Latest / Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons / Manifesting the Kingdom of God 1 | The Believer's conference 2025 day 1

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Manifesting the Kingdom of God 1 | The Believer's conference 2025 day 1 · 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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Amen. Hallelujah. Let's have our seat. You are
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welcome in Jesus' name. Indeed, this is a wonderful
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moment, and I'm so delighted, I'm so happy, you
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know, for what God has begun. I'm so, so, so,
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so expectant, and I'm full of expectation in
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my heart. Hallelujah. Now, don't look down on
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what God is doing here. Amen? Don't look down
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on what God is doing here. Time will tell. The
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kind of man and the kind of woman that you will
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become when you make yourself available for God
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to work on your life. When you make yourself
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available for God to transform your life, it's
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only time that will reveal the men and the women
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that will become. So I want you to sit with an
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understanding of Who you are. As a child of God.
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I want you to sit. You know. Trusting God for.
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What he will do. With our lives. Hallelujah.
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God has a plan. And the plan of God. Include
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us. We are part of God's plan. And I trust that,
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you know, all that God will do in this conference,
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from the beginning to the very end, is that we
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will be efficient. We will be equipped. We'll
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be prepared and equipped to participate in what
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God is doing in our generation. Hallelujah. It's
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a blessing to be in this place. And I want you
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to be alert as well. As the meeting goes on,
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there are things that God will be relating to
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us. And there are specific instructions that
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may come to you as a person. And I want you to
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take note because every single part of this meeting
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is important. So I want you to take note. Some
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inspirations, some specific instructions will
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be for you and you will be convicted in your
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heart about what to do. Hallelujah. So please,
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don't lose focus. Don't lose... Don't be absent
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-minded. Don't be here and then your mind is
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somewhere. Amen? Don't be here physically and
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your mind is somewhere. Try and be here and then
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participate in whatever we do, whatever instruction
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will come that you obey. Amen. And for those
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following us online, this is the day one, the
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first session for the Catetismus 2025. And I
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trust that as well, you also follow us duly and
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enjoy every single thing that God is doing in
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this season. Hallelujah. So I'll be just giving
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us an opening, you know, and laying the foundation
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for all that God will be doing in the course
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of the conference. Everything that we'll be doing,
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every ministration is connected. Hallelujah.
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So whatever that, you know, I will lay the foundation
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and even the next ministers that will come, just
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know that it's a build -up one upon another.
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Hallelujah. So in the end, we're going to see
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how everything will unfold. So I want to encourage
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you, please, to follow, you know, and be diligent.
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Amen. So the theme for the conference is actually
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manifesting the kingdom of God. Manifesting the
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kingdom of God. And it's also the theme for the
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year in the church. Manifesting the kingdom of
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God. Manifesting the kingdom of God. Let's turn
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to Matthew 16. Matthew chapter 16. Matthew 16.
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And I will be reading from verse 13. Matthew
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16 from verse 13. Now when Jesus came into the
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region of Caesarea, Philippi, he asked his disciples,
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who do men say I? the son of Manam. So they said,
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some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and
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others Jeremiah, one of the prophets. He said
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to them, but who do you say I am? Simon Peter
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answered and said, you are the Christ, the son
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of the living God. Jesus answered and said to
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him, blessed are you, Simon. But Jonah, for flesh
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and blood has not revealed this to you, but my
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father who is in heaven. And I also say to you
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that you are Peter. And on this rock, I will
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build my church. And the gates of Hades shall
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not prevail against it. And I will give you the
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keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you
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bind on earth will be bound in heaven. And whatever
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you lose on earth will be lost in heaven. Hallelujah.
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So this is a text that will be... handling in
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the course of the sessions that will be taken.
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Hallelujah. Now, the background of this text,
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for us to have a background of this text, we
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have to collaborate it with other records in
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the Gospels so that we can have the entire picture.
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I want us to look at the record in Mark chapter
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8, the same story, but in Mark chapter 8. Mark
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also captured the same story. Mark chapter 8
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verse 27. Mark chapter 8 verse 27. And Jesus
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and his disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea,
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Philippi. And on the road he asked his disciples
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saying to them, who do men say I am? So they
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answered, John. the Baptists, but some say Elijah,
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and others, one of the prophets. He said to them,
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but who do you say that I am? Peter answered
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and said to him, you are the Christ. Then he
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strictly warned them that they should tell no
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one about him. I want us to move to Luke as well.
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In the book of Luke, Luke chapter 9. We'll see
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the same story as well recorded by Luke. Luke
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chapter 9. Verse 18. And it happened as he was
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alone praying. That his disciples joined him.
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And he asked them saying. Who do the crowd say
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I am? So they answered and said. John the Baptist.
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But some say Elijah. And others say. That one
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of the old prophets has risen again. Verse 20.
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He said to them. But who do you say I am? Peter
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answered and said. The Christ. of God. Hallelujah.
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Now this is the same account of the same story.
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Amen? But given by different writers of the Gospels.
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Now for us to understand and have a complete
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picture, to have a better picture of the entire
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story, it's important for us to do, to corroborate
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these scriptures together. Because without bringing
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these scriptures together, our understanding
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of the picture will be limited. Hallelujah. Oftentimes,
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you know, people say, you know, the writers of
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the gospel are contradicting each other. For
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example, as we saw, you know, one said that Jesus
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was coming from after Jesus finished prayer,
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then they came to him. Another account saying
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that they were on their way to somewhere. And
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it seems sometimes that it's a contradiction,
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isn't it? But, you know, it is important for
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us to note that People give a different account
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of the same event. Amen? For example, now if
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I ask you to write a story, to write a report
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of what happened in this hall this morning, everybody
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has a goal in writing, isn't it? Everybody has
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a specific audience that he's writing to. And
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everybody has a perception and, you know, what
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would I call it? He has his own inclination.
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Our stories cannot be exactly the same. Your
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report, the report that you write and the report
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that another person will write, even though it's
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of the same event, but probably the details that
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you capture are different from the details that
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another person will capture. So, for us to be
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able to understand or to have a better understanding
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of the entire context of what happened, we have
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to put the stories together and corroborate them
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as a puzzle. Hallelujah. So also in the law,
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in the court of law, you know, when there's an
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event that is an event that happened and then
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we bring in witnesses to testify of the same
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event. If witness A and witness B, witness C
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said exactly the same thing without any form
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of any variation at all, right? Then It's okay
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for us to be suspicious that maybe this testimony
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is a doctor testimony. If not, why would you
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say exactly the same thing, the same language,
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the same tenses, the same expression and everything.
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It means that probably you've been coached to
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give an account and there's a possibility that
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this record of the testimonies you give may not
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be accurate. Hallelujah. But then the beauty
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of scripture, especially but we have different
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records, especially in the gospel, is that when
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we're able to put the entire picture together,
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we're able to, you know, collaborate these stories
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together, it helps us in understanding the entire
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picture of the conversation in that particular
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text. So, when we look at the pretext in Luke,
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especially from chapter 1, Luke chapter 9, Luke
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chapter 9, it will give us a background. Of what
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happened prior to this conversation. Luke chapter
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9. Luke chapter 9. From verse 1. Let me read
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from verse 1. Then he called his 12 disciples
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together. And gave them power. And authority
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over all demons. And to cure diseases. He sent
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them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal
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the sick. And he said to them, take nothing for
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the journey. Neither staff, no money, and do
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not have two tonics apiece. Whatever house you
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enter, stay there. And from there, depart. And
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whoever will not receive you when you go out
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of that city, shake off. The very dust from your
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feet. As a testimony against them. So they departed.
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And went through the towns. And what were they
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doing? Preaching the gospel. And healing everywhere.
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Now Herod. Herod the Tetrarch. Heard of all that
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was done by him. And he was perplexed. Because
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it was said. By some. There was a rumor in town.
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It was said by some that John had risen from
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the dead. That John has risen from the dead.
