the Spirit of God. You're
almost like, if? This Jewish homie don't play
that. It's not an if. It's a when. As soon as
Jesus said if, Immediately the man fell under
conviction. Who convicted him? The Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit brought conviction to do what?
Remove the pin of doubt and unbelief in his mind
that experience had created. And at that point,
in removing that, recognizing where doubt and
unbelief, Hebrews chapter 4, Three and four says
that evil heart of unbelief stopped the children
of Israel. When the Holy Spirit convicted him
immediately, the man said, Lord, forgive my unbelief.
I believe, but help my unbelief. He immediately
recognized his lack. He immediately recognized
that he had been shaped by the experience and
the culture of his experience. And when standing
in front of the one who could do it, he felt
woefully short. He wanted to distance himself
from God and just hope and throw it on hope.
And Jesus wouldn't allow him to throw it on hope.
Jesus actually drew him near with the if. Even
though it was a rebuke, it drew Jesus closer.
Do you understand that? Do you see that in the
scriptures? The man was exhausted. If you can
do anything, pray for him. Isn't that what Naaman
wanted? The leper? I thought he would come out.
I thought Elisha would come out and at least
wave his hand over me instead of just send me
through a messenger, go dunk in the river Jordan
seven times. Shouldn't he do something like prophetic?
No. What was the point? To remove the pin of
unbelief and draw the person into the proximity
of who God was. And when Jesus challenged the
if and the Holy Spirit came to convict and to
bring grace and faith, the man said, help my
unbelief. And Jesus began to operate and move
and then worked with the dad. I need you to see
that in the scripture. It wasn't just this supernatural.
No, he began to work with him. How long has this
been happening? From a child as a kid. Okay.
Notice that as Jesus drew close, then he also
drew in partnership with the parents. And in
that process, that's when the kingdom of God
was released in full power. And this young person
not only got delivered from the demon, but when
you study the Greek, it was he became rigid as
though he had been severely, the King James says
it this way, he had been severely torn. Meaning
he had, what had... gone out of him had caused
great harm on the inside, most likely mentally,
emotionally. But then Jesus stretched out his
hand and lifted him up. Power of both deliverer
and healer came as the kingdom was engaged because
why? He removed the pin of experience. He removed
the pin of doubt and belief and could release
the kingdom. So important. And that's where God
wants all of us to be going. In this house. Now
listen, this fall, for our Waypoint Conference,
we're going to have two men. Just happen to be
the two people God laid on my heart. They're
friends of mine. I've known them. Both of them
have experienced miracles, healing, signs and
wonders. Jan was raised from the dead. And Jim
Hockaday was dying with his intestines severed
and both experienced healing presence. They walk
in a very tangible healing. Both have healing
ministries today. Incredible stuff. We're continuing
to ask God to bring that deposit in this house.
But folks, you can't. Really receive it except
just a one -time engagement unless your faith
begins to remove the pins of doubt and unbelief
and that you actually take it and believe it's
for you and for your future. That's the hope
here. The hope is when do I bring in people around
the world that I know have character of Christ
and a gifting of Christ to bring an impartation?
What am I trying to do? I'm trying at least...
to follow the Holy Spirit as he's saying, they
need their faith strengthened and stretched.
But I feel like in this season where our country
has been and the atmosphere, it's our faith hasn't
been stretched as much as it's kind of contracted
to protect itself. And we have to get past the
contracting of self -protection and allow ourselves
to believe the Bible afresh as it was given right
then and not our experience or what's around
us. Are you there? That's where we're going.
I hope it doesn't frighten you. I hope it kind
of makes you a little bit, what's next? Bring
it on, baby. Right? Because God is wanting a
people that work in partnership with him. He's
wanting sons and daughters to be raised up. Yes,
he gives milk, but he's the giver of meat. He
gives curds and he gives honey. He is the God
who supplies the food of all of his truth that
we might receive it and then what? Partner with
him in his will, his ways. And with his word.
Let's pray. Would you bow your heads this morning.
Heavenly Father. We want to thank you so much
for Jesus. What he has done and who he is. Jesus
we want to thank you as you said in Luke 24.
He says behold I'm going to go to the Father.
