Takeaways From Israel

Hi. This is Dave Olson.

I'm the senior leader of Hartman church located in Ankeny Iowa.

I hope the following message, challenges, and courage, has and

ultimately changes you. Thanks for joining us.

We came back from Israel on there was, I think 27 of us

pastors that went and we traveled by the time.

We touch down in New York. I think we'd been up about

thirty eight hours and we arrived to find out that our

flight to Des When have been canceled.

And so we had to get a hotel there in New York and we didn't

want to go to bed in the morning because then our clock would

reset. So we went bouncing around New

York for the day. So by the time we got to the

hotel that night we were crispy. And so we finally got home.

I want to say it was Friday, was it Friday night?

No Thursday night. What day is it?

It's a so anyway, we get we got home and, but it was it was a

wonderful time. We got to see so many It's we

went with Christians United for Israel.

It's a Ministry that John Hagee started and he one of the

purposes of it is to expose pastors.

Not only to the biblical sites of the promised land but also to

the geopolitical situation that Israel lives under.

And so we had numerous briefings by Intelligence Officers and

Military Officers and so forth. It was just a fascinating time.

So it was both geopolitical and You know, looking at all the

history of Israel. And so we went, you know, we

went from the Golan Heights down to the Gaza Strip and then end

at different archaeological. Digs one of which was it's not

open to the public because of their their their Mojo with

Israel. We were allowed to go in and and

go deep under the ground. It was just it was fast.

It was like, you know, guys little little boys become grown

man who never outgrow being a little boy and if you can go

down and Deep holes and see things.

I mean, it's that's cool. And so it was, it was an amazing

trip. But as I said, I was really

struck by how the small scale of Israel and the Lord began to

speak to me about that. I was just contemplating through

some things. And as I was looking at that,

when I got home, someone called me, but in fact they had reached

out to me while I was still over there and I said I told him

where I was at, you know, I had my phone turned off.

Off, but I could still get text and email when I had Wi-Fi and I

just, I said, hey, let me give you a call when I get home.

And now they wrote back said, sure, just the Lord spoke to me.

Something about, you know, the Lord showed me something I

wanted to share with you. And so I called them yesterday

and they begin to share with me that they were, they had gone

off on their own trip. This, this is not someone who

attends regularly here. They had their own trip and as

they were spending some time with the Lord, they said the

Lord spoke to them about Heartland.

And what they shared with me was exactly what the Lord was

speaking to me. And it really stunned.

Me. I brought tears to my eyes.

I was driving down the road when they shared it with me.

And I think it's important that all of us know what the Lord

said. You know God works among tribes.

You know, we've talked about it around here, many times.

You got to find your peeps, you got to find your tribe.

The promised land was given to the children of Israel, one

nation under God, but it with the inheritance of that promised

land was divided among tribal affiliation and you needed to

know your tribe in order to enter into your inheritance.

And so there's there are streams within the body of Christ, and

it's not that there's this one. Is right and this one's better.

It's there's their specific. Callings and specific territory

allocated to different streams in the body of Christ, and when

we realize that, then we can bless other streams and neck,

recognize, man. That's really important.

What they're doing, it's not what I'm called to there are,

you know, there are General things that were all called to

Jesus is Lord, preached the gospel, you know, those are

those are non negotiables that every tribe is called to, but

there are specific Things that God will call us to pursue and

do and, and so forth. And for instance, there is the

Revival stream within the body of Christ.

There is the, the, the prayer movement within the body of

Christ. There's the mission movement

within the body of Christ. There are different movements

that and churches that tend to gravitate towards some of those

different things. And it's important for us to

realize what we're called to. And one of the ways we recognize

that is, when you walk in a place and you Begin to hear them

using the language that puts into words.

What's in your heart already? You come in there and you start

hearing them talk and it's like, oh my goodness.

They're my peeps. They're putting into words.

What I've been longing for, what I've been that this they have,

they're putting making language to what?

What I feel like I was put on planet Earth for and sometimes

you don't even discover that until you hear someone else

articulated and it's like, oh it's like water to your soul and

it's very important for us to find our people.

It's very important for us to find our tribe or to put it in.