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Verse 8. And by some Elijah had appeared and
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by some that one of the all prophets has risen
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again. Herod said John I have beheaded. But who
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is this of whom I hear such things? So he sought
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to see Jesus. He sought to see him. Verse 10.
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And the apostles, when they had returned, told
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him all that they had done. Then he took them
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and went aside privately into a desert place.
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belonging to the city called Bethsaida. But when
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the multitudes knew it, they followed him and
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he received them and spoke to them about the
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kingdom of God and healed those who had need
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of healing. When they had begun to weigh away,
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the twelve came and said to him, send the multitudes
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away that they may go into The surrounding towns
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and country. And lodge and get provisions. For
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we are in a desert place. But he said to them.
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You give them something to eat. And they said.
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We have no more than five loaves and two fish.
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Unless we go and buy food for all these people.
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For there were about 5 ,000 men. Then he said
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to his disciples, make them sit down in groups
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of 50. And they did so and made them all sit
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down. Then he took the five loaves and the two
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fish and looking up to heaven, he blessed and
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brought them and gave them to the disciples to
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set before the multitude. They all ate. And were
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filled. And a 12 basket. And 12. And a basket
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of the. Okay. So they all ate. And were filled.
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And 12 baskets of the leftover fragments. Were
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taken up by them. Hallelujah. So this is the
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context. Of. Where we read previously in Matthew
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16. So from Luke. From verse 1 to 5, we see that
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Jesus has sent out the twelve to go and preach.
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And what they are to preach is the kingdom of
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God and to heal the sick. He sent them to preach
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the kingdom of God, verse 2. Luke chapter 9,
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verse 2. He says he sent them to go to preach
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the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. To preach
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the kingdom. To proclaim the kingdom. To announce
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the kingdom of God. To proclaim the kingdom of
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God. And also to do what? To heal the sick. There
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is an association. Between preaching of the gospel.
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Of the kingdom. And healing of the sick. And
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healing of the sick. Verse 6. We see. The disciples
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departed in obedience and going into the towns
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and preaching the gospel and doing what? And
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exactly doing what he asked them to do. So they
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departed and went through the towns preaching
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the gospel on the basis of the authority of Jesus
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Christ. Preaching the gospel and we see the healing
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of the sick. Hallelujah. Now, it's important
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to note that Jesus sent out disciples. Okay?
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Not just random people from the crowd. Not just
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some of the people that he fed among the 5 ,000.
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It's not everybody that he sent out to do or
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to preach. Jesus was very peculiar about the
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people that he sent. And these are the people
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that he has given them authority. Verse 1 says,
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he gave them power and he gave them power and
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authority over all demons and to cure diseases.
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Not just random people from the crowd, but specifically
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disciples. Disciples are those who have been
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qualified to do what? To go and to preach the
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gospel of the kingdom. Now for us to be qualified
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as well, to preach the gospel of the kingdom,
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we must in the same way be disciples. It takes
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only disciples to do the work of ministry. If
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you are not a disciple of Jesus Christ, doing
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ministry will be difficult. It is impossible
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to do the will of God. If we are not, you know,
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yielded to discipleship. And discipleship is
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not just like school that we go to for a period
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of time and then we graduate. No. We must be
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lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. That we are,
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you know, students that are yielded to learning
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the things of God, learning the ways of God,
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and doing the things that God is leading us per
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time, per season to do. So you must be a disciple
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in order to do the work of God. A disciple is
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someone who is devoted to learning the word of
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God. A disciple is someone that is committed
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to not just glancing through, not just reading
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for reading's sake, but the devotion of a disciple
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is to learn of the master. And we see power and
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authority. Power and authority come from the
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place of instruction from the word of God. It
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takes a man and a woman that has been with God,
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that is staying with God, that is learning from
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God, that will receive specific instruction and
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the authority to do the work of ministry. It
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is important for us to see also that miracles
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and healings are essential and a mandatory part
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of doing the work of ministry. Jesus Christ sent
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them to preach, and not only to preach, but to
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demonstrate the preaching of the gospel, to demonstrate
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the preaching of the kingdom with accompanying
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signs, especially healing. Healing of the sick.
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Miracles were performed by them. And also, you
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know, healing of the sick. So, also know that
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their ministry, the ministry of the apostles
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or the disciples here is a pre -resurrection
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ministry, isn't it? Jesus Christ has not yet
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died and he has not yet risen. But then, by virtue
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of He's been with them. He gave them authority
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to do what? To preach. Yet, they preach the message.
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They preach the message. They announce the message
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of the kingdom with signs and wonders following.
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So if men that we can, that they never had, you
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know, the indwelling of the spirit of God in
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them could preach the gospel, right? They could
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go and preach about the kingdom of God. In announcing
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the kingdom of God, in proclaiming the kingdom
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of God, we see signs and wonders accompanying.
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What of us who have the spirit indwelling in
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us? Amen? How about you and I that are living
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in the reality of the kingdom? It means that
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as we as well preach the gospel, it is expected
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that we see demonstration. If you read through
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in the... In Mark, you know, Mark chapter, give
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me Mark chapter 16, from verse 16. We see the
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instruction that Jesus will later give after
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his resurrection. It says, he who believes and
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is baptized will be saved. But he who does not
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believe will be condemned. And these signs shall
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do what? Shall follow those who believe. So signs.
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Shall follow those who believe. As we go about
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preaching the gospel. As we go about announcing
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the gospel of the kingdom. Or announcing the
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kingdom of God. Signs will accompany. The work
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of preaching the gospel. In my name they will
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cast out demons. They will speak with new tongues.
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They will take up serpents. And if they drink
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anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them.
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They will lay hands on the sick. And what will
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happen to the sick? And the sick will recover.
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Hallelujah. Now this is after his resurrection.
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And this is a mandate to all of us. That what
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God is doing here is that he is preparing us
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for this kind of ministry. Amen. God is preparing
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you. He is preparing me for this kind of ministry.
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And in the course of this meeting, in the course
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of this cataclysm from now until Saturday, what
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God will be doing in our lives is that he will
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be revealing his finished work in our lives.
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He will be revealing to us what he has accomplished.
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He will be revealing to us, you know, the finished
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work that he has done in us. We will realize
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who we are. Hallelujah. We realize who we are.
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We realize what he has done. And in it, we know
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our responsibility. We will know the authority
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that we carry as ministers of God. Amen? So God
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is counting on you. He's counting on us to do
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what? To carry on the ministry of preaching the
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gospel of the kingdom of God. Hallelujah. So
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in Luke chapter 9, verse 7 to 9, you know, we
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see a lot of rumors going around. It gives us
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the rumors in town, what people are saying concerning
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who Jesus is. Let's go back to Luke chapter 9.
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Luke chapter 9. What were people saying about
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Jesus? People have different perception of Jesus.
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Now Herod the Tetrarch heard of all that was
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done by him. By who? By Jesus. And also of course
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what the disciples were doing. And he was perplexed.
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Because it was said by some that John had risen
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from the dead. How come they are thinking that
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John has risen from the dead? Is there any explanation
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in scriptures that John will die and rise again?
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But these are the rumors in town about. What
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is happening? And by some, that Elijah had appeared.
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And by some others, that one of the prophets
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had risen again. So all these were speculations
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about who, about who Jesus is or about what has
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happened. And it's important for us to not these
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speculations because we'll go back, you know,
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to look at it later on. We also see in verse
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10 to 17, verse 10 to 17 of that same Luke, you
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know, the apostles, and in this context here,
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including Judas. Hallelujah. Judas was part of
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the 12. It means that Judas Iscariot went out
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with them and possibly do all that they did.
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He proclaimed about the kingdom. He preached
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about the kingdom. All right? Signs and wonders
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were done. All right? Amen? Are we here? All
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right. Verse 10 to 17. And the apostles, when
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they had returned, what was their testimonies?
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They told him all that they had done. They reported
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to him and said, this is what we did. Then he
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took them and went aside privately into a deserted
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place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.
