Transcript

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Father, we turn our eyes to you again tonight, and our prayer is
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simple. Your servant Paul told the
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Thessalonians that our gospel came to you not only in Word,
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but also in power and in the Holy Spirit, and with full
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conviction and Lord, from the bottom of our hearts, we pray
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that what happened among the Thessalonians would be our
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portion tonight. We ask that you would do it by
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your Spirit. Let your presence come and touch
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us and renew us, heal us, convict us, save some.
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Only you can do that. In Jesus name we pray.
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Amen. Amen.
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Meet me in your bibles in First Kings chapter four.
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First Kings chapter 4. Beginning in verse 24.
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First Kings 4 verse 24 to 25. And Speaking of Solomon, the
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Holy Spirit says, for he had dominion over all the region
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West of the Euphrates, from Tifsa to Gaza, over all the
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kings West of the Euphrates, and he had peace on all sides around
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him. And Judah and Israel lived in
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safety from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his
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vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.
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Solomon's name simply means peace.
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It derives from the Hebrew word Shalom, and it was a very
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fitting name, because peace was a factor that distinguished
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Solomon's reign in comparison to all the other kings of Israel.
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Solomon has something very special about him.
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He did not fight wars like his father David did.
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He actually, he didn't know any wars at all.
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There was an unusual tranquility.
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There was an unusual alliance and serenity with Solomon as he
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took over as the leader of the people of God.
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And as we just read in summary of this verse, this man was able
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to maintain decades, years upon years of harmony, civilly and
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internationally. That's impressive.
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That's significant. And we see here that there is no
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other king following Solomon who was ever able to replicate such
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peace in the land. And not only do we get a summary
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that there was safety among the people of Israel from border to
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border, that's what we read here.
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We also realized that there was something that each person who
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was under his establishment, what they enjoyed because of
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Solomon's leadership. It's this interesting phrase.
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You read it with me. It says every man under his vine
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and verse 25 and under his fig tree.
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Men and women did not have to hide in their homes, did not
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have to be worried about any siege or any attack from
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outside. They were able to liberally be
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in their own personal gardens and enjoy the fruit and the
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shade found therein. And this was not just a one time
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commentary about what Solomon was able to provide to the
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people of Israel. This became a proverbial
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expression, a proverbial expression that would describe
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enjoyment and rest and peace. And more significantly, it
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actually became a prophetic hope, a prophetic hope for the
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future generations of the people of God.
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And so even the prophets borrowed that First Kings 425
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statement to give the people something to look forward to.
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So when the son of David, the promised son of David, who would
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rule and reign forever and ever, they would long for that even
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more. They would have a scene of what
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they could expect. Here's proof of that.
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When you go to the prophet Micah in chapter four of Micah and
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verse three and four, this is a prophecy about Jesus Christ, not
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in his first advent, but when he returns, Jesus Christ is coming
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back. Understand that the Lord Jesus
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Christ will return on this planet, and when He returns on
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this planet, he will plant his feet on the Mount of Olives.
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And when he does so, he will also establish His throne in
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Jerusalem, in Jerusalem, and he will rule and reign the nations
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for 1000 years. And so this is what we are
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looking forward to. We're not merely looking forward
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for Christ to take us up, we're looking forward to Christ coming
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down. And when he comes down, he is
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going to prove to all the governments, all the nations,
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all the peoples for all generations, that there's no
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king like him. And so here's a glimpse of that
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in the Old Testament of the second Advent of Christ, of what
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you and I are expecting. And I'm among those who believe
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that he's coming very soon. Here it is in Micah 4 three to
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four. Hope we have it ready.
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More importantly, have it ready in your Bible.
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He shall judge between many peoples and shall decide for
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strong nations a far off. And they shall beat their swords
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into plowshares, meaning they're going to turn their weapons into
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farming equipment. There's going to be no war when
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he comes and their Spears into pruning hooks.
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Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall
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they learn war. And Can you imagine a period of
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hundreds upon hundreds of years where no war will happen?
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Look at the next verse. But they shall sit every man
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under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them
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afraid for the mouth of the Lord of hosts.
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That's spoken. So you see, the prophet by the
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Spirit borrows the language of first kings, and he uses it for
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a future reality to come. And what we're told here about
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the Messiah is that he will settle disputes among the
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leaders of the world and there will be a peace unlike any other
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time, and every single person will enjoy personal prosperity
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and security unmatched. Oh, here's that, just Micah.
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Here's Zechariah and Zechariah 310.
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Is Zechariah another prophet near the end of your Old
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Testament? We're told something in one
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simple verse that echoes what Micah's saying.
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That echoes what Solomon was saying in that day.
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What day? When Christ comes, when he comes
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in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, everyone of you will
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invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his
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victory. So this became an expression of
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anticipation, an expression of a desired daily reality that there
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will be mutual trust, that there would be a corporate harmony,
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that there would be this sense of security and love among
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people. No crime, No Fear, no bad news.
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It would just be this, everyone having their own little personal
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utopia. And that being the experience,
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whether you look WE north or South, oh come Lord Jesus, come
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Lord Jesus. But you know, what's fascinating
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is when you have this Old Testament background, it perhaps
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may add something. This is just a little nugget for
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you to enjoy. I hope that it adds something
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perhaps to a a very specific moment in the early phases of
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Jesus's ministry when he was recruiting his disciples.
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So let me show you that if you want to turn with me to John
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chapter one and look here in John chapter one, verse 45, John
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the Baptist is telling people, behold the Lamb of God.
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He's here. He's in our midst.
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Now Jesus is beginning to draw his Father's namely his 12 that
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he wants to train to be apostles.
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And here's one of them, Philip. Philip found Nathaniel and said
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to him, We have found him, We have found him of whom Moses in
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the law. And also the prophets wrote
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Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph.
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So he friends his He find his friend Nathaniel.
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We we we found him the one that's been promised.
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He's here. And look at the response of his
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friend in verse 46. We are told here, Nathaniel said
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to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth?
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Phillips said to him. I love Phillips.
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Never come and see. I'm not going to hear.
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Argue with your come and see. Nathaniel was praised.
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If you know the story, you know that he was praised by Jesus
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himself of being someone who had no deception in him.
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There was no guile in him. There was no trickery in him.
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What you see is what you got. And in in a simplicity of heart
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he spoke his mind. And you get proof of that right
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here. And what girl can come out of
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Nazareth? So this is not somebody who's 2
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faced. This is somebody who was
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transparent, somebody that you can trust, somebody that you
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didn't have to second guess concerning who he was in terms
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of his character. And we praise Nathaniel for that
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Jesus praise. And we praise and we long to
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emulate what Jesus praise. But unfortunately, many people
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have limited Nathaniel to that virtue alone.
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You know what you see here about Nathaniel?
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You know what I at least see here?
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Nathaniel was not just simply hearted, he was not just a
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person who was open. Nathaniel was a strong, serious
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seeker of God. I'll tell you why.
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Because Philip, when he came to the knowledge of Jesus Christ
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being the Messiah, he goes to Nathaniel.
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Now, you know this. When you have some good news,
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when you have something that you learned, you tend to go to
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people and you tend to make the phone call to those who will
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value what you have to say, right?
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I hope you're not those who just tell people anything and they
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just, you know, they just trample on whatever you have to
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say, especially if it's spiritual things.
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So we have an idea here that Nathaniel was somebody who knew
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about the Messiah. Somebody that just not only knew
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about the Messiah, but longed for the Messiah.
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He was who was somebody who longed for the Messiah.
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And then and Philip knew to go to him, and he knew that
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Nathaniel would appreciate this news.
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That's it. That's a wonderful thing.
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And Jesus confirms, I believe, something further it it.
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It just solidifies that truth about Nathaniel.
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Look what Christ says about it. When finally Nathaniel meets
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Jesus face to face in verse 47, we read here what happens.
