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Manifesting the Kingdom of God pt. 5 · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Hi there, welcome to NECF. We're excited to share
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today's message with you. Don't go anywhere,
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stay with us till the end for some valuable resources
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to enrich your faith. Here's today's sermon.
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So today we're going to continue in the manifestation.
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The kingdom of God. And we're going to be looking
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at priesthood. Manifestation. The kingdom of
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God. And we're going to be looking at priesthood.
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Priesthood. Numbers chapter 18. Numbers chapter
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18. Proverbs 1 to 7. Then the Lord said to Aaron,
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you and your sons and your father's house. with
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you shall bear the liberty related to the sanctuary,
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and you and your sons with you shall bear the
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liberty associated with the priest. Also bring
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with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi,
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the tribe of your father, that they may join
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with you and serve you while you and your sons
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are before the tabernacle of goodness. They shall
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attend to your needs and all the needs of the
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tabernacle. But they shall not come near the
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article of the sanctuary and the altar, lest
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they die. They and you also. They shall be joined
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with you and attend to the need of the sabbatical
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of meeting, for all the work of the sabbatical.
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But an outsider shall not come near to you. Praise
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the Lord. And he said, You shall attend all the
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duties of the sanctuaries and the duties of the
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altar, and that there may be no more rods on
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the children of Israel. Praise the Lord. Verse
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6 now said, Behold, I myself have taken your
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brethren, the Levites, from among the children
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of Israel. They are a gift to me, a gift to you
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given by the Lord, to do the work of the tabernacle
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of meeting. Therefore you and your sons with
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you shall attend to your priesthood for everything
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at the altar and behind the veil, and you shall
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serve. And I give you priesthood. to you as a
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gift for service. And the outsider shall not
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come near. Sorry, the outsider who comes near
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shall be put to death. Praise the Lord. Manifesting
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the kingdom of God. Praise the Lord. So we see
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here that God was giving Aaron and his sons the
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facts of the priesthood. He gave them to be people
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who would serve God in the sanctuary, in the
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tabernacle, in the altar. These are the people
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responsible to do the things of God, him and
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his sons and his brethren. They are particular
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people. They are not from the tribe of Judea.
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They are not from Manasseh. They are not from
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any other tribe in Israel, but particularly these
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people. This is who God has saddled the responsibility
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of taking care of the altar, of bringing sacrifices,
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of sacrificing to God and doing everything. related
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to the altar. This is what God has restored on
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them. Praise the Lord. They will serve the needs
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of the sanctuary. They will perform the duties
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that is their real. And an outsider shall not
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come near what they do. And the outsider here
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is not talking about somebody who is not of the
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tribe of Israel. He's talking about a different
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tribe. Somebody else from another tribe cannot
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come and do the responsibilities. That they are
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doing. Praise the Lord. They cannot come and
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do this responsibility. If not, they are going
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to die as a result. The disobedience of that
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would mean that they are not going to be alive
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anymore. So why did God commit this priesthood
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to these people alone? Why did it? Is it God's
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intended plan for his people that a tribe would
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become a priest to him? Is it his intention from
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the beginning? Is that what God has ordained?
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Or is that what he has desired? Praise the Lord.
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So let's look at God's plan on signing priests.
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Were they particular people? Is he going to just
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be a tribe? Or is he going to be the whole nation?
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Or is he just going to be a man? Praise the Lord.
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Exodus chapter 19. So the children of Israel,
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having gone through Egypt, have come out and
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they have seen many... miraculous things that
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God has done. God has delivered them with a strong
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hand. God has defeated their enemies. They have
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seen the hand of God. They have been fed in the
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wilderness. They drank from the rock. They have
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eaten manna and God has fed them from food from
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on high. Their clothes were not worn out. They
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have seen the greatness of God. They have seen
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that which God has done for them. And so when
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we come to Exodus 18, from verse 3 to 6, it says,
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then you shall be a special treasure to me above
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all people. For all the earth is mine, and you
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shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy
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nation. These are the words which you shall speak
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to the children of Israel. Praise the Lord. So
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the intention of God from the beginning was that
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the entirety of Israel would become a nation
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of priests. They would become a holy nation to
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God, a treasure to God. They will become a people
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that God treasures. Because he said this thing
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to them, not after something else has happened,
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a lot of things have gone wrong. But immediately
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as they are coming out, God made it clear what
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his intention was for them. That they are going
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to be a special people above every other person.
