WEBVTT 00:00:01.819 --> 00:00:05.580 Welcome to NECF. We're thrilled you're here. 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:09.339 Make sure to stay with us till the end, where 00:00:09.339 --> 00:00:12.179 we'll share some great resources to deepen your 00:00:12.179 --> 00:00:16.160 faith. Now, let's dive into this week's sermon. 00:00:21.100 --> 00:00:24.199 In Jesus' name we pray. Let's have our seat and 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:25.719 we'll pray some more, but let's have our seat. 00:00:25.739 --> 00:00:28.820 Let's turn to John chapter 2, verse 7. We'll 00:00:28.820 --> 00:00:40.289 see. Where Jesus Christ, Jesus' action was ascribed 00:00:40.289 --> 00:00:50.250 to zeal. So this is the immediate promise that 00:00:50.250 --> 00:00:57.090 will not help me today. No timer, no screen scriptures. 00:01:01.620 --> 00:01:09.400 John chapter 2. Okay. John chapter 2. My neck 00:01:09.400 --> 00:01:14.980 will turn. John chapter 2. Verse 7. Jesus said 00:01:14.980 --> 00:01:35.790 to them. No, no, no. Not verse 7. Is it John 00:01:35.790 --> 00:01:42.129 chapter 2? Where he cleans the temple? Hmm? Which 00:01:42.129 --> 00:01:46.430 verse is it? Yes, verse... Down from verse 13. 00:01:48.469 --> 00:01:53.849 Verse 17, not 7 rather. Then his disciples remembered... 00:01:53.849 --> 00:01:56.840 Okay, rather let me read from verse 16. Or from 00:01:56.840 --> 00:01:59.879 verse 13. Now the Passover of the Jews was at 00:01:59.879 --> 00:02:02.319 hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and he found 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:06.799 in a temple those who sold oxen, sheep and doves 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:10.639 and the money changers doing business. They were 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:13.979 doing merchandise in the house of God. In the 00:02:13.979 --> 00:02:17.900 house of God. When he had made a whip of coats, 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:21.620 he drove them all out of the temple with a sheep 00:02:21.620 --> 00:02:26.030 and oxen. pour out the children's money and overturn 00:02:26.030 --> 00:02:31.530 the tables. And he said to those who sold doves, 00:02:31.789 --> 00:02:35.830 take these things away. Do not make my father's 00:02:35.830 --> 00:02:41.830 house a house of merchandise. Now verse 17 says, 00:02:42.110 --> 00:02:45.330 then his disciples remember. I think this is 00:02:45.330 --> 00:02:48.969 Psalm 69 verse 9. They remember a prophecy by 00:02:48.969 --> 00:02:54.360 the psalmist which says a zeal. For your father's 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:57.560 house, some translations would put, especially 00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:01.360 the Old King James, zeal for thine house has 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:09.659 consumed me. Zeal for thy house has consumed 00:03:09.659 --> 00:03:15.259 me. Hallelujah. Now, zeal is like fire. Amen? 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:19.139 As we pray for zeal, zeal is like fire that burns. 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:26.840 You can use fire for a destructive purpose or 00:03:26.840 --> 00:03:31.479 you can use fire for what? For a constructive 00:03:31.479 --> 00:03:36.919 purpose, right? You can use it to cook or you 00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:40.360 can use fire to do what? To burn the house, to 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:43.960 destroy the entire house. But the problem is 00:03:43.960 --> 00:03:47.259 not with fire, isn't it? The problem is what? 00:03:48.199 --> 00:03:50.900 It's with the use, right? How it is channeled. 00:03:52.909 --> 00:04:03.090 Okay? How it is channeled. And we see in Colossians, 00:04:03.090 --> 00:04:08.909 we read in Colossians chapter chapter 4 verse 00:04:08.909 --> 00:04:22.790 12 You see for verse 13 it says For I bear him 00:04:22.790 --> 00:04:27.850 witness. That what? That he has great zeal for 00:04:27.850 --> 00:04:30.889 you. So what we see happen in verse 13. Where 00:04:30.889 --> 00:04:34.790 he prays fervently. His fervency. Alright. Where 00:04:34.790 --> 00:04:38.829 we see his fervency. We see his desire for them. 00:04:39.790 --> 00:04:42.670 What we see here. That for I bear him witness. 00:04:42.769 --> 00:04:48.069 That he has a great zeal for you. And those who 00:04:48.069 --> 00:04:52.889 are in Laodicea. And those in Peripolis. He has 00:04:52.889 --> 00:04:57.430 zeal for you. Alright. And the zeal that he has. 00:04:57.550 --> 00:05:00.189 Was channeled towards what? The work of ministry. 00:05:00.649 --> 00:05:04.949 Towards praying for the people. But then. We 00:05:04.949 --> 00:05:08.509 see in Romans chapter 10. I'm leading somewhere. 00:05:08.709 --> 00:05:12.870 Romans chapter 10. Where Paul was making comment. 00:05:13.170 --> 00:05:16.910 Concerning the people of Israel. He says. My 00:05:16.910 --> 00:05:21.480 brethren. My heart desire and prayer for God's 00:05:21.480 --> 00:05:27.740 Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:32.279 them witness that they have what? They have a 00:05:32.279 --> 00:05:36.579 zeal for God. But what is wrong with your zeal? 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:44.560 Huh? The zeal is not what? It's not according 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:48.209 to what? According to knowledge. Alright? They 00:05:48.209 --> 00:05:52.069 have a passion. They have a desire. But their 00:05:52.069 --> 00:05:54.410 desire is not according to knowledge. Let's look 00:05:54.410 --> 00:05:56.250 at why he says it's not according to knowledge. 00:05:58.350 --> 00:06:02.370 For they have been ignorant of God's righteousness. 00:06:03.029 --> 00:06:07.870 What did they do? They seek to establish their 00:06:07.870 --> 00:06:11.569 own righteousness. They have not submitted to 00:06:11.569 --> 00:06:16.899 the righteousness of God. So, Instead of submitting 00:06:16.899 --> 00:06:19.519 to the things of God, submitting to the way of 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:22.379 God, they carve out a way for themselves because 00:06:22.379 --> 00:06:26.620 they are ignorant, right? They are ignorant of 00:06:26.620 --> 00:06:31.279 God's plan. They are ignorant of God's ways. 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:34.339 They are ignorant of the will of God for man. 00:06:37.819 --> 00:06:44.779 So zeal without knowledge is dangerous. Zero 00:06:44.779 --> 00:06:48.459 knowledge is dangerous. That is why we will see 00:06:48.459 --> 00:06:50.500 in that Colossians, back to that Colossians chapter 00:06:50.500 --> 00:06:55.800 4, we'll see the prayer of Epaphras. We'll see 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:57.639 the prayer of Epaphras. What was his prayer for 00:06:57.639 --> 00:07:06.259 the church? Verse 13. Yes, verse 12. It says, 00:07:06.339 --> 00:07:08.300 Who is one of you, a born servant of Christ, 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:23.620 greets you? Always what? What is his labor? I 00:07:23.620 --> 00:07:31.620 will go back to chapter 1, verse 9 of that same 00:07:31.620 --> 00:07:35.240 Colossians. We see that it was the same prayer 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:41.079 that Paul was praying for the church in Colossae. 