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Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said of him,
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Behold in Israelite indeed in whom there is no deceit, Israel.
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That's an interesting word that's not often used in the New
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Testament. By the way, The word Israelite
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is not often used in the gospel accounts.
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But look what Nathaniel says right after Nathaniel said them.
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How do you know me? Jesus answered him before Philip
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called you. When you were under the fig
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tree. I saw you now.
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Light bulb maybe went off right before Philip called you.
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When you were under the fig tree.
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I saw you, I saw you. Now.
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Many people have concluded from the story that what Jesus did
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was showcase his omniscience to demonstrate to Nathaniel,
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doubting Nathaniel that he is indeed the Messiah.
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His nature is indeed more than human.
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He is divine, and that is true. He does showcases all knowing
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power. But out of all the details that
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Jesus Christ highlighted about Nathaniel, out of all the things
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he could have said, the one thing that he underscores is I
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saw you sitting underneath that fig tree.
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I saw you sitting underneath that fig tree.
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Why is that even significant? Why is that important?
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Why was Nathaniel sitting underneath that fig tree?
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All the scriptures doesn't explicitly tell us, but when you
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look at Christ giving him this, Nathaniel answers in a certain
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way. In a moment I'm going to show
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you that. But it makes you wonder
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concerning Nathaniel about his his knowledge of the prophets.
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It makes you wonder if Nathaniel being a strong seeker, is much
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stronger than you and I thought. Philip and I just only found a
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friend who is, who is aware of the Messiah and his potential to
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arrive at any time, even in his lifetime.
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There was something about here in this moment revealing the
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depth of his faith during Solomon's reign.
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What are we told? That people were sitting
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underneath their vine and their fig trees concerning the Messiah
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to come. What are we told?
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That they're going to enjoy the same when the Son of David
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arrives? What is Nathaniel doing sitting
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underneath a fig tree? There's no liberty here.
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There's no peace. You have Roman oppression.
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You have spiritual corruption that has been unchallenged
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concerning man's greed and their manmade tradition.
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So for for for this man to sit beneath or underneath a fig tree
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doesn't reflect accurately the environment that he is in.
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You might disagree with me, but I I think there's something
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here. I think that with Nathaniel is
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doing at this very spot was not lounging around mindlessly.
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I'm persuaded that Nathaniel here is contemplating and
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meditating of what it would be like if the Messiah came to
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clean up this mess. Here is underneath.
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This victory in Jesus is not just revealing.
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I know where you are physically. Jesus is revealing.
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I know what's in your heart. I know what's in your heart.
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Here is a man here. That's an Israelite daydreaming,
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perhaps, about the Kingdom to come.
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Could it be? Could it be?
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You're saying? I don't know.
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Well, look at Nathaniel's answer in verse 49.
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That might indicate Nathaniel incident.
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Rabbi, you are the son of God. You are what?
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The King of Israel. You're the king.
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You're the king. Perhaps in that moment that as
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Jesus was interacting with Nathaniel, there was something
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deeper going on. There was, there was unawareness
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that Christ revealed about Nathaniel, that awoke something
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in him. And if this is true, if what I'm
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presenting to you is a possibility, then what a
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glorious truth it is. Jesus Christ doesn't just know
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where you're sitting. Jesus Christ knows what's
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occupying in your heart. He knows what you yearn for.
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He knows what you desire. He knows your ambitions.
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He knows what your affections are set on.
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And when they are set on him, he takes note of it.
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He's aware of it. And that makes me excited to
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know that those aches of the soul, people's prayers for
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Christ to be known to be real, to come again, He's fully, fully
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aware of that. And that blesses me.
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I hope it blesses you. But we haven't.
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We haven't accomplished our goal here.
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Because if Jesus is greater than Solomon, which what we're trying
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to accomplish and discover here that what more does he have to
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offer if the prophecies of the Messiah to come in His rule are
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echoing what Solomon was able to give.
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So Solomon was able to give people the ability to sit
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underneath their vines and their fig trees.
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And here is Jesus who is going to do the same when he comes and
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rules and reigns forever and ever.
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That's wonderful. But what I want to propose to
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you today is that Jesus Christ this morning you heard is
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building a greater temple. Additionally, Jesus Christ
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offers a better peace and Solomon.
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And that's what I want to persuade you in The peace that
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Christ is able to offer surpasses whatever Solomon was
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able to give during those 40 years.
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And the peace that Jesus is able to give, you don't have to wait
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when he rules and reigns for 1000 years.
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You just have to let him rule your heart today.
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Christ being king is not a future reality.
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Christ is king right now, and you either have him as your king
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or you're your enemy and his enemy.
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That's all it is. There's no neutrality.
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There's no in between. And I pray today that every
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person here would bow the need to King Jesus.
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That's what my prayer my desires.
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You're going to hear the gospel tonight or you're going to hear
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the gospel tonight. And even if there's one person
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in here who has not made Jesus Christ king, you have an
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opportunity to do so in these very dark and trying times.
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But let's talk about the peace of Jesus.
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You heard the summary verse in First Kings.
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I would open the service, the summary verse that from border
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to border there was peace in the land and there was security that
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every Israelite was able to enjoy.
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Is there a summary verse about the peace that King Jesus can
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offer? And I propose to you there is.
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Here's a summary verse, at least one among many, that
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communicates what Christ can do with peace.
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It's in 2nd Thessalonians 316. Turn those Bibles there and
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highlight it and never forget it.
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Second Thessalonians, Chapter 3, verse 16.
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We are told what the Lord of Peace can do now.
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May the Lord of peace himself give you peace.
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Look at the quality of this peace at all times.
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In every way, the Lord be with you all.
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What kind of peace does Jesus Christ give?
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It's all-encompassing. What kind of peace does Jesus
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Christ give? It's unending.
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That is the peace that Jesus Christ gives and this is what
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Paul is saying to these believers.
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God is able to secure in your soul and emotional, mental,
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spiritual serenity. Check this out.
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I know it sounds too good to be true, but it is true every
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second of every season that you walk through.
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It's not exaggeration. I'm just reading the Bible.
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I'm just giving you the verse. What does at all times in every
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way mean? Is this poetic license or is
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this true promise? I choose the latter at all
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times, in every way, and it is extremely fitting that Paul
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would write this promise, though it is applicable to all.
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He wrote this promise, particularly to the
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Thessalonians. Again, you want revelation in
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the Bible? Ask one simple question.
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Why? Ask it a lot.
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Why? Why?
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Why? Why?
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Why? And things will come.
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So here's my question. Why them?
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Why them? And guess what?
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You have the answers. Are you at 2nd Thesalonians?
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No. Yes.
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Yes, You were there. OK, Second Thessalonians, go
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there with me. Go to chapter one.
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Let's do this quickly here. 2nd Thessalonians 1.
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Four. There was something happening in
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every single chapter of Second Second Thessalonians.
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There's three small chapters. Here's chapter one, verse 4.
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Here's what the church is going through.
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Therefore, we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God
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for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in
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the afflictions that you are enduring. #1 The Church of this
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group of believers was enduring suffering outside.
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They were enduring persecution. They were enduring challenges,
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threats. And verse five tells us that
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they are suffering because of these persecutions.
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Something that we're not very familiar with.
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Suffering is not when you don't have a strong Wi-Fi signal, OK,
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that's not suffering. That's suffering for Christians
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in America. Mostly, that's not what we're
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talking about. Real suffering, like go to jail.
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Suffering for believing in Jesus Christ, being stone kind of
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suffering, being separated from your family because you claim to
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believe in this Messiah that challenges all these other
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pantheons of gods. That's the kind of suffering.
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But you go to chapter 2 and you read something in verse one.
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And two, the suffering doesn't end there as that's enough.
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But no, there's even more now concerning the coming of our
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Lord Jesus Christ and are being gathered together to him.