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That the nation will see them and know that truly
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this is the people of God. Praise the Lord. This
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is the people of God. And he says to them that
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if they will obey his voice, if they will hear
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him, if they will believe the thing that he's
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saying, they are going to be a treasure to him.
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They are going to be a nation, a holy nation,
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and a kingdom of Christ. Praise the Lord. So
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Manasseh is supposed to be a kingdom of Christ.
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Judah is supposed to be a kingdom of Christ.
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They were supposed to be, they're supposed to
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be a kingdom of Christ too, where God dwells.
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Praise the Lord. So in other sense, God was seeking
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a relationship with everybody. Praise the Lord.
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God was seeking a relationship with every one
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of them. He didn't just want Levites. He didn't
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just want the tribe that Aaron came from or Moses
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came from to be these people who will stand before
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him perpetually. But it should be that people
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of every tribe or the tribe of Israel will become
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a nation of priests. A holy nation to be with
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special people. to priests. But then why did
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we see that he then gave instructions to Lubach?
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Why did he particularly then speak to Aaron and
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his brethren consigning priests to him? He wanted
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them to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
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That was his intention from the beginning. So
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he made it clear to them, I want to have a relationship
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with you. I want to have an interaction with
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you. I want to have fellowship with you. That's
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my intention. I didn't just want one person or
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Moses to just come before me. I want everybody
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to come before me. I want everybody to hear my
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voice. I want everybody to understand my ways.
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I want everybody to see the things that I will
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show to them. Praise the Lord. So God's original
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plan was for his people to be a kingdom of Christ,
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to be a people of Christ and an only nation to
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him. But then we see, so... We see, and a good
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example of that we can see from also Genesis,
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where this type of priesthood that God was seeking
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to have with these people came about. Genesis
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chapter 14, verse 18. Then Meshizedek, king of
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Salem, brought out bread and wine, and he was
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a priest. of the Most High. And he blessed him
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and said, blessed the Abraham of the Most High,
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possessor of heaven and earth. Praise the Lord.
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He said, blessed be God Most High who delivered
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your enemies into your hand and has given and
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he gave him a sight of all. Praise the Lord.
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So we see also that this king was an example
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of what God was intending. for his people to
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become like. He said he's a priest of the most
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high. Praise the Lord. He was royalty. He was
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a special person, right? But also somebody who
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has the ability to perform the duties of a priest.
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Praise the Lord. So he was not just somebody
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who was going to take instruction from the priest
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and then do as a king or execute. But he was
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somebody who knows the intention of God and has
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the power to execute. Praise the Lord. He was
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somebody who knows. The intention of God. He
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knows the things to do. He knows what God demands
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from these people. And so he also has the power
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to execute because he's royal. Praise the Lord.
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So we see example of that. The king of Salem,
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right? He's described as a chief ruler, right?
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Somebody who is a principal officer to execute
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the things of God. Praise the Lord. So we see
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that this priest has the ability to bless the
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people, right? He has the strength to bless Abraham.
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He blessed him because he has royal power. He
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can give blessing. Praise the Lord. So God's
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intention was to make them a nation of priests.
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So why didn't that happen? Why is it that we
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now see that it was Levi that he was talking
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to? Exodus 23. So Exodus chapter 20, we see that
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the children of Israel have gathered underneath
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the mountain and God was going to give them instruction.
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God came to have this fellowship. Praise the
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Lord. Remember, we read 19, where God declares
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His intention consigning what He wanted. He wanted
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them to be a kingdom of peace. He wanted them
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to be a holy nation, a treasure to Him. So in
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verse 20 now, we see that they have come to have
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this fellowship. They have come to interact with
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this God. They have come to start the thing that
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God intended for them. Praise the Lord. And so
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God then begins to speak. And then from verse
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19, sorry, from verse 18, we begin to see. He
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said, Exodus 20, from verse 19, from verse 18.
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He said, when the people saw the thunder and
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the lightning, And they heard the trumpet and
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saw the mountain in smoke. They trembled with
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fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses,
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Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But
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do not have God speak to us or we will die. Praise
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the Lord. So we have seen that God has desired
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that these people should come. And when they
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came, they started making a different confession.
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When they had the voice of God or when they came
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to God, they started to have a different, they
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started making different choices. So in a sense,
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they didn't want to have this interaction. They
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didn't want to have this relationship. They wanted
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somebody to be between them and God, somebody
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who they would listen to because they didn't
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want to hear God for themselves, but somebody
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who would mediate for them. And that's what Moses
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was for them. Let him hear and speak to us. Praise
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the Lord. And say, for we will die. But God had
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called them to the mountain, or God had called
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them to come underneath the mountain, know that
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they were not going to die. Praise the Lord.