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But when the multitude followed him and he received
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them and spoke to them, the multitude gathered
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again. And what did he do? We see him also doing
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what? He spoke to them about what? About the
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kingdom of God. Now, we're not even specifically
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looking at the preaching that he did, but we
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are so sure that what he spoke to them, or the
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teaching he taught them, the preaching Jesus
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taught them, is about what? It's about the kingdom
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of who? Of God. And what did he do? He healed
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those who had need of healing. What is really
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the relationship between healing and the kingdom
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of God? What is really the relationship between
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healing and the kingdom of God? We will see that
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in the course of this meeting. Then they began
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to weigh away. The twelve came and said to him,
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send the multitude away that they may go into
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the surrounding towns and country and lodge.
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And get provisions for we are in a deserted place.
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But he said to them, you give them something
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to eat. You know, this is a teaching experience.
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He said, you give them something to eat. And
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he said, we have no more than five loaves and
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two fish. Unless we go and buy food for all these
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people. For there were about 5 ,000 men. 5 ,000
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men. And we know, you know, theologians have
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told us that in census, during those times, that
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when they do census, you know, they only count
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men, right? Adult men. They don't count children.
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They don't count women. They count men. Then
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he said to his disciples, make them sit down
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in groups of 50. And they did so. And made all
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sit down. Then he took the five loaves. And the
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two fishes. And looking up to heaven. He blessed.
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And broke them. And gave them to the disciples.
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The disciples are the ones that were. Responsible
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for what? For serving the multitude. For serving
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the multitude. All these things are very, very
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important. Listen, there is no miracle that is
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recorded in scriptures that is just casual. Every
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miracle, every parable, every teaching is pointing
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toward to something that Jesus will do in his
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resurrection. Hallelujah. So whenever we go through
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stories in the scriptures, let's be very keen.
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These were not just recorded for us for just
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entertainment, no. Every single record of Jesus'
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miracles, of his teachings are important in revealing
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what he will do in the resurrection. Hallelujah.
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So, when the crowd followed them, Jesus received
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them and what did he do? We saw that he spoke
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to them about the kingdom of God and he healed
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the sick. He further performed the miracle of
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what? Of feeding the multitude. He healed the
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sick and then he fed the multitude. The preaching
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of the gospel I said, we see in Jesus' ministry.
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All true. was accompanied by healings, by signs
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and wonders. Now, since we have also received
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the same ministry in the resurrection, we must
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also manifest the kingdom of God in the same
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way he did, healing the sick and working in signs
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and wonders. As we often say in church, you know,
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we are prophets, we are kings. All that we are,
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we occupy the office of Jesus Christ. By identification,
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by believing in Jesus Christ, we do what? We
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come into the office of Jesus Christ. Amen? So
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it is expected that whatever he, because Jesus
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is the same yesterday, isn't it? He's the same
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yesterday. He's the same today. And forever he
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will be who he is. And this same Jesus Christ
32:54
is the one that lives in us. Hallelujah. He lives
32:59
in you, he lives in us. So if we are carrying
33:01
on the ministry of Jesus Christ, if we are carrying
33:05
on to do the works that he did while he was on
33:08
earth, even the apostles, they were, will classify
33:12
them as not born again in the context of where
33:15
we are today. In doing the works of ministry,
33:19
in preaching the gospel, they walked in signs
33:22
and wonders. It is also important for us that
33:25
are in the reality of what Christ has done. To
33:29
do what? To see this manifest in our ministry.
33:35
In our ministry. It is expected of us. Hallelujah.
33:42
Because that is what the preaching of the gospel
33:47
entails. As we go, signs and wonders ensure the
33:52
preaching. Of the gospel. Afterwards we will
33:56
see Jesus Christ. You know. Questioning them
33:59
in verse 18 to 20. Asking them. About who. Do
34:08
men say he is. Now let's go back to Matthew.
34:11
Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6. Matthew
34:14
chapter 6 from verse 13. When Jesus came into
34:18
the region of Caesarea Philippi. He asked his
34:20
disciples saying. who do men say that I, the
34:24
son of man, am? Now, Jesus was not just asking
34:29
these questions to know. All right? He wasn't
34:34
asking this question because he doesn't know
34:36
who he is. Maybe his identity crisis. He wanted
34:39
to be sure whether, you know, who he is. No.
34:44
He wasn't asking this question to build an image
34:48
for himself. You know, one of the common, you
34:53
know, things that, from where I come from, from
34:56
the part of the world I came from, you know,
34:59
one of the common phrases we use in intimidating
35:04
people is, do you know who I am? Or who are you?
35:09
Do you know who I am? And all this, you know,
35:11
is just showcase, you know, or try to build an
35:15
image, an ego for ourselves. No, no, no. Jesus
35:17
Christ was not trying to, you know, Inquired
35:21
to know. He was not looking for. It was not a
35:26
desire for self validation. Of who he is. Who
35:31
will see subsequently. But every question. That
35:36
Jesus will ask. Is geared towards a teaching.
35:41
Hallelujah. Whenever we see questions. In scripture.
35:46
Let's be careful. Especially. You know, even
35:50
in Genesis, let's look at some instances in Genesis.
35:53
Genesis chapter 3 verse 9, where God appeared
35:57
to Adam. Genesis chapter 3 verse 9. Then the
36:01
Lord God called Adam and said to him, where are
36:04
you? Is it that God is not aware of where Adam
36:07
is? He's asking so that he will know where Adam
36:12
is. Is it that God is not all -knowing? He doesn't
36:17
know the location of Adam that he's asking Adam.
36:19
Adam, where are you? But rather we know that
36:22
the questioning is for what? It's for Adam to
36:25
realize. Isn't it? The focus of the question
36:29
is for Adam and it's not for God. Hallelujah.
36:34
And we'll see also another one in chapter 4 verse
36:36
9. When God was asking Cain. Chapter 4 verse
36:45
9. Then the Lord said to Cain, where is Abel
36:49
your brother? Is it that God does not know or
36:54
is not aware of what has happened to Cain, to
36:57
Abel? The all -knowing God, the all -sufficient
37:01
God, the God that knows everything. He says,
37:05
where is Abel your brother? He said, I do not
37:09
know. Am I my brother's keeper? Of course we
37:11
know that this is a lie, right? Hallelujah. And
37:21
then let's look at another one in the Gospels,
37:23
Matthew 22. Matthew 22, verse 41. Where Jesus
37:33
Christ was asking the Pharisees, because there
37:37
was a bit of a controversy about the identity
37:43
of Jesus. While the Pharisees were gathered together,
37:47
Jesus asked them, look at the way Jesus asked
37:49
them. He says, what do you think about the Christ?
37:55
Amen? What do you think about the Christ? Now,
38:00
it is important to know that the Pharisees, they
38:02
are scholars of the scripture. Alright? They
38:06
are scholars of the scripture, which means that
38:08
they know that in the scriptures, there is a
38:10
promise for the Christ. The scriptures have given
38:15
an explanation about the Christ. So Jesus was
38:18
asking them, he says, what do you think about
38:23
the Christ? Whose son is he? Whose son is he?
38:32
That is to say, what does the scripture teach
38:35
us about the Christ? And whose son does the scripture
38:41
say? That Christ, the Christ is an office. Now,
38:44
when we go to the Old Testament, what we call
38:47
the Old Testament scriptures, we'll discover
38:50
that there's a promise for a Christ. The Christ
38:52
is an office. Are we together? The Christ is
38:57
an office that someone will occupy. There was
39:01
a proclamation. There was a prophecy in scriptures
39:04
from Genesis to Malachi about the Christ. It's
39:11
a Christ. So Jesus is the Christ, right? As I
39:17
always say, the Christ, the word Christ is not
39:19
his surname, right? It is the office which he
39:23
occupies. The Christ. The Messiah. The one who
39:28
will do a function. And a function is a deliverance
39:33
of the people of God. Hallelujah. So he asks
39:37
them, he says, who does the scripture says? What
39:40
do you think, rather, about the Christ? Whose
39:42
son is he? And what was their response? They
39:48
said to him, the son of David. Of course, the
39:53
scripture says that the Christ will come through
39:55
the lineage of David. So Jesus was not asking
40:01
because he does not know that he is the Christ.