In a more modern more boring vernacular it's important for

you to find the right Church. You got to find the church,

you're called to because that church will determine the group

of people you're going to run with and The Inheritance you

enter into. And again it's not a matter of

this church is better than that church and vice versa man, we

got to run from that. I'm telling you there's you want

to find a quick way to to create an Ichabod moment, where the

spirit of God departs is you start to be arrogant about what

you're breaking into as a Believer.

You begin to get this. This it's us.

Against them and we're Superior to them and God will just lift

his hand off of a church, but we want to go low but we also want

to own what God has called us to.

And as so I was over in Israel and I just felt the Lord began

to churn some things in my spirit.

I have for many years I have been so intrigued by a number of

themes. Let's pray.

Father, help me this morning, Lord, I'm asking Can God that

you would lead my mind instruct my mouth and release the truths

this morning that you want us to know.

Lord God, I ask that you would speak to us very clearly and

Lord I ask that in the in the spirit there would be a chalk

line snapped and we would recognize the boundary lines of

our inheritance Lord, we would understand what were called to

In Jesus name. Amen.

Let's start with a passage this morning.

And we'll see where we end up, literally.

Okay, look at a second. Samuel chapter five.

Verse 1, all the tribes of Israel.

I'm going to read out of the NIV this morning, all the tribes of

Israel, came to David at Hebron and said, we are your own flesh

and blood and the past while Saul was King over us.

You were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.

In the Lord said to you you will Shepherd My People Israel and

you will become their ruler. So it what this is is this is

the final anointing of King, David.

I just alluded to their several themes that have gripped.

My heart for Several decades. Now, David being one of them,

David, the idea of Jerusalem. What's the deal with this city?

And then the other one is the whole idea of Melchizedek the

priesthood of Melchizedek. We've talked about that.

A number of times, I don't know how much we'll get into that

this morning, but those three themes intertwined themselves

and are very, very important for us to understand in this hour of

human history, especially as Heartland Church.

And so we see David, David? David had three anointings he

was anointed by a prophet in private.

When nobody else recognized, what was on David's life?

There was no public demonstration.

That would have warranted someone saying, hey, there's

greatness in that boy. There was nothing that that he

was publicly demonstrating. That would make people that

would capture people's attention.

There were things that had happened in private David was on

the backside of the desert. He killed a lion.

He killed a bear. There were, there were Feats of

Bravery. There were, there were things

that he had tied into the Lord on and David found a father.

When there was this Rift in his relationship with his own

Earthly, father, Jesse, we don't know all that happened with

Jesse, but we know that there was this this Rift in their

relationship so much. So that when Samuel the prophet

the judge of Israel at the time, it would be like Billy Graham

and the president of the United States inhabiting the same body

and say and I'm coming to lunch at your house.

And Jessie left his one, son on the backside of the desert.

There's this Rift in this relationship but David would

penned these words God as a father to the fatherless and

sets the lonely in families and David found a father in God, his

father and is void. His weakness became his strength

and the very thing, the enemy meant to sabotage, David's life

with became a stronghold in God. David had a relationship with

God, unlike any other David is numbered among the prophets in

the Old Testament and he is arguably one of the greatest

Prophets. I believe one of the one of the

top two or three prophets of the Old Testament, David was a

prophet. He was a king.

He functioned as a priest, David lived as a new testament man

under the old Covenant. David broke into Revelation,

David understood things that he wrote in the Psalms there is no

way he could have understood that other than, by Revelation

prophetic, Revelation, David was taken up, and he was shown

things by Oh God. David was a man of tremendous

insight. Many of the things that David

prophesied about began were realized in the New Covenant,

and David was the prophetic voice that introduced him to

Israel and we're still unpacking.

Some of the things that David understood.

He was an amazing man. So David was anointed by Samuel

because God said this, God said he rebuked Sam.

Who said Sam it's time to quit grieving over Saul whom you are

you anointed before pick up your oil.

And pick up your horn, fill it with oil for I have found a man

after my own heart scholars. Believe that David was about 14

years old at that time, but God was already referring to him.

As what, a man after my own heart youth, you don't have to

be a legal adult to be a man or a woman of God in God's eyes.

God sees things in your heart even as a young child that he

will Mark you and will set the course of your life Samuel.

The one that David was marked as a little tiny boy.