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So there was, God's intention was clear, but
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the people decided this is what they want to
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do. We don't want to have this interaction with
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you. We don't want to have this type of relationship
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with you. So God desired a fellowship from them,
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but then they desired something else. They refused,
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we saw in the studies that we did. They refused
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the proposal of God to have a fellowship with
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them. They refused the proposal to have that
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fellowship with them. We saw that in the gospel
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in Deuteronomy. They refused this invitation
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to have fellowship. That's why we see then that
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the children of Aaron and his brothers have now
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taken the responsibility to be ministers, to
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be people. who would carry out the responsibilities
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of God. Praise the Lord. So this is too much
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for them, what they have seen. It's so thunder,
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it's so lightning. It was much for them. It was
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something that they cannot bear anymore. So they
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appointed Moses. They said to Moses, you speak
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to us and we'll listen to you. Become our mediator.
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Become that person who will stand between us
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and God. Praise the Lord. And I imagine that,
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and according to the studies that we have done,
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We know that the people that have stayed with
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God or the people that stay with God are people
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that become like God. Praise the Lord. People
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that stay with God are people that become like
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God. We saw that in Matthew chapter 18, right?
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Where because of the revelation of Christ, Peter
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knew who he was. Praise the Lord. So the people
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that stay more with God, the people that interact
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more with God, are people that become more like
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God. So if you're somebody who has decided that
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you want to be studying the Word of the Lord,
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if you're somebody who has decided that you want
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to be praying, you want to seek the face of God,
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the more you become like God. If you're somebody
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who decides that somebody else should speak on
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behalf of God to you, you will never grow. Praise
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the Lord. You will not know the intention of
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God. Because Moses went to the mountain. Praise
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the Lord. Remember how he's experienced, how
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he started his own. He saw a burning bush, right?
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He was scared at first, but he received an invitation
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and he accepted it. And since then, he has gone
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and he has interacted with God. How is it that
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he hasn't refused that? So it wasn't too much
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for Moses. So it's not too much for anybody who
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stays with the Lord. It's not too much for anybody
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who stays in the place. A fellowship with God.
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Because they will know that God is not trying
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to kill them. Because they will know that God
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has good plans for them. Because they will know
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that in this fellowship would make me the thing
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that God expects me to be. Praise the Lord. So
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they appointed Moses to be a mediator, to be
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somebody who would be between them and God. So
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then we see that then the Levite were appointed.
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Moses also is on the tribe. of Levi. So, we see
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that the Levi then were appointed to negate to
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the people who would perform or who would be
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ministers of God because they have given that
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responsibility to Moses and God respected their
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decision. We saw from our studies, right, that
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God respected the decision they have made. So,
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they gave the Levi to serve at the altar. I will
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begin to see some of the services that they render.
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Some of the services that a priest renders. Deuteronomy
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chapter 20. Deuteronomy chapter 20, verses 1
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to 4. He said, When you go out to battle against
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your enemies and see horses and chariots and
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people more numerous than you, do not be afraid
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of them, for the Lord is with you, who brought
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you up from the land of Egypt. So it shall be,
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when you are on the verge of battle, that the
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priest shall approach and speak to the people,
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and he shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, today
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you are on the verge of battle with your enemy.
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So this is the thing that the people are missing,
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right? Because a minister or somebody who is
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a priest is somebody who is saddled with that
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responsibility to give assurance, to tell the
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people. of the promises of God, to remind them.
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So when there's trouble, the priest comes and
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he tells them that God is with you. How does
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he know that God is with them? Because he has
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been with the Lord. He has been in the service
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of the Lord. So the priest will come and encourage
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them. The Lord is with you. So the priest speaks
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to the people. They speak life to the people.
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When there's fear, they come and they speak to
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them so that they are encouraged. They strengthen
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the people. It reminds the people of the presence
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of God. That God is not far from them. Praise
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the Lord. That God is not far away from them.
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That their troubles are not too big for God.