And I'm going to send the promise of the Father
to you. He talked about him in John 16, the helper,
the advocate, the comforter, the one that would
come. He would teach you all things that I have
said and he would reveal them to you. Lord, you
are amazing. And Lord, this morning as we wait
on you now, I'm asking, Holy Spirit, that you
would begin to draw all people to yourself, to
Jesus, to the Father. You said, if the Son of
Man, in John chapter 3, if Jesus said of himself,
if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.
Holy Spirit, your job, your assignment on the
earth is to begin to gather and draw all people
to God's gift, Jesus Christ, who is... and our
savior and not just savior but he is the king
and lord over every area holy spirit we welcome
you you are right now working in the hearts of
people you are bringing lord a touch even now
at the preaching of the truth lord you're releasing
it right now by the spirit of god and i'm asking
in this room in just a few moments i'm asking
If you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your
Lord and Savior from your heart and your mind,
never really confessed your sins and say, I believe
that you're the Messiah. I ask you to forgive
me. And I realize I want you in my heart. You're
knocking on the door of my heart, your love,
your grace. But Lord, most of all, I need you.
If you've never allowed not just mental ascent,
but your faith. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing
by the word of God and then confessing out of
your mouth and your heart that he is your Lord
and Savior and he paid for you. I want you to
listen because I want to pray for you. Jesus
wants to come into your life. Maybe you're here
in another category. Maybe you're here and you
have been walking a life of Christianity that
you know There's so much more that you've been
walking in in a compromised state. Some of you
here could be what the Bible calls in a backslidden
state. You've moved to the place, doesn't really
use that word, but there's different Greek words
that talk about, you've moved from the place
of actually operating out of first love and being
enthralled with who Jesus is to a place of lukewarmness.
You're living in a compromised state where you
sometimes you'll serve the Lord and sometimes
you just don't feel like it. Or maybe you're
the third place where you know that you've walked
away and you're here today because the grace
of God brought you here to bring you back to
restoration. But you're hearing a voice in your
life saying you'll never make it. back to where
you once were you just have to settle for the
crumbs I'm here to tell you that Jesus is drawing
you back to the fullness of what he's called
you to so whether you're here to say oh God I
want to know you as savior will you forgive me
and accept me the answer is yes if that's you
this morning I'd like you to lift your hand above
your head and say that's me I'll send somebody
back to pray with you right now Right now, just
lift your hand and say, that's me, Pastor. I
want to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and
Savior. Maybe you're here and you know you are
in a lukewarm state. And the Holy Spirit is wooing
you to say, come back to the place of standing
in front of the flame. Come back to the place
of being ignited in your love and your heart.
If that's you, would you lift your hand and say,
I'm ready. I need to be drawn. Yes, ma 'am. Thank
you. Right here, Linda. Is there anyone else
in the back? John, thank you. Or maybe you're
here this morning and you just think God's only
got a place for a crumb for you. You don't even
think about a seat at the table. It's kind of
like the little kids at Thanksgiving. All I get
is the card table with the kids in the back.
God's removing that mindset and he's drawing
you to the table with himself. You'd say, you
know what? I've been struggling with that mindset
that I've done. I still feel shamed about what
I've done. I still feel guilty about walking
away. I knew the truth. God's here to restore
you and bring you back, put a new robe on you,
put a new ring and a new grace upon your mind.
If that's you and you need prayer, would you
just lift your hand? I'm gonna send some, okay,
ma 'am, thank you. Thank you. You got it, Derek,
thank you. Anyone else? As our team is praying
for the people, I wanna pray for you. Tiffany
is gonna come in just right now. But I want to
pray for the churches we dismiss. Father, I want
to thank you that you are the gathering and reaping
God. Lord, not for destruction, but for life.
You love to gather those that are on the outside
and bring them close. You go to great extents
to highways and byways. You go to the near and
to the far. And Lord, I'm asking you that you
would continue to release this anointing in this
region over this people that we would also carry
that heart of gathering and reaping. Lord, being
mindful of all that you love, carrying your word
and your compassion in our heart along with the
word of truth to see you do wonders in the lives
of people. Let your house be filled with people.
from all backgrounds who will honor and praise
you for the wonderful and glorious works that
you do and who you are. We love you. In Jesus'
name we pray. Amen. Thank you for taking the
time to listen to this week's message. We are
so grateful for those who tune in each week and
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