00:07:43.000 --> 00:08:15.399 Colossians 1 verse 9. Being fruitful in every 00:08:15.399 --> 00:08:20.240 good work. And increasing in the knowledge of 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:24.660 God. Hallelujah. So knowledge and zeal are very, 00:08:24.740 --> 00:08:28.600 very important in doing the will of God. You 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:31.579 can be consumed with zeal and don't have knowledge. 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:36.159 You will do the wrong thing. Hallelujah. And 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:38.860 if you have knowledge without the desire burning 00:08:38.860 --> 00:08:41.720 in your heart. To do the work of God, no work 00:08:41.720 --> 00:08:45.539 will be executed. So we started talking about 00:08:45.539 --> 00:08:47.620 the will of God for the believers on Sunday. 00:08:47.980 --> 00:08:51.019 And we see from these things that Paul's prayer 00:08:51.019 --> 00:08:57.200 is that what? Is that this church in Colossae 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:01.779 will be filled with that knowledge of God's will. 00:09:02.580 --> 00:09:05.419 That there will be engulfed in the knowledge 00:09:05.419 --> 00:09:08.720 of God's will. And we say that this knowledge 00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:12.879 is not just a haphazard knowledge. Do you know 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:16.320 that Paul, Apostle Paul himself, was very satirical 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:19.600 for God, isn't it? Before he became a believer, 00:09:19.820 --> 00:09:23.940 right? He was very passionate about the work 00:09:23.940 --> 00:09:27.580 of the kingdom. When we read through Philippians, 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:30.419 the book of Philippians, especially chapter 3, 00:09:30.460 --> 00:09:32.419 we see where he was expressing his seriousness, 00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:36.019 his passion for God. But he says that his passion 00:09:36.019 --> 00:09:39.549 was what? was in ignorance. And what do we see 00:09:39.549 --> 00:09:41.450 was a result of his passion without knowledge? 00:09:41.669 --> 00:09:46.210 He was what? He was persecuting the church. He 00:09:46.210 --> 00:09:50.450 was against the church. So it is essential that 00:09:50.450 --> 00:09:54.389 we understand the will of God, the knowledge. 00:09:54.750 --> 00:09:58.950 And let me tell us, this knowledge, right, of 00:09:58.950 --> 00:10:03.970 the will of God is not gained from special revelations. 00:10:05.610 --> 00:10:09.070 You know, we get this zeal, we get this knowledge 00:10:09.070 --> 00:10:12.330 from the teaching of God's word, from training 00:10:12.330 --> 00:10:17.269 in the word of God. In 1 Peter 2 verse 5, we 00:10:17.269 --> 00:10:29.070 saw on Sunday, 1 Peter 2 verse 4 and 5. Of course, 00:10:29.070 --> 00:10:31.009 we say that the precise knowledge of God's will 00:10:31.009 --> 00:10:35.629 is essential for us to fulfill in God's will. 00:10:37.610 --> 00:10:40.509 And we saw the believer's identity in 1 Peter 00:10:40.509 --> 00:11:08.279 2, verse 4 and 5 and verse 9. It says, acceptable 00:11:08.279 --> 00:11:12.200 to God through Jesus Christ. But you, verse 9, 00:11:12.279 --> 00:11:18.139 but you are a choosing generation, a royal priesthood, 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:25.080 a holy nation, His own special people, that you 00:11:25.080 --> 00:11:28.740 may do what? That you may proclaim the praises 00:11:28.740 --> 00:11:33.490 of Him who called you out of darkness. into his 00:11:33.490 --> 00:11:36.789 marvelous light. Therefore, we say that our identity 00:11:36.789 --> 00:11:40.549 as living stones, as God's own people, who are 00:11:40.549 --> 00:11:43.549 built up into a spiritual house, comes with what? 00:11:43.950 --> 00:11:48.330 With a priestly responsibility. A responsibility 00:11:48.330 --> 00:11:53.350 of proclaiming the works of God. And for us to 00:11:53.350 --> 00:11:55.789 proclaim the works of God, we must know the works 00:11:55.789 --> 00:11:59.470 of God. We must know what God has... done in 00:11:59.470 --> 00:12:04.970 Christ Jesus. We must be trained in these that 00:12:04.970 --> 00:12:09.870 God has done in Christ. So you are a priest unto 00:12:09.870 --> 00:12:15.269 God because you have believed in Jesus Christ. 00:12:16.830 --> 00:12:20.730 In other words, you are a minister of God unto 00:12:20.730 --> 00:12:25.090 good works. You are a minister of God unto good 00:12:25.090 --> 00:12:29.580 works. Now let's look at God's plan for the earth. 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:33.879 What was God's plan? Or rather, what is God's 00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:38.139 plan for the earth? Now God's plan for the earth 00:12:38.139 --> 00:12:41.919 is to fill the earth with the knowledge of his 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:45.480 glory. Hallelujah. God's plan is to do what? 00:12:46.019 --> 00:12:49.759 Is to fill the earth with the knowledge of his 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:54.379 glory. Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 14. Habakkuk 00:12:54.379 --> 00:13:04.399 chapter 2. Verse 14. It says, For the earth will 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:09.559 be filled with the knowledge of the glory of 00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:14.080 the Lord, as waters, does what? Cover the sea. 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:18.679 As waters cover the sea. Contextually, from this 00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:21.740 text, from the original text, when we read through 00:13:21.740 --> 00:13:25.399 the book of Habakkuk, it's referring to The destruction 00:13:25.399 --> 00:13:30.600 of Babylon and the rescue of Israel from the 00:13:30.600 --> 00:13:34.879 Babylonian exile. The judgment of the enemies 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:40.039 of God's people and their redemption from bondage. 00:13:41.039 --> 00:13:46.779 And this will be marked further, you know, revealing 00:13:46.779 --> 00:13:50.000 the divine glory of God in this activity of salvation 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:52.460 of the nation of Israel from Babylon. So the 00:13:52.460 --> 00:13:55.659 prophet Habakkuk... was prophesying of the deliverance 00:13:55.659 --> 00:13:58.940 of the people of Israel from Babylon. And in 00:13:58.940 --> 00:14:02.360 this, the knowledge of the glory of God will 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:05.419 be seen in this act of God's deliverance for 00:14:05.419 --> 00:14:11.919 Israel. So the nations will see the Lord as the 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:16.559 all -powerful Savior of his people. Of course, 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:18.919 we'll see a similar prophecy emphasized again. 00:14:19.629 --> 00:14:22.190 By the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter 11 verse 00:14:22.190 --> 00:14:30.970 9. The same prophecy. As Isaiah 11 verse 9. So 00:14:30.970 --> 00:14:34.409 we see that this prophecy. Of the knowledge of 00:14:34.409 --> 00:14:40.370 God. Filling the earth. Is a result of what God 00:14:40.370 --> 00:14:42.490 has done. Especially when it comes to redemption. 