It says he was a little boy in a linen.

Ephod running around playing priest, but he captured the

heart of God. And so God will see something in

someone's heart. And that's what happened with

David David captured, the heart of God and God said, I have a

man after my own heart and so Samuel anointed him when nobody

else saw his potential. The second anointing that David

experienced. The first anointing was an

anointing to be king but But his ascending to the throne would

not happen for about if I remember my, my math, right?

Don't hold it against me, I'm pleading jet lag, but I think

was about 14 years that David would run before he would Ascend

the throne. And so David had an anointing to

be king. But no Outlet to express that

anointing and everybody, there's there's a sense in which all of

our Lives. We have to go through those

Journeys. God will put a touch on your

life. And you have no Outlet to

express it. And the fact is, if you will

force that and you will prematurely find an outlet for

that, you will diminish. What God has on your life?

It's kind of like, a teapot you need to let it boil for a while.

So there's going to be a whistle, but if you lift the

kettle lid, you will let the steam out prematurely, and you

won't hear a whistle. And now, I know that's a weird

illustration, but it's going to have to do this morning.

Okay, there's God's hand on your life.

God will frustrate you with the call.

He really well they'll put a call on you and it will

frustrate you. It says of Joseph that the word

of the Lord tested him Psalm 105.

He had a promise but he didn't have an outlet for the promise

and it tested him at grinded it rubbed him Raw.

And there's a time in everybody's life and and in this

day and age of social media where it's easy to promote

ourselves and to create a Ministry.

And I'm not saying that social media is wrong.

Social media has become a platform that a lot of people

can use for Ministry. But there's also the danger of

creating a platform God didn't assign you.

On social media, everybody's an expert.

As long as you got a good background and some good sound

equipment, you can sound like an expert.

Let's move off that. So date his second anointing,

David was anointed the first anointing, he was anointed king

but he had no Outlet. The second anointing was when

his tribe anointed him. The tribe of Judah said, we

recognize the hand of God on your life.

The people you run with Will begin to recognize something on

your life. In the New Testament, we see

when Jesus was baptized, he went down in the water and there's

two different gospels that that address.

This one gospel says, when he came up out of the water, the

voice said, this is my son in whom I'm, well, pleased.

The other gospel says, you are my son.

Isn't that interesting? Which one was it?

Uh-huh. One was for Jesus sake, the

other was for the crowd sake. And the call of God on your life

has to have both, you better know your called you know it'd

be one thing. It'd be great if I if I thought

I was called to the pastor of this church but you weren't

convinced and be kind of an awkward thing.

I'll be preaching to an empty room And it wouldn't do any good

if you were convinced, but I wasn't because I wouldn't show

up on Sunday early, or I'd keep sitting there when it came time

to preach. There's this internal witness in

the external witness the growing in favor with God.

And with, man and we're men begin to recognize the touch of

God in your life and that was David, S anointing.

But then there was a third anointing and I believe that

there's, this is a pattern for everybody's life.

There's a third anointing where we come into the fullness.

Us of what God has called us to. And now David was ascending the

throne for all of Israel. And when that thing, clicked

into place, when it locked and loaded, things begin to change

and that's what we're seeing here.

So, David was anointed by all of Israel.

But what I find fascinating here is it says all the tribes of

Israel? Came to David and Hebron.

They said, we understand we said we're your own flesh and blood

and the past saw was King over us and you were the one who let

us in the military campaigns. And God said to you, you will

Shepherd my people All Israel and the, you will become their

ruler. They already knew the word of

the Lord. Yet they didn't honor the word

of the Lord until the son of Saul was removed.

They would they still honored Earthly protocol over the

anointing. There will always be those who

will honor the systems of men. More than the, the anointing of

God. There's going to be those who

recognize the anointing and they'll follow it, and then

there's others. But God will use those systems

of men to prepare a platform for us to express the anointing on

her life. In this is not just for people

called into full-time Ministry. We're all called to Ministry

some vocational, some volunteer, some are called to do it,

full-time? Others are called to do it

within the sphere of their Fluence and so all of us are

called to Ministry. All of us are called to carry

the kingdom. And there are, there are spheres

of influence that when we're faithful with little God will

make us faithful with much. And so there's promotional

anointing. There's promotional touches of

God on our life. And so we see with David David

was, he carried an anointing and it caused him to kill Goliath

right after he received that anointing.

