March 8 - Ps. Garry

Welcome to His Story Our Story, a fresh podcast series

of interviews, testimonies, messages and anecdotes where a range of

people from all walks of life share their journey as

they've traveled with Jesus. Here at Southland Church and Pasaden Adelaide,

our heart and mission is to pursue the presence of

God through At Christ centered, Bible based, spirit filled church,

we disciple and equip people to make a positive difference

for the Kingdom of God and impact every area where

God places them. So sit back, grab a cup of

tea or coffee, unless, of course, you're driving where both

hands are needed on the wheel, and enjoy this episode.

We pray that you are blessed and encouraged as you

listen to His Story Our Story.

Welcome everyone, and I'm Gary, one of the pastors here,

and welcome if you're online, and no doubt, I fear

I'm imagining a few people will be watching the recording

during the long weekend and making the most of it.

So welcome Phil. That was amazing prophetic word that the

pursuit of God. As we grow in our identity with

abba Father and that we are sons and daughters, we

actually have to realize that in that that actually gets

lived out. It's not just a statement, but it gets

lived out. We know God pursues us, he leaves the

ninety nine to find the lost Sheet. There's that pursuit,

but we also we seek him. We use different phrases

in the English, of course, you know we're pressing into God.

You know we're chasing up. Whatever phrase you want to use,

it's the same thing. It's the same heart. And as

you do that quoting Irene, but the Lord we're showing her,

and that is the Lord is shaping us, molding us.

Be it the image of Jeremiah at the Potter's wheel,

be at the rock, that he's shaping us into what

he knows we can become. So what I want to

do today is actually look at what does that look

at or what's it look like? And I want to

take a slightly different angle, because fathers and kids, that's

actually a relationship and it has dynamics in every earthly family.

So I wonder what look at what that might look like,

just one angle at the spiritual level, which is aber father.

Before I start, I do not want anyone to think

that this is the way that you have to connect

with aber Father when you're pursuing God and his righteousness

and his purposes. But it is a way, and it's

actually a way that I think is largely forgotten by

the Church. So I want to to push into this

and I want to start as I said, present your

case alongside the Lord using his word. The word of

God is powerful. Creation was spoken into being. See there's

power in the word of God. When Jesus said get up,

when he said be healed, there was power in what

he said. There is power in the word of God.

So I want to start with the scripture the widow

and the unjust judge Luke Aydine. Then Jesus told them

a parable about their need to pray always and not

to lose heart. So note this is about prayer. In

a certain city, there was a judge who neither feared

God nor had respect for people. In that city, there

was a widow who kept coming to him and saying,

grant me justice against my opponent. For a while he

this is the judge refused, but later he said to himself,

though I have no fear of God or no respect

for anyone, yet, because this widow keeps bothering me, I

will grant her justice so that she may not wear

me out by continually coming. And the Lord said, listen

to what the unjust judge says. And will not God

grant justice to his chosen ones who cry out to

him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them?

I tell you he will quickly grant justice to them.

And yet when the son of Man comes, will he

find faith on earth? It's an interesting passage, an interesting passage.

What Jesus is getting at here, of course, is that

Abba is not like an unjust judge. So how do

we present the case. See, God is not like the

unjust judge. He is Lord Almighty, as Jesus said in

that parable. So he's showing that he's the supreme authority,

but he's also a loving papa, holy and righteous as well,

but loving. You don't access him like you saw with

the unjust judge, where basically you're hoping to get a

decision because you just wear them down and they want

to get rid of you, and so you know, just

give it and just go away and don't come back.

It's not like that. He is still the supreme authority.

He's Lord God Almighty, but he loves you. It's personal.

He actually wants something for you because he loves you.

He's Papa God. The second point in this story is

that we will face trials and mountains in life. You know,

the widow had a mountain to face. It's important to

note that the world's not perfect. I don't think I

have to probably give you examples. It's not. We all

face problems. We all face mountains. And she couldn't defeat

that mountain in her own strength. She had to seek

the judge. This mountain was beyond her, so she had

to go further. But I want you to note here too,

the widow needed to present her case. It's a really

interesting point when you look at that story, because why

did Jesus say that? Because surely, if God is all knowing,

Aba knows you. He knows even the hairs on our head,

which in my case is no miracle, but for most

of you, guys, it is. If he knows you that, well,

why do I have to present a case? He said,

I'm getting there's that question. But you see, it's because

he loves us. Because in the presenting of a case,

if you've had a really good experience with an earthly dad,

There'll be times when you've gone to him and you

will ask for something, and if it's a good thing,

you'll often ask and you'll try and convince them, and

then finally they'll go, yeah, okay, let's do it. They

were going to do it all along, all right, they

loved us. But in that process you actually realized that

you can actually talk. Not only is the Father loving

and good, but you can actually talk and engage in

that goodness. Do you remember when Moses he prayed, Lord,

show me your glory and God's response was, my goodness

will pass by. You see, he allowed Moses to engage

in his goodness. That's what this is about here. So

that's why God does it. And in the meantime we

build faith because we realize this didn't come out of anywhere,

but it came out of a relationship with the Father.