00:14:43.730 --> 00:14:47.070 In Habakkuk we see his relation toward. The redemption 00:14:47.070 --> 00:14:51.509 of Israel from Babylon. As a result of what God 00:14:51.509 --> 00:14:55.230 will do, the nations around will see the all 00:14:55.230 --> 00:14:58.230 -powerfulness of God, the works of God, the salvation 00:14:58.230 --> 00:15:01.210 of God. And in Isaiah, it says, Isaiah 11 verse 00:15:01.210 --> 00:15:05.370 9, it says, They shall not hurt nor destroy in 00:15:05.370 --> 00:15:09.350 all my holy mountain. From the Old King James, 00:15:09.429 --> 00:15:14.809 I'm ready. The earth shall be full of the knowledge 00:15:14.809 --> 00:15:22.080 of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:25.620 11 .9 points to a future time. This prophecy 00:15:25.620 --> 00:15:28.320 is referring to a future time under the rule 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:35.480 of the Messiah. A descendant of David. In this 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:39.580 world, in this restored world, all the people 00:15:39.580 --> 00:15:45.720 will know and honor God. And his truth will fill 00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:48.940 the earth just like the waters cover the sea. 00:15:50.370 --> 00:15:53.830 The knowledge of the glory of God is from what 00:15:53.830 --> 00:15:57.929 God has done. Hallelujah. It's from what? It's 00:15:57.929 --> 00:16:00.990 from the activity, what God has done that men 00:16:00.990 --> 00:16:04.350 will see the glory of God. Of course, we know 00:16:04.350 --> 00:16:08.970 that this is from his prophecy. This is the origin 00:16:08.970 --> 00:16:12.289 from the writings of Moses. Numbers chapter 14, 00:16:12.450 --> 00:16:17.169 verse 20. Numbers chapter 14, verse 20 to 21. 00:16:19.179 --> 00:16:22.340 Then the Lord said, I have pardoned according 00:16:22.340 --> 00:16:27.779 to your word. I have what? I have pardoned according 00:16:27.779 --> 00:16:30.539 to your word. What God has done. I have pardoned 00:16:30.539 --> 00:16:34.860 according to your word. But truly, as I live, 00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:37.620 all the earth will be filled with the glory of 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:41.080 the Lord. Hallelujah. Now the question is, how 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:45.960 is or how does God accomplish the task of making 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:51.980 the earth full? Of the knowledge of his glory. 00:16:53.500 --> 00:16:57.460 How will God bring about the accomplishment of 00:16:57.460 --> 00:17:01.659 his glory? The knowledge of his glory on the 00:17:01.659 --> 00:17:05.059 face of the earth. As waters covers the sea. 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:10.779 Of course, we know that it's through men, right? 00:17:11.819 --> 00:17:14.599 The modality by which God will accomplish this 00:17:14.599 --> 00:17:18.740 is through men. It's through the activities of 00:17:18.740 --> 00:17:21.660 men. It's through the action of men. First, we 00:17:21.660 --> 00:17:24.940 see God becoming a man and in Jesus Christ. That 00:17:24.940 --> 00:17:27.779 is the first step. We see God himself coming 00:17:27.779 --> 00:17:33.339 in the form of a man, bringing us what the understanding 00:17:33.339 --> 00:17:38.019 or the knowledge of God. We see the glory of 00:17:38.019 --> 00:17:42.299 God in Christ Jesus. We know. who God is in Christ 00:17:42.299 --> 00:17:44.980 Jesus. We know the will of God in Christ Jesus. 00:17:45.180 --> 00:17:48.859 We know the activities or the intention of God 00:17:48.859 --> 00:17:54.539 for the earth in Jesus Christ. Then Jesus dwells 00:17:54.539 --> 00:17:58.660 in us. When he died, he rose again. He ascended 00:17:58.660 --> 00:18:05.299 into our hearts. We who believe becomes the carrier 00:18:05.299 --> 00:18:10.660 of this assignment. Jesus dwells in us today 00:18:10.660 --> 00:18:14.279 and we carry the ministry of Jesus on the earth. 00:18:15.740 --> 00:18:21.759 So as priests, we proclaim the good work, the 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:25.299 work of God that he has accomplished in Jesus 00:18:25.299 --> 00:18:27.559 Christ. 1 Peter 2, verse 9, we read earlier on. 00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:36.259 We proclaim what God has done in Christ. Now, 00:18:37.069 --> 00:18:39.789 It is important for us to note that it is men 00:18:39.789 --> 00:18:45.509 and not angels. Amen? It is men and not angels 00:18:45.509 --> 00:18:51.609 that are called to the work of ministry. It is 00:18:51.609 --> 00:18:54.970 men and not angels that are called to the work 00:18:54.970 --> 00:19:00.230 of ministry. God has released his spirit in men 00:19:00.230 --> 00:19:05.190 to be witnesses to men. In God's dealing with 00:19:05.190 --> 00:19:10.099 the world, With men, he had to become man, come 00:19:10.099 --> 00:19:16.240 in the form of man, in the likeness of men, in 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:19.440 order to communicate to us his plan and also 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:24.799 to execute his plan. And for us, for this message, 00:19:24.839 --> 00:19:26.920 this knowledge of God's will, for this knowledge 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:31.220 of what God has done to be spread across the 00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:35.549 earth, it takes men. To do what? To do the work 00:19:35.549 --> 00:19:38.109 of spreading this message, this work that God 00:19:38.109 --> 00:19:42.470 has done in Christ Jesus. Which means that God 00:19:42.470 --> 00:19:46.470 is counting on man to do what? To make the knowledge 00:19:46.470 --> 00:19:50.109 of his glory cover the face of the earth as waters 00:19:50.109 --> 00:19:56.589 cover the sea. God has released his spirit unto 00:19:56.589 --> 00:20:00.730 us. Let's look at Acts chapter 1 verse 4 and 00:20:00.730 --> 00:20:04.130 see what he did when he gave the spirit. Acts 00:20:04.130 --> 00:20:36.059 1, verse 4. Therefore, when they had come together, 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:39.200 they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:42.000 time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:44.140 to them, it is not for you to know the times 00:20:44.140 --> 00:20:47.039 or the seasons which the Father has put in his 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:50.980 own authority. Verse 8 says, but you shall what? 00:20:52.220 --> 00:20:56.480 You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:02.980 has come upon you. And you shall be witnesses. 00:21:03.619 --> 00:21:08.599 Say, I am a witness. I am a witness to what God 00:21:08.599 --> 00:21:13.079 has done. Hallelujah. You are a witness to what? 00:21:13.460 --> 00:21:18.500 To what God has done. To be witnesses to me in 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:24.700 Jerusalem and in all Judea, Samaria, and to the 00:21:24.700 --> 00:21:27.599 ends of the earth. To the ends of the earth. 