He faces down Goliath. We saw the valley where David

fought Goliath that was the one place that I thought.

Wow. That's a lot bigger than I

thought. That was a big area.

And David fought Goliath and the anointing brought him into a

conflict. Gave him Victory and then

attracted more conflict because it made other people Saul King

Saul jealous of him and then David came.

He was faithful with that anointing.

So then David was made King over Judah, and then finally, over

the whole nation. So we read on here, I got to

hurry, I know. It's like, you guys are the ones

holding me up or something. Hey, look at verse 3 when all

the Elders of Israel had Come to King David Hebrew.

I'm the king made a covenant with him and he brought before

the Lord in the anointed. David King over Israel.

David was 30 year old 30 years old, when he became the king.

And he reigned for forty years and Hebron.

He reigned over Judah, seven years and six months and in

Jerusalem he reigned over all of Israel and Judah 33 years.

Look at the very next thing. It says the king and his men

marched to Jerusalem to attack the jebusites who lived there.

The jebusites said David, you will not get in here, get in

here, even the Blind and the lame can word you off.

They thought David cannot get in here.

Nevertheless, David captured, the Fortress of Zion, which is

the city of David on that day. David had said anyone who

conquers the jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach

those lines. Lame and blind who are David's

enemies. This is why it they say the

Blind and lame will not enter the palace.

David took up residence in the Fortress and called it the city

of David. He built up the area from around

it, from The Terraces Inward, and he became more and more

powerful because the Lord Almighty was with him.

It begs the question. and I've been asking the Lord about this

for many years and I've got some answers but I don't I don't have

I'm not satisfied with what I know presently but it begs the

question. Why Jerusalem?

This little city that's had contention all through its

history. The eyes of the world are on

this city, why Jerusalem? And this isn't the first time we

see David show up at Jerusalem. When David conquered, it was a

jebusite stronghold. The truth be told, it was only

about a 10 to 11 acre plot of ground.

They for many years, archaeologists thought that the

city of David that we that we're talking about here is in the oh,

that what's called Old Jerusalem and there's the walled City.

You see where the, the Wailing Wall is.

And those of you that have been to Jerusalem, you, you know what

I'm talking about? There's these beautiful, these

beautiful stone walls. Matter of fact, the British

mandated that all building in Jerusalem had to be done with

that. That those those same type of

sandstones and it's so it's gorgeous, you come and you Crest

over the hill and you see Israel laid out before you and it's all

this sand color building, it's gorgeous.

And for many years, they thought it was what's called The Old

City. You can tour The Old City to

this day. There's many excavations going

on there. If you're on Facebook you can

get on my Facebook and see a bunch of them that we went

through and I need to post some more but it wasn't until I want

to say it was in the 20s. There was a British

archaeologist was sent by the queen.

They said go and dig and in the old city of David and find more

of David's history. He went there and I said, you

can't dig here and he thought well, You know what?

They're the Queen's. Not going to know where I dug.

She just said, go dig. So he went outside the city wall

and started digging in a Potato Patch, just south of the city

wall and lo and behold, he discovered the city of David.

The city of David was buried under an old Potato Patch.

And again, it was only about 10 or 11 acres.

What that's, that's a third. Let's almost a fourth of the

size of the property that we own today.

I always thought it was this huge City, you know, this this

huge walled City, but it wasn't. It was a very small patch of

ground, but there was something in David that discerned the

importance of this city. Why?

I think we need to understand why.

Now, let's listen to what it says in verse 11.

Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David along with cedar

logs and carpenters stonemasons. And they built a palace for

David. One of the things that we toured

was the Palace of David. They have discovered it, just

it's in part of that, that Potato Patch.

And the reason one of the reasons they knew it was David's

Palace was this very verse right here.

Then David knew that the Lord had established well, when

backup. Now, hire him king of Tyre, sent

envoys to David along with cedar logs and carpenters and

stonemasons. And they built a palace for

David. So now that Hiram was a the king

of Tyre of Phoenician Kingdom, and there was a certain type of

pillar that was carved by Phoenician King for Phoenician

Kings. It was a royal signia that was

on the top of these pillars and it's well known in

archaeological history. Well, they found one of those in

the ruins of what they thought, just, maybe David's Palace and

that. But they said, well, why would

that be David's Palace? That's a Phoenician insignia for

royalty. And then they found this verse

Hiram sent carpenters and stonemasons to build a palace

for David. And because they were building a

Royal Palace, they use that type of structure.