40:04
Oh, he wasn't asking because he wants to know.
40:08
Whose son is the Christ? No. But he was geared
40:11
towards revealing a truth. Amen? Towards revealing
40:17
a truth. Now, the next verse. He said to them,
40:21
how does David, how then does David in the spirit
40:26
call him Lord? Saying, the Lord said to my Lord.
40:36
Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies
40:40
your footstool. If David then calls him Lord,
40:46
how is he his son? How is the Christ the son
40:53
of David if David calls him his Lord? Amen? And
41:01
then no one was able to answer him a word. No,
41:06
from that day on, did anyone dare question him
41:10
anymore? Now, I want you to realize that these
41:14
Pharisees understood the implication of what
41:17
Jesus was saying. Amen? His question was revealing
41:24
to them something that they don't want to believe.
41:34
You know, they are fond of asking questions.
41:39
And most of the time, when they ask questions,
41:41
it's to put Jesus in a box, right? It's to set
41:44
a trap for him with a question. If a man dies
41:51
and he has a wife, and then he dies, and then
41:55
his brother marries his wife, and then another
41:57
marries, and then another marries, at the resurrection,
42:00
whose wife will she be? Foolish question. Jesus
42:06
would tell them, have you not read? Which means
42:08
that even the scriptures, you are scholars, but
42:10
that means you don't believe the scriptures that
42:13
you are reading. So oftentimes when they ask
42:17
questions, it's out of ignorance. It's out of
42:21
sheer foolishness. I mean the scribes and the
42:24
Pharisees, because they want to put Jesus in
42:26
a, they want to set a trap. But whenever we see
42:29
Jesus ask questions, it's because he wants to
42:32
reveal a truth. Hallelujah. So, physically or
42:41
humanly, we know that the Christ will come through
42:44
the lineage of David. And Jesus Christ is the
42:48
Christ. But Jesus Christ is not just a son of
42:51
David. He is God. Hallelujah. He is God himself.
42:56
Amen. And that was what he was revealing to them
43:00
that they were shying away from agreeing with.
43:07
And of course, his quotation is from Psalms 110
43:11
verse 1. So it was important for Jesus, especially
43:16
in Matthew 6, 13. It is important that those
43:22
who will preach the message of the kingdom of
43:24
God, the ministers of the message of the kingdom
43:28
of God, better understand who the message is.
43:32
Because the message is a person. Alright? The
43:38
message is what? The message is about a person.
43:43
The message is about a person. So when Jesus
43:52
was asking who do people say the son of man is,
43:57
the goal is to reveal to them who the son of
44:02
man is. Because Those who preach the message
44:08
of the kingdom of God should be able to know
44:11
who the message is. Now the testimonies of the
44:17
ministers of the kingdom of God must be different
44:21
from the testimonies of the crowd. Amen? It is
44:27
important for us, right, to have a different
44:32
testimony from the crowd. Our understanding of
44:38
who Jesus is cannot be rumors. As ministers of
44:48
God, our knowledge about Jesus Christ cannot
44:53
just be Google information. If our understanding
45:03
of who Jesus Christ is cannot just be charged,
45:06
you know, charged if he can give you anything.
45:13
Amen? Recently, is it last year, we're looking
45:17
at a church, is it in Germany or in France, where,
45:21
you know, they said, oh, right now in ministry
45:23
they can have an AI as their pastor. And then,
45:28
you know, I was just laughing. I saw the news
45:33
that people would just come to church and then,
45:35
you know, they would play and AI would give them
45:39
salmon. You know, we are in the age of technology.
45:44
See, there's something that technology can never
45:48
replace. You see, the preaching of the gospel,
45:50
it can never be replaced. Men can never... be
45:56
replaced when it comes to the preaching of the
45:58
gospel of Christ. If God could not use angels,
46:03
do you think that God is limited in technological
46:05
advancement? Do you think that God is not wise,
46:10
is not all -knowing from the foundation of the
46:13
world? He decided to trust you and I with the
46:20
salvation of men. In gospel land, it is men who
46:27
preach the gospel. Not machines, not angels,
46:34
but men. Hallelujah. So it is necessary that
46:42
we are very, very equipped with the knowledge
46:46
of what the message is because it is us who have
46:51
been redeemed. That have been qualified. Through
46:55
our relationship with God. Through discipleship.
46:58
In order to preach the message of the kingdom
47:00
of God. So our testimony. Must be different from
47:07
what we hear from the street. You know. Our opinion
47:12
about Jesus Christ. Cannot be the opinion. Of
47:15
what we see on social media. Some of us. The
47:20
formulation. of our ideologies about God is a
47:24
product of, you know, media. Media, rumor, what
47:32
is on the street. If you must be an efficient
47:36
minister of the word of God, you must go beyond
47:40
what you just hear on the street. Not people's
47:47
experiences. Even if it's experiences, we must
47:52
be able to know whether this is right or this
47:55
is wrong. Because what the people are saying
47:58
is not true about Jesus. He is not Elijah. He
48:02
is not one of the prophets. He is not John that
48:05
died and rose again. Amen? So you and I cannot
48:11
go and be preaching rumors about Jesus. Jesus
48:19
called himself what? Son of man. Who do men say
48:23
I, the son of man, am? What does son of man mean?
48:31
We'll look at it shortly. So in verse 14, Matthew
48:36
16, 14. So they said, some say John the Baptist.
48:43
Some say Elijah. And others Jeremiah. Or one
48:49
of the prophets. If I was Jesus. I would ask.
48:52
What did you tell them? What did you counter?
49:02
With the information you've been hearing. Or
49:04
they say Jesus is Jesus. What did you tell them?
49:07
I the son of man is. That is a mission. That
49:15
we've been called. To do. Alright? That is the
49:20
mission we've been called to do. To announce
49:23
who Jesus is to the world. And in announcing
49:28
Jesus, we reveal what he has done. Hallelujah.
49:35
So you cannot go and tell the world that Jesus
49:37
Christ is one of the prophets. Or, you know,
49:43
just like Mahatma Gandhi. You know, he's one
49:49
of those great men. Just like, who else? Nelson
49:54
Mandela in Africa. He was an emancipator of his
49:58
nation. He was sent to prison. Mandela did not
50:00
die. But this one, he was. No, no, no, no. We
50:03
must have an accurate knowledge of Jesus. If
50:08
we must present. Listen, brothers and sisters.
50:11
Our generation is a smart generation. Full of
50:16
information. That's what I mean by smart. There's
50:20
a lot of information around our generation. You
50:24
must be sophisticated in order to confront a
50:27
sophisticated generation with a message of the
50:29
gospel. This morning I was just going through
50:35
a media chat somewhere about someone gave a story
50:39
about Jesus Christ. It's a video. He was trying
50:42
to share the gospel. So I just went down to see
50:44
what people are saying. Somebody said that He
50:47
just wrote a comment. He said, why is it that
50:50
God will not just forgive sin? Why must someone
50:55
have to die? That this story is not adding up.
51:01
If Jesus will forgive, has the power to forgive
51:03
sin, if God has the power to forgive sin, why
51:05
must somebody die? Now, my brothers and sisters,
51:08
if you don't know how to give an answer to this,
51:11
and let me tell you, some of your questions are
51:13
genuine. Amen? Some of your questions are genuine
51:18
questions. So you and I are the ones that must
51:22
have the answers to those questions. For you,
51:25
you see this question as a foolish and a stupid
51:27
question. But these are genuine questions that
51:29
people have in their hearts. There's a brother
51:34
that is finding it difficult to agree that Jesus
51:36
Christ is God. Because he has listened to some
51:40
debates. He has listened to some arguments. intellectual
51:45
arguments about religion, about God, and then
51:50
he reached a point that he's doubting about the
51:53
divine nature of Christ. See, if we are not equipped
52:02
with knowledge, with understanding, that's what
52:05
we trust God to do in the course of this cataclysm,
52:09
that we will have the ability To do what? To
52:16
rightly present Christ to our generation. And
52:20
in presenting this Christ, listen, we must do
52:24
it in signs and wonders. Amen? We must do it
52:30
what? In demonstration of the Spirit of God.