00:21:28.460 --> 00:21:32.210 As the waters cover the sea. To the ends of the 00:21:32.210 --> 00:21:35.829 earth. The earth will be full with the knowledge 00:21:35.829 --> 00:21:42.069 of the will of God. The knowledge of the glory 00:21:42.069 --> 00:21:46.549 of God. So we see through scriptures that it 00:21:46.549 --> 00:21:50.890 is actually men that does this, not angels. Amen? 00:21:51.470 --> 00:21:53.589 So when we are praying for the will of God to 00:21:53.589 --> 00:21:55.470 be accomplished, know that you are a candidate 00:21:55.470 --> 00:21:59.089 by which the will of God will be accomplished 00:21:59.089 --> 00:22:02.900 on the earth. When we are praying, Lord, let 00:22:02.900 --> 00:22:06.660 your will be accomplished in your church. We 00:22:06.660 --> 00:22:08.779 are equally praying that, Lord, use us to do 00:22:08.779 --> 00:22:12.400 your work. Because the will of God cannot be 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:19.220 accomplished by spirits or by men. God has decided 00:22:19.220 --> 00:22:24.579 in eternity to collaborate with men in order 00:22:24.579 --> 00:22:29.279 to minister to men. Hallelujah. We see examples 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:33.839 of of this in in the life of peter peter and 00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:38.599 and john uh acts 3 let's go to acts 3 and see 00:22:38.599 --> 00:22:43.339 an example acts chapter 3 from verse 1 let me 00:22:43.339 --> 00:22:45.240 just read through it says now peter and john 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:48.160 went up together to the temple at the hour of 00:22:48.160 --> 00:22:50.859 prayer the ninth hour and a certain man lame 00:22:50.859 --> 00:22:54.099 from his mother's womb was carried from whom 00:22:54.099 --> 00:22:57.019 they laid daily at the gate of the temple which 00:22:57.019 --> 00:23:01.480 is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who 00:23:01.480 --> 00:23:05.700 enter the temple. Who seeing Peter and John about 00:23:05.700 --> 00:23:12.180 to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing 00:23:12.180 --> 00:23:20.160 his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, So he 00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:22.960 gave them his attention, expecting to receive 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:26.680 something from them. Then Peter said, silver 00:23:26.680 --> 00:23:32.740 and gold I do not have. Hallelujah. But what 00:23:32.740 --> 00:23:37.420 I do have, I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ 00:23:37.420 --> 00:23:41.380 of Nazareth, rise up and work. And he took him 00:23:41.380 --> 00:23:45.339 by the right hand and lifted him up. And immediately 00:23:45.339 --> 00:23:48.240 his feet and ankles and bones received strength. 00:23:48.519 --> 00:23:53.029 So he leaping up. stood up and walked and entered 00:23:53.029 --> 00:23:55.470 the temple with them, walking, leaping and praising 00:23:55.470 --> 00:24:02.690 God. And all the people saw them walking and 00:24:02.690 --> 00:24:05.210 praising God. Then they knew that it was he who 00:24:05.210 --> 00:24:08.250 sat begging alms at the beautiful gate of the 00:24:08.250 --> 00:24:12.430 temple. And they were filled with wonder and 00:24:12.430 --> 00:24:16.420 amazement at what had happened to him. Now as 00:24:16.420 --> 00:24:20.779 the lame man who was healed held on to Peter 00:24:20.779 --> 00:24:23.339 and John, all the people ran together to them 00:24:23.339 --> 00:24:27.220 in the porch, which is called Solomon's, greatly 00:24:27.220 --> 00:24:32.140 amazed. When Peter saw, he responded to the people, 00:24:32.220 --> 00:24:36.680 Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Why 00:24:36.680 --> 00:24:41.059 look so intently at us? As though by our own 00:24:41.059 --> 00:24:44.180 powers or godliness we have made this man work. 00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:48.559 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:51.359 of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus Christ, 00:24:51.619 --> 00:24:55.039 whom you delivered up and denied in the presence 00:24:55.039 --> 00:24:58.059 of Pilate when he was determined to let him go. 00:24:59.259 --> 00:25:03.079 But you denied the Holy One and the dust, and 00:25:03.079 --> 00:25:06.700 asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:11.099 killed the Prince of Life, whom God raised from 00:25:11.099 --> 00:25:16.180 the dead, of which we award... Which we are what? 00:25:16.660 --> 00:25:19.519 Now, this witness here is different from my own 00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:23.539 witness. Hallelujah. Do you know why I say so? 00:25:24.259 --> 00:25:27.599 They were eyewitnesses. You are not an eyewitness. 00:25:29.319 --> 00:25:33.920 Are we together? Your own witnessing, right, 00:25:34.019 --> 00:25:39.250 is a product of revelation. of what the Spirit 00:25:39.250 --> 00:25:41.289 has revealed to you. But in this context, their 00:25:41.289 --> 00:25:44.029 own witnessing is what? Is that they saw, they 00:25:44.029 --> 00:25:46.549 were eyewitnesses, they saw what happened. I 00:25:46.549 --> 00:25:49.789 read together. And they were testifying. So take 00:25:49.789 --> 00:25:53.990 note. And his name through faith, and his name 00:25:53.990 --> 00:25:59.089 through faith in his name has made this man what? 00:25:59.329 --> 00:26:04.700 Strong. Whom you see and know. Yes, the faith 00:26:04.700 --> 00:26:08.180 which comes through him has given him his perfect 00:26:08.180 --> 00:26:11.579 soundness in the presence of you all. Yet now, 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:15.059 brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance 00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:19.519 as did also your rulers. But those things which 00:26:19.519 --> 00:26:22.180 God foretold by the mouth of all his prophets 00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:25.460 that the Christ would suffer, he has thus fulfilled, 00:26:26.119 --> 00:26:32.119 he has thus accomplished. Repent therefore. Be 00:26:32.119 --> 00:26:34.700 converted that your sins may be blotted out so 00:26:34.700 --> 00:26:37.460 that times of refreshing may come from the presence 00:26:37.460 --> 00:26:42.140 of the Lord. And that he may send Jesus Christ 00:26:42.140 --> 00:26:48.140 who was preached to you before, whom heaven must 00:26:48.140 --> 00:26:50.420 receive until the times of restoration and all 00:26:50.420 --> 00:26:52.660 things which God has spoken by the mouth of all 00:26:52.660 --> 00:26:55.819 his holy prophets since the world began. For 00:26:55.819 --> 00:26:58.680 Moses truly said to the fathers, the Lord your 00:26:58.680 --> 00:27:01.519 God, then raise up for a prophet like me. For 00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:04.740 you, a prophet like me, from your brethren, him 00:27:04.740 --> 00:27:08.480 you shall hear in all things, whatever he says 00:27:08.480 --> 00:27:12.319 to you. And it shall be that every soul who will 00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:16.380 not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed 00:27:16.380 --> 00:27:19.640 from among you, from among the people. Yes. And 00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:23.119 all the prophets from Samuel and who follows 00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:27.700 as many as have spoken have also foretold these 00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:33.980 days. You are the sons of the prophets and of 00:27:33.980 --> 00:27:36.519 the covenant of which God made with our fathers, 00:27:36.539 --> 00:27:40.980 saying to Abraham, and in your seat all the families 00:27:40.980 --> 00:27:45.359 of the earth shall be blessed. To you first. 00:27:46.539 --> 00:27:48.720 Of course, we know what it means to you first 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:51.339 because they are the oracles to which we receive 00:27:51.339 --> 00:27:54.220 the truth. God, having raised up his servant 00:27:54.220 --> 00:27:58.000 Jesus, sending him to bless you in turning away 00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:02.700 every one of you from what? From iniquities. 