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That the thing that they're facing is not above
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God. He said, God is with you to save you. Praise
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the Lord. God is with you to save you. So these
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are the duties of what a priest does. He's there
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to strengthen the people. He's there to give
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them assurance. of the promises of God. He's
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there to encourage them. Praise the Lord. We
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see also in Malachi, Malachi 2, verse 7. Praise
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the Lord. So the priest also is somebody who
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keeps knowledge. He keeps knowledge. The people
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come to him to seek for... The Lord. You see,
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he's a messenger of the Lord. So the priest speaks
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the word of the Lord. Praise the Lord. The priest
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speaks the word of the Lord. A messenger of the
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Lord. He speaks the counsel of God to the people.
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He's a messenger of God. So the original plan
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of God is that his people become a kingdom of
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priests. Praise the Lord. So when they go to
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battle, they will not need somebody else to come
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and tell them. The presence of the Lord is with
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you. They will know that the presence of the
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Lord is with them because they have been in fellowship
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with this God. Praise the Lord. So that they
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will not need somebody to monitor them. Oh, did
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I do this wrong? Or did I not do that wrong?
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Because they know because they have been in fellowship
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with the Lord. His intention is for them that
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they are well aware of the things that He has
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desired. Not that somebody else will come and
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tell them. If that person didn't say it, they
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will do something else. Praise the Lord. So they'll
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therefore need somebody to keep chasing after
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them, to keep running after them, to keep telling
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them, that thing is wrong, this is wrong, because
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they have no idea. Praise the Lord. So his intention
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is that all of them know, all of them have fellowship,
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all of them have interaction with him. Praise
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the Lord. We see also that David, although he's
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not from the tribe of Levi, he did minister.
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Praise the Lord. So if the plan of God was not
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that the people should... be a kingdom of priests,
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then something would have happened to David.
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He gave, he did sacrifices to the Lord. We see
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in 2 Samuel 6, verse 12 to 20. 2 Samuel 6. We're
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going to read verse 13 and 17. 2 Samuel 6, verse
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12 to 20. We're going to read verse 13. So it
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was when those who bear the ark of the Lord had...
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So they brought the ark of the Lord and set it
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in the place of the tabernacle that David had
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erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings
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and peace offerings before the Lord. And when
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David had finished offering burnt offerings and
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peace offerings, he blessed the people in the
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name of the Lord of hosts. So we see here that
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David, as a king, he did this sacrifice. He did
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the work of a priest. So we see that that is
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the intention of God. Because if that is not
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the intention of God consigning them, something
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would have happened with him. Praise the Lord.
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So let's see this priesthood in the New Covenant.
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This priesthood in the New Covenant. So as we
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saw, the king of Salem had come, right? Who was
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somebody that was greater than the tribe of Levi
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or somebody who was greater than Aaron. And he
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came in the order of a royal priesthood. He came
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because he was a king and a priest. Somebody
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who was greater than what Aaron was. Because
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Aaron was just a priest. But we see that Jesus
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served or came as a greater high priest. We see
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that in Hebrews chapter 6. Hebrews chapter 6
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verse 20. So Jesus served as a greater high priest.
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Hebrews chapter 6 verse 20. Where the four runners
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have entered for us. Even Jesus having become
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high priest forever according to the order. of
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Melchizedek. Praise the Lord. So he served a
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greater purpose as a greater high priest that
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will be reconciled to God. So he mediated between
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us and God. Praise the Lord. And that mediation
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was not one that he would make us continually
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need, but he would have, he sought that he came
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to create or to bring back that relationship
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or the original plan of God. So Jesus, the work
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of Jesus, or the priesthood of Jesus, eclipses
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the Aaron's priesthood. Praise the Lord. So the
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work of Jesus has brought us, as we saw in John
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chapter 3, right? He has brought us the dominion
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of God, right? It has brought us the royal power
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of God. It has brought us the forgiveness of
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sin. It has brought us the power of righteousness.
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Praise the Lord. The ability to be reconciled
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to God. to be one with him, to be one spirit
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with him. He has brought us to the kingdom of
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God. Praise the Lord. So this is what Christ
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has done for us. In John chapter 3, we see that
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we're able, because of the work of Christ, we're
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able to experience the kingdom of God. We're
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able to see the kingdom of God. We're able to
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see the power of God. We're able to see the salvation
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of God because of the work that Christ has done.
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In John chapter 3. Proverbs 3 to 8. Right? We're
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able to see that the work of Christ has brought
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us the ability to experience the kingdom of God.
