Sermon

Good-News-Culture-Exchange

Acts 29 Vancouver

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  1. Thank you guys, thank you.

  2. Okay, so we'll talk about this idea of exchange,

  3. and so we sum up what we spoke about last week.

  4. I don't know if you had an opportunity to practice it,

  5. but let's go over what we said last week.

  6. So we understand this idea of exchange.

  7. It means that God is calling us to bring to pass here on earth.

  8. So we said last week that in Acts 3, verse 6,

    Acts 3:6

  9. so this is a continuation from last week, Acts 3, verse 6,

    Acts 3:6

  10. we said that we have nothing else to give.

  11. We have nothing else to give.

  12. We have nothing else to give.

  13. We have nothing else to give but the Son.

  14. We have nothing else to give but the Son.

  15. Nothing of value to give but the Son.

  16. Acts 3 says,

  17. Silver and gold have I none,

  18. but what I have I give you in the name of Jesus Christ.

  19. So the only thing that you and I have for the rest of the earth is the Son.

  20. We have nothing else to give but the Son.

  21. Because the world has everything else they can give them.

  22. The world can give them more money, more jobs, more health, more projects,

  23. more sometimes accolades,

  24. but we have something that they need and we have nothing else to give but the Son.

  25. But you can't give away what is precious to you,

  26. you can't give away what is precious to you,

  27. what is precious to you,

  28. till you love someone.

  29. That's the second statement we made last time,

  30. that Jesus is super precious to us.

  31. It's very evident in this church,

  32. especially sometimes when the ways you act and the ways you worship,

  33. the way you talk,

  34. it's very evident that Jesus is really precious to you.

  35. But you can never give away something super precious to you

  36. unless you love somebody.

  37. That's when you give things away.

  38. How do we know that?

  39. Because God himself did that.

  40. God so loved that he gave.

  41. So one of the reasons we have Jesus in our lives,

  42. but we don't give him away,

  43. is because we lack the second thing that God has,

  44. which is he loves so much that he gives away.

  45. I do not love enough, I do not give away.

  46. So I have to ask, and I've been asking,

  47. Father, today can you help me to love the world?

  48. It's our day.

  49. On one hand it says Christians do not love the world.

  50. On the other hand we are praying,

  51. Jesus, please help me love the world.

  52. Because I only give away something really precious

  53. when I love something else more.

  54. We do that with our kids, we do that with our spouses.

  55. God so loved that he gave.

  56. That leads us to a third dilemma,

  57. which is because he lives in me,

  58. because he lives in me,

  59. I can only give him away,

  60. I can only give him away

  61. by giving myself away sacrificially.

  62. By giving myself away sacrificially.

  63. That's a catch, eh?

  64. God has set it up that way.

  65. So you want to give me away?

  66. Well, you can't give me away in a tract,

  67. you can't give me away in a video,

  68. you can't give me away in an invitation to a church.

  69. If you want to give me away,

  70. since I live in you and you love,

  71. you'll have to give me away by giving yourself away sacrificially.

  72. So he's set this up in such a way

  73. that it gives us very little wiggle room.

  74. And all love is expressed in sacrifice,

  75. be it with your spouse, be it with your friends,

  76. be it with your children.

  77. It's best expressed in sacrifice.

  78. Sacrifice of four things,

  79. there might be more, but it's the four T's.

  80. Time, treasure, talent.

  81. Three T's and one S.

  82. Strength.

  83. Time, talent, treasure, strength.

  84. So you give him, and how does the sacrificial giving start?

  85. First you give yourself to him,

  86. then you give yourself to others.

  87. That's how he, that's how he,

  88. that's how he, that's how he can represent himself through us.

  89. That's how he can represent himself through us.

  90. Any questions thus far?

  91. So basically what we are saying is,

  92. hey guys, build a church for the world.

  93. Build a church for the world

  94. and give the sun away.

  95. But to give the sun away, you'll have to love the world.

  96. And to give the sun away, you'll have to give yourself away.

  97. And so this must be this constant prayer that comes out of us.

  98. Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is kind of this.