00:28:03.799 --> 00:28:07.900 So we see through what they did, brought about 00:28:07.900 --> 00:28:10.980 the preaching of the gospel. And we'll see the 00:28:10.980 --> 00:28:14.759 encounter of Philip, you know, also the encounter 00:28:14.759 --> 00:28:19.140 of Philip in Acts 8, verse 26, where, you know, 00:28:19.200 --> 00:28:24.640 the Ethiopian Enoch was reading the book of Isaiah, 00:28:24.880 --> 00:28:30.950 right? And then he had... Of course, the Holy 00:28:30.950 --> 00:28:35.069 Spirit led Philip to join him in the chariot. 00:28:37.029 --> 00:28:45.170 Let's just look at Acts 8. Let me read from verse 00:28:45.170 --> 00:28:52.309 26. Now, an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, 00:28:52.390 --> 00:28:56.420 saying, Arise and go towards south. along the 00:28:56.420 --> 00:28:58.720 road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. 00:28:59.220 --> 00:29:04.759 This is desert. Why didn't the angel go and preach 00:29:04.759 --> 00:29:10.940 to the Ethiopian eunuch? Why didn't the angel 00:29:10.940 --> 00:29:13.180 go? Why would the Ethiopian eunuch ask Philip 00:29:13.180 --> 00:29:20.619 to go and meet? You know, some of us, we want 00:29:20.619 --> 00:29:26.750 angelic visitation. Right? want so much of supernatural 00:29:26.750 --> 00:29:31.670 experiences and you rather would prefer an angel 00:29:31.670 --> 00:29:33.529 to speak to you than your brother in Christ speak 00:29:33.529 --> 00:29:43.109 to you. Amen? You prefer, you know, this supernatural 00:29:43.109 --> 00:29:45.190 and then there's an opening of the heavens and 00:29:45.190 --> 00:29:48.049 then an angel appear to you and speak. You prefer, 00:29:48.170 --> 00:29:50.309 you know, you rather that an angel appear to 00:29:50.309 --> 00:29:53.869 you than to trust a testimony. of God in the 00:29:53.869 --> 00:29:57.609 mouth of a brother or a sister in Christ. We 00:29:57.609 --> 00:30:01.069 see here that God's way, right, of saving men 00:30:01.069 --> 00:30:04.829 is through men. The angel appeared to him and 00:30:04.829 --> 00:30:08.990 said, see, go. And we will see further on what, 00:30:09.089 --> 00:30:12.130 you know, he will go on to do. Also in Acts chapter 00:30:12.130 --> 00:30:16.109 10, we'll see another instance where Acts chapter 00:30:16.109 --> 00:30:19.440 10 from verse 1. There was a certain man in Caesarea 00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:22.720 called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called 00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:26.039 the Italian regiment, a devout man who feared 00:30:26.039 --> 00:30:30.259 God with all his household, who gave alms generously 00:30:30.259 --> 00:30:33.299 to the people and prayed to God always. About 00:30:33.299 --> 00:30:36.039 the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in 00:30:36.039 --> 00:30:40.539 a vision, what? An angel of God coming in and 00:30:40.539 --> 00:30:44.180 saying to him, Cornelius. And what was the message 00:30:44.180 --> 00:30:46.680 of the angel? And when he observed him, he was 00:30:46.680 --> 00:30:49.940 afraid and said, What is it, Lord? So he said 00:30:49.940 --> 00:30:52.799 to him, Your prayers and your alms have come 00:30:52.799 --> 00:30:56.640 up for a memorial before God. Now send men to 00:30:56.640 --> 00:30:59.640 Joppa and send for Simon, whose surname is Peter. 00:31:02.799 --> 00:31:06.240 He is lodging with Simon Eterna, whose house 00:31:06.240 --> 00:31:10.980 is by the sea. He will tell you what you must 00:31:10.980 --> 00:31:14.829 do. And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, 00:31:14.990 --> 00:31:19.309 Cornelius called two of his servants and a divorced 00:31:19.309 --> 00:31:22.089 soldier from among those who waited on him continually. 00:31:22.170 --> 00:31:24.609 So when he had explained all these things to 00:31:24.609 --> 00:31:30.569 them, he sent them. And let's jump to verse 24. 00:31:36.730 --> 00:31:39.759 And the following day. They entered Caesarea. 00:31:39.839 --> 00:31:42.059 Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called 00:31:42.059 --> 00:31:44.819 together his relatives and close friends. And 00:31:44.819 --> 00:31:48.000 as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:51.359 fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But 00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:54.039 Peter lifted up and said, Stand up. I myself 00:31:54.039 --> 00:31:57.980 am also a man. So, you know, the man, he fell 00:31:57.980 --> 00:32:02.339 down on his knees. And who did he worship? He 00:32:02.339 --> 00:32:05.980 worshipped Peter. And we see the action of Peter, 00:32:06.039 --> 00:32:12.359 right? You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish 00:32:12.359 --> 00:32:15.559 man to keep company with or go to one of another's 00:32:15.559 --> 00:32:18.099 nations. But God has shown me that I should not 00:32:18.099 --> 00:32:21.359 call any man common or unclean. Therefore, I 00:32:21.359 --> 00:32:27.140 came without objection as soon as I was sent 00:32:27.140 --> 00:32:30.220 for. I asked them, for what reason have you sent 00:32:30.220 --> 00:32:35.539 for me? And then we'll read down to verse 34 00:32:35.539 --> 00:32:37.539 and we'll see what happened in the house of Cornelius. 00:32:37.640 --> 00:32:40.640 But I want to draw your attention to that. The 00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:44.019 angel spoke to the man, Cornelius. Why didn't 00:32:44.019 --> 00:32:47.000 the angel declare to him the works of God? Why 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:50.279 didn't the angel preach Christ to him? Why didn't 00:32:50.279 --> 00:32:53.160 the angel minister? Why did the angel have to 00:32:53.160 --> 00:32:59.259 go around and look for a man to do the work of 00:32:59.259 --> 00:33:03.279 ministering Christ? It is because God has made 00:33:03.279 --> 00:33:07.500 in his plan that men will do what will minister 00:33:07.500 --> 00:33:13.460 to men. Pointing to the necessity of men in bringing 00:33:13.460 --> 00:33:15.599 about the fulfillment of the will of God on earth. 00:33:17.400 --> 00:33:20.059 And I want you to understand that you are necessary 00:33:20.059 --> 00:33:23.680 or you are important in the plan of God on earth. 00:33:24.920 --> 00:33:27.880 You are important, you know, in the plan of God 00:33:27.880 --> 00:33:32.890 on earth. So witnessing and proclaiming the wonderful 00:33:32.890 --> 00:33:40.029 works of God in Christ to men is for men. Hallelujah. 00:33:40.630 --> 00:33:44.009 To witness Christ to men is a responsibility 00:33:44.009 --> 00:33:48.710 of who? It's a responsibility of men. It's not 00:33:48.710 --> 00:33:53.210 the responsibility of your offering. Even though 00:33:53.210 --> 00:33:56.369 your offering is good. Some people think that 00:33:56.369 --> 00:33:59.660 I can just give some thousands of dollars. And 00:33:59.660 --> 00:34:01.859 then that's all I'm preaching. No, no, no, no. 00:34:02.099 --> 00:34:04.660 It's good to support the work of God financially. 