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Praise the Lord. So did Israel's failure stop
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God's plan? Did their failure or their refusal
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to His proposal of fellowship stop the intention
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of God? Praise the Lord. No. Because of what
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Christ has done. Because of what Christ has done,
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we're able to be To be brought back to that original
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intention of God. That is to be a nation of priests.
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To be a royal priesthood. To be a treasured people.
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To be a holy nation. 1 Peter chapter 2, verses
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4 to 5. Come to him as to a living stone rejected
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indeed by men and chosen by God and precious.
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You also as living stone are built up a spiritual
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house, a holy priesthood to offer up. spiritual
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sacrifice acceptable to God through Jesus. Praise
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the Lord. So because of what Christ has done,
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we're able to offer a spiritual sacrifice. We're
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able to offer a spiritual sacrifice through him
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that is acceptable to God. So the failure of
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Israel or the failure of the people of Israel
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has not, didn't stop the intention of God. Did
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not stop the intention of God because of what
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Christ has done on the cross. Verse 9. He said,
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but you are a choosing generation, a royal priesthood,
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a holy nation, his own special people, that you
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may proclaim the praises of he who called you
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out of darkness into his marvelous light. Verse
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10. Who once were not a people, but now the people
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of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have
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obtained mercy. Praise the Lord. So the original
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plan and intention of God did not stop because
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Israel had seen or Israel had refused to accept
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the invitation of fellowship. Praise the Lord.
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Because of Christ, that initial arrangement is
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still present. Because of Christ, that initial
26:51
intention of God is possible for the children
26:54
of God. Praise the Lord. Because he said the
26:56
same thing that he was saying to them. that there
26:59
will be a people that are a treasure to him.
27:02
And he says, you are a special people. So that
27:04
has not stopped the intention of God. Revelation
27:06
chapter 5, verses 9 to 10. But he sang a song
27:09
saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and
27:12
to open its seal. For you were slain and have
27:15
redeemed us to God by your blood out of every
27:18
tribe and tongues and people and nation. He said,
27:23
you have made us kings and priests to our God
27:25
and we shall reign on yet. Praise the Lord. See,
27:29
he has called us. Can we go back to the previous
27:31
verse? He said he has redeemed us by his blood.
27:34
It's out of every tribe, right? Out of every
27:37
nation. So you see, there's no longer limitation.
27:42
It's not just the children of Levi. It's not
27:45
just them that have that access to God. Out of
27:50
every tongue and every nation and out of every
27:53
people, you see, he has made us king and priest
27:56
to our God. Praise the Lord. He has made us.
28:01
So this is not, this speaks of an identity. Praise
28:06
the Lord. This speaks of an identity. He has
28:09
made us kings and priests to our God. Praise
28:14
the Lord. He has made us royalty to our God and
28:17
we shall reign on the earth. So in the sacrifice
28:21
and in the things that Christ has done, every
28:23
of God's people have received this polytheism.
28:26
to be kings and priests on the earth. Praise
28:29
the Lord. Because of what Christ has done, we
28:33
have received this calling. This is not if I
28:36
accept it or I reject it. Praise the Lord. As
28:39
long as you are in Christ, this is a calling
28:41
that is upon your life, to be king and priest
28:44
on the earth. Praise the Lord. So God's initial
28:47
plan was fulfilled in Christ. You are now royal
28:50
Christians. It's the people that now can serve
28:53
and manifest. The power of God. The presence
28:57
of God. Praise the Lord. We can serve and manifest.
29:01
We can serve and execute. Below the intention
29:04
of God, we can execute. Praise the Lord. We have
29:07
the power to execute. We have the power to execute
29:10
the will of God on the earth. We have the power
29:14
to be a blessing to people. Just like Mashiach
29:17
said, to bless people. To say you are blessed.
29:20
Because we have that power to bless. To teach
29:23
people the word. We saw the duties and the roles
29:26
of priests. He said that they keep knowledge.
29:28
Praise the Lord. They give instructions to the
29:30
people. We have that power to teach. We have
29:33
the ability to teach. We have the ability to
29:36
bless people on the earth. To remind people of
29:38
the promises of God. Praise the Lord. To remind
29:42
people of the promises of God. To strengthen
29:45
those who are weak. Praise the Lord. To strengthen
29:48
those who are weak. To preach the gospel to the
29:50
lost. Praise the Lord. To preach the gospel.
29:58
So this is the thing that we have in Christ.
30:01
He has made us kings and priests on the earth
30:04
because of what Christ has done. Praise the Lord.