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We ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or
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alarmed, either by a spirit or spoken word or a letter seeming
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to be from us to the effect of the day of the Lord has come.
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So now you have another degree of suffering, not just people
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persecuting from the outside, but false teachers who are
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creeping inside. And they are harassing these
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pure hearted believers trying to convince them this faulty view
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of the last days that the Lord has already come and they're
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there and they missed out on the return of the Lord.
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And they are shaken. They're shaken in mind.
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They're disturbed from within because false teaching can do.
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They can rob you of your peace. There's a lot of people today
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who have no peace in their salvation because of false
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teaching. There are a lot of people today
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who are tormented, who have had all the joy sucked out of their
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walk with the Lord because of false teaching.
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And so you have your spiritual suffering.
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You have a spiritual suffering where these people, these poor
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Christians who who have been raised up by Paul are now being,
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are being harassed. You think that's enough?
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You think that's enough. You have persecution from
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outside. You have false teachers coming
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inside chapter three. You go to chapter 3 and you read
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verse 11, and what do you read here?
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Second Thoughts Thelonian is 311.
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Here's what we're told for we here.
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Paul says that some among you walk in idleness.
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Idleness is to cease from any useful activity.
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That's what it means to be an idle person.
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Among You walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busy bodies.
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When people are not busy with good work, they become busy
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bodies. You know what a busy body is?
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Sounds weird, right? Busy body.
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It means to meddle in other people's affairs.
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Does it happen in churches or no, It happens a lot.
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Come, Lord Jesus, happens too much.
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Busy bodies, one person said it cleverly.
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Gossip is the fruit of idleness. But you know what I discovered?
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There's even busy people who still gossip.
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So that's like an extra evil. It's like if if if if
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fruitfulness is supposed to occupy, so you don't have time
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to do things that you're not supposed to do, how is it that
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you're so busy and you still are doing this stuff that's like a
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that's like a grace to be so evil?
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I just don't understand it. Walk in idleness but busy at
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work. Not busy at work, but busy
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bodies. So not only do you have false
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teachers, you have troublemakers in the church.
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I want Christians slandering and talking.
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Did you see what you do? And now there's issues within
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the church, and the pastors have to sit down with everybody and
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figure out what's going, that kind of stuff.
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So let's let's bring it all together.
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You have persecution, you have suffering, you have false
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teachers. You have people who are
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Christians who are creating problems in the Church from all
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sides. Problems outside problems inside
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spiritual suffering, social suffering, relational suffering,
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suffering. You're swimming and suffering,
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Thessalonians. And how does Paul sign off on
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the letter Now? May God deliver you from every
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single affliction, and may you never know any kind of pain,
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ever. It isn't right that.
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What does he say now? May the Lord of Peace himself
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give you peace at all times and in every way.
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You see how context makes everything so beautiful after
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all the problems that they're enduring, Paul says.
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I'm praying and asking not that these things would go away, but
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that you would stand firm and that you would know a stability
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and an unshakable confidence in the goodness of God despite
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these challenging circumstances that are washing over you like a
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raging current. That's the kind of peace that
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Jesus gives. Why is it better than the peace
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that Solomon gives? Because as much as sitting
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underneath your vine and fig tree is a wonderful proverbial
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expression of a national time of enjoyment and prosperity, it is
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only produced and only possible through what Solomon was able to
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do. What did Solomon do?
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He was a political genius. That kind of thing was only
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because the economics were in their favor.
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It was surface level. But the moment those things
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disappeared, that reality of sitting underneath the vine tree
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was no longer a reality. It was stripped from them.
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The peace that Christ gives is not dependent on those things.
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It's a reality. Despise, whether they are
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reality or not. And I know, I know that sounds
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like Christians. We all know that, right?
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I I know that this is very familiar to us.
23:35
But peace at all times, in every way, that's our inheritance.
23:43
When Christ is king, that's what he bestows upon his subjects as
23:48
servants, his friends, his children.
23:51
I want it. I don't want to just quote it in
23:53
a sermon. I don't want to just give it to
23:55
the counseling because I want it for myself.
23:58
And Paul here is not giving wishful thinking.
23:59
Here. He he's giving even more than
24:01
just a theological truth. He is giving a truth from
24:05
personal testimony. Paul was something else.
24:09
Would you agree with me? And as great as Paul was, Christ
24:13
towers over him. It's a great study to see how
24:16
Christ even makes Paul look, small as a big of a giant as he
24:20
was. But still Paul, arguably the
24:23
greatest Christian who've ever lived this man.
24:28
Every time I read the Book of Acts, I feel small.
24:31
I feel small, especially when you come near the end of the
24:34
Book of Acts. I mean, this guy gets battered
24:37
and bruised, tossed and thrown, and you don't get a peep out of
24:42
him. You don't you you.
24:44
You can't squeeze murmuring out of the guy, no matter how much
24:48
he's crushed. Nothing.
24:52
And as I was preparing this thinking, like Paul is writing
24:54
here from experience, yes, by the spirit, primarily.
24:56
More importantly, this is supernatural, divine revelation.
24:58
But Paul can say, I know what it's like to have peace at all
25:01
times. In every way, Paul's a real
25:03
person. Let me give you one example
25:06
among many, many portraits of how this man was absolutely
25:10
dominated by this kind of peace. In Acts 28, Paul gets stranded
25:16
on an island not with his friends, but with a bunch of
25:19
strangers who were prisoners on their way to Rome.
25:22
Paul was numbered among these prisoners.
25:24
The false Jews there, who were giving accusation concerning
25:29
Paul, brought him to the point where he wanted to appeal to
25:31
Caesar concerning his case. And so they put him on a ship
25:34
and they they launched him over there to Rome and and there was
25:37
a detour storm breaks out, a horrific storm.
25:40
There was darkness for several days and eventually the ship was
25:44
steered off course and they crash and they land on an island
25:48
called Malta. And here's Paul Drenched,
25:53
drained, exhausted. And in Acts 28, verse 2, this is
25:57
what you read between Paul and those 200 and something
26:00
prisoners showing up on the shore.
26:03
And the native people here showed us unusual kindness, for
26:08
they kindled a fire and welcomed us all because it had begun to
26:11
rain and was cold. So just imagine.
26:14
Pause. It's OK to imagine it.
26:15
Here's Paul. You were just flipped over into
26:18
the ocean. You found your way over to this
26:21
random bank, and now it's raining and it's cold, raining
26:26
and cold. That's enough for people now to
26:27
go to church on Sunday. It's raining and it's cold,
26:29
right? Here's Paul.
26:30
He's on an island. He's already soaked and he's
26:33
soaked on top of it. What does Paul do?
26:35
Look at this in verse three, when Paul had gathered a bundle
26:40
of sticks. Paul, what are you doing?
26:43
And put them on the fire. Here you have a man after all he
26:46
went through and he still wants to serve.
26:49
He already proved this point that he, though he wasn't the
26:51
official captain, was really the captain of that ship.
26:54
If you read that account, he's giving directions.
26:56
Like I told you guys, you guys were wrong.
26:57
Now that This is why we're in this mess.
26:58
You didn't listen to me earlier. So Paul, Paul had already won
27:03
the admiration of many of these people.
27:05
And here's this man who is now on this island.
27:08
And out of all the people, Paul is highlighted for his humble
27:11
service. He looks around and he finds
27:14
these sticks. Hopefully they're dry so that he
27:16
can feed the fire. And as he is picking up these
27:19
sticks, camouflage in the bunch is a Viper came out because of
27:24
the heat and fasting on his hand.
27:28
OK, this has got to be the breaking point.
27:31
This has to be the breaking point, right?
27:33
You've been to trial after trial.
27:35
You were in chains, you had people saying false things about
27:40
you. You were beaten and bruised.
27:42
You're put on a ship. You're sent over with a bunch of
27:44
prisoners. You endured a time where people
27:47
did not even eat because it was so horrific.