  99. I know that I don't have to do this, but I realize I need to do this.

  100. For this reason I came.

  101. That's his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.

  102. That's what he's struggling with.

  103. So don't think that you won't struggle with it.

  104. This is a struggle.

  105. It is a struggle.

  106. He struggled with it.

  107. He struggled with it in his humanity, but he was very sure.

  108. And then he says, not my will, but my will.

  109. So this is a struggle.

  110. So this is not just tomorrow start doing it.

  111. Struggle with it. Struggle through it.

  112. Pray it out.

  113. Pray that I love the world more.

  114. It is not possible to give anything away

  115. till you love something so much that you're willing to sacrifice it.

  116. Any questions, guys?

  117. So much is rotten with prayer, right?

  118. So much is rotten with prayer, right?

  119. When you begin to pray, God puts you on an anvil

  120. and begins to shape you and then provide you an opportunity to fit.

  121. Hear me again.

  122. When you begin to pray this, God puts you on an anvil

  123. and he shapes you so that,

  124. he's shaping you so that tomorrow

  125. he will provide you an opportunity where you will fit.

  126. So some of these things need prayer

  127. so that something changes here and here.

  128. Trust the Holy Spirit to do that

  129. because there's no way around it because we are so self-preserving.

  130. Self-preservation is a direct opposite of sacrifice.

  131. Build a church for the world and give the sun away.

  132. Any questions?

  133. God works through representation.

  134. He works through representation.

  135. Why does he work through representation?

  136. One, because he's transcendent.

  137. He's outside time and space

  138. so he puts people on the earth to work and represent him.

  139. He did this in the Garden of Eden.

  140. He said, I will make man in my image.

  141. You will represent me.

  142. And I trust you so much, Adam,

  143. that you will multiply after my kind, not after your kind.

  144. Till Adam sinned, people were supposed to be born after his kind.

  145. So this idea of representation is very ancient.

  146. He always works through representation.

  147. This is why he comes and lives in you.

  148. So you don't even have to imitate.

  149. You cannot give him away without giving yourself away.

  150. And so one of the reasons he loves representation

  151. is because he's transcendent

  152. and he's utterly transcendent.

  153. And so the way he enters the earth,

  154. just think of this.

  155. How did he enter the earth 2,000 years ago?

  156. Again, through representation.

  157. Through someone, a man called Jesus of Nazareth.

  158. Now how does he enter the earth?

  159. Through another man called the Church, the body of Christ.

  160. So he's utterly transcendent,

  161. so he wants us to represent him.

  162. Second, we are his likeness.

  163. He's got no problems, like Jane was saying,

  164. he's got no problems trusting us

  165. because we are his likeness.

  166. Three, he trusts us

  167. because he trusts the Christ in us, his son.

  168. And four, he is, after all, Emmanuel,

  169. God with us.

  170. The with us God.

  171. What are we saying?

  172. That the only God, there's only one,

  173. that the living God, all other gods are dead,

  174. and the holy God, because every other God is unholy,

  175. the only God, the living God, the holy God,

  176. thinks that you are best to represent him.

  177. He's chosen your workplace,

  178. he's chosen the country you were born in,

  179. he's chosen the nation you presently live in,

  180. he's chosen everything because he actually thinks well of you

  181. and thinks that you are best to represent him.

  182. To whom? To your child.

  183. To your cynical neighbor.

  184. To your colleague.

  185. To the communist.

  186. To the republican.

  187. To the Buddhist.

  188. To the Islamist.

  189. To the atheist.

  190. Why does he think they need to be approached?

  191. Because he loves them

  192. and because they belong to him

  193. and because they don't know it.

  194. That's why.

  195. But Jacob, we know all this.

  196. True, but we don't go over it again and again and again.

  197. So even though we know all this, we have to think.

  198. It's so important to think like this.

  199. These are not our daily thoughts.

  200. Our daily thoughts are usually about us.

  201. Nothing wrong with that.

  202. Nothing wrong with that.

  203. Nothing wrong with that in the sense,

  204. love the Lord your God, it's important.

  205. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

  206. So it is important to take care of yourself.

  207. But after taking care of yourself comes this idea of self-denial.

  208. Self-denial is not denying yourself before you take care of yourself.

  209. Self-denial is taking care of yourself and then saying,

  210. just as I desire friendship, I desire friendship for him.

  211. Just as I have security in Jesus,

  212. I desire the same security in Jesus for him.

  213. Just as I hear the voice of God,

  214. I desire that he would hear the voice of the only living true holy God.

  215. Just as I have eternal security,

  216. in the same manner I desire eternal security for him.