30:07
So his original intention of fellowship has been
30:10
restored. Praise the Lord. His original intention
30:13
of promise has been restored in Christ. We have
30:16
the ability to fellowship. We have the ability
30:18
to approach his throne of grace. Praise the Lord.
30:23
There will no longer be fear. There will no longer
30:25
be, oh, we heard the sound of thunder and we
30:27
are afraid. There is a strength now to approach,
30:30
to stand before him. Praise the Lord. To speak
30:34
with him, to fellowship with him. We are a royal
30:37
Christian. He said a chosen generation. And a
30:41
lot of us know the song. We are a chosen generation.
30:45
We run with it. And we dance with it. And we
30:49
move around with it. But sometimes we like the
30:52
idea of being special. We're not actually acting
30:56
specially. We like the idea of, oh, I'm not part
30:59
of these people. There is a higher calling. There
31:02
is a higher something. There is a higher dimension
31:04
to my life. But then, we don't know how to then
31:08
execute this higher dimension in our day -to
31:11
-day life. Praise the Lord. He said, you're a
31:14
chosen generation. A people that are set apart.
31:17
A people that once did not know God, but now...
31:20
have obtained mercy. A people that understand
31:23
the intention of God. Praise the Lord. A people
31:26
that understand the intention of God. We're royal
31:29
priesthood not because we are singular. Right?
31:34
We're royal priesthood because it is who we are
31:36
and the manifestation should be clear. Praise
31:40
the Lord. The manifestation should be clear.
31:43
So what is stopping us from fulfilling these
31:45
realities? These things that we have said. And
31:48
he said he has made us kings and priests from
31:50
yet. To execute his judgment, to execute his
31:55
intention. Praise the Lord. To serve, to bring
31:58
deliverance to people, to be a blessing. God
32:01
is stopping us from this fellowship. So God wants
32:05
us, he wants this fellowship from us. Praise
32:08
the Lord. He has made us. So we shouldn't refuse
32:11
this fellowship by how we behave or how we live
32:15
our lives. Praise the Lord. We shouldn't refuse
32:17
this fellowship of the Father. It's a fellowship
32:21
with the Father. John chapter 1, verse 1 to 4.
32:24
John chapter 1. Sorry, 1 John chapter 1. So that
32:29
which was from the beginning, which we have had,
32:32
which we have seen with our own eyes, which we
32:35
have looked upon, our hands have handled, consigning
32:39
the word of life. The life was manifest and we
32:42
have seen it and bore witness. and declare to
32:45
you that eternal life, which was with the Father
32:47
and was manifest to us, that which we have seen
32:50
and had, we declare to you, that you also may
32:55
have fellowship with us. And truly, our fellowship
32:59
is with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
33:02
And these things I write to you, that your joy
33:04
might be full. Praise the Lord. It's a true fellowship,
33:09
it's that we have fellowship with God. and Jesus
33:13
Christ. Through fellowship is that we have fellowship
33:17
with God and with Jesus Christ. So we're just
33:20
going to look at mediators. So as the people
33:24
refused the proposal of God, they made Moses
33:28
the mediator between them and God. So somebody
33:33
who would speak on their behalf. Somebody who
33:36
is in the middle to say what their intention
33:39
is. what the plan of God is and declare it to
33:43
them. Praise the Lord. So somebody will speak
33:46
to God, conciling them. But because of what Christ
33:48
has done, we are able to speak to the Father.
33:51
Praise the Lord. We are able to speak to the
33:55
Father. We are able to speak to the Father. We
33:57
can now approach the throne of grace where we
34:01
can speak with God. Hebrews 4, verse 14. It's
34:07
a saying then that we have a great high priest
34:12
who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the
34:17
Son of God. Let us hold fast to our confession.
34:20
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize
34:22
with our witness, but was at all points tempted
34:26
as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore
34:29
come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may
34:32
obtain mercy and find grace. and find grace to
34:36
help in times of need. Praise the Lord. So we
34:40
are able to come to God. We are able to come
34:43
to God because of what Christ has done. So the
34:47
mediation of what Christ has done for us allows
34:50
us to come to God. The mediation of Moses did
34:56
not allow the people to come to God. Praise the
34:59
Lord. There was a block. There was something
35:01
that was blocking. them from having fellowship.
35:04
But the mediation of what Christ has done is
35:06
that we can now come boldly to God because of
35:10
what he has done. So it therefore means that
35:12
we can hear God for ourselves. Praise the Lord.