52:33
That is why I kept emphasizing about the importance
52:36
of the miraculous. The importance of what? Of
52:40
healing. The importance of Of seeing the signs
52:44
following the preaching of the gospel. What difference
52:49
will be your preaching from a man that stands
52:52
to motivate and collect money and go? What makes
52:57
you different? Paul will say that I didn't come
53:00
to you with lovely speech. Because there are
53:03
others that will come with lovely speech. In
53:05
fact, some of them are more eloquent than us.
53:08
Have you ever seen a man trying to sell a course
53:11
online? The way they will present it, you don't
53:19
even know when you go and click, click bits,
53:21
right? You go and click to subscribe. Because
53:25
they know how to market it very well. And this
53:29
is the kind of generation we are confronting
53:30
with the message of the gospel. Hallelujah. Verse
53:40
14. Some say John. The Baptists, some say Elijah,
53:47
others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Now
53:53
the disciples in their going out to preach, they
53:57
didn't just go from coast to coast, from one
53:59
angle to another, shouting, repent. But they
54:04
must have taught from the scriptures. Amen? They
54:09
must have what? Taught from the scriptures. Are
54:15
we together? For them to preach the gospel of
54:19
the kingdom, they must do what? Preach or teach
54:24
from the scriptures. And of course, we could
54:28
see that even in that generation, the people's
54:32
perception, even though it was flawed, let's
54:35
look at it clearly. Nevertheless, they mentioned
54:39
Elijah, they mentioned Jeremiah. mean that the
54:44
disciples probably may have preached from the
54:46
Holy Scriptures. And also the peoples were aware
54:50
of the Scriptures. We agree, right? That these
54:54
people, these people bringing out the rumors
54:56
about who Jesus is, they are probably aware of,
54:59
because the names they called were scriptural
55:02
names. Alright? They didn't call one of their
55:06
governors. They didn't say it's Herod. But they
55:10
mentioned the prophets. They mentioned, Elijah
55:13
they mentioned. So they have an idea of scriptures.
55:18
But it's not accurate. And why? These people
55:24
do not have faith in the scriptures. That's why
55:26
I'm headed. Because if these people have believed
55:31
the scriptures. They would have believed. The
55:37
message that the prophets spoke. Right? They
55:41
would have believed. The mission and the ministry
55:44
of the prophets they were mentioning, which means
55:47
they never had faith in the scriptures. Their
55:51
statements are a product of ignorance and unbelief.
55:58
Because if they had believed what the prophets
56:01
taught, especially John. John is the closest.
56:08
John is the closest because John is a contemporary
56:11
at that time. Of course, they didn't see Elijah.
56:13
They didn't see Jeremiah. But at least they saw
56:19
John the Baptist. And they would have known Jesus.
56:26
If they have believed John, what John taught,
56:29
they would have known who Jesus is and whom John
56:33
preached. Amen? They would have known who John
56:37
was preaching. What was the ministry of John?
56:43
The prophets all wrote about and taught about
56:48
Jesus. Luke chapter 24. Let's look at this. Luke
56:51
24. Verse 25. 27. Jesus at resurrection said
57:02
this. He says, then he said to them, all foolish
57:04
ones and slow of heart to believe all the prophets.
57:12
Which means that all the prophets that they mentioned,
57:14
they were speculating that it was Jesus. All
57:17
the prophets have spoken. What have they spoken?
57:21
Ought not the Christ, the Christ, to have suffered
57:25
these things and to enter his glory? And beginning
57:29
at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to
57:34
them in all the scriptures the things concerning
57:39
himself. That is to say, That the writings of
57:43
the prophets, the communication of the prophets,
57:46
all that the prophets were teaching, the function
57:49
that they did was to announce the coming Messiah.
57:57
Verse 44. Verse 44. Luke 24, 44. Then he said
58:05
to them, these are the words which I spoke to
58:07
you while I was still with you. that all these
58:10
things must be what? Must be accomplished, must
58:13
be fulfilled, which were written in the law of
58:16
Moses, the writings of Moses about Jesus and
58:20
the prophets and the Psalms concerning me. So
58:27
if these men that were bringing these rumors
58:29
about Jesus believe in the writings of the prophets,
58:35
They believed in what the prophets were teaching.
58:38
They wouldn't have a crisis in understanding
58:41
who Jesus Christ is. Hallelujah. This is important.
58:51
What about John? Who is their contemporary? The
58:54
entire ministry of John was about introducing
58:57
Jesus Christ. That means that they didn't believe
59:03
John. Let's look at John. John chapter 1 verse
59:08
19. It means that they didn't believe in the
59:12
ministry of John. They didn't believe in what
59:14
John was preaching. They know John to be a prophet.
59:21
Even the Pharisees knew that John was a prophet
59:24
of God. Now this is a testimony of John. When
59:32
a Jew sent a priest. This is a testimony of John.
59:37
This is the ministry of John. This is what John
59:40
did. This was the purpose of the ministry of
59:43
John. When the Jews sent priests and Levites
59:47
from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you? They
59:52
want to know who is he. Right? He confessed and
59:59
did not deny but confessed, I am not the Christ.
1:00:03
Because I told you earlier on, The nation of
1:00:06
Israel was expecting the Christ. And the Christ
1:00:08
is a man. Is a man. That will come as the redeemer
1:00:13
of Israel. To redeem Israel. To save Israel.
1:00:17
So they know that this person. Will function
1:00:21
in the teaching ministry. So they saw John. They
1:00:26
were guessing. Who are you? Are you the Christ?
1:00:31
He said no. What then are you? Are you Elijah?
1:00:38
He said, I am not Elijah. Are you the prophet?
1:00:42
That means the Christ will be the prophet, right?
1:00:48
And he answered, no. Then they said to him, who
1:00:52
are you that we may give an answer to those who
1:00:57
send us? What do you say about yourself? He said,
1:01:04
I am the voice of the one crying in the wilderness.
1:01:10
Make straight the way of the Lord. Which means
1:01:13
that this is in Isaiah. John was able to look
1:01:19
through the prophecies of Isaiah. And see his
1:01:22
role in the prophecy of Isaiah. And say, this
1:01:25
is who I am. This is who I represent. As the
1:01:31
prophet Isaiah said. Verse 24. Now, those who
1:01:36
were sent were from what? Pharisee. And they
1:01:41
asked him, saying, why then do you baptize if
1:01:45
you are not the Christ? Which means that the
1:01:47
Christ will do what? Will baptize. Now, I didn't
1:01:52
say baptize in water. But the Christ will have
1:01:56
a function to do. If you are not, why then do
1:02:00
you baptize if you are not the Christ? nor Elijah,
1:02:03
nor the prophet. John answered them saying, I
1:02:08
baptize with what? With water. But there stands
1:02:15
one among you whom you do not know. It is he
1:02:21
who coming after me is preferred before me. That
1:02:27
means he's greater than me, which is he has a
1:02:30
superior ministry than mine. Whose sandals traps
1:02:37
I am not worthy to lose. These things were done
1:02:42
in Bethabara, beyond the Jordan, where John was
1:02:47
sucking people in water, was baptizing with water.
1:02:50
Right? 28, 29. The next day, John saw Jesus coming.
1:02:56
And he said, behold the Lamb of God who takes
1:02:59
away the sin of the world. This is he of whom
1:03:04
I said, after me come a man who is preferred
1:03:08
before me. For he was before me. I did not know
1:03:16
him. But that he should be revealed to Israel.
1:03:22
So this is the... The context of John's ministry,
1:03:26
the revelation of the Christ, that he will point
1:03:30
to Israel and say, this is the one that the prophets
1:03:33
have been talking about. This is the one that
1:03:36
what? That Moses spoke about. This is the one
1:03:40
that the prophets wrote about. This is the one
1:03:43
that David even talked about. This is the one
1:03:46
that has, this is the one that the scripture
1:03:48
has been communicating about. I did not know
1:03:52
him myself. But that he should be revealed to
1:03:55
Israel. Therefore I came baptizing with water.