You get the breakthrough because you've been interacting. You've been pursuing,

as Phil was saying earlier on, you've been pursuing God.

And in the meantime, as you do that and your faith,

you see that faith not just rewarded, but you see

it demonstrated in the love of God in his character.

We get shaped as Irene was bringing that word. We

get molded by God. We become more like Jesus in

that process. If you think back there to Samuel five

point twenty when David's facing the Philistines, it's the same thing,

God of the Breakthrough. That's the name actually of God.

One of the names bail Peerr is in God of

the Breakthrough. David engages with the Lord. The Lord directs.

There's this relationship as he pursues him. That's where we

see victory. As I forty three verses twenty five and

twenty six, put me in remembrance. I'm going to read it.

This is the Lord speaking here. I even I am

the one who wipes out your transgressions for my own sake,

and I will not remember your sins. Put me in remembrance.

Let us argue our case together, state your cause that

you may be proved right. The first part of underlining

their verse twenty five. We are made righteous? Why because

the Lord takes away our sin. It's the Lord who

takes it away. Think of two Corinthians five twenty one.

Remember it he this is Jesus, who you know sin

became sin for us that we might become the righteousness

of God in Him. It's not through works, it's in Him.

It's grace, the grace of God. And then the second part.

So when you know that you are a son and

daughter of the most High God, it's interesting, this is

what God says here, put me the Lord in remembrance.

Let us argue our case together. You're not arguing against God.

God is for you. He's for you. He's a loving father.

He's for you. But state your case. You may be

proved right. The proved right saw dark in the Hebrew.

It's not just right. You will be proved righteous. It's

a holy justice. The Lord's actually inviting us into this.

We argue from faith. Remember to Corinthians one twenty. Every

promise is yes an amen in Jesus. Through Jesus. It's

God's faithfulness. But we have access to that. So how

do we do this? How do we present this case

using a biblical model? How do we know that it's

just not Lord, I really do want that three kilos

of mixed lollies and the extra house on the riviera.

How do we know it's biblical? Well, there's power and

the word. You go to the Word always is look

at these scriptures. Get I asked, if you abide in

me and note this bit and my words abide in you,

you will ask what you desire and it should be

done for you. By this, my father is glorified. That

comes back to what Helen was saying. It's for his glory,

not ours. By this, my Father is glorified that you

bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. Being

a disciple is meant to bear fruit. But do you

note that we abide in him. But the second bit,

we need to remember my word, my words abide in you.

It's a scripture. It's from that position that we can

stand in the authority of God. If you ever wonder

my praying, you know, is this really what God wants?

If it's scriptural, you've got to tick before you start.

Stick with the scripture, all right, you won't go too

far the left of the right. If you have your

scripture on both sides of the road, you'll be fine.

It's when we lose the word. Remember, Wimber used to say,

you know, if all you've got the word and no spirit,

you're dry up. But he also said, if all you've

got is a spirit and no word, you'll blow up.

And he's dead. Right, he said, right, Yet both stand

on the word from the Psalms. You are my hiding

place and my shield. I hope in your word. See

the word was what brought hope. The grass withers and

the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.

See the word of God is all powerful, and it

is eternal. God is faithful. We are dealing here with

an abber Father who is perfect love and is perfectly

righteous and holy. He's both. So we argue through the scripture.

We argue through the scripture. I want to show you

an example here. This is another example here that follows this.

This is the Canaanite mother and daughter from Gospel of Matthew,

chapter fifteen. Jesus left that place and went away to

the district of tyren Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman

from that region came out and started shouting, have mercy

on me, Lord son of David, my daughter is tormented

by a demon. But he Esus Jesus did not answer

her at all, And these disciples came and urged him, saying,

send her away, for she keeps shouting after us. Take

that actually going off tangent a bit here. Use that

as a really important spiritual message. Did you notice Jesus

said nothing, and the disciples tried to fill the space. Bye.