And there's a picture of you can go on my Facebook is right

there, get on Google it. You can find this the top of the

this pillar. So they found David's Palace.

Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over

Israel and exalted his kingdom for the Sake of his people,

Israel. That is a very interesting verse

the King. James version says that this

way, David perceived that the Lord had made him King over

Israel. You think?

Well, don't you think you should have known that earlier?

He's wearing the crown sitting on the throne, what's the deal

he suddenly perceived? There are several meanings that

that verse can have one that all of a sudden David.

There was a more of an awareness in his life that hey, this is

God's doing God sent me in this place.

Some people translate it that way and interpret it that way.

I believe the real thing the Lord is trying to communicate to

us as this then David perceived that God had made him King for

the sake of the people of Israel.

David Rees David suddenly had an awareness of the purpose of his

anointing. David understood why?

God's hand was on his life, it's not good enough to realize that

God's hands on your life. You need to realize the purpose

for God's hand on your life. God has a specific purpose and a

specific calling on each one of our lives.

And when we understand the purpose of our calling, we can

begin to leverage that thing you see, when you have an anointing

on your life, you can enjoy it but you can't leverage it

unless, you know, the purpose for it.

And there's a place where we need to come into an awareness

of why God has called us. I saw something on, I don't know

as some social media, or I dreamt it.

I don't know. Sometime this last week and this

guy was talking about, he said, three things about the church

and I thought, man, he just put into words something so

significant. He said this, the church is a

hospital, a family, and an army, And there's a progression to

that. That's very important for us to

understand. There are some who only look at

the church as a hospital and therefore, they become dependent

upon the church to do things for them.

Because they their identity is that they're broken their

wounded and I'm coming to the church simply to be healed.

And that is the first phase of your interaction often with the

church. Hey, when I got saved, I came

into the kingdom and the kingdom was a hospital.

I was broken and they needed a nurse me back to health, but if

you remain there, there's something missing in.

You'll never move into maturity. The church always has to have

that hospital component. Terry and Liz wave at everybody,

Terry and Liz had up Freedom Ministries.

They are doctors in the hospital.

And that is the entry point. And if you try to become part of

the family, without going through the hospital, pity the

family because you will, you will begin to relate with others

based on your own Brokenness in your own woundedness.

Matter of fact, you may even try to multiply your Brokenness in

your woundedness. I was just talking to Travis and

Sara wave at everybody. These friends of mine from a

Tumblr. They were, they were out of

Deliverance weekend with Terry and Liz and there were just

sharing Hang with me that they were part of they went to a

conference sometime back and someone they were talking about

mental health. And this person got up and

talked about how they, their testimony was that they struggle

with mental health. They're saying nothing was said

about God. Nothing was talk about is

delivering power and their testimony was how they struggle

with mental health. Do you know that there's a whole

stream of Christianity right now that they think the ultimate

expression of the kingdom is us being authentic and transparent

about our struggles with no promise of deliverance.

From it, that the high Watermark of Christianity is not pressing

in for deliverance, it's being transparent.

That we Ogle. And that's the best way we can

show up. Just being honest.

Now, that's good, be honest, but don't settle for that as being

the high water mark because your transparency should lead you

into Deliverance where they knew.

Can now take your place as a healthy member of the family of

God. But if you're just if this is

the high water mark, then all we are is a bunch of dysfunctional.

People hanging out with each other swapping stories, about

who's hey, let me beat your store.

I more dysfunctional. Then you are.

Oh yeah. You want to top that.

You know what, I just did? That is not a good

representation of the body of Christ.

So we come in, has into a hospital but then we move into a

family. We have Healing Ministry, we

have inner healing, we have Deliverance, these are the

components of the hospital. This is the on-ramp and I'm

telling you, if you have just started to attend Heartland,

Avail yourself of those strees, you say, well, I've been through

that, it doesn't hurt to go get some more.