1:04:04
And John bore witness. He bore witness saying.
1:04:08
I saw the spirit descending from heaven like
1:04:11
a dove. And he remained upon him. And I did not
1:04:16
know him. But he who sent me to baptize with
1:04:19
water said to me. Upon whom you see the spirit
1:04:22
descending. And remaining on him. Is he. Who
1:04:27
baptizes. With what? With the Holy Spirit. And
1:04:33
I have seen. And do what? And testify that what?
1:04:37
That this is what? Is a son of God. That was
1:04:44
a summary of John's ministry. So. If these people.
1:04:50
knew who John was. It simply means that they
1:04:55
didn't believe in what John was doing. It simply
1:04:58
means that they didn't put faith in what John
1:05:01
was teaching, his explanation, his baptism, his
1:05:05
telling them to repent because the kingdom of
1:05:11
God has arrived. That was his message. That was
1:05:15
his teaching about shouting and compelling them
1:05:20
and rebuking them that they will repent. Repentance
1:05:24
simply means change your thought, change your
1:05:26
idea, change your mind because the kingdom of
1:05:30
God has arrived. The kingdom of God has arrived.
1:05:37
But they were not in faith. They didn't believe
1:05:42
what John was teaching. So, if you don't believe
1:05:49
the scripture, I can assure you that you will
1:05:53
never come to a place of what the revelation
1:05:58
of who God is. Because the knowledge of God,
1:06:01
first and foremost, is by faith. Amen? It's by
1:06:06
faith. That is why no matter how intellectually
1:06:11
sound a man is, if he does not come to the scripture
1:06:14
by faith, he cannot know God. The scriptures
1:06:22
is not known by the prowess of your understanding
1:06:29
of Hebrew as a language or Greek as a language.
1:06:38
It's by what? It's by believing what the scripture
1:06:41
says. You don't need Hebrew and Greek to know
1:06:47
God. Amen? There are people that are so sophisticated
1:06:56
in theological seminary. They're atheists, but
1:07:02
they're teaching the Bible. You know? They are
1:07:08
atheists. They don't believe in God, but they
1:07:11
are experts in explaining the scriptures. So,
1:07:18
first of all, the revelation of God comes by
1:07:22
what? By faith. By faith in what the scripture
1:07:27
says about who God is. So we must respond always
1:07:36
in faith. agreeing in faith that whatever the
1:07:42
scripture says is what we believe about who God
1:07:47
is. Matthew 16, 15, it says, but he said, okay,
1:07:54
this is all that the people have been saying
1:07:56
about me. All right? This is all the rumors.
1:08:00
You've brought all the conversation and all,
1:08:03
you know, the Google searches you've made about
1:08:09
Different stories about who Jesus is. Now, he
1:08:13
said to them, but who do you say? Let's leave
1:08:16
what people are saying. You, who do you say I
1:08:21
am? Who do you say I am? Jesus shifted from the
1:08:31
confession of others and his focus right now
1:08:35
is what? It's on the disciples. Moving away from
1:08:42
what the crowds have been saying to what the
1:08:46
disciples know about him. Now the Christian life
1:08:55
and of course the work of ministry must be founded
1:08:59
on what? On a personal knowledge. Now when I
1:09:04
say personal knowledge, I'm not saying a personal
1:09:06
interpretation. I'm saying that you must be able
1:09:11
to know God as an individual. Not on what my
1:09:19
pastor believe or what my pastor said. A personal
1:09:30
knowledge of God, who he is and what he has done.
1:09:39
Not the God of my father. Some people say, I
1:09:44
have a praying mother. So I will never fail.
1:09:47
You will fail. Don't pray. You walk away from
1:09:53
the will of God for your life. What prayer does?
1:09:56
Prayer aligns with the will of God for your life.
1:09:59
Your mother needs prayer for herself. Amen? Of
1:10:04
course we pray for one another. Alright? We are
1:10:10
encouraged to pray for one another. But as a
1:10:13
believer, you must seek to know God and to know
1:10:16
the will of God for yourself. Because nobody
1:10:20
can do the work of God on your behalf for you.
1:10:30
You, as an individual, are called to do. So it's
1:10:35
not the God of my pastor. No. The God of your
1:10:40
pastor must move from just being the God of your
1:10:44
pastor to what? To your own God. Your own God.
1:10:48
Your own God. He must be your own God as well.
1:10:53
And that comes by knowledge. Not just what my
1:11:02
pastor said. It must move from what my pastor
1:11:05
said to what I believe. What the pastor teaches
1:11:11
us must be believed on, personalized and practiced
1:11:18
in our lives. Because exploits in the kingdom
1:11:28
of God comes from knowing God. Hallelujah. It
1:11:35
comes from what? It comes from knowing God. Daniel
1:11:38
11 .32. Let's see that text in the Amplified.
1:11:45
In the Amplified. Daniel 11, 32. It says, And
1:11:51
such as violate the covenant, he shall pervert
1:11:56
and seduce with flatteries. But the people who
1:12:01
know their God, they shall prevail. They shall
1:12:08
prove themselves strong. Strong against what?
1:12:12
Against the violent, the perverted one. They
1:12:20
shall prove themselves strong and shall stand
1:12:23
firm and shall do what? And they shall do exploits
1:12:28
for God. Which means that it must come from a
1:12:35
point of what? Knowledge. Knowledge. Our faith
1:12:39
is a knowledge -based faith. Right? Christianity
1:12:44
is a knowledge -based faith. If you are an ignorant
1:12:48
person, you will not thrive as a Christian. If
1:12:51
you have an allergy for knowledge, sorry, Christianity
1:12:56
is not for you. You can be born again, but you
1:12:59
will not do much in this kingdom. So there must
1:13:06
be a high level of hunger. To know. Because knowledge
1:13:11
is essential. There must be a transformation.
1:13:14
Of our mind. Your mind. Is not born again. Hallelujah.
1:13:22
Your soul is safe. Your spirit is safe. But your
1:13:25
mind needs to be renewed. By what? By information.
1:13:29
By knowledge. That what has happened in your
1:13:32
spirit man. consumes your intellect, your mind.
1:13:41
And how does that come? It comes by the study
1:13:43
of God's word. That's what we're doing today.
1:13:46
That our mind is transformed and we acquire the
1:13:50
knowledge, the knowledge of God. Remember the
1:14:00
parable of the talents? You know. That one servant,
1:14:07
Matthew chapter 25 verse 24. Matthew 25 verse
1:14:16
24. Then he who had received the one talent came
1:14:21
and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man.
1:14:27
Talking about the master. Which means that he
1:14:33
has no knowledge of who the master is. Because
1:14:36
if he knew who the master is, he will do what?
1:14:40
He will have done well with what the master gives
1:14:42
him. He says, I know you to be a hard man, reaping
1:14:47
where you have not sown, and gathering where
1:14:51
you have not scattered seed. And then he gave
1:14:54
you one to keep. I mean, thank God it's a parable.
1:15:05
Amen. Thank God it's a story, right? It's a parable.
1:15:10
But unfortunately, some of us, our life is just
1:15:14
like this parable. It says, I was afraid. Fear
1:15:22
comes from where? The lack of knowledge of who
1:15:29
the master is, of who God is. I was afraid and
1:15:36
went and hid your talent in the ground. Look,
1:15:39
there you have what is yours. And look at what
1:15:41
the master says. But his Lord answered and said
1:15:44
to him, you wicked and lazy servant. You knew
1:15:50
that I reap where I have not sworn, which is
1:15:52
not true anyway. Right? And gathered where I
1:15:56
have not scattered seed. So you ought to have
1:16:00
just deposited my money with the bankers. And
1:16:04
at my coming, I will have received back my own
1:16:07
reward with interest. Therefore, take the talent
1:16:12
from him and give it to him who has ten talents.