35:14
It therefore means that we can hear God for ourselves.
35:17
It therefore means that the intention of God
35:19
is that your pastor teaches you the word, shows
35:24
you the things of God, but he should not be your
35:27
mediator. Praise the Lord. He should not be The
35:32
one that hears God for you. Praise the Lord.
35:34
God intends that at some point, with understanding,
35:38
you are able to hear Him. You are able to fellowship
35:41
with Him. Praise the Lord. You are able to fellowship
35:44
with Him. That you are able to come to Him. There
35:47
are some people that only know what their pastor
35:49
says. My pastor said this, my pastor said that,
35:52
my pastor said that. But there is no fellowship.
35:54
You don't know what God says concerning your
35:56
life. You don't know what God says concerning
35:58
your situation. You don't understand. the things
36:01
of God, because you have refused to fellowship.
36:04
You have refused to take advantage of that which
36:06
has already been given to you. He has made us
36:10
kings and priests. So are God to reign on the
36:14
earth. Because you have refused to take advantage
36:16
of fellowship, you will always seek to hear God
36:20
from your pastor, or from a brother, or from
36:24
somebody who sees you on the road and says, hey
36:26
you, I see this, I see that. Baby, you don't
36:30
fall on your knees and start crying. Praise the
36:32
Lord. I remember some time, some years ago, when
36:39
they are giving the word, I'd be asking, is that
36:41
not a word for me? Why is it that somebody here,
36:44
they're giving word to this person, that person?
36:47
How is it that somebody is not giving me nothing?
36:50
And a few occasions, I do receive the word, but
36:52
why is it that it's only this person that receives
36:55
the word? They are praying and they pass the
36:57
CIA. This is what God is saying concerning your
37:00
life. I'm going through a lot. Pastor, hear something
37:03
for me. Praise the Lord. But that's not the intention
37:08
of God. God intends that you hear Him for yourself.
37:12
That you are the person that hears Him for yourself.
37:14
It means that you take the responsibility of
37:16
fellowship. You take the responsibility of fellowship.
37:19
That you see that something is going on, you
37:22
pray about it. Praise the Lord. You pray about
37:25
it. There is a strength that comes from corporate
37:28
prayers, right? We're able to pray from now,
37:30
from morning till evening, most of the time because
37:35
we are here all together. Praise the Lord. But
37:38
God wants you to hear Him for yourself. He wants
37:41
a one -on -one interaction with you, that you
37:45
also know Him, that you know how to pray concerning
37:48
your situation. Praise the Lord. That you know
37:51
how to pray concerning your situation. That you
37:54
know how to pray concerning your situation. When
37:56
you see that something is going on in your environment,
37:58
you pray about it. You study the word of the
38:01
Lord about it. Because in doing that, you will
38:03
be able to execute His plan and purposes on the
38:07
earth. That you will be a priest to your family.
38:10
Praise the Lord. That you will be a priest to
38:13
your family. Some of us, if our parents know
38:15
what some of us know now, our life maybe will
38:18
be far better. We have not gone through the levels
38:22
that we are born through because they committed
38:24
us to pastor. You teach my type. Praise the Lord.
38:27
Or they committed us to schools. Schools teach
38:30
my children this, teach them that. We don't know
38:33
the teachers are going through a lot. Praise
38:35
the Lord. And they have many other children that
38:38
they will take care of. Right? You don't pay
38:41
attention to them. So that you be a priest in
38:44
your family. Praise the Lord. That you be a priest
38:47
in your family. You're the one that hears God.
38:51
If you are not yet hearing, you are hearing.
38:55
Praise the Lord. God, there is a crisis you are
38:57
looking for, which is important with you, by
39:00
the way. But you also know how to pray. Praise
39:03
the Lord. And we saw prayers the other time.
39:05
And we said that the first thing that prayer
39:07
does is that it helps you, you as a person. Your
39:11
challenges used to come and go. If you think
39:14
about it, they come and they go. The biggest
39:17
one you have faced, Right? It has come and it
39:20
left you. Praise the Lord. But you were still
39:22
there. So it changes you. No matter how difficult
39:25
the challenge is, it's that you take the time
39:27
to have fellowship. You take the time to seek
39:31
the face of God. Because in that, you are able
39:33
to execute the plans of God concerning your life.