00:34:04.980 --> 00:34:08.780 But essentially, believers have a responsibility 00:34:08.780 --> 00:34:13.179 of doing what? Of proclaiming, of preaching, 00:34:13.380 --> 00:34:16.500 of taking responsibility, of making ourselves 00:34:16.500 --> 00:34:20.059 available for God to use. Because each and every 00:34:20.059 --> 00:34:25.239 one of us that have believed are equipped. By 00:34:25.239 --> 00:34:28.420 the Spirit of God, are empowered by the Spirit 00:34:28.420 --> 00:34:35.860 of God to proclaim God to this world. And we 00:34:35.860 --> 00:34:37.519 will see from the Scripture that this has been 00:34:37.519 --> 00:34:42.199 the plan of God right from the beginning. This 00:34:42.199 --> 00:34:44.280 has been the plan of God. God has revealed His 00:34:44.280 --> 00:34:47.340 plan right from His dealings with the nation 00:34:47.340 --> 00:34:52.309 of Israel. This has been His plan. Let's see 00:34:52.309 --> 00:34:56.630 the example of Israel. Exodus chapter 19, verse 00:34:56.630 --> 00:35:17.610 1. Exodus chapter 19, verse 1 to 6. And when 00:35:17.610 --> 00:35:21.320 you're reading Exodus chapter 19, Verse 1 to 00:35:21.320 --> 00:35:23.159 6. It seems to you as though you are reading 00:35:23.159 --> 00:35:31.199 1 Peter. Because actually Peter, in his epistle, 00:35:31.400 --> 00:35:39.460 was writing in the context of this text. In the 00:35:39.460 --> 00:35:42.659 third month, after the children of Israel had 00:35:42.659 --> 00:35:45.920 gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day 00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:49.840 they came to the wilderness of Sinai. For they 00:35:49.840 --> 00:35:55.219 had departed from Rephidim, and had come to the 00:35:55.219 --> 00:35:58.079 wilderness of Sinai, and had come to the wilderness, 00:35:58.179 --> 00:36:02.880 so Israel came there before the mountain. And 00:36:02.880 --> 00:36:06.400 Moses went up to God, and the Lord called him 00:36:06.400 --> 00:36:09.820 from the mountain, saying, First you shall say 00:36:09.820 --> 00:36:13.519 to the house of Jacob, and tell the children 00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:15.800 of Israel. And look at what he says to them in 00:36:15.800 --> 00:36:20.619 verse 4. You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, 00:36:20.940 --> 00:36:26.559 all right? And how I bore you on eagles' wings 00:36:26.559 --> 00:36:30.119 and brought you to myself. This is the work of 00:36:30.119 --> 00:36:33.960 God, entirely the work of God, the act of God, 00:36:34.039 --> 00:36:39.400 attended the God doing it by himself. Now, therefore, 00:36:39.500 --> 00:36:44.349 if you will indeed obey my voice, And keep my 00:36:44.349 --> 00:36:49.670 covenant. Then you shall be what? A special treasure. 00:36:50.150 --> 00:36:54.769 Is it familiar to 1 Peter 2 verse 9? A special 00:36:54.769 --> 00:37:00.090 treasure to me. Above all people. For all the 00:37:00.090 --> 00:37:04.789 earth is mine. Verse 6. And you shall be to me 00:37:04.789 --> 00:37:09.670 a kingdom of priests. This sounds like royal 00:37:09.670 --> 00:37:14.309 priesthood. A kingdom of priests. and a holy 00:37:14.309 --> 00:37:19.409 nation. These are the words which you shall speak 00:37:19.409 --> 00:37:25.269 to the children of Israel. And 1 Peter 2, verse 00:37:25.269 --> 00:37:28.389 9 and 10 says, But you, a chosen generation, 00:37:28.769 --> 00:37:34.250 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special 00:37:34.250 --> 00:37:39.590 people, that you may proclaim the praises of 00:37:39.590 --> 00:37:43.480 him who hath called you out of darkness, Who 00:37:43.480 --> 00:37:46.079 have called you out of Egypt. Who have called 00:37:46.079 --> 00:37:51.320 you out of Egypt. Pass you through the sea. And 00:37:51.320 --> 00:37:58.719 the wilderness. Into his marvelous light. To 00:37:58.719 --> 00:38:00.619 proclaim the praise of him. Who called you out 00:38:00.619 --> 00:38:03.780 of darkness. Into his marvelous light. Who was 00:38:03.780 --> 00:38:07.000 with another people. Once you were not safe. 00:38:07.420 --> 00:38:11.619 Once you were not qualified. But now. The people 00:38:11.619 --> 00:38:15.340 of God. who had not obtained mercy, who had not, 00:38:15.340 --> 00:38:18.500 that is in the past, obtained mercy, but now 00:38:18.500 --> 00:38:25.059 obtained mercy. So in Exodus 19, we see the word 00:38:25.059 --> 00:38:30.800 voice in verse 5. If you will obey my voice. 00:38:33.260 --> 00:38:36.139 That word voice there refers to a message, not 00:38:36.139 --> 00:38:39.360 just a sound. If you will hearken to my message. 00:38:40.119 --> 00:38:42.960 If you listen to my message, the word obey there 00:38:42.960 --> 00:38:46.420 is translated from the word shama, which implies 00:38:46.420 --> 00:38:51.139 to hold on to the passage or hearken to it. If 00:38:51.139 --> 00:38:53.780 you hearken to my message, the voice there is 00:38:53.780 --> 00:38:56.619 not just a sound, but it's a message that was 00:38:56.619 --> 00:39:02.860 delivered. The word covenant refers to the promise 00:39:02.860 --> 00:39:05.559 that God has made. And where did God make that 00:39:05.559 --> 00:39:08.619 promise? God made that promise to Abraham. Even 00:39:08.619 --> 00:39:13.340 before Moses. Before Moses came, they had a promise 00:39:13.340 --> 00:39:16.860 which God said to Abraham. It was called, they 00:39:16.860 --> 00:39:25.940 call it the oracles of God. And we see God reiterating 00:39:25.940 --> 00:39:30.179 the promise, a kingdom of peace. The term peculiar 00:39:30.179 --> 00:39:35.059 treasure refers to God's own property, God's 00:39:35.059 --> 00:39:42.429 own... He owns them. They were at this point 00:39:42.429 --> 00:39:45.309 yet to be God's property because there was a 00:39:45.309 --> 00:39:49.409 condition. What was the condition? The condition 00:39:49.409 --> 00:39:53.349 is that they will what? They will hearken. That 00:39:53.349 --> 00:39:58.889 they will obey. That they will believe. That 00:39:58.889 --> 00:40:04.679 they will listen and believe what God has given 00:40:04.679 --> 00:40:08.719 to them as a promise. It will only occur when 00:40:08.719 --> 00:40:12.920 they believe it is faith that will give God access 00:40:12.920 --> 00:40:19.539 to man's life. It is by faith that God has access 00:40:19.539 --> 00:40:24.440 to our lives that we can become vessels that 00:40:24.440 --> 00:40:33.570 he will dwell in and do his work on earth. So, 00:40:33.610 --> 00:40:37.190 if ye obey my voice, in verse 5, God's promise 00:40:37.190 --> 00:40:41.449 here was to make them a peculiar treasure and 00:40:41.449 --> 00:40:47.210 a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Of course, 00:40:47.230 --> 00:40:49.030 we've always been explaining the word holy here. 00:40:49.429 --> 00:40:54.670 Holy here will imply sacred. People will set 00:40:54.670 --> 00:40:57.889 apart. People that are differentiated and being 00:40:57.889 --> 00:41:01.369 set apart is for his peculiar purposes, for purpose. 00:41:05.550 --> 00:41:08.889 And the word nation implies a people, a definite 00:41:08.889 --> 00:41:14.210 people. So there were men coming out of Egypt 00:41:14.210 --> 00:41:18.650 that had been involved in all kinds of idolatry. 00:41:19.530 --> 00:41:23.449 But God, by virtue of their believing in his 00:41:23.449 --> 00:41:26.210 message and his promise, will set them apart 00:41:26.210 --> 00:41:29.150 for himself. If they will heed to the promise 00:41:29.150 --> 00:41:41.190 and they will believe the promise. And God's 00:41:41.190 --> 00:41:47.409 dealing now for the nation of Israel is a foreshadowing 00:41:47.409 --> 00:41:53.650 of what God will do for all humanity. It's a 00:41:53.650 --> 00:41:57.090 picture of what God will do for all humanity. 00:41:59.510 --> 00:42:01.670 And what has God done for the people of Israel? 