You know, how many times I went through Christ's life, I'm still

using that stuff on myself. Christian, you know, you've

heard the old saying living for Jesus is like an onion, one

layer at a time and a lot of Tears.

We're all growing, but maturity means we Embrace this reality.

But we also move into this place where we become a part of a

healthy family. You get part of a life group,

you begin to build relationships.

It's not just that, you know, the back of someone's head from

Sunday but you sit face-to-face sometime between Monday and

Saturday and you begin to build some relationships.

And I'm telling you, there are certain things in your life, you

will never overcome outside of relationship.

Now, I know we've talked about this before but not while I'm

metal, and let me just get my poke my finger in here.

First John says, It very clearly, first John chapter 1,

1 John 1 · chapter mention

walk in the light, as he is in the light, that's that

transparency thing, right? Walk in the light, as he is, in

the light, not nothing hidden in my life.

And then he says, and you will have Fellowship one with

another. When you're transparent, you can

begin to have real relationships.

And when you have real relationships, transparency will

lead to intimacy and intimacy will result in Purity.

He says this and then the blood of Jesus Will Cleanse you from

all unrighteousness what he's insinuating.

Is there are certain buceta NG sins, certain habits, certain

things that will trip you up in your walk that you will never

overcome on your own. Getting with Jesus fasting and

praying, rocking yourself away in a monastery for a month.

Isn't going to break that thing because the only way you're

going to know what it is is when it shows up in a relationship.

You know, I'm a very unselfish person when I'm alone.

I don't get irritated with other people.

When I'm alone, there are things that God needs to bring me into

relationship with to reveal to me.

Try driving around for 10 days, with 27 pastors who are used to

being leaders man. I want to tell you, God bless

the guy that led us. He was shepherding Shepherd's.

He made a comment at one point it's like herding cats.

I think. Yeah.

Angry ones. We kept wandering off on her own

because We're used to being in charge and he's having to kind

of, you know, heard us back. We need relationships because we

don't even know what we're struggling with until we come

into relationship. So we go from a hospital to a

family but that's not the end. This would be an an Evangelistic

expression. Bring them in, even a pastoral

expression, get them healed, have a family, another pastoral

expression teaching, let's grow them up.

But it doesn't stop there. We've got to understand the

purpose of our anointing, and God created you to be a soldier

in the army of God. We are a people on a mission and

if we never move from family to Army, then all we're doing is

we're just, it's kind of a cuddle Club.

Oh, doesn't Jesus? Loved us.

Oh, we're just loved by Jesus. And what about the people who

don't know that yet? So we've got to be a people on a

mission and that's where we move into the purpose of our

anointing. And the way that happens is the

way it happened with David. At the beginning, only a prophet

sees what's on our life, we don't recognize it no one else

does. I mean, it takes divine

revelation to see any potential in US?

But a prophet can call that out like Samuel did and David, but

then you start to hang out with family.

He's hung out with the tribe of Judah and they recognized the

hand of the Lord is on David to lead us and your gift begins to

rise to the surface but it wasn't until David moved into

his third anointing. That he began to take ground and

Advance the kingdom, like never before he began to set up a new

headquarters in Jerusalem. We're not even going to get to

that. Part this morning to Jerusalem,

it's a fascinating study. Hopefully, someday we can get

into it. We've talked about it a little

bit, but we need to we need to move through those stages.

And like, David understand the purpose.

Of the anointing on our life. Your purpose is greater than

being part of a family. That's a wonderful thing.

That's the base. That's the thing we come back

to. That's our personal support but

we never really move into the fullness of what God intends for

us. We never unto unleash, the

potential all that God put within us.

And so desires to call all of us until we begin to find the

purpose of our anointing. Like David did David perceived

that he had been made King for Israel.

It wasn't just so he could live in a nice house.

It wasn't just So he could tell people what to do, David

realized God is leveraging me for the sake of others and

that's where we begin to move into maturity.

It's like the stages of it of a human life.

We come into the world, we are absolutely dependent.

Somebody needs to take care of us.

That's the hospital. But over time, we become

independent, we begin to come care for ourselves and we can

have healthy relationships. But the real thing that God

wants to move us to is to become Dependable where others that are

totally dependent and broken others.