27:49
There was number sunlight. There was number guidance.
27:51
Imagine, imagine being in the middle of the ocean with no
27:53
sense of direction. After all of that, here, now
27:57
they come into this random island.
27:58
Paul wants to go to Rome. He wants to preach the gospel to
28:01
Caesar and all those officials. And here he is now, on a
28:04
unfamiliar terrain with random people, a bunch of criminals.
28:08
And he still wants to do good. He still wants to reflect
28:12
selfless sacrifice. And has he's doing it.
28:14
A snake plunges its its venom into his hand.
28:20
What do you do when you suffer when you're doing good?
28:26
Notice the Viper didn't attack anybody else.
28:28
Just Paul. Just Paul.
28:31
Out of all the hundreds of people that that Viper could
28:33
have, like, I had to be the most righteous man on that island.
28:38
Serving God does not exempt you from suffering.
28:43
Serving God does not exempt you not just from one time
28:45
suffering, but from perpetual consistent challenges and
28:49
trials. I don't know what kind of
28:51
Christianity you bought into, but get back to the biblical
28:53
Christianity. Understand that Paul said in
28:55
Acts 14 that through many tribulations we must enter the
28:58
Kingdom of God. Many tribulations.
28:59
Not some. So Paul had gathered a bundle of
29:03
sticks. He he put them on the fire.
29:05
Viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand.
29:08
And now this man has a dangling snake on his hand.
29:16
What do you expect him to do? Well, let's read on and see what
29:20
happens in verse four when the native people saw the creature
29:24
hanging from his hand. Just imagine that sight.
29:27
Clothes ripped up, skin shriveled up from the salt
29:30
water. It's cold.
29:32
It's raining. Here's Paul with a snake
29:33
dangling from his hand. They said to one another.
29:37
No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the
29:41
sea, justice has not allowed him to live.
29:45
So here's how they interpreted. Perhaps the native people
29:47
learned very early on that all these men that just showed up on
29:50
our island were in fact criminals.
29:53
Perhaps the Roman leaders who were governing that ship told
29:56
them, you know, we got a bunch of criminals here, so they
29:58
understood who they're dealing with here.
30:00
And so Paul was a nice guy, nice enough to help out, but they
30:03
understood because of the snake dangling from his hand.
30:05
Oh yeah, he must surely be a murderer.
30:08
He must surely be a criminal. And they had this understanding
30:10
of divine retribution. You do evil, evil comes to you.
30:14
And that's how many people believe and understand how life
30:18
works, even in the relationship with God.
30:19
Do good, only good will come. Do bad bad things happen.
30:23
That's Job's friends theology. That's the whole problem with
30:28
Job's friends job. The only reason why you're
30:31
suffering to this extent is because you have sin.
30:32
Cuff it up and repent. Cuff it up.
30:36
You can't be suffering like this.
30:37
If you're a true follower of God, you must have done
30:39
something along the way. Just admit it and we can move on
30:41
and God will bless And Job's like you're not getting it.
30:44
I've walked to my conscience and my knowledge.
30:47
I've walked right with him. So it's this faulty view, the
30:51
skewed view of how God allows things to happen into our lives.
30:55
And these, these native people had no different theology than
30:58
Job's friends and many even unfortunately today.
31:01
Well, let me, let me stop here and and just make this point.
31:05
They were wrong and how they interpreted this event in Paul's
31:07
life. But were they entirely wrong?
31:13
No doubt. This man is a murderer.
31:16
Was Paul a murderer? He was a murderer.
31:21
He was a murderer. He approved of the death of
31:24
Steven. He ripped families apart who
31:27
named the name of Christ. They weren't wrong in their
31:30
assessment of who Paul was in his past.
31:33
Where they were wrong is that though Paul was a murderer, he
31:35
was a forgiven murderer. That's the difference.
31:38
And when you are a forgiven Sinner, this concept and this
31:42
illusion of karma is destroyed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
31:47
It doesn't apply to you. So yes, he is a murderer, but
31:49
he's a forgiven murderer. Big difference.
31:54
And look how Paul. Look how Paul responds in verse
31:58
five. It's so amazing to see this man
32:00
and one civil verse. He, however, shook off the
32:04
creature into the fire and suffered no harm.
32:09
He just took it off. So it comes on his hand.
32:14
Why? He's a murderer.
32:15
Look, justice has come after him.
32:16
And here's Paul and shook it off into the fire and just went on
32:21
to feed the flames with the sticks again.
32:26
No fist with snake hanging off of it raised up to heaven.
32:32
No, enough is enough. God, how much more do I need to
32:36
sacrifice for you? And this is what I have to this
32:38
is my portion, this is my plot. I'm a man.
32:42
How much can I endure? I'm over there.
32:45
I'm going to sit right there on the in the island, and when
32:47
you're ready to make this thing work out for me, I'm ready to
32:49
serve you. None of that.
32:51
He shook off the snake, and Revival broke out on that
32:55
island. What was his secret?
33:01
How does a man able to absorb so much and yet remain at peace?
33:08
Would you like to know? Because there's an answer.
33:11
Something happened many, many, many chapters ago in the Book of
33:14
Acts that anchored Paul to endure all that he would up to
33:19
the end of the book of Acts, before all of this really
33:23
started, before it really took a downward spiral.
33:25
Paul was in prison and his faith was being determined, supposedly
33:30
from a human standpoint, from the officials.
33:32
God had already determined his destiny, and and Paul, while
33:36
he's in the barracks, is waiting.
33:39
Jesus appears to him. And when Jesus appears to him,
33:42
Jesus tells him something. And that is the secret to Paul's
33:46
peace. That is why he can endure the
33:49
storm. That is why he can endure the
33:51
snakes. That is why he can endure the
33:53
slander. He can endure.
33:55
All of that because of Acts 23, verse 11, Acts 2311 is the
34:02
secret to this man's peace at all times, in every way.
34:09
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, take
34:12
courage. For as you have testified to the
34:15
facts about me and Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.
34:21
You catch it. Jesus told Paul, Paul you're
34:26
going to Rome, you're going to go to Rome.
34:31
And Paul believed the word of Jesus.
34:35
So when the ship lost its course, when the snake inserted
34:40
its poison in his veins, you know what I believe was going in
34:44
the back of mine's Paul Paul's mind?
34:46
I'm going to Rome. Jesus told me I'm going to Rome.
34:51
Nothing will stop me from going to Rome.
34:55
Nothing. Because Jesus said it.
34:58
So here I am, delayed in life, right?
35:00
I'm on Malta when I'm supposed to be in Rome by now.
35:03
But Jesus said I'm going to Rome, so I'm going to Rome.
35:07
Here's this life threatening attack.
35:08
But Jesus told me I'm going to I'm not dying because he says
35:11
you must testify also in Rome. I'm going there all what would
35:17
happen to our peace if we really believe the Bible, all what
35:21
would happen to us if we really, really believe the word of God?
35:26
You'd be amazed to know how even with ministers, when things get
35:29
really tough, they don't believe the Bible, even the Bible that
35:33
they preach week after week after week.
35:37
Believe him. What did Paul say in 2nd
35:41
Festivals 316? That the Lord of Peace himself.
35:46
I'm going to end with that. I won't go there.
35:47
But let me give you another example.
35:48
This is this is unplanned, but I think it's helpful.
35:51
This is just another example of what happens when the Lord is in
35:54
your life, when you have the Lord Jesus standing by you
35:59
though you perceive it or not. There's an interesting story.
36:03
It's one. It's one of my favorite stories
36:05
in the Old Testament concerning the miraculous.
36:07
And where else would you go concerning the miracles of God?
36:11
You can go to Moses, you can argue for that.
36:13
But Elijah had just a highlight reel of miracle after miracle
36:17
even more than Elijah. Some people debate and argue
36:20
that Elijah had double the miracles than Elijah because he
36:22
asked for a double portion of Elijah's anointing.