1:16:19
To everyone who has more will be given. And he
1:16:24
will have abundance. But from him who does not
1:16:27
have, even what he has will be taken away. So
1:16:33
we see that the conduct of this servant is from
1:16:39
what? It's from a distorted knowledge of who
1:16:42
his master is. He couldn't be productive. He
1:16:49
couldn't become efficient in the utilization
1:16:51
of what he was given. Others were productive.
1:16:55
Others went and then they traded, as the scripture
1:16:58
would say, with what was given to them. But this
1:17:01
one, because he lacked knowledge and understanding
1:17:03
of who the master is, what the master is expecting
1:17:07
for him to do, he went and ducked and then he
1:17:12
hid. May that never be a testimony in Jesus'
1:17:16
name. That our lives will be spent about the
1:17:20
father's business. Hallelujah. That our lives
1:17:24
will yield profit in the kingdom. See, God seeks
1:17:28
profit from our lives. And the profit is souls
1:17:31
that will be able to what? Multiply. Will be
1:17:39
able to multiply. Hallelujah. Now let's look
1:17:47
at the reply of Simon Peter. Matthew 16. Simon
1:17:58
answered and said, you are the Christ. Amen?
1:18:05
Hello? What is his answer? Let's read verse 16
1:18:11
together, all of us. One, two, go. Simon Peter
1:18:14
answered and said, you are the Christ, the son
1:18:19
of the living God. Hallelujah. Christ. He was
1:18:30
able to give an accurate answer different from
1:18:36
that of the crowd. You are the Christ. Son of
1:18:47
the living God. And I believe so much that God
1:18:53
intends to reveal himself to us. Amen? for each
1:18:58
and every one of us, that, listen, I'm so sure
1:19:02
about this, that our eyes are opening to know
1:19:07
who God is. That the confidence we have in preaching
1:19:12
Christ, people will be asking, why is this brother
1:19:15
so passionate about evangelism? Why is this sister
1:19:21
so passionate about this Christ? Someone asked
1:19:25
me that. In the office, while I was working some
1:19:28
years back in the office here, my boss walked
1:19:31
into my room and she was asking, are you being
1:19:37
paid from anywhere? I said, no. Then why are
1:19:46
you so passionate about this fellowship of a
1:19:49
thing? And I told her, you see this fellowship,
1:19:52
I can leave school because of this fellowship.
1:19:59
Because I've come to a point that I'm convinced
1:20:01
that this is life. Amen? And a person does not
1:20:08
just walk into this and I'm hoping that I will
1:20:11
grow more every single day in the knowledge of
1:20:14
God. I will grow deeper in the knowledge of who
1:20:16
God is. There's a place of knowledge you come
1:20:20
to know about God that it is impossible to deny
1:20:23
God. Amen? It's impossible to Even the disciples
1:20:30
went away with him. Later on we'll see. When
1:20:34
everybody was walking away, they said, will you
1:20:36
also go? Peter, who is their spokesman, said,
1:20:40
unto who shall we go? We've come to realize,
1:20:45
we've come to know that you are the one that
1:20:48
have eternal life. So where are we going? Where
1:20:53
else are we going to go? Even if it's hard. You
1:20:57
see, the people that will walk away from the
1:21:02
faith are people that don't have fruit. Right?
1:21:08
They remain at the surface level. When trial
1:21:12
comes, what happens? It swifts them away. When
1:21:15
temptation comes, what happens? It takes them
1:21:17
away. But for you, your testimony is that you
1:21:23
know God. Amen? And the knowledge of God you
1:21:27
will have. You will be like that house that is
1:21:30
built on the rock. And you are grounded. You
1:21:35
are firm on the rock. Your root goes down into
1:21:39
the ground. Hallelujah. The wind will blow. The
1:21:47
temptations will come. The challenges will rise.
1:21:49
On account of the truth, you will be persecuted.
1:21:58
Oh, some of you, they will fire you from your
1:22:01
jobs on account of the truth. Some of you, you'll
1:22:05
be rejected by your loved ones. It will happen.
1:22:13
But your testimony will be that, see, I've come
1:22:16
to know who God is. And it's too late for me
1:22:19
to say what? To say I'm going back. But you see,
1:22:24
it takes a man, it takes a woman that knows God.
1:22:30
To reach this place of conviction. Sometimes
1:22:34
when I read. Or read a little bit about. The
1:22:37
men who gave themselves. Why will the apostles.
1:22:41
First of all let's begin with the apostles. What
1:22:43
do you think would be so convincing. If you look
1:22:45
at how. Each and every one of them was killed.
1:22:49
Except John. Some of them the Bible says. History
1:22:53
rather. Says that they were sworn into pieces.
1:22:59
How can a man believe a lie to the point of giving
1:23:04
his life? How can a man be willing to say, see,
1:23:11
even if you shoot me, you kill me, I will not
1:23:15
deny the faith. The history of the church will
1:23:22
see men that have laid down their lives for the
1:23:26
gospel. Some were excommunicated. Some were boiled
1:23:35
in hot oil. Some were burned with fire. And the
1:23:42
only condition they were given was to renounce
1:23:44
what? To renounce the gospel. And they were not
1:23:53
willing to because you know what? They have come
1:23:56
to know God. They have come to know the truth.
1:23:58
To the point that they are willing to lay down
1:24:00
their lives for the truth that they know. And
1:24:06
I see God moving us to this place of knowledge.
1:24:09
I see God moving us to this place of intimacy.
1:24:11
I see God bringing us to a place of conviction.
1:24:16
Men that will do exploits are men of conviction.
1:24:22
And conviction is a product of knowledge. The
1:24:27
knowledge of God. The knowledge of what he's
1:24:30
doing. The knowledge of what he has done. It
1:24:38
would take a man and a woman of conviction to
1:24:44
say, see, this job they're going to give me,
1:24:47
right? I may be making $100 ,000 annually. But
1:24:54
what this job will do for me is that it will
1:24:55
take away Christ. It will take away, you know,
1:24:58
an opportunity for me to know, it will affect
1:25:01
my relationship with God. It will take a man
1:25:04
and a woman of conviction to say no to such kind
1:25:08
of an opportunity for a source of livelihood
1:25:11
and say, I choose to trust God for something
1:25:14
else because I know that this will be a hindrance
1:25:18
to me serving God and living for God. It's not
1:25:23
just casual knowledge. It's not just casual knowledge.
1:25:32
Amen? It's not just casual knowledge. You always
1:25:38
see the crowds. The crowds will come around and
1:25:43
there will be 5 ,000. They will give you loaves
1:25:46
of bread. You know those ones? Jim, Jim, Jim
1:25:52
in church. Oh, this service was powerful. It
1:25:57
is a crowd. I'm not saying that singing and dancing
1:26:01
is bad. That's not what I'm saying. But if you
1:26:04
take away the instruments, the drums and the
1:26:06
keyboard, will you still sing? Or your devotion
1:26:12
for God is musically stimulated. If we say now
1:26:19
in this church we no longer play the keyboard,
1:26:21
we only come and clap. Will you dance and sweat?
1:26:31
Let's move away from the crowd and then come
1:26:36
into a place of intimacy, a place of relationship
1:26:39
with God that will know him in discipleship,
1:26:43
that will build this knowledge of him that will
1:26:46
be able to execute his will on the earth. Hallelujah.
1:26:57
It is crucial. Knowing God is important. And
1:27:01
that is what God is doing right now. Even Moses.
1:27:04
You see the story of Moses. When Moses was called
1:27:06
in Exodus chapter 3. That was a challenge he
1:27:10
had to cross. Exodus chapter 3 verse 1. Now,
1:27:23
when Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his
1:27:26
father -in -law, a priest of Midian, and he led
1:27:31
the flock to the back of the desert and came
1:27:34
to Horeb, the mount of God. And the angel of
1:27:39
the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from
1:27:42
the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold,
1:27:46
the bush was burning with fire. But the bush
1:27:51
was not consumed. Then Moses said, I will now
1:27:55
turn aside and see this great sight by why the
1:27:59
bush does not burn. So when the Lord saw, he
1:28:03
turned aside to look. God called him from the
1:28:06
midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses. And
1:28:10
he said, here I am. Then he said, do not draw
1:28:14
near this place. Take your sandals off your feet.