Oh well, if nothing's happening, he mustn't want it, so

get her out of the way. Just let God have

the space. Sometimes it's okay to rest even if you're

not hearing something at that moment. But Jesus said, I

was sent only to the lost sheep of the House

of Israel. Note this. But she came and knelt before him, saying, Lord,

help me. He answered, it is not fair to take

the children's food and throw it to the dogs. But

then she said, yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat

the crumbs that fall from their master's table. Then Jesus

answered her, woman, great is your faith. Let it be

done for you as you wish. And her daughter was

healed immediately. Note in this story just two or three things.

There's heaps she could bring out of this just doing

it quickly. The first one here is that this woman

was a Canaanite, but she knew the Lord. Do you

note that she doesn't call him rabbi. It's very personal here,

it's Lord. She knows who he is, and she knows

his heart because not only does she have faith, but

she persists. She knows the heart of her Lord. In

this she doesn't give up even when you might think, oh, wow,

he's really just almost told me no, She doesn't give up.

In some ways, she's a bit like the child who

pesters the parent, but the parents loving and actually allow

it to occur for a little bit because they're going

to of course relent and go Yes, it's all just

part of the game in a sense. But in the

process the kid develops that they know now that I

can push in. I can push in because I know

if it's a good thing, Papa will do it. You

can see that happening here. But what I also like

about it here is she didn't realize that she was

standing actually on the word of God. And I think God,

in his mercy sometimes does this. When we look back

over the years of breakthroughs that we've experienced, my suspicion

is sometimes we've just prayed and in desperation, you just

pour out your heart to God and explain to him

all the details and why it should happen, and he knows.

It's not like God's going, Oh, I've surprised you're not

going to surprise God. But he actually loves that because

he realizes you're pushing into him knowing that he's loving

and caring. And she does that because the scripture tells

us that the foreigner was also included into the blessings

of Israel at that time. Think of Ruth, Remember Naomi

and Ruth. Think of Rahab Jericho. She was brought in.

And when you look at the scripture, what this Canaanite

woman was doing was consistent with scripture. See Isaiah sixty,

verse three. Nations will come to your light and kings

to the brightness of your dawn. Nations is plural. For

Mysiah forty nine, he says, is it too small a

thing for you to be my servant to restore the

tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel life kept.

I will also make you a light to the gentiles,

that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

From Deuteronomy, he defends the cause of the fatherless and

the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving

them food and clothing. See that's a father's heart. This

Canaanite woman was pressing in because she knew Abbah. She knew.

That's why she called him lord. See, if it was

just a respect she would have gone rabbi, and being

a woman, should probably keep distance. But no, this is

someone who pushes in. This is someone who pushes in

and calls him by name. She's presenting a case put

me in remembrance, as it was said, in my eye.

That's what's happening here. She's basically telling the Lord that

this is your word, this is your heart. You are faithful,

you are loving and holy. We know that I can

trust you to deliver. And through that faith in who

he is, we know what happens. You go back to

that reading again. Let it be done for you as

you wish. Woman, great is your faith. See Jesus recognized it.

His heart's moved by that. That's why my papa loves

his kids. That's why we need to understand that it's

one thing to know that we're a son and daughter.

It's another thing to live it. It's another thing to

live it. There's power in this. There is power in this.

I do not for one moment deny that we can

just speak the name of Jesus, and so often at

that moment miracles will happen to healing has happen, because

I've seen them in my own life, seen them here whatever.

We all know that. But there are some times when

it seems like there is a delay. All right, And

I'm not going to sit there and go everything is instant,

because it's not that it's not. At times, there are

times when there is a delay. That's why one of

the Lord's names is Lord of the Breakthrough. There has

to be an obstacle still existing for there need to

be a breakthrough, and otherwise it's a pointless name. God's

words not pointless. So therefore that God's telling us something

in that even in the name, this is where he

breaks through. I look back and even when I was younger,

it was only in my early twenties, and I remember

I've told this story a few times, but when my

father had a stroke, and we're going back into the

probably even barely might have not even been nineteen ninety,

could have been late eighties, and when he had a stroke,

and I remember going to the hospital and in those days,

I don't have a lot of the medical stuff that

they do now, and Dad was not only through emergency,

but he had actually been moved out of there because

there was nothing they could do. He was paralyzed down

one side, couldn't speak a word, and he was fit.

He was quite a fit man. There's only about forty

seven when that happened. And I remember at Monash Medical

Center being there and then we got shoved out find him,

and then he's in this room and then on there

beside him. It's pretty quiet, especially if only one of

you can speak. And I remember the doctor came or

some medica I think it was a doctor and giving

Dad the talk that you know you've had a stroke.