  217. Just as I was approached by someone who found me obnoxious

  218. and yet began to speak Jesus into my life,

  219. in the same way I desire now to speak into their lives,

  220. even though they may reject or be obnoxious to me.

  221. Love your neighbor as you love yourself, not instead of yourself.

  222. The idea of self-denial is,

  223. now that I know that this is what I'm worth,

  224. I would like to deny my dignity, my worth, my reputation,

  225. and confer it on somebody else.

  226. We have to think like this.

  227. Our problem is we don't necessarily think like this,

  228. and therefore Christianity has its own versions of existence.

  229. So pray this, think like this, pray this, think like this, pray this, think like this.

  230. It's important guys,

  231. till it becomes naturally, it becomes natural, till it becomes natural.

  232. Any questions?

  233. Okay.

  234. Then we said last week that

  235. the name of Jesus Christ

  236. and I've been practicing this week and it's been a lot of fun.

  237. My prayers are getting longer, but that's the only downside.

  238. The name of Jesus Christ, so when someone says in the name of Jesus Christ,

  239. in the name of Jesus Christ, we are saying that the nature of God is in His name.

  240. The nature of God is in His name.

  241. The nature of God is in His name.

  242. The will of God, you see that in Hebrews 1, 3,

  243. the will of God is in that name.

  244. As in every promise of God is yes and amen in Jesus Christ.

  245. 1 Corinthians 1, 20.

  246. The will of God is in His name.

  247. The power of God is in His name.

  248. The power of God is in His name.

  249. The power of God is in His name.

  250. And you see that in Acts 3, 16.

  251. And rescue or salvation is in that name.

  252. You see that in Acts 4, verse 12.

    Acts 4:12

  253. Rescue or salvation is in that name.

  254. So this week the reason my prayers got longer is when I pray for people,

  255. I say now in the name of Jesus Christ, whose nature it is to do this for you,

  256. because His name is His nature, in the name of Jesus Christ,

  257. whose will it is to heal you, because we know the promise of God in it.

  258. In the name of Jesus Christ, in whose name is all power, Acts chapter 3, 16.

    Acts 3 chapter mention

  259. It's not anything else but the sheer power in the name of Jesus Christ that has wrought the ceiling.

  260. In the name of Jesus Christ who rescues or who saves, there is no other name.

  261. In that name, and as you begin to speak it,

  262. you begin to gain confidence of the name that you're using.

  263. It's not a mantra anymore, or as one would say mantra anymore.

  264. And so you begin to build yourself, leave alone, build a person who's hearing it.

  265. Because it's not an incantation or you're not invoking a name like the pagans do.

  266. You understand why you're using this name.

  267. In the name of Jesus Christ, I know.

  268. That's the other thing we talked about last week.

  269. Any questions?

  270. As Paul would say, it is good that we go over this again.

  271. Third thing we spoke about last week is

  272. that healing was sometimes because of Peter's faith or your faith, depending on who's praying.

  273. Healing was sometimes because of Peter's faith, or you put your name there, your faith.

  274. Sometimes the person you're praying for does not have any faith, but you have the faith for them.

  275. Use it.

  276. Peter went past that man many times before, but that day he stops and he says,

  277. silver and gold I have none, but what I have I'll give you.

  278. Because he's asking for them arms.

  279. He's been asking for arms for years before that.

  280. He wasn't a new guy.

  281. Spots near the temple were highly priced.

  282. You had to come early and sit there so you get what you need.

  283. Peter had gone past him, but that day Peter had inside him the faith required to heal that man.

  284. We can get to a place where we are aware of what God wants on certain days.

  285. You go past the person and every other day you're walking past.

  286. And then one day God says, now.

  287. And that day you have such, sometimes I would even say it's a gift of faith.

  288. I'm not saying the Bible says so.

  289. I'm saying that sometimes it's a gift of faith where one day you know that inside you

  290. there's a sudden surge of faith brought in by the Holy Spirit saying, heal him.

  291. So there's that that happens.

  292. We talked about that.

  293. Healing is sometimes by your faith through Jesus.

  294. As in Jesus gives it to you saying, go ahead.

  295. I know you walked past this man many times, but today go ahead.

  296. Be aware of it. Be conscious of it.

  297. Never worry about getting it wrong in praying for someone's healing.

  298. As in, if I pray for him and he doesn't get healed, I'm not poorer for it.

  299. I'm not poorer for it.

  300. We think that somehow it's a loss.

  301. It's always a gain to have the audacity and the faith and the expectation to pray for someone

  302. with a physical ailment.