1:28:18
For the place where you stand is holy ground.
1:28:22
Moreover, he said, I am the God of your father.
1:28:25
You see introduction? God was introducing himself
1:28:30
to who? Because you see, if Moses would go and
1:28:35
preach the people of God in Egypt, he must know
1:28:39
who this God is. He must know because there are
1:28:43
many gods. There are many gods out there. But
1:28:52
this God is a God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
1:28:58
and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face,
1:29:03
for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord
1:29:07
said, I have surely seen the oppression of my
1:29:09
people who are in Egypt, and I've heard... their
1:29:13
cry because of their taskmasters. For I know
1:29:17
their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver
1:29:22
them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to
1:29:25
bring them up from that land to a good and large
1:29:29
land, to a land flowing with milk and honey to
1:29:33
the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites
1:29:36
and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites
1:29:40
and the Jebusites. Now, therefore, this is his
1:29:43
call. Now, therefore, behold, the cry of the
1:29:47
children of Israel has come to me, and I have
1:29:49
also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians
1:29:52
oppressed them. Come now, therefore, I will send
1:29:58
you, that you may bring my people, the children
1:30:05
of Israel, out of Egypt. But Moses said to God,
1:30:11
Whom am I that I should go to Pharaoh, that I
1:30:15
should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?
1:30:18
So he said, I will certainly be with you. And
1:30:22
this shall be a sign to you that I have sent
1:30:25
you. When you have brought the people out of
1:30:28
Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.
1:30:32
Then Moses said to God, indeed, when I come to
1:30:35
the children of Israel and say to them, the God
1:30:37
of your fathers has sent me to you and they say
1:30:40
to me, what is his name? What shall I say to
1:30:44
them? And God said to Moses, I am who I am. And
1:30:51
he said, first you shall say to the children
1:30:53
of Israel, I am has sent you, sent me to you.
1:30:59
Hallelujah. So Moses was inquisitive about who
1:31:05
God is. Who is the God that is sending you? Do
1:31:11
you know him? Do you have a relationship with
1:31:13
him? Which God are you going out there? Listen,
1:31:18
Egypt is a picture. Alright? In scriptures, Egypt
1:31:23
is a picture. It's a picture of operation. Operation
1:31:27
is a picture of sin. And Moses is a deliverer.
1:31:37
A messenger has been sent to deliver them from
1:31:44
darkness, to deliver them from oppression. And
1:31:47
we equally have that ministry as Moses. To go
1:31:52
and deliver people from darkness. To deliver
1:31:56
people from oppression. To deliver people from
1:31:59
the works of darkness. To save them from what?
1:32:02
From wickedness. From oppression. But how are
1:32:08
we going to save them? Because what will save
1:32:14
them is a message. What are we going to tell
1:32:18
them? Who are we going to tell them? What will
1:32:22
save them is a message. And the message is a
1:32:24
who. The message is a person. Hallelujah. Now,
1:32:35
do you know that person? We must know that person.
1:32:43
Because the knowledge of God is important. If
1:32:48
not, Do you know what will happen to us? Let's
1:32:52
look at what will happen. Acts 19. We will not
1:32:59
be able to do it if we don't know God. Acts 19
1:33:02
verse 11. Let's see a story here. Now God walk
1:33:13
unusual miracle by the hands of Paul. So that
1:33:16
even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from
1:33:20
his body to the sick. And what happened? Diseases
1:33:24
left them and the evil spirit went out. Then
1:33:29
some of the Iteran Jewish exorcists saw what
1:33:37
Paul did. They said, this is good stuff. We're
1:33:42
going to do something. They took it upon themselves.
1:33:45
To call the name of the Lord Jesus over those
1:33:48
who are evil spirits. Saying, look at what they
1:33:51
say. We exercise you by the Jesus. Whom who?
1:34:03
Whom my pastor preach. We cast out these demons
1:34:11
in the name of the God of my father. Also there
1:34:19
were what? Seven sons of Siva. A Jewish chief
1:34:23
priest. Who did so? These were seven young men
1:34:26
who did. And what happened to them? And the evil
1:34:31
spirit answered and said, Jesus I know. Paul
1:34:39
I also know. But you half one. Who are you? Who
1:34:44
ghost you? And what happened? Then the man in
1:34:51
whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered
1:34:56
them, and prevailed. But remember, those who
1:35:00
know their God shall what? Shall what? Shall
1:35:05
be what? Shall be what? Shall be strong and what?
1:35:11
So these ones, what happened to them? They were
1:35:13
what? They were prevailed against. They were
1:35:17
overpowered. So that they fled out of that house
1:35:22
how? Naked and wounded. This is shame. Naked
1:35:31
and what? And wounded. Why? Because they were
1:35:37
trying to do something that they don't have shame
1:35:39
in. They are trying to do something that they
1:35:42
don't have authority to do. They were trying
1:35:45
to do something that they don't have access to
1:35:47
do. But have they heard about Jesus? Yes, they
1:35:55
did. Do they believe Jesus? I doubt if they did.
1:36:01
Amen? Do you know that there was even a time
1:36:06
when they brought some sick people to the disciples?
1:36:09
To heal. And what happened? They couldn't heal
1:36:14
them. And Jesus made reference to their unbelief.
1:36:19
How many times will I be with you? So for us
1:36:26
to be effective, for us to be able to carry out
1:36:29
the work of ministry, listen, I can tell you
1:36:31
this, that ministry is warfare. Are we together?
1:36:38
It's life and death. A minister is always a target
1:36:43
by the enemy. Hallelujah. A target, number one,
1:36:49
your faith is a target. Your life is a target.
1:36:55
Your stability is a target. And what will establish
1:37:00
you is a knowledge of God. It's a knowledge of
1:37:05
God. So for us not to suffer disgrace, disgrace
1:37:16
to the name of God, disrepute to the name of
1:37:19
God, shame to the kingdom, shame to the family,
1:37:23
it's essential that we give ourselves to knowing
1:37:26
God. It's essential. And in knowing him, we are
1:37:32
in a relationship with him. We are in a communion
1:37:36
with him. We are in intimacy with him. That we
1:37:41
will know what to do. We will know where to go.
1:37:45
We will know how to go. We will know the message.
1:37:52
Hallelujah. Let's rise on our feet and pray a
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little bit. Let's rise on our feet. The intent
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of God is to reveal himself to us. I want you
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to pray. Pray that God will reveal himself to
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you. Pray. Pray for yourself. That your eyes
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will be enlightened. That your eyes will be enlightened.
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That was the prayer of Paul to the church. I
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don't know God. Let's pray. Let's pray. Pray
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for yourself. Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ,
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that I will know you. That I will know you. That
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I will know you. The revelation of Jesus is essential.
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To manifesting the kingdom of God. Lord, that
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I will know you. That I will know you, that I
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will know you, that I will know you. Lord Jesus,
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this is my prayer. This is my desire. For me
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to represent you in this generation, I must know
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you. This is our heart cry, Lord Jesus, in this
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generation. That we will know you. That at least
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amongst us here will know you. Not just by rumors.
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Not just by hearsays. Open your mouth and pray,
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and pray, pray, pray, pray. Listen. It is the
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intention, listen, it is God's will to reveal
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himself to us. It is God's intent to reveal himself
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to us in this meeting so we can better represent
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him, so we can better preach him, so we can better
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better and better do the work of ministry thank
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you Jesus thank you for listening to today's
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sermon your journey matters to us let's keep
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walking together visit our website for more resources
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And follow us on social media to stay updated.
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Feel free to check the show notes for additional
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insights. If today's message was a blessing,
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share it with a friend. Till next time, be blessed.