36:26
So Elijah, at one point in Second King's chapter 6 is in a
36:29
specific place, and I want you to turn there, turn there with
36:32
me in Second King's chapter 6. And he's there with his servant,
36:36
his unnamed servant, in Second Kings.
36:40
And in Second Kings we read something in verse 15 when the
36:46
servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went
36:51
out. Behold, an army with horses and
36:53
Chariots was all around the city.
36:56
Imagine waking up to that. And the servant said, Alas, my
37:01
master, what shall we do? So here's the servant of Elijah,
37:03
and he goes, there's two of us and there's hundreds and
37:08
thousands of our enemies surrounding our home boss.
37:12
What do we do? May the Lord of Peace himself
37:19
give you peace, and always and every time.
37:23
What does Elijah say to his servant?
37:25
He says in the next verse. He said, do not be afraid, Do
37:30
not be afraid. For those who are with us are
37:32
more than those who are with them, The servant is thinking,
37:38
What are you saying? There's you and me.
37:43
What are you alluding to? And here's what Truman of God do
37:46
for people who can't see what they see, the next verse tells
37:49
us. In verse 17 maybe we froze and
37:59
you go to second king seven say This is why you have to have a
38:01
copy of God's word because technology sometimes fails you.
38:05
Then Elijah prayed and said, Oh Lord, please open his eyes that
38:11
he may see. Please open his eyes that he may
38:15
see. So the Lord opened the eyes of
38:17
the young man. Older generation pray for the
38:21
younger generation. What did Moses do for Joshua?
38:25
Joshua was fighting the battles Moses, symbolizing the older
38:28
generation, had his hands up while the young one was fighting
38:31
battles with the Amalekites. Intercede for this young.
38:34
It's very easy to complain about Gen.
38:36
Z, but we have to pray for them. Oh Lord, please open his eyes
38:40
that he may see. So the Lord opened the eyes of
38:42
the young man, and he saw and behold, imagine this.
38:48
The mountain was full of horses and Chariots of fire all around.
38:52
Not the city, not the house around 2 Elijah.
38:58
So just imagine. Here's Elijah.
39:00
And from Elijah all the way expanding to the mountains were
39:03
these Chariots of fire. And here's this young man.
39:08
Wow. It's a special story.
39:12
But you know what makes it more special?
39:13
The details that we tend to overlook.
39:15
Does anybody know? I know we have trivia tonight,
39:17
but here's another trivia question.
39:19
Does anybody know the specific location by name where this
39:22
miracle took place? And some are looking down at
39:27
your Bibles, which is smart. Go to verse 13 if you please
39:33
would. And he said, go see where he is.
39:36
This is before this the the army surrounded Alan China, servant
39:40
that I may send him, sees him, it was told and behold, he is in
39:43
where Dolphin. He's in Dolphin.
39:47
Dolphin. That is where the vision of
39:52
these Chariots of fire surrounded this one servant of
39:55
God saying, what's significant about Dolphin?
39:58
Here's what's significant. It's only mentioned in one other
40:01
place in all of the Hebrew scriptures.
40:05
Dauphin is only mentioned in one other place in all of the Bible,
40:10
and I'm not going to tell you where it is.
40:12
I'm going to tell you to turn your Bible there.
40:15
In Genesis 37 is where we were told at first about Dauphin, and
40:19
this is the second and last time that Dauphin is mentioned in
40:23
Genesis 37. Let's begin in verse 15.
40:28
Joseph was summoned by his father to go search for his
40:32
brothers, who were shepherds, to check up on them.
40:35
So he goes to check up on them because he's told that they are
40:38
in check him. So he arrives there and he's
40:40
looking around, check him, and he can't find his brothers.
40:43
He can't find his brothers. And so a man.
40:47
This is one of my favorite examples of God's Providence in
40:50
our lives. A man, unnamed unknown, found
40:53
him wandering in the fields and this man asked him, what are you
40:57
seeking? What are you seeking?
41:01
Pause there. He's going to tell him what he's
41:06
looking for, and the man is going to give him directions to
41:08
his brothers. Do you realize that if this man
41:09
had not asked him where his brothers were, Joseph could have
41:13
avoided all that trouble? Do you realize that everything
41:17
in Joseph life, you can argue, hinged on this man?
41:22
There are no accidents in the Christian life.
41:25
No accidents, Not one accident. Do you know what security you
41:29
live with when you realize that yeah, the flat tire was in an
41:32
accident when the the job didn't come through and you called
41:38
several different places and none of them answered back.
41:40
That's not an accident. You prayerfully even in your
41:45
singleness, though it might feel like an affliction.
41:48
It's not an accident. It's not an accident.
41:50
God doesn't toy around with us. He doesn't put the world into
41:53
motion and from time to time see people come to know him.
41:56
Say you're my child and I get back in there and figure it out.
41:59
That's not how God works. There's not one accident in your
42:01
life if you follow Jesus Christ. A man found him wandering in the
42:05
fields, and if this man had not asked him, Joseph could have
42:09
went right back home and said that I didn't find them.
42:11
And he could have enjoyed his nice colorful robe, but he would
42:15
have missed the call of God. The man asked him, What are you
42:20
seeking? Here's how Joseph answers.
42:23
I'm seeking my brothers, he said.
42:24
Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.
42:27
You must have seen him. There's there's many of them.
42:31
And he gives him what he believes to be the right answer
42:35
in Genesis 37 verse 17. And the man said they have gone
42:39
away for her. Them say let us go to, let us go
42:46
to Dothan. So Joseph went after his
42:49
brothers and found them at Dauphin.
42:50
That's the only other place where Dothan is mentioned in the
42:52
Bible. What happens to Joseph at
42:56
Dauphin? He's taken by his brothers and
43:00
he is thrown into a pit like a trapped animal.
43:05
And after a short period of time, he's sold into slavery.
43:08
And you know the rest of the story.
43:12
So with two instances where you see Dawson mentioned in the
43:15
Bible, two things happen. In Elisha's case, in Dauphin, he
43:19
was ambushed by his enemies. In Joseph's case, in Dauphin, he
43:25
was. He was abandoned by his family,
43:33
and I believe with all of my heart that this simple reference
43:36
of Dauphin in two situations where two different servants of
43:40
God were surrounded the same reality that Elijah enjoyed was
43:51
the same protection that Joseph knew.
43:53
In Dothan. Elijah was surrounded by the
43:59
presence of God's faithfulness and goodness.
44:02
Is it any less true for Joseph and Dothan?
44:06
No, it was just as much true said prove it.
44:09
I can prove it because in Psalm One O 5, verse 17, we are told
44:13
he sent a man ahead of them Joseph to go into Egypt.
44:18
Who's he? God, you say?
44:21
That man gave him the directions.
44:23
Yeah. But God was the one who sent
44:25
him. You're saying?
44:27
But he was sold into slavery? Yeah.
44:28
But God was the one who sent Joseph.
44:31
You're saying, Yeah. But he was thrown into a pit.
44:32
And and he, he was made to believe that he died and his
44:35
father believed that he, he ceased to exist.
44:37
Yeah, but God sent Joseph. God was the master planner.
44:41
And he used those agents and those actors, and even the evil
44:44
of jealous, envious men, to fulfill the will of God, to
44:49
preserve the family of Jacob, so that in the end the Messiah
44:53
would be able to usher in and come through the seed of Father
44:57
Abraham. Joseph was just as surrounded in
45:02
Dothan as Elijah was in Dothan, for the Lord was with him,
45:07
because when he sends you, he goes with you.
45:11
And I love that story about Elijah because the servants eyes
45:18
open, he goes. Wow, they're everywhere.
45:23
And when you continue in second kings, you realize that those
45:27
Chariots of fire, they didn't really do anything.
45:32
They didn't attack the armies surrounding Alysha.