You know this side's paralyzed, You're not able to walk,

so it's going to take several it could take years,

you may not actually ever recover. So we got to

that point where the medical staff had given up on

any potential recovery. He'd already been told about where therapy

would be and they'd have to be physio and all

this stuff. And I just remember being there at that

time and thinking thinking that this doesn't have to be

even though I was very young at the time, I

just realized this does not have to be like this,

And so there was this almost holy anger, but I

wasn't angry at God. And I realized after a bit,

I was talking to God and I started to talk about,

you know, well, there's this, and Dad's needed for this

part in the family, and there was this, and I

was giving this talk to God like I'm sure God

felt highly informed by my conversation. And it got to

that point. And at that point Mum and Dad were

I'd been brought up, as I call it, Christmas in

the Easter Anglican sort of live off the Ten Commandments,

go to church twice a year, and that was about it.

Mum did actually pray with us as we were kids,

so yeah, I give thanks to that. So there was

a there was like a pilot light of faith, but

I wouldn't say anymore. And after this again, it would

have been an hour later at least, so we're talking

several hours and when this dingy sort of off room

and we'd had the prophetic word of doom and gloom given,

and I just remember praying. Finally I'd had enough, and

I just prayed, and I just said, Dad, we're going

to pray, and so I did, and I literally just prayed, Lord,

that's enough. Dad had heard some of my conversation, I'm

sure because I was talking in the zone and prayed,

not that Dad could participate other than being there mentally

he could, but I prayed, I'd presented, I'd put him

in remembrance. The Lord rem and I prayed, and at

the end of it, I said Amen. And it was

the most amazing situation because at that point Dad then

and I just leant down to give Dad a kiss

on the head. And then Dad put his arm around

and said thanks mate. And I was thinking, it was

like the cartoons where you start running but you don't

go anywhere. It was like that. It took about three seconds,

I reckon, for us both to realize what had actually happened.

It was the most amazing thing that radically changed my family,

radically changed them. Mum and Dad suddenly became church goers

at a spirit filled church, changed the next generation as well.

And I look back on that and I go, Wow, Lord,

and then I read IZI and I go, Actually, I

didn't even know at the time, but what I was

doing was I was putting the Lord in remembrance because

he he's the one who actually designed families. Don't listen

to all the rubbish you get from out there today.

Families of God or God's idea, they're a good thing.

Put the Lord in remembrance. He could have healed my

dad a few hours before. I mean theory, he could

have stopped having the stroke to begin with, but he

seemed to wait. But I never ever forgot that that example.

So when it came back again and other things happen,

I stand on the word of God. Now I use

much more scripture, but the principles are same. I go

to the heart of God and stand on the heart

of God and in faith and trust him. And what

I find is so often I find he's got of

the breakthrough. He then is bail prayers in. That's where

I notice when I pursue God, when I seek Him

with all my heart, I do find him. I find

him in his character, and he is good. He is good.

I guess I'm wanting to encourage us all by the

way I'm at the end here. I want to encourage

us all to put Him in remembrance. It's not that

we think God has got amnesia or whatever. It's not

that it's actually His word says it, and there's something

in it because it grows our faith. It also makes

sure that what we're praying for is godly because if

you have to put him in remembrance, you have to

use the scripture to show why. So the whole thing

is building up your faith. And then you have a testimony,

a testimony of Jesus that becomes then the spirit of prophecy.

So the next time you go, you know what this was,

what Jesus did now, God is the same yesterday, today,

and tomorrow. He will do it now and you stand

on that. And this is the case. So often we

have examples that comes through ministry, not just at this church.

It's other people come in. So this is more of

a personal testimony for me. But you guys will have

your own. Some might be here, some will be out

there because we're disciples wherever we go. But to give

an example, several times we will be I'll be asked

or invited in as such an honor you get invited

into prayer. It might be for people who examples being

people who are struggling to conceive kids. By the way,

I'm talking about married couples here and biblical married ones

one husband, one wife. Just for clarification, it could be

that we've had situations with miscarriages as well. The same

thing where someone feels they're in the same position. I

can count these on more than fingers on my hands.

And what happens is when that occurs, we go to

the word I will actually put him in remembrance. So

I'll start. I've just written down about four or five scriptures,

I think this morning printed them off, So I'll start

with things like Ephesians two twelve to thirteen. I'm just

reading scripture. Remember that at that time you were separate

from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers

to the covenants of the Promise, without hope, without God

in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who

were once far away, have been brought near through the

blood of Christ. So I say, Lord, I proclaim that

I'm washed in the blood. I am washed in the

blood Galatians three twenty nine. And if you are Christ,

then you are Abraham seed and heirs according to the promise.