That don't know, yet that we can begin to Bear the weight of the

family. We can bear the weight of the

cause and God is calling us higher.

Okay, let me shift gears. This is going to be a next snap

because I'm I got off onto something that I want to get

back into this, okay? So here's here's what I was,

contemplating this in Israel, I just I was I was just having

talks with the Lord about Lord. This is it was amazing.

I this this almost sounds like I was not impressed.

I was deeply impressed on so many levels to what I saw saw.

But what I wasn't impressed was with was the magnitude of

Jerusalem. The city of David.

Matter of fact, I was like, wow. This is it.

And it begs the question because you read in scripture where the

Bible talks about Zion Mount Zion, when the Bible talks about

Jerusalem, it talks in these grandiose terms, like, oh, the

the Mountain of God, that the the Envy of all the other

mountains. And you look, that's kind of a

generous term, calling that a mountain, it's more, like a

hill, you know. Okay.

It really. Now, there are some mountains

off in the distance. I got pictures of my own.

Her moan, you know what that Means to me that was awesome.

But this is little more than a hill and I'm thinking, Lord, no

offense. I mean, the Sea of Galilee was

more like a lake. Beautiful a decent sized Lake,

but I came from Lake Superior. Okay, I looks like an ocean

Galilee I can get across that. Remember when Jesus was going to

cross the sea and they ran around the other side and met

him. That's why they could do that.

I'm like, wow, this is, you know, these are kind of

grandiose terms seas and mountains and its Hills and

Lakes, So, I can come to to conclusions.

Number one, They're being disingenuous and that undermines

the entire book. Which is not an option for me.

The other is this, now, the reason they call it a see is

they didn't have the word lake. So everything will body of water

was to see but it's a small C, okay.

But when it comes to mountains, God's measuring stick is

different than ours. God, doesn't measure God's

measurement is not in size, but an impact.

We see, Zion was first to first time that word shows up is when

David conquers Jerusalem here and the way he conquered is a

whole nother story, amazing. And I by the way, the spring

where we're David, you know, the that they use to it's now a

little house backyard of a house.

They just purchased, it's a neighborhood.

Where Jesus resurrected, Jesus was crucified.

It's now a bus station. Parking lot and somehow that

seemed fitting. People coming and going.

You see, we think of these grandiose terms and God comes

into the ordinary and transforms the world, not in something big.

You didn't send him to Rome. Didn't send him to New York,

send him to Jerusalem. These small places.

Which wasn't even on most people's maps and God's going to

turn history around. Originally Zion was this little

10 11, acre plot of ground. Then over time it been

compassed, Mount Zion and Mount Moriah where Abraham sacral.

You know, it was going to sacrifice Isaac and that's where

Jesus was crucified and, and several other little again

mountains is pretty generous term for these Hills.

And then Zion began to be known as the whole nation of Israel.

And by the time we get to the New Testament, Hebrews 11 says

you have not come to Mount Sinai but you have come to Mount Zion,

the spiritual Jerusalem which by the way we entered into this

morning and worship. We entered into Mount, Zion the

government of God, the the hill of the Lord where God rules and

Reigns from that place. And in worship, we touch those

things. And so God is God, is not

looking at the geographic size, but the impact.

And so, I was just, I was just so intrigued by that and I just

kept turning it over and There was something else going on in

my head, you know, I'm I'm 47 going to be 48 next month.

I mean, 58. So that's why you laughed, okay?

Maybe 58 next month and I know that it's, you know, I mean,

hey, I'm still, I still got a lot left in me but it's so

boring. I got less in front of me than I

have behind me. And I want my life to matter.

I want to, I want to make sure that my I'm not talking about

foursome. Personal namesake.

I don't care if I'm known among men but I want to be known in

heaven. I want to be known in hell.

I want I want to be I want when the enemy comes, he says Jesus,

we know. And Paul, we've heard of one, at

least, I want to make a dent at least that they oh, it's that

guy. I want my life to matter.

And so I was also processing. This thing of saying, God lord

there's got to be more Lord. What do you have for Heartland?

What are you wanting from us? What do you?

What do we need to do? What?