45:35
They they were just stationary. They were there.
45:39
They seemed almost irrelevant because Alysha goes on to pray.
45:41
Lord strike them with blindness and he does some merciful thing,
45:44
leading them to a banquet instead of to their slaughter.
45:47
But all Elijah and his servant needed was the knowledge of the
45:50
presence of God. God didn't even directly
45:54
intervene. All God did was open their eyes
45:56
to the truth. There's more for us than there
45:59
is against us. That's all Elijah needed, the
46:04
acknowledgement and the awareness that the Lord is here
46:07
with me. He may not have, but he's aware.
46:10
He may not. He may not turn the situation
46:12
around, he may not provide a supernatural intervention, but
46:15
all I need to comfort my soul is the knowledge that he's here.
46:20
He knows, he sees. That's all you need.
46:29
So I end with that summary of the peace that Solomon was not
46:35
able to give 2nd Thessolians 316 May the Lord of peace himself
46:42
give you peace at all times in every way.
46:45
The Lord be with you all, the Lord be with you all, the Lord
46:48
be with you all. Here's what I take from this
46:52
this peace that was delivered unto you through the word of
46:56
God. That level of peace is
46:59
impossible without the Lord of peace.
47:05
So here's what I want to say to you, because I'm going to speak
47:07
to two different groups of people.
47:09
In closing, You can't have peace from the Lord unless you first
47:18
have peace with the Lord. Do you have peace with God?
47:24
Do you have a settled relationship with the Lord?
47:31
You can't have peace from the Lord until you first have peace
47:35
with the Lord. Are you saved?
47:38
Are you saved? Because Christ is the means by
47:42
which we have peace with God. This Friday night, I want to ask
47:52
you a simple question in your heart of hearts, down deep
47:57
inside, do you know that you know that you know that you're
48:01
right with God? Do you know I'm not asking what
48:08
an evangelist in your local church or that event that you
48:10
went to many years ago, signed in your Bible and said on this
48:13
day? I'm not asking that.
48:13
I'm asking does your heart testify I have peace with God?
48:19
You will not have any peace with God unless first you receive his
48:23
son, unless first you bow your need to the Lord Jesus Christ.
48:28
I know your mom did. That's great.
48:30
I know your dad did. That's wonderful.
48:32
Salvation is not a family package, though.
48:36
You have to make a choice at one time.
48:39
Consciously, Jesus Christ is my Lord.
48:43
Jesus Christ is my Savior. Jesus Christ is the only one who
48:48
can watch me and forgive me of my sins.
48:52
Have you done that? Have you with your mouth,
48:56
confessed that he is Lord and believed in your heart, that God
48:58
raised him from the dead? Have you, whether in a meeting
49:01
or in your bedroom, bowed your knee to him and said, Lord, I
49:06
surrender my life to you. Have you done that?
49:11
Because if you have not done that, you will not know this
49:12
peace. You will not know this peace in
49:15
this life, and you will surely not know peace for all of
49:18
eternity. You know, I was thinking about
49:19
this the other day, and sometimes these thoughts come at
49:22
night, and they keep me up at night.
49:26
I was thinking about eternity. Eternity.
49:30
Think about it. Never ending existence.
49:37
Never ending existence. Scripture says that eternity is
49:41
written on our hearts. There is a desire for
49:44
immorality, immortality, right? We want to live on forever.
49:47
And there's there's something seriously wrong with a person
49:50
when they want to cease to live. We even our body reflexes in a
49:56
way. You blink.
49:57
Your body protects your life because you want to continue to
50:00
live on. And there is a life to come
50:02
where you will never, ever, ever, ever, ever die.
50:09
Ever. And there's only two locations
50:13
where that eternity will be experienced.
50:19
This is I present this to you because I, I, I've had somebody
50:22
tell me this many years ago. You shouldn't try to scare
50:24
people to get saved. So what does Jude say?
50:30
Snatch others with fear? Snatch them?
50:34
Some people need to be snatched. Need to be waking up.
50:36
You've been to 1000 meetings and you're still not saved, man.
50:41
You've been to 1000 meetings like this, and you're still
50:43
going to get up and go about your way, and you're not even
50:46
confident that you have peace with God.
50:50
What's wrong with you? How?
50:53
How do you go to bed at night? How do you get up and laugh with
50:55
your friends, not knowing that your soul is in the hand of God?
50:58
How you will enter into eternity, you will.
51:05
And either you will hear from Christ, enter into the joy of
51:08
your master, well done, good and faithful servant, or depart for
51:12
me. I never knew you.
51:13
And guess what? There's no second chances.
51:15
That's it. You will be sealed in a fate
51:20
where there is no prayer hard enough that you can pray.
51:23
There is no scream. Louder that you can scream.
51:26
It's settled. You've heard about him.
51:30
He's been offered to you. And yet you still have swatted
51:33
away his salvation over and over and over again.
51:39
Do you have peace with God? Have you?
51:42
Have you settled where your soul is going to go?
51:47
You've planned where you're going to go to school.
51:49
You've planned where you're going to go on vacation.
51:51
You've planned how many kids you're going to have.
51:53
You've planned where you're going to live.
51:55
You plan your business invention.
51:56
And you haven't thought a thought about your eternity.
52:01
Not one thought where I'm going to go when I die.
52:06
And I'm trying to convey to you, I know it's intense now.
52:11
It's okay. Intensity is good.
52:14
I want to convey to you that Christ and his love is calling
52:16
for you and he wants to save you.
52:20
He's not indifferent. He freely loves you.
52:24
He's not under compulsion by the Father to rescue sinners.
52:27
He longs. I lay down my life.
52:30
No one takes it up for me. I lay it down.
52:33
I want to lay down my life. I want to die.
52:36
I want to get on that cross so that I can save sinners.
52:40
I love them. They're created in my image.
52:42
I want to rescue them and I want them to be in my bosom forever
52:45
and ever. That's Jesus heart.
52:48
He wants to save you and he wants.
52:52
You to have peace with God. He wants you to never worry one
52:55
moment after you confess Christ about where you're going to
52:57
spend eternity, not one moment. He wants you to ever doubt that
53:02
if you stand before God, whether you will be accepted or not, He
53:05
will accept you. That is how much God the Father
53:08
loves the Son, and through the sun loves you, receive Jesus
53:14
Christ and realize, as my brother said earlier, that you
53:17
have sin from head to toe. You are polluted with evil, and
53:23
there is only one way by which you can be washed.
53:26
Cleanse every record around every perversion that would make
53:29
you blush if you shared it even with your closest friend.
53:33
Even such sin God knows about, and He's willing to forgive.
53:37
He's willing to forgive the thing that embarrasses you, the
53:40
thing that keeps you up at night, the thing that makes you
53:42
even cringe physically because you thought, how did I go so far
53:45
into that depravity, even such a sin.
53:48
Christ is willing to forgive. He's willing to receive.
53:52
And wash gladly, but you have to come.
53:55
To him, you have to be humble. You have to be desperate, oh, be
53:59
desperate tonight. Be desperate enough to forget
54:02
anybody behind you, in front of you, beside you and say, oh, I'm
54:05
going to even bow my knees before Christ say, Lord wash me,
54:09
please forgive me. I want to be born again.
54:11
I want, I need peace with God. I need peace with God.
54:17
He's willing to give it peace with God.
54:20
And not just peace for all he turned, but peace from that
54:22
moment on. Walk with God like Joseph,
54:25
knowing that even when the most closest people to you betray
54:29
you, he stands by you. Peace with God.
54:32
That as you're serving him, there's enemies.
54:33
As we're seeing rise up in America, enemies against the
54:36
gospel truth. No matter how much we might be
54:38
squeezed with our freedoms, no matter what's coming down the
54:42
Pike, no matter what we're going to see happen to local churches,
54:45
oh, there is more for us and more against us.