00:42:01.849 --> 00:42:05.750 He has delivered them from Egypt. He has passed 00:42:05.750 --> 00:42:09.219 them through the sea and the wilderness. And 00:42:09.219 --> 00:42:12.340 gave them a purpose. And that purpose is to be 00:42:12.340 --> 00:42:16.199 a kingdom of peace. And also God has delivered 00:42:16.199 --> 00:42:20.440 us from the kingdom of darkness. As many of us 00:42:20.440 --> 00:42:23.139 that have believed. He has delivered us from 00:42:23.139 --> 00:42:26.780 sin. He has delivered us from the dominion and 00:42:26.780 --> 00:42:32.380 oppression of Satan. Into the kingdom of his 00:42:32.380 --> 00:42:37.159 son. And he has given us a purpose. Equally the 00:42:37.159 --> 00:42:40.130 purpose is what? is that we will be priests unto 00:42:40.130 --> 00:42:44.369 him. Colossians 1 verse 9 For this reason we 00:42:44.369 --> 00:42:46.989 also since the day we heard it do not cease to 00:42:46.989 --> 00:42:50.550 pray for you and to ask that you may be filled 00:42:50.550 --> 00:42:52.269 with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom 00:42:52.269 --> 00:42:54.750 and spiritual understanding that you may walk 00:42:54.750 --> 00:42:57.969 worthy of the Lord fully pleasing him being fruitful 00:42:57.969 --> 00:43:00.170 in every good work and increasing the knowledge 00:43:00.170 --> 00:43:02.570 of God strengthened with all might according 00:43:02.570 --> 00:43:05.070 to his glorious power for all patience and longsuffering 00:43:05.070 --> 00:43:07.630 with joy. Giving thanks to the Father who has 00:43:07.630 --> 00:43:15.050 qualified us to be partakers of all the inheritance 00:43:15.050 --> 00:43:19.070 of the saints in light. We are no longer in darkness, 00:43:19.190 --> 00:43:22.130 but we are in light. And we have an inheritance. 00:43:22.429 --> 00:43:27.909 And this inheritance is a responsibility. He 00:43:27.909 --> 00:43:30.590 has delivered us from the power of darkness and 00:43:30.590 --> 00:43:36.059 conveyed us into a kingdom. of the son of his 00:43:36.059 --> 00:43:39.340 love, in whom we have redemption through his 00:43:39.340 --> 00:43:44.260 blood, even the forgiveness of our sins. And 00:43:44.260 --> 00:44:09.030 then 1 Peter 2 verse 4 emphasizes, it says, To 00:44:09.030 --> 00:44:10.949 offer up spiritual sacrifice except to go through 00:44:10.949 --> 00:44:13.710 Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is also contained 00:44:13.710 --> 00:44:16.590 in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief 00:44:16.590 --> 00:44:21.070 cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes 00:44:21.070 --> 00:44:27.090 on him by no means shall be put to shame. Therefore, 00:44:27.170 --> 00:44:31.010 to you who believe, to us who have belief, to 00:44:31.010 --> 00:44:34.909 each and every one of us who have believed, he 00:44:34.909 --> 00:44:38.409 is precious. But to those who are disobedient, 00:44:38.570 --> 00:44:42.050 the stone which the builders rejected has become 00:44:42.050 --> 00:44:45.030 the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling 00:44:45.030 --> 00:44:48.969 and a rock of offense. That is to them. They 00:44:48.969 --> 00:44:51.929 stumbled, being disobedient to the word which 00:44:51.929 --> 00:44:55.730 they also were appointed. But you are a chosen 00:44:55.730 --> 00:45:00.429 generation. What are we? We are a royal priesthood. 00:45:00.610 --> 00:45:05.000 We are a holy nation. his own peculiar people, 00:45:05.119 --> 00:45:09.099 his own special people, that we may proclaim 00:45:09.099 --> 00:45:12.179 the goodness, the praises of him who has called 00:45:12.179 --> 00:45:15.219 us out of this darkness into his marvelous light. 00:45:15.460 --> 00:45:19.280 We were once not a people, but we are now the 00:45:19.280 --> 00:45:26.059 people of God. We belong to God. Who had obtained 00:45:26.059 --> 00:45:29.360 mercy? Who had not obtained mercy before? But 00:45:29.360 --> 00:45:40.159 now, obtain mercy. Hallelujah. We are not God's 00:45:40.159 --> 00:45:45.579 chosen people. But he has now chosen us. And 00:45:45.579 --> 00:45:50.000 in him choosing us, we belong to him. We are 00:45:50.000 --> 00:45:54.619 part of the family. And we have a heritage. We 00:45:54.619 --> 00:46:00.159 have an inheritance. Alright? We have a heritage 00:46:00.159 --> 00:46:03.440 in Christ. What belongs to Christ belongs to 00:46:03.440 --> 00:46:10.280 us. Amen? The responsibility of Christ belongs 00:46:10.280 --> 00:46:16.860 to us. Hallelujah. The responsibility of God 00:46:16.860 --> 00:46:22.019 in Christ belongs to us. He is working in us, 00:46:22.059 --> 00:46:25.500 through us, to execute His plan on the face of 00:46:25.500 --> 00:46:33.800 the earth. The purpose is priesthood. You and 00:46:33.800 --> 00:46:37.800 I were priests to proclaim, to preach the gospel 00:46:37.800 --> 00:46:45.619 to people. So the salvation you receive is not 00:46:45.619 --> 00:46:49.159 to make you a superstar. It's not to turn you 00:46:49.159 --> 00:46:53.539 into a celebrity. It's not to turn you into a 00:46:53.539 --> 00:46:57.409 billionaire. is not to turn you into a professional 00:46:57.409 --> 00:47:00.789 in the field of whatever you're studying. The 00:47:00.789 --> 00:47:04.210 essence of what God has done in you is not to 00:47:04.210 --> 00:47:10.449 turn you into a political emancipator. The essence 00:47:10.449 --> 00:47:13.849 of what God has done in you is not to create 00:47:13.849 --> 00:47:20.789 in you a human rights activist. The essence of 00:47:20.789 --> 00:47:23.869 what God has done in you Is to create in you. 00:47:23.909 --> 00:47:28.829 A man and a woman. That through you. He will 00:47:28.829 --> 00:47:32.949 save lives. That he will deliver. His eternal 00:47:32.949 --> 00:47:38.630 purpose. Of saving men. Of restoring men. Of 00:47:38.630 --> 00:47:42.429 delivering men. Just as Moses was an instrument. 00:47:42.590 --> 00:47:47.170 The picture of Jesus. A deliverer. Who delivers 00:47:47.170 --> 00:47:51.010 people. With the message of God. You are also 00:47:51.010 --> 00:47:53.769 a man and a woman. That have. equally an assignment 00:47:53.769 --> 00:47:58.409 of priesthood. That in your dealings and the 00:47:58.409 --> 00:48:00.429 activities in your relationship with men in the 00:48:00.429 --> 00:48:02.949 world, that you reveal to them the knowledge 00:48:02.949 --> 00:48:05.829 of God. That you bring them into the knowledge 00:48:05.829 --> 00:48:09.050 of God. That you teach them about what God has 00:48:09.050 --> 00:48:11.869 done. That you explain unto them what God has 00:48:11.869 --> 00:48:17.269 done in Christ. Yesterday in our class, I asked 00:48:17.269 --> 00:48:23.300 a question. I said, can a man who is not born 00:48:23.300 --> 00:48:35.300 again, accurately preach Christ. It's impossible. 00:48:38.579 --> 00:48:43.019 You can attempt to preach Christ, but not with 00:48:43.019 --> 00:48:46.780 knowledge, not according to knowledge. Until 00:48:46.780 --> 00:48:49.039 Christ is revealed to you, you cannot accurately 00:48:49.039 --> 00:48:55.269 preach him. Hallelujah. And for us that we've 00:48:55.269 --> 00:48:58.550 come to Christ and we believe in him, we continuously 00:48:58.550 --> 00:49:04.110 depend on him. We continuously follow his leading 00:49:04.110 --> 00:49:11.610 in order to do his will on the earth. God's will 00:49:11.610 --> 00:49:15.190 for his kingdom of priests on earth is to preach 00:49:15.190 --> 00:49:20.630 the gospel of the kingdom. The primary will of 00:49:20.630 --> 00:49:25.780 God. For us, it's to ensure that the earth is 00:49:25.780 --> 00:49:32.039 filled with the knowledge of His will. Now, have 00:49:32.039 --> 00:49:37.199 you surrendered to the will of God? Have you 00:49:37.199 --> 00:49:41.239 surrendered to the will of God? Or you are passionate 00:49:41.239 --> 00:49:47.170 about other things? We are passionate about our 00:49:47.170 --> 00:49:49.969 careers. We are passionate about how we can build 00:49:49.969 --> 00:49:52.769 our families. We are passionate about how we 00:49:52.769 --> 00:50:03.150 can explore the world. I want you to think about 00:50:03.150 --> 00:50:09.530 this. And I want you to make up your mind. By 00:50:09.530 --> 00:50:12.110 the Spirit of God, I want you to make up your 00:50:12.110 --> 00:50:17.139 mind. That to live this earth, you have one goal. 00:50:18.059 --> 00:50:20.760 And your goal is to ensure that Christ is known. 