  303. And you're praying to someone who is invisible.

  304. You're praying to someone that many don't believe in.

  305. And you're praying in his name that something happened to this person.

  306. You never lose.

  307. You never lose.

  308. You never lose.

  309. And if your prayer is with compassion and with sympathy, then the person gains anyways

  310. because of their compassion.

  311. When prayer is without compassion, it becomes a religious act.

  312. When prayer is without compassion, it becomes a religious act.

  313. When prayer is only faith based and does not have compassion, it lacks God.

  314. It just has faith in a God you do not know.

  315. It is possible to have faith in a God you do not know.

  316. It is possible to have faith in a God you do not know.

  317. But a God you know now has two things happening to you.

  318. One, you have compassion.

  319. Jesus was always moved with compassion.

  320. The easiest way to provoke God is with compassion.

  321. It's the first revelation of Yahweh.

  322. I'm gracious and compassionate.

  323. So if you can capture compassion, if I can capture compassion, it's a brilliant thing.

  324. Then we said that sometimes healing is not because of your faith.

  325. Healing is because of the person's faith.

  326. Healing is because of the person's faith.

  327. We see that in Acts 14, verse 8, where Paul sees this man who's paralyzed.

    Acts 14:8

  328. And looking at him, Paul felt or noticed that the man had faith to be healed.

  329. The man had faith to be healed.

  330. Healing is because of the person's faith.

  331. The person has, this is a very strange one, has faith in the Jesus you preached.

  332. The Jesus you preached, or sometimes he has faith in you, a Jesus follower.

  333. Think of that for a second.

  334. Sometimes it's because I have told a person about Jesus and faith rises in their heart

  335. and they have faith to be healed and you notice it.

  336. Again guys, there's an awareness.

  337. It's situational awareness by the Spirit.

  338. Situational awareness by the Spirit, where the Holy Spirit prompts you to notice things.

  339. And you're walking by and there are 20 paralyzed people before you,

  340. but you notice in one of them there's faith rising in them.

  341. It could be because of what you preach.

  342. Sometimes it's not even your preaching.

  343. They somehow think that here is a Jesus follower.

  344. I have faith that he can heal me.

  345. It's not even in Jesus, it is in you.

  346. That is scary.

  347. I've seen that happen.

  348. Where they don't have faith in Jesus because they haven't heard of Jesus yet.

  349. But they've seen you a few times and they have faith in you.

  350. The problem with people having faith in you is you'll have to quickly divert them to Jesus,

  351. otherwise what happened in Acts 14 will begin to happen.

  352. Where they all gathered and started worshipping?

  353. Paul and Silas.

  354. And then when that didn't work out, it turned into a riot.

  355. So I'm not saying the second is the best way to go,

  356. but when the second happens, don't move away from it.

  357. Still go through it and then transfer.

  358. Because sometimes we get so humble that...

  359. Yeah, heal and then go humble.

  360. In nations where Christianity is not practiced,

  361. many come to you just because they think you're a faith healer.

  362. Take advantage of it and then point them to the healer.

  363. Any questions?

  364. So you can't talk to them and pray to somebody when they don't really have a faith and when they don't have a faith.

  365. Yeah, so that's the fourth point that Paul had brought up last time.

  366. The regular Paul, not the Bible Paul.

  367. Yeah.

  368. The normal Paul.

  369. Yeah, the regular.

  370. What size do you want? Small? Regular?

  371. Yeah.

  372. So there's a regular Paul had said last week,

  373. there's times when neither you nor the person has faith,

  374. but you have this thing called obedience.

  375. Luke 5.5, Peter wasn't necessarily expressing faith.

  376. In Luke 5.5 he says,

  377. Dear Carpenter Jesus, we just want you to know that we are expert fishermen who fished throughout the night

  378. and we have caught nothing.

  379. But because you say it, we'll throw our nets one more time.

  380. It wasn't this. I believe you.

  381. I'll throw my nets right now and I'll get a lot of fish.

  382. Nothing like that.

  383. It was like a last minute Hail Mary, which wasn't a term they used to use then.

  384. But it was the same way.

  385. They throw the nets and he did it sheerly out of obedience.

  386. Sometimes when you don't have faith, just obey.

  387. Because foolish obedience to the prompting of God,

  388. even when there is no faith, heals.