54:47
That kind of peace is available. Only when the Lord himself is
54:54
received, I invite you. Today, to repent of your sins
55:00
and to crown Jesus Christ as Lord.
55:04
To beg him to forgive you. To ask Him and to confess that
55:08
He's the only way into the Father's arms.
55:11
And he'll do it. Tonight you'll leave here
55:12
changed. Your eyes will be opened.
55:16
I remember what it was like to be born again.
55:18
Believers, do you remember when you were born again?
55:20
Yes. Do you remember what it was
55:21
like? Yes, I'm going to talk to you.
55:25
Tomorrow about the reports that Queen Sheba heard concerning
55:27
Solomon, and those reports so moved her heart, she said.
55:31
I got to find out about Solomon myself.
55:35
Aren't you? Bothered unbeliever by the joy
55:37
that the people you know who are Christians have that you don't
55:39
have. Isn't it just you're like, I
55:43
want that. Don't is is not a part of of
55:46
what a Christian does in a person's life.
55:48
We we elude that peace and that joy that should cause people to
55:52
thirst because we're salt. I hope so.
55:57
It can be yours. It can be yours.
56:00
Today. Tonight you can be changed.
56:02
And even though you've heard this every single year and
56:04
you've left the same, why, why not tonight?
56:08
It'd be different now. Believer peace.
56:16
You have peace. You're his.
56:18
You belong to him. The Father is yours.
56:21
You're accepted in the beloved. But may the Lord of Peace
56:25
himself. He's speaking to Christians at
56:28
all times, in every way. I'm sure all of us in here can
56:31
say I I can't say that that is my Christian experience.
56:36
And if we can. Humbly confess that before the
56:38
Lord, here's what I want. I'm not saying this to condemn
56:40
anybody. I'm actually saying this to
56:42
excite us. No matter what our experience
56:44
is, no matter what your personality is, your quirks are
56:47
the high level anxiety that you have.
56:49
That's abnormal in comparison to the next person.
56:51
This is your inheritance in Jesus Christ.
56:54
That's your that's your inheritance.
56:56
That's what King Jesus gives to his servants, something that
57:00
King Solomon could not. King Solomon could not calm the
57:03
conscience. King Solomon can only offer the
57:08
peace as long as everything he did was in favor for the people.
57:13
King Jesus, On the other hand, Chapter one, Chapter 2, Chapter
57:16
3 can still say, but you can be at peace.
57:21
That's strength, that peace that protects your joy, that keeps
57:25
you anchored. How do we get that peace?
57:31
How do we stay in that peace? Well, that's whole another
57:34
sermon on its own. But there's a hint from this
57:37
very verse. What is Paul doing?
57:38
He's praying this peace to be real in the believers lives.
57:43
Now may the Lord, I'm asking the Lord to do this in you.
57:48
And so I even invite you tonight.
57:49
I want to be very specific. You're here.
57:53
You've made time to be in the presence of God's people.
57:57
But we're not here just to listen to lessons.
58:00
We're here to meet with God. You're the temple of the Holy
58:03
Spirit. What was the purpose of the
58:06
temple for God's people and God himself to come as close as
58:10
possible to meeting with one another?
58:14
And so when we're the temple of the Holy Spirit, every single
58:16
time we gather, we gather despite the singing, despite the
58:20
praying, despite. That's all wonderful.
58:21
But those are all means for one chief end, and that is to meet
58:25
with God, Meet with God. I want to invite you today as a
58:31
blood bot child of God, to bring the matter that you don't have
58:36
peace with to him. You're unsettled, You're
58:40
disturbed, You're frustrated. You're angry.
58:43
You have no security. You have no hope.
58:45
It's keeping you up at night. It's causing arguments.
58:47
It's causing friction. It's causing you to doubt.
58:49
It's causing you to regret. It's causing you to kick
58:51
yourself. Whatever the means is, whatever
58:53
the reason is, bring it to the Lord tonight.
58:56
I need peace here. My marriage, Lord, is killing
59:03
me. I need peace in my marriage.
59:05
I'm in my singleness, Lord, and it's been a long time.
59:09
I need peace here. Give me peace even if I remain
59:12
this way. Give me peace even if my spouse
59:14
doesn't change. Give me peace.
59:17
I'm afraid, Lord, of how to raise my children.
59:19
I don't know how I'm going to provide for them.
59:21
Lord, I'm anxious. I'm trying to be strong in front
59:24
of my wife. Give me peace, Lord.
59:26
What? I'm serving you in the ministry
59:28
and there's troublemakers in the church.
59:29
There's false teachers that are coming.
59:31
There are people outside that are threatening me.
59:34
There are even believers causing all these issues.
59:36
Lord, give me peace. Help me have this peace so that
59:38
I can do what you've called me to do with joy and happiness and
59:41
integrity. Give me this peace.
59:49
Will he not do it, Spurgeon? Said many things, and he says
59:55
things unlike really many other preachers can.
59:58
He has the power. To breathe peace into the.
1:00:00
Heart. To create peace in the soul and
1:00:06
lull. The spirit into that sweet sleep
1:00:08
of the beloved which is the peculiar gift of heaven, I will
1:00:13
give you rest, said he and he can and will do it.
1:00:20
You'll breathe the peace into your heart.
1:00:24
So really, I think everybody has a call here to answer non
1:00:29
believer man, how many more signs do you need in our world
1:00:35
for you to get it? We're not a.
1:00:39
Random planet floating in the blackness of space.
1:00:43
I know there's a lot of talks about aliens.
1:00:44
We're willing to believe that, but not Jesus.
1:00:50
It's incredible. This is not random.
1:00:55
God created one hurt world to be inhabited by man.
1:00:59
I know they're going to try really hard to make that a
1:01:00
reality in Mars and on the moon or wherever they're trying to
1:01:02
go. But God created one world to be
1:01:04
inhabited by man. And this world is not an
1:01:08
accident. This world is perfectly
1:01:11
described by the word of God, your existence, the commentary
1:01:16
of all the chaos and the problems, all the evil.
1:01:19
It's this book that gives the precise diagnosis and gives us
1:01:23
the solution. Jesus Christ is real.
1:01:27
He's alive. He came once.
1:01:29
He fulfilled many hundreds of prophecies.
1:01:31
What makes you think that he's not going to fulfill the rest of
1:01:34
them. He's going to.
1:01:38
I want you to be ready when he comes.
1:01:41
He will. And I want you to be ready to
1:01:43
stand before Jesus Christ of Nazareth who died was.
1:01:48
Buried Rose again and will come back to be the ruling king
1:01:53
forever and ever. Are you right with him?
1:01:56
How do I get right with him? Go to the cross, run to the.
1:02:02
Where's the cross? It's the truth of the cross.
1:02:05
Bring your sins, bring all your burdens and bring them to the
1:02:08
Lord. Saying, Lord, the preacher said
1:02:10
that I can bring all my sins because your word says you're
1:02:12
willing to forgive all. Can you forgive me?
1:02:15
You will be forgiven. Lord, I want you to be king of
1:02:17
my life. I don't want you to be king when
1:02:19
you come. And I'm not ready.
1:02:21
I want you to be king now so that when you come, I have joy.
1:02:25
So be king now of my life. Do that tonight, Believer.
1:02:31
What is it in your heart that has weighed you down?
1:02:33
It's robbing you of your testimony.
1:02:37
It's not helping you sing. You're even distracted.
1:02:41
Now, while I'm preaching, because you're so overcome by a
1:02:47
sorrow, by harassment, by a thorn.
1:02:53
Come to the Lord tonight. I know we have a program
1:02:55
tonight. You know, what's the best
1:02:57
program? Meeting with God.
1:02:58
That's the best program. It's the best program.
1:03:07
And I just, I can't. I I know that there's order and
1:03:11
service. I'm all for that, right?