I'm just, I'm searching through my heart saying God, we want to

make an impact. And the Lord began to speak to

me about Jerusalem. How God's measuring stick is

not. The geographic size, but the

spiritual impact. And what looks like a small hill

is a mighty Mountain from a spiritual perspective.

And I thought, yeah, you know, I'm a preacher.

I can, I can look at things and hold out a preach, and I can do

that to myself, okay? So I'm like Lord.

You know, does that really apply to us?

Is that just me? And then I got a phone call.

This person, I told you they reached out to me while I was

still in Israel. And I text my said, how I'll be

back, I'll give you a call and so I called him and They said I

just want to share something with you.

I was I was at their at their brother's house and caring for

their brother and they said I was spending some time with the

Lord and he said all of a sudden, the spirit of God fell

on me and spoke to me about Heartland, This man hit came out

of nowhere. I didn't expect it.

I mean, just the Lord spoke to me and he's trying to explain.

He said, the Lord was telling me that the Grandeur and that was

the very word that I was thinking about the Grandeur of

Jerusalem is much less than the physical than the tournament of

the, the way that heaven assesses, it and I thought,

Lord, you know, You don't measure by our measuring stick,

what happened on that ground. Jesus still Reigns from the

Throne of David. Scripture, says, Mount Zion.

That started as a little patch of geographic, ground has now

become synonymous with the kingdom.

And God is keeps expanding what he's doing and it all started

because he found a man after his own heart.

And so they said, I don't know how to say this, but it was like

the Lord was telling me that the Grandeur of Heartland is more

than you realize, you can't measure it.

And when he said it, I started crying.

Now, why am I telling you this? Because if we don't understand

the purpose of what God is doing, we can't leverage it.

We can enjoy it. We can't replicate it.

We can't leverage it. and I'm telling you, That God.

Has dropped an authority in this house. that is beyond what we

look around the room and see and we need to be very very

intentional about using that for his kingdom.

Now, at one level that's going to mean a different thing for

each, one of us for Terry and Liz right now.

Their assignment one of their primary assignments, their

Elders in this house, but one of their primary assignments is

getting people in the triage. Getting them through the door

and getting, you know, sending them on their way and we have a

regional mandate on this church. We don't just do a lot of the

people they meet with aren't in Hartland their people in the

region and they come to us. We do that with pastors, we're

sewing money into pastors that are Hurting and need counseling

and will foot the bill for that. We're helping out people around

the region. You need to find out.

What is the purpose of your anointing?

You need to get healed. Okay.

Get if you need treatment in the hospital of the Kingdom, get it.

We have it available to you and you need to plug in and find

your place in the family. You've got to have relationships

with in the local church. You have to be living doing a

life with others life on life. That is crucial.

But it's got to go beyond there, and you've got to realize what

is the purpose of your anointing?

What is God called you to do? He's given you a patch of ground

in which you can express the kingdom.

You may be in college, you may be a doctor.

You may be a UPS worker. That patch of ground.

God expects you desires, you Long's to manifest through you.

And only when you discover that will you finally step in like

David and begin to give expression to all these put

within you? That's the only way you're going

to really feel locked and loaded, this is what I was

created for. Amen.

I hope some of that made sense. Let's go ahead and stand Father,

we thank you this morning God. You are good.

Lord. We thank you that.

Your measuring stick is different than ours.

And Lord, we ask that you would do a work in US.

Lord, just put your hand on your heart.

Lord that you do at work in us. Like the Apostle Paul said that

we would know, no man after the flesh that we would be the

Samuels. Lord, that would recognize the

hand of God on the David's, Lord that we could call it out of

others. But Lord, we ask for for more

than just individuals, Lord, we ask that you would enable us

like David to assess the state. State of a city and recognize

the gem that it would be in your hand Lord.

Father asked that there would be an awareness, God like David

that David perceived the purpose of your hand on him and Lord

that you would help us Lord. That there would be a

perception. A revelation that we would

understand why your hand is upon us.

Lord Lord, I ask God as we go that we would be aware of your

presence Lord that we would understand that we are a people

of your presence and Lord that we would emanate God that we

would we would leak. Everywhere we go, we would not

only be Spirit-filled but we would be Spirit spilled in Jesus

name. Amen.

I love you and we'll be back here, Tuesday morning for

prayer. God bless you.

Thanks for listening to our podcast.

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