  389. Foolish obedience to the prompting of God,

  390. even when there is no faith, heals.

  391. I often told you that story that happened in regular Paul's church

  392. where this lady called Cecilia got healed because I was obedient.

  393. I had no faith for healing, but I had obedience to sing a song that healed her.

  394. Reluctant obedience to sing a song that healed her.

  395. But obedience can trigger that.

  396. Then we said Acts 10.38.

  397. Luke 5.5 is obedience.

  398. Acts 10.38.

  399. We said that Acts 10.38 says that the God who is present right now,

  400. the present God, anoints you.

  401. With Holy Spirit, with the Holy Spirit, and with power.

  402. He has a specific agenda.

  403. His agenda is so that you go and rescue, deliver those

  404. harassed by the devil.

  405. What I'm trying to show us is that there's hardly any wiggle room

  406. when it comes to praying for people's healing.

  407. He's giving us so many options that we don't have any choice in this.

  408. Doesn't matter which way you turn, you get knocked out by a word.

  409. Right, Jeremy?

  410. So the present God has anointed you with the Holy Spirit and power to do good

  411. and to heal all under the power of the devil.

  412. Where do we go now?

  413. What choice do we have?

  414. You've got to pray for people who are sick, man.

  415. We don't have a choice.

  416. Any questions before we go on?

  417. So this is what we discussed in the last session.

  418. We have two or three more this time and we can end.

  419. Yeah?

  420. We say back home that if you're going to pray for the sick on the streets,

  421. you've got to sit on your heart that they're not going to get worse off

  422. if you pray for them.

  423. Yeah, beautiful.

  424. So they can only get better or stay the same.

  425. Yeah, they're not going to get worse.

  426. If you pray, they won't get worse.

  427. Yeah.

  428. So I'm going to ask you a question.

  429. Yeah.

  430. So then we have to respect their free will.

  431. Yeah.

  432. But if there's even a slight opening, pray for people's healing.

  433. Then one of the other questions is,

  434. what is the best way to get people to pray for the sick?

  435. So the first question is,

  436. what is the best way to get people to pray for the sick?

  437. Then one of the other things we said was,

  438. and it's not from scripture, so that's why I can't quote it worse,

  439. but many years ago it was said that in this church are wells of healing,

  440. and we haven't really seen it.

  441. But let's say the person who said that was right and he just didn't know us.

  442. That's why I find it easier to believe him because he didn't know us.

  443. And so I met him in the church and I said,

  444. I'm going to pray for the sick.

  445. And so I met him only years later.

  446. But there's too many reasons why I should not avoid praying for the sick

  447. because this is part of this idea of revival where powers of,

  448. where signs and wonders begin to follow and healing is one part of it.

  449. There's so many diseased people in the world, guys.

  450. They've got nowhere.

  451. I mean, I told you about the stories from India.

  452. Every person in that church, not every person,

  453. a large majority of people in that church are there because they got healed.

  454. There was a mission fest this year.

  455. Remember the guy I showed you got baptized?

  456. He was there.

  457. He was at the mission fest clapping hands, singing, raising.

  458. I mean, there's a guy who used to lead things against Christianity

  459. and now he's actively working for.

  460. Here are some more.

  461. Next one is Isaiah 61.

  462. Isaiah 61.

  463. The spirit of the Lord is upon me.

  464. The spirit of the Lord is upon me.

  465. As in at this present moment, when I go out,

  466. when I'm in different places during the week,

  467. the spirit of the Lord is constantly upon me.

  468. Constantly upon me.

  469. This is why I said we need to think like this because please, I plead with you,

  470. don't think it's automatic.

  471. Don't think it's automatic.

  472. We've got to think like this.

  473. Proverbs says it, as a man thinks so is he.

  474. I'm scared if you think this is some automatic thing that the spirit of God will just generate.

  475. The spirit of God is a teacher.

  476. We are the students.

  477. If you don't believe that thinking is important,

  478. then tell your child not to come home and do any homework.

  479. Just say the teacher taught you, be happy.

  480. You'll do well in math.

  481. See how far that child progresses.

  482. It is, we have to think like this to become it.

  483. So, the spirit of the Lord is upon me.

  484. Why? Because he has anointed me.

  485. There's the anointing shields too.

  486. And there's anointing things, prophets.

  487. But we are nobody and he anoints us as in he immerses us in his power.

  488. His power.

  489. And it's never for any, it's not just for the fun of it.

  490. So we can fulfill functions and purpose.

  491. This is our daily condition.

  492. Our daily condition.

  493. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me.