See Abraham, that's a covenant of faith. Lord, I'm there

because of your blood, and there's promises in that. And

then I go two Corinthians read it before five twenty one,

God who made him no sin to be sin for us,

so that we might become the righteousness of God. Lord.

That confirms that Jesus, you did it for me. So

I'm righteous now because of you, Lord. In you, I'm

righteous two Corinthians one twenty. For that matter, how many

promises God has made, they are all yes in Christ,

and so through him, the amen is spoken by us

to the glory of God. It's to the glory of God.

So I know I have access to the promises. And

then I go to Deuteronomy and I go, there's a

whole list of promises going right back back to Abraham.

But those promises for those who are righteous. But Jesus

fulfilled the law and the prophets. I'm there through the

blood of Christ. So I then go, you know what, Lord,

I'm putting you in remembrance, because you say that there

won't be childlessness. You say there won't be a miscarriage.

Stand on that. Then I declare it then and then

in the name of Jesus Christ. And I can tell

you the number. It is astounding, the number of couples

that have prayed with who have not been able to conceive,

who have gone through even IVF, and some beyond that,

where IVF has said it cannot be done, and then

they will conceive naturally. The number of people who go through.

I think we're in the middle of a miscarriage. It

looks disastrous from an earthly perspective, and you pray, and

you say, go to the hospital, have your scan, and

just confirm the miracle. And the miracle comes back. Everything's fine.

Why because you put him in remembrance. It's not because

of your vending machine. It's not that. It's because he

is Papa God, and a family sticks together, and a

father loves his kids. So often we struggle with that.

We get the holy bit, we get the righteous bit,

but we struggle actually with the love. And yet what

did Jesus say, Love the Lord, your God, love your neighbors, yourself.

I think Jesus knew that. Sometimes we struggle with the love.

But it's both, and that's why we'll always know, because

love without boundaries. When you start to go too far

and you're outside of God's definitions, it's not love at all.

That's why we pray through the scripture. It's the word

of God that keeps us aligned. The Spirit and the

Word together, they work together. So I'm going to finish it. There.

I no doubt. I'm sure there'll be people here today

who will have their own mountains, like that widow before

the judge, like the Canaanite lady. There will be so

many of us, me included, who have our mountains. And

I'm actually just encouraging you two things. One, if you

would like prayer for that, today's the day. There will

be people who if you want to pray, there'll be

people here who will pray with you for those mountains

to move for God of the breakthrough that bail prais in.

And they can do it by putting the Lord in remembrance.

Have you ever noticed how often God, when a miracle occurs,

Jesus says, great is your faith? If you ever noticed that,

look through the scripture, how often he says that great

is your faith in that pushing in putting God into

remember in that trusting and pushing into the heart of

God and declaring the goodness of God and his heart.

He seems to be moved by that. God does seem

to be moved by that. Well, if he's moved by

that for others, he can be moved by that for

you and for me, because we're his kids. He loves

us he loves us. And it can be as simple

things too. It can be preparing for your exams, getting

through those sorts of things, job interviews, or whatever. Mountains

come in all different shapes and sizes. But he is

faithful regardless. He's faithful regardless, But also encourage you in

your own prayer lives as well. Put him in remembrance

as you're praying for things, praying for things. It's a

great way to check, actually, am I just praying for

something that's selfish? Or is this actually a godly thing?

Put him in remembrance. Pray it through the scripture if

nothing else would be good for you to look up

the scripture, but it will keep your mind and then

push push into that because you can. You're not going

to offend him. What father would reject a child just

because they come asking him for something because they think

he's loving and cares for them. No, Abba loves us

doing this. That's why he said put us in remembrance.

Did you notice that let us argue the case together,

our case. He didn't say argue against me. In Isaiah,

he actually says, argue a case together with you. He

never leaves your forsakes you This is part of that

father child relationship. So I do encourage you to pray

like that at home as well. Pray like that with

your spouse, put him in remembrance, and remember we do

it to his glory. It's always his glory.

Thank you for joining us today for his story, our story.

We hope you've enjoyed this episode and have been encouraged

and uplifted. If you would like to learn more about

Walking with God or Southland Church and Pasadena Adelaide, please

visit our website at www dot Southland Church dot com

dot au to be notified of future episodes. Follow us

on Spotify or the podcast app. To connect through YouTube,

click the subscribe button until next time