39:38
Praise the Lord. You are able to hear the plans
39:41
of God concerning your life. So the people feared
39:45
because... He saw thunder and lightning. The
39:47
more you fellowship with God, the more fear will
39:50
go away. Praise the Lord. The more fear will
39:53
go away. I remember one time, the house I was
39:57
staying, there was a problem. Somebody was, I
40:02
don't know whether he was sick or he was seeing
40:04
something. He was in his room. He seemed to be
40:06
seeing things. Praise the Lord. And he was panting
40:09
too much. They called everybody. Everybody was
40:11
running. All of that. They came and called me
40:13
downstairs. I came up. I said, what's going on?
40:15
I saw somebody in the room. Logically, I was
40:17
asking you, how did you come to this room and
40:19
somebody started having problems? What happened
40:22
between them? But I saw the guy. He was really
40:24
going. He was not breathing properly. So many
40:27
things were happening, right? And he was seeing
40:30
things. I don't know what he was seeing, but
40:32
he was seeing things and moving around, right?
40:34
The first thing that will enter my head is, I've
40:36
seen this movie before. You have watched it in
40:39
Nigeria, right? And you see that somebody is
40:41
seeing things. Praise the Lord. So I thought
40:44
about it, thought about it. They fear, what can
40:46
I do? I started to pray, right? I start to pray.
40:49
I start to pray. I start to pray. And I prayed
40:51
and prayed and prayed and prayed. We needed to
40:53
take him to the hospital. How frightening it
40:55
was that the people don't want to help. They
40:57
were like, that is in that building. I called
41:00
him. I said, look, this person is not breathing
41:02
properly. We need to take him downstairs. But
41:04
the situation was looking like, if you touch
41:06
this guy, maybe what is following you will follow
41:08
you. Right? So they didn't want to come at all.
41:10
Like, there were boys there. They didn't want
41:12
to come. And this guy was like me. We need to
41:14
take him downstairs. Right? It was ladies that
41:17
helped carry him down. Praise the Lord. It was
41:21
the ladies in that house that helped carry him
41:23
down to the car. Right? He did. They had to take
41:26
him to Nigeria, but he was fine. Praise the Lord.
41:30
At the end of the day. So, there's so many things
41:32
that will come and will happen. You will not
41:35
understand it. Right? You will even, you would
41:38
fear about it. But when you know that, what else
41:42
do I know? I'm not a doctor. There's nothing
41:44
that I know. I cannot diagnose anything. I just
41:46
have to pray. Praise the Lord. I just have to
41:49
pray because that is what I understand. That
41:51
is what I know. Praise the Lord. That is what
41:54
I know. And there's so many people they could
41:57
have called. There's so many people they have
41:59
called, right, that refuse to go there. So the
42:02
more we fellowship with God, the more fear will
42:05
go away. The more you fellowship with God, the
42:08
more fear will go away. The more you know God,
42:10
the revelation of God is the revelation of you.
42:13
You find yourself in God. We saw that in Matthew
42:15
16 -19. And then to the people that are priests,
42:21
he says that their portion is the Lord. In Numbers
42:24
18 -20, he says that God is their portion. Praise
42:28
the Lord. It means that God will take care of
42:30
them. The people that work in that office, that
42:33
God takes care of them. That God is their portion.
42:36
He takes care of them. So what is stopping you
42:38
from manifesting? Your priest, what is stopping
42:42
you from manifesting that which is given to you?
42:46
Is it fear? Is it your lack of fellowship? There's
42:49
very little that we will be able to do or somebody
42:52
can be able to do for you, even in terms of prayer
42:55
and all of that. But if you learn how to fellowship,
42:58
you will discover that as somebody is saying,
43:02
there's a problem here, you'll be hearing, for
43:04
me, this is what God is saying. I've had this
43:07
thing clearly because you have prayed. Praise
43:09
the Lord. You have prayed. You have prayed. There's
43:13
some issues in your life that I'm sure you know
43:16
that God has not revealed it to any pastor. And
43:19
you know. Because he's telling you that you have
43:21
to deal with it. You have to pray. You have to
43:24
study. You have to seek my face concerning this
43:27
issue. You need to stand up and begin to act
43:31
like that which you have. Praise the Lord. So
43:33
our priesthood is restored in Christ. A kingdom
43:37
of priests to serve. our God, to execute His
43:42
judgment on the earth, in our lives and the people
43:44
that are around us. Praise the Lord. Let's just
43:47
open our mouth and just begin to bless the name
43:49
of the Lord. If today's message was a blessing,
44:11
share it with a friend. Till next time, be blessed.