  494. To do what?

  495. That's where the title of the message comes from.

  496. To enforce or exchange or to enforce or effect a divine exchange.

  497. To enforce or effect a divine exchange.

  498. This part of our life description.

  499. To enforce or effect a divine exchange.

  500. Jesus is the one who has anointed me.

  501. To effect a divine exchange.

  502. Jesus is the one who gives.

  503. Jesus gives what the person requires.

  504. The cross is the currency that makes it possible for the whole world to benefit from the King and Kingdom.

  505. You're the table across which the exchange takes place.

  506. That's all you and I are.

  507. The exchange happens.

  508. Or the counter if you want to feel a little more respectable.

  509. Cross is the currency that makes it possible for everyone to get this.

  510. Jesus is our giver and you are the table across.

  511. You're the table across which God does the exchange.

  512. For the spirit of the Lord is upon you for this.

  513. When you read Isaiah 61, you see that it lies at the heart of it.

  514. Isaiah 61 is a disclosure of Kingdom activity.

  515. Is a disclosure of Kingdom activity.

  516. Isaiah 61 is a disclosure of Kingdom activity.

  517. That's one.

  518. Two, I love the second one.

  519. It's a decree of Jubilee.

  520. I'll just go over it shortly.

  521. Three, because it's a decree of Jubilee, it's a proclamation accompanied by acts of exchange.

  522. Accompanied by acts of exchange.

  523. So just think of that.

  524. Isaiah 61 is a disclosure of Kingdom activity.

  525. The Beatitudes are in a sense drawn from Isaiah 61.

  526. It's a disclosure of Kingdom activity.

  527. I'm here to preach the good news to the poor.

  528. I'm here to exchange.

  529. I'm here to announce.

  530. It's this idea of a proclamation accompanied by acts of exchange.

  531. And you'll find that there are three proclamations.

  532. When you read Isaiah 61, there are three types of proclamations.

  533. You'll find that there are three proclamations.

  534. When you read Isaiah 61, there are three times where the word proclaim or announce is used.

  535. And there are five times where the word instead is used.

  536. Three times the word proclaim, five times the word instead.

  537. I'll give you beauty instead of ashes.

  538. I'll give you the oil of joy instead of mourning.

  539. I'll give you this instead of that.

  540. There's always an instead.

  541. But before the instead happens, there's always an announcement.

  542. So it requires two sequential steps.

  543. Announce it, exchange it.

  544. Give me your ashes and I'll pray and exchange a beauty.

  545. Give me your mourning.

  546. I'll trade it for joy.

  547. Give me your despair and your broken heart.

  548. I'll release joy and I'll release songs of praise.

  549. So if you announce it, the person knows what the person will get.

  550. If you don't announce it, they don't know.

  551. And announcing is hard.

  552. And that's something we have to learn because the proclamation part is important before the instead part.

  553. The instead happens after the proclamation.

  554. Any questions on that?

  555. The proclamation is hard because look at what we are saying.

  556. We are saying, hey, listen, you have ashes.

  557. You give me the ashes and I say to you that Jesus will give you beauty.

  558. So you're proclaiming it.

  559. Now, without proclamation, there's no hope.

  560. There's no expectation.

  561. One must create expectation.

  562. That's why proclamation is important.

  563. Without proclamation, there is no expectation.

  564. So when people come to pray, we go through this.

  565. We tell them what is going to happen.

  566. So they will be in expectation to receive the healing.

  567. Yeah. And you will be very frightened.

  568. And then you will also begin to expect.

  569. Yeah. Because sometimes when you do this the first time, you're thinking to yourself, how am I going to deliver on this?