1:03:14
But there are meetings that call for response, a call for an
1:03:18
answer. You hear all this and to just
1:03:21
dash it away as just well, that was really stimulating.
1:03:24
That's it. God, please hear me.
1:03:31
I want the supernatural truth in my life.
1:03:35
But this place can turn into a Nazareth real quickly.
1:03:39
Jesus could not do many things in Nazareth.
1:03:41
He was. He was amazed at their unbelief.
1:03:49
You know, I read an interesting verse in First Corinthians.
1:03:51
I'm done here. There is a place in a public
1:03:56
meeting. There's a place in.
1:03:58
A public meeting. Public meeting is for the
1:04:01
corporate expression of worship, fellowship, all those things.
1:04:04
But there is a place in the public meeting for you to talk
1:04:08
to God alone. Can I show a scripture for that?
1:04:11
I read this other than I made and it just made me glad.
1:04:13
It's in First Corinthians 1428. Look, I'm proving it to you.
1:04:16
I'm done after this first. Corinthians 14.
1:04:20
Thank you, brother. 1st Corinthians, 1428.
1:04:25
This is speaking about the gift of tongues and how that works in
1:04:28
the church. I'm sure you would love for us
1:04:30
to talk about tongues right now. We're not going to talk about
1:04:31
them, but look at the principle here.
1:04:34
But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep
1:04:37
silent in church and speak to himself and to God.
1:04:42
Let. Him speak to himself and to God.
1:04:45
The idea there is that in some moments, though it's a
1:04:47
particular context, there is a place for you and God.
1:04:52
You and God, I want that for you now.
1:04:55
Tonight. You and God don't worry about
1:04:57
what's coming up next. You know how this conference
1:04:59
goes. Nobody's sleeping tonight
1:05:00
anyway. Nobody is.
1:05:06
Meet with God. Are you at peace with God?
1:05:09
Let me put it this way, even if you're a believer.
1:05:12
Hey, hey, hey, you're faithfully walking the Lord.
1:05:15
But something's disturbing. I'm not even talking about that
1:05:16
kind of believer. Now I'm talking about you,
1:05:18
believer. You walked away from God.
1:05:20
You're backslidden. You're icy cold.
1:05:23
You've been in here the past two days, day and a half.
1:05:26
I lost track of it and nothing has moved you.
1:05:30
Not one thing. And you're content in that place
1:05:34
now. One thing has.
1:05:35
Wooed your heart to say. Isn't the Lord amazing?
1:05:38
You haven't even talked about God this whole time.
1:05:41
And you're a Christian and you're dry as a stick, Though
1:05:49
you have justification, practically, you're not right
1:05:54
with God. That needs to change.
1:05:57
And let this conference be the opportunity for you to change.
1:06:00
Like, here's the goodness of God.
1:06:02
It's that I believe but help my unbelief.
1:06:07
Here's the man with his child. Jesus says anything's possible
1:06:10
for those who believe. And here's this man just it
1:06:13
spills out like something. Hit him in the gut.
1:06:15
He goes, I believe, but I help my unbelief.
1:06:17
It's weird, Lord, I do believe, but I kind of don't.
1:06:21
And the Lord still heals his son you can.
1:06:24
Come the way you are, but based on the simple invitation, you're
1:06:30
willing to act on that little truth, and God is still willing
1:06:32
to honor your humility and touch.
1:06:36
You and rescue you from the place that you're in right now.
1:06:40
It's been too long, man. It's been too long and.
1:06:46
You've gotten used to the rhythm of just going through the
1:06:49
motions, but your soul is shriveled up.
1:06:54
And you knew a time when there was a fire in your belly and
1:06:59
there was a time where you just couldn't help but sing his
1:07:03
praises and talk of his goodness.
1:07:05
And those are just, those are just memories.
1:07:08
Now why we go from glory to glory, not from boring to
1:07:12
boring? All to say, I'm not going to
1:07:18
give you any more scenarios. All to say is can we meet with
1:07:21
the Lord tonight? Can we just say, Lord, please, I
1:07:24
need peace, Lord, I need peace with God.
1:07:26
Lord, I need you to do some of my heart because I know I'm not
1:07:28
walking right with you. And it's been a few months now
1:07:30
and I know it's only going to get worse.
1:07:31
You need to rescue me now, tonight, Lord, you, why don't we
1:07:34
do that? And let's see what the Holy
1:07:35
Spirit will do. Would you bow your hearts?
1:07:37
Would you bow your heads with me?
1:07:38
And can the musicians come and and just assist us in our
1:07:42
attention to the Lord? Now may the Lord of peace
1:07:52
himself, Now may the. Lord of peace himself, thank
1:07:56
you, give you peace. At all times and in every way.
1:08:00
At all times and in every way, oh Lord, you know exactly where
1:08:05
each of us are at you. Know who doesn't have the peace
1:08:16
of salvation? You know who doesn't have the
1:08:18
peace of your promises? And we ask.
1:08:26
That is, Paul prayed for a supernatural impartation of this
1:08:32
allencompassing, unending peace. May you breathe that peace into
1:08:37
our hearts, Father. We cannot force or manipulate
1:08:43
anything. We cannot do anything for
1:08:46
people's lives to change. But we do do our best in
1:08:50
positioning ourselves for you to touch us.
1:08:54
And so at this time, whether we sit or kneel or stand, lift our
1:08:58
hands, or bow our heads, Lord, we just asked that you would
1:09:01
look upon our hearts, and that you would help us, help us trust
1:09:09
that you are a greater king, and that you give.
1:09:13
A better peace than even Solomon did for.
1:09:17
Those who don't yearn for you, like Nathaniel, yearn for you,
1:09:21
renew that, yearning for you. Help us know the joint.
1:09:29
Security of being in right place with you and we look to.
1:09:34
You now as we seek your face. Amen.
1:09:40
The musicians. Will will play softly, not to.
1:09:46
Manipulate your emotions but. To assist the truth that we
1:09:52
heard and to help us meditate. Maybe you need to pray with
1:09:57
someone, and I want to be one of those people to pray with you.
1:10:01
And so as I often do, I'll be standing in the back somewhere
1:10:04
there, and I'm more than willing to pray.
1:10:06
Pastor Mark, who opens and who has been opening the services,
1:10:11
Pastor Mark, also a servant of the Lord, is willing to pray
1:10:15
with you. You've seen him every service.
1:10:17
So you know how he looks and where he is.
1:10:19
You can just approach him. I'm sure that's fine, Pastor
1:10:21
Mark. He will be more than willing to.
1:10:23
Maybe you came with a brother of a friend.
1:10:25
Maybe you there's a believer that you know beside you can
1:10:27
pray with him. But let's just seek the Lord in
1:10:29
his in his presence as the temple of the Holy Spirit.
1:10:31
The veil has been torn. The veil has been torn.
1:10:35
We don't go to a building now. You are that building.
1:10:38
Your heart is his home where you are, right?
1:10:42
Now you can meet with him. You can meet with the Lord just
1:10:46
in quietness. If you need to get up for any
1:10:48
reason, if you need to go. We're not holding you hostage.
1:10:52
All I ask is that you don't disturb because there's
1:10:53
something powerful when we pray. There's something powerful when
1:10:58
we pause and we say, God, I'm here to meet with you.
1:11:02
Please don't interfere with that.
1:11:03
You're going to laugh and throw Frisbees until 1:00 in the
1:11:06
morning after this. But for now, just meet with the
1:11:09
living God. As they do this, and as you
1:11:13
pray, we'll, we'll continue with singing in a moment.
1:11:15
But I'm back there, please. I know that sometimes people
1:11:19
want to share their hearts, but for the sake, if there's more
1:11:21
than one person to just, let's go straight to the matter and
1:11:24
pray about it so that others can have a chance to be prayed over
1:11:27
as well. Seek the Lord and.
1:11:29
His face seek his strength continually.