00:50:21.500 --> 00:50:26.460 Hallelujah. Your most important responsibility 00:50:26.460 --> 00:50:33.800 on earth is not to chase after living on earth. 00:50:36.659 --> 00:50:42.510 Your sense of purpose is not making money. The 00:50:42.510 --> 00:50:44.929 reason why you are alive is not to gather degrees 00:50:44.929 --> 00:50:47.949 and certificates and all your qualifications. 00:50:51.030 --> 00:50:54.269 But your essence in life is something that is 00:50:54.269 --> 00:50:58.630 eternal. And I equally want us to always have 00:50:58.630 --> 00:51:03.429 eternity in mind as we go about our normal activities, 00:51:03.610 --> 00:51:06.869 our daily activities, our endeavors. What shapes 00:51:06.869 --> 00:51:12.650 our decisions? What shapes our... what shapes 00:51:12.650 --> 00:51:19.869 our living on the earth is actually the will 00:51:19.869 --> 00:51:25.070 and the purpose of the road on the earth. Because 00:51:25.070 --> 00:51:29.309 God's eternal plan for you who is a believer, 00:51:29.469 --> 00:51:32.170 it's not only that you are a child of God, of 00:51:32.170 --> 00:51:34.309 course, it's only that you are part of God's 00:51:34.309 --> 00:51:37.469 family, of course, this is all that we are. This 00:51:37.469 --> 00:51:39.730 is our identity. This is what God has done for 00:51:39.730 --> 00:51:42.489 us in Christ Jesus. But God equally has given 00:51:42.489 --> 00:51:47.230 us a duty. Hallelujah. And God is depending on 00:51:47.230 --> 00:51:51.550 you. He's depending on me. And what we do here 00:51:51.550 --> 00:51:56.170 in church always is to remind you of this. What 00:51:56.170 --> 00:51:58.730 we do here always in church is to prepare you 00:51:58.730 --> 00:52:03.969 in this knowledge. It's to keep resounding to 00:52:03.969 --> 00:52:06.449 you, number one, who you are. What God has done. 00:52:06.909 --> 00:52:09.409 What he's doing. And what he wants to do with 00:52:09.409 --> 00:52:14.010 your life. Is to train you. But on Sunday we'll 00:52:14.010 --> 00:52:16.449 see. That knowing the will of God. To know the 00:52:16.449 --> 00:52:19.670 will of God. You have to be trained. You have 00:52:19.670 --> 00:52:25.469 to be equipped. You have to be. To be fully equipped. 00:52:25.610 --> 00:52:31.230 So that you can do this work. So as you are with 00:52:31.230 --> 00:52:34.030 us in church. You must know that. Whenever you 00:52:34.030 --> 00:52:35.329 come to church. Just know that you are here. 00:52:35.840 --> 00:52:39.639 To be exercised. So that you will be sharpened. 00:52:39.880 --> 00:52:41.639 So that you will be prepared. So that you will 00:52:41.639 --> 00:52:48.440 be empowered. To do your father's business. Hallelujah. 00:52:49.800 --> 00:52:52.920 And it comes with correction. It comes with rebuke. 00:52:53.539 --> 00:52:57.099 It comes with encouragement. It comes with edification. 00:52:59.460 --> 00:53:03.079 It comes in different shapes. And the goal is 00:53:03.079 --> 00:53:08.789 that you will be perfected. in all the will of 00:53:08.789 --> 00:53:11.889 God, that you'll be equipped, you'll be enriched 00:53:11.889 --> 00:53:19.070 with the precise knowledge, with the precise 00:53:19.070 --> 00:53:21.730 knowledge of what God demands. Not only what 00:53:21.730 --> 00:53:23.489 He demands of you, but with the message that 00:53:23.489 --> 00:53:29.070 you go out to preach. Hallelujah. So I want you 00:53:29.070 --> 00:53:30.590 to pray, and the prayer you're going to pray 00:53:30.590 --> 00:53:38.119 is a prayer of commitment. Amen? Firstly, God 00:53:38.119 --> 00:53:42.079 has committed to you. God is committed to you. 00:53:43.639 --> 00:53:50.599 He has committed himself to us. God has committed 00:53:50.599 --> 00:53:54.840 himself to us. He gave us his life. He gave us 00:53:54.840 --> 00:54:03.940 his spirit. We've been brought into union with 00:54:03.940 --> 00:54:09.219 him. But I want you to pray for yourself and 00:54:09.219 --> 00:54:11.760 commit yourself to God's work. You remember what 00:54:11.760 --> 00:54:15.280 we prayed earlier on? That a zeal for the Father's 00:54:15.280 --> 00:54:22.019 house will do all that can consume you. That 00:54:22.019 --> 00:54:25.719 you will be embraced, engulfed in the desire, 00:54:25.860 --> 00:54:29.420 that the desire of God will be your desire. That 00:54:29.420 --> 00:54:31.559 what moves God, the passion of God will be your 00:54:31.559 --> 00:54:35.639 passion. Please, pray for yourself. Don't be 00:54:35.639 --> 00:54:42.719 looking at me. Pray. Pray for yourself. Pray. 00:54:55.400 --> 00:55:03.280 Your life is dedicated to one cause. My life 00:55:03.280 --> 00:55:08.840 is dedicated to one cause. That my focus is one 00:55:08.840 --> 00:55:19.079 thing. Pray for yourself. Pray for yourself. 00:55:23.719 --> 00:55:26.039 Of course, we know we will be involved in careers. 00:55:26.460 --> 00:55:29.000 We know we'll be involved in family life. We 00:55:29.000 --> 00:55:31.119 know we'll be involved in many things. But in 00:55:31.119 --> 00:55:33.800 the midst of all this, that I will not be distracted. 00:55:35.119 --> 00:55:37.820 That I will not be distracted. There will be 00:55:37.820 --> 00:55:42.340 no distraction. Our distractions are not necessarily 00:55:42.340 --> 00:55:47.280 things that are evil. The devil is to distract 00:55:47.280 --> 00:55:49.960 us with things that are evil. He will bring things 00:55:49.960 --> 00:55:54.559 that are good. But I will discern that this is 00:55:54.559 --> 00:55:57.159 a distraction. He will bring very wonderful job 00:55:57.159 --> 00:56:04.000 offers. Very wonderful opportunities. He will 00:56:04.000 --> 00:56:07.780 bring opportunities for recognition. Opportunities 00:56:07.780 --> 00:56:10.800 will make us famous. Opportunities will make 00:56:10.800 --> 00:56:14.619 us powerful. Opportunities will make us rich. 00:56:16.800 --> 00:56:19.039 But that you will know the will of God at every 00:56:19.039 --> 00:56:25.360 point in time. That you are a man and a woman 00:56:25.360 --> 00:56:29.679 that is loyal and committed to the work of God. 00:56:30.119 --> 00:56:32.500 That you are a man and a woman that is committed 00:56:32.500 --> 00:56:42.789 to the will of God on the earth. Our decisions 00:56:42.789 --> 00:56:51.110 will be influenced by the will of God. Our actions 00:56:51.110 --> 00:56:56.550 will be defined by the will of God. Our choices 00:56:56.550 --> 00:57:06.110 will be defined by the will of God. Our relationships 00:57:06.110 --> 00:57:15.030 will be defined by the will of God. How we utilize 00:57:15.030 --> 00:57:19.030 our resources will be defined by executing the 00:57:19.030 --> 00:57:37.889 will of God. We look forward to having you with 00:57:37.889 --> 00:57:40.030 us next time. God bless.