  570. That's when you realize that you now have to really trust the one who can deliver.

  571. And that he is faithful.

  572. He is faithful.

  573. So proclamation creates expectation in the person.

  574. Proclamation puts you in a spot too, which is good.

  575. A demand must be placed on you.

  576. Till I say it, there's no demand on me.

  577. But the moment I say it, now there's a demand on me.

  578. Announce instead two words used eight times together in Isaiah 61.

  579. It's a disclosure of kingdom activity.

  580. This is what I do.

  581. Who is the agent of the kingdom activity?

  582. The Holy Spirit.

  583. Who gives? Jesus.

  584. What's the currency? The cross.

  585. What's the counter of exchange? You.

  586. Let me read Isaiah 61.

  587. Just quickly, just the first few verses.

  588. The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor.

  589. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives,

  590. to release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, or Jubilee,

  591. and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,

  592. and provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow upon them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

  593. the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

  594. And it goes on.

  595. Boy oh boy.

  596. Yeah, that's an instead.

  597. Two more points and we're done.

  598. Guys, if you look at Matthew 10, verse 1-8 and Luke 9-16,

    Matthew 10:1–8

  599. Matthew 10, verse 1-8 and Luke 9, verse 16,

    Matthew 10:1–8 Luke 9:16

  600. you'll find that Jesus has given me authority over sickness.

  601. Matthew 10, verse 1-8, people could say, oh, it was only given to the twelve.

    Matthew 10:1–8

  602. If you think that, I can lead you to other scriptures where it was given to everybody.

  603. But assuming you won't think that,

  604. Matthew 10 actually says,

  605. it says, he called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits

  606. and to heal every disease and sickness.

  607. Sickness. Luke 9-16.

  608. The sound you hear is the turning of pages.

  609. If you miss it, bring a real Bible.

  610. Luke 9-16.

  611. Nope, it's not Luke 9-16.

  612. It's, let me try Matthew 9-16.

  613. Anyways, it's this idea of Jesus giving authority over sickness.

  614. Matthew 9-16.

  615. Nope.

  616. Too bad.

  617. Here's the odd thing though.

  618. When Jesus sends out his disciples,

  619. I don't understand this.

  620. Why doesn't he say, pray for the sick?

  621. Why does he say, heal the sick?

  622. There's an odd expectation that Christ has, eh?

  623. He didn't say, I send you out now to pray for the sick.

  624. He said, I send you out now to heal the sick.

  625. We are the ones who say, go pray for the sick.

  626. He seems to give authority to heal sicknesses and to drive out demons.

  627. You can do it through prayer. I'm not saying don't pray.

  628. What I'm saying is just saying, pray for the sick.

  629. He's saying, heal the sick.

  630. This is the expectation that Christ has when he sends me out as a representative,

  631. that I'll behave like him.

  632. Jesus doesn't say, pray for the sick.

  633. He says, heal the sick.

  634. Then he says, after you heal the sick,

  635. and then he says, before you seal the sick, proclaim the kingdom.

  636. Proclaim that my rule is here.

  637. Proclaim that they can taste it.

  638. But heal the sick.

  639. I'm hoping that just going over this again and again will begin to change the way we think.

  640. It becomes a natural way of thinking.

  641. We all forgot what rain smelled like and felt like till today.

  642. I mean, I'll regret these words in a month.

  643. But rain was a pleasant thing today.

  644. You get used to a certain way of functioning.

  645. You have to change the way you function.

  646. Last point.

  647. Mark 16.

  648. Verse 17.

  649. Is Jesus telling the truth?

  650. And these signs shall follow those who believe.

  651. These signs shall accompany those who believe.

  652. Is he telling the truth?

  653. I went to check what the word believe means.

  654. Did he mean people who are showing faith?

  655. No.

  656. Believe as in those that are believers.

  657. These signs shall follow.

  658. They shall lay hands upon the sick and the sick shall be healed.

  659. They shall speak in new tongues.

  660. They shall drive out demons.

  661. They shall pick up serpents.

  662. They shall drink poison and it shall not affect them.

  663. These signs shall accompany those that believe.

  664. Is this true or is this not?

  665. It's so hard to wrap our head around these things.

  666. This is how it works and this is how we ought to be.

  667. Not for ourselves.

  668. See, one of the things we have to understand is all this is not for ourselves.

  669. We have a church body where we can come.

  670. People can pray for you.

  671. You know enough scriptures.

  672. But what about out there?

  673. Build a church for the world and give Jesus away.

  674. Give Jesus away by realizing that he is precious to you

  675. and you can only give away something precious if you love someone.

  676. Therefore love the world.

  677. That ain't enough because Jesus lives in you.

  678. Therefore the only way you can give him away is by giving yourself away.

  679. Questions?

  680. Okay, so we're going to end with,

  681. I just want to speak the name of Jesus.

  682. Sing it for yourself.

  683. Sing it for yourself.

  684. Yeah?